Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 129

‘My magic power has recovered somewhat, but… my condition is a mess.’

Although he wasn’t directly injured, he had sacrificed quite a bit to operate at his best.

During the operation, he had enhanced his legs with magic power, causing mana poisoning to flare up again.

Adding to that, the side effects of Feather Fall caused all the blood vessels in his legs to burst, leaving them covered in bruises.

Lenok took out a recovery potion from his pocket.

The remedy he had received as a gift from Dre, Headlock.

The taste was truly vomit-inducing, but that made it feel even more beneficial for his health.

It was his second time taking it, but the peculiar nausea had somewhat prepared Lenok.

‘Let’s just think of it as a health supplement. Wouldn’t a nutritional supplement taste like this if you chewed it?’

“…..Ugh.”

He tried self-hypnosis, but it didn’t help much.

Taking this medicine now wasn’t so much for immediate effect, but rather to aid his long-term recovery.

At least, he wouldn’t have the luxury to take it if he were in a battle right now.

Having finished his preparations, Lenok slowly began to gather his magic power.

Step by step, slowly.

Until he could overwhelm everyone else in this place.

Woo-woo-woo-woong!!!

“……!!!”

The low-level freelancers could only frown at the strange pressure weighing down on them.

However, it was only natural that the expressions of those who recognized the true value of the magic power contained in that pressure would change.

Lenok’s magic power, which had crossed the line of death countless times on the front lines, began to mix with a will beyond simple bloodlust.

It wasn’t just the manifestation of a base desire to kill the opponent.

A powerful desire for his own victory. Enough that Lenok’s conviction was clearly conveyed to others who felt the momentum of his magic power.

The will he exuded transcended the level of ordinary thoughts.

“Stop.”

The one who poured cold water on the tense atmosphere was a voice that was both leisurely and somehow chilling.

Everyone’s attention focused on the short-haired woman who had stepped forward, bypassing both sides of the forces.

A face that was smiling brightly, yet somehow stiff.

Lenok frowned slightly as he realized he remembered that face.

A member of the Platon Mercenary Office who had come to the headquarters and met Lenok when he was commissioned by Dyke Corporation.

Was her name Nicole?

Only after seeing Maoren’s face, who was timidly following behind, did Lenok realize that the Platon Mercenary Office had jumped into this matter.

Nicole calmly looked around at the people gathered and shook her head.

“We’ll stop here.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

At Manson’s words, Nicole said with a smile.

“There was talk of raiding the terrorist organization’s vault, but there was no mention of having to face that magician? This is different from the contract.”

Wooshin asked back in disbelief.

“Magician? A magician? Are you saying you’re dropping out of this operation because of that skinny chain smoker?”

“Yes.”

Nicole nodded, and the atmosphere in the room changed strangely.

What she was saying sounded as if she considered turning Lenok into an enemy more dangerous than the agents.

“We agreed to notify you in advance of any circumstances that could cause damage to this office, right?”

“………”

“We knew we might encounter enforcement officers, but there was no mention of that magician.”

Everyone there knew that Nicole was using a formal regulation as an excuse to find fault.

How many clients would be able to fully comply with such a clause in this street where people die every day?

But people took it differently.

Nicole thought that she had to get away from the magician in front of her, even if it meant finding a flimsy excuse.

They realized that she was evaluating Lenok that highly.

The shift was instantaneous.

As soon as Nicole turned her head, Maoren grinned and followed her.

At the same time, at least ten people standing behind Manson and Wooshin moved to follow Nicole.

Chen, who was watching the mercenaries move away with a bewildered expression, shook his head.

“…..It’s not my problem, but they’re out of their minds. Can they openly violate a contract with a senator like that?”

“No. She made a rational decision.”

“What?”

“In a way, you could say she’s quick with information. That’s why she made a reasonable excuse and avoided this place. She realized that there was nothing to gain by staying here.”

“What do you mean…”

At Chen’s words, Hina smiled calmly and took something out of her pocket, showing it to Chen and Lenok.

A news report with the headline ‘Breaking News’ was playing on a palm-sized tablet.

[Senator Reisen Azamaha, who has been acting as a spokesperson for the city council, has been indicted on charges of hiding billions of dollars in slush funds. The Board of Audit claims to have secured concrete evidence and has issued an arrest warrant based on this. We will show you the details in the video.]

Immediately after that, the image of Evelyn Marcia appeared on the screen.

Wearing a tailored suit and leading dozens of agents, her expression was sharp as she walked into the city council.

The decisive reason why she couldn’t show up in the final operation to subdue Craig.

As soon as the operation was over, she herself had stepped forward to negotiate with Senator Reisen.

They hadn’t even arrived in Vulcan yet, and she was already making her move.

It was clearly Evelyn who had orchestrated this, but it was too early to launch a preemptive strike against Reisen when the database extracted from Craig hadn’t even been properly delivered.

Considering her actions so far, she would never do it unless she had a clear chance of winning….

‘I see.’

Lenok thought that far and raised his head.

Hina was looking at Lenok with a confident smile.

“You transmitted the contents of the database to Evelyn. Did you find the details of the slush funds there?”

“That’s right.”

She nodded.

“The bazooka that Cheisha has is as powerful as a supercomputer. It’s impossible for ordinary communication devices to reach the city from this distance, but she’s different. The moment she left the labor camp, she had already extracted the data and finished transmitting it.”

No wonder she seemed so relaxed even after being caught by Reisen’s freelancers; it was because she had already finished everything she needed to do.

Belatedly, the people on the other side also heard the news, and Manson and Wooshin’s faces had also changed strangely.

“I’m going back to Vulcan right now. This is not the time for this.”

Wooshin said, his smile completely gone, and Manson shook his head with a sullen expression.

“Uh… then the contract ends here. You have to send the payment. It looks like that old man is in a bad way.”

“………”

Wooshin’s expression twisted as he realized that even the crazy Manson had quickly cut his losses, but he turned away without saying anything.

It was only natural that his position as a member of Reisen’s secretariat and Manson’s position as a mere employee were different.

As Wooshin disappeared, Manson shrugged his shoulders comically at Lenok.

“That’s how it is. I was planning to get a good repair fee for breaking my body this time…”

“That’s a shame.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t get involved with the old men in the city council. Who would trust those guys who could go at any moment?”

He said that, then drooped his head and turned his back.

“I thought I was going to have some fun with this body for the first time in a while, but all the excitement is gone.”

“………”

That attitude of pursuing interest rather than profit as a freelancer was also not normal.

Unlike Lenok, who was reluctant to move unless it was necessary, he was an extremely impulsive type.

“Well, that’s separate from the fact that I need to talk to you. Was it Jenny? I’ll visit your bar later, so have some good whiskey ready.”

“…Does pouring alcohol into that head even get you drunk?”

At Lenok’s sullen reply, Manson tilted his head and quickly moved away.

It seemed that he was still in charge of other freelancers with that mindset, as the others also followed him.

Only after all the jeeps that had been parked on the vast plateau had disappeared did Chen sigh.

“Damn it. I don’t know how far I’ve come trying to earn start-up capital. I thought I was going to die when I fought that terrorist.”

“He was a tough opponent.”

“I shouldn’t even go near this place for a while. You’ll give me the money as promised, right?”

At Chen’s words, Hina smiled brightly.

“Once we split up Reisen’s slush funds, there will be a considerable amount of money for you too.”

It was the brightest smile she had shown so far.

“You can look forward to it.”

It was sad for those who had died in the operation, but this was a place where you couldn’t survive long if you didn’t let go of your regrets with a single moment of mourning and remembrance.

Leaving his excited colleagues behind, Lenok silently turned around.

The sky of the labor camp, which had been filled with black curtains and dark clouds, had cleared up and revealed a blue sky.

He had left all the fear and despair he had felt the moment he first opened his eyes in the unfamiliar factory there.

Was it a coincidence or fate that he had returned to that place and finished one thing?

“…..Hmm.”

It didn’t matter which one it was.

This determination to live was solely Lenok’s.

There were still unsolved secrets and unresolved circumstances, but Lenok would continue to move forward, leaving behind the lingering regrets that held him back.

That was the only thing he could promise himself.

#

The night of the collapsed labor camp.

In the ruins where all the members of Falcion had died or fled, and the factory workers had left to find their own way.

A man was sitting on a rock, looking at the brilliant night sky.

Darker magic than the starlit sky constantly swirled and writhed around the man.

After a short time, a faint vibration could be heard from afar.

The sound gradually grew louder and began to make footsteps that could not be carried by human weight.

Thud, thud!

Along with a heavy sound like beating a drum, a giant covered in scales appeared through the darkness.

Croken’s body, with its long snout twitching and bright yellow pupils flashing, shimmered faintly in the starlight.

The man looked at it and chuckled.

“Reptiles have a hard time too. It must be hard for cold-blooded animals to move around in this cold weather.”

“Kekeke… Your mouth is still running.”

Croken chuckled lowly, glanced up at the man, and then plopped down on the spot.

Koo-oong!!

With a heavy roar, dust rose up.

The man waved his hand to avoid the dust and laughed as if he was dumbfounded.

“If you walk around with that weight, your butt must be heavy. Aren’t we both mismatched?”

“Let’s get to the point. I don’t feel like listening to your voice for long.”

“Hehe… Jokes don’t work with lizards.”

“Shall I pierce your earholes?”

Woo-woo-woo-woong!!

In the shadowy ruins, the magic power of the two monsters surged.

The ground shook with violent vibrations, and the starlight in the sky tilted, but no one cared.

Croken, who was tired of the pointless war of nerves, continued.

“So, what did you want to say that you called me all the way out here?”

War mercenaries and high-ranking black mages.

It was very rare for members of the chaotic world, who were known for moving as they pleased, to make contact, but the two men’s attitudes were as indifferent as if they had met yesterday.

“There shouldn’t have been many points of contact between us in this matter?”

Croken was also aware that the man in front of him had been involved in this matter.

Wasn’t he concerned about the safety of the black mages of the Bu-yeo faction [a faction of black mages] due to business issues?

The artifacts containing the Bu-yeo magic formulas they created were also one of Croken’s important business supply chains.

Considering the position of the man in front of him in the black magic world, it was safe to say that the current conflict between these factions had occurred with his tacit consent.