Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 272

Koo-oong!!

Only then did Lenok sigh and retract the magic threads that had been binding Chen’s body.

“Ugh…!!”

As soon as the magic threads were released, Chen’s face contorted, and he slumped down, sweat pouring down his face.

He had done his best within the limits of what his body could handle, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t taken a toll on his stamina.

Rather, the muscle aches coursing through Chen’s body were unimaginable, a price for pushing his body to its limits more than ever before.

By forcibly amplifying his physical abilities and sharpening his senses through the [Thunder God Technique], the backlash that followed was inevitable.

However, thanks to Chen’s efforts, Lenok was able to conserve his magic to the extreme in the battle against Paldoon.

One shot of the double-barreled shotgun overcharge, which had been pre-charged over several days.

And with the manipulation of magic threads that consumed almost no magic, he had succeeded in taking down one of the eight families head-on.

Lenok lightly patted Chen’s shoulder as he sat down.

“You did well.”

“Damn it… I don’t know whether to thank you or be annoyed.”

His whole body was throbbing, but Chen knew that the experience from this event was invaluable.

How many people had directly experienced the nature of magic transformation with their own bodies before even mastering it?

Simply having a clear understanding of the concept of nature transformation was a great achievement for a physical ability user like Chen.

Chen let out a deep sigh and lay down on the ground.

“I’ve done this much, so you two take care of Samyoung.”

[That sounds good.]

Manson interjected, his robot head gleaming.

[Hey, what you were doing looked really fun, Ban. Try it on me sometime, huh?]

“It’s impossible right now. If I manipulate a Gunwi ability user who has mastered nature transformation, the control will go haywire.”

Lenok was also disappointed.

If he had known it would be this efficient, he should have tested it on others sooner.

Even among those who had not yet properly mastered nature transformation, someone with good senses or responsiveness would surely show much better efficiency than Chen.

‘Wayan or Hinara would have been good test subjects… but it can’t be helped right now.’

The point was how well they could follow the ideal movements and athletic abilities that Lenok imagined in his head.

With Wayan’s responsiveness, matching Lenok’s intentions would be a piece of cake, and Hinara, who had an unusually good compatibility with the Thunder God, would also react flexibly to the manipulation of bioelectricity.

If he did it a few more times, he might be able to react to the magic alteration caused by nature transformation during magic thread manipulation… but there was something else he had to do first.

In the center of the half-collapsed mansion, among the debris that had been caught in Lenok’s charged shot.

The family head, his arms broken and held by Manson, was collapsed.

His face looked as if it had aged drastically in that short time. The arrogant confidence that had filled his face was nowhere to be seen, and only a sense of despair dripped from his eyes.

“There was a reason why Paldoon couldn’t even get in between the five families.”

Lenok met the family head’s gaze and spoke with a calm expression.

“They probably never thought that a force like yours would be a threat to seizing power in the citadel.”

Even if he hadn’t had the charged shotgun, the result wouldn’t have been different.

Other warriors were late in trying to attack Lenok, but they didn’t even have the skill to touch Lenok’s true body.

At best, Hojer was a remarkable talent among them, but in the end, when Lenok used Chen to tie him down and simply knocked on the mansion, it collapsed, didn’t it?

These guys had boasted that they could capture Lenok before he even cast a spell, but in the end, they hadn’t shown anything in action.

There was no need to take in such useless people, nor was there any reason to kill them.

It was highly likely that the other families, including Ilwon, thought the same.

A dry cough escaped from the family head’s mouth.

“Cough! Hah, hah… You’re good at talking with that mouth of yours.”

The last thing left on the family head’s face, after a myriad of emotions had passed, was a sneer.

“You act as if everything is over just because you trampled on our family. Do you think the citadel will fall into your hands because of this?”

“I don’t think that’s something you should be concerned about.”

Manson, who had dragged the unconscious Hojer from behind Lenok, threw the large man in front of the family head.

Koo-oong!!

“…!!”

The family head’s expression twitched at the sight of Hojer’s battered state.

His face changed as Manson inserted a blade between his neck.

Lenok watched the change in expression and said.

“As promised, I will take the qualification of the Paldoon’s proxy. You agree, right?”

“Ugh…”

Lenok, who was staring directly into the family head’s complex face, carefully raised his magic power.

He observed the complex and tangled flow of magic within the family head’s body, tracing the footsteps of the inner mind.

If he had shaken his emotions and confused his mind this much, it wouldn’t be difficult to look into his inner self.

The important thing was to confirm who among the eight families was in contact with the Guido Order.

In the moment the family head didn’t even realize, he extended his magic into his heart.

At the same time that Lenok’s eyes turned purple, the family head’s mouth opened with difficulty.

* * *

The news that Oryun and Yukryung had joined hands to overthrow Paldoon spread rapidly within the citadel.

The names of Ban, Manson, and Chen, who had emerged as a new proxy, would also quickly become known to the citadel residents.

The meaning of restricting information until now was fading, but if the price was gathering the proxies of three families in one place, it didn’t matter.

The four families led by Ilwon, the three families centered around Ban, and Samyoung, who was observing the situation alone.

Regardless of the specific details and circumstances, this three-way battle was enough to revive the tension within the citadel, wasn’t it?

Moreover, the fact that the proxy of Yukryung, who had been working with Ilwon, had joined Oryun would be seen as a significant phenomenon by the other families as well.

In fact, the scattered members of the Oryun family were gathering again under the name of training.

They were repairing the collapsed mansion, restocking the lost food, buying weapons, and gathering troops to prepare for war.

Lenok watched the scene while training, a cigarette in his mouth.

“It’s much different than I thought… that’s why it’s even stranger.”

“What do you mean?”

“The proxy system itself is like that.”

Lenok replied, exhaling smoke.

The family head could choose a proxy, but they couldn’t take away that qualification at will.

The only way to transfer that qualification was through a proxy battle via duel.

“A system that seems to have been created solely for the internal power struggle within the citadel. But who is maintaining the rules so that they work properly?”

“…”

“If everyone is participating in the power struggle by putting forward proxies, someone has to act as a mediator to make sure the rules are followed.”

The process of deciding the citadel lord was not a sport with spectators and rules.

Rather, wouldn’t power and status be what they desperately wanted, even if it meant breaking the rules?

From Lenok’s perspective, who had grown up in the shadows of Vulcan [A city known for its mercenaries and fighters], where there were no rules or order, this proxy war within the citadel was hard to understand.

“If I were the family head of Ilwon, instead of doing this troublesome thing, I would have taken appropriate action when I had already secured the other four families. It wouldn’t be difficult to come up with a plausible justification when I had the consent of the majority of the eight families.”

The situation was clearly different from the other Tri-Heads, the Cartel.

The reason why the hierarchy within the Cartel could be maintained was because an absolute leader, Oliviera Ron Maze, was at the center.

However, it was extremely awkward for the Palhong Citadel, which had lost its leader, to maintain the organization’s order and rules.

“If they are sticking to formal procedures, there is only one reason.”

Lenok’s eyes flashed sharply.

“The leader of the family alliance is not interested in the proxy battle, but in other things that arise from it.”

And the one who designed that plan was likely Walter Martinez, the bishop of the Guido Order.

What exactly was his purpose in moving within this citadel, and was his activity related to time-based magic?

The things Lenok had to think about were clear.

He had succeeded in securing the minimum justification to avoid being swayed by the situation, so now he had to start contacting the key figures of the citadel in earnest.

“Samyoung, who is in charge of the citadel’s outer defenses. The family head is known to be a superhuman who has completed the hierarchy.”

He muttered with a cigarette in his mouth.

“If that man, who has been quietly observing the situation so far, has some other information.”

Suryun looked up at Lenok’s face and muttered quietly.

“I think I know why Chen rated you so highly. You are definitely a different kind of human than me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not easy to have a subjectivity that is not swayed by the environment. That’s something that is determined from deep within the heart, regardless of one’s abilities.”

Before Lenok could reply, Suryun turned her head away silently.

“I couldn’t do that. I thought I would never be able to escape this citadel, even as I drowned in the pleasures my father had created.”

“…”

“Maybe when Chen told me to run away with him, I shouldn’t have made lame excuses and taken his hand?”

She murmured, brushing her long, thin hair back.

“If I had been with people who lived freely outside, could I have changed too…? I sometimes think about it.”

Suryun said that and smiled awkwardly.

“Haha… I’m talking nonsense. What am I saying to someone I’ve only known for a week…”

She tried to gloss over her true feelings, but Lenok didn’t laugh and listened to her rambling with a calm expression.

The reason Suryun had just said that wasn’t because she felt comfortable with Lenok or trusted him.

She was expecting something.

She wanted to know if this magician could really break the entrenched connections of this wretched citadel.

Because she wanted to know if he had the ability and wisdom to do so.

Lenok replied.

“I’m not as great as you think I am.”

Lenok, who met Suryun’s gaze, continued with a smileless face.

“But I know one thing for sure.”

“…”

“To act according to choices that can convince oneself. Pride and honor, profit and loss are all secondary issues.”

“That’s…”

“If you know that, you won’t regret it for long, even if you make mistakes or do wrong.”

Suryun smiled weakly at Lenok’s words.

“Isn’t there a way not to regret it?”

“Well, I don’t know about that either.”

Because he knew how far his own talent could reach, Lenok didn’t try to suppress and control himself to fit the environment.

What was prioritized above all else was to overcome his limits and grasp the end of his talent.

It was possible because he knew better than anyone else what he wanted and desired.

Looking down at her face, lost in thought, Lenok reached into his pocket.

“But the fact that you awakened nature transformation even while having such concerns… proves your potential.”

Unlike Chen, who had experienced all sorts of hardships in the shadows of Vulcan and was only now getting a grasp of the nature transformation of magic.

What did it mean that she, who had been focusing on swordsmanship alone in the citadel, had reached the level of Gunwi [A high level of martial arts mastery]?

The direction of the two half-siblings’ talents was clearly different, but in terms of martial arts aptitude, Suryun’s talent far surpassed Chen’s.

Lenok was so envious of her skills.

“Contact me if you need to. There are good opportunities everywhere, not just inside the citadel.”

“…”

Suryun held the business card Lenok had given her and stared at it for a long time.

* * *

In a dark room.

Two people were facing each other with a curtain between them.

“It’s not surprising.”

A voice spoke calmly.

“It was already predictable after he disappeared with the proxy of Yukryung.”

[I apologize.]

“But I didn’t expect him to join hands with Oryun and strike down Paldoon to unite the three forces. No, it’s not even a unification. In fact, this is just gathering three proxies and barely gaining one justification.”

[……]

The voice was not wrong.

It was not logical, so it was not a reasonable move that they could have predicted.

Even if they had gathered the proxies of three families in one place, what would it mean if they couldn’t use the power of those families?

Yukryung had lost its proxy, but still remained loyal to Ilwon, and Paldoon was half-destroyed.

The only justification that the proxy of Oryun had gained through this was one thing.

That they would start the citadel lord selection battle without the consent of the majority of the eight families.

Could it be that the magician was really thinking of overturning the internal power struggle of the citadel through battles between proxies?

“Interesting. But foolish.”

Charrrr-rrrk.

The shadow swaying beyond the curtain slowly rose from its seat.

Stepping forward, past the curtain of jade beads, was an elderly woman with white hair.

A sharp-looking old woman with a terribly cold gaze muttered.

“Judging by the fact that they are trying to focus their efforts on the proxy battle, they don’t even know who our collaborator is. There’s no need to pay attention to them.”

[But other families have contacted us, saying they will take action first. They said that if Samyoung enters the game, things will get troublesome…]

“Fools…”

They were just frustrating, but it couldn’t be helped.

The secret the old woman held was too secret and filthy to share with the family heads of other families.

Since they still had to be mindful of outside eyes, it was difficult to stop them rashly.

The old woman sighed and nodded.

“Okay. But forbid them from putting forward proxies. If we lose more proxies before the selection battle even starts, things will become troublesome.”

[Understood.]

Just as the black figure was about to rise, the old woman’s hand flew from behind and grabbed his head.

Kwak!!

“That wasn’t for you.”

[Huk…!!]

The figure began to tremble all over as if struck by lightning.

The old woman, looking down at his terrified figure, muttered coldly.

“I can tolerate you losing the proxy of Yukryung, but gathering information only after Paldoon was defeated is not a matter of attitude or posture.”

[Forgive, me… please!]

At the same time as the old woman clenched her hand, crimson blood vessels rose from her arm, instantly shattering the figure’s head.

Kwa-ji-jik!!

The figure’s brain matter splattered and flowed down the crimson arm, creating a gruesome scene.

The old woman stared blankly at her hand, then casually shook it off.

“I won’t say it twice.”

[I understand.]

Behind her, another black figure, who had appeared out of nowhere, was kneeling.

“You must not ruin things with reckless actions, but those who consistently respond passively will not live longer than me.”

[……]

“Remember that I tolerate laziness and complacency, but I do not forgive incompetence as a result.”

The old woman, staring at the liquid flowing on her hand, slowly licked it.

The face of the old woman, who was savoring the traces of humanity with her eyes closed, had changed into that of a completely different young woman.

The heterogeneous vitality overflowing from her whole body was proof that her appearance was not just an illusion.

It was proof of a miracle that had reversed the hourglass of her life, which was inevitably getting shorter.

Despite the chilling and bizarre traces of rejuvenation, the old woman’s face was filled with endless languor and satisfaction.

“…It’s a good taste. Not a bad feeling.”

After a long time, the words the old woman muttered contained a bizarre sensibility that could no longer be considered human.

“It has to be this much, doesn’t it? For me, who has dedicated myself to the citadel for so long, this much…”

Behind her, who was constantly muttering to herself as if drunk, a huge root pattern silently looked down at her.