Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 466

Even Lenok, who had faced death countless times, felt a knot of tension in his gut. He was clinging to his reason with the iron will of a mage, but beneath it all, Lenok was still human, and he felt fear.

He knew that if he didn’t confront his inner weaknesses and negative emotions, he’d never be able to truly overcome them.

Yet, the fact that heading to the bar felt as tense as venturing into a jungle was unavoidable.

The guest waiting for him at Jenny’s bar was someone Lenok found difficult to deal with.

As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, he walked through District 49 towards the bar.

He climbed the familiar stairs and entered the dimly lit bar he knew so well.

Jenny, who was chatting with a single guest, spotted Lenok and flicked her fingers.

“Ban, over here.”

“……”

Sitting across from Jenny, sipping a drink, was a woman with bright blonde hair.

She wore a neat coat, as if she had just returned from a long journey, and a small bag rested at her feet.

Her usually loose hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a sight Lenok was seeing for the first time.

Jenny shrugged, looking at Lenok.

“This is Professor Richelieu. You know her, right? We worked together during the Defense Force rebellion. No need for a formal introduction.”

Alice didn’t respond, and Lenok let out a small breath, sitting slightly apart from her. They sat side by side at the bar, leaving one seat empty.

“……?”

Jenny, as if immediately sensing the awkward atmosphere, raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Instead, she stood in front of Lenok and tapped the shaker.

“What will you drink? Crevasse, Failder, Banusha… We’ve recently restocked, so we have a lot of new options.”

“…Something I haven’t tried before.”

“If you two have something to talk about, should we get to the main point first?” Jenny asked, naturally starting to make cocktails, taking out a few bottles from the back shelf.

“You said you were looking for someone. What’s going on?”

“……”

Lenok started to speak, but then closed his mouth, thinking about Alice sitting next to him.

Jenny smiled, looking slightly apologetic, as if she had made a mistake.

“I guess it’s not something to talk about here. If it’s urgent, we can do it right now…”

“No, it’s okay.”

Originally, Lenok had planned to ask for information about the bloodline of the family head who had managed the fortress’s crack [a spatial rift] for generations.

He figured that if anyone in the city recognized and accepted the possibility of the Outer Sea [a realm beyond the known world], it would be the nobles of the fortress who had grown up near the crack since birth.

However, as Lenok organized his thoughts on the way to the bar, he realized that this approach wasn’t very useful.

Lenok had clearly recognized the existence of the Outer Sea not from the fortress’s crack, but from the well of the compendium [a magical library].

The reason he had looked for the crack today was only because he thought he might be able to get a clearer picture of the possibility of the Outer Sea.

He had deployed his domain [a mage’s personal space] to look for the crack, just in case, but he didn’t have high expectations that anything would be reflected in the kaleidoscope [a magical artifact] unless he knew specifically about the possibility of the Outer Sea.

Rather, the fact that he got results from a single attempt, and that the outcome was so different from Lenok’s expectations, was confusing his thoughts.

It wasn’t a matter of looking for other external factors.

The landscape of another possibility that had been lost at the branching point Lenok possessed.

Why the version of himself at the branching point that had extended to the possibility of the Outer Sea didn’t even exist.

To know that, he had no choice but to delve deeply into himself.

The conclusion was set from the beginning.

“Find me the best doctor in the underworld. Can you do that?”

“……”

Leaving Jenny and Alice in silence, Lenok quietly continued.

“If possible, it would be good if they specialize in medical checkups that can quantify physical information. Considering various possibilities, blood or genetics would be best…”

“Wait a minute, Ban… do you know what you’re saying right now?” Jenny asked, her face stiff, as she lowered her head to look at Lenok.

“You’ve never asked me to find someone like that before.”

“…That’s right.”

Of course, that was because of the penalty [a magical restriction], which was closely related to Lenok’s secret, but he had never told Jenny about that fact.

Lenok tilted his head slightly, wondering why she was so serious, at that moment.

Alice, who hadn’t said anything, quietly spoke.

“Is it because of Madrich Onion?”

“……”

Silence fell.

Only then did Lenok realize what Jenny and Alice were thinking, and he frowned slightly.

‘It’s because of the alibi.’

During his long absence for the Pandemonium operation, he had used the excuse of injuries from the battle with Madrich as a cover.

The rumor that Kyunroe and Madrich Onion had fought and caused a great impact had spread even outside the city.

That’s why the two of them thought that the reason Lenok was looking for a doctor was because of injuries from the battle with Onion.

If Lenok, who had never looked for a doctor while fighting countless battles, suddenly looked for a doctor, what could be the reason?

If a mage who had only received prescriptions from herbalists needed a checkup, the possible reasons were obvious.

“…I’ll explain later.”

How could he explain here that he needed to examine himself more accurately because of the landscape inside his domain?

Therefore, Lenok tried to deny it and postpone the explanation, but their suspicious attitude made them seem even more convinced of the fact.

Jenny, who had put down the shaker, immediately turned and walked towards the office inside the bar.

“I’ll put in an anonymous master-level request on the deep web. If I contact my acquaintances and buy additional information, I can come to a conclusion within 36 hours. Jorden?”

“…I’ll contact my old colleagues. There might be some who are still active on the central front.”

Jorden, who had been listening to the conversation quietly with his arms crossed, disappeared at a fast pace, and only the sound of Jenny typing on the keyboard echoed from inside the room.

“……”

Surprisingly swift work. Skilled actions that made it seem like half the work was done at the start.

Jenny and Jorden’s actions clearly showed how seriously they were taking this matter.

At this point, Lenok considered whether to just be honest and ask for their understanding, but in the end, he gave up.

After all, the reason he was able to participate in the Pandemonium operation was because he had the excuse that he was injured and recovering from the battle with Madrich Onion.

In the underworld of the megacity, the name Kyunroe had grown to the point where it could no longer be hidden without that kind of alibi.

Now that he couldn’t reveal all his identities and purposes to Jenny or Alice, it was too risky for Lenok himself to deny that fact.

It was difficult to stop them when they were so diligently looking for a doctor.

In the end, Lenok tapped his empty glass and turned his gaze to the problem he had put off for a moment.

Towards the mage, Alice Richelieu, who was now looking at Lenok blankly.

“It’s been a while since the Defense Force operation ended.”

“…That’s right.”

“Shall we hear what you have to say here?”

“……”

Lenok shook his head at her hesitant appearance.

“I don’t mind moving to another place…”

“No, it’s okay.”

Looking at Alice’s expression, as if she had made up her mind, Lenok also steeled himself.

He had a vague feeling of why she had come to find Ban in District 49 at this time, instead of Lenok.

Alice Richelieu was half-convinced that Lenok and Ban were the same person, but she hadn’t directly confirmed that fact or heard the truth.

That subtle boundary between Lenok and Ban’s identities.

Knowing that Ban was Lenok himself, but coming all the way to Jenny’s bar to find Ban, to convey something that she couldn’t tell Lenok directly.

It must have been for that reason.

The night the Defense Force situation ended, the last night the two of them met and talked.

A considerable amount of time had passed, and many things had happened that couldn’t be put into words, but Lenok still hadn’t forgotten.

However, he hadn’t imagined that if they were to meet again, it would be like this.

Lenok also wanted to hear the reason.

The quiet sound of the keyboard echoed inside the empty bar.

“I made a mistake with a friend.”

Alice, who had been hesitating for a long time, opened her mouth, gripping her glass tightly with both hands.

“I was happy to know the secret, and I was embarrassed when I realized the reason. I believed that there was a problem that needed to be solved, even if it meant reducing the time I spent in this city.”

“……”

“It was arrogance. If it was something that could be solved with my own strength, there would have been no reason to hide it and worry about it…”

Her unique deep blue eyes, looking up at Lenok, were still the same.

Lenok knew that a stronger will and image were overflowing from those eyes than before.

While spending time in the Magic Tower, Alice had not forgotten to continue to build her own achievements.

“Is that what you came back to tell me?”

“I heard the news. That you had taken on several problems while I was away. I was worried about that, so I tried to take some time…”

Alice, who had been looking at Lenok with a sad gaze, put down her glass and stood up from her seat.

“This is all I can do.”

She took something out from inside her trench coat and pushed it onto Lenok’s table.

A small bookmark shape. But the magic power flowing from it was on a different level than most artifacts.

The complexly twisted magic power seemed to be materializing into a clear will inside the bookmark.

It felt like a crystallization of an intense wish, as if she had poured her image directly into it.

Lenok, who had been staring at it for a while, asked.

“What is this…?”

“It’s not like I didn’t gain anything while looking for a solution in the Magic Tower.”

Alice said quietly.

“I’ve already confirmed the direction. Even if it’s difficult with my own strength, there might be room to find a solution from a more fundamental point of view.”

“……”

Instead of answering, Lenok quietly closed his eyes.

Was she saying that the reason she went to the Magic Tower in the first place was because she had guessed Lenok’s secret and the reason for it?

He knew she was intelligent, but he didn’t know she would think and act that far with just a few words.

Meanings that could never be conveyed in words, emotions that had not yet been properly defined.

They were still wandering between secrets and anguish that had not been exchanged.

Alice and Lenok were also just searching for their own ways in the tangled and twisted flow of time.

Lenok quietly reached out and picked up the bookmark.

“I’ll make sure to deliver it to your friend.”

“…Thank you.”

Alice smiled weakly.

* * *

After that, Alice exchanged a brief greeting with Jenny and left immediately.

She looked like she had just returned from a trip, but it seemed she had finished all the preparations to return to the Magic Tower and came to see him.

After receiving Jenny’s confirmation that it would take about a day, Lenok immediately left the bar and started on his way home.

He hadn’t had a proper rest since the end of the Pandemonium operation.

It would be better to rest for at least a day.

He was lost in thought, staring blankly at the flow of people passing by on the street.

‘It might be time for cross-verification…’

In the meantime, Lenok had been extremely reluctant to seek help from hospitals or healers, no matter how severe the injuries or damage he had suffered.

Compared to his still immature growth and rank, his talent and potential were absurdly enormous.

He thought that someone who examined his body might find out Lenok’s secret.

That’s why Lenok had thoroughly concealed and managed his identity and physical information, but now the situation was a bit different.

‘Still, it would be much less of a burden if it was under Ban’s name.’

The fact that Kyunroe was a high-ranking mage equivalent to at least level 8 was already well known in this city.

Even if there was a problem with getting a health checkup under Ban’s name, the possibility of it turning into a big commotion was low.

Many things had changed since he first stepped into this street.

Not only Lenok’s own power and status, but also the existence of the large forces he had formed ties with, and various helpers.

He didn’t believe that they would remain lukewarm helpers forever, but it was enough to solidify the status of the identity of Ban.

[Should I make reservations at the most famous medical facilities in this city?]

Davie, who had confirmed Lenok’s intention, asked while fidgeting in his arms, but Lenok shook his head.

“No, if possible, it would be better to wait for Jenny’s call.”

[After all, everything that broker gets is bound to be unlicensed quacks.]

“It doesn’t matter if they’re unlicensed, as long as they’re skilled. Rather, getting someone from the underworld is better in terms of security… Wait, what are you doing?”

Lenok looked at the phone screen moving on its own in his hand and let out a hollow laugh.

“Were you trying to make a reservation at the spirit clinic we went to last time? The veterinarian there would be horrified if a human sat on the examination table.”

[W-Well, you never know.]

“What?”

Davie glanced at Lenok and muttered.

[Master might actually have a hidden tail…]

“……”

Lenok pondered why Davie was suddenly saying such things. He sighed and shook his head.

“If you want to go to the clinic again, tell me anytime. But I’m not going to save on the investment, so don’t hide it again.”

[No, that’s not what I meant.]

“If it’s about the development of additional abilities, let’s do some research after Alice returns. Come to think of it, there were rumors that some high-ranking spirit mages had fused their bodies with spirits in their own way.”

[…You’re not listening to me, are you?]

Just as Davie was about to snort, saying that.

Screech…!!

Someone rolled down in front of Lenok, who had put down his shaker and stood up, and slid across the ground.

The person who had slid, smearing the sidewalk with red bloodstains, tried to get up and run away, but at that moment.

Another tall figure that appeared right behind him grabbed him and slammed him into the ground.

Bang!!

“Kuh…!!”

“Where do you think you’re going? Did you think you could get away after drinking that?”

The person who was trying to escape cried out at the cold voice of the young man.

“Sh-Shit… I didn’t know!! Those bastards just forced me to drink it!!”

The figure desperately struggled to escape the young man’s grasp.

Despite the commotion that was happening right in front of him, Lenok indifferently put down his empty glass and got up from his seat.

He was neither Ban nor Victor right now.

If Lenok got involved in troublesome matters under his own identity, it would be difficult to clean up later.

Thinking that, he immediately left his seat and was about to open the database to gather information about medical institutions, at that moment.

[Huh, Master?]

Davie tilted his head in confusion and pointed with his front paw at something struggling over there.

[That person has a terminal signal similar to the one Master has?]

“What?”

[Decryption code: Ryan Iter. It’s the terminal of a blood mage working at the broker’s bar.]

“……”

Only then did Lenok’s eyes narrow as he understood the meaning of Davie’s words.

The boy’s appearance and somewhat familiar voice. Now that he looked at it, the face covered in blood was also familiar.

If the terminal was also Ryan’s, it was almost certain, but even so, he hadn’t recognized that the boy was Ryan.

It was impossible for Lenok’s magic detection and responsiveness to forget a life reaction once he had remembered it.

Yet, what did it mean that Lenok hadn’t recognized Ryan Iter’s reaction?

It was no different than saying that Ryan’s life reaction had completely changed into something else while he wasn’t looking.

He had used blood magic, but Ryan, who was still human, had changed into something else, almost certainly…

“…Did he become a vampire?”

[Compared to the most recently recorded data, his metabolism has decreased by 80%. The body temperature measured by nearby sensors is 15.4 degrees. Blood flow rate increased by 413.33%. Magic power decreased by 12%.]

Davie didn’t answer Lenok’s words directly, but the data the spirit had given him pointed to a more definite answer than any other answer.

“Interesting.”

He had met Ryan because of an old request and dragged him into freelance work, but he never thought he would become a vampire while he wasn’t looking.

Lenok was more interested in the fact that he had become a vampire than in the fact that Ryan’s life was in danger.

He was already focusing on the theme of his own body and blood these days.

Was it a coincidence that a letter that Madam had given him a long time ago came to mind at this moment?

If Ryan had really been reborn as a completely different race, it wouldn’t be bad to hear the whole story.

Lenok put his hand to his face and said to Davie.

“Contact Jenny separately and let her know the situation. Ask her to bring any information I need.”

[There are 649 registered publications on vampire extermination methods, should I brief you now?]

“I don’t need it.”

The moment Lenok said that and took a step forward, the black coat that had been covering his shoulders fell down.

At the same time as he rotated his magic power, the brilliance of lightning that vibrated through the air was too natural.

Crackling…!!

“I’ll beat it out of him.”