Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1165

“Cushion.”

“Fish.”

“Gear.”

Mana threads intertwined in the air, drawing various complex patterns.

Lenok faced Agneta, who was hanging upside down from the roof of a cruise ship sailing on the sea.

They manipulated each other’s mana threads, knotting and connecting them, constantly changing their forms.

“Tapestry?”

“Flag. That’s it.”

They intricately tied hundreds of mana threads, weaving hundreds of patterns into a regular shape.

Lenok, having finished making a giant thread flag and tying it to the mast, withdrew his hand.

“That’s enough to regain my sense of mana thread manipulation. It was helpful.”

“Ah, is it already over?”

Agneta, who had been happily playing string games with Lenok, looked dejected.

“This kind of game, you can’t do it alone. You need two people to do it.”

“What are you talking about when you have eight legs?”

“Well, it’s no fun alone.”

Lenok couldn’t sympathize with Agneta’s grumbling, but he acknowledged that he had received help from her.

Agneta hadn’t fought directly in this operation, but she had provided assistance in various ways from the rear.

It would have been impossible to fill the artificial summon of the special trait system, the tailor of the imaginary dimension, with mana threads if it hadn’t been for her.

Thanks to that, not only was it possible to summon the tailor in a relatively intact state, but Lenok was also able to deploy the magnetic field in the form he wanted.

She was also the one who secured the cruise ship docked at the port, left an escape route, and installed and manipulated the recoil of the forbidden weapon ‘Sorrow’.

“I see. I owe you one this time.”

Lenok nodded and looked at Agneta.

“If you need help when we meet next time, I might lend you a hand.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Do you think I would lie about something like this?”

Having played string games with Agneta’s mana threads, Lenok had regained some of his dulled sense of manipulation.

Even if the members of the Pandemonium were like that, the tailor’s work was almost like a personal request from Lenok.

Lenok had no intention of taking advantage of the ancient species hybrid who showed a strange sense of intimacy with the same manipulator.

“Wow, that’s great. Then, can you play string games with me all day later?”

“…….”

Ignoring Agneta, who was lost in happy imagination, Lenok moved his feet.

As he stepped onto the swaying ship, he saw Soryu leaning against the mast.

He was silently bandaging his wounds alone, surrounded by various medicines and syringes.

His expression, focused on first aid, was calm as if he was thinking about something.

“That’s an excellent first aid method.”

Lenok sneered as he watched him.

“It’s a pathetic skill that’s perfect for shortening your remaining lifespan by about five years.”

“……The passengers and attendants who came on the cruise have already escaped to Tokerphos. We’re the only ones here.”

Soryu glanced at him and gave a wry smile.

“I only suffered minor injuries while fighting the knights in the sanctuary. I’m not crazy enough to leave treatment to a drunkard like Freya.”

“Did you even enter the sanctuary? I don’t know how much of what happened in the royal capital you witnessed.”

He remembered entering the [Gate] together, but he hadn’t seen his face since then until right before the escape.

Soryu might have been dealing with his ‘personal business’ that he had mentioned in the royal capital.

“Aaronbeiger Kabahim is dead. An apostle of the cult dragged his corpse away.”

“…….”

“The aftermath of your father’s death will be quite severe, are you sure it’s okay not to stay in Kabahim?”

“I’m already a royal who was exiled from the royal family. I’m nothing in that country anymore.”

Soryu raised his gaze.

“It’s not that I didn’t have anything to ask my father, but I also know that many things weren’t that important to him.”

“…….”

“He tried to expel the royals and knights and fill their positions with talents from outside the continent. That’s all the answer I could have gotten.”

Soryu, who had finished bandaging his forearm, sneered.

“It would have been better if it ended like this. If I had confirmed it, I would have been disappointed. That’s enough.”

“That’s refreshing.”

Lenok smiled and reached into his pocket.

“That’s the most pleasing thing you’ve said so far.”

Clang!!

A pure white frozen sword fell in front of Soryu.

At the same time as it was embedded diagonally into the deck, the cold froze the floor.

Soryu looked at the sword stuck in front of him with a sullen expression.

“……What is this?”

“It’s the royal family’s sword that Aaron had until the end. It seems to be a pure ice-type artifact, not a forbidden weapon.”

Lenok said with his arms crossed.

“I brought it to sell, but it’s annoying to store because of the cold. I’ll lend it to you for a while.”

“…….”

“If you have that, it might help you control your clumsy bloodline ability to some extent.”

Lenok sneered, looking down at Soryu from behind his obsidian mask.

“I’ll make sure to get it back with interest later.”

“I see…….”

Soryu participated in this operation to find a way to control or eliminate his bloodline ability.

It was because he understood that the bloodline ability, which originated from the remnants of a dead outer god, was a curse, not a blessing.

However, as the events in the royal capital ended like this, Soryu had lost the way to solve his problem.

That’s why Lenok had thrown him an item that could be a clue.

Lenok had also plundered a lot of the royal family’s assets in this operation, so it would be okay to lend this much to a royal.

“Actually, I did find a separate way to solve that problem in the royal capital, but……”

Crack……!!

Soryu, who stood up holding the frozen sword, gave a wry smile.

“I’ll accept it gratefully. I won’t forget this debt and will repay it someday.”

“It would have been much better if you hadn’t added unnecessary remarks at the beginning.”

“…….”

He turned away from the silent Soryu. Soryu, who had picked up the sword, followed Lenok.

“What’s the situation in the Kabahim royal capital?”

“I heard that most of the citizens of the royal capital went out to see Freya’s concert, so there wasn’t much civilian damage. On the other hand, the knight order is said to have lost more than half of its forces.”

Soryu answered, holding up a cell phone with a disconnected signal from his pocket.

“It seems that the surviving royals and knights are trying to recover from the damage, but it won’t be easy. I heard that neighboring city-states are already moving.”

“It seems that mega-cities like Tokerphos and Endorose want to devour Kabahim. Do you think a war will break out?”

“The possibility is low. It won’t be just them trying to intervene.”

“What do you mean?”

“The bloodline ability engraved in the royal family’s blood is a curse that originates from the power of a god.”

Soryu gave a wry smile.

“And if it’s that kind of power, there are almost certainly madmen who will intervene—are you okay with that?”

“……Yeah.”

For a moment, Lenok felt a dizzy spell and grabbed the railing with his hand.

It was not just simple seasickness, but mental fatigue due to an overload of the brain.

It had been two days since they escaped the royal capital and started sailing near the Arctic Ocean. Lenok was still suffering from the recoil of using the magnetic field.

‘It’s not just the recoil of the magnetic field, but also because of what I did using it.’

In the final battle with Aaronbeiger Kabahim, Lenok used the No-Point Spell Binding to ‘reconfigure’ the branching point that Aaron had obtained.

Awakening the talent of duality, processing the soul of a god into a weapon with the knowledge of the archive, and even assimilating his own existence with it.

He took all the achievements and causality he had obtained and reconfigured them as Lenok’s.

The creation of a branching point that forcibly incorporates possibilities that Lenok had not experienced into a kaleidoscope.

‘There is definitely meaning in Aaron’s causality of directly merging with the power of a god. I don’t think the judgment I took was wrong, but—’

The No-Point Spell Binding is a domain that is based on the most precise and elaborate imagery within the branching point of the kaleidoscope.

It is the pinnacle of technique that can only be digested by pushing the skills and know-how that Lenok has learned while using magic and spells to the limit.

Even the deployment method borrowed the method of the Torben Magic Tower Lord, which does not change reality, so the amount of work that must be calculated and processed in the head at the moment of use is enormous.

It was natural that his brain would be overloaded since he had deployed such a domain for the first time and even took away the branching point at the end.

[So, from now on, I’ll take over the calculations.]

“Yeah, yeah.”

After sending Soryu ahead, he stroked the head of the chattering spirit and walked on the deck.

Nevertheless, there was definitely meaning in the fact that he had obtained the branching point that Aaron had acquired.

A branching point that perfectly assimilated himself and his weapon by processing the soul of a cold comet into a forbidden weapon.

It was nothing less than the possibility itself, proving that he had begun to touch even a fragment of the outer god of the end.

A branching point that projects the memory of the outer god into reality, but is configured in a crude form that does not even reach the tip of the real outer god’s toe.

But that alone has meaning.

That alone meant that everything he had experienced in Kabahim was not in vain.

At that moment, a scream that sharply pierced Lenok’s ears, who was quietly lost in thought, was heard.

“Kyaaaaak!! Damn it, I told you to do it gently!”

“You’re making such a fuss.”

Freya, sitting on a luxurious sofa installed on one side of the deck, was trembling with a pale face.

Next to her, a suture surgeon wearing surgical gloves was looking down at her with an expressionless face.

“It’s a simple surgery to suture a scratch. Anyone would think I’m picking up spilled intestines.”

“I just got a slight scratch coming down from the stage, so why do you have to suture it so painfully!!”

“Who was it that said they wanted to be treated so that no scars would remain? It’s done, so endure it.”

“If a scar remains after doing this, I won’t let you get away with it! There shouldn’t be any discoloration when I apply sunscreen, and if I have to cover it with makeup—”

“You have a lot of unnecessary worries. Why do you have so many requests when you didn’t even fight directly?”

“Hey!! Who was it that tied up the knights while you guys were running wild in the royal capital!”

Freya shouted angrily.

“If I hadn’t disrupted the blessings of the royal capital with my musical scale spell, you would have all been surrounded and killed before you could even escape! You should be grateful!!”

The musical scale spell that Freya uses is a wide-area medium spell that boasts the highest level of range and scale among all systems.

That’s why she put the entire royal capital within the range of her spell, applied debuffs, and forcibly neutralized it by colliding it with the blessings of the royal capital.

Not only did she drastically reduce the physical abilities of the knights who received the blessings, but she also drew attention and forcibly dispersed their forces.

She had prevented all the forces of the knight order from concentrating on Lenok, who had won the battle with Aaron. There was nothing wrong with her judgment or actions as she coordinated the situation from outside the battlefield until right before the escape, but the surgeon instead tilted his head with a bewildered look.

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Are you saying that you want to be thanked for taking the subject I wanted to dissect?”

“…….”

Behind Freya, who had lost her words, the clown and Antares were sitting facing each other at a poker table.

They were carefully turning over cards, playing a simple game of matching the front.

“Club 6.”

“Heart 4.”

“Diamond 7. Is that right?”

“No, wait a minute.”

The clown stared at Antares with a dumbfounded expression.

“You were so stingy when we were working, but is it okay to use your foresight so freely in a card game like this? Heart 8.”

“If you hadn’t cheated first, I would have done the same. Spade 9.”

Antares turned over his card with a calm expression.

“In the city where I lived, they cut off your wrist if you cheated while gambling. Should we go by the same rules?”

“Ah, don’t worry about that.”

The clown smiled and spread out his cards.

“Usually, everyone goes home in their underwear before that happens.”

“Ouch!! It hurts!! It hurts!”

Freya’s scream, which seemed to shake the deck, overlapped with the soft music coming through the speakers.

“Victor, don’t just watch from there, come over here and join us for a game.”

The clown gestured to Lenok, who was leaning against the bar installed on one side of the deck.

“How many times in your life would you have the chance to play a card game with a precognitive? Let’s enjoy it while we can.”

“I don’t have a hobby of gambling with illusionists and precognitives. There are more important things to do right now.”

Lenok, who had approached the table with a glass of non-alcoholic cocktail in his hand, bowed his head.

“You said you were going to meet the leader as a reward for this job. What exactly does it mean to make a wish?”

The reason why Lenok, who was about to disembark as soon as the operation was over, was still here was because of the clown’s words about going to meet the leader.

The somewhat unexpected answer that the person he was going to make a wish to by stealing the remains of a dead god was none other than the leader.

“Hmm, I don’t particularly like to put metaphors or implications in my words.”

The clown shrugged his shoulders, holding the cards in both hands.

“It’s exactly as it sounds. As a reward for borrowing the leader’s power, we’re going to give him the remains of the dead god we obtained in this operation.”

“…….”

“Of course, the leader is such a unique person that he might not even think of ‘that’ as a wish……”

The clown smiled as he looked at the silent Lenok.

“Well, even if that’s not the case, wouldn’t it be good to meet the leader at least once? As far as I know, Victor hasn’t met the leader since joining Pandemonium.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“What I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to be so on edge. From here on out, it’s like a bonus for this operation.”

Thwack!

The clown took a card from his palm and turned it upside down, handing it to Lenok.

“So, for now, let’s sit here and celebrate the success of the operation with a game. How about it?”

“…….”

“There’s a bit of a stake, but a high-ranking sorcerer like Victor wouldn’t be short of money.”

The clown, a special trait illusionist, was dealing with the recoil of his illusions by adjusting the luck and misfortune of gambling.

He knew why he was immersed in gambling right after escaping the royal capital, and why Antares was playing along, but Lenok didn’t need to—

“Oh, could it be.”

The clown gave a strange smile.

“A great manipulator like Victor, could it be that you’re chickening out because you’re afraid of losing?”

“Turn the cards.”

Lenok placed his glass on the table opposite the clown and sat down.

“I’ll have to show you that the manipulation system is superior to the illusion system in every way.”

“……Why did you back out if you were going to be provoked so easily?”

The card game began, leaving behind Freya’s grumbling after the suture was finished.

The number of people sitting at the table increased from two to four, and then changed from three to five.

Time passed quickly, and the scenery on the deck continued to change.

Freya sang on stage, holding a guitar with a broken string and drinking whiskey.

The bottles of alcohol that had been piled up in the warehouse lined up on the deck and were all emptied, revealing the bottom.

“Hic. It’s my turn.”

The suture surgeon picked up a card with a trembling hand.

The clown, who had been slumped over with his head on the table, smiled.

“Hehe, you seem nervous. If you’re scared, give up.”

“What are you talking about? This is a muscle spasm caused by the constriction of blood vessels and nerves due to alcohol. I’m not nervous at all.”

“Yes, don’t lie~ Alcohol and trembling hands aren’t really related in the first place. Who are you trying to bluff in front of?”

The two were engaged in a fierce battle of nerves without giving an inch.

Freya whispered next to Lenok, who was sitting between them holding cards.

“Which one is right?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“There aren’t many people here who seem to know that kind of thing.”

“They’re both wrong.”

“Huh?”

Lenok put down his card and glanced at the bottles of alcohol on the table.

“This whiskey is made by pickling the leaves of the Bataka tree, which is used in nerve stimulants. There’s no way your hands and feet would be okay if you were drinking that kind of thing.”

“Is this a normally manufactured product?”

“Of course, it’s a product that completely violates the continental liquor laws.”

“…….”

“As expected of alcohol manufactured in Tokerphos, they’ve thrown away regulations and focused on stimulation. But it’s interesting that they’ve combined pharmaceuticals, not narcotics……”

“Yeah, it was stupid of me to expect a normal answer.”

“Okay, let’s have one last game with the three of us.”

Leaving behind Freya’s exasperated voice, the clown picked up a card.

“The person who loses here will have to pay for all the stakes so far.”

“No problem.”

“You fools are desperate to pay money.”

Three special trait sorcerers sat at the poker table, keenly observing each other’s expressions.

But of course, none of them were sane enough to read each other’s expressions.

Lenok, who was wearing a mask, as well as the clown who was smiling loosely and the hiccuping surgeon.

They all picked up cards without any gain, and as if they had made a promise, they just raised their mana.

The members who had gathered on the deck to watch the game all admired.

“Oh…… Those scamming bastards.”

“I knew it.”

“If you’re going to use spells, why are you even playing the game……”

“Who’s going to win like this?”

Ignoring the onlookers, the three of them turned over their cards one by one, revealing their hands.

Every time they turned over a card, illusion, manipulation, and suture spells flashed across the table.

Kwaaang!!!

With an impact that shook the deck, the table fixed to the floor was smashed, and the deck of cards scattered in all directions.

The three of them stared blankly at the cards that were fluttering down from above.

Everyone was speechless and silently watched the scene.

“Are you guys really crazy?”

Freya asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“What kind of gambling did you do to smash the table with the recoil of a spell—”

“That’s not it.”

Antares turned his gaze towards the back of the deck.

“The ship has collided with something. It’s stopped in its place.”

“……Huh?”

Freya, who turned her gaze at those words, widened her eyes.

The shadow of an island was visible through the dark sea.

She realized that an island much larger than the cruise ship was blocking the ship’s path.

Kuooh……!!

The huge shadow that had landed on the island seemed to spread out like wings, dyeing the horizon black.

What did it mean that a huge island had suddenly appeared that even the control room radar and the members of Pandemonium could not recognize?

While the other members were a step late in realizing the reason and turned around with surprised expressions.

“Oh, we arrived sooner than I thought.”

The clown staggered to his feet, still holding the cards.

“Or is it not time yet? Did they come faster?”

“Clown, this is……”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Shall we move right away?”

The clown, who had turned towards the island wrapped in the shadow’s wings, smiled.

“It seems the leader is waiting for us.”