Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1262

Target Designation Resistance.

A power that grants resistance to all kinds of spells and abilities that are activated by designating a specific target.

It was a talent he had possessed since the moment he opened his eyes in this world, and almost the only positive ‘effect’ Lenox had.

Thanks to Target Designation Resistance, Lenox had been able to move between various identities without being caught by any kind of search spell.

It was like he was constantly surrounded by a powerful advantage that not only prevented him from being tracked but also protected him from curses and debuffs.

Although it didn’t often play a decisive role in battles, it was an incredibly powerful talent that organically supported all of Lenox’s actions.

Therefore, Lenox had always been aware of the power and usefulness of Target Designation Resistance and had actively utilized it.

But he also knew that it was a powerful trait and talent of a different dimension than simple resistance.

That Target Designation Resistance, unlike other sorcerers, possessed a freedom that was not limited to spells or supernatural abilities.

That it was an absolute talent, to the point that even a powerful trait-type sorcerer like the Grafting Art Master could not stand against its resistance.

Therefore, he had occasionally thought about the origin of Target Designation Resistance, but-

He never imagined that he would hear its name directly from the mouth of an imperial family member.

Much less that it was a talent the Emperor had tried to obtain even while becoming an Outer God [a being from beyond the known world, often associated with chaos and immense power].

‘……’

He had to manage his expression to suppress his rampaging thoughts.

The moment he heard Ezekiel’s answer, countless possibilities and questions followed one after another, engulfing his consciousness.

A power free from the constraints of all things. A trait free from the ‘designation’ of cause and fate.

The [possibility] that the Emperor had tried to obtain even while becoming an Outer God.

‘……So, the Emperor leaving the Empire wasn’t just a figure of speech.’

Lenox murmured quietly.

‘He literally left this world… and became one of those gods of the sea?’

‘……’

‘If he wanted that possibility even while becoming the end of the outer sea, if he wanted my talent as a way to avoid the designation of fate……’

Whioooo!

In the chillingly calm air, Lenox asked quietly.

‘What exactly was Ars Nova [a term that seems to refer to a specific project or plan]?’

‘……Well.’

Ezekiel answered.

The blue blood flowing down his wrist was slowly stopping.

Looking down at the wound where the bleeding was quickly stopping, the royal said,

‘Ascension and Reversal are like two sides of the same coin, so choosing one side doesn’t mean you can completely abandon the other.’

‘……’

‘We dreamed of saving the world by making great transcendents and ascendants [beings who have surpassed normal limitations] the generals of the Empire, but we had to fall as quickly as we prospered.’

Chik, chijijik…!!!

The flowing true blood, at some point, mixed with intense noise and evaporated.

A strange feeling, as if the true blood was being rapidly consumed as a substitute for the price of Ezekiel’s answer.

Only then did Lenox realize that not a single drop of the true blood Ezekiel had shed remained beneath his feet.

Then, the reason Ezekiel had shed his blood before starting the conversation was from the beginning-

‘Perhaps it would have been better if we hadn’t known until the end.’

Ezekiel said calmly, his hand hanging down.

‘Maybe the Emperor even knew that. That’s why he left us and headed to the sea alone.’

‘……Ezekiel. You……’

Crack, crackle…!!!

Cracks formed on Ezekiel’s fingertips where the true blood had dried, and flesh and skin crumbled.

But even as he looked down at his crumbling hand, Ezekiel spoke in a steady tone.

‘I didn’t know if he truly got what he wanted. Maybe he never had the right to begin with.’

‘……’

‘But it is clear that the answer we ultimately missed is on the other side of the veil.’

Crack!

From the tip of his finger where the true blood had dried, the royal’s hand shattered into dust and disappeared.

In the frozen silence, the royal whispered, not even caring about Lenox’s gaze.

‘The inhuman hellscape created by using the central organs of the imperial palace and the remains of the great generals as a tomb… the legacy of Ars Nova that is abandoned there.’

‘……That’s.’

‘Beyond that lies the key to opening the sunken gates of the imperial palace.’

Ezekiel said.

‘A mythical artifact that is only allowed to be used by past ascendants. Or a pseudo-authority created to kill ascendants… a departure from fate that is only allowed to those who have obtained the qualifications for ascension.’

‘……’

‘You know why I’m telling you this, right?’

Is he responding to this question and answer because he knows that Lenox has obtained power comparable to ascension through the subjugation war?

If it is because only beings like him are qualified to attack the hellscape beyond the central front.

If Ezekiel is trying to fulfill his role or duty here.

Lenox-

Slam.

There was no answer. The door was already open before Ezekiel finished speaking.

A tall woman wearing a transparent veil stood in front of the office door, her splendid robe fluttering.

The owner of this district, where Lenox and Ezekiel had been talking until just now.

Oliviera Ron Maze was already standing in front of the office, looking at the two of them.

Whioooo!

[……]

A warm breeze blew, but the surrounding air was endlessly cool.

At this moment, when the two veiled figures faced each other across the office.

Lenox also put aside the previous conversation and quietly watched them.

Oliviera and Ezekiel Ron Maze.

Lenox also knew that the two people who used the same name were born in the same place and shared blood.

One fact that he had vaguely guessed since the moment he heard Ezekiel’s name before the subjugation war began.

Perhaps, the moment of reunion he had been waiting for since the end of the subjugation war.

[Surely, I told you to wait until I arrived.]

It was Oliviera who spoke first.

She, who had resonated the Six Harmonies [likely a reference to a specific magical technique or ability], spoke in a cold tone, her magic eyes flashing behind her veil.

[You couldn’t even wait that short time and ended up shedding blood. You’re still as disobedient as ever.]

‘Waiting has been going on for too long, sister.’

Ezekiel answered quietly.

‘I had to endure until now, until he was ready after the subjugation war. Any more than this is meaningless.’

[That’s absurd. I clearly remember you not even glancing at outsiders from outside the imperial palace.]

She, who had created a voice by resonating her unique magical power, spoke with a low chuckle.

[Did that magician boy please you more than you thought, enough to surpass your innate arrogance?]

‘It would be foolish and ignorant not to acknowledge his specialness.’

Ezekiel affirmed.

‘He already understands the meaning of ascension. He doesn’t cling to a realm he hasn’t reached yet and tries to find the right answer.’

[……]

‘He is even considering the timing while wielding transcendence in his hands. It’s meaningless to even say it’s a matter of time as to what kind of being he will become.’

[So, you tried to mislead him by even speaking carelessly about a conclusion that hasn’t been decided yet?]

‘Ultimately, it’s up to him to choose either way.’

Ezekiel closed his eyes at Oliviera’s mockery.

‘I was able to confirm what kind of being he is through this war. If he has the qualifications and the power, I will just pass on what I know.’

Having said that, Ezekiel passed by Oliviera and moved his steps.

‘If that man is the end of this world, I think I can accept it.’

[……]

Oliviera did not answer that.

She just watched Ezekiel’s back as he disappeared down the hallway, her arms crossed.

As Lenox took out a cigarette while looking at Oliviera, she opened her mouth.

[You’re late in coming.]

‘There were things I had to take care of first, in many ways……’

[Are you talking about everything you watched in the Old Aeon [likely a past era or timeline]?]

‘……’

Lenox, with a cigarette in his mouth, remained silent.

Lenox also knew what Oliviera was talking about.

The corpse of Kaiser Bajur that he had faced at the end of the outer city where he had arrived with Oliviera.

Where his true end, left with his head cut off, had started and ended.

Surely, she would have known as well.

Oliviera was not an outsider who had followed the project like Lenox, but the only person involved who had started the project with Kaiser.

What kind of heart Kaiser had repeated his regressions infinitely and failed, and what memory he could not give up until the end.

What his determination was that he tried to take with him until the end, broken and distorted, she would have known all of it.

Even so, the reason she didn’t tell Lenox directly was-

[This isn’t a story to be told in a place like this.]

Oliviera said in a calm voice as she turned her body.

[Let’s move to another place. There’s a good place.]

Swaaaa…!!

The Cartel headquarters building, soaring high into the sky.

The existence of a vast sky garden that was draped over the street where high-rise buildings lined up.

There was no one in the resting area, which was created by connecting the buildings like bridges and creating an artificial garden on top of them.

It was proof that the Cartel had completely emptied the headquarters building for today’s meeting.

Fwoosh!

The smoke from the cigarette scattered with the wind, rising high and disappearing without a trace.

Lenox, feeling the wind blowing, silently followed Oliviera.

Each time they walked through the beautifully landscaped garden, Oliviera’s robe fluttered.

[It’s not as sad as I thought.]

‘……’

[Is it because I’ve already mourned in advance that my heart isn’t wavering, even though we’ve been together for so long? Or……]

Oliviera, who slowly raised her gaze, said.

[From the Old Aeon, did I already think that it might end like this?]

‘……Oliviera.’

[I might have known the moment Kaiser entrusted the ending to Edan.]

Oliviera’s resonance mixed with the wind and scattered faintly as if it would disappear.

[I might have been trying to ignore it. That he would never make such a choice……]

‘……’

[I think I already let go of Kaiser within me at that time.]

After winning against Maleon in Kundara.

Lenox, along with Oliviera, searched for the remains of the Old Aeon that had crashed on the western front and burned Kaiser’s remains completely.

Oliviera knew what the true meaning of the mourning they had shared over the remains of Kaiser Bajur that they had cremated at that time was.

When you think about it, Oliviera Ron Maze had always been like that.

Even though she was standing at the moment when everything began, she didn’t lament her situation where she was bound by restrictions and couldn’t say anything.

Even while mourning an irreversible failure, even in the moment when her life was in danger or she was facing death, she was always like that.

‘From the beginning, you weren’t a collaborator of the imperial palace or an ordinary noble.’

Lenox said.

‘Your name itself… was it a meaning that referred to the direct bloodline of the imperial palace?’

[……]

‘What is the privilege of the imperial family?’

Lenox asked quietly, facing Oliviera who did not answer.

‘What is it that made Ezekiel try to convey the answer while consuming his true blood?’

[The imperial family of Ars Nova is the result of a cursed mating created through meticulous genetic manipulation and selection.]

Oliviera said.

[There are roles and positions that are determined before birth, and there are duties that must be shouldered… we called that mission a privilege.]

‘……A mission?’

[Instead of moving along a predetermined life path for the rest of their lives, they are granted transcendent-level corrections for all actions related to it.]

Oliviera slowly moved her steps.

[Talent, luck, connections… they grow by attracting all the causes necessary to fulfill their ‘role’, and eventually become parts of fate.]

‘……’

[Our fate is steeped in depravity and taboo from the moment we are born. We are strongly bound and subordinated to it every moment.]

Oliviera’s hand, which was holding her wrist, turned white.

[A bloodline mixed with true blood is closer to a curse than glory… we always had to bind our names to maintain ourselves.]

The reason why Oliviera Ron Maze left the Empire and traveled all over the continent to study magic.

The reason why she participated in the project with Kaiser, and even after failing, twisted her lineage towards the magic eye.

Was all of that part of an attempt to twist the trajectory of fate that she was born with?

[I traveled all over the continent looking for a way… and I met Kaiser.]

Oliviera said quietly.

[It would be a lie if I said I didn’t dream of success while spending thousands of nights.]

‘……’

[After thousands of failures, I learned too late that there are things that should not be known.]

‘That’s why you used the restrictions to keep the project and the existence of the imperial palace secret.’

[Many of the things that the imperial palace tried while inviting its own destruction are still in the realm of causality that has not been ‘observed’.]

Oliviera, who turned her body towards Lenox at the end of the garden, said calmly.

[The end of my blood relative, the Emperor, is also like that. Since it is a result that no one has observed, we do not yet know if it is the truth.]

‘……’

[The sunken imperial palace beyond the veil that extends from the end of the sea of understanding… an unfathomable horizon that no one has yet observed.]

‘That’s……’

[My blood relative told you that fact because he judged that you were qualified to choose… but my thoughts are a little different.]

Behind the veil, her rainbow-colored magic eyes flickered faintly with complex emotions.

[We have had many failures, but we didn’t even know if the answer was on the other side. We couldn’t even be sure if that was the right answer.]

‘……’

[Even so, I thought it was right to find the answer myself rather than relying on the imperial palace, and I have come this far… but now I’m not sure if that was right.]

Oliviera said, looking at Lenox.

[Since all of that was my own choice, I can only say that I did my best to change fate.]

‘……I see.’

It is not known whether the answer lies within the ruined imperial palace beyond the veil.

It is not even known whether what exists within it is the right answer.

The fact that she is telling Lenox this now is to balance Lenox’s choice, unlike Ezekiel.

He could understand why Oliviera thought so.

He could understand why she was subtly suggesting such a recommendation to Lenox.

After all, if he was just going to meet the same end as Kaiser, who had failed even after accepting the cooperation of the imperial palace-

‘We were able to come this far because we dreamed of the same thing but saw different things.’

[Kyonroe.]

‘Oliviera. I am no longer swayed or influenced by the answers or failures of others.’

Lenox closed his eyes.

‘The reason I watch them now is to take even their failures to the next step without leaving them meaningless.’

[……]

‘I will go beyond the central front to the sunken imperial palace. In the end, that will be the only way to leave meaning in all my journeys.’

Perhaps, the Balkan market might have already known.

That no matter what secrets he heard, Lenox’s answer would not change.

That Lenox would not change his direction even after obtaining information about the imperial palace.

That might be why he didn’t rush even after telling him about the remaining mysteries in District 19.

If he understood through the subjugation war that Lenox valued choices more than anyone else, and that he tried to respect even the answers of others.

If he understood that he was trying to watch all those failures and destructions and sublimate them into a process.

Lenox, who had burned the cigarette with his bare hands, said as he scattered all the remaining smoke.

‘But before that, I think there is one way to discuss the problem you are worried about.’

[What nonsense are you spouting?]

‘If what you say is true, the privilege of the imperial family is ultimately a curse and a mission engraved in blood… a problem that is deeply related to the true blood itself.’

Lenox slowly turned his gaze.

‘I have some research results that I suspect about that part. It might be a meaningful clue.’

[……Research results?]

‘It would be good to set aside some time soon.’

Lenox smiled as he looked at Oliviera.

‘Evan Bailon’s fourth paper will be released soon.’

* * *

District 44 of the giant city of Balkan.

Alejandro Murphy’s ward, where the mercenaries of the Tower are being treated, instead of District 49, which was ruined by the aftermath of the subjugation war.

The spacious ward, where a vampire once lived alone, had become noisy with the screams of people.

‘Kkyaaaak?! Kkeuk? Eugegegek!!’

Dylan was writhing on the bed with a red and blue face.

A syringe the size of an arm was stuck diagonally in his back, shaking.

The vampire doctor, Murphy, who was turning over a sample next to the bed, frowned.

‘It’s so noisy. Shut your mouth, it’s distracting.’

‘I, I feel like I’m going to die… I, is this supposed to hurt this much- Kkeheeeeb!!!’

The needle stuck in his back shook at the same time as Murphy flicked the syringe, and Dylan’s scream intensified.

Looking at Dylan’s writhing figure, Murphy said indifferently.

‘I’m taking your serum and bone marrow to check for abnormalities. It’s natural that it hurts since I’m touching the nerve bundles in your spine.’

‘T, that shouldn’t be natural… shouldn’t you at least give me anesthesia…!!’

‘If I use an anesthetic strong enough to work on your regenerative body, the cell activity will decrease, making it difficult to collect a normal sample. It’s all because you have a different body than humans, so endure it.’

Dylan O’Casey was the only survivor of the Order’s immortal experiments.

He had a regenerative ability that was incomparable to any other superhuman, but rather because of that, it was difficult to find the injuries inherent in his body with ordinary checkups.

One week after the end of the subjugation war. The mercenaries and sorcerers belonging to the Tower were undergoing examinations under Murphy’s guidance to see if there were any aftereffects or side effects of the battle.

‘Kyonroe gave a message that all the superhumans who fought on the front lines should undergo a thorough examination. You’re not thinking of ignoring the words of the magician you worship, are you?’

‘B, Ban might change his mind a little if he sees this… Kkyaaaak!!!’

Dylan’s screams echoed throughout the spacious ward corridor.

Felix, who was sitting in the opposite ward and receiving an examination, smiled bitterly.

‘He seems to be in more pain than when he was fighting the legion in the labyrinth.’

Beep, beep-

Each time he placed his arm on his knee and clenched and opened his fist, a signal sounded regularly through the electrodes attached to his arm.

Each time, a green light came on on the measuring device screen, indicating that there was no abnormality in Felix’s senses.

The bird-headed giant, who was gently moving his arms and shoulders according to the medical staff’s instructions, shook his head.

‘I guess the checkup can’t be done normally since he has regenerative abilities. Dylan must be having a hard time in many ways.’

‘It’s possible that you guys were affected in some way during the upheaval of District 49. It can’t be helped.’

Lenox said, leaning against the wall of the ward.

‘Even if there are no visible injuries, there may be something wrong somewhere. We need to check it now to prevent problems later.’

‘Hmm. I certainly think that this kind of checkup is necessary since we finished a big war, but……’

In the subjugation war, Lenox had been constantly changing the environment of the labyrinth located in District 49 as he engaged in the final battle.

It was natural that the Tower’s comrades who were fighting the legion in that labyrinth were unknowingly affected by the changing environment of the territory.

Even if they seemed fine on the outside, they could have been exposed to the thoughts or magical power of the Incarnate [a being that embodies a specific concept or power], and the side effects could have accumulated in their minds and bodies.

Checking the safety of his comrades who had risked their lives on the battlefield was one of the things that Lenox had to handle directly.

‘Don’t worry. There were a few things I needed to check through this checkup, even if it’s not an injury.’

‘Things to check?’

‘There was one power that I gave to you for this war and then took back.’

The possibility that Lenox was trying to obtain through this war was not only the bifurcation point of the Extreme Thunder.

Apart from obtaining transcendence through the Incarnate, another growth he had attempted using the labyrinth and the territory.

Paat!!

A golden halo rose and began to rotate in Lenox’s hand.

The oval-shaped halo rotated rapidly, and the moment it began to shine brilliantly like an eye.

Lenox smiled as he held out the slowly opening Ouroboros [a symbol of a serpent eating its own tail, often representing cycles and infinity] in front of Felix.

‘A new form of Ouroboros. It’s about the Apostle Transformation.’