Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1213

Kyunroe Subjugation (5)

A quiet night fell, cloaked in darkness.

A massive assault warship flew through the dim shadows.

Whoosh!

The landscape below, faintly visible in the darkness, blurred past at an incredible speed.

Regardless of the surrounding movement, a serene silence filled the room, illuminated by the clear moonlight streaming through the window.

Inside, where no presence could be felt, someone sat with their back turned.

“……”

A faint, irregular breathing pattern.

It was as if several people were inhaling at once, each exhaling at different times, creating a sense of unease.

The shadow of the person sitting with their back turned in the room split into several, slowly merging and separating again.

After staring at the flickering shadows for a while, someone knocked on the door from outside.

Knock knock.

A slow but heavy and forceful gesture.

The person who had been sitting silently finally spoke.

“It’s open, you can come in.”

Bang!

The door swung open, and a middle-aged man with a sturdy build walked into the room.

The man, with his distinctive thick eyebrows, looked down at the figure in the room and knelt on the spot.

Thud!

An illusion arose, as if the room had shaken violently with a loud noise.

The giant, who had created a vibration just by applying his weight, spoke in a deep voice.

“Loberaide of the 3rd Legion greets Commander Songha.”

“You’re awake? You look more intact than I thought.”

Songha, who had been sitting alone in the room, glanced over.

Turning from the bed, Songha, draped in a pure white robe, asked,

“I heard you were in a coma for a long time. Is your body alright?”

“…Thanks to your concern.”

Loberaide replied in a heavy tone.

“If Commander Mylos hadn’t traded with Kundara to send a life mage, I would have been dead.”

“Your tone has changed a bit? Not that it matters.”

Songha tilted his head and said,

“I heard from the staff that Chun-beon was there when you were being treated? That must have been strange, huh?”

“……”

“It must be quite a novel feeling to be revived while the guy who killed you is watching. What are your thoughts?”

“…I’m not sure.”

Loberaide shook his head with a wry smile.

An informal attitude and tone that didn’t suit the organization of the legion.

A spontaneous and unthinking nature, seemingly careless at first glance.

Yet, no one questioned this man’s presence as the commander of the Deadrise.

A talent with exceptionally unique potential, personally noticed and taken in by Ethan Bajur, among the tens of thousands of soldiers in the entire legion.

The generals knew that this man, who was naturally as free and easy as the wind, had been doing his best for the legion for his old friend.

They knew that he had been performing duties that were not suited to his aptitude for a long time to fill the absence of the marshal and the commanders.

Everyone respected his transcendent martial prowess and informal nature.

“How is the subjugation battle going?”

“Currently, under the command of the 3rd Command, the main ground forces are moving towards Balkan.”

Loberaide replied.

“I heard that the 7th and 11th Legions have reached the vicinity of the Balkan satellite city. Considering the remaining distance, they will arrive in two days… or one day at the earliest, and reorganize their ranks.”

“Already? That’s incredibly fast, isn’t it?”

“It’s only natural, as Lieutenant General Deimus’s 7th Legion is the most mobile legion in the entire continent.”

The legion commander raised his gaze.

“The special forces of the Blaver Magic Tower and the Ability Awakening Corps have joined, and it seems that the agreement for the dispatch of the Order and the Mechanized Corps has also been completed. It must be the result of the 7th Legion exerting its full power.”

The 3rd Legion’s assault, the 5th Legion’s barrage, and the 7th Legion’s mobility.

Each legion of the Deadrise is specialized in different operations and combat capabilities, as much as their size.

This is evidence that the legions have not only grown in size across the continent but have also steadily undergone specialization.

“I heard that the 7th Legion has left a large part of the front line it was in charge of in the center for this operation. Since there was an order from the 1st Command, the 1st Legion will cover that gap.”

“Ah, right. I think Ultima Alert got involved.”

Songha scratched his head.

“The fact that the 1st Command moved at this time must be Gileon’s intention. Sending the ghost squadron at the end of the parade, he still has a good ‘eye’.”

“……”

“But Gileon is still on his pilgrimage, so he shouldn’t have much time. Is it okay for him to keep stepping in like this?”

“Commander Mylos always makes wise decisions, so I don’t think we need to worry about it.”

Loberaide bowed deeply and asked in a heavy voice,

“I heard that Commander Songha also fought with Chun-beon. Are you feeling alright?”

“Not really. I don’t feel great.”

Songha shrugged his shoulders.

His shadow, illuminated by the moonlight, was flickering and escaping at that moment.

“It’s been too long since I gathered all my clones, so I can’t control them well. They keep trying to break free from my will.”

“……”

“It’s okay if my senses are off, but the problem is that my mental images and thoughts are jumping around. It was fine when I first merged, but the problem started after fighting Chun-beon.”

Even at that moment, Songha’s breath was splitting into three and scattering.

Shadows and presences that did not match, a ‘discrepancy’ that existed in Songha beyond what was visible.

Looking at his arm, which left slow afterimages every time he waved it in front of him, Songha said,

“Borrowing Ethan’s blood in a hurry is also having severe repercussions now.”

“I see.”

“I shouldn’t have used the Mind Sword after all. Or rather, did he anticipate that and deliberately induce me to use a big technique?”

“That man has the ability to forcibly cause the mental images or microcosms of others to go berserk.”

Loberaide said in a heavy voice, looking down at his own hands.

“I myself had to suffer from that method. I think the method you suffered from is probably similar.”

“No, it’s not exactly like that.”

Ignoring Loberaide, who was kneeling, Songha sat on the bed, propped his chin, and tilted his head.

“I think he knew from the beginning that I had gathered all my clones. If he planned that far ahead before the fight…”

“……”

“After all, the real purpose of the plasma spell that Chun-beon used at that time wasn’t to kill me, but…”

Since the parade, he had been constantly reviewing the fight that day.

The short battle with the great mage who turned the headquarters into a hellfire.

Up to the last moment when they used big techniques simultaneously and ended in a draw.

At that time, he knew that Chun-beon had deliberately induced a powerful mental image technique to buy time to recover his magic power.

Rather than betting on the probability of killing Songha on the spot, he was trying to resolve the curse of the reverse heaven [a curse that reverses the flow of magic] that was placed on him.

The combination of the mind’s [Waning Moon] using plasma flames and the fire bow that caused the microcosm to go berserk was also to destabilize Songha’s clones.

But even while reviewing all of that, there was only one thing Songha was curious about.

“If I hadn’t been interrupted and continued to fight at that time, could I have won?”

Even Songha, who had carried out operations in countless battlefields, could not be sure because it had been a long time since he had gone to the battlefield with his clones gathered.

The more he reviewed the fight at that time, the more his certainty disappeared, and conversely, his interest only grew.

Because the apostle slayer, who had heard the truth from Ethan, possessed a more intense flame than he had thought-

“Commander Songha.”

“…Ah, sorry. What were we talking about?”

Looking at Songha, who had woken up from his thoughts, Loberaide bowed his head on the spot.

“This Robert Loberaide is going to step down from his position as lieutenant general and apply for discharge.”

“……”

Songha’s movements, who had been lost in thought, paused slightly.

With a blank expression, Songha turned his gaze and looked down at the top of Loberaide’s head.

“Now that the marshal is asleep, you are the only one who can approve my discharge.”

Loberaide did not respond to Songha’s reaction and continued.

“I am now going to completely step down from my position as the commander of the 3rd Legion and leave the military.”

“Why?”

“Because I realized that my decision to bring Chun-beon into the legion was a huge mistake that cannot be undone.”

Loberaide closed his eyes.

“That man is not a watchdog that will be leashed under someone. Nor is he a flame that will burn according to the will of others. Even the rumor that he serves the lighthouse keeper is likely not true.”

“……”

“Only after facing the death of Lieutenant General Lenore… did I realize what I had done. Someone has to take responsibility for that.”

“I didn’t get the feeling that Chun-beon cared about that kind of thing.”

Songha muttered.

“But I see. Responsibility…”

Songha slowly got up from his seat and stood in front of Loberaide.

“A long time ago, Ethan told me about how to take responsibility.”

Songha said, arranging his pure white robe and tidying his clothes.

“I don’t remember it very well, but it wasn’t about dying or stepping down from a position. Rather, it was about the attitude of trying to fulfill one’s duties until the end.”

“……”

“Even if there is something that must be accomplished ‘even in death,’ what matters in the end is the mindset.”

Songha shook his head.

“So, I’m going to reject your proposal. Talk to me again when Ethan wakes up.”

“Commander. But…”

“In the first place, didn’t you receive the thoughts of Cheondun (Heavenly Escape) [a technique that allows one to escape from any situation] and join the legion?”

Songha smiled as he looked at Loberaide.

“If you leave the military like this, the monster will come looking for you. You know what that crocodile is doing to keep himself bound to this world.”

“…I am not afraid of dying now.”

Loberaide hesitated and said.

“But I am afraid that my comrades and subordinates will be hurt by my wrong judgment.”

“Is that so?”

Songha smiled.

“But isn’t that the real meaning of taking responsibility?”

“……”

At that moment, Loberaide was speechless.

Looking at Loberaide, who was silent, Songha got up and said,

“I don’t know what kind of loyalty you have given to the legion, but I think that’s what a commander is. That’s why Ethan entrusted the command of the legion to the lieutenant generals, not us, right?”

“……”

“If you want to take responsibility, do it for your subordinates on the battlefield. We will need the assault forces led by your legion in the upcoming war.”

“Commander Songha…”

Loberaide hesitated and said,

“You have been sharing responsibility with the other commanders for a long time.”

“I don’t want to be treated the same as Baragan, let alone Gileon.”

Songha tilted his head.

“Well, never mind. By the way, if Aphelia is still around, can you call her? I want to get advice from a connector about clone integration.”

“Aphelia has left the headquarters alone and headed to Balkan.”

Loberaide smiled wryly.

“She wanted to take a look around the city before the full-scale war. It seems that she has become quite curious about Balkan after meeting the marshal.”

“Huh, suddenly now? She’s really an unpredictable person.”

“Because she is not a person.”

Loberaide slowly stood up and said,

“It would be good to watch the commander’s clones over time. As everyone knows, the commander has not only sent his clones to operate all over the continent, but has also maintained them for several years.”

“……”

“The experiences and senses that each clone has experienced and accepted are so different that it may take time to integrate them. Doesn’t the ability to ‘divide’ oneself tend to have such a tendency?”

“Loberaide. Were you a psychic? You know a lot about abilities.”

“…I think it’s strange that the commander, who has such a powerful psychic ability, doesn’t know much about it.”

After the serious conversation ended, he was just a fool.

Loberaide, scratching his cheek with an awkward expression, said,

“Anyway, the longer it takes to integrate into one, the more experiences and memories there are to embody. Once the integration is complete, wouldn’t that be a great price for the commander?”

“I’m not really interested in that kind of thing. I just want to get rid of this unpleasant feeling.”

Songha grumbled and clenched and unclenched his fist.

“I can roughly deal with the misaligned senses with my own senses, but I can’t stand the misaligned thoughts. Do you know how unpleasant this feeling is?”

“I have no way of knowing.”

“I wish it would stabilize at least before the subjugation battle starts. After all, it’s something I have to do myself.”

“……”

At that moment. Loberaide closed his mouth.

Loberaide, who had stopped walking as he was about to leave the room, slowly turned around and said,

“It would be good to tell the commander about that in advance.”

“What do you mean?”

“Originally, I thought it was not something I should report presumptuously, as I had decided to leave the military…”

Loberaide said hesitantly.

“I heard that the supreme commander of the subjugation battle will be replaced by someone other than Commander Songha.”

“…What?”

Songha, who understood the meaning of those words with his heightened intelligence, paused for a moment.

The meaning of the supreme commander being replaced in a large-scale operation like the subjugation battle.

That was because it was impossible to even discuss it unless it was a general of the same rank as Songha.

And, the fact that another commander is mentioned as the commander at this point, not Songha, means that-

“No matter what kind of power and strategy there is, it cannot be compared to a general with a ‘strategic-level spell’ taking command.”

“Eek, no way…”

Looking at Songha, who was frowning, Loberaide nodded.

“I heard that Commander Baragan has returned to the 1st Command.”

* * *

At the same time. The botanical garden in the 31st district of the giant city of Balkan.

Lenok stood in a basement filled with a thick purple mist.

Something he could not even guess the identity of before, but now he could vaguely understand its essence.

He retraced his steps, recalling the memories of visiting this place hundreds of times when he was working as a freelancer.

Whoosh!

The purple mist spread out to both sides, revealing the scene beyond.

A wooden shelf with an antique design that filled one side of the endless basement wall.

A pharmacy that stores thousands of kinds of medicinal herbs and catalysts, by far the largest scale Lenok had ever seen.

A scene that had not changed even for a moment from the time he came here relying on Jenny’s recommendation, not knowing anything, to the present.

Even the acrid smell that stung the tip of his nose and the old man sitting in front of the stall, leisurely smoking a pipe, were the same.

“Aha.”

The old man, who had been staring up at Lenok, grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth.

“Indeed, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a regular customer.”

“……”

A massive war that would shake the balance of power throughout the Eastern Continent, led by the Deadrise.

The preparation that Lenok had to do ‘last’ while organizing his surroundings before the subjugation battle.

Lenok was back in Plumber’s orchard, just like the day he first bought and took medicine.