Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 426

‘Clarice Richelieu…’ Lenok didn’t know who Clarice was, but he knew the name Richelieu very well. Aris Richelieu. One of the few names Lenok could never forget. Was it really a coincidence that this message arrived from the Sinclair Magic Tower, and with the name of a mage who shared the same surname as Aris? It was almost certain that she was someone deeply connected to Aris. Having reached that conclusion, Lenok asked the two mages who were getting up. “The Magic Tower’s job isn’t just to intervene in the central front and seize interests, is it?” “…?” “Can I assume that this list is not just about military power, but also related to academia?” As he had said before, he had no intention of jumping into the central front following the Magic Tower at this point, but academia was different. Considering what Aris had said, it would be less problematic to contact the Sinclair Magic Tower from a researcher’s perspective rather than a military one. At Lenok’s words, the two men stared at each other blankly. “…I can’t be sure. The Thorben Magic Tower also participates in academic conferences periodically, but its importance is not significant.” “…” “We are not a place that can lead research and academics. Regarding academia… it would be better to inquire with another Magic Tower.” Thorben was one of the most actively involved in the war business among the large-scale Magic Towers scattered across the continent. As they were focused on the war business, it was only natural that they were relatively negligent in academia, which had a stronger research-oriented tendency. Unlike the prideful mages of the Magic Tower, they did not hesitate to acknowledge and accept their weaknesses. That was probably because they had a strong sense of pride and confidence in the Thorben Magic Tower. The conviction that the path the Magic Tower was taking was not wrong, and the high rank that qualified them to have that conviction. Their attitude of regarding Lenok as an equal negotiating partner rather than fearing him was not bad. Is that how the superhumans who have been rolling around in the central front for a long time feel? Thinking that far, Lenok nodded. “I understand. I’ll include that conversation in the message.” Clarice Richelieu. If she was a high-ranking official who was in the 3rd seat of the Magic Tower Council of Elders, she must have appeared in official events several times. It was something Lenok could do on his own to look up information and check her relationship. It would be nice if he could just think of it as Aris’s whim and forget about it, but considering the last words she left before leaving, he couldn’t just do that. In the process of attacking the Defense Force’s mobile fortress, and while running away after encountering the Kraken. Even the conversation that took place in that urgent situation, she would never let it pass carelessly. Perhaps, Aris had already noticed a long time ago what secret Lenok was hiding. Thinking about that, he felt like he could understand why she had returned to the Magic Tower. But could he really say that it was a meaningful thing for both of them? Lenok had to meet Aris again, even if it was just to confirm that. While he was thinking that and was lost in thought with his chin resting on his hand, he realized that the two mages were staring down at him. “Actually, I just wanted to confirm one last thing.” “What is it?” “A man named Eden. Do you know who he is?” “…” Lenok didn’t answer. Instead, he put down his glass and smiled faintly. The man nodded. “That answer is enough. Thank you for your cooperation.” * * * “He seemed to know.” “What are you talking about?” After leaving Jenny’s bar, the two naturally moved to an alleyway, avoiding the bustling streets where people were walking. Patsutsutsu…!! At the same time, faint electric currents flowed from the two men’s bodies, blocking out the surrounding noise and obscuring their vision. A powerful electric field created by applying electric magic. A field mixed with faint magnetic force blocked communication and other communication networks in the area, creating a completely isolated zone. As soon as the spell was completed, the relatively younger man, who had been silent, asked. “About Eden’s matter.” “…” “If we had made a deal with the death of a direct disciple of the Magic Tower, we might have been able to ask for more close cooperation. Lord Darkhan would have known better than I do.” However, the man called Darkhan shook his head without hesitation at the young man’s words. “You know how meaningless a forced promise is to such a monster.” “But now is not the time to consider such circumstances…” “Even without going that far, our attitude was precarious. Do you know that?” A clear hierarchical relationship existed between the two men, who did not seem to have a significant age difference on the surface. However, there were no major flaws for the two who had spent a considerable amount of time on the same battlefield. Because all the colleagues who had been blinded by trivial etiquette and positions were already dead. The most elite combat mages who had survived the longest on the central front, even within the Thorben Magic Tower. They had realized long ago that surviving was not just possible with power and ability alone. That was why they were able to choose the gamble of acting shamelessly without being intimidated by Lenok’s reputation and power. If Darkhan had pleased Lenok by responding without using honorifics, it would have been a good start. If not, risking a battle close to death in this place was not an idea that could be done with a sound mind. “Eden was an outsider who left the Magic Tower on his own. Since his name was erased from the Tower of Thunder and he was expelled, there is no justification to dig deeper.” “…” “Kyonroe must also know that fact. Today, this place is just him letting us live.” The ambiguous smile Lenok gave instead of an answer at the end. That was the same as saying that he knew why the Thorben Magic Tower was investigating Eden’s death now. Darkhan was ashamed of himself for not being able to let go of his lingering feelings at the last moment and relying on a shabby clue. “Even if it is suspected that he acquired unique magic through Eden, we have neither evidence nor justification.” Darkhan, who sighed quietly, shook his head. “We shouldn’t have come after hearing stories related to the Tower Lord. It could have been a conversation that could have ended well, but I made a mistake at the end…” “Ugh…” Despite having talked for a considerable amount of time, the two men ultimately failed to find out anything about Lenok. Lenok’s use of magic was just for a moment to approach the two men. Immediately after the high-dimensional leap that seemed to transcend space, they were barely able to come to their senses at Lenok’s words that followed. Despite his blatant intention to use them as messengers, they had let their guard down a little because the other party seemed much more intelligent and calm than they had expected. Unlike the heinous rumors that were circulating in this area, he seemed like a much more reasonable person to talk to. “Let’s go back. At least we know that Kyonroe is not a complete madman who can’t communicate, so that’s enough.” “…Is that enough?” “Kyonroe asked us to deliver a message to another Magic Tower instead.” Darkhan answered as he walked through the narrow alleyway. “That means it’s okay to reveal that we have a good relationship with Kyonroe in the process of delivering the message.” At the same time as the electric field of the two men, who looked back at District 49 with lingering gazes, disappeared, only a faint murmur remained echoing in the street. “Let’s be satisfied with that for today. But next time…” * * * “Um… Assistant Professor?” “Yes?” The scene of the research lab with the sunlight shining in. Organizing the bookshelves filled with various magic theory books was always Lenok’s job. As always, when there were no people around, he would organize them with magic without lifting a finger, but when there was someone watching him like this, he had to force his aching limbs to move. As he was wiping the sweat that had formed on his forehead and wondering when they would leave, he heard a voice calling him carefully from behind. When he turned around, a female student with striking crimson hair was looking up at him hesitantly. She was one of the undergraduates who used to hang out with Priscilla. Her name was probably… Payne. “Um, I’m sorry, but… I was wondering if you could take over the supplementary lecture for the assistant professor…” “Feel free to speak comfortably. A supplementary lecture, you say?” After making a bet with Baila to use the facilities of the Carlisle Research Institute, the way people looked at Lenok had changed, and the same was true for this Lavatenon University. It was revealed that Lenok had made a significant contribution to the power-to-magic conversion paper, and they began to pay attention to his theoretical research ability. Lenok answered as he organized the remaining books on the shelf and put them in. “As far as I know, Assistant Professor Cassia is scheduled to be in charge of the supplementary lecture.” “Um, I’m really sorry to Assistant Professor Cassia, but…” Payne closed her eyes tightly and said with a determined look on her face. “Her supplementary lectures are too difficult to understand…!” “…” “The advanced theory of elemental transformation is already difficult, and she doesn’t even guess which parts we don’t understand…” “So you’d rather have me take over the lecture?” “Of course, it’s not that Assistant Professor Cassia is a bad person. She really tries to take good care of us, and she even throws out strange jokes during lectures… Oops.” “…” She makes a lot of mistakes. Lenok thought so and finished organizing all the remaining books and lightly shook his hands. Payne, whose face was slightly flushed, waved her hands and said. “Um, Assistant Professor Evan is so good at understanding theory that he wrote an amazing paper, and he’s also the assistant professor who is originally in charge of us… I was wondering if you could, maybe…” Certainly, there was a result of steadily building intimacy using Davi. It was surprising that an undergraduate who had never had a proper conversation with him would make such a request to Lenok. Or was it that Cassia’s lectures were so difficult for ordinary undergraduates to understand? Not even the director of the Baila Research Institute, he never thought that such a problem would happen to Cassia. It was difficult to judge a person’s aptitude just by looking at the surface. Of course, it was something Lenok couldn’t decide on his own. He gently persuaded Payne to return to the dormitory and turned his head. “How do you feel about hearing the lecture evaluations in real-time?” “…I’m ashamed.” Cassia, who had walked out from behind the shelf, answered. It wasn’t Payne who had been watching Lenok organize the shelf from the beginning, but Cassia, who was also an assistant professor. Lenok smiled as he looked at her slumped shoulders with a gloomy look. “It looks like you’re disappointed.” “I didn’t know the undergraduates thought of my lectures that way.” Cassia muttered with a shocked expression. “I hated being called a genius when I was a student, but I never thought that even after getting a job…!!” “…” Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard from Ivelyn, who had been suspended from her job. She had looked so down because she had unintentionally become unemployed, so he should call her sometime and give her some vegetable juice. For now, it was a priority to soothe Cassia, who seemed to be in a panic. “Um… from my experience, it’s easier to start with suspicion.” “Suspicion… you say?” “The suspicion that what I know is not obvious to others.” Lenok said in a firm voice. “The suspicion that others may have forgotten what I remember.” “Hey, Evan?” “The suspicion that my lecturing ability may be far inferior to my understanding and acquisition!” Lenok smiled at Cassia, who looked slightly tired. “Well, something like that. Actually, I’m not a great teacher either.” “…” “So, what was the matter you wanted to tell me after the shelf was organized?” Originally, it wasn’t for no reason that Cassia had come into Aris’s research lab, where others didn’t enter. She had said that she had something to talk about separately, and Lenok had naturally used the excuse of organizing the shelf to bring her to a secluded place. In the meantime, things had gone awry for a moment when Payne unexpectedly came to see Lenok. “That’s…” Lenok, who had his back to Cassia, who was having difficulty speaking, sighed inwardly. He had not yet finished organizing all the injuries and gains he had suffered from the battle with Madrich Onion. His purpose in visiting the school at this point was to gather information about Clarice Richelieu and to find out her purpose and intentions. If he could find traces of the Sinclair Magic Tower in Aris’s research lab, he could compare it with the information about her that had been made public. Of course, this was possible because he was aware that Aris, contrary to her perfect image, had some unexpected flaws. As Lenok once again reminded himself of that fact, he was about to turn around to listen to her business. “Please assume that everything I’m about to tell you is to be heard and forgotten.” Cassia took a light breath and opened her mouth. “It’s about the paper that Evan wrote in this research lab.” “…Yes?” “There are people who are trying to steal and misuse the contents of the paper.” After saying that, Cassia looked around slightly and lowered her voice once more. “I have a personal connection with the dean of Lavatenon University. It’s a purely personal friendship. I heard about the paper separately through him.” “…” The dean of Lavatenon University. Lenok had never met him directly, but while working as an assistant professor at the school, he had heard about the rumors to some extent. He was said to be a very old and cunning schemer, a person who did not just stay in the position of dean, but everyone acknowledged his abilities. Contrary to his long life, he was said to have a fairly flexible way of thinking and a strong experimental nature. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of creating such a large-scale educational institution inside the city by directly consulting with the city government. Aris had also mentioned the existence of the dean a few times in passing. If he searched through his hazy memories, it didn’t seem like it was a negative nuance… While Lenok was lost in thought, Cassia spoke again. “Protecting the paper submitted under the name of the university is the school’s job, so it seems that the department has taken separate measures.” “…I thought you were just giving canned answers, but you were doing something. So?” “All seven of the administrative staff who were dispatched to the site to find out the details have died.” A cold answer. Lenok closed his mouth. “Currently, only the officials in charge of the department and the dean himself know this fact. Originally, we should contact the city government directly and pass this matter to the higher-ups, but…” Cassia hesitated, but Lenok could understand why she was taking this attitude. “You’re saying that the dean sent a message to hear my opinion.” “…You haven’t already heard about the related matters, have you?” Cassia asked with a slightly surprised expression. “I was just about to tell you that was the main point.” “I’ve had similar experiences.” Considering the way the city government had handled things and the peculiarities of the special agencies that Lenok had experienced so far, once he passed the matter to them, the situation would become uncontrollable. “If this matter goes to the higher-ups, it will probably become troublesome for you as the author of the paper. You won’t be able to refuse with just the status of an assistant professor.” “That’s right.” “From the school’s point of view, they need to scale up the work to solve the problem. In the meantime, it seems that the dean is intervening and trying to hear Evan’s opinion.” If the case of misuse of the paper had escalated to a crime from the department’s point of view, it was natural to report this to the higher-ups and step down. However, from Lenok’s point of view, it was nothing more than a loss to be called here and there as this matter grew. Was the dean aware of that and decided to intervene in the middle to hear Lenok’s opinion? There was one fact that could be inferred through that process. ‘He knows that I’ve been deliberately hiding behind Aris’s name all this time.’ Was it that he guessed that Lenok disliked being exposed and decided to ask his opinion in advance about escalating this matter? “Cassia is trusted enough by the dean to convey the situation directly.” “…” Cassia closed her mouth with a slightly troubled expression. She had informed Lenok that she was in a position to directly deliver the dean’s message, but she was not willing to disclose the details. Considering that her real name, which she had heard in the autonomous territory under a different identity, was Akasha, Cassia must have her own reasons. However, it was difficult to pay attention to that at this moment. Lenok sighed softly. “Okay. I won’t ask about that.” “Thank you.” “However, it seems impossible to judge anything just by hearing those words.” “Then how…?” “I would like to meet the dean in person.” Lenok said. “I believe he’s at the school today, can we make an appointment?” The head of Lavatenon University, and a prominent mage. It was a good opportunity to meet the dean directly and negotiate about his life at this university.