Chapter 317 – Side Story One. Collapse (One)

Hello. This is the author. It’s been a long time since the main story concluded!

In the main story, the latter part progressed as follows: (1) Ray met the Doctor and Viola, (2) he embarked on a solitary journey to visit all sectors to establish his identity, and (3) he returned to Sector 28, gave up his abilities, and raised a rainbow into the sky.

The side story will likely focus on the narrative between (1) and (2), which was largely omitted to avoid disrupting the flow.

I intend to write as much as possible about the stories of supporting characters like Joshua, Curiosa, Blue, and Grine, alongside the protagonist Ray’s journey.

As a writer, nothing would make me happier than if you, the readers, enjoy reading it.

Well then, let the side story begin!

Sector 22, the Association Mage Tower, Chairman’s Office.

On the magnificent desk by the window, stacks of documents were piled so high they obscured any view of a person sitting behind them.

Thump! Flip—!

Thump! Flip—!

A hand stamped documents with rough motions, flipping through them.

How much time had passed like that?

Thump!

Gustak, the owner of the hand, put a final stamp on the last document.

“Phew, these damn papers… To think a task started in the morning only finishes as the sun sets…”

He let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair with an exhausted expression.

Glancing out the window, the sunset was already painting the sky.

And far away, at the horizon’s edge.

The faint silhouette of an immensely tall Mage Tower loomed over the high-rise buildings.

The undisputed number one in the city’s hierarchy.

The Imaginarius School’s Mage Tower.

“Has it already been a year since then…”

Gustak muttered in a sentimental voice after checking the calendar.

One year ago.

A white-haired boy who suddenly visited the Association and submitted a request to establish a new School.

Had it not been for the introduction by School Master Listoa, with whom he had a long-standing friendship, he would have beaten the boy up and thrown him out without a second thought.

After all, he had seen more than a few young, brash upstarts drunk on themselves and magic.

But he couldn’t do that.

When the boy conjured a blue flame emitting cold from his palm.

He could only stand frozen in immense shock.

「I-I will grant the establishment.」

He finally spoke after a long while.

And after that, everything proceeded swiftly.

The boy who founded the School presented a new theory named ‘Imagination’ at the regular academic conference, causing a paradigm shift across the entire magical community.

“…And then he began propagating the theory in the city through monthly exchanges.”

Imagination.

A power that could combine any elements, regardless of affinity or properties.

The city’s inhabitants were enthusiastic about this unknown ability that could surpass the limits of existing magic, but not just anyone could wield it.

He himself was a prime example.

Despite pouring every effort over the past year, hadn’t he ultimately failed to bloom Imagination?

Gustak stared at his palm where opposing elements repelled each other and muttered.

“…A power only those honest with their own emotions can manifest.”

According to the boy, that was it.

One must be honest before their emotions.

Hold a pure aspiration.

That was the primary condition for blooming Imagination.

“For a human crowd like me, it’s impossible, utterly impossible.”

A bitter laugh escaped him.

The first thing he learned upon becoming an adult and entering society was how to hide emotions.

Having lived his whole life wearing masks appropriate for time and place, he couldn’t even remember what his real face looked like anymore.

Right.

How could such a person now become honest with their emotions?

The pure aspirations of childhood were also tarnished by the passage of time, rendered unrecognizable from their original form.

「I will limit exchange scholars to those not yet past adulthood, or those who have just reached adulthood.」

In the end, the boy’s words implied a clear meaning from the start.

That those past adulthood, who wear masks to hide their emotions, cannot bloom Imagination.

Of course, there were cases of blooming at ages far beyond adulthood, but those were extremely rare exceptions.

Gustak was not one of them.

“……”

A terribly regrettable thing.

But, well, what could he do?

Knowing when to appropriately give up and retreat before the impossible was also a wisdom brought by age.

Rustle.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Gustak got up from his seat and gathered his coat and bag.

Sitting in the office staring at documents all day made his head feel stuffy.

Having finished today’s work, returning home and having a drink by the fireplace would be a welcome respite.

“Hum, hm, hmm.”

A hum escaped him involuntarily.

Just then, his secretary opened the door and entered.

Bowing her head, she strode over and placed the thick bundle of documents she was holding onto the desk.

Thump!

Gustak glared and asked.

“What’s this?”

“New patent application documents. You need to read through all of them and approve them by today. Um, uh, why are you suddenly holding that stamp… Ah! You’re going to start work right away!”

“No, I’m thinking of stamping your face.”

“Huh? Kyahhh!”

The secretary screamed and ran away, dodging the Association President who was chasing her with murderous intent.

Just then, the crystal orb on the desk flashed.

As Gustak approached and operated it, the face of the first-floor receptionist appeared.

“What is it?”

─Well, a guest has arrived. They say they’ve come to see you, Association President.

Gustak frowned.

“There shouldn’t be any guests scheduled for today? To suddenly show up without an appointment and demand to see me, a person with not a speck of manners. Tell them to get lost. I’m going home to rest today, so I can’t meet them.”

At the fiery shout, the receptionist fidgeted uneasily.

─I’ll talk to them myself.

─Huh? N-no. But, still, there’s procedure… The Association President will be angry…

─It’s fine.

After a brief sound of conversation, a different face appeared in the crystal orb.

─Long time no see, Association President.

A boy with snow-white hair.

The master of Imaginarius, Ray.

─There’s something I want to discuss. Is now a bad time?

Gustak had been determined not to change his decision no matter who came.

That is, except for one person.

“…Ugh. Come up.”

Not long after, the office door opened and Ray appeared.

“Have you been well?”

“It’s truly been a long time since I’ve seen you in person. You’re such a busy person, after all. The last time was at the previous regular academic conference, wasn’t it?”

The secretary, taking advantage of Gustak being momentarily distracted by his conversation with Ray, quickly set up tea and retreated through the door.

“Then, have a pleasant time!”

Creak— Thud!

Ray tilted his teacup.

Looking at the piles of documents stacked on the desk, he asked.

“The amount of paperwork seems to have increased since my last visit.”

“It’s all thanks to you. Isn’t it?”

Gustak answered with a laugh.

It was an undeniable fact that the workload the Association had to handle had exploded after the propagation of Imagination.

With the existing framework of magic completely shattered, patent applications for new magic began pouring in like a flood.

And because of that, they were in the midst of a massive overhaul of all the systems and regulations previously in effect throughout the city.

Understanding Gustak’s meaning, Ray wore a faint smile.

“But hasn’t other work decreased? I’ve heard conflicts and disputes between Schools hardly occur these days.”

“Hoho, that’s also true.”

It was far more beneficial for them to focus on research integrating Imagination into their main theories rather than checking other Schools.

It was as if ships trapped in a narrow lake had found a new waterway and were now sailing into the vast ocean.

Sip.

Tilting his teacup, Gustak stared intently at Ray.

‘Certainly, compared to when I first saw him a year ago, he feels a bit different.’

He even throws out jokes now.

His actions feel much more lively.

In other words, it feels like the range of his emotional expression has broadened a bit.

‘His magical prowess has also grown. Last time I saw him, he was said to be 5th Circle, wasn’t he?’

The former number one ranked School.

The School Master of the Harmony Mage Tower, Khan.

Today, his close friend spoke excitedly about Ray over drinks.

「The measuring devices exploded! Boom! Boom! Several of them! It was a sight I’ve never seen in my life! According to the researchers, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the devices! In other words, it meant School Master Ray’s growth limit isn’t set!」

He also said that Ray had reached the 5th Circle at a rapid pace while training at the Mana Spring beneath the Harmony Mage Tower.

But that was already more than half a year ago.

…Then what about now?

‘Perhaps he might have reached the 6th Circle, which no one has ever attained.’

He knew it was an absurd notion.

But the boy was a different existence.

It was a fact that one couldn’t help but harbor expectations, even while thinking ‘no way’.

“By the way, you said there was something you wanted to discuss, didn’t you?”

“……”

Ray didn’t answer immediately.

He gazed at the ripples in his teacup, lost in thought for a moment.

─────.

The rings encircling his heart reacted to their owner’s emotions, emitting a faint light.

Their number was seven.

The Rainbow Shards, all recovered with Redran and Viola’s being the last, had been transformed into rings.

「You…! Why…! Why didn’t you kill me…!」

「Ahh… I was… waiting for you. Here… for a very long time….」

The meetings with Redran and Viola.

Several days had passed since then, but he was still confused.

Am I the Rainbow?

Or am I Ray, the boy?

His thoughts and feelings weren’t fully sorted out yet… but he had resolved to do the things he needed to do first.

And the first among those tasks was.

“I intend to tear down the Wall surrounding the city.”

“Pfft—!”

A completely unexpected statement.

Gustak spat out his tea, and the tea droplets were blocked by Ray’s ward, trickling down in mid-air.

“Was spitting out tea just now related to etiquette concerning the tea ceremony?”

“No, it’s not meaningful, I was just surprised… More importantly, what did you just say? Tear down, tear down the Wall?”

“Yes, the Wall. We can’t keep the City of Wizards hidden from the world forever. We’ll also strip away all the Distortion Fields that hide it from external view.”

Gustak wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

As the bewilderment subsided, a headache immediately began to throb.

The boy he knew was the type to act on his words, and this current statement absolutely did not feel like a joke.

“May I ask why you suddenly started thinking that way? Is it perhaps because you are from Beyond the Wall?”

“It’s not particularly related to that.”

“Then?”

“Originally, humans lived together in one place. Not divided by fences as boundaries, but as the same species.”

“Is that all?”

Ray shook his head.

Quietly tilting his teacup, he said.

“I also want to see magic spread Beyond the Wall.”

Gustak made a dumbfounded face.

He washed his face dry with both hands, collected himself, and spoke.

“I roughly understand your thinking, but it’s not that simple. The disappearance of the boundary inside and outside the Wall means the integration of two worlds, and that entails tremendous changes.”

That wasn’t the end.

“You must also be aware of the contempt and discrimination against residents Beyond the Wall. Frankly speaking, many would not welcome the act of tearing down the Wall.”

Ray asked in return.

“Even if an order is issued in the name of the Imaginarius School, the number one ranked School?”

“Those in the know are aware. It’s said that Purists are heavily entrenched in the high-ranking Schools. It won’t be easy.”

The higher one’s position in the city, the stronger the elitism.

And that naturally leads to a sense of chosen people regarding those Beyond the Wall.

Gustak’s explanation continued in detail, but Ray let it all go in one ear and out the other.

“I’ll handle the persuasion myself. Just arrange a spot for me to make a presentation at the next regular academic conference.

“Ugh…”

Gustak groaned.

Then he spotted a shelf in a corner of the office displaying alcoholic beverages.

“That’s right! Didn’t you reach adulthood this year? How about having a drink and talking it over slowly? Ah! Since you lived Beyond the Wall, you might have had a drink even before adulthood.”

Ray’s gaze followed Gustak’s to the shelf.

Whisky, vodka, brandy, gin, etc.

Drinks with brands he had never seen Beyond the Wall were shining.

Well, it shouldn’t be difficult.

“I’ve had a drink a few times before. Alright.”

“Indeed, your personality is refreshingly straightforward!”

Gustak inwardly smiled a knowing smile.

Even if the other party was a magical genius that appears maybe once in a thousand years, his essence was still a boy who had just reached adulthood.

The difference in years lived meant a depth of experience and skill that couldn’t be matched.

First, get him drunk, then make him sign a pledge not to mention destroying the Wall again.

‘Even in the unlikely event that I also end up continuing to drink, it doesn’t matter.’

This body was the undisputed top drunkard in the city, having won the inter-School drinking competition seven times in a row.

Clink!

Glasses clinked.

And exactly two hours later.

“Gwaaah─! Phewhewhew─!”

Gustak was thoroughly drunk, passed out face down on the table.

And on the table, over a dozen empty bottles of hard liquor.

“……”

Ray, who had been looking at Gustak, got up from his seat with a steady motion.

It was a little, no, quite regrettable.

That he himself couldn’t get drunk.

But what could he do?

The trans-biological detoxification ability of his stomach operated regardless of his will.

‘It seems we’ll have to continue the conversation next time.’

Not that my mind will change anyway.

Just as he was pondering whether to leave like this.

Something peeking out of Gustak’s front pocket caught his eye.

It was a multi-purpose magic pad.

He subtly took it and turned it on.

As an administrator’s pad, it was equipped with a function to send messages to all Schools.

“Oh.”

He thought he understood Gustak’s intention.

He felt awkward giving direct permission, so he prepared this indirect method.

By getting drunk first.

So the pad would subtly end up in his hands.

Ray looked at Gustak, nodded as if to say he understood his intent, then moved his fingers to input a sentence.

Tap, tap-tap-tap—*

[This is to inform you that the first presenter at the next regular academic conference will be School Master Ray of the Imaginarius Mage Tower.]

[Agenda: Regarding the destruction of the Wall that divides the boundary between inside and outside.]

[Do you really want to send this? Y/N]

His finger descended towards the button.