Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 712

The Empty House (6)

Outer perimeter of the central front. Dead Rise rear supply unit.

A few days before the satellite production operation began.

With less than a day left before leaving for Vulcan, Stockton returned to his unit and made an appointment to meet someone.

“Lord Damerus.”

“You’ve arrived. Have a seat first.”

In a dark room where the screen glowed faintly.

Damerus pointed to a chair without turning to look at Stockton.

Stockton nodded expressionlessly and sat down. Only then did Damerus put down the documents he was holding and turn around.

Damerus, rubbing his temples with a tired look, asked,

“Were you waiting here early? You should have rested more.”

“There aren’t many things to enjoy before deployment. You don’t need to worry about it.”

As Stockton answered calmly, Damerus chuckled.

“They say you’re the most diligent under Grisburn, and it seems to be true.”

“Rather, I think it’s quite rare for the commander to be in the rear.”

Stockton’s eyes gleamed.

“Has something happened at headquarters?”

Damerus was one of the busiest field commanders in the entire Dead Rise unit.

He commanded the 6th Special Mobile Corps, which had the highest maintenance costs even in the central front, so he rarely showed his face in the rear.

Today’s meeting was only possible because Damerus was in the rear before the start of the operation.

For Stockton, it was a good opportunity to get information from an experienced commander before being dispatched to Vulcan.

However, the fact that Damerus was in the rear like this was not a positive sign.

But Damerus shook his head at Stockton’s question.

“…Let’s just say it’s for personal reasons. There’s someone I need to meet separately.”

“If there’s someone you need to meet-”

“Enough with the pointless talk, let’s get to the point. You didn’t come to see me just to ask that, did you?”

Damerus said, pressing a button on the remote control.

At the same time, the screen turned on and someone’s profile began to appear.

“Originally, the Vulcan area is not under my jurisdiction, but recently I had the opportunity to obtain information about a dangerous factor existing outside the front lines.”

Damerus said, turning his gaze to the screen.

“Various variables exist all over the continent. But if we were to pick the most dangerous and unpredictable among them, this person would be at the forefront.”

*Beep!*

Although it was someone’s profile, there wasn’t much written in the profile section itself.

A blank space without a photo. Several letters written in code were also occasionally left blank.

Rather, something was densely written only in the special notes section at the very bottom.

“Kyonroe. This is all the information that has been identified about the most belligerent mage in Vulcan.”

Damerus explained as he looked at it.

“Excluding information that cannot be confirmed, such as name, origin, and age, the special notes that have been filed through cross-verification are as follows.”

Damerus immediately pointed to the special notes at the bottom of the profile and said,

“Pure spell-type mage. Combat-specialized lightning system user. Extremely rare multi-attribute holder. Level 8 transcendent ability user. Possessor of innate magic eyes.”

“Hmm……”

A series of words that seemed to take one’s breath away just by listening.

Each word describing the mage was of invaluable worth on the front lines.

Damerus’s words did not end there.

“He is also known to be skilled in marksmanship, and his ability to operate equipment, including motorcycles, is also excellent. It is presumed that he is not only not averse to advanced technology but also handles it better than experts in the field.”

“……”

“But Kyonroe’s true value is not in such secondary abilities or talents.”

Damerus said to Stockton, who was staring intently at the screen without blinking.

“It’s not that there haven’t been attempts to find out about Kyonroe’s magic system, but very few people have obtained accurate information. Due to the extremely low number of survivors of related operations, the level of information leaked is also insufficient.”

“……”

“Looking at his accumulated achievements, performance evaluations, and actions over the past few years, we can only guess that he is extremely focused on combat… It’s difficult to determine his intentions because the origins and tendencies of those who have been with him or fought against him are all different.”

Damerus turned the remote control and continued.

“He caused such a ruckus even after suffering a major injury in Machina, so he is someone whose nature and motives cannot be guessed. If possible, we should avoid contact as much as possible and prioritize not provoking him.”

“What should we do if we encounter him during the operation?”

Stockton also knew that it was best to avoid encountering Kyonroe if possible.

However, since this operation itself was taking place in the 59th district, which was in the shadows, it was clear that they could not escape Kyonroe’s sphere of activity.

It was not unusual for the mage, whose actions and thoughts could not be read, to notice them and move at any time.

In the event of encountering Kyonroe, they needed a means or countermeasure to deal with him and escape safely.

But Damerus just stared at Stockton and asked,

“Lieutenant Colonel. What do you think it means for a great mage who has reached level 8 to be rumored to be obsessed with blood?”

“…I don’t understand the question.”

“From the point where he has transcended the hierarchy based on his nature of focusing on combat and blood, he is already close to a madman with no chance of redemption.”

Damerus turned his gaze.

“Therefore, the possibility of a normal conversation being established when encountering Kyonroe is extremely low. Even if communication is achieved, the meaning he accepts will be completely different.”

Stockton, who understood the words belatedly, clicked his tongue.

“He’s not even at the level of being considered the same as a human. Is he still alive in that hellish place with that kind of nature?”

“He is someone who has transcended the hierarchy while still alive, defying the principles of the world that cannot coexist.”

Damerus answered indifferently.

“If he is still alive after making all sorts of monsters and geniuses his enemies, it must be because there is a talent that transcends common sense.”

“……”

Stockton’s reaction as he quietly swallowed his breath.

Does that mean that Damerus, while judging Kyonroe to be insane, also highly evaluates him?

Damerus turned off the screen, leaving Stockton with a slightly shaken expression.

“I’ll send you the profiles of the high-ranking transcendents, including Kyonroe, who are active in the shadows of Vulcan. So you can share it with Grisburn later. Although he won’t even read it.”

“Thank you.”

Damerus looked down at Stockton, who was bowing his head, with an expressionless gaze.

“It’s admirable that you’re trying to prepare for variables, but don’t mistake your priorities.”

“Priorities, you say?”

Damerus, who had risen from his seat, answered while pressing his temples.

“The reason I shared the filed information is not to have you confront or attack Kyonroe. It’s better not to consider the operation at the point of encounter. There is something else that is important.”

“If there’s something important…”

“It’s the virtue that I, as a commander, prioritize the most in the field.”

Damerus looked at Stockton, then muttered as he left the room without hesitation.

“Surviving.”

* * *

Regret is always too late, no matter how fast it comes.

No matter how much you listen to advice and prepare, the worst-case scenario always comes in a worse way than you thought.

Before the memories flashing through his mind could fade, Stockton’s right foot was crushed entirely.

*Crack!*

The unbalanced greatsword missed and swung far away, and Duren, swept away by the shockwave, was thrown back and crashed.

*Thud!*

“Kuhak!!”

Duren, whose shoulder was half-collapsed, convulsed without being able to stand up properly, and Stockton, whose one foot was mangled, gritted his teeth and swallowed the pain.

Without even thinking of tending to their injuries, they desperately stared straight ahead.

At the end of their gazes, a whirlwind of flames that Duren had shot up melted the ground.

*Whoosh!*

The figure of a mage walking out of the scorching whirlwind as if it were a curtain.

Lenox, leaning on his staff with his right hand, looked around and smiled.

“I was only going to spare one of you, but it’s not working out as I planned.”

Stockton gritted his teeth at those words and stood up.

“Monster…!!”

Two high-ranking transcendents who had completed their hierarchy. Moreover, they were armed with forbidden armaments and working in sync.

They were continuously receiving magic power through the effects of the forbidden armaments and wielding their small universes without limits.

Stockton and Duren had rarely fought a battle where they didn’t consider waste and efficiency to this extent.

Yet, they were only barely holding their own against the mage standing alone on the other side, wielding limited magic power.

Rather, they were just struggling to escape the increasingly disadvantageous battle situation.

“Kuh, hwaak…!!”

*Crack!*

Lenox frowned at the sight of Duren pulling out and adjusting his dislocated shoulder bone with his bare hands and Stockton cauterizing his mangled right foot with the flames of his greatsword.

“You’re using rough methods. I could have thrown you some hemostatic agents.”

“The words I said to you earlier. I’m retracting them.”

Stockton said, looking at Lenox with a heavy gaze.

“You are not a chosen one. Rather, you are the one who chooses.”

“……”

Having gone through countless battlefields, they could understand what Lenox’s power meant.

The results of the effort and practice he had accumulated since before he knew who he was were there.

The experience and time that were clearly evident in the back-and-forth exchanges were felt without fail.

They also realized that Lenox was someone who had chosen his own destiny and reached this point.

“I don’t know what it means to choose one’s destiny, but…”

*Crack!*

He stepped strongly on the ground with his mangled right foot.

The pain that started from his toes ran up his spine and shook his mind, but Stockton did not flinch.

“I can choose where I die!!!”

*Bang!*

Once with his mangled right foot, and once with his healthy left foot.

The flames of Jak-hon clung to Stockton’s entire body and transformed into a crushing pressure that pressed down on the space.

Surviving.

In the end, Stockton had not followed any of Damerus’s advice, but he sensed the outcome at this point.

Damerus had only given him a hint because he thought it was a difficult task, but he probably didn’t think it was something that could be put into practice.

That was how every moment of his life had been since he joined the military and lived as a soldier.

Lenox looked at Stockton’s figure and nodded.

“A soldier, I see. I understand.”

As Lenox raised one hand, cold air began to gather at his fingertips at the same time.

Ice-type unique magic.

Property change overload.

[Guilty White]

*Crackling!*

The flames of Jak-hon and the cold of Guilty White exploded, creating red and white flowers on the ground.

“Huk…!!”

Stockton’s body was covered in white frost and stiffened.

A restraint that suppressed his movements by freezing the flow of blood, including the blood flowing out.

The moment Lenox took out the Jingtushenhai Mantra [a rosary-like weapon], which was formed in the shape of a rosary from his wrist, and tried to put it around Stockton’s neck.

*Whoosh!*

“Not, not yet over…!!”

The figure of Duren desperately making hand seals while holding flames that were burning his own flesh.

Lenox’s gaze sank as he looked at the colorless ripples writhing beneath his feet.

“A domain, I see.”

Since Duren, who had once had his Jak-hon taken away, could not have it again, it was a self-made domain deployment at the cost of self-sacrifice.

Considering Duren’s magic, he must be planning to use a powerful mirage illusion to keep Lenox bound here.

“I know how twisted human sacrifice is. Just by using humans as materials, it can deviate from the caster’s control and transform into a completely different concept.”

Lenox said, placing his staff on the ground and touching the bandage on his left arm.

“Sometimes it continues to operate even after the caster dies, and it doesn’t stop as if it were alive. So-”

“What are you trying to say? Are you going to say that you’re wary of my magic now!!”

“No.”

Lenox smiled and shook his head at Duren’s sharp tone.

“That’s why I didn’t kill you even though I had several chances to do so.”

“…!!”

“I thought it would be a disaster if the mirage spell went out of control and distorted the surrounding field of view, preventing me from locating the factory in time.”

“That’s such an arrogant…!!”

“So.”

Lenox raised his left hand and pointed at Duren.

“I will not allow a self-made domain. I don’t want to see a mirage again now.”

*Clatter!*

At the same time as the bandage tied around his forearm was released, a red wave pierced through space and time.

It was not just a heat that was rising, but a form that had living flames tied to his arm.

The moment Duren’s face was filled with shock as he realized that it was the true form of the Phoenix Formation he had been searching for so desperately, even though its form had changed.

*Whoosh!*

The colorless wave that had been rotating beneath Duren’s feet stopped moving and was sucked into the rosary.

“Wh-what is this!!”

The backlash from being forcibly canceled from the domain deployment chant ran through his entire body.

The blood in his entire body reversed, and his blood pressure and magic power rotation rapidly increased, causing him to bleed from his pores.

“T-Tower Lord… authority… *Gurgle*…!!!”

Unable to withstand the rapid change in blood pressure, parts of Duren’s body broke down, and the aftermath quickly ran backward to his heart.

His heart stopped on the spot due to the backlash of the canceled domain deployment.

Duren’s body, unable to even breathe properly, stiffened on the spot and fell forward.

*Whoosh…!*

Stockton, frozen. Solshier, torn apart. Duren, who had stopped breathing.

The moment Lenox looked at them and took a step toward Stockton, who was still breathing.

*Swish!*

A white object flew from the other side and shattered the ice block that had trapped Stockton.

*Thud!*

“……”

Lenox, who had avoided the attack with a blink, turned his gaze with a slightly stiff expression.

The throw just now was not at a speed or trajectory that could be avoided with an ordinary reaction.

It was an unusual blow that seemed to be trying to confirm Lenox’s reaction rather than aiming for the ice.

The moment Lenox realized this and raised his gaze, a cold female voice echoed from beyond the fog.

“I’m too late.”

[Krrrr…!!!]

At the same time, a monstrous roar erupted from the white object that had fallen at Lenox’s feet.

“Merilda.”

The figure of a giant wolf with its white mane torn in places and bleeding.

Although it was still shining brightly with fighting spirit, it seemed to have suffered considerable injuries.

It was bleeding profusely in various places, as if it had been forcibly thrown out after fighting someone.

But even as its whole body trembled, Merilda’s gaze was clearly fixed on the other side of the fog.

*Whoosh!*

As if responding to that hostility, the figure of a woman slowly walking out of the fog.

She had no particular impression, but her expression was cold and even chilling.

The woman, who looked around silently, saw Stockton, Duren, and the corpse of Solshier, who was lying dead, and smiled.

“It seems like you all were having fun without me, weren’t you?”

“Cough, cough!! Commander…”

Stockton, who had fallen among the broken ice, gritted his teeth and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. It’s because I was lacking…!!”

“No, you don’t have to be sorry.”

The woman said, tossing something she was holding in her hand.

“Gurgle…”

Something that was more bloodied than Merilda could ever be.

Lenox’s eyes narrowed as he realized that it was in the shape of a wolf, barely breathing.

The woman, who had thrown Killian away like trash, looked at Lenox and smiled.

“It’s rather me who should be sorry. I almost ruined things by falling for such a simple provocation.”

“……”

The woman’s gaze only intensified as Lenox did not answer.

The woman also knew who Lenox was before she appeared here.

The brief amusement they had enjoyed at the casino in the 47th district.

The promise that she hadn’t even received an answer to.

All those memories that had been brushed aside as trivial had come together to create this catastrophe.

“Right. The luck of pulling the slot, the decent battle skills, and the guts I liked… there was a reason for it all.”

Behind the woman, who was muttering as if spitting out words, a pale figure flickered past.

As if a ghost had possessed her and disappeared during a brief emotional fluctuation, a strange chill and ghostly cries echoed.

A cold and desolate wind blew, enough to freeze everyone in this place.

*Whoosh!*

She touched her shoulder with one hand and slowly loosened her neck.

“Let’s move the location, Kyonroe.”

The woman, with the form of a blue spirit floating behind her, grinned.

“The match we couldn’t finish at the casino back then. We decided to settle it today, right?”

Level 8 physical ability user, Guihui (Demon Princess) Feisha Grisburn.

The monster who had been tied to the casino under the guise of a match had returned at this point when the operation was not yet over.

“…Are you sure about this?”

But even knowing that fact, Lenox slowly moved toward her.

Lenox, who was facing Feisha head-on in the flames that were burning all around, sneered.

“There won’t be any coins to continue the game even if you lose here.”