Chapter 66 – The Old Man and the Rock Deer (Four)

The person who entered under the escort of the bodyguard was Skyle.

“President, I have something to tell you—”

Skyle, who was about to greet John, spotted Ray’s group and hastily closed his mouth.

His face gradually hardened.

“It seems… the guests have arrived first.”

Immediately after parting ways with Ray’s group, Skyle fell into conflict.

「Judging by the situation, it’s clear they’re going to meet the client, John.」

「I wonder if they’ll spill unnecessary information when they meet him. Like how the mercenary group was hunting instead of carrying out the request.」

「Just revealing the request details itself could be problematic.」

Most importantly, there was a risk that his ‘grand plan’ could be ruined if he wasn’t careful.

After much conflict, he turned his car around and sped towards Sector 48 with a few of his subordinates.

Vroooom───!

He pushed the speed to the limit, but having started late, he couldn’t catch up to Ray’s group.

Arriving belatedly at the sector, he hurriedly rushed to the hotel.

Praying that the heinous wizard and self-harm extortionist group hadn’t gone straight to meet the client.

“Aren’t you acquainted? These are the guests who came after hearing the story from you.”

But it seemed his prayers were ineffective.

Skyle, wearing a genuinely apologetic expression, bowed his head deeply.

“I’m sorry. I unintentionally revealed the details of the request. If I may explain the circumstances in detail…”

“That’s enough. If someone like you had circumstances, there must have been a good reason.”

John waved his hand in the air with a hearty laugh, gesturing that it was okay.

Seeing that, Skyle’s tension instantly melted away.

‘As expected, a foolish and naive old man.’

Simultaneously, a smile spread across the corners of his mouth.

It had paid off to be meticulously polite from the very first meeting when receiving the request to gain his trust.

Not only did he entrust the entire execution of the request to him, but he was also showing this indifferent attitude towards mistakes now.

If he had protested by bringing up the contract violation, things could have gotten quite troublesome.

However, he couldn’t relax yet.

Because he still hadn’t figured out what the purpose of that wizard group was.

“It was a pleasant time for me as well, having someone to talk to for a while again. However, I am curious about the identities of these young ladies and gentlemen…”

John’s gaze subtly shifted towards Ray.

At the same time, everyone in the room looked at Ray.

A strange tension flowed.

“Mercenaries.”

“Hmm.”

John didn’t burst into laughter as he had before.

Instead, he narrowed his eyes with an inscrutable smile.

Skyle’s pupils widened.

‘Mercenaries?’

The term ‘mercenary’ itself was plausible.

After all, it wasn’t uncommon for people to start mercenary life from a young age.

The problem, however, was that the other party was a wizard.

He had heard rumors about a few other mercenary groups that had wizards among their ranks.

Like the Hella Mercenary Group.

Or the McKater Mercenary Group.

Mercenary groups several tiers higher than the Skyle Mercenary Group.

But he had never heard that the wizards they possessed were such young boys.

‘He could be a mercenary belonging to another mercenary group I don’t know about. But with that level of skill, his name should have been known by now.’

Over a dozen fireballs the size of a person’s head, generated in mid-air.

That was skill that was by no means inferior to any wizard he had seen so far.

If he was truly active in the mercenary world, his name couldn’t possibly remain unknown.

There were two possibilities.

Either the claim of being a mercenary was false.

Or, he was a mercenary from a higher sector that he wasn’t familiar with.

“Lying is not a good habit, you know.”

John said while stroking his chin.

“The mercenary world isn’t easy enough for such elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen to be active in. Isn’t that right, Skyle?”

Skyle didn’t answer.

He only sneered inwardly.

Foolish old man.

The person before him is a wizard.

And at that moment, Ray was feeling a slight interest in the current situation.

‘When passing through the street and the hotel entrance earlier, wearing good clothes was an advantage.’

This time, it was the opposite.

To not be treated as a liar, should he have been dressed in dusty clothes like Skyle was now?

Of course, he wasn’t a real mercenary.

He had a feeling he would encounter many people during his journey, and each time, he thought of ‘mercenary’ as a suitable identity to introduce himself with.

“Can’t someone dressed like this be a mercenary?”

“Not impossible. But usually, a mercenary implies being equipped with weapons, and having the appropriate experience and skill…”

John couldn’t finish his sentence and flinched.

Crackle!

Because sparks were igniting all over the empty space in the room.

“If you mean weapons, are you talking about something like this?”

“……!”

Everyone was astonished.

At the same time, everyone’s bodies stiffened.

The eerie blue currents were spread out at such dense intervals that the slightest movement would result in an electric shock.

“A wizard? I didn’t even sense the Mana moving, how on earth…?”

The muttering of the young bodyguard.

One shining Ring on his chest.

He, too, was a wizard.

He had drawn up Mana to deal with the situation, causing the form of his Ring to become clearly visible.

However, perhaps greatly surprised by the current situation, he could only stare at Ray without taking any action.

“B-but no Circle is detected. What exactly are you?”

Ray could sense the young bodyguard’s Ring, that is, his Circle.

But the reverse did not hold true.

Because Ray hadn’t used a single bit of his Circle’s Mana.

He had only secretly manipulated the Atmospheric Mana to perform coloration at each location.

The result was the current situation.

‘So he was a wizard.’

The monocle-wearing wizard.

Veronica, Graham, Walter.

He was the fifth wizard he had encountered after them.

‘I should try to have a conversation with him later if I get the chance.’

He might be able to obtain information related to the Rainbow, the City of Wizards, or other magic-related matters.

Ray, to sort out the situation for now, looked back at John and said.

“Isn’t this sufficient as a weapon to be active as a mercenary?”

Inside the room where the sparks had disappeared.

“Phew…”

“Haa…”

Everyone wiped their cold sweat and let out sighs of relief.

There was no one unaware that, until a moment ago, the power over everyone’s life and death had been held in the hands of a single boy.

Especially, the young bodyguard’s Vessel was filled with a sense of powerlessness and defeat.

“So… you want to help with the request?”

“That’s right.”

Ray’s story was simple.

He couldn’t go into details, but the blue Rockdeer might be related to something he was looking for.

Therefore, if possible, he wanted to join the mercenary group’s search and assist with the operation.

“Hmm…”

John’s gaze as he looked at Ray was now completely different from before.

Because he knew how powerful a being a wizard could be.

‘Moreover, he seems to have reached a much higher level than Michael.’

It’s unclear if he’s truly a mercenary, but it certainly seems they share a common goal.

John looked back at Skyle.

Since Skyle was, for now, the person in overall charge of the search operation.

“You want to join the operation.”

Skyle’s lips twitched.

Outwardly, a smiling face.

But inwardly, with an uncomfortable feeling, he was quickly turning things over in his head.

The feelings he harbored towards Ray’s group could by no means be called favorable.

Two of his subordinates were injured, and he had been extorted for a not insignificant sum under the pretext of vehicle repair costs.

For Skyle, who had an extraordinary greed for money, this was no different from having his flesh torn off.

But if the other party was a wizard belonging to a mercenary group active in a higher sector…

‘I could build a connection and profit from it. To the point where a mere 250,000 Shillings is nothing.’

The Skyle Mercenary Group, unable to expand its area of operation beyond Sector 40 due to territorial disputes.

But with the patronage of an existing mercenary group, it would be possible to enter without much difficulty.

Let’s latch onto him for now.

Let’s ascertain his identity clearly and then find a way to use him.

Skyle, concealing his boiling excitement, spoke with a polite face.

“Of course, you’re welcome. In fact, I was worried about how to continue the tracking since there are many dangerous animals along the Rockdeers’ migration route. If the wizard provides assistance, it will surely be a great help.”

On the way out of the hotel.

Philip asked worriedly.

“Will it be okay? Isn’t it dangerous?”

Meaning, is it okay to cooperate with someone who clearly holds a grudge?

Veronica also looked at Ray with a worried face, as if agreeing with Philip’s opinion.

“It’s fine. This way will save much more time than blindly going out into the wilderness alone.”

There was no hesitation in Ray’s answer.

One of the dichotomies through which the boy viewed the world was predator and prey.

The side that eats.

The side that is eaten.

‘Skyle is not the one who eats.’

Ray remembered the countless emotional tremors Skyle showed when facing them.

Fear. Terror. Astonishment.

Perhaps even emotions he himself wasn’t aware of, hidden deep inside.

Ray knew very well how to dig into those emotional gaps and tear apart body and mind.

He had lived his whole life that way.

Eating prey disguised as predators.

‘He did show hostility towards me.’

Given that the previous encounter wasn’t pleasant, it was inevitable.

But since he was of a size that could be easily erased by force, it wasn’t a big problem.

…Rather, Skyle’s hostility was overwhelmingly directed towards the client, John.

‘It was almost the size of murderous intent.’

The stranger thing was that John also harbored hostility of a similar magnitude towards Skyle.

“Philip, Skyle and John. How did their relationship seem to you?”

“Huh? Um. Well, first of all, it seemed like John had great trust in Skyle.”

“Veronica, you?”

“I felt similarly. That John person, he didn’t even seem to know the fact that his hired hand was abandoning the request and hunting instead.”

The conclusion was one.

Contrary to appearances, both of them held completely different thoughts inwardly.

“But that John person seemed like a very good person. He said he’s spent his whole life striving to make the world a better place.”

Veronica also had the goal of finding a cure for Demonic Disease to create a better world.

Therefore, she had a face deeply impressed by the old man’s story.

Ray, looking at the emotions contained in Veronica’s Vessel, answered inwardly.

Well, maybe.

Just as they were passing the hotel entrance, about to return to their lodgings for now.

“You there, stop.”

A group appeared, blocking their way.

They were the leaders of the five Gangs who had gathered after receiving Ray’s provocation.

“Th-that’s him! He’s the one with the money pouch… Eeek!”

Next to them were the subordinates who had been beaten by Ray; when their eyes met, they quickly hid their bodies behind their leaders.

The leaders glared at Ray with malicious eyes and said.

“No matter how I look at it, it sounds like nonsense. That you all got beaten by that little runt?”

“And not just one gang, they say.”

“Tell him to take out the money first. That’s why I’m here.”

The emotions contained in their Vessels were deep concentrations of suspicion and wariness.

Ray immediately took out the money pouch.

Jingle―!

He took out one high-value coin and flicked it with his finger.

Instantly, the conversation stopped, and the boys’ eyes followed the coin up and down.

Thud!

Ray caught the coin and put it back in the pouch.

And then he deliberately shook the pouch hard to make a sound.

Clinkety-clank! Clinkety-clank!

The previous emotions contained in the boys’ Vessels were erased, and in their place, golden greed rose up.

“Do you know how much is in here?”

“Uh, uh, how much?”

“Want to know?”

“I want to know! Of course!”

“Listen to that sound! How much is in there exactly?”

All the boys gulped.

“One million Shillings.”

“O-one, one million, wh-what?”

“D-did I hear wrong just now?”

The rapidly expanding golden greed.

Ray suddenly became curious.

What is money.

What exactly is money that makes people reveal such intense desire?

‘…In the end, isn’t it just a means to achieve something?’

While he was using money to manipulate people’s actions, he had never deeply explored the operating principle of desire.

“……”

It wasn’t a question that could be resolved with brief contemplation.

Ray opened his mouth.

Towards the boys who looked ready to charge at them any moment.

“Follow me. If you want this.”