Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1136

[It has been 48 hours since the Pandemonium terrorist attack at Tokerphz Stadium was brought to an end.]

[The largest disaster in history, which struck the commercial district near the stadium, has led to a wave of mourning throughout the city.]

[There are concerns from various sectors about how long this turmoil that has shaken the Western Continent will continue.]

“……”

The casino fell silent the moment the news began to play.

People who had been pulling slot machines or engrossed in card games turned their attention to the screens.

The large-scale terrorist attack by Pandemonium during Freya Kalin’s world tour.

The largest act of destruction in history, where a stadium capable of holding a hundred thousand spectators was completely obliterated.

The voice of the caster reporting the latest news was subdued.

[A swift evacuation was carried out at the scene, and there were no civilian casualties. However, the extent of the damage to the police force that was dispatched to suppress the situation is still being assessed.]

[However, there are claims that this is due to the large number of individuals with inaccurate identification records within the police department’s database……]

[The whereabouts of Pandemonium, who is known to be the mastermind behind this terrorist attack, are still unknown-]

“Pandemonium, huh……”

People exchanging cards across the tables exchanged glances with strange expressions.

With an expressionless dealer between them, customers quietly began to exchange information.

“It’s no coincidence that there were almost no civilian casualties despite a terrorist attack of this scale. It must have been intentional.”

“I don’t know what they’re thinking. Pandemonium has rarely moved while caring about casualties like this.”

“The crime was abnormally smooth. Crime consultants say that at least five people were involved within the Demonic Labyrinth [a term referring to a group of powerful sorcerers].”

“Are you saying that a disaster of this magnitude can be created with only about five perpetrators……”

The downtown area of Tokerphz, where the most luxurious shopping malls and casinos are located.

The people who visit this place are mostly high-ranking officials from all over the continent or those with considerable assets.

As they are in a position to receive various news faster than others, there were quite a few people who had information about this terrorist attack that was not yet known.

“There are people who were spying on the scene until the moment observation was blocked. It’s clear that the Order [a religious organization with powerful sorcerers] was involved.”

“There was a sign that an Apostle [a powerful sorcerer within the Order] had appeared. Similar historical records were found in the doctrines held by the apostates.”

“Unbelievable…… Are you saying that the Demonic Labyrinth and the Order’s Apostle faced off at the stadium as a battleground?”

“It seems certain that Pandemonium and the Order clashed at some point without us knowing.”

The city of pleasure where the most cash assets in the Western Continent circulate.

Naturally, most of the information that circulates here is also information that can be turned into money.

“……”

Lenok, who had been sitting near the casino bar, listening to the conversations the customers were having in secret, got up from his seat.

Kuururung……!!

As soon as he walked out of the casino, he could see countless construction vehicles moving along the road.

Heavy equipment, including trucks and cranes, were all heading in one direction.

The ruins where the Tokerphz Stadium, which Lenok had erased a few days ago, had been located.

He could hear the voices of citizens whispering.

“Did you hear? The Syndicate [a powerful criminal organization] is said to have provided all the funds needed to rebuild the stadium.”

“Those criminal businessmen who run casinos in the shadows?”

“You know that the city government actively hosted Freya Kalin’s concert, right? As things stand, the city government won’t be able to avoid responsibility either.”

“Is the balance within Tokerphz going to shift heavily towards the Syndicate? This city might end up with nothing but casinos and entertainment facilities.”

It might be good news in many ways for the guests who came to Tokerphz to gamble.

However, it is a complex issue for the citizens who live in this city.

The more outsiders visit, the more the citizens’ pockets will be filled, but conversely, the city’s foundation will become unstable.

It’s no wonder that they feel uneasy, given that the citizens cannot control that balance themselves.

Lenok thought so and slowly moved his feet.

Due to the chaos caused by Pandemonium’s terrorist attack, Victor’s description was somewhat known, but Lenok did not bother to change his appearance.

Even if this masked appearance became known, it wouldn’t matter much, and he could avoid most of the troublesome situations with recognition-blocking magic.

The hotel district located in the center of the city.

He entered the lobby of the most luxurious hotel, which boasted the most splendid and highest ceilings.

He walked past the dazzling lights and the casino hall with the finest facilities and headed to the elevator.

The most luxurious suite located on the top floor of the hotel building.

A lodging facility that uses the entire top floor, where the scenery of Tokerphz can be seen at a glance.

“Victor.”

Agnetta, who was hanging upside down from the ceiling of the vast room, waved her hand happily.

“You’re here.”

Bang!!

The door to the bedroom inside the suite burst open, and Freya, with her hair disheveled, walked out.

She had a drowsy expression, as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

She looked at Lenok with sleepy eyes and asked.

“Did you find the clown?”

Two days after the battle with the Apostle ended. The group remained in Tokerphz to recover from the aftermath of the fight.

As expected, Freya was unable to continue her concert immediately due to the terrorist attack that swept through Tokerphz.

However, the clown’s whereabouts had completely disappeared from the scene immediately after the battle with the Apostle.

Even if the two Apostles who disappeared along with the stadium were understandable, if the clown did not return, the operation would be twisted in many ways.

At that point, the other members who were preparing to leave also changed their actions and began exploring the city.

“……Ha. Figures.”

When Lenok didn’t answer, Freya looked at her phone with a tired expression.

She leaned against the bedroom door, tapped on her phone, and then threw it onto the bed, saying.

“I’ve told my agency. A representative will arrive tomorrow to clean up what happened here.”

“So?”

“They say that a ship to leave Tokerphz will probably be found by tomorrow or the day after.”

She said that and leaned back on the sofa, yawning languidly.

“If that psycho doesn’t come back by then, the schedule will be a mess. I don’t know anymore.”

“……”

Lenok turned his back on her and looked at the balcony outside the suite.

The balcony was so large that it was as big as the yard of an average house.

Next to the transparent railing overlooking the city, there was even a large swimming pool.

Soryu was leaning against the outermost edge of the balcony, closing his eyes and concentrating.

The moment Lenok approached, Soryu opened his mouth.

“The most luxurious hotel suite in downtown Tokerphz is famous for costing tens of millions of cells [currency] per night.”

He turned to Lenok with a cold gaze and slowly stood up.

“Thanks to you, I was able to attempt a search in this luxurious place where the whole city can be seen…… but there was no big gain.”

“……”

“I can’t feel the clown’s presence anywhere. In the worst case, we should consider the possibility that he has already left Tokerphz.”

“Luxurious, huh? Is that the kind of sensibility a royal of Kabahim [a kingdom] feels?”

Lenok narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

“Who was it that was showing off the artifacts they received in the last settlement?”

“I wasn’t showing off, I was just using them as payment for trading information.”

Soryu smiled wryly.

“As an exiled royal, I don’t have much of the royal family’s wealth left. I’m not really interested in inheritance in the first place.”

“Then what is your reason for participating in this operation?”

Lenok sneered.

“Wasn’t it to reclaim the throne that rules Kabahim?”

“……Do you only think about things that way? It’s not like that.”

Soryu walked ahead of Lenok, placed his hand on the glass railing, and said.

Soryu’s eyes, looking down at Tokerphz, momentarily sank heavily.

“The bloodline ability of the Kabahim Dynasty that I have been carrying since birth. It’s to solve the curse placed on this bloodline.”

“……”

“I used to think that this ability given to me was a blessing. I used to think about how I could use it to become stronger.”

Soryu muttered.

“But after leaving Kabahim, I realized that it wasn’t. The power given to me was just a clumsy imitation of Ars Nova’s mistake.”

Crack……!!

The railing that Soryu was holding slowly froze from the outside.

A faint chill that emanated just by touching it without using any power.

It was proof that Soryu himself was not completely in control of his bloodline ability.

“Meaningless excuses.”

Lenok sneered.

“If you were in complete control of your bloodline ability, would you have been thinking that?”

“That’s right. I wouldn’t have. If I were like you, I would have thought differently.”

Soryu slowly turned his body around.

“If I were a blessed special trait sorcerer like you, if I were a monster who could even play with myself like the clown, I wouldn’t have worried.”

“……”

Soryu is a member of the Kabahim royal family’s direct lineage and a prince exiled from the royal family.

However, the ice-type bloodline ability he inherited from birth still remains within him.

He had been constantly trying to handle his bloodline ability, which was both a blessing and a curse, but he realized after seeing sorcerers who had surpassed the standard.

Soryu’s own talent and ability are not strong enough to overcome the fate given to him.

Now, he had two choices left.

Either completely erase the bloodline ability from within himself, or make it stronger with the help of the outside.

Either way, it was clear that the answer was in the [Gate] located in the underground of Kabahim’s capital.

“If I hadn’t joined Pandemonium, I wouldn’t have known that a sorcerer like you existed. I think I owe the leader for that.”

Soryu said, looking at Lenok’s mask with a cold gaze.

“That’s why I participated in this operation. Even if I’m an exiled prince, my existence will definitely be helpful inside the royal palace.”

“I don’t care. Just don’t do anything that will hold me back.”

Lenok looked down at Soryu from behind his mask.

“After all, it’s not me who will decide that, but that crazy illusionist.”

“……”

Instead of answering, Soryu silently nodded.

Having come this far, he must have already prepared himself for what would happen to him.

Lenok ignored Soryu and immediately turned around.

In the center of the suite’s living room, where a splendid chandelier was shining.

The members of the Demonic Labyrinth were gathered around a large sofa that could seat dozens of people.

Agnetta hanging on the chandelier, Freya lying down on the innermost part of the sofa, yawning blankly.

Soryu leaning near the balcony passage, and Chebien’s doll standing creakily in front of the oversized TV.

Even Antares, sitting on the edge of the sofa with his eyes closed.

However, Lenok felt that the gazes of others were focused on him in that quiet atmosphere.

Less than two days had passed since the battle with the Apostle at Tokerphz Stadium had ended.

The other members were also watching and remembering how Lenok fought and won against the Apostle.

The existence of a manipulation sorcerer who might be as strong as the clown within Pandemonium.

As Soryu mentioned while looking at Lenok, others were also beginning to have different impressions of his sorcery and talent.

Chiiik-

At that moment, the oversized TV on the wall of the suite began to show static, and Highlea’s voice echoed.

[It’s time. Is everyone gathered except for the clown?]

In a strange silence, Highlea opened her mouth in a calm voice.

[I’ll start by explaining the success or failure of this operation. The Kabahim Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allowed Freya to enter the capital earlier than her original schedule.]

“……”

[Given the chaos in Tokerphz, they must have thought there was no justification to stop Freya from coming to Kabahim earlier than planned. This is as expected.]

Highlea’s words continued in a cold silence.

[However, the extent of the terrorist damage was much greater than expected, so it was unavoidable that some members’ identities were partially exposed. For example-]

Beep.

The image of the obsidian mask that Lenok was wearing appeared on the screen.

A picture of the mask, like a kind of pattern, as if it were drawn in the form of a montage.

Naturally, the gazes of others turned to Lenok.

[Tens of thousands of people watched Victor commit the terrorist attack. There’s no way to stop the rumors. Are you okay with that?]

“I don’t care.”

Lenok retorted and turned his gaze away.

“There must be more important issues than that. What about the Order?”

[Currently, the Syndicate is using the reconstruction of the stadium as an excuse to collect the bodies and damage from the scene.]

The sound of Highlea flipping through papers could be heard from the speaker.

[All of the Order’s followers who were disguised as police officers died at the scene. It is estimated that almost all of the priests dispatched from the Order’s Northwest branch were also annihilated.]

“……”

[However, in the case of the 5th and 8th Apostles who were the main subjects of the attack, no related information could be found. The Syndicate must be deliberately hiding that information.]

The clown’s self-destruction. Lenok’s use of the forbidden weapon.

The situation where the space inside the stadium was completely annihilated as two powers that exceeded the scope of sorcery overlapped at the same coordinate.

However, it was difficult to be sure that the 5th and 8th Apostles had completely died in that explosion.

Leaving aside the 5th Apostle, Kamrodal was an Apostle who had been controlling others like puppets using his tentacles.

Even if he lost his clone in this place, he would only suffer a slight blow and would not suffer damage that would lead to death.

At the very least, in order to confirm the damage to the Order, they wanted to check if the bodies or debris of the Apostles remained at the scene, but-

The reason why the Demonic Labyrinth members, including Lenok, were still in Tokerphz was not something else.

“What about the whereabouts of the clown, Artren Kijard?”

Even though the members who remained after the situation was settled were searching the surroundings, there was still no suitable clue.

It was as if he had turned into a handful of dust on the spot along with the annihilation sorcery that Lenok had unleashed.

“The backlash of predicting his luck still remains within me.”

Antares said that and closed his eyes.

“Artren Kijard is alive. However, I don’t think I can predict where he is.”

“Heh heh, I’ll say it in advance here……”

Chebien’s doll let out a gloomy sneer.

“If the clown doesn’t return in time, I will withdraw from this operation……”

“……”

“It’s an operation that won’t work properly without that illusionist…… There’s no reason to throw myself into the royal capital and commit suicide……”

“Anyone would think you’re in the front lines. What are you saying when you’re just going to be in the rear, playing with your dolls?”

Freya, who had been lying diagonally on the sofa, raised her body with an annoyed look.

“In the first place, there’s no way that psycho would have died in a place like this. It’s pointless to even discuss his life or death.”

“Even so, we have no choice but to consider the worst-case scenario.”

Soryu replied with a cold expression.

“If we can’t pinpoint his location with precognition, we have to re-plan the operation, taking into account the clown’s absence.”

“Hey, I told you. Are you going to make me say useless things?”

“No. It’s necessary.”

Freya and Soryu’s gazes collided in the air.

“Even if the clown doesn’t come back, the operation must proceed. Are you going to go to Kabahim for a concert alone?”

“That’s……”

The moment Freya frowned, Soryu said in a cold voice.

“We won’t have another chance to infiltrate the Kabahim capital so easily. Even if Chebien leaves, we will move according to plan.”

“……”

Even though the clown had not died, they still could not pinpoint his location.

In the worst case, even if the clown did not return, Freya would have to go to Kabahim for a concert as planned.

If the other members gave up on the operation in this situation, Freya would have to arrive in Kabahim all alone.

Soryu was saying that the operation had to be carried out in order to prevent such a situation.

“The concert can be canceled. What’s the problem?”

Freya crossed her arms and tilted her head.

“I can tell my agency to make an announcement and pay the penalty. Do you think this is my first time doing a tour like this?”

“You know that the reason Kabahim allowed your visit this time is not because of the concert.”

Soryu said in a cold voice.

“They need your sorcery to open the [Gate] in the royal capital. If you cancel the concert in this situation, they will definitely retaliate.”

“……”

“There’s no choice. As things stand, we have to go to Kabahim no matter what.”

Agnetta, who had been watching the situation with a blank expression, asked as if she had just realized it.

“Ah, are you two fighting right now?”

“……”

A cold silence filled the luxurious suite.

Freya, who was frowning with her arms crossed, and Soryu, with a stern expression.

Antares, who was lost in thought, and Chebien’s doll, who was silent without saying a word.

In the subdued atmosphere, Lenok silently looked around.

[Sorry to interrupt your discussion, but there’s some news related to that topic.]

At that moment, Highlea said from beyond the screen.

[The Syndicate has contacted our line. They say they have secured the clown’s safety.]

“……!!!”

At that moment, Freya and Soryu turned their heads sharply.

“Where is he? Where is he?”

“What do they want? Did they just contact us now to ask for money?”

[No. It’s not money, but there’s one request.]

Highlea replied with a hesitant tone.

[They want to see the mastermind behind this terrorist attack. I think they want to talk to Victor directly.]

“……”

Naturally, all the members’ gazes turned to Lenok.

The Syndicate. A force that, along with the Tokerphz city government, divides this huge city of pleasure.

He had only heard the name a few times since coming to Tokerphz, but he could guess what kind of force it was.

Is the coalition of criminal organizations that controls this entertainment city wanting to see Lenok?

“Where is he?”

[Not far from here. The underground black market in the deepest part of the city center.]

Highlea said.

[They say that the largest human auction house in the Western Continent is located there.]

“The fact that they mentioned the clown’s name doesn’t necessarily mean that the clown is there.”

Soryu tilted his head.

“Is there any solid evidence that the Syndicate has secured the clown’s safety?”

[Well, I don’t know if you can call it evidence… but they did add one postscript.]

Highlea replied with a slightly strange tone.

[They say that the forbidden weapon ‘Sorrow’ that the 8th Apostle possessed will be put up for auction. What do you want to do?]