Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 46

Was that what that meant, referring to this man? What a coincidence. Lenok chuckled as he tucked the cutter into his coat. “If you sold it for money, it’s the customer’s item. Why is it yours?” “Damn it… This is why you can’t talk to guys who don’t understand craftsmanship.” The man sighed deeply and waved his hand. “Alright. Anyway, it seems you’re my customer since you have it. Come to my shop later if you need anything. I’m sorry about today.” He said that and disappeared without waiting for an answer. The problem was that Lenok didn’t know who he was or where his shop was. ‘Should I ask Jenny later if I remember?’ Come to think of it, he had decided to find a way to gather information but had been idly doing nothing. He couldn’t just rely on Jenny or Jordan’s words, so he had to find a way… It seemed difficult without doing some legwork himself. Shaking his head, he headed home. Two days passed, and as soon as Lenok received a call from Jenny, he left his studio apartment again. [A request came in right after your name was registered on the Deep Web. But this time… I think you should decide for yourself.] Dyke Corporation. Her hesitant voice suggested that the situation was quite serious. “……” “Ban, this way.” As he went inside, Jordan immediately led him to the office inside. It was the place they had used when dealing with Amnak Pharmaceuticals. Two people were waiting for him, sitting on comfortable chairs. Jenny was sitting across from him, and a man in a suit was turned away from Lenok. Unusually, his hair was dyed a bright, lime green, and he had many earrings dangling from his ears. At the sound of the door opening, the man turned around and waved his hand. “Ah, you’ve arrived.” Even though he was wearing a flawless suit and shiny shoes, the man had a somewhat swaggering air about him. No magic emanated from his body, but Lenok did not underestimate him. There were plenty of people in this world who didn’t outwardly display magic. Whether it was a congenital condition like Maoren or a difference in level so vast like an Ascendant [a being of immense power], it was impossible to know. While Lenok sat down next to Jenny, Jordan quietly closed the door and disappeared down the hallway. He certainly tended to avoid unnecessary interference in these matters. Even though the two had taken their seats, the man didn’t say anything for a while, just staring at Lenok. The strong interest in his eyes piqued Lenok’s curiosity in return. “Have you never seen a mage before?” “Yeah. It’s my first time.” An answer beyond imagination. The man then grinned. It was a bizarre smile that stretched from ear to ear. A sharp aura that made his skin tingle. It was not the kind of attitude a client should show. “This is really amazing.” “……” “I’ve picked up a few good fighters who work alone, but this is the first time I’ve seen a mage. And not a fake, but a real one.” “Hey.” Lenok said with a blank face. “Huh?” “I don’t know why you’re calling me ‘guy’ in front of someone you’ve just met.” Whoooosh! He stood up and immediately drew up his magic. He rotated his magic to the maximum, pressing down on the man in front of him. Lenok’s magic control had grown to the point where it could actually cause physical interference when he used his full power. Seeing the man’s face turn pale in an instant, Lenok slowly took out the cutter from his coat. Zzzzz…!! He held the sparking cutter in front of the man’s eyes and said quietly. “If you want to hire me, you should speak properly. Not subtly poking at my nerves and trying to gauge me.” Lenok wasn’t very familiar with this type of person, but he roughly knew how to handle them. They were the type of people who constantly tested whether the other person was stronger or weaker than them, and once they thought they had the upper hand, they would maintain that attitude until the end. Instead of sitting still and watching how the other side would react, it was better to press down hard from the beginning to prevent any backlash. And Lenok already had the ability to do so. Jenny hadn’t said a word since Lenok stood up. Lenok stared down at the man for a moment before releasing the magic that had been constricting his neck in an instant. Whoosh—! The man, who had been stiff, finally cracked his neck and glanced up at Lenok, nodding. “….Okay, I apologize. You’re a feisty one, more than I heard.” Even though he had just been choked, he wasn’t intimidated and instead smiled back at them. It was a more pleasant response than expected, but Lenok ignored it. This man was a different breed from people like Dylan. The fact that he was acting like this when he came to place a request was proof that the line between friend and foe was blurred. He seemed more like a beast than a human, just by his outward appearance. ‘A beast….’ As that thought crossed his mind, he roughly guessed the man’s identity. As Lenok was about to sit back down, the man spoke again with a smirk. “By the way, is that cutter something you got modified by that old geezer? I thought he was long dead, but it seems he’s still alive and doing that kind of thing.” “What?” “If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to. Just tell him to say hi from me later. Our security chief is really out for his blood.” The man winked and took out a business card from his coat, placing it on the desk. “Things have turned out this way, but I should introduce myself, right? I’m Killian. I’m part of the support team at the company that made the cutter you were holding just now.” At the unexpected words, Lenok unconsciously looked down at the cutter he was still holding. Dyke. The brand name, elegantly drawn in cursive, was shining vividly. The man looked down at the scene with amusement and said. “Dyke headquarters wants to hire you directly. How about it, are you willing to hear the terms?” # They moved by sedan. As they entered District 10, the sight of high-rise buildings scattered everywhere came into view. Along with the scenery that was slowly becoming familiar, the memory of the day the delegation arrived came back to him. ‘I met the Ascendant near there.’ It was a short meeting, but her conversation left a deep impression on Lenok’s mind. If that could be called the dignity of an Ascendant, then she was the closest person to ascension. Lenok hadn’t easily forgotten the warning Madrea had left, but he also couldn’t easily find the answer. Alkaid. He had searched for the origins of that word, using his phone, the library, and even Jenny’s help, but he hadn’t found any results. If an Ascendant had directly told him to be careful, it was definitely not something ordinary, but he didn’t expect it to be so shrouded in mystery. To avoid danger, he had to uncover the secret. And that was also not something that could be done with the status of a mere freelancer. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Dyke headquarters building, passing through the wide, well-paved roads. The underground parking lot was located below the dizzyingly tall high-rise building. Killian, who had opened the car door and got out, immediately took the lead and started walking. “Do you know what our company does?” “….Roughly.” As could be seen from the laser cutter Lenok used, Dyke Corporation was originally a factory that produced industrial tools, and it had grown in scale. It was now well-known that they had entered the weapons business based on their strong capital, in addition to industrial equipment. Because of that, he had heard that there was a rivalry with Achilles, which had been producing security equipment and other military products, but it didn’t seem to be a crisis big enough to shut down the business. They left the parking lot and immediately took the elevator to the upper floors. The elevator shot upwards in an instant, with a feeling of his body sinking down. Outside the transparent glass door, the forest of buildings in District 10 was visible at a glance. “If you know, then things will be faster. Our planning team leader wants to hire you. The woman will tell you the details, but if things go well, you’ll be temporarily hired as part of the support team.” “I haven’t heard a single word about what I’ll be doing yet.” “That’s what we’re going to hear from now, that’s why we’re bringing the mage here.” Ding! The elevator doors opened, and a neatly decorated hallway unfolded. The interior was clean, with thick carpets on the floor, and a gentle, warm breeze was blowing from somewhere. Killian immediately walked down the hallway and burst into a particularly large glass door. “Panoa. I brought him. This is the guy.” “……I told you to always contact me before coming in.” A woman wearing glasses, who had been looking at a monitor, slowly turned her head and replied. She had a plain appearance, but her lips were set in a stiff line, giving her a somewhat resolute feeling. She calmly scanned Lenok up and down before offering him a seat. “You must have had a hard time coming all the way here. Please, have a seat.” As he settled into the sofa across the desk, Panoa tapped on the keyboard a few more times before immediately getting up and approaching Lenok. She skillfully brewed a tea-like drink and handed it to him, then sat across from him and quietly looked at him. “Can I go now?” At Killian’s words, who was standing behind them, watching blankly, she replied without turning her head. “I’ve sent about four other resumes to your email, so check them all and prioritize them. I’ll call you in later to check.” After Killian grumbled and closed the office door, Panoa reached out her hand to Lenok. “Nice to meet you. I’m Panoa Bellucci, the planning team leader at Dyke.” “I’m Ban.” After a brief handshake, Lenok asked. “I have a question.” “Yes, please ask.” “How much influence does a planning team leader have within the company?” “I’d like to ask why you’re curious about that.” “I want to know the exact scale of this hiring that Dyke wants to do. To be honest, I haven’t heard a detailed explanation.” He gestured with his chin towards the glass door and continued. “I don’t think I can expect anything from that werewolf.” His words were quite unexpected, and Panoa’s reply was delayed for a moment. “….You know that Killian is a werewolf. Did he tell you?” “No.” Lenok replied. “I killed one, so I roughly get the feeling.” “……….” Panoa, who had been silent, said. “We strictly prohibit any armed conflict between support teams.” “That’s something I’ll decide after I hear your story.” Panoa seemed to have realized from just those words that there had been some kind of tension between the two. “……It seems Killian was rude. I apologize on his behalf.” She was a very quick-witted person. She also didn’t seem to have any unnecessary pride. “So, what’s the answer to my question?” “It would be good if you knew that you can directly influence the company’s business direction. And hiring you, Mr. Ban the mage, is part of a project that I personally proposed to the board of directors.”