#077. Whirlpool of Desire (3)
I want to destroy it.
All of Michael's respect.
It was a thought born from complex emotions.
Having already experienced building up emotions, this time I wanted to try tearing them down—a kind of intellectual curiosity.
A mischievous impulse, like a child wanting to knock down a sandcastle someone carefully built.
And an unconscious jealousy toward what I could not possess.
All these factors combined, compelling the boy to blurt out a single sentence.
“Do you know who’s responsible for this situation?”
Michael's pupils shook upon hearing Ray’s words.
Deep down, he too had considered that John might be one of the causes of this situation.
The mention of an antidote during the conversation.
John’s unusual tone and behavior.
It was clear John had been hiding something from him.
And it was likely something deeply negative.
The trembling of John’s body against his back only reinforced that thought.
“......”
Michael bit his lip hard, trying to ignore the ominous feeling.
“Last night, John called me to the hotel and made a proposal.”
“…If you won’t let us into the barrier, I’ll have no choice but to use force.”
No, that couldn’t be.
“He suggested we eliminate the mercenary group that’s outlived its usefulness. And take their assets, including the advance payment.”
“I will attack Ray’s barrier with all my strength.”
There’s no way the CEO would make such a suggestion.
“And he even tried to poison the car….”
“D-don’t listen! E-everything that devil says is a lie!”
John, who was being carried on Michael’s back, suddenly raised his head and shouted while trembling violently.
“M-Michael! You don’t believe him, do you?!”
John’s vessel overflowed with anxiety and panic.
In this situation, Michael was the only one who could help him.
Fortunately, John soon felt relieved by Michael’s words.
“I know. The CEO isn’t someone who would do that.”
“Y-yes! Exactly! This situation is all because of that d-devil—!”
John met Ray’s gaze and immediately buried his face again.
“Because of me.”
The boy tilted his head.
“Hmm.”
He didn’t quite understand.
It had been John and Skyle who first proposed killing their opponents and stealing their money.
Ray had merely fanned their desires and directed their hostility more precisely.
But even without his intervention, the current situation wouldn’t have changed.
John and Skyle’s desires and hostility had crossed the line long ago.
“The outcome would have been the same even without me.”
The boy’s face remained expressionless.
Michael clenched his teeth hard.
Bang! Crash!
Steel-covered talons and beaks rained down on the barrier surrounding Ray and the vehicle.
The immense destructive force instantly cracked the barrier’s surface.
But its recovery speed proved equally formidable.
Veronica inside the vehicle was pouring all her mana into maintaining the barrier.
Ray shifted his gaze from John to Michael.
“Skyle made a similar proposal. To lure John in and seize his assets. His claim about finding the Rockdeer was also a lie.”
“......”
Michael remained silent.
With a hardened expression, he focused solely on attacking the barrier with his summoned beasts, as if desperately denying Ray’s words.
Crash! Bang!
Yet Veronica’s barrier held firm.
Crash—!
Instead, it was Michael’s barrier that began showing signs of strain.
Due to the relentless charge of Rockdeers from all directions.
Crash──!
The collisions intensified.
The three hawks assaulting Veronica’s barrier grew more violent and erratic.
As if mirroring their master’s anxiety.
Ray continued speaking while monitoring Michael’s emotions.
“Even donations and charity events were just for tax evasion or product testing, he said.”
“......”
Crash! Bang!
“Did you never suspect? I can play back John’s words with a recorder if you wish.”
“......”
The mass of purple mana representing respect for John remained eerily unchanged.
Like an unshakable boulder weathering storms.
Though it swayed slightly, the amplitude stayed minimal.
Reducing this reservoir of respect would be no easy task.
Ray decided to prioritize more pressing matters.
“Fascinating. Your faith in John remains unshaken even now. Fine. I’ll let you in.”
Michael’s pupils dilated.
Simultaneously, his summoned beasts ceased attacking.
“Th-thank you…! Then…!”
“There’s a condition.”
Ray turned to John instead of Michael.
“John. Hand over your Ignis card.”
John’s body jerked violently.
Burying his face in Michael’s back, he screamed like a cornered animal.
“Th-that’s absurd…! I earned that m-money…!”
“Didn’t you say money rules all? That it solves every problem? Prove it now. Pay with money to enter.”
A flash of disappointment crossed Michael’s face.
“Was your goal no different from Skyle’s? This demand is excessive for someone in dire straits—”
“Excessive? Like when John tried to poison me?”
“......”
“He attempted to drug me into lifelong servitude. Doesn’t this compensation balance the scales?”
Michael fell silent.
Quickly realizing Ray wouldn’t relent, he urgently whispered to John.
“CEO. We must surrender the card. It’s the only way to survive. Your wounds could be fatal if untreated.”
“N-no. Never…”
“I’ll recover it later somehow.”
John appeared mentally unstable.
He trembled incessantly from blood loss, his eyes unfocused.
Yet he managed a weak nod at Michael’s final words.
Michael set John down.
Rustle.
After retrieving the card from John’s coat, he stood and declared:
“I’ll hand over the card. Please temporarily lower the barrier.”
Ray glanced toward the vehicle.
Through the windshield, boy and girl locked eyes.
Veronica nodded and reconfigured the barrier’s elemental composition.
Swish—
The card flew through the barrier into Ray’s palm.
“Now let us…”
The password.
Huh…?
The password for the card.
Michael clenched his teeth tightly.
Anger welled up in his chest, but he had no choice—he was the one at a disadvantage here.
Sir… The password…
At Michael’s urging, John whispered the numbers in a small voice.
The numbers were relayed to Ray through Michael.
—It is. Now that I’ve given you the password for the card—
Impressive. Most people would choose their lives over money.
Ray’s gaze wasn’t on Michael.
He was staring intently at John, who had collapsed behind them.
What do you mean…?
That number you just gave me. It’s wrong.
Th-that can’t be.
Think what you want. You won’t be able to come in until you give me the real password.
Michael turned his head sharply to look at John.
At the same moment, a Rockdeer charged toward John’s vicinity and slammed into the barrier.
Crash──!
Eek! Eeeek!
John screamed and curled up, shouting the numbers in a terrified voice.
This time, Ray confirmed there were no signs of deceit in his vessel and called out to the vehicle:
Veronica, let them into the barrier.
Soon, the white light emitted by the barrier dimmed.
Michael hurriedly picked up John and entered Veronica’s barrier.
At that moment—
Crash─! Crackle─!
A chilling sound of the barrier shattering into pieces came from behind them.
Michael turned around to see Rockdeers stomping furiously on the ground where they had been standing moments ago.
Their violent momentum was terrifying; if they had been even slightly slower, their bones would have been crushed by the Rockdeers’ rock-like bodies.
…Thank you for letting us in.
After expressing his gratitude, Michael quickly laid John down on the ground, helping him into a stable position.
You useless piece of trash… Please… Do something about this pain… Ugh…
…I’m sorry. Please bear with it a little longer.
Michael stood up and said:
Ray, if there’s a first aid kit in the vehicle, may I borrow it? I need painkillers, disinfectant, and antibiotics… Or if you know healing magic…
Ray wasn’t paying attention to Michael.
He was lost in thought, observing Michael’s unchanging purple mana.
There are mana of similar colors around. Are they acting as supports to keep his reverence intact? That must be loyalty, bonds… trust, and…
As Ray tilted his head in thought—
Creak─
a sound came from the vehicle.
Turning his head, he saw Veronica stepping out of the car door.
The emotion contained in her vessel was concern.
After briefly observing the movements of her white mana, Ray understood why Veronica had come out.
…She probably wants to heal John.
Ray had a good grasp of Veronica’s personality by now.
She was timid and fearful but couldn’t hide her concern for others.
Even if they were enemies, she couldn’t bear to leave an injured person alone.
She was likely looking at him for permission.
To heal John…
Ray recalled Skylar’s words:
「To withdraw money from an account, several steps are required. But a broker can handle all of that. The most important things are the card itself and its password.」
Now that they had both the card and password, John was no longer needed.
Whether to let him live or kill him—strictly speaking, killing him was the better choice.
There was no telling what measures John might take with his account if he survived.
He showed malice first, Ray thought.
John had tried to poison them and shackle their feet.
So choosing retribution at the level of ‘killing him’ wasn’t unreasonable—though strictly speaking, it wasn’t even killing; it was just leaving him to his fate.
Just as Ray decided to convey his thoughts to Veronica—
Th-that thing! That thing!
John shouted with wide eyes, pointing accusingly at Veronica with a trembling finger.
There it is! It was there all along!
His finger was aimed precisely at Fran, the baby Rockdeer nestled in Veronica’s arms.
Its faint blue skin peeked through its cracked shell.
Thud!
John sprang up from where he lay and lunged toward Veronica with unbelievable speed for someone who had just been groaning in pain.
Kyaaah!
Sir!
Michael rushed after him but was too late.
Give it to me! That thing!
John closed the distance in an instant and reached out toward Veronica.
H-how…
Veronica’s face turned pale.
His eyes were filled with greed and madness; his rough movements radiated malice.
The old man’s momentum alone was enough to instill fear and intimidation into the girl.
Her body froze.
She couldn’t move.
Focused on maintaining her barrier, she had no energy left for other protective spells.
Tightly clutching Fran, she shut her eyes tightly.
And nothing happened.
A few seconds passed.
Eek! Eeeek!
The sound made her open her eyes.
John stood right before her, arm raised, as if some invisible force held his wrists and ankles, immobilizing him.
Whoosh─
It was wind.
A fierce gust swirling around pinned John in place.
It’s Ray’s… magic.
She realized immediately.
It wasn’t natural wind; she’d experienced this kind of help before.
Releasing mana from her ring, Veronica assisted Ray’s spell.
Give it back! If I have that thing, I can revive my company!
John spat out saliva as he struggled desperately against invisible restraints.
If only I could make it spray water─! Recreate an oasis─! Then I could restore my past glory─!
His strength resembled a dying flame’s last flicker: powerful, desperate, but ultimately insufficient against magic.
Yet it was still threatening enough.
Gurgle─
The small creature in Veronica’s arms squirmed in terror.
Ah!
Thud!
Fran slipped from Veronica’s grasp, landing on its feet before darting away.
In the direction opposite John.
Toward where humans battled Rockdeers outside the barrier.
Whoosh─
Ray summoned wind again, but wild animals moved differently from humans, making them harder to catch.
Moreover, Fran was close enough to escape through the barrier’s cracks almost instantly.
At the same time, another movement occurred.
Come here! My treasure! My treasure!
John broke free from the weakening winds, chasing after the small beast frantically.
No one expected this.
Come hereaaah──!
Before anyone could react, John breached the barrier, exposing himself to danger.
Bang───!
A single gunshot echoed across the clearing.
