Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 196

Aid (1)

“This is…”

“A list of city council members suspected of taking money from the Cartel. It’s something that surfaces during election season, but after a smooth agreement between the council members, it disappears without a trace. Take it.”

Evelyn said, leaning back in her chair.

“With that broker’s abilities and connections, you should be able to track where the Cartel’s funds are flowing with this information.”

“…I’m in your debt.”

As Evelyn said, knowing which city council members the Cartel mainly funds could be very valuable information.

Since each city council member is in charge of a different district, each of them is bound to have different areas of expertise.

In other words, it would reveal what kind of business the Cartel is engaged in, where they are focusing their investments, and how they are trying to circumvent regulations.

Just thinking about it, Renok could see how useful this information would be for Jenny. There was no need to explain how well she could use it.

For her to hand over such secret information circulating among city council members was practically Evelyn siding with Renok.

If this information were to leak, Evelyn would be the first person suspected.

He could guess how determined she was to call Renok to this place.

“The reason I’m doing this isn’t because I want you to go all out against the Cartel.”

Evelyn said.

“Do it moderately. But do it efficiently. Just end it at a point where you’ve established yourself. Got it?”

He understood what she was saying.

Even if Renok and Jenny were to win against the Cartel, it would be impossible to immediately take over the Cartel’s position.

Evelyn wanted Renok to gain some profit from the conflict with the Cartel and then just blend into the underground business structure.

However, instead of giving a definite answer, Renok smiled faintly.

“Well… that depends on how they come at us.”

He knew how powerful and huge the Cartel was, but Renok was confident.

If it came down to a showdown, it was clear which side would suffer more losses.

And Renok was more than skilled at doing such things quickly and efficiently.

* * *

After Renok returned to the bar, Jenny immediately took action.

Repairing and restoring the damaged building was not difficult in this world where magic was prevalent.

She called in contractors and restored the building to its original state in just one day. She then immediately began preparing for additional attacks from the Cartel.

Using her connections, she began recruiting security personnel to protect the bar, now the headquarters.

It took less than half a day for over thirty mercenaries to take their positions on the streets of District 49.

“You only need to work until we deal with the Cartel. I’ve given you plenty of time.”

Jenny said, smiling at the mercenary in front of her.

“I’ll pay you handsomely, so work until your bones ache.”

“Well… I never imagined I’d be hired by you like this.”

The man who was listening to her words gave a wry smile.

A tall man with broad shoulders. A sturdy build and calm eyes were the impression of the middle-aged man.

Dray Creamgal looked down at Jenny and nodded.

“Well, fine. Since I owe the half-mage a debt, I’ll take responsibility for the escort this time.”

The Creamgal Mercenary Office, which had previously worked with Renok on the quest to subdue the scavengers.

Jenny had scouted all the forces of the Creamgal Mercenary Office, including Dray Creamgal, and put them to work guarding the headquarters.

“Mage, it’s been a while. It’s the first time since the curse caster incident.”

“You look better than before. It seems you’ve regained your health.”

Dray exchanged greetings with Renok and smiled at his words.

“That’s part of it, and recently our office has been doing quite well. If things stabilize, we’ll be able to mobilize even more forces than we can now. It’ll be definitely different from when we were with the kids.”

“Boss, kids? Have you been thinking of us like that all this time?”

“Don’t you know that if you ignore the founding members, you’ll get stabbed in the back?”

At those words, Kidel, a woman with glasses, and Ike, a bald giant, who were standing behind him, grumbled.

While the three were bickering, another person approached Renok.

“Mage.”

“…Weian?”

“It’s been a while.”

Weian’s appearance, smiling as he said that, was drastically different from what Renok remembered.

The awkwardness of a boy teetering between adolescence and adulthood had almost completely disappeared, and he had grown much taller.

His face had also matured, making him look like a young man of a similar age to Renok.

Moreover, the aura of magical power that he was exuding was so sharply honed that even Renok had to take a second look.

If it weren’t for the two tonfas [a type of martial arts weapon] he was wearing on his waist, Renok wouldn’t have recognized him.

Weian seemed to understand Renok’s reaction and bowed politely, offering a handshake.

Renok accepted the handshake with a reluctant expression.

“…You’ve really grown a lot. Do kids usually grow this fast?”

“It wouldn’t have been possible without the mage’s help.”

“…”

His tone itself wasn’t much different from before, but Weian’s attitude was as respectful as if he were serving a master.

Moreover, the aura emanating from his body was as refined as that of a martial artist.

Weian, unfazed by Renok’s attitude, spoke with a determined expression.

“I’m not someone who doesn’t know gratitude. Just as the mage helped us, I will help the mage’s business.”

“…Okay, thank you.”

“Leave it to me. If there’s anything I need to do, just tell me.”

Watching Weian disappear outside the bar, saying he was going on patrol, Dray chuckled.

“I knew the mage wouldn’t recognize him either.”

“It’s not just me who’s weird, right?”

“Of course not. Isn’t it weird that he’s still growing taller even after he’s over twenty? He was whining about being sick for a while, and then he suddenly grew taller in about a week.”

Dray said, looking at Weian’s back with a somewhat pleased expression.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s because of that, but Weian’s skills have also grown as much as his height. If you see him work, you might be even more surprised than you are now.”

According to him, not only had his physique grown, but Weian had also honed his magical control, causing his combat abilities to skyrocket.

Not only had his skills improved beyond comparison to the past, but he was now playing the role of the overwhelming ace in the Creamgal Mercenary Office.

Dray casually mentioned that there had been a lot of inquiries from other offices and organizations about scouting Weian.

“These days, I’m teaching him about situational judgment and how to lead an organization instead of just combat skills. I don’t know how long he’ll work at my office, but that’s all I can help him with.”

Even Dray, a former soldier with basic combat skills and various abilities, was saying that, so it seemed that Weian had really improved his skills rapidly.

Renok listened to his words silently and then chuckled, realizing why he felt awkward about Weian’s growth.

He had made connections with quite a few people while working as a freelancer, but most of them were already skilled individuals who had either completed their training or established their own style.

It was the first time he had seen someone else grow or increase their reputation nearby.

Those who had potential but lacked immediate skills were often mercilessly killed in this world.

“…”

Renok silently watched Dray, who had begun to plan patrol routes while discussing various situations with his mercenaries.

They were people who had come to help Renok even after hearing that he had turned a big shot like the Cartel into an enemy.

He hadn’t thought that a relationship formed through work would lead to this, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

After all, he knew that in order to climb higher in this district, he needed relationships that went beyond mere profit.

Dray must have known that as well, which was why he had decided to side with Renok without hesitation.

If that was the case, Renok also needed to produce results that were worthy of it.

“Ban, come here for a second.”

While he was lost in thought, Jenny gestured to Renok from inside the bar.

Renok glanced at the mercenaries who were seriously discussing matters in front of the bar and headed inside, where Jenny pulled him into the office.

“What’s going on?”

“If we can’t avoid a fight with the Cartel, we need to prepare in advance. I’ve been contacting people here and there for that.”

“Did you call others besides the Creamgal Mercenary Office?”

“Well… let’s go inside and talk.”

Jenny said, pushing Renok into the office.

As soon as he entered the room, a bizarre scene unfolded before Renok’s eyes.

“Grrr…!!”

Crack!

Two beasts, each over 2 meters tall, were sitting still, facing each other.

“…”

A werewolf with a long snout and a giant bird-headed giant with a sharp eagle’s beak.

Jenny’s office was by no means cramped, but with two beasts staring at each other, there seemed to be no room to breathe in the office.

As Renok entered the room, the two beasts’ gazes simultaneously turned towards him.

“Oh, Ban! You’re here.”

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

The two beasts waved at Renok almost simultaneously. And then, they glared at each other strongly again at the same time.

The sight of a wolf and a bird having a battle of nerves in one place felt bizarre, but the fact that Renok recognized both of them was even more awkward.

That was proof that Renok had done a lot of things in this district.

Renok sighed, grabbed a chair, and sat down, looking at Jenny and asking.

“Did you bring in both Dyke Sa and Antares?”

The head of security for Dyke Sa, the werewolf Killian, and the bird-headed giant Felix from the Antares Mercenary Group.

Since he had a very good memory, and the appearances of the two beasts were so impressive, Renok immediately remembered their faces.

“Killian, why are you unnecessarily transformed?”

At Renok’s words, the wolf scratched his chin with an embarrassed expression.

“No, I came into the room and that bird was already transformed.”

“This is my natural form, there is no transformation to speak of.”

Felix replied with a solemn voice, crossing his arms, and Killian clicked his tongue and turned his head.

He turned back into a young man with green hair and said to Renok.

“I’ve heard the story. You’re going to have a showdown with the Cartel, right?”

He said, baring his teeth and smiling.

“Panoa told me to say hello. He sent me instead, so let’s work together this time.”

“…So, that side has already been settled?”

“Of course. From our perspective, doing business in the light, it’s much better to help you and share the pie than to share it with guys like the Cartel… ahem, that’s how it is.”

“…”

Renok chuckled at Killian’s words as he subtly avoided his gaze.

He could roughly guess what he was thinking, but it wasn’t a bad thing from his perspective either.

He hadn’t expected Jenny to ask Dyke for cooperation, but it was also unexpected that Dyke had readily accepted the offer.

But he could roughly understand.

Jenny’s existing connections were likely already entangled with the Cartel and would not move easily.

So, Jenny contacted those who had flowed into this district from the light side or organizations that were completely detached from such interests.

The Antares Mercenary Group was probably part of that as well.

“Felix. What about you?”

“…I came here myself to discuss that matter.”

He answered in a serious voice, cleared his throat, and glanced down at Killian.

“Our circumstances are very different from those of corporations.”

“What are you looking at?”

“…”

It was quite impressive how they seemed to pick fights with each other as naturally as breathing, as if they had some kind of bad blood between their races.

Felix had seemed quite calm and serious when they first met, so it was unexpected to see him so heated.

“Of course, I appreciate Jenny’s consideration in not contacting Dylan or Mila first. If it were them, they would have accepted the request without regard for the mercenary group’s position…”

Renok leaned back in his chair after hearing that.

“In other words, you came here yourself to discuss the gravity of the situation of dealing with the Cartel.”

“That’s exactly right. To add to that, it’s not so much a refusal as…”

“You want to make a deal.”

Jenny, who was standing behind Renok, said.

“This guy came here from the start as Antares’s acting representative to present us with conditions.”

“You’ve seen it exactly.”

Felix’s eyes sank deeply.

“The Antares Mercenary Group is willing to cooperate with you at any time, depending on the situation.”