Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1251

It was late afternoon, and not a single customer had come to Jenny’s bar in Sector 49.

A faint ray of sunlight peeked through the door, illuminating the dark lobby in a tranquil scene.

In this seemingly timeless setting, Lenox silently watched Jenny.

Clink, clink.

The irregular sounds of ice and liquor being mixed filled the air.

With her back turned, Jenny spoke casually.

“The restoration of Sector 49’s infrastructure will be done in a few days. Thanks to the preservation spells I cast beforehand, reconstruction is progressing quickly.”

“I see.”

“Facility preservation spells are expensive and don’t last long, so they’re usually a waste of money, but if you know something might get wrecked like this, it’s definitely worth it. I saved a ton on insurance because of it.”

Jenny shrugged.

“Our idiots got a little hurt, but no one died. Most of the injuries were so minor that they didn’t even qualify for Uroboros’s ‘Cycle’ [a system for healing and regeneration].”

“…”

“The bigger problem is dealing with the captured prisoners and spoils of war. And the amount of tank and armored vehicle wreckage piled up in the outer sectors… If we’re not careful, we might have to cover the disposal costs ourselves, you know?”

Without waiting for Lenox’s reply, Jenny grumbled.

“It’s not like we started the war, so there’s no way we’re paying for it. We’ll definitely coordinate with the Outer Sector Management Bureau and pass it on to the city government. Do they really think they can win a battle of justification?”

“I’ll help. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, I’m not really worried. All the really dangerous stuff is over, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

Jenny shrugged.

“Thanks to all the insurance you set up, Ban, I’m fine. Of course, we need to check for trauma and aftereffects, but we’re sending people for checkups as we have time, so it should be okay.”

“I’ll personally check on the condition of the Tower’s colleagues and associates later.”

Lenox said, slowly running his finger across the table.

“Although everything is over, it wouldn’t be strange if a war like this broke out again. This subjugation was also a stage for me to experiment with what I can do in preparation for that time.”

“…”

“It’s only possible because you’re handling so much of the Tower’s work. If it weren’t for that, it would have been difficult to use the Labyrinth [a complex, interconnected network of magical spaces] so extensively in this war.”

“Well, you don’t have to praise me like that now. I know what I can do.”

Jenny looked away, seemingly embarrassed.

Her voice was much faster than before.

“In the end, the hardest thing is winning the war. Ban, if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have handled things this way. I might have tried to find allies to minimize losses, or even give up a lot of rights to the city government to bring them in.”

“…”

“Well, it’s all in the past, and everything is going great for us, so don’t worry. This kind of work is what I’m best at. The reason I started working as a broker in the first place was because I knew I didn’t have the talent to be in the field-”

At that moment, Jenny’s rapid-fire words suddenly stopped.

The clattering of the shaker faded and then ceased.

Jenny stood with her back turned, silently looking down at the shaker.

“…”

But Lenox didn’t ask Jenny anything and quietly waited.

The reason Lenox came to see Jenny first thing after waking up.

The reason he was chatting with her in the bar like before.

The Iron Fortress subjugation. The annihilation of Kaise Bajur and the death of Ethan Bajur.

The end result for Jenny, who had all her talents taken away in their deal and was left alone.

How should she, the sole survivor of the Bajur bloodline, accept this fact?

She deserved to hear everything Lenox had done so far.

And the opposite was also true.

“Even a kid who doesn’t know anything could make a cocktail.”

Jenny suddenly spoke, as if remembering something.

“I was clumsy with my body, so I wasn’t good at anything. Even when I managed to get a job, I would quickly make mistakes and get fired.”

“…”

“I learned to read and studied accounting with an old textbook Jordan gave me. I thought there would be a demand for someone like me somewhere since there’s a lot of demand for work involving money.”

Jenny put down the scoop and spoke as if reminiscing.

“I got a certificate and sent out my resume, but no one would hire me. At first, I thought my fake ID had been discovered. But that wasn’t it.”

“…”

Ethan had made a deal directly with the city council, as well as with Kaise, to protect his daughter.

It was unclear what he had to give to the city council for that, but it was clearly a kind of insurance to protect Jenny’s safety.

As a result, it was not surprising that Jenny could not be officially affiliated with any company or organization under the city council’s watch.

A normal, degraded Bajur bloodline without the talent to defy the heavens, posing no threat.

If the city council evaluated Jenny like that and gave her no attention other than keeping her alive.

“I lived my whole life hearing that person’s name.”

Jenny said quietly.

“I had to carry that name around like a tag my whole life.”

“…”

“I thought I had met that person, but it turns out that wasn’t even true. It seems like the things I remembered meant nothing to that person.”

“…Jenny.”

Jenny’s talent to defy the heavens was the kind that ignored all regressions associated with the Bajur name.

That was why she vaguely remembered the times she had met Kaise and Ethan as a child.

How would Jenny feel about the fact that those memories, which remained like broken film, didn’t even exist in the current timeline?

“Why did they keep me alive?”

Jenny’s hand holding the shaker was pale.

“Was it enough for that person if I just stayed alive, unable to do anything?”

“…”

What must her life have been like, bound to a name that meant nothing for her entire life?

How hard must Jenny have worked to achieve the life she had now, before she met Lenox?

That was why Lenox couldn’t offer Jenny any words of comfort.

He understood and accepted what Ethan had to give up for his daughter, and what Kaise wanted so badly, so he knew he had no right to comment on Jenny’s life, which had been swept up in their decisions.

What Lenox could do for Jenny was always-

“Jenny.”

-to help her choose.

“If you want… I can return the talent to defy the heavens that you had.”

“…”

At Lenox’s quiet words, Jenny’s body froze as if she had turned to stone.

Lenox quietly said, looking at her back.

“I can do it now. It won’t take long.”

“…”

“If you want… I’ll help you find out everything you’ve been curious about.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s a right you should have had from the beginning.”

Lenox said quietly.

“If you want to reclaim the time you’ve lost… you should be able to do that.”

“…”

“You can choose.”

Lenox met Jenny’s pale gaze and spoke softly.

“If that’s what I have to do in place of Kaise and Ethan.”

Silence fell.

It was probably because Jenny also understood what Lenox was saying.

The talent to defy the heavens that had once clearly existed within her.

A possibility that Kaise and Ethan had severed through a deal, one that she believed would never return.

If she could regain it, the things Jenny could do would be very different from now.

She might be able to train in abandoned spells or martial arts and become a high-ranking transcendent [a being that has surpassed normal human limitations].

Instead of being satisfied with supporting Lenox, she might be able to fight alongside him on the front lines.

She knew it. She had always wanted it. She just hadn’t shown it and had been suppressing it.

The efforts and practice that had always felt meaningless. The athletic ability that made her feel self-conscious. Even while working as a broker, she had been secretly concerned about-

“…No.”

The moment her thoughts reached that point, the answer naturally flowed from within Jenny.

Thud!

Jenny, who had been holding the shaker, put it down.

Jenny poured the finished cocktail into a glass and said.

“I don’t want to do that. I don’t need the talent to defy the heavens.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve already made my choice.”

Jenny looked at Lenox with a calm expression.

Just like when she had made up her mind and chosen during her conversation with Baragan.

“This is who I am now. Even if I’m clumsy and lacking, I’m myself, including all the time I’ve lived.”

“…”

“I don’t want to abandon the feelings I had when I was suffering, giving up, and still trying… because that’s something that can’t be undone.”

Jenny smiled as she pushed the glass towards Lenox.

“So, I’m not going back. I’ll choose and decide what I want myself.”

“…I see.”

Jenny was the only person who had officially inherited the Uroboros magic system from Lenox.

She didn’t know much about spells or structures, but she was still one of the people who best understood Lenox’s answers.

Perhaps it was a philosophy of life that Jenny had gained from watching Lenox as his partner for a long time.

Jenny crossed her arms, looking at Lenox, who was silently drinking, with a sulky expression.

“More than anything, I have no intention of abandoning the Uroboros I learned from you. Are you telling me to take such a huge loss now?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Okay. So, you don’t need a disciple who started learning late in life?”

“…”

Regaining the talent to defy the heavens meant refilling the potential and talent that had originally existed within Jenny.

In that process, it was natural that the Uroboros magic system she had inherited from Lenox would be lost.

Jenny had understood and pointed that out, even though Lenox hadn’t told her.

That was possible because Jenny also understood Uroboros that deeply.

“Anyway, I understand. If that’s what you think, there’s no need to talk about this issue any further.”

Lenox cleared his throat and got up from his seat.

“The drink was good. I’ll put it on my tab today.”

“Ban, wait a minute. Even if you don’t, there’s a place I need to go with you regarding the reconstruction of the Magic Tower-”

Lenox turned away as if he hadn’t heard Jenny and headed out of the bar.

“Ah, I said wait! As soon as I finish cleaning up…!!”

It was impossible to know if what Lenox thought was true. It was also impossible to know if he wanted Jenny to know it.

However, it was enough if he knew that Jenny valued her own choices.

That was why Lenox could get up from his seat without any further regrets.

“Why are you making such a nasty face?”

“…Phaisha.”

A rough voice that sounded familiar.

A tall woman with disheveled hair was leaning against the wall of the passage leading out of the bar.

She was hiding in the shade, glaring at him with a crooked look, as if the pouring sunlight was bothering her.

Lenox, who was about to verbally beat her up as usual, changed his mind.

“I think the one who’s really making a nasty face is you, for secretly eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.”

“What? Ha!! Who would want to eavesdrop on your conversation…!!”

“Is that not it? Then what’s the reason you appeared in front of me as if you were waiting for me?”

“Damn it, is that even a question!!!”

Phaisha’s face twisted like a demon, and she emitted a fierce killing intent.

“You asked me to watch over Jenisia Bajur!!! I even fought to the death with that Baragan bastard because of that, and this damn bastard…!!!”

“Yes. I did.”

Lenox nodded obediently.

“Thank you. I owe you one this time.”

“…What?”

Phaisha was speechless at Lenox’s unexpected answer.

Lenox quietly spoke, ignoring Phaisha’s reaction.

“During the meeting, you broke the taboo and told me about the talent to defy the heavens, so I was able to quickly find a clue.”

“…”

“If it hadn’t been for the story I heard then, it would have taken me longer to reach the answer. I’m grateful for that.”

The day after the Anathema incident, when Phaisha and Jenny met for the first time.

At that time, Phaisha had broken the taboo for Jenny and revealed some of the truth about the project.

A fatal secret that completely negated the existing argument that Ethan wanted to completely sever the talent to defy the heavens.

It was because of that moment that Lenox was able to realize that Kaise and Ethan’s goals were different and exploit that gap.

How much time had it taken to understand and recognize the truth of the project, which he hadn’t understood at the time, in a proper form, after a long time?

Everything had been there for a long time, in a form that Lenox could understand.

“…Ha.”

Phaisha also knew what Lenox was talking about.

The memory of the day she had broken the taboo and told Jenny the truth, saying she was looking for a place to die.

She had survived that day, and had come all the way here.

She couldn’t hide her complicated expression and looked away.

“If you know… if you know, that’s enough. That’s all I need.”

“…”

Phaisha lowered her head as if hiding her expression from Lenox, and muttered painfully.

“What kind of heart I followed Bajur-nim [a respectful term for a leader or master] with… now, that’s all I need…”

“Did you meet Kaise?”

“…Yes.”

Phaisha roughly turned her body.

She took a breath and opened her mouth in a hoarse voice.

“We are soldiers. Dying on the battlefield is our job, and the others must have been prepared for that too.”

“…”

“But in the end, I don’t think I was a good… adjutant for him.”

She turned her back and raised her gaze weakly.

She looked up at the pouring sunlight and quietly muttered.

“In the end, I didn’t understand him. I didn’t… accept his words.”

“…”

“That wasn’t something I was good at. Still, I tried to understand him in the end, but…”

Phaisha Grisburn was a war orphan who was taken in by Kaise and had been loyal to him her entire life.

She had made a name for herself as a powerful general of Dead Rise, but her essence was always closer to a watchdog who followed her master.

She was a spearwoman who could find meaning in life by being loyal, regardless of what Kaise wanted or wished for.

Before everything ended, Phaisha had also tried to understand Kaise’s true feelings, even belatedly.

But as with everything in the project, everything was too late now.

“…It seems that he didn’t mind the fact that the end was brought about by your hands.”

Phaisha said quietly.

“If that’s the case, then that’s enough…”

“…”

“If that was the ending he wanted…”

“Yes.”

Lenox walked past Phaisha.

“You’ve grown up. You were like a child before.”

“…Damn it, do you really want to die?!!!”

Ignoring Phaisha, who was shouting fiercely from behind, Lenox took out his phone.

Jenny would be very busy with the Tower’s work, so it would be better not to contact her for a while.

Even without that, Lenox had so many things to deal with that it was better not to waste his attention.

“Phaisha.”

Lenox turned to look at Phaisha, who was stomping her feet, unable to charge at him.

“Please take care of Jenny. She’ll have a lot to do in the future.”

“Ha! Who would follow your orders…!!”

Phaisha laughed at Lenox’s words as if she had been waiting for them, but Lenox was no longer worried about her.

The reason she was still in this city even after meeting Kaise and the subjugation was over.

He knew that she had already found a reason to live here.

Lenox walked past Phaisha, who was scoffing, towards the outer streets of Sector 49.

He had finished the most important task, so now he had to start the post-war processing in earnest.

All sorts of diverse and complex issues were piled up in his phone messages and inbox.

He had already decided which one to prioritize first. But-

Beep.

Lenox, who had been walking down a street that was still under construction, stopped in his tracks.

Davie tilted his head next to Lenox, who was looking at his phone screen.

[Master?]

“…A message just arrived through Conrad Haven’s line.”

Lenox said, slowly turning around.

“It seems like I need to contact the city government first.”

[Well, it’s important to coordinate with the higher-ups about this matter.]

Davie naturally climbed onto Lenox’s shoulder.

[Come to think of it, it might be fun to storm the Central Council and turn things upside down-]

“No. It’s not about the city council. It’s someone higher up.”

[Someone higher up?]

Was there a figure of power in this city who could be called higher than a senator of the Central Council?

Davie stretched out his tail to check the message that had just arrived on Lenox’s phone.

“The Balkan Mayor wants a private meeting with me.”

[…Ah.]

The Balkan Mayor. A powerful figure who had made a deal with Kaise about the project’s scenario in his regression.

A figure who had openly declared that he would gather the scenarios of the failed project and use them in the next regression.

If the powerful figure, who had held his position for decades after Kaise’s death, wanted to meet Lenox now, there could only be one reason.

[Where is it?]

“Sector 19.”

Lenox’s eyes turned cold as he put his phone away.

“It seems like it’s time to enter the most dangerous closed area in this city.”

Even after the Black Consumer Project was over, there were still lingering regrets and secrets.

There were things that started anew only after a huge ending had been reached.

It was time to meet the most powerful figure at the top of this city.