Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 391

“Is he not attached to the assistant professor position?”

Baila stared at Lenok’s back as he stood before the engine, her gaze sharp.

This magic-powered fusion engine, created in her laboratory, was a product of the commercialization of theories established in Aris’s lab.

With the addition of magical engineering to the fusion engine, its principles were incredibly complex.

Unless one was directly involved in engine development like Baila or Cassia, even operating the engine properly would be difficult.

‘I know he has a sharp eye, as Aris chose him. But practical application is a different realm.’

The reason Baila had set up this challenge, even though she clearly saw through the ploy of using her position to make a ridiculous request, was because she knew Aris Richelieu well.

A wizard with an un-wizardly goodness. A person with a thoughtful nature and a calm demeanor, who didn’t hesitate to be considerate of others.

He was someone who, while leading those drawn to his brilliance and warmth, was also exceptionally adept at drawing clear lines and keeping his distance.

That a wizard with such talent, character, and mature judgment would first become close to a fellow wizard, a spiritist whose origins were unknown.

She knew he had the perception and insight to see through her illness, but if that was all, it was clear that Evan wouldn’t be able to stay here.

Baila didn’t hesitate to seize the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity.

Lenok, fully aware of Baila’s gaze, reached out towards the engine.

‘It wasn’t an empty boast. The structure itself is surprisingly intricate.’

The magic-powered fusion engine that Lenok knew was not originally something that could be miniaturized and transported like this.

It was a large-scale power reactor used to supply or, conversely, accommodate power for rockets, satellites, or entire areas.

To have miniaturized such a thing to this extent meant that Lenok’s thesis on the conversion of power and magic had acted as a groundbreaking turning point in this industry.

‘What should I say…’

It was a strange feeling to see the result of a thesis written purely as an alibi materialize so concretely.

Lenok’s expression, as he extended his magic into the engine to examine its internal structure, alternated between surprise and admiration.

‘The overlapping fusion of magic created by the 88 pistons in the cylinder block. The preservation and amplification of voltage generated in that process is reproduced with astonishing similarity. How much did they have to study my thesis…’

Basically, the series of theories Lenok wrote in his thesis were, of course, the principles and phenomena he had come to understand through the existence of the electronic spirit Davi, written in his own logic.

It was not difficult to imagine how much effort others, who did not have the existence of an electronic spirit, had put into deducing and reproducing the process and specific principles of the thesis.

The magic-powered fusion engine before Lenok was not just an application of the conclusions of the thesis, but a method to delve into the roots of the theory presented.

The other undergraduates, watching Lenok, began to murmur.

“Why is the assistant professor like that?”

“That researcher seems to be more than halfway done, is it okay?”

“The engine structure looks very complex, but still, he’s starting too slow.”

Weeeeeeeng!!

Two projectors were displaying on the classroom wall.

Unlike Lenok’s screen, which remained still, Cassia’s screen was constantly flashing and writhing, showing the turbulent interior of the engine.

While Lenok was merely admiring the process of the engine’s creation, Cassia, on the other hand, was fully focused from the start, putting all her effort into operating the engine.

Her face, as if she had forgotten everything around her, silently pouring magic into the engine, had a charm that drew even others into focus.

“She’s an excellent researcher, isn’t she?”

As Lenok also turned his head to quietly observe her, Baila, who was standing behind him, spoke.

“She can complete the startup process, which takes three other researchers half a day, all by herself.”

“Is that so?”

“So, give up on the idea of following Cassia’s lead.”

“……Pardon?”

“You’ve already given up on solving it alone, haven’t you? Are you planning to follow along by looking at Cassia’s projector?”

Baila shook her head with a slightly subdued expression.

“I was foolish. I shouldn’t have made this bet from the start… I thought he had good eyes, so I was unknowingly expecting something.”

“……”

It seemed that Lenok’s previous experience of mentioning her illness still remained deeply impressed in Baila’s mind.

“You can go now. I won’t take away your assistant professor’s authority. Even without taking away your authority, it’s not a big deal for a professor to bring in another assistant professor.”

A cold expression, as if she had completely lost interest in Lenok.

As Baila turned her back after cleanly finishing what she had to say, Lenok opened his mouth.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“Now, after all this?”

“If we end the demonstration in this way, wouldn’t we lose face with the students watching us?”

“So, you’re not saying you need some kind of handicap, are you?”

“No, what I mean is…”

Instead of answering further, Lenok reached out towards the engine.

In response to that gesture, Davi, who was still coiled on Priscilla’s head, jumped onto the engine.

[Is this a new home?]

At the same time as the baby fox’s body flashed, the writhing engine began to move fiercely, as if by a lie.

Dududududududu!!!

A destructive roar filled the classroom, which had been filled with the sound of people’s breathing.

Hundreds of cylinders pumped without any power, scattering their force in all directions, and magic and electricity mixed and flowed out through the engine’s filters.

“……!!!!”

At the moment when everyone’s mouths dropped open at the total power, as fierce as if a monster had been summoned to this place,

Lenok said calmly.

“I was thinking that it might be difficult to give a proper demonstration with this engine, which discharges magic and electricity mixed together.”

“W-Wait a minute… What is this, exactly…!!”

Baila looked back at the engine with a dumbfounded expression.

“How can it be this fast without even touching it…!!”

Lenok ignored her words and focused on tinkering with the engine.

“It’s not a problem with the internal structure of the engine, but rather due to impurities generated in the process of perfectly reproducing the theory. I thought there were too many oil filters, it was because of this.”

“W-What did you say?”

Even Cassia had stopped touching the engine and was now looking at them with a surprised expression.

At the sudden change in atmosphere, the undergraduates quickly looked at Lenok’s engine’s internal screen on the projector.

Pshhhshhh!

The powerful magic, constantly circulating and rotating like a river, was precisely touching and activating the triggers and cylinders, and all the processes of converting it into power were captured.

There was not a single error in all the movements of magic stimulating hundreds of narrow pipes, cylinders, and pistons.

Padadadadak!!

The magic that spread out through the electronic spirit’s body writhed vividly, as if alive, even as it extended in hundreds of different directions.

Lenok looked at the engine, carefully picked up Davi, and stepped back.

Even after the magic that had been supporting it from the outside disappeared, the engine continued to move tirelessly, trying to generate and operate its own energy.

“It seems you want to create a self-circulating power by simultaneously acquiring magic and electricity, but it won’t be easy. The thesis only presented the conversion method closest to an equivalent exchange. It’s not something that denies the fundamental laws of energy.”

[Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey.]

Davi, who was in Lenok’s arms, stuck out his tongue and shook his head.

[It’s mixed with something weird and it tastes bad…]

“What’s possible in the mixing stage of magic and electricity is not circulation.”

Lenok, holding the sulking electronic spirit, turned his head towards Cassia.

“Rather, if you think in terms of resonance and synchronization, more interesting things become possible.”

“What does that mean…!!”

Even Baila’s flustered voice couldn’t continue to the end.

Kooong!!

The magic that had spread out from the engine Lenok had activated seeped into Cassia’s engine, which was stopped right next to it.

At the same time as Cassia stepped back from the engine in panic, the two engines began to move and operate, making all her efforts up to that point seem futile.

Thududududu!!!

The sight of the engines, alive and moving on both sides as if the man standing in front of the undergraduates was their master.

This unrealistic and absurd phenomenon awakened Baila’s mind, which had been filled with astonishment.

To manipulate the theory of magic and electricity conversion to this extent was something that even Aris, the owner of the laboratory that produced the thesis, could not do.

Then, wasn’t this wizard the author of the thesis that had turned the pure-spell academic world upside down?

Only then did Baila realize that all the unresolved questions were fitting together like a puzzle, and she murmured lowly.

“So that’s how it was… Not the other master’s and doctoral students, but the youngest assistant professor who rarely comes to the lab…!”

Thududududududu!!!

The two engine sounds resonated with each other, amplifying the sound. It filled the classroom and burst out into the entire lecture hall.

In the center of the noise, where even the sound of voices could not be heard properly, Lenok turned to Baila and smiled.

“May I state my conditions now?”

* * *

The setting sun stretched out its rays.

As winter was coming to an end, the days were getting longer, but that didn’t mean the sun would never set.

Wei An, who was sweating profusely while looking up at the sunset that had risen a little later than his body remembered, muttered.

“This scenery, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…”

[What are you talking about?]

Thwack!!

Mad Manson, a woman with a robot head, who had just struck Wei An’s head with a thick iron pipe, said.

“Ugh…!! Don’t hit my head!! If I become an idiot, will you compensate me?!”

[Compensate? What are you talking about?]

Manson laughed, tapping her robot head.

[There’s a very good preparation here. I’ll give you something much cooler on your shoulders than what you have now.]

“No, even so, aren’t I better looking than that machine… ?”

Wei An muttered with a sullen expression and let out a deep sigh.

[Well, if you suddenly feel a sense of déjà vu, it’s probably because Ban has returned to the company after a long time.]

Manson looked at Wei An, then turned her body slightly and muttered.

[Ban usually doesn’t stay at the company.]

“I heard he’s involved in the cartel’s affairs this time. Is it okay?”

Wei An asked, taking a stance while holding the two daggers in reverse grip.

Contrary to the rumors about Madrich Onion being kept strictly secret, the rumors of a power struggle within the cartel reaching its peak at this time were widespread.

Even Wei An, who had been solely focused on training except for external assignments assigned within the company, was aware of the rumors.

If Lenok, who had shown no interest in outside affairs, had to step in, it was proof that the city was in chaos.

Manson also answered, sliding the pipe between the daggers.

[I don’t know. I heard that the new 3rd boss, Ayun, is very unique and powerful in the way he handles power, despite being immersed in entertainment.]

“That’s…”

[But this time, it’s not a fight for the fate of the organization, so it won’t be that dangerous. Above all…]

Manson shrugged, glancing up at the company building.

[Can you imagine that monster losing to anyone?]

“……”

It was an absurd assertion for a freelancer who had been in this business for over a decade.

But it was also a statement that Wei An had to agree with.

The vast power, which seemed to be on the verge of bursting, was filling the space inside the company, in the office above Jenny’s newly built bar.

Jenny and Jordan, who were not well-versed in magic, didn’t seem to notice, but superhumans like Wei An and Manson could tell.

That the power of the wizard named Ban was extending without end, and was now about to transform into something completely different.

If that being, who possessed a potential that could not be defined by the word talent, reached the place he desired, would Wei An be able to see Ban as an equal being?

It was a ridiculous delusion even for Wei An himself.

But even at this moment, as he stared blankly at Lenok’s magic echoing from above, it was inevitable that all those thoughts would stray into strange places.

It was like looking into a bottomless abyss, and just by resonating with the sensation of Lenok’s magic swirling, he felt like he understood something.

As Wei An raised his head with a dazed expression, Manson forcefully drove the pipe into his head again.

Kaang!!

Manson looked down at Wei An, who was rolling around without even being able to scream, with a look of disdain.

[You’re like this if you lose focus for even a moment.]

“Ugh… Ugh… Ugh! But what can I do if I see something strange…”

[Your magic sensitivity is very different from others, so you have to be more careful, you idiot. Do you think I’m nagging you like this because I don’t know that?]

Manson lowered her head towards Wei An, who was holding his head and collapsed.

[It’s not for nothing that we’re not meeting Ban directly. That guy is in a very precarious state right now.]

“……”

[Especially considering your sensitivity. If you’re lucky, you might gain a different kind of enlightenment by looking at Ban, but if you’re unlucky, you might lose your ego in the process.]

“No, that’s…”

[That man is a qualitatively different being from other living things. Don’t you understand that yet? I’m starting to suspect that Ban is just pretending to be human like us.]

Wei An tried to refute but closed his mouth.

Even Wei An, who could be said to have very little experience compared to Manson, could not understand the bizarre growth and power that Lenok was showing now.

He could only be relieved that a monster with such talent and character was on their side.

Behind Wei An, who was staggering to his feet, a faint, laughter-tinged voice echoed.

“I understand what you’re saying, but there’s no need to be so afraid.”

“……!!”

[Ban… ?]

Lenok, wearing a light shirt, was leaning against a nearby tree with a dumbfounded expression, laughing.

“You’ve both become very imaginative while I wasn’t looking. You’re not thinking of me as some kind of strange monster, are you?”

“……”

[……]

There was no answer. Manson and Wei An just glanced at each other.

In the awkward silence, Lenok frowned and raised his hand.

“Come closer.”