Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1248

“The subjugation battle… is over.”

Virgil murmured quietly, sitting in the central conference room on the top floor of the Cartel’s headquarters in the commercial district of the outer Balkan area.

His gaze, with his hands clasped tightly, never left the three-dimensional screen floating in the center of the conference room.

“The entire force that allied with the Legion was annihilated immediately after entering the 49th District. More than three Legion Commanders and all the Rosary members. Two of the Ten Crosses and a Cardinal of the Order died in battle.”

“……”

“Even Songha’s death, and the disappearance of Ethan Bajur, who returned after decades…”

At Virgil’s trailing words, none of the board members could answer.

They were just watching the screen, following Virgil, with complex and subtle expressions.

“Dead Rise has lost the war.”

Virgil said quietly, his voice as if he couldn’t quite grasp the reality of it.

“Really… Ban won. I believed it would happen, but…”

The war that began in the outer Balkan area, where superhumans from all over the continent gathered and clashed.

It was only natural that the Cartel, which had a cooperative relationship with the Kyunroe Magic Tower, was preparing to intervene.

The scheduled time for the Cartel’s most powerful force, the board members, to be deployed was immediately after the Legion’s forces began entering the 49th District.

The plan was to disrupt the rear of the Legion’s main force at the same time as the territory was invaded, thereby dispersing their forces in both directions.

However, the board members, who had been waiting here for more than three days, were not properly deployed to the battlefield.

The Kyunroe’s massacre, which blew away half of the Legion’s main force as soon as the subjugation battle began.

The golden labyrinth that swallowed the entire Legion force that had entered the 49th District with all their might.

What was left on the empty battlefield were only the broken and collapsed remnants, so much so that the board members did not even need to step in directly.

The Cartel’s execution unit was preparing to enter when the battlefield was cleared and the labyrinth reopened.

However, by the time the territory collapsed and the labyrinth reopened, all the situations on the battlefield were already coming to an end.

“Well, it’s not a bad thing for us either.”

Merilda, a member of the board, tilted her head with a sullen expression.

“In the first place, the fact that we even had to step in was the worst-case scenario, and the fact that it ended without us moving might be a good thing.”

“……”

“More than that, I feel like I’m going crazy from being stuck here for three days! Can I go out and run around now?!”

“Merilda. What’s with that rude way of speaking in such an important place?”

Gyro, who was newly recruited as a board member, said.

He glanced over, fiddling with something like a coffin in his hands.

“Just because your position is high doesn’t mean you can be rude in official settings. Be polite.”

“What, you little brat. In terms of seniority within the Cartel, I’m your senior here, you know?”

“By the way, where did Angel go at this important time?”

“I don’t know. He was muttering like a madman about having to meet someone…”

Unfamiliar faces seated throughout the conference room added to Merilda’s words.

New members of the Cartel’s board of directors, who are constantly recruiting talent from all over the continent.

“But regardless, there will be many who will be shocked by Dead Rise’s defeat.”

The curse wielder, Lauder, smiled with his arms crossed.

“They are the military group with the most combat experience on the entire continent. If you look at their simple war-fighting capabilities, there are probably not even five organizations that can compare. It’s an unprecedented situation that such war experts are defeated by a single magician.”

“……”

“The Legion’s crushing defeat, which started as a part of the Balkan Triarchy [a political alliance of three powerful groups] and advanced to the central front. I wonder how many people will feel joy and curse their downfall. I’m so excited that my body is trembling.”

“Ha, that nasty curse wielder…”

Orophin, the knight commander from Cabahim, who was sitting askew with his arms crossed, sneered at Lauder.

“You just want to collect negative emotions that suit your curse, don’t you? Why are you pretending to be so knowledgeable about current affairs?”

“Oh? Am I wrong? Even if the others are like that, I think the seniors who have been here since the days when the Triarchy was still intact would have different feelings.”

Lauder smiled without being bothered and turned his gaze.

“There must be people among the Legion’s top brass who died in the subjugation battle that you knew personally.”

“……”

“What, you brat.”

Virgil was silent, and Merilda grumbled with her arms crossed.

“Now that McQueen and Kansoa are dead, there’s only Virgil and me left. Don’t ask such unlucky things.”

“But-”

“In the first place, we were fighting each other to the death before the project started. Do you think there would have been any emotional exchange?”

Merilda, who was lying on the recliner with her arms crossed, said indifferently.

“There were an abnormally large number of talented guys gathered, but they were all just nasty guys who were obsessed with Kaise.”

“Of course, I know about superhumans from the Balkans like Songha and Baragan. There was a time when I used to be close friends with them.”

Virgil answered quietly.

“But after the project failed and Kaise died… they became so strange that I couldn’t understand what they were thinking.”

“……”

“I’ve hardly interacted with them since then. It’s true that we were bound together as the Triarchy, but there was also a certain gap.”

The Corporate Alliance Cartel. The private military company Dead Rise. The Family Alliance Palgwang Fortress.

They were each called the heads representing the capital, military power, and mystery of the Balkan underworld, but their power was not equal from the beginning.

Dead Rise was an elite guard led by Ethan Bajur, a collection of raw talents that Kaise had personally gathered.

Everyone knew that they possessed unparalleled talent and potential in terms of innate military power.

That’s why they weren’t surprised when they left the Balkans and advanced to the central front.

“Although our paths have diverged, and we are now enemies again… they were once people who shared the same dream and interacted with each other.”

Virgil said calmly in the silence.

“Now, I just want to express my condolences for their regrets.”

From the perspective of the board members who had interacted with Dead Rise, they didn’t have any particular feelings about their end.

Rather, at this point, they felt more about the misjudgment of starting a war to subjugate Kyunroe.

The annihilation of the Legion and the end of Ethan Bajur.

Rather than Virgil or Merilda, their master would have more complex and immense feelings about it.

That’s why Virgil decided to hold back his words in this conference room.

He understood that Oliviera, who was sitting alone at the head of the conference room and quietly staring at the screen, had a gaze that was more blurred than ever before.

[…I see.]

Oliviera, who had been staring at the screen alone for a long time, whispered weakly.

[From Kundara, I might have… known it.]

“…Chairwoman.”

[…….]

Oliviera, who had been silent, slowly stood up.

The board members, who had been freely chatting, all stood up from their seats in response to her movement.

[You’ve all worked hard for three days. From now on, everyone can rest comfortably.]

Oliviera said quietly, turning away.

[The Cartel will resume normal operations from a week later.]

“Chairwoman. We will take on the escort.”

“If you tell us your destination, we will immediately deploy personnel-”

[No. It’s not for that reason.]

Oliviera replied.

[I’ll even postpone my unfinished feelings for a while… I have a guest I need to meet first.]

“…A guest, you say?”

[Even though I’m in this state, I can’t neglect a noble guest who has come a long way.]

With that said, Oliviera touched the veil that covered her face with one hand.

As if thinking of someone who had something similar covering their face.

[It’s a personal matter.]

* * *

Central District of the Great City of Balkan.

The chairman’s office where the Upper House of the City Council is located.

“…This can’t be.”

One of the senators, watching the collapsed ruins of the 49th District, murmured quietly.

“Bajur… is gone.”

“Kyunroe has won. Against the Legion…”

The Central Council is the highest governing body of the Balkans, which has existed since before the Black Consumer Project [a mysterious project that seems to have had a significant impact on the Balkans].

Even though the members have changed over time, there is no one in this position who does not know the history and inside story of the Balkans.

Most of the senators know what the name Dead Rise means to this city and what secrets they hold.

Everyone understands how powerful the Legion is as a military organization and a force that dominates the entire continent.

The result that Dead Rise’s elite superhuman force was repeatedly defeated and annihilated by a single magician.

The shocking defeat that even the Legion Commanders, as well as the Generals and Marshals, could not defeat Kyunroe in the end.

Even the senators who had experienced countless things could not have predicted such an overwhelming result.

That’s why they had been maintaining neutrality in this war until the possible point, wasn’t it?

It was just that Kyunroe’s magic far exceeded the level that the City Council had assumed.

“It’s a magical result… no, has he already reached the pinnacle of magic itself?”

“I thought he might have reached a level similar to an Ascendant [a being who has transcended human limitations], but this is much worse.”

Senators expressed their feelings one by one in the quiet chairman’s office.

“He might be far superior to some Ascendants in terms of massacring this many superhuman forces.”

“How can a human being use such a war machine? I can’t understand it with my knowledge.”

“Until the war ended, I was sure he was irreversibly insane… was it all a lie from the beginning?”

They could not fully see Kyunroe’s appearance while the subjugation battle was in progress.

The Incarnation that appeared immediately after the Ascension ritual failed, and Lenok himself who appeared after that.

His appearance, as well as everything he said, could not be captured by mere relay equipment.

However, despite that, people all over the continent watched what happened in this war.

All tens of millions of Balkan citizens clearly witnessed the massacre that turned the outer Balkan area into a flatland.

The fact that the magician, who had been known for being blood-soaked and insane, had actually been restraining his madness all along.

Everyone had clearly faced how broken the madness he had unleashed against his adversary was.

“It would be good to contact the people affiliated with Kyunroe’s Magic Tower right away.”

“The line connected to the Magic Tower is paralyzed. It should be seen that the line was cut during the subjugation battle.”

“Was the battle so fierce that even the infrastructure could not be maintained… We can show our goodwill by supporting the reconstruction of the tower.”

The expressions of the senators, who were quickly continuing the discussion, had changed to an indescribably serious one.

How much of a huge impact the result of this war would have on the political situation and landscape of the Balkans.

How much they could accomplish in this city just by riding on Kyunroe’s incomparably soaring status.

Everyone was instinctively sensing it and trying to create a board to maximize their gains in their respective factions.

“In any case, it is nominally a victory for the Magic Tower belonging to the Great City. It would be good for the City Council to commemorate and celebrate this.”

“But we need someone to take responsibility for the outer district being swept away. First, let’s hold a hearing to summon Kyunroe, and then discuss the distribution of rewards…”

“Are you crazy? Are you saying we should hold another hearing against a transcendent who has reached such an asymmetrical power now?”

“The entire central district will fall into panic. Calling him to an official setting must be done with utmost caution.”

“At least, if we don’t come up with a plausible justification, the citizens’ reaction will become uncontrollable.”

A sharp confrontation between those who were wary of Kyunroe’s power and madness, and the senators who were friendly to Kyunroe.

At the moment when the senators gathered in the chairman’s office were discussing future responses and checking each other.

“Senator Meyer.”

The Speaker of the Upper House, who was sitting at the end of the chairman’s office, stood up from his seat.

Walking with a cane, the Speaker stood in front of the bowing old man and looked down at him with a blank face.

Meyer, who slowly raised his gaze, met the Speaker’s eyes.

“…Speaker.”

“From this time forward, I will delegate all authority of the City Council regarding the post-war processing of the subjugation battle to you.”

The middle-aged man, who swept back his thick black hair, said calmly to Meyer.

“Now that Dead Rise has lost and Ethan Bajur has died, there are a lot of things that the higher-ups need to deal with regarding the project.”

“……”

“The Central Council and the City Government, as well as the Council of Elders, will move to deal with the aftermath of the project. In the meantime, we need someone to set the direction of the Council.”

The Speaker of the Upper House said quietly to the silent Meyer, as if proclaiming it.

“I believe you understand what it means for me to say this to you.”

“……”

Meyer was the senator who was closest to Kyunroe within the City Council, and who had openly sided with him.

He was also an extreme hawk who had consistently argued that the Legion should be rejected and Kyunroe should be helped in the subjugation battle.

A powerful figure who quickly changed positions within the Central Council and gained a high position.

At this point, what it meant for the Speaker of the Upper House to hand over the authority for post-war processing of the subjugation battle to Meyer.

While other senators, who understood that fact, turned their gaze with strange expressions or clicked their tongues in dismay.

“I understand. I’ll do it.”

Meyer, who slowly stood up with his cane, said.

“Assign Senator Haven as my aide. I need his connections.”

“As I said, all matters related to the subjugation battle are left to your judgment.”

The Speaker said with a blank face.

“I will allow you to freely use all personnel and budget of the City Council.”

With that said, the Speaker turned around and left the chairman’s office without hesitation.

Some of the elderly senators, who were of a similar age to the Speaker, naturally followed him.

Meyer momentarily forgot even the current situation and looked at their backs.

The reason why he had desperately seized power and aimed for the position of mayor.

The secret related to his son’s death was within reach.

But, even so-

Meyer desperately regained his reason and slowly turned his gaze.

The great magician who had greatly helped Meyer, who was a local leader in the outer Balkan area, to get to this position.

Even to make the victory that Kyunroe had achieved in this war into the maximum benefit, there were too many things to do.

“Senator Haven.”

“Yes. Senator Meyer. I’m here.”

Meyer nodded to Conrad Haven, who was smiling leisurely.

“From this time forward, I will lift the martial law that has been imposed throughout the Balkans. Announce that the war is over and allow passage between districts and financial transactions.”

“I understand. I’ll take care of it right away.”

“Also, freely release the embargo on all media and news outlets related to the subjugation battle.”

“…Yes?”

“At this point, there’s no reason to hide and conceal the results of the war. Especially if we need investment and budget for post-war processing.”

Meyer smiled at Conrad’s slightly bewildered face.

“Aren’t you curious what kind of reaction will come back after we announce the results of this war to the entire continent?”