Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1121

Residue (10)

The Siege of the Adamantine.

Lenox knew that the large-scale subjugation operation planned by the Legion, targeting him, had been prepared for a long time.

Daimer, the 7th Legion Commander of Deadrise, had hinted at its existence during a Pandemonium meeting.

He had announced the plan during the thousand battles with Adamantine and made it clear that he intended to carry it out.

Lenox, disguised as Victor, had infiltrated and learned all of the Legion’s plans.

Therefore, Lenox wasn’t surprised to hear about the ‘war’ that Jenny mentioned.

‘They plan to make full preparations before starting the parade.’

The subjugation operation was a large-scale plan that Deadrise was attempting, even with the help of Pandemonium.

Naturally, it was impossible to even attempt without mobilizing the Legion stationed at headquarters.

The problem was that most of the Legion’s forces were currently gathering at the Deadrise headquarters for the upcoming parade.

‘They won’t move until the Warlord returns. Are they trying to hide the main force of the operation by using war mercenaries?’

The Legion’s parade was a ceremony to announce the return of Ethan Bajur, the Warlord of Deadrise.

There was no way Deadrise would take action before announcing Ethan Bajur’s return.

Lenox knew this, but from Jenny’s perspective, just obtaining this information would be enough to feel a sense of crisis.

However, Jenny also seemed to have a rough idea of what the signs of war from the central front meant.

“The information we obtained here this time is fragmented, so we know that it’s not a systematic operation yet,” Jenny said, pointing at the screen.

“After trading with the Azure Eye [a network of information brokers] and checking the beacon, we didn’t see any proper military movements either. Maybe it’s not an immediate danger.”

“……”

“But now that we know this, we need to prepare from now on. That way, we can protect the Tower in any situation.”

Jenny shook her head, her expression thoughtful as she pointed at the screen.

“The city government won’t step in, and even if the Central Council intervenes, they’ll maintain an ambiguous stance. There aren’t many forces or allies we can rely on in this matter.”

“I see.”

“So, Ban, if you know anything about the news related to this, could you tell us?”

Jenny asked.

“I won’t stop you if you plan to continue working in the center, but if possible, I’d like you to secure information that can only be obtained on the ground.”

“……”

“I can’t ask you to stay in Balkan because of a war that might happen someday. At least, if we make a plan in a way that we can prepare for when you’re not here-”

“No. There’s no need for that,” Lenox said calmly.

“The Deadrise headquarters is preparing to march towards Balkan. The main force of the attack you’re talking about is probably them.”

“……What?”

In an instant, the air in the conference room froze.

Lenox quietly said, looking at their hardened faces.

“I secured related circumstances while traveling back and forth from the central front. There’s no doubt that the Legion is returning.”

“What, what does that mean……”

“The Legion is returning?”

“Why now……”

His colleagues were stunned and speechless at Lenox’s unexpected answer.

Even Jutiya, the central noble sitting at the end of the conference room, had a slight change in expression.

But Lenox, knowing this, quietly looked around.

“I’ll find out about the timing of the attack myself. But before that, let’s make one thing clear.”

Lenox said calmly.

“Under no circumstances will I leave the defense of the Tower to you. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“……Ban.”

Silence fell.

Was it because they were being called out for making defense plans for when Lenox was away?

But Lenox had no intention of being away when the subjugation operation actually took place.

Knowing that the Legion was the main force, he could find out when the subjugation operation would start at any time.

If he just organized his schedule and returned to the Magic Tower beforehand, it would be enough.

There were plenty of methods he had in mind.

“It’s okay, Ban,” Felix said, approaching Lenox and patting him on the shoulder.

“I know what kind of person you are. You’ve proven it time and time again, risking your life.”

“……Felix.”

“If the existence of the Magic Tower binds your whereabouts, then what is its purpose?”

Felix said, looking at Lenox with calm eyes.

“The Tower will be safe no matter where you are. So don’t worry.”

“……”

[It seems like now is not the time to discuss the operation.]

Manson stood up, nodding his mechanical head.

[If Ban has identified the Legion, there’s no need to worry anymore. I’ll look for information about the Legion in other areas.]

As soon as Manson spoke, the other mercenaries, including Weian, also stood up.

“If Deadrise is the opponent, there’s a lot of data we can find here.”

“There might still be traces left in the undeveloped areas from when we were working as a private military company.”

“Let’s go together. I have a mercenary acquaintance I know there.”

Deadrise was a military organization that was called one of the three heads along with the Cartel, and they were active in Balkan.

Naturally, there were still many connections and information left in the city from when they were active in Balkan.

It wouldn’t be difficult for mercenaries or freelancers who had been working in the shadows of Balkan to access that information.

Manson and Felix, along with Weian and several other mercenaries, quickly decided on their destinations and left the conference room.

Even Tatiana and Jordan followed, and soon only Jenny and Jutiya were left in the conference room.

“……Somehow, things suddenly got simpler. No, did they get more complicated?”

Jenny chuckled and leaned back in her chair, asking Lenox.

“So, Ban, when are you going to explain what happened in Kundara?”

“It would take too long to explain everything that happened there,” Lenox said, smiling as he chose a chair opposite her and sat down.

“Since the other stories have already been reported in the media, I’ll just briefly explain the parts that haven’t been revealed yet.”

Lenox then gave a brief summary of what had happened in Kundara.

A giant satellite city where long-lived species who had lived for hundreds of years lived.

The existence of the Silver Dragon who dreamed of ascension and tried to obtain the qualifications.

And the ending where they fell with Kundara at the last moment.

“Huh.”

But the part that Jenny was focused on in Lenox’s explanation seemed to be something completely different.

“You tricked the long-lived species with O-baek-ro [a board game] and were treated like a teacher?”

“Hmm?”

“Hmm, that’s quite… that seems like information that could make money.”

Jenny, with a suddenly serious expression, put her chin on her hand and muttered.

“The long-lived species are so crazy about O-baek-ro, and that fact isn’t well known to the public yet.”

“……That’s true.”

“We can definitely exploit it.”

Jenny’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Let’s acquire a company that sells O-baek-ro related products. Even if we just take a commission, it’s a profit.”

“Jenny?”

“If we do it right, it might be an opportunity to sweep up the rare treasures that are piled up like mountains in Kundara……”

Jenny, who had been muttering to herself, suddenly jumped up from her seat.

“Wait a minute. I’ll draft a proposal!”

Bang!!

Jenny grabbed the meeting minutes and burst out of the door.

As Lenox stared blankly at her retreating figure, Jutiya, who was sitting opposite him, chuckled.

“It wouldn’t have been easy for Bajur’s granddaughter to maintain her composure after hearing about the Legion.”

“……”

“She needs time to think alone. Jenny knows it’s a lame excuse, so just leave her be.”

“That’s……”

Lenox quietly closed his mouth, understanding the meaning of Jutiya’s words.

Lenox had already told Jenny about the fact that he was pursuing the truth behind the Black Consumer Project.

In the process, they had also talked about the existence of Ethan Bajur and Jenny’s own birth.

Jenny had said that she wouldn’t care and that she would do what she had to do, showing a resolute attitude.

Even so, she couldn’t completely become detached or indifferent.

Whether as Bajur’s blood relative or as a partner who had been with him, Lenox thought that Jenny deserved to hear everything.

But Jenny seemed to have already made a decision on how to deal with the facts about Kaise and the Legion.

She had said that she wouldn’t be bound by the failure of the project and that she wouldn’t live being swept away by such things.

Perhaps Jenny’s answer was a much more correct and proper direction than Lenox’s.

That’s how much Lenox respected Jenny’s decision.

“So, what was it really like?”

Jutiya, pushing up her thick glasses, smiled at Lenox.

“Kundara. It went well, just like I said, right?”

“……I guess so.”

Lenox smiled wryly and turned his gaze away.

“It certainly wasn’t entirely wrong. But I don’t know if you can call it going well.”

Just before leaving for Kundara, Lenox had consulted with Jutiya about the outer city while playing O-baek-ro.

He had done so under the assumption that a central noble would know about the long-lived species of Kundara.

But Jutiya had given Lenox an unfounded assurance that things would go well, without telling him anything.

It was only after Lenox had set foot in Kundara that he was able to fully understand what that meant.

“I never thought that the long-lived species would like the game O-baek-ro so much.”

“They’re crazy about it, aren’t they?”

Jutiya laughed.

“After it became popular in Ars Nova, it also became a huge craze in Kundara. It was the first time I saw them like a new culture so much.”

“……”

“Given the nature of the long-lived species, who dig into something they like for hundreds of years, I knew they would still be hooked on O-baek-ro.”

She sat with her legs together on the chair, sipping her fruit smoothie leisurely.

“With your O-baek-ro skills, you would have been treated well by the long-lived species, right?”

“I admit that it was useful as a means to understand the situation in Kundara.”

“Of course. There’s no way a mage like you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of such an advantage.”

Jutiya’s glasses became opaque for a moment.

“But, even so, it seems like you couldn’t avoid Kundara being destroyed.”

“……”

Silence fell.

Jutiya, who was fiddling with her smoothie cup, asked.

“I saw the video released by the media. There was more to it than just an ascendant being born and dying, right?”

“……Yes,” Lenox replied.

“They gave up on the outer city, fleeing outside the outer sea to avoid destruction. From now on, they will settle down and live in the western front.”

“……”

“The result may not have been what they wanted. I think I’m partly responsible for that.”

“Responsibility? What’s so important about that? It’s just a matter of how they accept it.”

Jutiya shrugged.

“From the beginning, they knew that the outer city wasn’t a perfect alternative. Knowing that, they chose what they could do.”

“……”

“If that’s the ending that those who will live there have accepted, then it doesn’t matter, does it?”

Jutiya slumped in her chair.

“If they were prepared for either outcome, they might have just needed a chance to change.”

“A chance……”

Lenox, resting his chin on the conference room table, closed his eyes.

Lenox, rubbing his tired eyes, muttered.

“Is that enough?”

“Well? I don’t know,” Jutiya replied indifferently.

“At least it’s better than my hometown being completely destroyed and disappearing, right?”

“……”

[This organism is using a cowardly unblockable move.]

Lenox, laughing at Davi’s grumbling, got up, leaning on his staff with one hand.

“Thanks for the advice. It was very helpful.”

“Are you leaving?”

“I have a lot of things to do. I need to take care of what I can in advance.”

There were a few days left before the participation in Pandemonium’s [Gate] capture operation was confirmed.

Before that, Lenox had to resolve the problems that had happened to him as much as possible and organize the alibis of his other identities.

Above all, Lenox had not forgotten the words that Clarice had left behind before leaving for Kundara.

One person was returning to Balkan from the Sinclair Magic Tower at the same time that Clarice was leaving Balkan.

Aris Richelene was returning.

He knew it wouldn’t be long, though he didn’t know when.

If so, Lenox also had to prepare before that time came.

Lenox, leaning on his staff, left the conference room without hesitation and turned his steps towards the bottom of the Tower.

“If you’re thinking of meeting Akendrias El Torben, you should go to the basement,” Jutiya said, as if something had come to mind.

“Recently, something quite interesting happened there, so the Tower Lord has been stuck there all day.”

“……Something interesting?”

If it was something that this strangely ill-natured secretary found interesting, it probably wouldn’t be a pleasant thing for Lenox.

“It’s the same as with Kundara.”

Jutiya nodded, with a strange expression as if she was holding back a laugh.

“It’s no fun if I tell you, right? It’ll be faster to see it for yourself.”

“……”

* * *

“Oh, Ban. You’re here?”

At the entrance to the Magic Tower’s underground chamber.

Dylan, wearing a wrestler mask, was standing on the slope leading down to the chamber.

He was pacing around the hallway with a strangely restless look, and then he rushed over.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Dylan cleared his throat and put his hands on his hips.

“Ban.”

“Yeah.”

“Look at me for a second.”

“I’m looking.”

“Is there anything different about me?”

“……”

[It seems like he wants to play word games with the Master?]

Davi tilted his head at Dylan’s random question, but Lenox didn’t answer.

Instead, he scanned Dylan’s whole body up and down, rotating his magic eyes.

Lenox, who had been staring at Dylan’s face, nodded and said.

“It seems like you’ve awakened your microcosm [a personal power source]. Congratulations.”

“……Huh.”

“So you’ve reached level 7? You won’t die no matter where you’re thrown.”

“No, is that all? Is that all you have to say?”

Dylan pointed at himself, looking dumbfounded.

“I worked so hard!! Shouldn’t there be more intense joy or surprise?”

“Isn’t it not that surprising?”

Lenox turned to leave.

“It’s been more than a few years since you started working with me. It’s about time you learned something by watching.”

“No, that’s……”

Dylan was a mercenary who had been working with Lenox since before Lenox had even built the Magic Tower.

He was a superhuman who had been with him when Lenox taught his colleagues about the Uroboros [a magical system], when he built the territory, and when he built the Magic Tower.

If such a physical ability user had been with Lenox for several years, and had been constantly influenced by his magic and territory.

It wouldn’t be strange if there was visible growth in Dylan’s realm of inspiration or intuition.

Dylan, who had become dejected, slumped his shoulders and followed behind Lenox.

“To be sure, I’ve been feeling a tingling sensation lately, and then something suddenly clicked, but still……”

“I’m joking.”

“But, I also trained like crazy to barely- huh? What did you say?”

“Of course, it’s definitely an achievement you’ve earned through your own efforts,” Lenox said, turning around.

In Lenox’s hand was a shining silver spear.

“B, Ban……”

“Even if various conditions overlapped, completing a tier is impossible without your own efforts.”

Dylan O’Casey was a survivor of the Church’s undead experiments and a physical ability user with powerful regenerative abilities.

But since regeneration was not Dylan’s original talent, Dylan had difficulty raising his tier.

He had also borrowed the power of the archangel of the old world, Kashuin, to release the limiter on Dylan’s regeneration ability.

But even with that strengthened regeneration ability, completing the tier was impossible without Dylan’s own tremendous effort.

Of course, the influence of being affiliated with Lenox’s territory was also significant in Dylan’s reaching level 7.

But Lenox didn’t want to point out that fact and make Dylan’s efforts or desires seem trivial.

Lenox smiled as he watched Dylan, who was trembling with emotion, pointing at the spear.

“You’ve worked hard. This is a gift.”

“Ban!!!!”

Dylan, who had been looking at the spear in Lenox’s hand, ran out with his arms wide open.

It was a violent gesture as if he was going to hug Lenox.

Lenox immediately held the spear vertically.

“I’ll stab you.”

“Ah, no…… I’m sorry.”

Dylan, who had immediately become docile, politely put his hands together and received the silver spear.

“H, hiya…… What kind of gift is this……”

Dylan’s eyes were glazed over as he looked at the shining blade of the spear.

“I, it’s insane…… I feel like I’m getting drunk just by holding it……”

“It’s a weapon made using parts of a high-ranking long-lived species,” Lenox explained.

“I happened to get a few, but it doesn’t seem like I’ll have any use for them.”

“A, a long-lived species’ weapon……?!”

Dylan was shocked and hugged the spear even more carefully than before.

He said with a sheepish voice from behind his wrestler mask.

“Thank you…… I didn’t expect a gift at all…… I, I’ll work hard in the future too.”

“You really didn’t expect it?”

“……Actually, I was expecting it a little.”

Lenox chuckled as he looked at the honest Dylan and moved his feet.

“Where is the Tower Lord Torben? I heard he’s been staying in the basement for quite a while.”

“Ah, that’s.”

Dylan, who had been hugging the spear and rubbing his body against it, froze with an awkward expression.

“……That. Actually, I was going to tell you that first.”

“Tell me.”

“Um……”

“……”

Bang!!

Lenox didn’t hold back and immediately opened the door leading to the underground chamber.

He walked down the slope and looked at the dark inner wall of the chamber.

Lenox realized that there was a very large, pure white marshmallow-like thing on the wall.

“……?”

[?]

The giant marshmallow was slowly wriggling and breathing.

It was shaking up and down, its pudding-like skin heaving.

“……No way.”

Lenox, realizing the identity of the marshmallow, looked up with a shocked expression.

The giant marshmallow, hearing Lenox’s voice, wriggled and turned around.

Thud!!

A huge size, twice the height of Lenox. Thick front and hind legs that were swollen like logs.

A plump belly hanging down and lumps of fat stuck under its neck.

[Woof!]

A pure white dragon with three jaws looked at Lenox and let out a welcoming cry.