Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 218

He sauntered into the office, naturally, and sat on the sofa that was there for guests. “Hmm… you’ve got a good eye for talent.” “Get to the point.” Manson shook his cold metal head at Jenny’s blunt words. “Was it Dray? That mercenary’s security system is so thorough, I had to roll around outside with him for a good six hours. What kind of guy is that?” “He’s from a special forces unit. He might not have met a crazy guy like you, but he’s used to commanding magic users.” “Of course!! That’s why he knows how to give orders without getting on my nerves. He seemed used to handling people like that…” “What do you want to say?” It had been almost a week since Manson accepted Lenox’s offer and started working here without pay. He wouldn’t betray them now, but Jenny couldn’t trust Manson, a freelancer, at all. It was hard to judge how a multi-bodied individual thought and what they valued. There were very few examples. Moreover, he was a madman who had turned his head into a machine to deal with the burden of controlling multiple bodies. Not only that, but his actions were a complete mess. Considering his eye for clients and his skewed criteria for choosing requests, the expression ‘a madman with a twist’ was not wrong. However, instead of revealing his mental instability in front of Jenny, Manson slightly lowered his head, rested his chin on his hand, and opened his mouth. “I told you before that I wasn’t on good terms with the cartel, right? Do you remember?” “…Yeah. You said that’s why you were thinking of joining us, right?” “That’s right. I think I have more to say about that.” “What?” Manson didn’t answer, instead tapping his head with his finger. It was the area where his temple would have been. “I usually don’t remember things well, but it suddenly came to mind. I think I should tell you.” “It’s amazing you’re still alive, living like that. What do you want to say?” “It seems like I let the cartel touch my body once before.” “…What?” “From what I remember, they were focused on experiments to artificially modify the human body. They offered a lot of money, so I participated in their experiments… I think?” “…” It was a skill to be able to say something so unbelievable while looking her straight in the eye. There was not a shred of truth in Manson’s appearance as he tapped his head and shook it. “Anyway, considering the guys Ban has been fighting recently, I think they might have succeeded in those experiments. I was spacing out during work, and that’s what I thought.” “Is that so? Okay.” Jenny nodded. “I’ll tell Dray to drastically increase your working hours. The more time you have to think, the more memories you’ll have, right?” “Ew? Noooo!! Wait, now that I think about it, I don’t remember anything…!!” At the same time as Manson started freaking out, the office door burst open. “Okay, okay~ the interview time is over. Let’s go, you crazy bastard.” As if they had been waiting, Belber and Belita naturally dragged Manson out of the office. They were helping to monitor Jenny’s safety in this way, in addition to the working hours that Dray had arranged. Belita winked with one eye as she dragged Manson out, and “The stock you recommended last time. It went up amazingly.” Belber, who never lost his conviction for a single moment. “If I keep listening to you, you’ll keep recommending investment stocks, right?” “Brother. Are you trying to embarrass your sister?” Jenny, who had been faintly smiling as she watched Belber being dragged away, sank into thought, recalling what Manson had said. Among the cartel executives that Ban had recently fought, the ones Ban had acknowledged as having some skill were Virgil, who belonged to the cartel’s board of directors. And Girard, who belonged to the board of directors, and Iola, who was just below them. In Virgil’s case, there was no information other than that he was unusually strong, but Girard and Iola were different. Girard dramatically increased his power by injuring himself, and Iola used her magic eyes to assist her combat abilities. According to Ban, both of them seemed to be using magic power transformation through such methods, so if Manson’s words were true… “The fact that the cartel’s executives are using that kind of power transformation isn’t just a coincidence…” Could this fact be helpful in dealing with the cartel? Jenny, satisfied that she had one more thing to tell Ban when he returned, grabbed her laptop again. Bang!! The office door opened for the third time, and someone came in. It was Dray, sweating profusely. “Jenny!” “Is it serious?” Just by looking at his expression, it was clear that something had happened. The words that fell from Dray’s mouth were not much different from Jenny’s expectations. “Dike’s weapons factory was attacked.” “…” “They’ve started to move.” * * * His first outing in three days. Lenox’s first destination was not Jenny’s bar, but the factory site in the 50th district where Dike’s weapons production factory was located. He had bought up the land with many abandoned factories and focused on his business, but the factory site was a ruin, as if it had been hit by a bomb. [According to Panoa, it was a new factory area that was being built for the expanded weapons business.] Jenny’s calm voice continued through the earpiece. [There were only a couple of Dike employees at the scene at the time of the attack, and all the other victims were construction company employees.] “That’s strange.” Lenox said, looking down at the factory site in the distance. “The timing and location they chose are too strange. If they wanted to show force like I did, there would have been much better places than this…” The fifteen-day deadline that Virgil had promised was already over. It wouldn’t be strange at all if they attacked the bar again, but why Dike’s site? And why attack a new factory site that wouldn’t cause much damage to personnel or capital? The answer came from Jenny. [It seems that information leaked that Dike’s site was used as a transit point while handing over Girard Ogette, whom Ban had captured.] “That means…” [It means that what they want is not to retaliate for what we’ve done to them.] “Interesting. Are the traitors moving to silence each other? Then what’s waiting for us beyond this is…” [That’s right. It’ll be a member of the internal faction that betrayed the cartel’s chairman. Maybe we’ll understand the whole story when we face them directly. But there’s one more important problem.] “What is it?” [They seized the magic core that was lifted in advance for assembly just before the construction of the factory site. Panoa said that she didn’t care about the core being stolen… but she said that if it explodes, this entire area could melt down.] “I’ve got a headache as soon as I get back…” Lenox sighed and shook his head as he got up from his seat. “It doesn’t matter. Instead, just notify Panoa of one thing.” [What?] “I’ll take that magic core.” To maximize the achievements Lenox had made, he needed a new battery, and the core was perfect for that. The core was known to be an unstable energy source in proportion to its efficiency, but there was nothing better for Lenox to customize as he intended. If he asked Panoa, she wouldn’t refuse this request. As Lenox cut off the communication and turned around, Killian came into view, just entering the factory site behind him. “Sorry for giving you work as soon as you arrived.” Killian said with an expression that didn’t look sorry at all. “What the hell were you doing for three days without any news? Where did you leave the coat you always wore?” “I had some things to do.” Instead of a thick coat, Lenox was wearing a black cardigan on his shoulders. It was only this morning, when the effects of the medicine had completely worn off, that all his senses had returned to normal, but even so, it was inevitable that his movements were still uncomfortable. Even the coat that covered his body felt heavy, so he had no choice but to take out one of the cardigans he used to wear in the lab. It wasn’t a bad choice since the weather was getting warmer with the changing season. The problem was that, unlike the warming weather, there was only a strong smell of blood in the place Lenox was looking at. Lenox asked, looking down at the blood-stained ruins. “You’ve heard the story, right?” “It’s our company’s business, so of course. The shareholders are already in an uproar. They told me to stop the core from exploding and causing a terrorist attack at all costs.” Killian sighed and answered. “I’m ashamed to say this… but I’m asking you.” Instead of answering, Lenox stood up. “I don’t think the cartel would use such a crude method… but let’s go down and think about it.” “Okay. But you don’t look too good, are you okay?” As Killian said, Lenox’s expression was slightly stiff, hard to hide even with transformation magic. It hadn’t been long since all the senses in his body had returned properly after the effects of the medicine had worn off. It wasn’t difficult to move his arms and legs, but there were still parts where his muscles were stiff. It was the result of moving his whole body and moving muscles that he hadn’t used in a while. “It’s unnecessary worry.” “Are you sure? Your condition is a very important issue for us.” “…” He was right. As Killian said, everything that was happening now was basically established under Lenox’s capabilities. Dike’s cooperation and the blueprint they were drawing were also possible because they believed in Lenox’s ability to single-handedly destroy a gang. The connection with Antares and the Creamgal office, and even the connection with the agent, were all created by Lenox’s network. Even though the number of people on this side was no match for the cartel, they were able to fight because Lenox was able to achieve results comparable to a group by acting alone or with a small elite force. In fact, Jenny’s business was supported by two pillars: her management skills and Lenox’s capabilities. If Lenox were to collapse here, all the work they had done so far would crumble like sand. However, Lenox chuckled and lightly denied it. “Don’t worry. I’m a little tired, but my mind is clearer than ever.” “…Can I trust you?” “Yeah. I don’t know how to explain it… but I’ve had some personal achievements recently. It just took time to sort them out.” “…If a guy like you says he’s had achievements, I can’t even imagine how much you’ve grown.” “Well, it’s not that grand.” Lenox said, looking up at the cloudy sky. “Not a memory, but an image. I’ve decided not to stop at reflecting on the past.” What the scenery of the world he wanted looked like. He had answered a question that could only be discussed at the level of self-modification, but Lenox kept his words to himself instead of boasting. It would be enough to show the good fortune he had gained during the hiatus through his actions. “I have no idea what you’re talking about… Okay, let’s go in and check it out.” Killian clicked his tongue and took the lead without complaint. The two immediately entered the ruined factory site. Basically, the areas in the 50s were unrealistically large, and there were many abandoned lands, so the size of the ruins was also considerable. The most important thing in building a building was the land price. It was natural that the size of the factories built on the land bought at a low price was unrealistically large. The corpses scattered throughout the destroyed factory were noticeable. Every single one of them had a terrified face. And even the stubbornly gouged wounds. Lenox frowned at the circumstances that clearly showed that they had been played with and killed one by one. The wolf’s nose twitched, and he smelled the mouth of a fallen corpse. “…Most of them died of shock. It’s not that they were tortured and killed, but that they were killed by torture and left there.” “…” “The guy waiting in front of us isn’t in a normal mental state.” Instead of answering, Lenox slowly raised his magic power and expanded his sensing range. The cartel would have recognized Lenox’s skills, so the person responsible for this incident was likely to be a high-ranking executive at the board level. He had already achieved a near-perfect victory against Girard once, but Lenox was not careless. He was able to capture Girard at that time only because he had thoroughly caught Girard off guard using the ritual tool, Jeongto Shin Hae Jin Eon [a ritual tool used to purify evil]. It would have taken much more effort to kill Girard, who was going berserk as he was injured, on the spot. Moreover, if they were waiting for him knowing that Girard had been defeated, they must have prepared a more effective move. ‘If the act of torturing the factory workers to death isn’t just a preference…’ Girard succeeded in transforming his magic power by injuring himself. If there were other executives on the board who had reached level 6, which corresponds to the transformation of magic power, through specific ‘conditions’ … While he was lost in thought, the two quickly reached the center of the factory ruins. Abandoned conveyor belts that would have been producing thousands of guns, and metal molding equipment that was crushed and crumpled like toys. And on top of all the traces of destruction, there was even dark red blood that was blatantly overlaid like a hide. There was no need to say how much of a massacre had taken place here. Corpses were embalmed and hung upside down from the ceiling of the wide workbench, and pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere. And in the center of that death and blood, a man was sitting on a chair, playing the violin alone.