Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1035

“Shikigami?”

“To define it clearly in terms of sorcery or Taoism, it refers to a spirit whose essence and physical form are held captive by a sorcerer, forced to serve them.”

Morphy explained, glancing at the notes on the back of the examination chart.

It seemed he had gathered relevant materials in his own way before Lenok arrived.

“In simpler terms, it’s also called a familiar, but the meaning is essentially the same. You can think of it as a creature that protects the sorcerer of its own accord.”

“……”

“Of course, even for me, it’s the first time I’ve seen a living human, especially a high-ranking noble, suffer such a fate…”

Torben, the tower lord, and an 8th-level lightning-type archmage.

Morphy concluded that Akendrias El Torben had become a Shikigami [a spirit servant in Japanese folklore] of the guardian spirit beast.

“Wait a minute. Something’s off.”

While even Lenok was speechless at the bizarre conclusion, Jutiya raised an objection.

“Originally, a Shikigami is created by feeding the sorcerer’s blood or a part of their body to the familiar.”

Jutiya said, pointing at Torben, who was sullenly having his electricity drained by the guardian spirit beast.

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t the adamant spirit beast that consumed that body part be the Shikigami, not Akendrias?”

“I can’t comment on that part, as I didn’t witness the Shikigami transformation process.”

Morphy politely replied to Jutiya’s words.

“However, I can only speculate that the adamant guardian spirit beast might possess the power to override the laws or compatibility commonly used in sorcery or Taoism.”

“……”

“To confirm a clear cause-and-effect relationship, we should wake the guardian spirit beast now and conduct a more precise spirit energy examination, but-”

“Vampire. Why are you trying to explain it so grandly?”

At that moment, Torben, who was lying diagonally in the underground chamber with a sullen expression, spoke.

“This fat little dragon is swallowing the lightning of my rage and using it as a stepping stone for growth. It probably won’t return it until the metamorphosis is complete.”

“……”

“Judging from this guy’s reactions so far, there’s a high possibility that he doesn’t realize what he’s doing. He’s purely driven by stimulation and instinct.”

The tower lord’s eyes, as he lay with his arm propped up, sank deeply.

“As befitting a newly born guardian spirit beast, he’s young and clumsy. Benno will take care of it, so don’t interfere.”

“……”

“He’s really lost it.”

Morphy stepped back silently, and Lenok, who had been listening to the words, asked in disbelief.

“Were you just standing by and watching, knowing what my guardian spirit beast had done?”

Somehow, I thought his reaction was lukewarm even after becoming an electric sucker.

Was he waiting without interfering with the guardian spirit beast, understanding the situation?

Torben’s appearance, who clearly understood his own and the guardian spirit beast’s condition more than Morph, who had examined him.

“Well, Benno was also angry at first for having his important moment of enlightenment interrupted…”

The tower lord chuckled, patting the sleeping guardian spirit beast’s belly.

“Looking at this guy, I was reminded of the guardian spirit beast I left at Benno’s magic tower. Even the calm and composed Benno couldn’t help but soften his heart.”

“……”

“What utter nonsense…”

While Jutiya muttered with a rare look of dismay, the tower lord, who was gently stroking the baby dragon’s belly, said.

“Benno used to often indulge the guardian spirit beast’s whims. Originally, children should grow up making mistakes and receiving affection, shouldn’t they?”

“That’s not the kind of thing someone who just had their insides devoured would say.”

“Maybe not. But if it’s your guardian spirit beast, isn’t this guy also a being chosen by lightning?”

Torben grinned and retorted.

“If you’re chosen by lightning, regardless of origin, birth, or race, you’re all comrades. This pig dragon is already as good as one with Benno!”

“……”

The tower lord’s confident declaration, as if he had finalized his own agreement without even consulting the guardian spirit beast.

To proclaim such unbelievable things with such conviction, it could be said to be a talent in itself.

The madness of a crazy old mage who had clearly lived a life far removed from calmness and composure.

However, Lenok sighed and nodded, stepping back.

“Alright. Let’s just observe the situation for now.”

“Adamant, are you sure about this?”

Jutiya asked, rubbing her eyes as if tired.

“As you can see, he’s a human who causes trouble even if you leave him alone. Even if you just confine him to the underground chamber, something will definitely happen.”

“At least he’s consistently crazy about lightning. It’s fine.”

Lenok nodded.

Since the first time he met Torben, this old mage had never deviated from his own standards.

He had engraved the pursuit of lightning as the foremost goal in his life, and he conveys that achievement and enlightenment to those who are qualified.

He even tries to burn lives with lightning, but his standards and judgments are always fair to himself and others.

His thoughts, judgments, decisions, and actions are all as fast and intense as lightning, leaving indelible marks.

Conversely, Lenok had somewhat acknowledged that he had come to respect Torben’s convictions.

“If I understand his motives, I can control him to some extent. Please just bear with it until then.”

“Oh, geez…”

Jutiya, who was squatting down and yawning softly, made eye contact with Torben and said.

“Akendrias. Thanks to you giving your insides to the guardian spirit beast, we’re also stuck in this magic tower.”

“So?”

“Whether it’s the guardian spirit beast’s metamorphosis or the recovery of the territory, resolve it quickly. We can’t stay in this city forever.”

Jutiya pointed upwards with her finger.

“The Council of Elders is watching. If we don’t finish the funeral rites and stay in this city, they will definitely try to interfere.”

“Benno doesn’t care about that.”

The tower lord said shamelessly.

“Regardless of the guardian spirit beast’s growth, Benno intends to continue imparting enlightenment to his disciple in this tower.”

“What?”

“While having Benno’s lightning sucked by this little dragon, I thought about it, and there was nothing wrong with what my disciple said.”

The tower lord crossed his arms and nodded with a solemn expression.

“It is a matter of leaving the enlightenment that Benno has gained throughout his life to posterity. It was foolish arrogance to try to finish it as quickly as cooking beans with lightning.”

“I never said I would learn magic from you.”

Torben, ignoring Lenok’s dumbfounded words, said.

“No matter how long it takes, Benno will stay in the tower and impart Benno’s insights to his disciple. Do not interfere.”

“……”

Jutiya, who was sitting blankly and scratching her cheek, asked.

“Sorry, but can you ask your dragon to torment this guy one more time?”

* * *

[The battle between Torben’s tower lord and Adamant in District 49 has drawn attention from all over Balkan.]

[Regarding the clash between two 8th-level lightning-type archmages, citizens are expressing concerns about additional damage…]

[The city government has stated that they are investigating the specific circumstances, but there seems to be no significant movement at the moment…]

[Among experts, there are many who are comparing the current situation to the Thousand Incident that occurred before.]

[Regarding the archmage’s rampage that has not stopped even after the hearing hosted by the Central Council was resolved in an abnormal way, the public is…]

The rumors about the outer district where Lenok and Torben’s battle took place had spread far and wide.

The clash between the two mages, which had spread through the press and media, was causing a stir throughout Balkan.

No matter which channel or line you turned on, related news could be heard sporadically, and there were even channels that specialized in covering related news.

Among them, there were places where military experts and scholars from Balkan gathered to comment on the situation.

[The most important issue is how Adamant is currently managing the safety of Torben’s tower lord.]

On the screen, a middle-aged man with his suit unbuttoned was passionately speaking with a flushed face.

[Now that it is certain that Torben’s tower lord has been defeated by Adamant, the Balkan city government must prepare for the worst-case scenario.]

[What do you mean by the worst-case scenario?]

[It means that Torben’s tower might try to intervene in Balkan as a result of this incident.]

A gray-haired professor sitting on the panel opened his mouth with a heavy gaze.

[Torben’s tower is currently actively involved in the war business and is an extremely dangerous armed group that dispatches mages to various civil wars.]

[That’s not something that befits the name of a tower.]

[That’s right. It is impossible to predict how that belligerent tower will react to the defeat of its tower lord.]

The experts added a word each to the host’s agreement.

[It is well known that Torben’s tower has secured enormous assets throughout the continent through the war business.]

[There is also a saying that it is difficult to obtain their operational information anywhere on the continent because the tower exists in such a special form.]

[The main headquarters of the tower, which has been around for over hundreds of years, mostly exist in unique forms. The Blaver Tower, whose tower lord is currently missing, is also…]

The stories coming from the channel I accidentally turned on were quite interesting.

The opinions of the panelists, who seemed to be worried about the tower’s intervention in the future, as much as the clash between Lenok and Torben’s tower lord.

That meant that the status and treatment of Torben’s tower throughout the continent had reached an extremely dangerous level.

I know.

When I was building my reputation as a half, the notoriety of Torben’s lightning magic was also mixed into that foundation.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that I have been living without any interaction with Torben, which is surprising.

As much as that, Lenok was also clearly aware of the power and status of Torben’s tower, but-

While having such serious thoughts, when I looked down below the tower, a reckless old mage was making all my worries meaningless.

“This screen transmitter. The power efficiency is too weak to use. Don’t you have anything with better performance?”

Torben, as if he had fallen into a new world, was wandering around the magic tower, showing curiosity about all sorts of things.

He would look at the items and artifacts being transported with sparkling eyes, and then he couldn’t help but pick them up.

“Oh, this spell projection device uses a very unique electromagnetic wave. Can I try shooting it directly at Benno’s body?”

Bang!!

“A compressed battery that greatly increases the performance of the battery by charging synthetic electricity? What does synthetic electricity even feel like?”

Crash!!

“Is this the common magic learning device…! When will that guy, Professor Bylen, add lightning magic to the common magic?”

He was holding the learning device high with both hands, his eyes sparkling as he pressed the power button.

Lenok smiled wryly as he watched Torben, who was ignoring the horrified gazes around him and poking around everywhere.

“……”

Since the tower lord had become a Shikigami of the guardian spirit beast, he was no longer a significant threat to the tower.

After Morph’s examination was over, Lenok had released Torben freely inside the tower.

Since the fight between Lenok and Torben in District 49 was so noisy, there was no one in this city who didn’t know about it.

There was no one who didn’t know that Torben was in Lenok’s magic tower, so there was no reason to hide him in the underground chamber.

It would be better to let him openly roam inside the magic tower and show off the existence of Lenok and Torben to the outside world.

However, Lenok had overlooked just how crazy Akendrias El Torben was.

“Even so, stop chewing on the batteries.”

“Ah, you’ve come.”

Crackle!!

The tower lord, who was staring at a thick battery with one hand, about to put it in his mouth, grinned.

Lenok looked at the tower lord with a dumbfounded expression and asked.

“Even a cybernetic life form wouldn’t absorb power like that. What do you want to do?”

“Ummm…!!”

As he bit the end of the battery, the current that had popped out from the broken battery flowed through the tower lord’s tongue.

A bright blue current was rotating through Torben’s teeth and tongue, and down his throat.

The current that had passed through his throat was glowing, illuminating the skin under the tower lord’s skin in a bright blue color.

Zzzzzzzzz!!!

“Ughhh…”

A bizarre phenomenon where the entire body of a robust old man seemed to be transparent with bright blue lightning.

The business people who were transporting items around them stepped back with horrified expressions.

However, Torben, unconcerned by such gazes, spat out the chewed-up electricity and said.

“There are a lot of impurities mixed in. Did you lower the purity to compress the capacity within a limited battery?”

“Did you really have to eat it to find that out?”

“I was curious what synthetic electricity would taste like.”

Torben, who had made lightning with both hands and evaporated the broken battery, grinned.

“If there’s something interesting, you have to use it directly, get hit by it, and if that’s not enough, you have to eat it.”

“……”

The tower lord chuckled and stroked his chin.

“Even at this age, there’s no end to learning. In that sense, your magic tower is truly a fine academy.”

“It wasn’t exactly built to teach a great mage like you, though…”

Lenok’s magic tower was a place where he expanded his business ventures with partner companies, primarily centered around the item trade led by Jenny.

Throughout all the hours the magic tower was open, all sorts of artifacts and goods were constantly moving in and out.

Now that they had reorganized the nearby downtown area and established a distribution network, there wasn’t a single moment when the flow of goods stopped.

Even the damage from the destruction of District 49 by the ‘Thousand Identities’ [a group of shapeshifting criminals] was used as an opportunity for the district’s reconstruction, thanks to Jenny’s skill.

“All the world’s machinery is based on electricity and magic. Therefore, as a grandmaster of lightning magic, I have a duty to test such equipment.”

The tower lord, puffing out his chest as if making a declaration, spoke confidently.

“I, Torben, as the tower lord, am deeply open to accepting such new technologies and cultures.”

“Isn’t that just you making excuses by vaguely linking your curiosity to lightning magic…”

Lenok, shaking his head with a dumbfounded expression, raised his hand, and the two of them instantly teleported to the underground chamber.

*Phat!*

“Hmm?”

“I’m not interested in such flimsy reasons, so let’s finish our discussion about the ‘Celestial Lightning Body’.”

Lenok, who had teleported himself and the tower lord to the underground chamber, said.

“Although I can’t agree with the method, I’m intrigued by the concept of the ‘Celestial Lightning Body’ expanding one’s vessel [a metaphor for one’s magical capacity]. If possible, I’d like to learn about the theory in exchange for a reasonable price.”

Even while fighting Akendrias El Torben, he had continuously tried to force the transmission of lightning onto Lenok.

Lenok, too, had not forgotten the value of that technique and power.

“Not by rushing to impart enlightenment, but by explaining the theory and combining it with learning and training. Do you understand?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure I understand,” Torben said, lost in thought.

“I understand that your body is currently in a state where it’s difficult to accept lightning. But if enlightenment cannot be conveyed through lightning, we can explore other methods.”

“……”

“For mages who have reached a certain level, enlightenment is everything. Why would they need inefficient training or learning?”

“Because such training and learning are not at all inefficient for me in the first place.”

*Thud!*

Leaning his staff against the wall, he took off his shadow coat and hung it over the staff.

As Lenok, with his sleeves undone and arms rolled up, stepped forward, the tower lord’s gaze instantly turned serious.

Looking at Lenok’s arm, where his veins were visible, the tower lord said in a low voice.

“Pale. And faint.”

Torben, staring at Lenok with a stern expression, tilted his head and asked.

“It barely has a form, and I can’t feel any more life force from your body. Has a long battle taken away your remaining life?”

“That’s why I can’t use the ‘Lightning Transformation’ to turn my body into lightning.”

*Crackle!*

Lenok, drawing up his magic power, said as he wrapped lightning around his forearm.

“I have no problem controlling and releasing lightning, but I can’t promise what will happen if I directly interfere with my body’s nature.”

“……”

“If you had forcibly transformed my body into lightning using your domain, there would definitely have been side effects.”

*Fzzzz!*

He thinly spread blue lightning over his forearm.

The lightning covering his forearm rose like dozens of sharp thorns, then split into dozens of branches again.

The fragments of lightning, split into dozens of branches, repeatedly connected and separated on his forearm.

*Kiiiiing…!*

Like droplets of water bouncing and falling on a small lake of lightning, a mysterious movement.

“Hoo…”

Lenok, seeing the tower lord unable to hide his admiration, asked.

“What do you think of the precision of my magic manipulation?”

“…It’s transcendent.”

The tower lord, unable to take his eyes off Lenok’s lightning manipulation, said quietly.

“It’s more fluid and perfect than any mage I’ve ever seen. You’ve already surpassed the level that an 8th-level mage can theoretically reach.”

“……”

“I can’t believe it. After a long time of searching for a successor, I would discover such a miracle…”

In the tower lord’s face, which seemed endlessly serious, disbelief and joy crossed paths simultaneously.

But he quickly regained his composure and looked down at Lenok with a serious face.

“This is your greatest blessing and asset.”

“……”

“The fact that you’ve shown this to me means that this very sensation is your signature technique, isn’t it?”

Torben’s words were not wrong.

Out of all the talents Lenok possessed, magic manipulation was one of his most confident skills.

Since first awakening and learning magic, Lenok had never thought that he would be outmatched in magic manipulation, even against an Ascendant [a mage of the highest rank].

Lenok’s origin, which allowed him to compete equally in battles against all sorts of monsters while leading a frail body.

He had guessed that a great mage like Torben would recognize its value just by seeing it for a moment.

“Tell me in detail right now what you want to learn and what kind of explanation you want to hear.”

As if Lenok’s thoughts were correct, the tower lord’s eyes were sparkling with unparalleled enthusiasm.

“I have already made up my mind.”

The tower lord’s words seemed to indicate that he wanted to borrow Lenok’s magic manipulation and engrave enlightenment into his body right away.

Lenok, looking at such a tower lord, calmed his magic power and opened his mouth.

“The incantation and the process of change in the meridians [energy pathways in the body] of the ‘Celestial Lightning Body’. I would like to hear a direct explanation about that part.”

“The change in the meridians?”

“After transforming me into lightning, you tried to directly correct my body. That’s possible because you know the process of changing one’s constitution in the first place.”

Lenok replied.

“I need that information. Once I understand the theory, I plan to make adjustments myself from there. It’s possible that I might be able to master the extreme lightning that precedes all causality and compatibility, as you say.”

“I see. You’re saying you’ll create a physical transformation yourself just by hearing the theory.”

The tower lord, understanding Lenok’s words, nodded.

“Well, with your talent, it’s certainly not impossible. But a lot of preparation will be needed.”

“Preparation?”

“The body of a superhuman who transcends the hierarchy is closely related to the mind and the inner image.”

Torben said.

“At the very least, you need a place to unleash your core inner image. In that process, you’ll also need elixirs or catalysts to help harmonize your mind and body.”

“……”

“Of course, I know of a place where such preparations are available…”

Torben, with his hands behind his back, looked up at the ceiling of the underground chamber and said.

“It seems there’s no need to go looking for a place or preparations.”

“…What?”

*Crack!*

At that moment, Lenok felt a very huge presence pressing down on his mind.

An overwhelming aura that seemed to crush the tower’s domain as a whole, not just at the level of magic detection.

A presence so huge that it crushed his thoughts and cut off his judgment, unbelievably so.

“…!!”

There wasn’t even time to urge the tower lord.

*Whoosh!*

As soon as he recognized the presence appearing above the domain, he activated spatial teleportation.

Lenok, standing at the top of the magic tower, was speechless as he saw a huge lightning flash splitting the sky vertically.

“That is…”

*Crack, crack, crack…!!!!*

Above the cloudy sky, a blue, flashing lightning eye was looking down at Lenok.

As the huge lightning eye slowly opened, it pushed away the surrounding clouds and space, creating cracks.

The cracks that had formed finally became a [door] itself, opening up even space itself.

*KWA-AAAAANG!!!!*

From beyond the crack, a huge metal aircraft of unimaginable size burst out.

It scattered intense lightning in all directions as it appeared, and unleashed a fierce thunder without restraint.

A huge and powerful engine seemed to be boiling and flying in the sky as if it were alive.

A huge fortress with immeasurable power and weight, a bizarre phenomenon that suddenly appeared over Balkan.

[Celestial Sky Fleet War Magic Tower Torben. Balkan outer district coordinate jump complete.]

A woman’s voice flowed from the huge engine mass floating in the sky.

[Detection of a non-designated domain presumed to be the ‘Fortress of Lightning’. Detection of a great mage’s presence on the top floor of the magic tower.]

“……”

*Whooooosh!!!*

Not only did it float above the domain, but it also had an overwhelming area that was more than enough to cover the city of District 49.

The intense lightning bursting out from the bottom of the fortress supported the entire huge fortress and fixed its coordinates.

The moment the lightning that flashed from the bottom of the floating island sharply illuminated Lenok.

[Designation of the tower’s guardian spirit. Commencement of the ‘Imperial Duel’ ritual.]

*Crack!*

With a sharp cracking sound, Lenok was standing in the middle of a huge sanctuary where lightning was raging.

*Kugugugugu!!!!*

Bright blue lightning flowed along the ceiling and walls of the sanctuary, replacing the light source.

The lightning gathered from all directions rotated in front of Lenok and surged up in a specific form.

[Krrrrrrroooar!!!!]

A huge lion, filled with blindingly intense lightning, roared fiercely and struck down.

The moment the guardian spirit, born and raised in the domain of the War Magic Tower Torben, unleashed a murderous roar.

Lenok silently turned his gaze towards the baby dragon sleeping behind him.

“……”

[Snore, snore.]

The baby dragon, unaware of anything, was sound asleep behind Lenok.

Lenok, looking at the guardian spirit, opened his mouth towards the mages standing on the altar of the sanctuary.

“It’s clever to designate the guardian spirit instead of me and draw it into the ritual. You seem to have a lot of experience with this kind of thing.”

They had initiated the ritual against the guardian spirit, not Lenok, and forcibly summoned the spirit.

Since the ritual was against the guardian spirit, Lenok had also entered of his own accord.

But both sides knew that it wasn’t the guardian spirit they had business with.

“Greetings, Fortress of Lightning.”

A woman with strong features, who had stepped forward from the altar installed in the sanctuary, opened her mouth.

She had a mysterious aura, wielding a staff taller than herself and wrapped in blue lightning.

“This War Magic Tower is moving to the last coordinates where the tower lord was lost.”

The woman said while Lenok frowned.

“In the process, we had no choice but to teleport the tower to this vicinity.”

“……”

“There’s no need for us to exchange unnecessary words.”

The woman, looking down at Lenok with a calm gaze, asked.

“Will you return the tower lord?”

“Rather than that, I’d like to hear an explanation of how you summoned my guardian spirit.”

Lenok retorted.

“I don’t have good memories of curses or rituals targeting guardian spirits.”

Even if Lenok’s guardian spirit was sleeping defenselessly, it was strange that the spirit could be forcibly summoned.

Perhaps they had forcibly drawn him into a specific ritual on the condition of confronting the guardian spirit of another magic tower.

But the woman shook her head at Lenok’s words.

“The imperial ritual is merely a means. If you just tell us the whereabouts of the tower lord-”

[…Kooong?]

At that moment, the sleeping baby dragon rubbed its eyes and woke up.

The baby dragon, drooling and nodding, faced the lion glaring at it.

The baby dragon, staring blankly at Torben’s guardian spirit, then raised its thick front paw towards the lion.

[Woof.]

*Crack!*

The tower lord Torben, with a disgruntled expression, appeared in front of the baby dragon, and at the same time, the surrounding air froze.