Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 191

Grisha, noticing the strange desire flickering in her eyes, gave a wry smile.

It was only natural.

Grisha had traveled all over the Autonomous Region with Renok and had witnessed his capabilities firsthand, but this was likely the first time Lapis had seen Renok in action.

He had encountered countless talented individuals during his time wandering the Western Resistance Front.

Many were intelligent, and many were strong enough to hold their own.

However, no one had ever demonstrated so perfectly the ability to create a strategy and manipulate it as he wished, as Renok had shown Lapis.

If they could continue to fight alongside someone like this, if they could entrust strategy and judgment to him in future battles.

How reassuring would that be?

He was someone who could single-handedly shift the tide of a conflict.

No matter how the future war unfolded, they could never have enough people with this kind of ability.

“We’ll need a gift to reward him for what he’s done.”

Lapis knew she couldn’t keep him around for long based solely on her tenuous connection to her grandmother.

Ultimately, to secure Renok’s willing cooperation, the power of the Azure Eye organization, and what they could offer him, would be crucial.

The idea that any sacrifice was worth it had taken root in Lapis’s mind, a significant shift from her previous mindset.

* * *

“…Data collection complete. Dominic Cavaro’s consciousness has been lost. Terminating the project.”

“Hoo…”

In the freezing cold, a soft sigh dissipated like frost.

A snickering laugh echoed from beside him.

“To think that alchemy in World 1 would have such a fatal weakness. You’ve been thoroughly outmaneuvered.”

“Yes. Even though there was a clear signal of consciousness returning at the end, the attempt was completely blocked by some kind of interference. The specific circumstances are difficult to speculate on since I didn’t directly observe the battlefield, but it’s clear there’s a flaw in the process of transferring consciousness.”

“Halt all research on alchemy and reallocate all personnel and assets related to this project. Prepare it.”

A cold voice echoed, but there was no reply.

Other attendants had already relayed the voice’s intention to the other side of the continent.

Next to him, with a growling sound like a beast, someone spoke with chilling murderous intent.

“Hey, clown. You wasted my precious time, and you’re going to end it like this? Do you think I flew all this way to watch your little games fall apart?”

“Oh, how scary… If you want to live long, how about controlling your temper?”

The snickering voice replied casually.

“The important thing is, isn’t this proof that we’re not the only ones who know this secret?”

“…What the hell are you talking about?”

It wasn’t surprising that this brute couldn’t understand; it was nothing new.

However, it wasn’t difficult to give this monster, who had no sense of belonging, a plausible explanation.

“The mage dispatched from the Blaver Magic Tower succeeded in killing the homunculus [an artificially created human] on the spot. That’s impossible unless they knew the secret of alchemy from the start.”

“So, you’re just saying you lost because you’re incompetent.”

“No, to put it differently… it means they know what we know.”

The clown laughed.

“Isn’t that what we want, and doesn’t it mean they possess it?”

“You’re saying we should provoke the Magic Tower to see their reaction.”

The clown agreed with the cold voice.

“Aren’t you curious? How confident are those old fools in the Magic Tower to openly do something like this… If I’m right, they must be very arrogant right now, so let’s check it out.”

With the sound of a sharp blade, someone stood up.

“Let’s see how hot the flames of the Blaver Magic Tower are.”

“Now you’re talking some sense.”

The beast growled with satisfaction.

“So, are we starting right away? I’m ready anytime.”

“No, let’s give it two days. We need to ask the other members if they want to participate in this. Especially your senior; we should talk to him.”

“Damn it… that old man doesn’t care about us in the first place. I don’t want to see that reptile head for long.”

What the brute said wasn’t very credible, but everyone agreed with the sentiment.

Monsters who transcended common sense, especially in Pandemonium [a chaotic realm], tended to be even less interested in the organization’s affairs.

Rather, the fact that the four of them met regularly like this was rare within Pandemonium.

The boss seemed well aware of this situation but didn’t seem to want to interfere with his subordinates any more than this… but the cold voice thought differently.

He had to do everything he could.

If it was a necessary step, he would endure it without hesitation.

The reason he had brought the drug lord, who couldn’t hide his unnecessary cruelty after obtaining alchemy, into Pandemonium was because he thought his innate business sense and vast wealth would be helpful to their cause.

However, he had instead sought power that wasn’t his and had miserably failed in the area he was least confident in.

It was good to make contributions within the organization and approach the secrets of the world, but if you stumbled even once in the process, it would be irreversible.

The cold voice knew that all too well.

It was too similar to the asceticism he had once undergone to become an Ascendant [a being who has transcended normal limitations].

“At least give a heads-up to those we can reach, and if there’s no response, we’ll start on our own.”

He slowly stood up and finished.

“Our goal is to destroy the Magic Tower within half a year and confirm the secrets they’re hiding.”

* * *

Even on the other side of the continent, it wasn’t difficult to hear news that the Paragini Republic was in chaos.

And that was probably because the hand of the drug lord, who had been manipulating the Republic from the shadows, had completely disappeared.

It had been three days since the two islands collided, completely changing the terrain of the floating island cluster.

Renok, who had remained until the last moment of the island collision, had managed to escape by using Enakphil’s five fingers to cross space [a magical artifact or technique].

If he hadn’t intended to end it this way from the start, he wouldn’t have even started the plan.

In the end, the reason he chose a full-scale battle with the drug lord was because he judged that avoiding battle during the remaining duration of the barrier wouldn’t be beneficial.

Renok had to stay at the lighthouse for two more days to recover before assessing the success or failure of the plan, but it wasn’t a significant loss.

He had spent a considerable amount of time in the Autonomous Region, and he had gained a lot.

He put down the newspaper he was holding and got up from his seat.

As he left the room, the watchers who were busy walking through the hallway all greeted Renok at once.

“Mr. Evan, are you awake!”

“We’ve prepared breakfast, so please come up to the dining hall.”

“I’ll escort you first.”

“No, he might want to wash up first. Don’t be so hasty?”

Renok sighed at the sight of the watchers pushing and bickering as they quickly approached.

Just as he was about to refuse the approaching watchers and turn around, a young man with a spear blocked the others and glared at them.

“Mr. Evan still needs rest, so everyone step back. I will assist the mage.”

“Tch, Seonmyeong…”

“That’s it. If that guy sticks to us, he’ll harass us all day.”

“…”

Now that he looked at it, he seemed to have a rather bad reputation among the watchers.

The young man quickly dismissed the other watchers and turned to Renok, bowing politely.

“I’m sorry for the long wait. I’ll guide you to the dining hall.”

“Do you really have to go this far?”

The young man’s name was Seonmyeong.

It seemed that he was quite impressed by what had happened that day, as he had been following Renok and guarding him ever since.

Seonmyeong didn’t even blink at Renok’s blunt reply.

“I will be assisting you as your escort until the day you leave the Autonomous Region. Lapis has given me direct instructions, so please don’t worry too much about it.”

He said that and immediately started walking towards the ground.

Renok sighed softly and followed him.

As they ascended to the ground of the lighthouse, the bright sunlight greeted them.

In the dining hall, which was set up in a corner of the spacious hall, other watchers were already preparing meals.

Renok chose a random table and sat down.

Seonmyeong immediately stood like a post behind him, glaring around with his fierce eyes.

“…”

What kind of escort was he doing in this lighthouse full of watchers?

He was a very annoying guy.

Too lazy to say anything, Renok just turned his head towards the outside of the lighthouse.

Warm sunlight poured in through the huge glass window on the front of the massive tower.

It was a peaceful scene that felt like a lie considering what he had experienced in the Autonomous Region so far.

The aftermath of the battle with the drug lord Dominic Cavaro had been surprisingly smooth.

The giant’s corpse trapped in the island’s wreckage and the existence of the heteromorphic species [creatures with unusual forms] that had been sweeping through the Autonomous Region were stronger evidence than anything else that the drug lord had been involved.

Considering what the Azure Eye had done in the process of resolving the situation, it was nearly impossible for the Autonomous Region government to ignore the watchers’ words.

As a result, while the Autonomous Region government was working hard to grasp the situation, the Azure Eye had directly traveled around the floating island cluster and rescued the residents of the Autonomous Region.

Through negotiations with the government, Lapis was able to secure a promise that all the events that had occurred during the handling of this matter would be overlooked, as well as full support for the aftermath.

Considering that the Autonomous Region government held a massive amount of cash through vast market transactions, the amount of money returning to the Azure Eye would be considerable.

In addition, with the help of military personnel and external sorcerers, the restoration work of the destroyed 2nd floating island was underway, and the homunculus’s body was scheduled to be extensively studied for its unusual human structure.

The Azure Eye’s position within the Pilenom Autonomous Region had greatly improved, and the watchers had even been granted the right to freely enter the research site, so it could be said that their gains were considerable.

The government officials had also clearly seen the giant that had swallowed the 3rd floating island, so they knew how significant the work they had done was.

Although the financial losses were not small as the 2nd floating island was sacrificed in the process, everyone thought it was fortunate that they were able to stop an attack by a figure as powerful as the drug lord with only this much damage.

“The most important thing is that this is the first time we’ve minimized the losses on our side in a battle with Pandemonium.”

“…”

Seonmyeong, who had already sat down across from Renok and started eating, said calmly.

“During the back-and-forth battles with Pandemonium, countless deaths and losses always followed victory. There has never been a time when we were able to deal with a powerful enemy like the drug lord so easily, especially after allowing him to strike first with his unknown techniques.”

“It was just luck.”

Renok replied indifferently.

“You’re good at joking. No one thinks that moment was a coincidence. The same goes for everyone on the other side of the continent who are hearing the news that the Paragini Republic is in chaos.”

Seonmyeong laughed it off, thinking that it was modesty, but Renok’s honest feelings were exactly that.

The reason he was able to directly strike the drug lord in this incident was only possible because he had trusted in the homunculus as a secret weapon and had directly transferred his consciousness thousands of kilometers away.

If Renok had been completely ignorant of alchemy in the process, the outcome of the fight would have been completely different.

It was because Renok, who had remembered and obtained even the extremely non-mainstream techniques like necromancy, was able to finish this matter so cleanly.

Of course, the wreckage of the island that was scattered and floating below the lighthouse didn’t look so clean…

That was why Renok thought that the way the drug lord had obtained alchemy must have been with the help of Pandemonium.

However, considering that the drug lord himself was unaware that the materialization of consciousness was extremely vulnerable to external interference, wasn’t Pandemonium simply thinking of him as an experimental subject for alchemy?

If that was the case, then there must be a faction within Pandemonium that was trying to find and experiment with the techniques and artifacts that had disappeared from WORLD 1.0 and 2.0.

If they could turn the eyes of that faction towards the Blaver Magic Tower instead of Renok or the Azure Eye.

That alone would be worth enough for this incident.