Chapter 38 – The Place Where the Fire Went Out (Three)

The hotel’s massive door opened, and two boys appeared.

“Then I’ll head north. I heard there are a lot of abandoned factories that way.”

“Got it.”

Watching Philip’s receding back, Ray turned his body and headed in the exact opposite direction: south.

Tap. Tap.

Seeing the countless mountains of scrap metal spread out before him, a thought seemed to flicker at the edge of his mind, almost surfacing but not quite.

Had I been dreaming?

He furrowed his brow, feeling as if he had witnessed some important scene, but no clear memory rose to the surface.

‘…Even if I did, it was probably just a useless dream.’

He soon shook his head.

There were too many things he had to do right now, and no time to dwell on such trivial details.

Ray quickened his pace and continued his train of thought.

‘They said that man’s routine hasn’t changed even after the basement fire.’

He planned to check the man’s movements himself today, but according to Johnny, who worked at the restaurant across from the basement, that was the case.

Also, according to Cedric, the man was scheduled to visit the hideout four days from now.

「The 5th? The 6th? I think he’s come around that many times. He’s never missed a date before.」

The man who comes to the hideout will find the place where the factory once stood, now reduced to a charred skeleton.

And considering the obsession and madness he displayed, there’s a very high probability he will start searching for the missing Cedric and the children.

With dozens of people involved, being discovered would only be a matter of time, even if they hid.

‘…Not that I ever planned on hiding or running away in the first place.’

It had been about ten days since arriving in Sector 49.

He had obtained a considerable amount of information about magic, his ability to handle mana had improved, and he had even grasped a clue about the Rainbow.

But the boy was not satisfied.

‘This isn’t enough.’

To achieve his goal of revenge, he needed to produce more results in a shorter time.

That was also why he chose to confront the man from the basement.

Surely, more information and useful tools were lying dormant in that basement.

The intuition that had guaranteed his long survival and profit on the streets was telling him so.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Lost in thought as he walked.

Before he knew it, he had entered the southern junkyard.

He walked briskly inward, and before long, he could see a white… no, a grimy vehicle parked in a corner, now closer to gray from filth.

Kreek─ Clunk!

He placed the money bag he brought into the trunk and locked it.

The initial money he had wagered had nearly doubled upon his victory.

2.27 million Shilling.

An amount a normal street orphan could hardly even see in their lifetime.

‘The safest method would probably be to borrow Philip’s safe.’

But he felt more at ease keeping it in the car.

It was to prepare for a situation where he might have to leave the sector without even having time to stop by the hotel.

Having finished his business with the car, Ray turned his steps back toward the street.

Not long after, he entered 8th Street, where Jepper’s gang, who had been active since morning, panicked and fled.

“……!”

“R-run away!”

In the past, they would have shot him dirty looks or directly approached him, bumping shoulders to pick a fight.

Tap. Tap. Thud.

The place he arrived at was in front of the bookstore.

Ray placed a wooden crate rolling nearby a little distance from the bookstore and sat down.

‘He should have woken up by today.’

How much time had passed?

Veronica, who was coming down to the first floor via the stairs, spotted Ray outside and came running, dododo, to open the door.

“Ray! If you’re here, you should say something!”

Ray patted his buttocks, stood up, approached Veronica, and asked.

“How?”

“Huh… Knock on the door? Or call my name from the second-floor window?”

“I’ll do that next time.”

“Okay. Got it. I’ll keep my ears perked up every morning.”

With an expression that couldn’t hide her delight, Veronica ushered Ray inside the bookstore.

“I was worried. You didn’t come yesterday or the day before. I thought something might have─”

Veronica’s words stopped abruptly.

Because she had spotted the scorch marks remaining on Ray’s clothes and the unfamiliar scratches and bruises on his face and the back of his hands.

“─happened. Did you get into a fight?”

Veronica’s face grew serious.

She had never lived on the streets herself, but she knew the world outside the orphanage and the bookstore was harsh and unforgiving.

Veronica’s Vessel quickly filled with White Mana.

“What should we do? Your skin is burned too.”

“This much is fi─”

The moment Ray saw the Flicker drawn by Veronica’s White Mana.

His thoughts came to a halt.

…It’s beautiful.

That was the boy’s honest impression.

He knew that the same emotion could give a completely different impression depending on the person.

Depending on whose Vessel contained it.

And depending on whom the emotion was directed toward.

Differences were revealed not only in simple color but also in the tremor and resonance the mana displayed.

For example, one person’s anger was like a stone, utterly motionless, while another’s anger was like a burning ember, unable to stay still for even a moment.

…Though the overwhelming majority were the latter.

Anyway, as long as it concerned anger, sadness, and worry—emotions whose floodgates were open—

The boy could perceive those differences even more finely.

‘…Beautiful.’

Veronica’s White Mana gathered together, emitting a sharp light, and fine rays of light fluttered around it.

To use a metaphor, it felt like a small sun radiating gentle light.

He had never seen this form anywhere before.

The White Mana Veronica had harbored last time definitely didn’t feel like this.

Was it because he could now sense worry that he could see things he couldn’t see before?

Or had there been some change in Veronica’s thoughts about him?

“……”

He couldn’t know the exact reason.

But what was clear was that right now, he was frozen in place, unable to move as if electrocuted.

Because it was the first sense of beauty the boy had ever felt since birth.

“Wait. Let me heal you.”

Veronica reached her hand toward the wound and gathered White Mana.

At that moment, Ray, having regained his senses, seized control of the mana.

“Ah! My mana!”

The White Mana that had gathered in Veronica’s hand scattered like smoke before it could transform into magic.

“Your grandfather said it, didn’t he? If you keep using Atmospheric Mana, you’ll get mana poisoning.”

“Ah…!”

Veronica made a surprised face.

Because her worry had gotten ahead of her, and she had unconsciously tried to use magic.

“It’s okay. They’re not major wounds, and I’ve already done all the simple treatments. Disinfected them. Applied ointment.”

“Ah! Okay! That’s a relief.”

“But, Veronica.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think of me as a friend?”

Ray’s face was utterly serious.

It was a question he had asked out of genuine curiosity.

Veronica had tried to help him by using magic without asking for anything in return.

It didn’t seem like a conscious action, but regardless, she had been willing to risk using Atmospheric Mana.

‘A desire to give without expecting anything in return. A desire to protect even if it causes me harm.’

That was what Philip had called a friend.

He wondered if other people had similar standards.

“Huh… friend…?”

Flustered by Ray’s sudden question, Veronica was taken aback.

Why was he asking this all of a sudden?

Did he want to hear a specific answer?

Anyway, since she was asked, she parted her lips to answer, but her thoughts, which had halted for a moment, couldn’t form a sentence.

「Do you think of me as a friend?」

A question that was endlessly simple yet endlessly difficult.

‘Am I a friend…?’

A subject she had never pondered once in her life, and wouldn’t have pondered if not for the boy, now tangled up the girl’s mind.

It was certain that she basically held favorable feelings toward the boy.

After all, he was her savior who had rescued her twice in moments of crisis.

On top of that, his decisiveness and ability to take action were aspects she lacked, enough to make her admire him.

Also, the common denominator of magic fostered no small amount of internal closeness.

‘Would it be okay to call him a friend…? Or not? This is only the third time we’re seeing each other.’

What if I’m the only one who thinks we’re friends?

Veronica pressed her fingers firmly against both sides of her head, agonizing.

In the end, she decided to state her conviction.

“Yeah. I think of you as a friend.”

Veronica answered in a confident voice and looked at Ray with expectant eyes.

With a pounding, nervous heart, she hoped the other person would give her the same answer.

“I see. Okay. Then let’s go up to see your grandfather.”

“Huh? Huh?”

But that was the end of the reaction.

Passing by the flustered Veronica, Ray took the lead and climbed the stairs heading to the second floor.

His curiosity was satisfied, so there was no more reason to continue the related conversation.

Quickly running to close the distance, Veronica followed Ray up the stairs and asked.

“What about you? What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Do you think of me as a friend?”

Ray was silent for a moment.

The creaking sound of the stairs filled the silence between them.

In the somewhat tense atmosphere.

Finally, the boy opened his mouth.

“No.”

The girl’s footsteps halted abruptly.

Her pale face flushed as red as her hair.

“Yaaah──! See─!”

A cry mixed with indignation and shame echoed through the bookstore.

Knock knock.

“Grandfather. Ray is here. May we come in?”

─Come in.

Veronica said to Ray.

“Go in first. I need to take care of the younger kids’ meals and then I’ll come back up.”

“Okay.”

“…Hmph”

Watching Veronica stomp away down the corridor, kung kung*, Ray tilted his head.

He didn’t fully realize it, but Veronica’s face was somewhat pouty, and her Vessel was full of sulking disappointment.

‘Why did she suddenly scream earlier? Did she remember something that put her in a bad mood?’

He pondered for a moment but couldn’t find a suitable reason.

Kreeeak──

Opening the door and entering, he saw the old man sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed.

On the nightstand beside him was an empty meal tray, and through the open window, a cool morning breeze blew, making the curtains flutter.

Looking at Ray, who approached and sat in the chair in front of the bed, the old man opened his mouth with a weary smile.

“It’s been a while. The last time we saw each other was three days ago, wasn’t it? We were talking and then I fell asleep.”

Was it his mood, or did he look noticeably more haggard than last time?

“They say as people get older, they sleep less, but why do I just keep sleeping more and more? At this rate, I’ll end up sleeping all day long.”

It was his attempt at a joke.

Due to the Slumbering Sickness, the old man was actually awake for less than three hours a day.

Of course, Ray didn’t recognize that the remark was a joke.

He merely recalled what he had heard from Veronica and broadened the conversation.

“I heard you’re suffering from an illness.”

“Yes. A very nasty illness. Tormenting an old man who doesn’t have many days left anyway.”

“Are you going to pass away soon?”

“I was estimating half a year at most. But looking at my state now, it seems I won’t even last that long.”

Not much was known about the Slumbering Sickness.

Many people had delved into research for it, but all had retreated without achieving any results.

Both the cause and the treatment were unknown.

The only certainty was that a person afflicted with the Slumbering Sickness would gradually sleep more and more, fall into a complete slumber, and eventually stop breathing.

There were individual differences, but usually within a year.

“It means I don’t have much time left to teach you magic. That’s why I intend to start the lessons right away, starting today.”

The old man looked at the boy and spoke in the voice of one who must leave many things behind.