Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 275

As Oren lightly tapped his foot, the pitch-black floor descended one level at a time, creating a large spiral staircase.

Woong!!

He didn’t hesitate as he stepped down the stairs, opening his mouth.

“Even when the citadel was first built, there was constant doubt and confusion.”

Even as he headed into the dark underground where not a single ray of light penetrated, Oren’s steps were firm.

“Many people asked why we needed to build walls and create a new district in this area…”

“…”

“But I believed that we all remembered the reason why we endured all sorts of insults and rumors to establish the current order—”

Oren stopped walking and murmured.

“I have been fulfilling my duty until now.”

From behind him, Lenok followed Oren’s gaze.

Inside the dark hollow.

A single ray of sunlight that had crept through a crack in the ceiling illuminated a small space.

A weathered tombstone made of marble. A neglected space overgrown with moss and weeds.

Above it, small pieces of stone and wood floated leisurely, defying gravity.

An incongruous scene that seemed to defy the flow of time.

Only then did Lenok realize the secret hidden in this place and he held his breath.

The rumor that there was a hidden place within the citadel where time flowed differently.

Oren was directly showing Lenok the truth of that rumor.

“It’s an anomaly that’s impossible without dividing and isolating space, let alone time. Do you understand?”

“…”

“The three families, including the Three Young, each manage such a hidden place. Originally, it was a spatial anomaly that should not have existed in the world… In exchange for sharing this secret with the City Council, we gave up a lot and confined ourselves to this cramped citadel.”

Was the Balkan City Council also aware of what was hidden inside the Eight Radiance Citadel?

Judging from Oren’s words, it seemed that they had been granted a very special way of existing among the Three Leaders in exchange for sharing that secret.

“But now that’s over. I had a hunch, but I never thought you’d really join hands with the Order…”

“Indeed…”

Lenok, who had been watching Oren’s back as he muttered quietly, nodded softly.

Only after seeing this hidden place did Lenok understand the message left to him by the head of the Underworld.

The Order of the Guiding Light’s hidden place. A relic related to time magic.

He hadn’t advised Lenok to search the Order’s branches.

The Underworld had known from the beginning that the Order was searching for these hidden places.

Walter’s infiltration into this city under the guise of missionary work must have been because he was aware of the existence of these hidden places within the citadel.

In other words, researching these hidden places could lead to clues about time-based spells.

Just as Lenok was thinking that and reaching out with his magic to observe the relic before him.

Clang!!

The golden wave surrounding the relic bounced Lenok’s magic away.

“…!!”

Lenok’s shoulders trembled slightly at the completely unexpected reaction.

It was difficult to gauge the extent of Lenok’s magic manipulation ability now that he had reached the Saint level, but even when he was at a much lower level, Lenok was capable of manipulating particles at the level of a great mage.

What did it mean that it not only reacted to the magic detection used with such manipulation ability, but also clearly recognized and defended against it?

At least among the barriers Lenok had seen with his own eyes, it was by far the highest-grade security barrier.

When he turned his head towards Oren, he nodded as if it were obvious.

“With the mediation of the City Council at the time, we invited the best barrier master on the continent to create this space isolation spell.”

“…”

“Not long after, that barrier master attempted ascension. The three spell barriers rooted in this citadel are his final works.”

“A barrier designed by a monster who reached a level close to ascension, is that it…”

Was it because it was a barrier created by a monster who had reached that level that even Lenok’s magic could react and reject it?

Oren continued.

“Only by simultaneously shedding the blood of the head of the family and the master who manages the hidden place can the barrier be temporarily lifted and the relic managed. And what you are about to participate in, the proxy war, is to legitimately inherit the authority of that master.”

He turned his gaze and stared at Lenok with a calm expression.

“If you lose, you will hand over the authority of the master. We will no longer be able to control the means by which the Order can tamper with the relic.”

The black eyes, which were impossible to read, reflected his face transparently.

“Do you think it’s worth taking such a risk to participate in the proxy war?”

“…Three Young Family Head. I think you know it too.”

Lenok smiled.

“If I really intended to inherit the position of master through victory in the proxy war, I wouldn’t have planned it so carelessly. I would have thoroughly managed the other families and their proxies to leave no room for resistance.”

“…”

Lenok continued.

“What they want is not victory, but the existence of the proxy war itself. It’s probably because they have a plan to seize the master’s authority regardless of the outcome.”

He had some idea.

The event to determine the master of the citadel was a grand pretext sufficient to gather all the residents of this area in one place.

If the Order, which used human lives like objects to be used and discarded, had a hand in it, it was obvious what they would try to do even after losing the proxy war.

“What we have to do is decided.”

Lenok muttered as he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

“To win the proxy war and forcibly expose the Order’s identity… For that, we need to shake things up ourselves.”

* * *

Time flows quickly.

As the vacation date that Aris had promised was coming to an end,

A general meeting was held where the eight families gathered to decide the next master.

As expected, the eight families failed to reach a consensus.

The decision of the master was passed on to a proxy war with representatives.

In this closed and cramped citadel, if there was one thing that was fair and just, it was the process of deciding their next leader.

It was natural for all the residents of the citadel, everyone who considered themselves a member of the Eight Radiance Citadel, to be present.

A large wooden manor built around a giant tree root.

The manor, large enough to accommodate thousands of citadel residents, was worthy of being called a stadium.

The stands overlooking the stage, which spanned hundreds of meters in radius, were filled with people without a single gap,

And the excited shouts of the audience echoed grandly enough to burst eardrums.

Waaaaaaaah!!!

For them, the prospect of the upcoming proxy war was just as exciting as who would be the next leader.

It wasn’t hard to understand.

How many opportunities would they, who had lived as residents of the citadel, have to legally watch the battles of superhumans?

If it weren’t for that reason, they wouldn’t have been able to gather all the citadel residents just with the pretext of a proxy war.

Rather than a place to decide important matters within the citadel, it was an atmosphere closer to a festival.

The loud music echoing from all directions and the clowns marching merrily around the stage suggested that the eight families had intended this atmosphere from the beginning.

In the middle of the densely packed stands, there was a special section with a particularly wide space.

Among the special seats reserved only for high-ranking officials of the citadel, the eight seats were the most carefully decorated.

Not a single seat was vacant in the place prepared for the heads of the eight families.

The leaders of the families leading the citadel had also dragged their heavy bodies to the venue for today’s event.

‘This reminds me of the executive board meeting…’

Lenok, who was waiting for his turn in the waiting area behind the stage as a proxy, looked up at the stands.

It was difficult to see this side from over there, but it wasn’t difficult for Lenok to peek at the stands through the thick curtains.

A large-scale meeting of the Three Leaders’ top brass. A summons to decide the direction of the organization.

Wasn’t there a similar event during the recent battle with the Cartel?

But the difference from that time was that, unlike then when everyone in the Cartel was an enemy, there were people on Lenok’s side here now.

The figures of Oren, the head of the Three Young, looking down at the stage with an arrogant expression, and Suren, with a tense face and a straight back, came into view.

And even the figure of Yvon, an elderly woman with braided white hair.

The head of the One Origin family sitting right next to her was a young boy, who seemed to be struggling just to withstand Yvon’s aura.

Yvon, who was watching the lively performance below with a smiling face, turned her head slightly to the boy and asked.

“It seems the underlings have prepared well, don’t you think? Even an old woman like me is getting excited.”

“Y-yes, it is…”

“It’s more than enough to call it a place to decide the new master. It seems like it will be enough to save face with the guests from outside.”

She said that and naturally turned her gaze.

“But I, an old woman, don’t understand why the two family heads didn’t bring any attendants to this place where we have to announce to all sides that the Eight Radiance Citadel is still standing.”

The sharp gaze of Family Head Yvon was directed not far away.

The two family heads who received her sharp gaze showed different reactions.

While Suren slightly narrowed her shoulders, Oren crossed his arms and openly closed his eyes.

“…Can’t you hear me?”

At Yvon’s voice, which had turned chilling, Suren answered with a calm face.

“The Five Wheels family has been busy rebuilding the family after recently going through a major crisis. I hope you understand.”

There was no need to ask.

She was the one who had beheaded the previous head of the Five Wheels for his extravagance and debauchery.

Yvon, who couldn’t find fault, turned her gaze to Oren.

“Why is Three Young not answering?”

“An answer…”

Oren slowly opened his eyes and met Yvon’s gaze.

“Since when have you been so interested in my attendants?”

“…”

“Even when the master was alive, you, an old hag who had no interest in other families, are now trying to lecture me… Time is so fleeting.”

At Oren’s indifferent murmur, Yvon gritted her teeth.

“Three Young Family Head. Given the times, such remarks are very dangerous. There’s no good reason to spoil the atmosphere on a day like today.”

Yvon’s hand naturally reached for the shoulder of the boy who was acting as the head of the One Origin family.

“Isn’t that right?”

Squeeze.

“This old woman would like to hear the opinion of the One Origin family head.”

A natural attitude that didn’t care about the opinions of other families.

But no one rebelled against her overbearing remarks.

They all acknowledged that among the eight families that had led the Eight Radiance Citadel, the power of the three families was clearly different.

Even after the death of the master who was from the One Origin family, that fact did not change.

The boy, who was grimacing in pain, barely nodded.

“…”

Oren looked at him with a faint look of pity before turning his head.

While a sharp tension flowed between the heads of the eight families, the host’s booming voice filled the venue and echoed.

[Now, let’s begin the proxy war to determine the master of the Eight Radiance Citadel!!]

* * *

“Now, let me explain the rules of the proxy war to the proxies here.”

A middle-aged man dressed in a robe of unknown origin took out a long scroll in front of Lenok and the other three people.

“Having confirmed that the family heads’ meeting to decide the next master failed to reach a consensus, we will transfer the decision-making power by putting forward proxies from each family, according to the traditions and rules of the citadel.”

“…”

“Since the opinions of the eight families are divided, mainly between One Origin and Three Young, it has been determined that scoring the wins and losses may become meaningless, so we will proceed with a captain’s battle.”

It wasn’t an unreasonable statement.

With the proxies divided into four, it was possible that the wins and losses could be split 2 to 2.

A method of designating one captain and continuing the 1-on-1 duels until that captain falls.

“Before the battle, all proxies must wear these bracelets.”

The man took out bracelets from his chest and handed them out to Lenok and the other proxies.

It was a bracelet made of eight large rings. Among the eight chain links, only one was glowing faintly.

“It is a catalyst that proves the qualifications of the proxy and mediates the ritual of transferring authority according to the wins and losses. It will activate at the same time as the proxy war ritual begins, and the ritual will end when the will is imbued into the eight chain links.”

[It’s heavier than I thought.]

Ignoring Manson’s grumbling, the man continued.

“If damage such as destruction, occupation, or transfer of the bracelet occurs, the battle will end at that point. The authority will be transferred. Considering the safety of the audience, be careful as it will easily break if you project magic above a certain level.”

“What is that standard?”

“…We did not consider the participation of those with skills equal to the family heads.”

In short, it meant that if they recklessly used Saint-level magic, they could be disqualified.

There might be warriors who had reached that level among the proxies on the other side, but it was clearly a disadvantage for this side.

It was no different from saying that they would eliminate the possibility of Lenok, a mage, overpowering his opponent with firepower.

Chen, who was furious, was about to lash out, but Manson grabbed his shoulder.

“Chen. Leave it be.”

Lenok also answered with a calm expression.

“They used safety as an excuse, so it’s difficult to find fault here.”

It wasn’t unreasonable.

Proxy war to determine the master of the Eight Radiance Citadel. If they didn’t set an upper limit on the proxies’ skills, the citadel would be thrown into chaos by the intrusion of outsiders that it couldn’t handle.

In addition, considering the safety of the citadel residents who were densely packed around the manor was not entirely wrong.

If the battles of superhumans became intense, the aftermath would be uncontrollable.

“Damn it, but this is…”

“I know. But it’s bearable.”

However, this kind of blatant magic restriction was clearly a ploy to check only Lenok.

Some of the mediators of this ritual were already in league with the Alliance.

“It’s a wonder that it ended with just this much.”

“…”

They seemed to want to weaken Lenok’s power even a little, but there were more than enough ways to circumvent this kind of penalty.

The man’s brow twitched slightly at Lenok’s relaxed words as he put on the bracelet on his right wrist.

Lenok didn’t miss that slight crack in his expression.

“…We have already explained it to the proxies on the other side, and the captain has been decided.”

After explaining the remaining rules, the man continued with a blank face.

“If the proxies of Three Young also decide the order in which they will enter the battle, we will start the proxy war immediately.”

Instead of answering, Lenok turned his head and looked at the person sitting on the far right.

To be precise, the proxy of Three Young that Oren had directly designated and brought to this place.

“Oh, what should I do? What should I do…”

“…”

“I don’t want to fight, what should I do… What should I do?”

Empty eyes and a gaunt body.

A young man who was sweating profusely and biting his nails.

Far from looking like a warrior, this man didn’t even seem to be in condition to fight, and he was the proxy of Three Young.

Lenok sighed silently.

Of course, this was also something that had been agreed upon with Oren in advance, but seeing him made it impossible to stop a sigh from escaping.

“Was it Asui?”

“B-Ban-nim, please save me. I came here because of my uncle’s words, but I’ve never actually fought even once!!”

At Asui’s flustered outburst, Manson and Chen, who were watching the scene next to him, also had strange expressions.

They knew that he wouldn’t be a helpful ally in this proxy war from the start, but they didn’t expect him to be such a weakling.

But Asui didn’t care about such gazes, and after kneeling down in place, he grabbed Lenok’s coat and began to tremble.

“N-no, I was sure you asked me to read books and do research in the back room, but why am I doing this… Why this thiiiing!!”

Looking at Asui’s desperate cries as if he were the protagonist of a miserable tragedy, it made one wonder if it was really that scary.

But instead of cutting off his fussiness, Lenok sighed softly and began to coax him appropriately.

“Asui. Calm down. Oren must have already told you to some extent, right?”

“B-but… I heard about the plan, but… I don’t know about the proxy war. I really didn’t know I had to stand there!!”

“Hmm.”

Lenok knew that Oren was an indifferent person, but he never thought that he wouldn’t have given any explanation to the person who was going to be the family’s proxy.

Manson and Chen, who were watching from behind with their arms crossed, shook their heads.

“Yeah. That’s the typical reaction of mages. I’ve been seeing Ban too often, so I forgot for a moment.”

[That’s right, that’s right. How many guys are there who have never even stood in the rear, let alone have any real combat experience in their lives? You’re the weird one.]

“…”

It wasn’t wrong.

Even though Lenok had spent a considerable amount of time in this world, he had never seen anyone who, like him, didn’t distinguish between the front and rear lines with magic alone.

At best, Parden McQueen, who had fought in the battle with the Cartel, was a similar case, but he was also a skilled warrior who had learned ancient martial arts.

Asui, a descendant of a branch family of the Three Young and who had inherited shadow magic, might be an excellent mage, but he was certainly not a great warrior.

If he, who had never fought with anyone or felt a threat to his life, was suddenly thrown into a battle of killing and being killed, it was natural for him to lose his mind.

“We don’t have much time.”

The middle-aged man continued in a calm tone.

“Please decide the order quickly.”

“…”

He didn’t show it on the outside, but he seemed to have a rough idea of where the victory or defeat of this proxy war would go.

Lenok sighed softly and immediately assigned the order.

Lenok as the captain. Manson in the rear. Chen in the middle.

And Asui as the vanguard.

“Hwaaaaaaak!!”

Asui, who saw his name painted on a wooden board, foamed at the mouth and fainted.

“Hmm…”

[Is this idiot really the proxy of Three Young?]

Manson shook his head, flashing a red warning light on his robot head.

“Oren is a strange person who maintains both a high reputation and a secretive private life within the citadel. I don’t know what Ban talked about with that person, but this is…”

Chen muttered with a serious face, but Lenok shook his head.

“Asui is the second most skilled among the shadow mages of Three Young after Oren. We definitely need his power for this.”

“That’s…”

[Isn’t the problem whether this guy will survive the proxy war as the vanguard?]

One of the rules of the proxy war. Surrender is only possible after 5 minutes have passed since the start of the battle.

Would Asui be able to last 5 minutes against the first proxy who would appear from the other side?

But Lenok nodded without hesitation.

“Don’t worry about that.”

“…Wait, Ban. Don’t tell me?”

Chen, who sensed something ominous in Lenok’s words, asked, but it was already too late.

“It might be better for this guy if he’s unconscious.”

The magic threads that stretched out from his five fingers ruthlessly wrapped around Asui’s limp limbs.