Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1036

The war machine, Torben, of the Sky Palace Floating Magic Tower, tore through the sky above District 49, revealing its presence. Its expertise was evident in how it targeted Lenok’s guardian spirit, forcibly drawing it into the ritual, and then pulling in Lenok himself. As befitting a war mage whose name was known throughout the continent, every action and decision was as swift as lightning. From the moment they entered the airspace above the megacity until now, all of Torben’s actions had been swift and precise, but…

“……”

The lightning lion and the baby dragon. The lightning sanctuary where the guardian spirits of the two magic towers faced each other had fallen into a deathly silence.

[Awoo woong.]

The baby dragon whimpered strangely, and before it stood an elderly man with strong features. Everyone present knew the non-mage who was looking around with a disgruntled expression all too well.

“Tower Lord…!!”

“Have you been well!”

The mages who had been looking down at the guardian spirits from all sides of the lightning sanctuary knelt in unison. The sharply rotating thoughts and magic power instantly subsided as they bowed their heads. The awe and respect the tower’s mages showed towards Torben’s master, the great master, was palpable.

Lenok, who was a step behind, looked back at the high-ranking mages of the tower, his gaze deepening. ‘The rumors of him running a war business across the continent weren’t false…’ Just from what he could sense, there were nine at the level of a 7th level Saint. Two others had a precarious aura that seemed to border on the 8th level. It was not only the most outstanding scale among all the magic towers Lenok had encountered, but it was also comparable to the major powers of the central region. He had thought they would have considerable power since they brought a war magic tower, but their power was truly worthy of being called war entrepreneurs.

However, the tower lord turned his back with a nonchalant expression, even as he looked at the high-ranking mages who were showing him respect. The baby dragon, who had made eye contact with the tower lord, raised its front paw with a triumphant expression.

[Woof!]

A gleeful gesture as if telling him to sweep away those mages right now. However, Torben ignored the gesture and grabbed the baby dragon’s cheeks with both hands.

“You little rascal.”

The old man, with a disgruntled expression, pulled on the guardian spirit’s cheeks. “You ignore what I say every day, and then you look for me only when you need me. You’re quite something.”

[Ebebebe]

“You sleep all day long, and when did you learn a technique like Shikigami summoning [a type of spirit familiar in Japanese folklore]? You take after your master in useless things.”

“……”

The baby dragon flailed its front and hind legs, crying out, and the tower lord poked the guardian spirit’s belly. The chubby baby dragon’s body rolled across the sanctuary floor, trying to avoid the tower lord’s finger. Some of Torben’s high-ranking mages even chuckled at the sight. The atmosphere, which had been serious just a moment ago, had changed strangely, as if it had been a lie.

The woman with the long staff, who had been standing on the altar, asked with a bewildered expression. “Tower Lord. Shikigami summoning… What on earth are you doing in this city?”

“Lyell.”

Torben looked around with a sullen expression, then sighed deeply. “I told you not to interfere, no matter what happened. You didn’t listen to me.”

“Tower Lord. The alliance’s joint-spell caster died at the first gate.”

A man wearing a blue mask spoke from beside the woman. A powerful figure with a chilling aura that was almost eerie. The man glanced at Lenok from behind the blue mask and explained. “The alliance has withdrawn from the gate, and the Blaber Magic Tower Lord is missing. A hellscape will unfold, starting from the Lost Paradise.”

“……”

“The central power structure has undergone a major upheaval for the first time in years. Your approval is needed to return to the center.”

“Do as you please regarding the transfer of the war magic tower. I should have already given you the authority for that, right?” The tower lord said with a nonchalant expression. “I have urgent business to attend to in this city. Don’t interfere.”

“It seems you don’t know yet.” The woman called Lyell sighed. “The tower’s war zone prioritizes your safety above all else. As long as you are here, we are also stuck in this place.”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you helping the guardian spirit of the Adamantine Tower instead of our side in the first place?”

“……”

“I could at least try to understand if you were cooperating with Adamantine, but that young guardian spirit is…” Torben pursed his lips at Lyell’s words, who seemed not to understand. The process of the tower lord becoming the guardian spirit’s Shikigami was due to Uroboros, so it wouldn’t have been easy to reveal the details. Or perhaps, he simply didn’t want to reveal the fact that his own innards had been completely eaten by the spirit.

“Aish, I have my reasons, so try to understand!” Torben, who had been at a loss for words, instead raised his voice. “There was a secret event in the process of imparting enlightenment to my disciple. I cannot reveal that much!!”

“Disciple? In the first place, there is no disciple with a similar rank to the Tower Lord-” While Torben’s mages looked at Lenok with bewildered expressions, the tower lord took a strong step forward. With just that, a powerful wave of lightning spread out, shaking the lightning sanctuary greatly.

*Thud!!*

The tower lord, who had silenced the surroundings with a single kick, spoke. “I will explain the details later, so prepare to open the Thunder God Hall immediately.”

“……”

“I have urgent business to attend to with my disciple for the sake of the transmission and research of extreme lightning.” The tower lord’s voice, as he looked down at his surroundings with a solemn expression, sank heavily. “If you do not save my face in this place, I will have no choice but to quickly end this farce.”

“But, grandfather…” Lyell sighed softly and narrowed her eyes. “That means you will be fighting Leobolt instead of the one you cherish, right?”

“……”

[Goo woong.]

The lightning lion, which had been roaring fiercely, was now looking down at the tower lord with a deflated expression. Its entire body was covered in flashing blue mane and claws sharp enough to tear through space. Even its teeth were gleaming ominously. If one were to create a beast out of living lightning, it would look like this. The lightning lion had an imposing appearance that could not even be compared to Lenok’s baby dragon. That lightning lion was bowing its head in front of the tower lord, making cat-like sounds.

“The pre-battle duel ritual is a reinterpretation of the central imperial arena, created to resolve conflicts between magic towers through guardian spirits.” Lyell said, looking at Lenok’s guardian spirit with a calm gaze. “If you are going to participate in this ritual yourself, does that mean you will fight Leobolt instead of that dragon?”

“Hmph…”

[Goo woong.]

It seemed to have lost its will to fight the moment the tower lord appeared, and was now quiet. It stretched out its front paws in place and quietly bowed its head towards the tower lord. Even the tower lord couldn’t ignore the appearance of such a guardian spirit. He sighed and stroked the mane of the lightning lion, which was nudging its head.

“I’m sorry.”

[Grrr]

The lightning flashed from the tower lord’s hand, and the lightning lion closed its eyes as if accepting the decision.

*Fzzzt!!!*

“It will be over when you wake up from a short nap.” The tower lord, who had stroked the lion with a stern expression, was about to place the raised lightning on the lion’s forehead when. The tower lord’s figure disappeared from the spot like smoke.

*Whoosh!!*

“……!!!”

The tower lord’s figure had vanished as if it were a lie. Lyell, who had been watching the situation with a stern expression, turned her gaze towards Lenok when she realized that even the baby dragon had disappeared.

“……You.”

“I sent them back.” Lenok replied, looking at Lyell. “You forcibly canceled the pre-battle duel ritual?”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any reason to continue the ritual at this point.” Lenok said, brushing his hands off with an indifferent expression. “It’s interesting that you reinterpreted the Ars Nova etiquette [a set of rules or customs] and made it into a ritual, but if you watch it this much, it’s not difficult to intervene in the ritual process.”

*Kugugugugu…!!!*

With those words, the lightning sanctuary where Lenok was standing began to shake and collapse. In a place created for the battle of guardian spirits, the sanctuary itself was collapsing as the participants disappeared. However, none of Torben’s mages in the sanctuary were shaken by the tremors. Rather, they were calmly watching Lenok with their eyes lowered, even in the face of the increasingly turbulent situation.

“You seem to know quite a bit about this kind of ritual.” Lyell asked, narrowing her eyes. “Did you bind my grandfather to your magic tower in that way?”

“No, about that part…” Lenok smiled wryly and raised his gaze. From the moment he returned Torben and the baby dragon, he had decided how to handle this matter. “Let’s keep up the face of Akendrias El Torben.”

“……Face, you say.” The man wearing the blue mask, who was standing next to Lyell, opened his mouth. He looked down at Lenok, sparks of lightning flying from his eyes, and said. “Although the connection between the magic tower branches has weakened due to the parallel war business, the fact that he is our tower lord has not changed.”

“……”

“Now that we don’t know why the Tower Lord has become subordinate to your magic tower, do you think we can listen to your words and step back?”

“That’s not wrong.” Lenok smiled wryly. “But I also received help from the tower lord regarding the guardian spirit. If it weren’t for his consideration, the situation wouldn’t have turned out like this in the first place.” The reason why Akendrias El Torben accepted the position of Shikigami was because he was considerate of Lenok’s guardian spirit. It was to wait for the guardian spirit to absorb Torben’s lightning and complete its growth. If the tower lord, who had been considerate of Lenok’s spirit, had to harm his own spirit because of it, Lenok didn’t want to stand by and watch as if he were an outsider with no connection to the situation.

“I have no intention of harming the tower lord. The process of him becoming a Shikigami was also purely coincidental.”

“……”

“I will return the tower lord after the situation is resolved. I will take responsibility for his safety.”

“Adamantine. I will ask you the opposite.” Lyell asked with a calm expression. “Let us directly interfere with your guardian spirit and invalidate my grandfather’s Shikigami contract.”

“……”

“If we promise that no harm will occur in the process, can you believe those words?” Promises without mutual trust are meaningless. Lenok and the Torben Magic Tower had only met each other directly for the first time today, despite having learned the same type of magic. The only information they had about each other was the ominous rumors that both sides were belligerent and dangerous.

[Krrr rrr…!!]

The guardian spirit with the blue mane bared its teeth, and the mages silently watched Lenok. In the tense air, Lenok slowly exhaled and was about to draw up his magic power when.

“But I understand. It can’t be helped.” Lyell, who had lowered the staff she had raised, smiled gently. “I will believe your words in this place.”

“……What?”

“It seems you don’t know him well yet, but my grandfather never does anything he doesn’t want to do.” Lyell replied leisurely. “If he didn’t like his current situation, he wouldn’t be bound by a flimsy excuse like Shikigami.”

“……”

“And your guardian spirit. Its chubby belly is very cute.” While Lenok was silent at the unexpected answer, Lyell chuckled. “If we were to get the tower lord back by tormenting such a young spirit, wouldn’t the light of Torben’s great lightning be tarnished?”

“……You talk very much like the tower lord.” The intense pride in lightning magic. The incomprehensible sentiments and logic that led to unique conclusions. Lenok, feeling an indescribable sense of déjà vu from Lyell, asked. “The way you switch between honorifics, are you related by blood?”

“I am his great-granddaughter.”

“……”

The tension that had been maintained since the war magic tower tore through the sky and appeared had dissipated. Lenok, who had wiped his face with one hand, sighed softly. “Okay, fine… I understand that you trust the tower lord that much.” Lyell had expressed her distrust in a roundabout way by criticizing Lenok’s explanation, but she still believed Lenok’s words. Not because she trusted Lenok as a mage, but because she trusted her own tower lord more than the current situation. If Akendrias El Torben was safe, it didn’t matter where he belonged. The absolute trust and faith they had in their tower lord, transcending the fragmented situation and circumstances. It was not strange for the high-ranking mages who had reached the pinnacle of war mages to come to such a conclusion, but-

“Then what are you planning to do now? Are you going to leave Vulcan and return to the center as it is?”

“Ah, about that part.” Lyell said with a smile. “We can’t just come all the way to Vulcan and leave without any gains. We would like to ask for your cooperation.”

“Cooperation, you say?”

“Our magic tower has abandoned more than a dozen civil wars taking place in various parts of the continent and arrived in Vulcan.” Lyell said, glancing at the collapsing sanctuary. “If we return without any justification, the investors who cooperate with our business will raise objections.”

“You’re saying that the Torben Magic Tower needs a reason to visit Vulcan.”

“Originally, we were going to replace it with the recovery of the tower lord, but since we have postponed that matter, we need your cooperation.” It wouldn’t be difficult to tell the Vulcan City Council about the appearance and whereabouts of the Torben Magic Tower. However, it seemed that what Lyell wanted was not such a formal procedure.

“What do you want?”

“It’s simple.” Lyell smiled and pointed her staff at Lenok. “Just fight us once, the Torben Magic Tower.”

“……”

For a moment, Lenok, who didn’t understand Lyell’s words, blinked. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. What do you want?”

“There are two reasons.” Lyell said, looking at Lenok and spreading her fingers. “The first is that in order to open the Thunder God Hall that my grandfather mentioned, we need a cause that is literally equivalent to ‘war’.”

“……”

“The Thunder God Hall is a secret place that is responsible for the power of this war magic tower, and even the past tower lords cannot enter it through normal means.” Lyell explained. “In order to forcibly open the Thunder God Hall, we need to overload the tower’s war zone, and there is only one way to do that.”

“……What’s the second reason?”

“Adamantine. It’s your existence itself.” Lyell’s eyes, as she looked at Lenok, sank deeply. “This is the first time we’ve met like this, but I’ve been hearing stories about you for a very long time.”

“……”

“An 8th-level archmage who does not follow the tower’s rules and transcends ranks. A saint who has slaughtered superhumans and monsters and has earned the title of Apostle Slayer.”

*Kugugugugung…!!!*

The tremors of the sanctuary intensified, and cracks began to appear in the space. The phenomenon of the sanctuary itself, which was arbitrarily constructed by the Torben Magic Tower, collapsing because it could not withstand it. However, Lyell asked without wavering, even in the space where the sanctuary was collapsing. “To compete in spells with a genius archmage who is attracting attention from all over the continent. Moreover, if it is a sorcerer who has learned the same system, wouldn’t it be an experience that cannot be obtained even with a treasure of gold?”

“I see. The experience of fighting a strong mage is the greatest value for Torben?” Lenok smiled wryly. “I heard that you are the most belligerent among all the magic towers on the continent, and it wasn’t a lie.”

“It’s not a difficult story. However, beyond the profit and loss relationship, we want enlightenment in a more fundamental part.” Lyell replied. “There is enlightenment in practice that cannot be obtained through theory and research. That is the origin of how our magic tower has inherited the power of lightning.”

“……”

Instead of entrusting the whereabouts of Akendrias El Torben to Lenok’s magic tower, the Torben Magic Tower was trying to gain justification from this matter. It was surprising that the Torben Magic Tower recognized the experience itself as a meaningful value and received it as compensation. But it was no coincidence that their words and judgments were so similar to their tower lord.

“……Okay.” Lenok, who had turned around while rubbing his wrist, asked, looking at the cracks in the sanctuary that were splitting apart beneath his feet. “Can we start right here, right now?”

“The experience of a war mage is a value built up in life-or-death battles.” Lyell replied, shaking her head. “It would be meaningless if it were not a situation that was literally equivalent to practice.”

“……”

“I have no intention of being lenient against the best combat mage in Vulcan.” Lyell’s eyes, as she looked at Lenok, shone coldly. “Let’s start by comparing our domains.”

“……Compare our domains?”

*Crack…!!!*

At that moment, the cracks that had spread through the sanctuary finally split the floor.

*Kwaaaang!!*

Amidst the exploding fragments of the sanctuary, Lenok’s figure fell from the cloudy sky. Was it that they had created a space for the guardian spirits to fight in, not in their respective magic towers, but at a third coordinate?

*Kuo ooo!!*

Beyond the fiercely raging wind, something was falling from afar at an incredible speed. A huge steel fortress, covered in heavy lightning, the Sky Palace Floating War Magic Tower, Torben. The war machine, pulsating fiercely like a living engine, was falling directly onto Lenok’s domain.