Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 783

The moment the Guide’s Ring was revealed, the White Ghouls stopped everything and swarmed in unison. As if it were preordained, they guided the boat, their messages devoid of any emotion. It was as if their sole purpose was to guide Lenok and the boat he was on. This procession of ghosts moved in unison, leaving other passengers behind on the dark river. Lenok, feeling the intense gazes openly directed at him, fell into thought. [They reacted to the Guide’s Ring, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t feel like a completely positive sign…] The abnormal behavior of the White Ghouls and the disruption of the entire inspection process was an unusual situation. Considering the unnecessary attention it drew, this situation was unlikely to be beneficial to Lenok in the long run. However, Lenok’s reaction was remarkably calm. The priestess seemed to notice this as well, staring at Lenok, who had entrusted his boat to the White Ghouls without resistance. [Sir. Did you perhaps expect things to turn out this way from the beginning?] “If the existence of the ring allows me to contact the Yorta leadership, things will be easier,” Lenok replied, leaning against the mast of the deck. “If there’s room for negotiation, I might be able to enter the Spirit Tower directly through a deal.” From the moment he obtained the Guide’s Ring with Sabrina’s help, Lenok had suspected that this ring was quite important to Yorta. If this ring was one of the lost relics or artifacts of Yorta, as Lenok suspected, it would be natural for them to discuss Lenok’s treatment upon entering Yorta with it. If he could meet the leaders who currently controlled all of Yorta, Lenok might be able to achieve his goal quickly. That’s why Lenok had secretly hoped to draw attention during the inspection process. The priestess immediately understood Lenok’s answer, but shook her head as if unconvinced. [Even if you are lucky enough to meet the Yorta leadership directly, isn’t it unlikely that a proper negotiation will take place?] “It doesn’t matter. Even if I can only secure their identities, it’s enough,” Lenok said with a low laugh. “Once I confirm who the ruler of this city is, I can find a way.” [Hmm…] The priestess, who had been looking at Lenok with an indescribable expression, nodded as if she had finally understood. [That’s a fitting answer for a Warlock of the Demon Realm. I understand.] “That’s not the kind of thing I want to hear from a lackey of the Order.” While Lenok and the priestess were disparaging each other’s affiliations, the White Ghouls had already begun to guide the boat deep into the river. =…… Gooohhhhh…!! Beyond the endlessly deep and dark river, a massive drawbridge faintly illuminated came into view. The entire drawbridge was rusted, covered in moss and barnacles, as if it had been submerged for a very long time. Thick chains creaked and swayed, then changed course to clear the river for Lenok’s rowboat. Splashhhhh!! The rowboat moved downwards, following the rapidly lowering water level of the Headrain River. “…Wait a minute.” Lenok’s expression hardened slightly as he immediately noticed the anomaly. The priestess spoke, watching Lenok quickly activate his magic to scan the surrounding scenery. [It seems you’ve noticed. We are not heading towards the center of Yorta right now.] “The water level is too low,” Lenok muttered. “Considering the principles of the Myriad Ghoul Night Parade [a grand procession of spirits], the important levels should be located relatively high.” Through his conversation with Madrich Onion, Lenok knew what the Myriad Ghoul Night Parade was conceptually. The grand spectacle of the night parade, guiding souls and endlessly stacking the procession itself towards the Spirit Tower. But that meant that for the night parade, the waves of souls had to be stacked endlessly into the sky. Considering that the Spirit Tower in Yorta was built to serve that purpose, the core levels of the city should be located at a high altitude. However, the ten ghouls guiding Lenok’s rowboat were not raising the altitude; instead, they were lowering the water level, guiding Lenok below. The moment Lenok felt a sense of unease and gripped the bow of the boat. Splashhhhh!! The dark black river in front of him split in two, revealing the scenery beyond the waterway. A vast space, a huge cavern filled with river water. In the center, a black altar was erected, and about a dozen spirits stood on it, looking down at this place. It was as if a courtroom had been built on the water, with Lenok on the boat looking up at the altar. “Ah, you’ve arrived.” Kooong! A young boy sat on a jet-black throne in the center of the altar, looking down at Lenok. “Welcome to the Great Tribunal on the first basement level of the Yorta Spirit Tower.” “……” The boy’s figure flickered and wavered like a ghost, as if melting into the air. The boy was positioned high, looking down at Lenok, surrounded by seven spirits. It was not a place to guide a noble, but a chilling space prepared as if to judge a sinner. The moment Lenok, sensing that something was wrong, raised his gaze. “So, you’re the human who brought the Guide’s ghost.” The boy’s ghost said in a cold voice. “I never imagined that the ring would return to Yorta at this time.” “……” “The last time we observed it, we confirmed that it was in a place from which it could never return. The affairs of the mortal world change so quickly.” Could it be that they had not expected the Guide’s Ring to return to Yorta at all? It was a sudden remark without any greeting, but Lenok immediately understood what the boy meant. In fact, the ring was hidden in Jillian’s fortress, in Zairo’s vault, a very powerful personal safe. If Lenok hadn’t forcibly taken it out, it might still be forgotten in the basement of the fortress. “Well, enough of the pointless chatter, show it to me.” The boy, leaning casually on the throne, nodded his head, looking at the silent Lenok. “I want to see how much the soul of the Guide, who once led the night parade, has deteriorated.” “……” “Are you not even going to answer?” Lenok, watching the boy smirk, quickly began to think. The boy’s ghost was undoubtedly the one with the most authority in this courtroom. The seven spirits lined up on either side of him were probably inquisitors there to assist in the boy’s judgment. The problem was that the difficulty of his plan would vary greatly depending on how Lenok was treated. If the boy tried to expel Lenok from here, it wouldn’t matter. He could change his identity and come back here, or find another way instead of crossing the Headrain River. The biggest problem was if the boy decided to kill Lenok here and now. Having crossed the river this far, it would be difficult to shake off the Yorta officials and escape. Once he started, he would have to kill all the White Ghouls and witnesses, or find another opportunity. The moment Lenok thought this and slowly touched the ring. Srrrring!! All the dozens of White Ghouls simultaneously aimed their scythes at Lenok’s neck and began to surround him. A fierce reaction that made it seem like they would cut his throat on the spot if he didn’t activate the ring. The White Ghouls glared at Lenok and said. “Show…” “Confirm…” A firm determination to confirm the Guide’s Ring here no matter what. Lenok, realizing that this was not something he could gloss over, shook his head. It wasn’t impossible to kill all the White Ghouls here and forcibly enter Yorta, but… “…Alright.” Not knowing what kind of environment Yorta was, a hasty decision was likely to backfire. Thinking this, Lenok slowly activated the Guide’s Ring. Fwoooosh!! The faint image of a human appeared above the ring’s gem. The figure of the Guide’s ghost, with no apparent features, and several other ghosts walking behind him. [……] The fact that showing the Guide’s Ring would lead to Yorta was certain. He had never worried about that. However, he didn’t know how important this ring was to Yorta. And he didn’t know how they would perceive the fact that he had taken the priestess’s soul into the ring. In the tense atmosphere, Lenok quietly checked the surrounding reactions. =…… =…… The White Ghouls, the moment it appeared, did not take their eyes off the Guide’s figure. They stared blankly with their distorted faces under their hoods, completely absorbed in the pure white light. […Hmm.] The Guide silently looked around at the White Ghouls, then smiled lightly as if understanding. It seemed like he made eye contact with the boy for a moment, but he quickly returned to the ring and disappeared. While Lenok was following the Guide’s figure, which had disappeared in an instant, the boy, who had been watching while leaning on the throne, muttered. “Long ago, he was clearly a prophet who guided us all, but now he is just a legacy of a traitor.” Not a prophet, but a traitor. Could it be that the Guide’s soul was no longer welcome in Yorta? “The soul trapped in that ring is both a meritorious official and a sinner who has repeatedly made great contributions and mistakes to this city,” the boy said leisurely. “Therefore, from my position of judging the souls of the dead, I must both commend him for his return and punish him.” “……” “Originally, I should have immediately held him accountable for his sins and even sentenced the owner of the ring to the most severe punishment, but…” The boy muttered, looking at Lenok with an unreadable expression. Following the boy, the White Ghouls all turned to look at Lenok and began to let out chilling groans. Cold and damp killing intent, as if they would immediately bring their scythes to Lenok’s neck again. Instead of reacting to the ghosts’ momentum, Lenok quietly tilted his head. “I don’t know about objects, but I don’t think people are guilty,” the boy said, changing his expression and smiling. “I don’t feel like taking the ring back now, nor do I feel like leaving it. So, human, let’s make a deal.” “A deal?” “If the fact that the Guide’s soul has returned to the city becomes known, the old spirits sleeping in the Spirit Tower will awaken,” the boy said. “As we are about to have a large-scale night parade, I don’t want any disturbances in the tower. So, how about you keep the ring until the night parade is over?” “…I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” Lenok asked, stepping forward to the bow of the boat. “If it’s about the whereabouts and treatment of the ring, it’s obviously my property. Is that why you called me here?” “That’s right,” the boy nodded. “The problem is that if we postpone the valuation of the ring, we have to nullify all the procedures you went through while crossing the river.” “What?” “We have to erase the spiritual records of the rituals and items used in the inspection, as well as that interesting-looking boat you came on.” “……” “As you know, Yorta is a floating city built on the Headrain River, designed so that you can travel throughout the city using boats. If you accept this proposal, you will have to get a new boat and ritual items.” It seemed that the process of offering tributes and building a boat at the dock was unusually complicated for a reason. If the environment within Yorta required constant travel by boat, it made sense. The fact that the shape of the boat was slightly different for each offering might have been a measure to indicate the guest’s status within the city. But what caught his attention first was the proposal the boy had made to Lenok itself. To hide the record that he had entered with the Guide’s Ring, he was saying that he would nullify the entire inspection process Lenok had gone through so far? Contrary to the seemingly trivial proposal, it seemed like a rather grand and elaborate way to hide the traces. That was probably because, unlike what the boy was saying, there was a reason why the Guide’s Ring should not reveal its existence in the city at this time. Sensing this, Lenok crossed his arms and tilted his head. “I don’t want to? Why should I?” “……” “Forget it, register the ring and determine the proper level and authority. I don’t care about your circumstances.” [No, that’s…] The priestess, who had been watching the conversation between the two, asked in disbelief. [Sir, is that really the right answer at this time?] “……” From the priestess’s point of view, Lenok’s reaction of being defiant in front of the boy might not make sense. In fact, the boy’s spirit maintained a young appearance, but he was a considerable powerhouse, strong enough that even Lenok could sense it. At the very least, he was a Thousand Ghoul, or a being with even greater authority and power. However, Lenok sensed that the proposal the boy had thrown out as a favor was not for Lenok’s sake. If the boy had decided that he needed to hide the Guide’s Ring, he would have made a different proposal to protect it. As expected, the boy, smiling with a troubled look, pondered for a moment and then nodded. “Hmm… you’re more intelligent than I thought. Looking at the process of how you got here, you didn’t seem very perceptive.” “……” Lenok’s actions of dragging a corpse of an apostle and hanging its head on the boat didn’t seem like the actions of a perceptive person. While Lenok was silent, unable to retort, the boy said. “Okay. Then, as compensation for accepting this proposal, how about I prepare your ritual items for you instead?” “What does that mean?” “I can use my authority to judge the spirits of Yorta and grant you a special exception,” the boy explained while Lenok was pondering. “It’s originally a special exception for dignitaries from other cities, such as delegations, but I’ll make an exception this time.” “I don’t know what you mean by preparing ritual items,” Lenok replied, crossing his arms. “Was it so easy to obtain ritual items for passing the inspection in the first place?” “Well, it’s not difficult. If I had to put it in words, it’s like summoning a spiritual archetype from the Spirit Tower’s inspection records,” the boy said, reaching out his hand towards Lenok. “I’ll look back at the achievements your spirit has accumulated, not you yourself, and materialize the most suitable ritual item.” The entire courtroom’s vision distorted greatly, and an illusion arose as if a stream of light was surging towards Lenok. Kuoohhhhh…!! A stream of spiritual light that was clearly targeting Lenok himself. If Lenok refused here, the boy’s proposal itself would be nullified. ‘An archetype from Yorta’s internal records…’ After pondering, Lenok slightly released his resistance to the target designation and accepted the flow, and immediately, a stream of light began to condense on the altar. It was probably going to look back at Lenok’s achievements and bestow a suitable ritual item on that altar. The boy, with his hand extended towards the altar, said to Lenok with a relaxed expression. “However, the size of the ritual item is so small, and you’ll have to find a boat separately within Yorta… Hmm?” At that moment, the boy’s expression, which had been relaxed all along, changed to a sullen one. The other judges turned to look at the boy in surprise at his sudden reaction. “No, wait a minute. This isn’t an archetype, it’s…” The boy muttered with a flustered expression. KWAHAAANG!!! The wall of the courtroom shattered completely, and a huge wave of water began to surge out from beyond it. “Uwaaaahhh!!” The inquisitors standing next to the boy screamed in panic, and immediately after, a huge shadow smashed the altar and rushed into the cavern. Kugwagwagwa!!! It smashed through the Yorta checkpoint in an instant and stood right in front of Lenok, crossing the rippling waves. Gooohhhhh…!! Lenok, too, recognized the identity of the object that had appeared as a result of the ritual item archetype summoning and fell silent. The boy, sitting back on the shattered altar, muttered in disbelief. “Ha, this is… what the hell are you?” “……” “It seems like we need to start the conversation over from the beginning.” A massive keel emitting a faint turquoise light. A bizarre appearance with old chains hanging and swaying everywhere. An overwhelming presence that suppressed the sudden appearance and shockwave with its mere presence. The ship of the legion, which Lenok had seen before, yet was more vast than anything else. A huge ghost ship, large enough to fill the waves of the courtroom, was dripping thick fog and looking down at Lenok.