Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 266

Lenok finally understood what Evelyn meant when she said the timing wasn’t good.

If the atmosphere inside the fortress were peaceful, becoming a representative of one of the eight families wouldn’t be a problem at all.

He could simply finish the auction and leave the fortress.

However, with the power struggles between the families being so intense, what did it mean to become a representative of one of them?

Evelyn was warning him that he could get caught up in the internal conflicts of the fortress.

“Not bad.”

“Huh?”

After hearing that, Lenok actually made up his mind.

Chasing the traces of the cult. Entering the auction house and learning about the ruins and time magic.

If both of these goals were related to the power struggles within the fortress, then avoiding the conflict would be a bad move.

It was more efficient to actively jump into the fray.

“It’s not hard to protect myself, no matter what happens.”

Lenok said, putting the ticket in his pocket.

“If things get dicey, I can just use my position as an outside director of the cartel as a shield. There are plenty of ways out, so there’s no reason not to step in.”

“…The board of directors will love that decision.”

Evelyn shook her head at Lenok’s grin.

“If you’re still going after hearing all that, I won’t stop you. It’s not like you’ve only worked in this district for a day or two…”

“Good.”

“However, I don’t know how the power struggle is currently progressing inside the fortress. Information about the Eight Directions Fortress is hard to come by, and there’s no real use for it, so we don’t really look into it unless it’s necessary.”

“Jenny said the same thing. I understand.”

In fact, when he expressed his intention to visit the Eight Directions Fortress and asked for the necessary information, he didn’t get an immediate answer even from the deep web [a hidden part of the internet].

They said he would have to wait at least a week to get the necessary information or updates, so it was better for Lenok to go in and do the legwork himself.

Now that he had heard about the ticket, it would be better to find out which family created it and participate in the auction.

While Lenok was organizing his thoughts about what he needed to do, a thick voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Team Leader Marcia!”

A well-built middle-aged man strode up and offered Evelyn a hearty handshake.

Just by looking at the various accessories and artifacts he was wearing, one could guess the thickness of the man’s wallet.

Evelyn immediately recognized the man and gave a slightly troubled smile.

“President Tucker. It’s been a while.”

“It really has been!! What brings you here, Team Leader? Do you have business in the fortress?”

The man called Tucker shook hands with Evelyn and immediately started rambling without waiting for an answer.

“…Looking back, that was a really big deal. If you hadn’t helped us, we would have become food for the pollutants in the desert outside the city.”

“Ah, yes.”

“But after overcoming that crisis and delivering the goods to our clients, things went well, and now we’re even supplying goods to the Eight Directions Fortress!! It’s all thanks to you, Team Leader.”

Marcia gave an awkward smile at Tucker’s boisterous laughter as he patted his protruding belly.

Even Lenok, who was watching from the side, was tired of how talkative he was. Was it because he was so energetic that he was able to supply goods and create clients in all sorts of places?

“But who is this…?”

After a while, Tucker’s gaze finally reached Lenok, who was standing behind Evelyn.

Evelyn then introduced Lenok to Tucker.

“This is Ban. He’s a mage who also serves as an external advisor for the agency.”

“Ah, Ban…! I’ve heard that name before!!”

Tucker made a fuss and offered a polite handshake.

“There’s no one who doesn’t know the ‘Unbreakable Thunder’ of District 49. You’re also famous for being so busy that you’re buried in work, but I never thought I’d see you in person here.”

“…?”

Unbreakable Thunder. Lenok had never heard of that title before.

He glanced at Evelyn, who nodded with a troubled expression.

It seemed she had a rough idea of how Lenok was known in this world.

“I never thought I’d meet you two in front of the passage to the fortress… Do you happen to have business in the Eight Directions Fortress?”

“Ah, it’s not me, it’s Ban’s business.”

Evelyn took a step back, and Tucker became even more aggressive.

“I see! If Mr. Ban is having trouble getting into the fortress, I think I can help…”

“…”

Instead of answering, Lenok stared at Tucker’s eyes.

His face, with its round, curved lines, was that of a good-natured person, but Lenok could read something else behind his words and attitude.

‘He knew who I was from the start.’

He had been chatting with Evelyn for a while, but perhaps the words he had just thrown out were Tucker’s main point.

At first glance, it seemed like Tucker was doing Lenok a favor, but the reality was different.

If he helped Lenok and brought him along, the people inside the Eight Directions Fortress would recognize Tucker and Ban as being in the same group.

Naturally, Tucker would also be guaranteed safety and be treated well inside the fortress.

Tucker had judged that if he could borrow a freelancer from District 49, who he couldn’t easily hire even with money, it would be a profitable deal.

‘It’s not like I need help…’

Getting into the Eight Directions Fortress required a very complicated procedure and verification, but if he had the ticket Evelyn had given him, getting inside the fortress itself wouldn’t be too difficult.

The ticket issued directly by the eight families was proof that the holder was a representative of the family.

If he showed it and flaunted his power, passing the fortress’s strict inspection would be a piece of cake.

However, Lenok, who knew this, smiled and nodded.

“I was having trouble, so thank you. Is it okay if I come with you?”

“Of, of course! I’ll go get my group and luggage right away!”

Evelyn frowned as she watched Tucker’s back as he ran off with a bright smile.

“We did get acquainted during an overseas business trip last month, but he’s not as good a person as he looks. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Lenok replied with a relaxed expression.

“It seems like he wants to use my name as a shield… If I can hide the ticket when entering the fortress, it’ll be beneficial for me too.”

The ticket Lenok had was proof that he was a representative of the Oryun family.

In other words, the moment he presented this ticket as a pass at the entrance of the fortress, it would be the same as informing the high-ranking officials of the fortress that Lenok was a representative of the Oryun family.

He preferred to pretend to be part of Tucker’s group and not let them know which family he was a representative of.

Of course, the information would be revealed soon enough once Lenok started his activities, but it was also Lenok’s job to take advantage of the information imbalance for a short time.

“And going with me doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.”

Evelyn shook her head at Lenok’s grin.

* * *

Thus, Lenok said a brief goodbye to Evelyn and immediately followed Tucker into the fortress.

Tucker maintained a polite attitude toward Ban even after Evelyn left.

“Haha, this isn’t the first time I’ve supplied goods to the fortress. Even if Mr. Ban is with me, it shouldn’t be too difficult to pass through.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. Actually, I shouldn’t be saying this here, but…”

Tucker glanced around and whispered into Lenok’s ear.

“Most people in the fortress aren’t very interested in what’s going on outside. I’m sorry to say this, but they might not even know who Mr. Ban is.”

As expected, the gatekeeper of the fortress carefully examined the new companion, but didn’t recognize who Lenok was.

Perhaps he had mistaken him for an ordinary mage after he had concealed his magic power.

If he had shown the ticket, the reaction would have been much more intense.

Deciding to go with Tucker was a much better decision than he had thought.

After passing through the concrete walls that were over ten meters high and entering the fortress, a wide-open street came into view.

The most striking thing was the architecture, which was completely different from the typical style of a megacity.

There were houses and buildings with thick wooden pillars, wide floors, and curved roof tiles.

The clothing of the people walking down the street also had a slightly different impression from the modern clothing of the megacity.

And every time Tucker’s large truck sped down the road, gazes were directed at them.

It was amazing how different the atmosphere could be with just one thick concrete wall separating them. It was definitely a strange place in many ways.

“It seems like they’re actually very interested in outsiders here.”

“There are so many people lining up outside the fortress, but only a limited number of people can actually come inside.”

Tucker replied with a proud look on his face.

In fact, if he had managed to establish a trade network inside the fortress and maintain it, his business skills would be quite considerable.

Sitting next to the driver, Tucker started talking about how he had started trading with the fortress, and how well he had packaged and delivered the goods.

Lenok had thought he had been talking so much to lure him in, but it seemed that being talkative was just his personality.

Judging by the familiar expressions of the employees sitting in the other seats of the truck, this was not the first time this had happened.

Lenok glanced away and focused on deciphering the structure of the barrier around the area.

Even for Lenok, who had learned some knowledge of barrier magic through Liberation Sorcery and the Principle of the Main Gate, the structure was so elaborate that he couldn’t immediately grasp it.

Perhaps the fortress itself was treated as a concept, and the barrier was maintained by various conditions and restrictions.

If he could figure out the extent of those conditions and restrictions, Lenok’s barrier magic could also advance further.

While he was lost in thought, Tucker spoke to Lenok again.

“It’s enough if you just come with me to the client. After that, you can go wherever you want.”

Since he had entered with Tucker’s help, he had to follow him to where he wanted to go.

After parting ways with Tucker, he was planning to change his face and gather information about the eight families nearby.

In particular, it was important to know how much influence the Oryun family had in the power struggle of the fortress, and how helpful it would be to Lenok.

Just as Lenok was about to nod, he suddenly felt a presence rapidly approaching from beyond his sensory range.

“…”

Those who wield magic. More than ten of them were approaching Tucker’s truck from all directions.

Thump, thump, thump!!

Swift footsteps running on the roof tiles from all directions.

Lenok frowned as he felt a faint sense of déjà vu.

Koo-oong!!

More than a dozen black figures instantly surrounded the truck in the middle of the road.

At the same time, sharp flashes of light appeared from within their clothes, and blades pierced through the truck’s windows.

Crash!!

There was no time to ask what was going on.

Using magic power, he grabbed and twisted all the attacks coming from the surroundings, and then unleashed an impact magic to push the figures back.

“Ugh, ahhh!!”

The employee, whose face had turned pale, drove the truck forward like crazy.

The truck, which was barely able to stay on the road, quickly veered off the road and headed into a dark alleyway.

A narrow alleyway where only one car could barely pass. It was fortunate that there were no people nearby.

Lenok muttered as he looked out the window.

“It would have been better to keep driving on the road.”

“Ye, yes?”

“This will only give the pursuers an excuse.”

They were the kind of people who would try to kill him without hesitation even in the middle of a crowd.

It wouldn’t be strange if they became even more aggressive in an alleyway where there were no eyes on them.

He never thought he would encounter something like this as soon as he entered the fortress, but Lenok wasn’t too surprised.

He had entered the fortress without bothering to hide his face, so he had thought that he might be challenged at some point.

“Wh, what is this!! Why is this happening to us all of a sudden!!”

Tucker shouted, his chin trembling.

Instead of answering, Lenok shook his head at the sound of footsteps running from behind.

They were chasing the truck, running on the walls of the alleyway as if it were nothing.

Thump, thump, thump!!

Unlike the truck, which could only move through the narrow path, the pursuers were closing the distance quickly, moving three-dimensionally.

If this continued, everyone except Lenok would be killed on the spot.

If he wasn’t going to let the pursuers live, it would be better to help them here and get something in return.

“I’ll intercept them. Keep going.”

Lenok, who had quickly finished his calculations, reached for his left sleeve.

Click!!

A revolver popped out as the shrinking magic was released.

However, its appearance was different from the ones Lenok had used before.

A pure white barrel and a sleek cylinder with a faint blue magical glow.

The new equipment that he had commissioned from Palmer for a huge sum of money had finally arrived in Lenok’s hands.

Lenok, holding the white revolver, grabbed the window frame of the truck and turned to Tucker.

Although he had pretended to be kind, his goal of using Ban’s name to guarantee his safety was not sound.

If he was going to save his life, he could take a little more than he had expected.

Lenok smiled faintly and asked Tucker.

“I’ll need an incentive. Is that okay?”