Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 903

The Eye That Sees Fate (40)

Outside the sprawling metropolis, on the outskirts of the city.

Beyond the boundary of the undeveloped zone, closer to the satellite cities.

Underneath an old, tilted ship on the sandy desert, Lenok was building a campfire.

Crackling, crackling!

Small sparks quickly caught onto the dry branches, bursting into flames.

Lenok stepped back from the campfire, its red light illuminating his face, and sat on a sand dune.

There was no one else around except for the two of them.

As soon as they left the city, Lapis had dismissed the other Watchers and created this space.

“I never thought you’d ask me to start a fire for you.”

Lenok said, pushing firewood into the campfire.

“I’m not used to camping. If Evelyn were here, she would have done it much more skillfully.”

“It’s alright.”

Lapis replied.

“A brief face-to-face conversation will be enough.”

“…I see.”

A suffocating silence.

An awkward sense of unease that he had never felt with the old Lapis.

However, Lenok wasn’t surprised that his relationship with Lapis had turned out this way.

From the moment he sent Lapis beyond the world’s boundary, he had thought that things might turn out like this.

But if there was anything that bothered him, it was Lapis’s changed appearance itself.

“Is your body alright?”

“Yes.”

Lapis nodded with an expressionless face.

“A part of the personality that my grandmother left behind is with me.”

“……”

“If the power stabilizes and settles, I’ll be able to choose one side.”

“A choice…”

Lenok replied, glancing at Lapis’s feet.

Lapis’s shadow, flickering beyond the flames, grew larger and smaller as if it were shifting between an adult and a child.

“If the overload of will has affected your physical growth, you’ll be quite fatigued for a while.”

“……”

“Whether you return to normal or remain in that form, you’ll need an adjustment period. Try to rest if possible.”

“I am a little tired, but the physical pain isn’t that bad.”

Lapis shook her head.

“Rather, I feel a strong sense of incongruity with my magic and formulas. I think it’s more of a matter of hierarchy than will.”

Lapis spoke calmly about her changes, as if discussing someone else’s affairs.

Even her cool reaction, with almost no change in emotion or expression.

From the moment they reunited, he felt an abnormal calmness, as if she had left something important behind.

“Madrea Falsier must have acquired all of the Lighthouse Keeper’s powers after becoming an Ascendant [a being who has transcended mortal limitations].”

Lenok said, ignoring the sense of unease.

“It’s inevitable that there would be a backlash when you, who are not yet complete, recover the power.”

“……”

“Perhaps you yourself have become an entity detached from the existing hierarchy. I’d have to examine your biorhythms and magic return cycles to know for sure, but…”

Lenok shrugged.

“From there, Gabsun or Grisha would know better than I would.”

“Evan-nim.”

Lapis suddenly called his name.

“What is Evan-nim’s true desire?”

Lapis asked, her face still devoid of emotion.

“From the first time we met, why have you been helping me until now?”

“…Lapis.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lapis apologized calmly.

“It’s too late, isn’t it? It’s a question I should have asked a long time ago.”

“……”

“In the past, I hesitated because I was afraid to confirm it. I thought that all of this might just be a light amusement for you.”

A calm and quiet confession, as if she were conveying someone else’s feelings.

Lapis said, looking at the burning campfire.

“The Evan-nim I know is like fire. He burns fiercely only for what interests him, and doesn’t even care about anything else.”

“……”

“Because your nature and talent were close to the ideal point I had hoped for. I’ve never doubted that fact even once.”

Lapis stared intently into Lenok’s eyes.

“So… I might have been able to tell that Evan-nim wouldn’t lose in this fight.”

“……”

“What is the ending that Evan-nim desires?”

She asked the same question again.

“It’s late, but can I hear your answer now?”

“…Well.”

Lenok smiled wryly.

“I’m not sure where to start explaining.”

“……”

“I am me. In the past, I was afraid to reveal that fact, so I hid it and tried to conceal it until the very end.”

Lenok murmured, looking at the night sky.

“But as time passes and the end draws near… the priorities within me are gradually changing.”

The starlight beyond the desert night sky was exceptionally clear.

He knew now that those shining stars were not just heat sources, but even so, the starlight seen from the ground was still beautiful.

The fate of this world would also be just that much of a meaning to the end beyond the outer sea.

“I try not to leave any paths untaken. I try to see and understand everything as long as time allows.”

“Why is that?”

“Because to gain one thing, you have to give up another.”

Lenok replied, seeing Lapis’s expression slightly change.

“Following the already established laws and causality of the world will not lead to an answer that transcends the world.”

“……”

“It wouldn’t have been like that in the past. Those who challenged ascension in the old world would have been satisfied with obtaining a status equal to the world.”

Lenok turned his gaze.

“But it’s different now. To draw a non-existent future, we need an answer that transcends the causality of this world. And I…”

Lenok’s voice flowed out naturally as he met Lapis’s gaze.

“I believe that answer already exists within me.”

“……”

“It’s not a light amusement. I’ve never risked my life for such trivial emotions.”

Lenok said with a serious expression.

“The same goes for the matter of Evan Bailon.”

“……”

The boundary between Evan Bailon and Martinez is particularly ambiguous even among Lenok’s identities.

This was because Evan, the identity he used in the public eye, had accidentally come into contact with Lapis and began cooperating with the Azure Eye.

It wasn’t until after the subjugation of the 10th Apostle Amrita that he began to distinguish himself by the name of Martinez.

From the beginning, he had no intention of dividing them, and he hadn’t often thought of them as separate, but Lapis wouldn’t have felt that way.

That’s why he needed to make it clear, at least to Lapis.

“It’s not that I was trying to hide it. Our meeting wasn’t so clean in the first place.”

“……”

“I got busy when I started producing research results, and contact became infrequent for a while as the Azure Eye advanced to the center.”

Lenok gestured towards the direction of Vulcan.

“I didn’t think it was something to brag about by contacting you first, but as time passed… it turned out like that.”

A large photo of Evan Bailon was displayed on the billboard of the airship floating in the outer district of Vulcan.

The news that Bailon had been appointed as the director of the research institute and had begun joint magic research with Professor Raphael.

“I understand.”

After a long silence, those were the first words Lapis uttered.

“In the end, Evan-nim couldn’t completely side with me, could he?”

“……”

“In the past, I think I sometimes had these thoughts.”

Lapis murmured, quietly closing her eyes.

“If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have asked Evan-nim to help with the affairs of the Hanghasa Labyrinth back then…”

“……”

“Even if it wasn’t for the matter of Jintun, Evan-nim would have been a great magician. Our relationship might have been a little different…”

Well, even so, Lenok couldn’t easily answer Lapis’s words.

Regardless of Lapis’s thoughts, Lenok had always tried not to be tied to one side.

However, instead of explaining his thoughts to Lapis one by one, Lenok quietly closed his mouth.

Lapis didn’t dwell on that sentiment for long either. As if she no longer had such thoughts.

“Actually, I still don’t know. Whether Evan-nim’s choice can truly be an answer that transcends the world…”

“……”

“But I’ll believe it. The beautiful ocean scenery I saw wasn’t a lie.”

“Lapis…”

“So, from now on, it would be better for us to keep our distance for a while.”

Lapis said, slowly standing up.

“If you are going to face all possibilities, then joining us on our way to Ars Nova would be the opposite.”

“……”

Lapis’s assertion that they should temporarily distance themselves because she was trying to acknowledge and believe in the ending Lenok had chosen.

How many emotions were buried in Lapis’s whispering words.

How much contemplation she had put into it to convince herself again.

But, Lapis accepted that it was the ending she had chosen.

Whoosh!!

Lapis put her hand into the campfire and took out a small sphere that glowed golden from within.

A bizarre artifact that looked as if it were a human eye carved out of a dazzling jewel.

“The Eye of Heavenly Wisdom. It’s one of the formulaic weapons that my grandmother left in the autonomous territory.”

Lapis said, placing it on Lenok’s hand.

“Like the [Pure Land Divine Mantra] that I gave to Evan-nim, it’s a relic-level artifact that she used before becoming an Ascendant.”

“……”

“It has the power to record and remember all things in the universe, and it is also the power that exists as the thirteenth lighthouse in this eye itself.”

“Lapis. If it’s a lighthouse, I already…”

“That’s why.”

Lapis whispered.

“In exchange for giving you this, I’ll take back the authority of the fifth lighthouse that I gave to Evan-nim.”

“……”

“If this remains, it might hinder your journey to draw the ending you desire.”

Swish.

The moment Lapis’s hand brushed over Lenok’s hand, he felt an unknown sensation slip away between his fingers.

He knew that it was Lapis withdrawing the observation authority of the fifth lighthouse, but Lenok didn’t stop her.

Lapis smiled quietly and raised her hand.

“We’ll part ways here. Evan-nim still has things to do in that city, right?”

“……”

“I’ll tell the other Watchers. Evan Martinez will temporarily put down the Watcher’s duty and…”

As Lapis’s hand fell weakly, her voice faded away like the campfire.

“…go into seclusion to treat the aftereffects of the battle.”

* * *

Four days after the end of the battle between Kyunroe and Chunbeon, which unfolded in the outer city of the Six-Point Fortress.

The metropolis was still struggling to deal with the aftermath of this incident.

[With the redevelopment schedule for the city near the undeveloped zone approaching, there is a heated debate within the council.]

[Now that tens of kilometers have been damaged beyond repair due to the clash of high-ranking superhumans-]

[Is it appropriate to proceed with the redevelopment of the outer districts, including the 49th district where the Magic Tower is located-]

The media continued to broadcast and discuss the same topic every day.

Experts added their opinions and explanations to the real-time changing reactions and news.

[The pro side points out that the number of visits from magicians from all over the continent has increased more than 20 times since the incident, and is demanding active investment.]

[The opposing side questions whether Kyunroe, who is ultimately responsible for the incident, should be held accountable, even considering the financial benefits…]

“……”

No matter what channel he turned to, no matter what news or information he looked up, it was all about this story.

Even the gossip about Professor Evan Bailon hadn’t been mentioned for the past few days.

That meant that the battle that took place on the outskirts of Vulcan had become a huge topic of conversation for the citizens.

Since the Central Council took control and stabilized the city, there had never been such a large-scale battle observed within the city.

It was only natural that opinions would be divided when the city government officially acknowledged the situation and stepped forward to resolve it.

[To understand the clash between Kyunroe and Chunbeon, we first need to look back at the situation at the time.]

[The conflict escalated to the extreme when Kyunroe kidnapped Lighthouse Keeper Lapis Falsier, who had secretly entered the country, right?]

A nameless professor and a host explained to the viewers through a specially organized program.

[That’s right. The logic of the pro side is also based on this. It’s practically impossible to hold such a crazy magician accountable in the first place.]

[For now, it would be best to preserve and respect his area as much as possible.]

[It’s about prioritizing practical benefits, separate from responsibility. As the number of magicians visiting Vulcan has increased, wouldn’t it be a shame to miss this opportunity?]

[Now that I see it, Professor, you’re also secretly on the side of redevelopment?]

[Haha, actually, my tower colleagues also said they were going to visit the city on this occasion…]

The boisterous laughter from beyond the screen.

Lenok leaned against the workbench in his lab, staring at the screen with an expressionless face.

“……”

Although several days had passed since everything ended, there was still a lot of work left to be done to resolve the situation.

The number of contacts piling up on his phone alone had already easily exceeded several hundred.

However, Lenok had put aside all other matters and locked himself in his lab, focusing on a new task.

Stabilizing the maximum amount of magic power that had suddenly increased due to the magic power of the outer sea.

The manipulation techniques of the Incarnation Formula that he had newly grasped through this incident.

Even the technology for manufacturing external magic cores, newly created by applying Jintun’s barrier magic.

He was taking a break by researching and analyzing the formulas and modifications that had been put off for a long time, and the newly acquired techniques to his heart’s content.

Or, could this be called a break?

If it were the usual Lenok, he wouldn’t have said that sitting still and watching the situation in Vulcan was a break.

After talking with Lapis, Lenok had been contemplating.

To be precise, after being advised to distance himself from the Azure Eye for a while.

Lenok had been thinking about that moment continuously.

“……”

Was he shocked? Perhaps he was.

But he already knew that even that decision was Lapis’s consideration for Lenok.

However, he had carelessly thought that Lapis, whom he knew, wouldn’t make such a choice.

Even that decision was not the ending that Lenok had expected, so he was just mulling over that fact.

That Lapis Falsier was a much stronger person than Lenok had thought.

He was realizing that it was Lapis who had truly considered her relationship with Lenok.

Lenok, who had been contemplating it for days, shook his head again, unable to come to a conclusion even today.

“…I should finish the work.”

Clank!!

He lightly lifted the heavy large shotgun placed on the workbench.

A powerful appearance with the entire thick double-barreled barrel gleaming with a bright blue magic light.

Lenok had been focusing on modifying the firearms that had been used less frequently in the lab recently.

The reason why he had stopped using the firearms he had been using for a long time was partly because he was switching between multiple identities, but fundamentally, it was because there was a limit to the amount of magic power allowed.

Unlike the spells that Lenok himself wielded, there was a limit to the output of the auxiliary magic contained in firearms.

However, through the newly developed external magic core, he was able to find a new path to that problem.

‘If I modify the external magic core into the barrel of a rechargeable shotgun, I can overcome the limits of the existing insufficient output.’

Lenok pondered, lifting the double-barreled barrel that was elongated in a rectangular shape.

‘However, if I recklessly increase the output, it will be difficult to properly test the balance and durability. It would be nice if there was someone to help me…’

The customization of the shotgun itself had to be tailored to Lenok’s body, but data was needed to serve as a standard for that adjustment.

To extract such standard data, a demonstration by a physical ability user with a strong body would be most effective.

Someone with excellent athletic ability and magic manipulation skills, who is skilled in handling modern equipment including firearms, and who would cooperate with Lenok’s research without complaint and keep secrets.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

“Yo.”

Evelyn, carrying all sorts of vegetables, stood smiling at the door of the mansion.

“I heard you got dumped by Lapis?”

“……”

“Now we’re both unemployed?”

It was only a temporary misdirection of the essence, but it would take a long time to explain it.

He had no choice but to open the door, even if he was furious.