Chapter 299 – Exchange (Two)

In the midst of the chilling silence, Belen’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

“You’re as sharp as I heard from Father.”

The previously tense and cowering demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

At that eerie smile, Veronica felt a chill run down her spine.

Ray glared at the opponent and spoke.

“Tell me, where is the real Belen?”

“Don’t worry. I’m keeping him safe. He’s unconscious, but I haven’t laid a finger on him. He’s someone to be used valuably, so he shouldn’t get hurt, right?”

“I know the recent disappearances of trainees in the city were all Doctor’s doing.”

Belen—or rather, the unidentified being wearing Belen’s form—giggled before speaking.

“Your information is fast. I tried to handle things as quietly as possible, but has word already spread that much?”

“It didn’t seem very quiet. You left clues all over the scene, enough for even the most oblivious person to notice.”

The air, thick with tension, was sharp enough to cut.

The opponent, who had been staring at Ray with unamused eyes for a moment, opened his mouth.

“You’re more of a tongue-twister than I thought. The original plan was to watch you call the School people and observe your actions a bit, but well, since I’ve been caught, there’s no point. Let’s get straight to the point. I came to deliver Father’s warning.”

Ray checked the letter written in Ancient Script that the opponent took from his pocket and handed over.

It was a warning about the spread of imagination.

It said that those who gain uncontrollable, immense power would once again start wars and devastate the environment.

‘…Like handing a dangerous weapon to a child.’

It was laughable.

Because the very person who instigated the second war of the Ancient Era through schemes and discord was none other than Doctor.

Was he regretting what he had done in the past?

Was he trying to prevent the inevitable recurrence of catastrophe, knowing the outcome?

It didn’t matter.

That was Doctor’s thought.

Whoosh.

“Tell him to come himself if he has something to say.”

“You…! How dare you burn Father’s letter now…!”

The opponent’s eyes widened.

He gritted his teeth and spoke in a voice that seemed to suppress anger.

“Cease the exchange meeting immediately. That is Father’s demand.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then only death remains. Father’s loyal servants are already deployed throughout the surrounding streets. Can you handle simultaneous attacks targeting this place?”

As if imagining something, the opponent let out a snickering laugh and continued.

“Or perhaps there’s no need for such a massacre. Controlling puppets mimicking your appearance to harm people. Framing you with an inescapable accusation. Then people will no longer trust you. How about it? It’ll be very fun.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Decide. Father is giving you a chance.”

“Tell Doctor. If he wants to negotiate, he should at least have the social skills to show up in person.”

Seemingly caught off guard by the unexpected answer, the opponent looked blank for a moment.

Then, nodding, he said.

“Then there’s no choice.”

Swish!

In that instant, the opponent drew a dagger from his pocket and stabbed at Ray’s throat.

But Ray, reacting a split second faster, had already thrown his own dagger, piercing the opponent’s heart first.

Crash!

The desk toppled over.

The poisoned dagger clattered to the floor.

The fallen opponent’s body turned to ash and rapidly disintegrated, leaving only fragments of a shattered red gem and a pile of ashes on the floor.

“This person…!”

“It’s a Homunculus.”

Ray picked up the gem fragments from among the ashes.

‘Bloodstone.’

A gem serving as a Charging Stone that Doctor uses for various purposes.

Its most notable recent use was as the core of a Homunculus, an item Ray suspected might be a crude replica of the rainbow-red fragments.

“I, I thought he was a real person.”

“It’s significantly more advanced compared to the ones we saw in the Last Forest. The expressions, the tone, they’ve become very similar to a human’s. But the biggest reason for the naturalness was likely because the opponent was directly controlling this entity.”

“Opponent, you mean, ah, don’t tell me…?”

“Right, it must be an Executive of Mercread.”

Judging by the emotional display during the conversation earlier, it seemed highly likely to be an Executive under the control of a Curse Seal.

So far, the Mercread Executives encountered numbered five.

Walter, Curiosa.

Allerger, Vicious, Obsess.

Now, only one Executive remained.

‘Lazy.’

According to Curiosa, he had an extremely lazy personality during their orphanage days.

And he was the type who thought he was above everyone else.

「He hated moving. Even during hide-and-seek, he often hid right where the seeker started. He hid so well, and then he’d laugh at the kids who couldn’t find him.」

「To put it bluntly, he was a bit of a jerk.」

Why she emphasized the last part twice while staring directly at him was unclear, but that was the testimony.

‘If Lazy also had an Emotional Curse engraved by Doctor related to his childhood temperament…’

Lazy’s Vessel would undoubtedly be filled with emotions of sloth and negligence.

The corresponding Mana’s Color would be transparent.

At a glance, it might seem like colorless, odorless air, as if non-existent, but it was Mana with a definite physical form.

It was also the Mana primarily used in the stealth and camouflage-type Magic that Ray frequently employed.

“Veronica, go to the office right now and make a broadcast to the entire Mage Tower. Say there might be an attack by unidentified individuals and to immediately gather in the auditorium as instructed.”

“Got it!”

It was then that Ray sensed the presences of Mana resonating from outside the Mage Tower.

After approaching the window to check the outside scene, he stopped Veronica.

“…No, it probably won’t be necessary. It’s already started.”

A crowd numbering in the triple digits was charging fiercely towards the Mage Tower from all over the streets.

Their characteristically expressionless faces.

Men with identical appearances.

They were the Homunculi he had seen before, but they differed from previous encounters in that they had three or four Rings on their chests.

‘Their level has increased.’

Did that mean Doctor’s research had progressed significantly?

Ray descended to the ground floor immediately with Veronica.

“School Master Ray!”

“Weren’t you in the middle of a meeting? Why are you here now…?”

Practitioners from various Schools who had been observing the Mage Tower swarmed towards Ray with welcoming faces.

But only for a moment.

Crash—! Bang—!

The Homunculi began breaking through windows and Walls, storming inside.

They swung blades, hurled blazing fireballs, and attacked. The interior turned into chaos as battles erupted everywhere.

“School Master Ray, what on earth is happening…!”

“Where did these monsters suddenly come from…!”

The answer to that came from several other directions in loud voices.

“Kill all those who came as practitioners. Capture all the children who came as Exchange Scholars as hostages.”

“With this many hostages, we can make any demand against the city’s Schools.”

They were all voices, astonishingly identical.

From various places, expressionless boys resembling Ray were entering the interior alongside the Homunculi.

“School Master Ray…?”

“How are there so many…! I can’t sense any trace of Mana at all…!”

Doubt, questions, anxiety, confusion—various emotions flared up like flames in people’s Vessels in an instant.

Everyone turned their heads, but the real Ray had already sprung from his spot and was engaging in battle.

Whoosh! Roar!

Ray dodged the flames spewed by a Homunculus taking a deep breath and grabbed its neck.

Crackle!

Ice spreading from his hand covered the Homunculus’s entire body, and it shattered into pieces right then.

An axe from another Homunculus swung at his back, but only an afterimage of electricity remained where Ray had been.

Appearing behind the axe-wielding Homunculus in an instant, Ray placed his palm on its back.

And then.

Roar!

Crimson flames instantly engulfed its entire body.

Afterwards, wherever Ray passed, red gems were quickly left on the floor.

Although Doctor’s artificial lifeforms had become stronger compared to before, they posed no problem as opponents.

No, it was even easier than before.

Because his own power had improved as well.

The Mana emitted by the five Rings and four gems infused Ray with uncontrollable momentum.

However, the problem was.

‘The enemies keep pouring in. It’s exactly like the situation in the Last Forest. This way, it’ll never end.’

Also, while he was fine, others were struggling.

Then, spotting someone, Ray leaped and landed near them.

Thud!

“There’s no time for lengthy explanations. The enemies are targeting the Exchange Scholars. Gathering everyone and heading to the 4th-floor auditorium will be easier for defense. Anyone who looks like me is a fake, so don’t be swayed.”

The opponent was a middle-aged woman fighting amidst sharp winds.

It was Research Director McQueen of the Weed School, who had been helped by Ray on the train.

Quickly grasping the situation, she nodded, and Ray leaped back towards Veronica.

“Veronica, the Homunculi are continuously being generated outside and swarming in. To stop them, we need to find the controller, Lazy. I’ll search the entire interior of the Mage Tower first. Stay here and help the people.”

“Understood!”

Veronica, who had been fighting among the people, deployed a Ward and entered a defensive stance.

She immediately opened all her power, and waves of White Mana surging from her hands rippled across the Walls, floor, pillars, and ceiling.

“My wounds are healing!”

“What kind of…!”

People’s gashes closed, and the heat of burns began to subside.

Not stopping there, a powerful vitality coursed through their entire bodies.

This too was Magic forged by Veronica from pure feelings of concern, deviating from existing elemental rules.

Realizing the White Zone provided overwhelming regenerative power, people began to leap boldly, and the tide of battle quickly turned.

After briefly assessing the situation, Ray ran upstairs via the staircase.

‘Lazy is definitely nearby.’

The inability to be far from the controlled target is a characteristic of Mental Magic.

Narrowly, inside the Mage Tower.

Broadly, the streets near the Mage Tower.

He must be hiding somewhere, controlling the Homunculi while remaining static.

And the reason for choosing to search the interior first over the exterior was clear.

‘He enjoyed hiding near the seeker during hide-and-seek, they said.’

Childhood temperament—that doesn’t change easily.

After Ray left, Madam McQueen took command of the battlefield.

“Everyone! Head up one floor at a time, rescue the Exchange Scholars, and join with other personnel! Block with your lives to prevent the enemies from going higher!”

Confusion about the situation hadn’t cleared, but as it was the influential Weed School, rallying wasn’t too difficult.

The defensive line was established on the 4th floor, in the auditorium.

There, a fierce frontline was maintained.

‘With the situation like this, it should be okay for a while even without me.’

Veronica thought, catching her breath.

Since she had infused three Rings’ worth of Mana, the White Zone would likely be maintained for at least 30 minutes.

To help Ray, she turned and ran towards the staircase leading to the upper floors.

Perhaps because Ray had conducted a search, doors along the corridor were open, and small electric currents crackled in the air.

How far had she climbed?

“Veronica.”

Ray approached from the end of the corridor.

“How’s the situation below?”

“They’re holding up so far. Did you find the Executive?”

“Not yet.”

Ray and Veronica walked down the corridor together, focusing their senses on the presences of Mana around them.

“Tell me right away if you sense anything.”

“Okay… Eek!”

Just then, a massive tremor shook the entire Mage Tower, causing Veronica to stumble and fall.

“Must be the aftermath of the battle happening on the lower floors.”

“…Phew, must be.”

Ray extended his hand with his characteristic calm motion.

Noticing his hand was dusty, he wiped it with a handkerchief and offered it again.

“Thanks.”

Veronica took Ray’s hand and stood up.

They walked down the corridor again, continuing conversations about the Executive and the Homunculi.

Then, at a certain moment.

Whoosh!

A powerful shockwave of wind pressure erupted from Ray’s back.

Thud!*

The fallen Ray crumbled into ashes, leaving only a shattered red gem in his place.

Veronica, extending her palm towards the ashes, spoke in a scornful voice.

“Wiping off dust just to offer a hand? Ray isn’t that meticulous.”