Chapter 42 – Old Stories and Loops (Four)

The second completed pebble was in no way inferior to the old man’s in terms of smoothness.

“I’ll try again.”

The third pebble was as smooth as polished marble, surpassing the old man’s, and several times larger, enough to fill his hand.

Having grasped the feel for magic in real-time, he had essentially surpassed the old man’s skill in just three attempts.

“Excellent. Next, can you also do this?”

“Yes.”

Crunch!

“How about this one too.”

“Yes.”

Crunch-crunch!

“Can you do this one too!”

“Yes.”

Crunch! Crunch!

The old man couldn’t hide his excitement and astonishment.

He demonstrated several techniques using Gray Mana, and each time, the pebble changed shape into various forms.

Simple shapes like spheres and cubes.

Objects of varying complexity, from cups and picture frames to vehicles.

The boy intently observed the way the old man handled Mana.

Crunch-crunch!

No matter the shape, he never took more than three attempts to complete it more precisely than the old man’s.

‘Hah….’

The old man was once again unable to escape his shock.

He had certainly anticipated it to some extent.

That once the boy created a Circle and used purified Mana, he would show a much greater improvement in skill than others had.

Even before creating the Circle, he had easily manipulated the difficult elements of maintenance and duration.

And wasn’t he the boy who had instantly discerned the difference between the two elements?

‘That’s why I thought. When the tool in his hand changed, the skill this child shows would undoubtedly rise to an incomparable level compared to before.’

But this was beyond imagination.

To the point where he felt ashamed for even daring to predict the level he could reach.

Magic is such that even with the same amount of Mana, the level of completion varies drastically depending on one’s ability to handle the elements.

From the old man’s current perspective.

The boy’s skill in handling the elements was flawless.

“Excellent. This time….”

After that, Ray created a few more shapes following the old man’s guidance.

Then, at some point.

“…….”

The old man’s voice stopped coming.

Glancing up, he saw the old man had closed his eyes.

Regular, shallow breathing.

A face that looked tired but also carried immense satisfaction.

Veronica promptly laid the old man down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to his chest.

Creak— Thud.

She left the room with Ray and quietly closed the door.

Then, immediately turning to look at Ray, her eyes sparkled.

“You’re really amazing! How on earth can you do that?”

The scene of the boy using magic was still vivid in the girl’s mind.

‘How did I do it.’

The intricately and delicately shaped seven-story clock tower in Ray’s hand turned to stone dust and flew into the air.

How did he do it.

That was a kind of question the boy couldn’t answer.

The magic he used in the room wasn’t based on any formula but purely on intuition.

The old man used magic.

And he just followed what he saw.

To explain that, he’d have to start with the story of seeing Mana’s Color.

…It would be a long story he wasn’t confident he could explain, and he didn’t yet trust Veronica enough to tell her that.

“Just. I did it, so it worked.”

“Tch, you just don’t want to teach me, right?”

“No. Really, that’s it.”

Veronica, who had been pouting, soon smiled.

“Okay. Anyway, you’re amazing. Really, really amazing. Among the Wizards I’ve seen, you’re probably the most skilled. Ah, I’ve only seen you and grandpa as Wizards, but still.”

What answer came didn’t seem to be that important.

Veronica chattered on for a while with eyes still intoxicated by the lingering impression.

“You’re really amazing!”

“…….”

“How can you use magic so easily? You don’t even know the theory!”

“…….”

Listening to her admiration with one ear and letting it out the other, Ray, who had been watching Veronica’s Vessel, suddenly felt something strange.

‘It’s not there.’

Among Veronica’s mixed emotions, envy was clearly visible.

But the other emotion that always appears alongside envy wasn’t visible.

“Veronica.”

“Grandpa always said that without theory, you can never… huh?”

“Are you envious of me?”

“Huh… yeah. I am…?”

Being envious was natural.

He had completed a Ring she couldn’t create despite long effort, in less than a minute.

But right now, feeling flustered was stronger than envy.

‘What…? Do you ask questions like this so openly? Is street kids’ way of talking originally this direct…?’

She pondered for a moment but didn’t think so.

Life on the streets, where you’re often exposed to danger, should make you more careful with your words.

Rather, it was more convincing that this quiet, handsome boy in front of her just had a peculiar personality.

“You don’t hate me? You’re not annoyed at me. Or angry.”

See.

Even now, with that face like the embodiment of seriousness, he’s asking strange questions.

Is he boasting?

He doesn’t seem like that type.

It looked closer to some kind of pure curiosity.

“Um… not really.”

“Or that you think the person who succeeded in creating the Circle should have been you, not me.”

“Are you asking if I’m jealous?”

“Right. Jealousy.”

Ray gave a small nod.

Envy and jealousy had in common that they appeared when seeing someone who had something you didn’t.

They seemed similar at a glance, but there was a clear difference in that jealousy was an emotion based on envy.

The emotion called jealousy was envy mixed with accompanying hatred, annoyance, and anger.

Envy is the feeling of wanting to have what that person has.

Jealousy is the feeling of wanting to take what that person has and have it for myself.

Both were emotions for which Ray had formed his own definitions.

“Ummmmmm.”

Faced with Ray’s serious expression, Veronica felt she should answer seriously too.

Frowning her white forehead and drawing out the end of her words, she answered as if reaching a conclusion.

“I’m envious, but I’m not jealous.”

“Why?”

“Well… because we’re friends?”

As she said that, Veronica stared intently into Ray’s eyes.

‘Come on, you say we’re friends too.’

It was a truly terrifying gaze, but the boy, whose sense of social cues had vanished, didn’t notice.

“Friends don’t get jealous?”

“…Not necessarily. But I think usually they don’t.”

Ray was silent for a moment.

Then, as if he had reached some conclusion on his own, he nodded.

“I understand. Roughly.”

“You’re such a strange kid.”

Saying that, Veronica turned and hurried her steps toward the stairs.

Ray didn’t deny that statement.

Instead, he spoke to Veronica’s receding back.

“I have a request for you.”

Ray and Veronica sat facing each other at a table on the first floor of the bookstore.

“Teach you how to read and write?”

“Yeah. I want to read books.”

Ray thought there were many things he didn’t know about the world.

In a way, it was natural.

He had never left Sector 50 in his life, and except for areas immediately necessary for survival, he had lived with a narrow focus, showing no interest in anything else.

But now the situation was different.

The moment he left Sector 50 behind and came out into the Wasteland, the boundaries of the world expanded.

And those boundaries would continue to expand as long as he continued his journey up the Elton River.

‘I need knowledge.’

He needed to quickly fill in and eliminate the parts he didn’t know about the world.

And fortunately, this place was perfect for carrying out that task.

Just looking at the bookshelves surrounding them, there were at least a thousand books on various subjects, from art to practical manuals.

In other words, all sorts of knowledge were waiting to be picked up by someone like coins on the street.

And in such a large quantity that you couldn’t pick them all up even if you bent over all day.

Before leaving Sector 49, he would cram as much knowledge into his head as possible here.

Once acquired, knowledge would always come in handy someday.

Also, literacy was a skill he should learn, not just for the purpose of reading books, but considering the journey ahead.

“Teaching you to read and write isn’t that hard… is it?”

The end of Veronica’s sentence suddenly became interrogative.

Thinking about it, she had always received instruction from her grandpa, but she had never taught anyone in return.

‘I have helped my younger siblings with their studies.’

But that was only to fill in the gaps after grandpa’s lessons.

‘Can I teach well?’

Doubt about herself.

But she soon shook her head.

Being afraid without trying was foolish.

Also, it was better to do something and shake off the gloom than to just sit still in the darkened bookstore.

Moreover, the boy was also the benefactor who protected the bookstore.

“Okay. I’ll teach you! I can’t even open the bookstore door anyway, and I have nothing to do.”

“Bookstore door.”

“Huh?”

“You can probably open it.”

What is he talking about now.

We can’t open the door because of the pebbles flying in every day.

Tilting her head, Veronica suddenly realized something strange.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the kids throwing stones for a few days now. Could it be that what Ray is saying now is related to that…?’

“They won’t show up again.”

Hearing Ray’s words in the middle of her thoughts, Veronica’s heart sank.

Trembling pupils and a shaky voice.

She asked in the most cautious tone possible.

“Did you kill… huh?”

“I wouldn’t kill them just for throwing stones at the store.”

Was that implying he would have killed them if there had been a greater reason?

Feeling dizzy from the way of speaking of this boy who lived in a world completely different from hers, Veronica soon felt excitement and thrill blooming in her chest.

The Ray she saw wasn’t the type to joke or play pranks.

Most of the words that came out of his mouth carried considerable weight and, along with it, some reason.

…Although he sometimes asks strange questions, anyway.

There must be some basis for saying the bookstore door can be opened.

What happened?

Did he meet the stone-throwing kids on the street and threaten them or something?

“Really, can I open the bookstore door? Really, they won’t show up anymore?”

“Yeah.”

Ray nodded.

If they did show up, he would go find Jepper and make them pay the price for ignoring the warning.

He could never tolerate anyone ruining the space where he would learn magic and fill himself with knowledge.

“Okay! Once today’s lesson is over, I need to prepare to open the door right away!”

It was the bookstore door opening for the first time in a whole month and a half.

Veronica, with a beaming smile, hurried upstairs and soon came back down with an armful of books and notebooks.

Thud!

The quantity was considerable, enough to make the table shake noticeably when she put them down.

“These are the textbooks I used when I learned to read and write. Here are the notebooks where I took notes and organized things.”

“How long did you study?”

“Hmm. A month?”

Considering the thickness and number of textbooks, it was a very short time.

That was partly because Veronica had excellent comprehension, but more accurately, it was the result of an enormous amount of effort and tenacity poured in.

It was Veronica who, when her grandpa and two younger siblings were asleep on the second floor, would study on the first floor until late at night and often fall asleep right there.

It was an innate thirst for learning.

If a concept was hard to understand, she would persistently cling to it until she digested it and made it her own before moving on.

Also, whether reading books or studying, she had to fill a certain amount of learning each day to feel satisfied with that day.

“Does it usually take about a month to finish learning to read and write?”

Ray had no frame of reference for the amount of study material and the learning period.

In Sector 50, there was never a need to study in a lifetime, and he never had a chance to see anyone studying.

“It depends on how hard you work. Usually, it takes much longer than that. Hmm, but in your case….”

Veronica trailed off, recalling a compliment she had once heard from her grandpa.

「Excellent. You definitely have a talent for language. No matter how much effort supports it, without talent, one usually doesn’t achieve this level of accomplishment.」

That’s what grandpa had said.

He said that for an ordinary person putting in effort, the time to read and write smoothly is usually over a year.

‘But Ray doesn’t seem like an ordinary kid.’

Ray had already shown amazing feats several times.

Especially with magic.

She didn’t think magic and language had a strong connection, but somehow she found herself feeling expectant.

“…It probably won’t take long. Maybe similar to me or even shorter?”

“I’ll try to learn hard.”

“Good. Then, before we start the lesson, there’s something you absolutely must do.”

Sitting up straight, Ray watched the slight hesitation rippling in Veronica’s Vessel.

‘It seems like she’s going to demand something.’

At first, he guessed the reason Veronica readily accepted his request to teach him to read and write was because she considered him a friend.

One of the definitions of a friend was someone who helps and receives help without any compensation.

But it seemed that, after all, the ability to read and write was advanced knowledge, and she didn’t intend to give it away for free.

Would she ask for tuition?

Ask him to help with bookstore work?

‘Maybe she’ll request a hit on Jepper’s gang.’

Whatever she said, it didn’t matter much.

He had intended to repay her for the lessons in some way anyway.

Ray asked.

“What’s the thing I must do?”

Veronica’s right arm stretched straight out into the air, her index finger pointing at the ceiling.

Her right arm slowly descended without bending, and her index finger ended up pointing at the stairs visible behind Ray.

“Go wash up. There’s a bathroom on the second floor.”

Veronica smiled brightly, looking at Ray covered in dust and bloodstains.

─I’m going to wash up! I’ll go out to buy some clothes!

The sound of footsteps faded away, and the faint sound of the bookstore entrance bell could be heard.

Ray, who had been paying attention to the outside sounds, soon turned his attention back to the space he had entered.

A neat-feeling bathroom with white tiles on all sides.

A ring protruding from the wall and a metal hose coiled around it caught his eye.

“…….”

This could be considered the first time he had been in a place with proper shower facilities.

‘It seems you operate this.’

Ray detached the hose from the wall and examined it from various angles.

Street kids, for whom immediate survival was urgent, mostly didn’t pay much attention to hygiene and cleanliness.

Exceptional kids built friendships with shop owners to get chances to wash their bodies in bathrooms, but Ray had never felt a great need for that.

Getting thoroughly soaked on a day with clear rain was the entirety of his showering.

The facilities in hotels were limited to urinals and sinks.

Therefore, Ray had to take a moment to explore the unknown object before him.

‘The end part is hard. Good for hitting someone on the head. The hose could be used to wrap around a neck and strangle.’

Click.

Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to operate.

Turning the lever on the wall, water began to flow from the rounded end of the hose.

Quickly grasping the principle, Ray attached the hose to the coupling on the upper wall, took off his clothes, and placed them in a corner of the bathroom.

Turning the lever again, a strong stream of water began to pour out.

At first, it was cold water.

A chilling coldness ran through his body, but Ray didn’t move from his spot and stood still.

This temperature didn’t feel that cold.

He was used to the cold from often being out in the rain, and after once nearly dying from frostbite, he didn’t even catch colds from ordinary chills.

Swoosh──

The water stream began to increase in temperature according to the initial lever position.

A stream of steaming water flowed down the boy’s well-trained, yet scar-covered body.

“…….”

It wasn’t the cold water that elicited a reaction from Ray, but rather this.

The warmth soaking and circulating through his entire body was a rather unfamiliar sensation he had never experienced before.

In the not-unpleasant feeling, he unconsciously closed his eyes and let his body be.

Swoooooosh──

The various things covering the boy began to wash away and fall off.

The ashen dust tangled in his hair.

The bloodstains and grime on his face and body all over.

The mental burdens he had carried from Sector 50, too, though he didn’t realize it, just a tiny, tiny bit.

Like metal shedding rust and regaining its shine, the boy grew whiter within the stream of water.