Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 98

Felix

‘I’ve worked with your kind before, but surprisingly, some can’t answer this. I need to check before we start.’

‘……It’s true I’m reluctant to kill a partner.’

Lennox replied, his face blank.

‘But it’s just a concern about interfering with future work. If there’s a good reason, it’s not a problem.’

‘Oh? What do you mean?’

‘Aren’t you worried about Leisen interfering? He’ll definitely try to hire private forces, and there could be mercenaries or freelancers mixed in.’

He understood her concern.

Senator Leisen would want to recover his slush funds before the agents succeeded, and he might interfere with her operation to do so.

Her reckless intervention, risking disciplinary action, might also be because she feared Leisen would interfere if the operation dragged on.

At first, it was a guess, but considering she specifically called him to discuss this, it seemed more than just a worry.

‘………’

‘Just leak the situation to brokers before the operation ends. Then, even if Leisen’s people die, there won’t be major issues.’

‘Hmm…’

At Lennox’s words, Evelyn put down her carrot and looked at him meaningfully.

Lennox, disgusted by the blatant, calculating gaze, subtly turned his head.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Was it summer when we met at the factory?’

‘………’

‘You’ve changed quite a bit since then.’

Evelyn smiled at him for the first time.

‘I like your thinking. Ever considered becoming an agent?’

‘What?’

‘I was originally thinking of a rather odd level 4 mage… but someone like you could join immediately and contribute.’

‘……Let’s talk about work.’

He had a feeling he knew who the ‘odd level 4 mage’ was.

Lennox was slightly creeped out that Evelyn still remembered his original appearance from the vegetable store, but he didn’t show it.

Evelyn, who had been observing Lennox, shook her head as if resigned.

‘That’s a shame. With your judgment, you could take over some of my field duties. It’s hard for me to move around directly for various reasons.’

‘Wasn’t Hina O’Neil supposed to supervise the operation?’

‘Hina is an excellent agent, but she’s naturally weak and can’t work long periods. Especially in harsh environments like the outer districts, her chronic illness flares up.’

‘A chronic illness…’

Lennox recalled their conversation.

She said her combat abilities were limited; was it because of her illness?

If she was with the city government’s agents with such a limitation, she must be a specialist with a clear advantage.

But more importantly, one piece of information stood out.

‘You’re making it obvious the next operation area is the outer district.’

‘Oh, did I?’

Lennox stood up, watching Evelyn tilt her head with a brazen expression.

‘Was that from tracking the encrypted key with dummy data? Call me when the specific operation details are decided. I have personal matters to attend to.’

‘A successful mage is busy, as expected. I don’t know if you’ll have time to work with us.’

‘Don’t worry about that.’

Lennox muttered, grabbing the door handle.

‘It’s not like I’m doing this just to repay a life debt.’

‘……The next operation is in about two weeks. Take your time to prepare, and let’s meet then.’

Black mages and terrorist organizations.

And Leisen’s machinations to interfere.

Things were getting complicated, but Lennox’s priorities were clear.

The key was not to lose sight of what mattered most.

He needed to remember why he got involved in the first place.

Through Raul’s legacy, he would find clues to Cheon-gyeon’s words.

Once he started, even if he couldn’t uncover everything, he had to find a direction.

Click!

Evelyn watched the empty space where Lennox had been, her expression unreadable.

#

A bank he hadn’t visited in a long time.

Now that his account held over a hundred million, the bank clerk’s attitude had changed.

Regardless of what he did, a customer with large sums was valuable to the bank.

Lennox, having checked his balance, was lost in thought.

‘I received just over 400 million from Panoa and the success fee.’

He’d spent a lot finding a new house and moving, but it was offset by the assets from Siger Bang’s vault being deposited.

‘I’ve improved my living situation, so there’s no need to save up for now. I should look for ways to use this money.’

The money from this operation would likely exceed 500 million Cell.

It wasn’t a huge amount in this city, but it wasn’t small either.

It was enough to seize an opportunity in the field Lennox wanted.

‘Elixirs or artifacts… I should look for something useful.’

If he consulted Evelyn Marcia, she might recommend something good.

Thinking that, Lennox withdrew about 20 million Cell, put it in his pocket, and left the bank.

Ten 1 million Cell bills. Banks rarely gave them out, but perhaps to impress him, it was surprisingly easy to withdraw.

Either way, he needed cash, so it was fortunate.

Lennox caught a cheap taxi and headed to District 31.

The largest botanical garden in Balkan.

It was also where ‘Orchard,’ run by Plumber, was located.

It had been months since he last bought Cashburn tobacco.

He had about ten cigarettes left, but working with the agents, they’d run out quickly.

He suspected he was developing a tolerance to Cashburn, so he needed to find a new drug.

‘Hoo…’

Unlike the cold winter air, the botanical garden was warm and fragrant.

Citizens were spending their weekends indoors with their children, and there were many people.

A man with a haggard expression in a coat stood out among the children and couples.

‘………’

Just as he was about to head to the orchard to avoid the gazes.

‘Oh, Ban?’

A familiar voice came from behind.

A slightly drawn-out, sharp tone. The barren highland landscape flashed before his eyes.

The moment he heard the voice, Lennox’s synesthesia reacted, showing him the landscape from when he met the voice from various angles.

The problem was that he didn’t welcome the person he had identified.

Sighing, he turned and saw the familiar navy blue hair.

A black leather jacket over a green tank top. Loose military boots and wide pants were impressive, but she seemed to consider him a close colleague, even though they had only worked together to catch pollutants in the undeveloped district.

Lennox subtly avoided her hand, which was about to pat his shoulder, and replied.

‘It’s been a while since the undeveloped district.’

‘That’s right. I’ve been busy running around with the boss.’

Mila, having complained, suddenly smiled playfully.

‘But you’ve become quite a celebrity, haven’t you?’

‘……..’

‘I was surprised to hear your name so much recently. I thought you were a good guy when we worked together, but I didn’t know you’d be raising your value by working with companies.’

‘Well… a lot happened.’

He had joined hands with Dyke for many reasons, but raising his reputation was also his intention.

If the name of the mage Ban was being heard by her, who seemed uninterested in others, the effect was obvious.

As he replied, he looked at Mila’s face, but he didn’t see any jealousy or envy.

‘Let’s work together sometime. Don’t just hang out with that Dylan bastard. Should I just go to that bar run by that sassy woman often?’

Only the naive desire to get some benefits through an acquaintance who had recently gained a higher position was visible.

Considering the people Lennox had met, it wasn’t so bad.

Just as he was about to chuckle, a huge shadow fell behind her.

‘Mila. Stop with the nonsense.’

A huge man with broad shoulders appeared.

A dignified impression with short hair swept back, bulging muscles, and tattoos on both arms.

His unconventional fashion of exposing his arms in the cold was impressive, but more than anything, the intense bird head resembling an eagle caught Lennox’s attention.

Bulging eyes and a tightly closed beak. It wasn’t a human face, so it was hard to read his expression, but he looked steadfast.

While Lennox was speechless, Mila tapped his shoulder and continued.

‘Felix, now is not the time to be formal, you know? How many chances do we have to make personal connections with such a successful mage? We have to stick to him like a leech and get every last bit of crumbs…’

Felix frowned at Mila’s unrestrained words and pressed her head down with his hand.

His hand, as big as a pot lid, covered her head and blocked her chattering mouth.

He looked down at Lennox with a relaxed expression and offered a handshake with his other hand.

‘It’s nice to meet you. I’m Felix Allman. I work at the same office as Mila.’

‘…..I’m Ban. A mage.’

The difference in hand size was so great that it didn’t seem like they had properly shaken hands, but Felix seemed satisfied.

He couldn’t read his expression, but that was probably the case.

He was flustered because it was the first time he had seen a non-human species like this since Kraken, but Lennox quickly calmed his thoughts and extended his mana to gauge Felix’s level.

If there was any know-how he had gained from his experiences, it was that mana size and combat ability were rarely proportional.

This was even more true for warriors who used their bodies to fight, not just sorcerers.

Except for high-level mages like Aris or Madrea Falshier, Lennox had never been impressed by anyone else’s mana.

Even Beck Clinton’s mana was similar to Lennox’s.

The important thing was not the size of the mana, but the speed and shape of the knot that made it up.

It took discernment to find out how complete a superhuman was.

And Lennox was learning that little by little.

‘Slow and stable. And very… dense.’

The branches of mana were finely divided and flowed around his body with dignity.

In terms of stability, it was comparable to Beck Clinton’s.

Even compared to the indifferent giant among the freelance team members, the level was different.

He wasn’t showing any momentum, but Felix Allman was clearly a skilled warrior like Dylan or Mila.

While Lennox was figuring out his opponent, Felix, who had also been observing him, spoke, vibrating his vocal cords.

‘Indeed, just as I heard.’

‘What?’

‘Even if we put aside skill growth, your posture is already complete as a warrior. Excellent.’

‘……..’

He could have dismissed it, but Felix’s words calling him a warrior were impressive.

Perhaps he had noticed that Lennox was not just a simple mage.

If he had an insight as sharp as his clear eyes, it wouldn’t be impossible.

Orchard

He was going to laugh it off, but Felix shook his head seriously.

‘If it were nobles or martial artists from famous martial arts families, they would react similarly. Such sharp yet stable mana is not something you can easily find. It would be good to know that you can easily gain favor.’

Nobles or martial artists.

Either those born with special mana or members of organizations that share mana application techniques.

‘I’ll keep that in mind. But I don’t think it’ll mean much.’