Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 227

After handing the invitations to the guards at the stadium and stepping inside, Lenok was immediately met with a lavishly decorated corridor. The executive meeting was being held for the first time in decades. It was needless to say how meticulously the secretaries assisting the chairman had prepared for this day. There was no trace of anything that would indicate this was a sports stadium; it felt as if one were standing in the middle of a grand palace. Chandeliers hung from the dome-covered ceiling, and soft lighting illuminated the ground. Tap! “……” The moment he stepped into the main hall, Lenok felt countless gazes focusing on him from all directions. Each emotion contained within those gazes was vividly felt by Lenok. Anger, listlessness, disappointment, frustration, curiosity, and interest… Intense emotions, regardless of their degree or boundaries. It was a tribute to the adversary who had been more efficient than anyone else in cutting off the Cartel’s limbs for the past month. Lenok didn’t bother paying them any mind and sat in the seat with his name on it, then turned his gaze to the platform. On the platform, as wide as a soccer field, stood four figures, each occupying a cardinal direction, looking down at the surroundings. Four monsters who didn’t even try to hide their immeasurable magical power. A bald giant with tanned skin covered in tattoos. A muscular young man with slicked-back hair. A fluorescent-haired girl glaring at people with a cocky attitude. And a middle-aged woman with a nervous expression, dressed in a gown. The four top executives who commanded the behemoth known as the Cartel. ‘In order, McQueen, Virgil, Merilda, and Kansoah… All the board members are present.’ Virgil was someone he already knew, and he could roughly guess who Merilda was. The dagger Avid Yonsen used to try and kill Lenok at the end. According to information circulating on the deep web, it was called Merilda’s fang, which possessed powerful magic resistance. There was no way that the fang of that fluorescent-haired girl could be that big, so it was highly likely that Merilda was not an ordinary human. In Kansoah’s case, there was no information other than that she was a skilled ice-type mage… but that wasn’t very important. Lenok’s sharp gaze turned to the bald giant standing at the forefront of the board members. He was dressed as an ascetic, wearing an old robe and holding a faded staff in his hand. The tattoos covering his body were shrunken to fit his wrinkled skin, and ornaments meant to hide his age took their place. Parden McQueen, the first chairman of the Cartel. The closest aide to Oliviera Ron Maze for the longest time, and a loyalist who also held the authority of the vice-chairman in case of emergency. Originally, he was a high monk who devoted himself to asceticism in the Evatra Mountains, but he broke his vows and descended the mountain after meeting Oliviera. The spells and martial arts he had accumulated through his ascetic practices became his full power, and since then, he had made the greatest contribution to maintaining the business as Oliviera’s right-hand man. His conservative nature in corporate management was one of the biggest contributors to bringing the Cartel, which was characterized by weak cohesion, to this point, but his unique self-preservation tendencies ironically led him to betray the organization he had built. ‘It’s ironic…’ His personal information, which he had barely obtained through information scraped together by Evelyn and Jenny. Considering that he was Girard Ogette’s direct superior and secretly held and wielded the Cartel’s execution squad, it was certain. Parden McQueen was the traitor who first targeted Jenny’s bar and caused internal strife within the Cartel. The question was when Virgil had realized this fact… [Everyone has arrived on time.] Before he could even sink into thought, a low female voice echoed. A tone that was neither high nor low. A voice that was more indifferent than calm. As everyone gathered in this place raised their heads to find the source, seven gusts of warm wind swept in, instantly illuminating a single figure. Whoosh! Natural movements as if she had been standing there from the beginning. A flamboyant robe with tails fluttering on the floor, and a hazy veil covering her white hair. But above all, the first thing that caught the eye was the intense, vibrant glow that flickered from behind the veil. Those who felt a throbbing in their heads the moment they met that light averted their gazes, but others silently accepted her radiant gaze. ‘Is that the rumored Seven-Colored Treasure Eye…’ Lenok’s eyes naturally sank deeply. Not only did it possess the highest output among all magic eyes, but it was also one of the unique top-tier magic eyes in terms of rank. It was said to possess a strange power that could read everything about the opponent just by making eye contact… but the magical power he felt from her now was beyond that. Even if she was wearing a veil and hiding her gaze, there was no way the magic eye’s glow would be this weak. ‘It seems she doesn’t intend to reveal her true form after all.’ Lenok thought as he glanced outside. There was no need to guess how massive the public authority gathered near this stadium was. In a situation where everyone’s attention was focused like this, it would be a burden for the Cartel to have the chairman reveal her true self. At the same time, it also meant that the chairman had truly intended to invite Lenok to this place for the purpose of dialogue. Oliviera, without hiding the light emanating from behind her veil, looked around and quietly opened her mouth. [Thank you all for joining me here today.] Her magical power trembled, and the hexagram transmission [a magical communication method] that flowed out filled the vast hall. [I am overjoyed that all the relationships I have built up over the years have not been in vain. Even after decades, our friendship remains unchanged.] “……” [There was a time when confirming that alone was enough.] ‘It’s hard to read…’ Oliviera’s figure, as she calmly continued to speak, was clearly visible to everyone seated in this place, but Lenok, realizing her elusive way of existence, faintly frowned. It was certain that she had appeared in this place using a method similar to a clone, but it was difficult to see how she was manipulating her magical power. To what extent had she reached that she could even hide the flow of her magical power from Lenok’s eyes? If Lenok hadn’t seen a new horizon through a chance encounter, he might not have even been able to sense her magical power. [But as time passes, everything changes. Now, we have entered an era where it is not strange for anything to happen in this city.] ‘It’s certain that she’s artificially controlling the flow of magic through her magic eye. I think I’ll be able to figure it out if I look a little more…’ However, although it took time for understanding and analysis, it was possible to unravel the secret if given enough time. A talent that was not bound by the gap in realms. He would understand and absorb anything, no matter who the opponent was. But before a definite conclusion could be reached in Lenok’s mind, Oliviera moved first. [Today, I stand here to show you all the proof. The fact that even a vow made for a hundred years can be scattered like a candle in the wind.] “……!!” Only then did Lenok, understanding her intention in gathering everyone, open his eyes wide. Oliviera slowly moved her feet. Swaying, the sound of her robe brushing against the floor. The ascetic, who had been closing his eyes, slowly raised his head. His lord, to whom he had devoted his loyalty for his entire life, looked up at him with an indifferent expression. [McQueen. Do you have anything to say for the last time?] * * * “…You are cruel.” McQueen opened his mouth in a heavy voice. “You already know how I would answer, don’t you?” Yes. What was the point of making excuses now? From the moment Girard Ogette’s custody was transferred to Virgil, everything was already over. Virgil opened his sunken eyes and cast his gaze among the crowd looking up at this place. A sharp impression. A tall, slender young man. He was wrapped in a black coat, buried in his chair, and looked up at McQueen with a calm expression. It was the first time they had met face to face, but he could tell right away. That man was the one who pulled the trigger for his downfall. He knew he was a talented mage. He also knew that he was a freelancer who had gained fame by accumulating achievements at an abnormal speed. Rather, that was why he thought he had carefully chosen him as a stepping stone for this operation. Once he diverted the attention of the Cartel’s financial planning department with the losses that the guy had created, it wouldn’t have been difficult to siphon off the slush funds they wanted from within. It was much later that he realized that things had gotten out of hand. As soon as Lenok captured Girard, he noticed the internal strife within the organization and attempted to make a deal with Virgil using that information as collateral. As soon as Virgil identified the traitor within, he informed the chairman. The moment she realized his betrayal, everything was already over. Even after showing a disgraceful scene in front of thousands of people, there was not a single tremor in McQueen’s expression. He looked around the audience with a proud gaze and finally knelt before the chairman. Thud! “I will not make any pathetic excuses. However, I want to clean up the mistakes I made with my own hands.” [How amusing. You, who were more enthusiastic about self-preservation than anyone else, say you won’t make any excuses…] “……” McQueen was silent at Oliviera’s words, which were mixed with a faint smile. Her words were piercingly seeing through his true intentions. Even in the face of a desperate situation, McQueen’s mind was working busily. There was no option to rely on the affection he had shared for decades. The first thing he had to do to survive in this situation was to eliminate the root cause, which was none other than Ban. It was to cleanly erase the mistake he had made. [Then let’s do this.] Oliviera turned her body and stood back in the center of the platform. A general meeting with thousands of people gathered. But, despite its meaning, only she was freely projecting her will. It was a game that was going according to her intentions from beginning to end. Everyone knew it. [Since my old friend wants to retire from his hard work and return to the wild, I don’t want to disregard his wishes. However, wouldn’t the discipline be disrupted if the hands that commanded the existing affiliates were removed?] “……” [I have already scouted talent in preparation for such a moment, so it will be enough for McQueen to hand over the reins.] McQueen inadvertently asked, with an ominous thought suddenly coming to mind. “That talent is not by any chance…?” [There was a mage who advised me from right beside me that our promise had become meaningless.] The corners of Oliviera’s mouth, revealed below the veil, curved greatly. [I think the child named Ban is qualified enough.] A silence that seemed to freeze the convention hall descended. The fact that the person who would take over the last task of the traitor McQueen, the handover, was Ban, meant that. Wasn’t it the same as saying that he would be incorporated into the new board of directors of the Cartel? Only then did the executives of the Cartel, understanding the meaning of those words, turn their heads in shock. Lenok noticed the gazes around him and slightly lowered his head. The expression hidden beneath his hair was already faintly frowning. ‘She was aiming for this from the beginning.’ If she had intended to purge the faction that had betrayed the Cartel, there would have been no reason to hold such a grand general meeting in the first place. This whole situation was just a pretext to invite Lenok with a plausible reason. Was that why Virgil hadn’t contacted him separately yet, and why there had been an unusual lack of activity in the Cartel since he handed over Girard? Oliviera Ron Maze had heard about Lenok’s abilities through Girard and had decided to bring him under her command.