Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 524

“Therefore, the idling-inducing operation system aimed at improving engine efficiency is gradually…”

“Stop.”

A vast auditorium was submerged in darkness.

A researcher standing on a small platform illuminated by a single beam of light flinched at the stern voice.

He hurriedly raised his head to look up, but he couldn’t feel any gaze from the audience shrouded in darkness.

Only the slow movements of those sitting idly and silently staring at the platform stirred.

The Upper House of the City Government’s Central Council [the main legislative body of the city].

The core figures who effectively led the mega-city of Balkan were gathered in one place, a key area of the city hall.

However, no trace of interest or anticipation could be felt from them as they directly participated in the expo.

“Time’s up.”

“O-One last thing I’d like to say…!!”

“Researcher Bachi Truya.”

The researcher’s head snapped up at the voice that softly called his name.

He had the illusion that a faint glint of light flickered in the audience submerged in darkness.

“You have successfully demonstrated your research achievements so far.”

A gentle, coaxing tone of an elderly voice.

“You don’t have to worry; the funding for your research will be approved without any problems, so please step down now.”

“…Understood.”

The researcher, who seemed to want to say something more, held back and bowed his head.

As the man disappeared behind the platform, others expressed their opinions.

“It’s trash.”

“Let’s remove that fellow’s research institute from the research funding list.”

Unlike what could be seen from the platform where Bachi Truya stood, the audience was not actually submerged in darkness.

It was just that, through some kind of spell and various security magic, ordinary people were not even allowed to look at their faces.

The council members, sitting in comfortable chairs with soft lighting, were holding glasses of wine and flipping through the expo catalogs.

“Even after giving him four years, he only managed to replicate existing papers.”

“He only slightly improved the commercialization of the magic power conversion paper from Lavatenon University.”

“It means that when research results didn’t come out, he hastily picked a hot topic and made some minor adjustments.”

They didn’t even pretend to listen to the presentation, but they accurately grasped the core of the matter.

No, they had already been aware of it, so they judged that it was not worth listening to.

“Come to think of it, I heard that the author of the paper that was cited in the presentation is also participating in this expo.”

“The magic power to electric power conversion paper? His name was Evan Bailen.”

“There’s talk that the Dean of Garteanon bypassed internal procedures and made him the representative of Lavatenon University. That means he values him highly.”

“I haven’t heard anything about that fellow?”

“You know the Dean’s personality. He wouldn’t even mention it to council members he doesn’t consider to be on his side.”

“Then, someone in this room must have heard about it beforehand. What do you think, Lower House Member Meyer?”

Not all of the council members who were acting as judges for this expo were Upper House members.

The presence of advisory committees, auditors, heads of each organization, and external advisors to assist the Upper House members’ judgment was also essential.

John Meyer, an old man who participated in the expo as a member of the audit committee and a position in the Lower House of the Central Council, was also there.

Meyer paused for a moment as if thinking, then shook his head.

“I’ve checked all the fund flows and transaction records near the expo. I’ve secured a list of suspicious names in advance, but Dean Garteanon’s name wasn’t on it.”

“Oh.”

“If it’s just a hint using personal connections, there’s not much we can do about it.”

Despite the difference in status between the Upper and Lower Houses, Meyer’s considerable age was a factor that even Upper House members could not easily disregard.

Also, the fact that Meyer himself quickly made a name for himself and secured a position in the audit committee despite becoming a member of the Central Council at a late age.

“Well, that sly old man wouldn’t do anything that would get him caught.”

“So, does that mean he just left a superficial greeting asking us to look favorably on him?”

“It seems that Researcher Bailen is quite confident in the paper he submitted. If he’s the genius he’s rumored to be, it won’t be hard for him to achieve results at this expo.”

“I heard that the number of citations for his first paper has now reached almost 30,000? It’s an absurd figure even when looking at the academic world as a whole.”

“Oh, so it’s not an achievement that relied on the talent and reputation of Professor Aris Richelene?”

“It’s interesting, but he’s out of luck. The theme we have to adopt at this expo has already been decided.”

The Upper House member who said that turned his gaze towards a man in military uniform sitting in the front row of the audience.

“Isn’t that right, Commander Carrasco?”

“…”

“We’ve also prepared a lot to maximize the appeal of your technical bureau’s achievements. We’ll be very disappointed if you don’t meet our expectations.”

A strange impression, somewhat resembling a fish. Even though thick smoke from the cigar in his mouth flowed out, no one cared.

He slowly looked down at the platform, then leaned one arm on the audience and slightly turned his head.

Carrasco looked at the council members for a moment, then slowly smiled and replied.

“…It will be sufficient if you keep the promises you made in the Central Council.”

An attitude close to arrogance towards the powerful figures of the mega-city. However, no one pointed out his posture.

The Air Force Development Project, which the City Government’s Central Council had planned and organized to replace the Defense Army, was a grand project.

Carrasco was one of the key figures in that grand plan, a veteran, and a monster who had been promoted to the rank of general, the commander of the 2nd Air Force Corps of the Balkan Air Force.

One of the key figures from the era when the Defense Army’s strength was at its peak, now completely buried in the past.

He was now participating as one of the expo demonstration judges with the title of Air Force Commander.

“It’s just that we need a justification. Isn’t that why you set the theme separately?”

Carrasco, holding a cigar, flicked his hand.

“We are not asking the council members to choose results that do not meet the standards.”

“…”

“What’s important is the process of improving the Air Force’s status, which was ruined by its first deployment, and showing visible progress in both achievements and accomplishments.”

The Air Force Development Project, which was ambitiously launched to replace the Defense Army.

One of the results, the Air Force fleet, became scrap metal in the hands of Kraken Acillus [a powerful enemy] as soon as it was deployed, but the significance of the Air Force’s power in Balkan did not diminish.

An extreme environment where aircraft cannot fly due to irregular magnetic storms near the mega-city.

Establishing a flight force that can operate normally in this environment is equivalent to gaining absolute air superiority within the mega-city.

Putting the air superiority of the mega-city’s inner and outer areas under the control of the city government and the Air Force.

This expo was one of a series of procedures to supplement the Air Force’s technology and secure its competitiveness.

‘He says that, but it’s just a competition where the winners have already been decided.’

Meyer thought calmly as he listened to the conversation of the Upper House members from the back of the audience.

Of course, as it was an expo sponsored by the council, there would be no cases of awards being given to those with poor performance or technology.

However, the themes and topics that the council members would like had been decided in advance, and that fact had been used for trading purposes.

The fact that they were having this conversation in front of Meyer, a member of the audit committee, was tantamount to the Upper House members asserting that it was not wrong.

Meyer knew that, so he remained silent instead of intervening.

‘It’s not strange to focus on technologies related to the development of the Air Force. But, the other researchers at the expo who didn’t know that…’

It would be difficult to attract the attention of the council members or achieve results at the expo with ordinary achievements or papers.

Unless they were researchers who happened to study the technology themes needed by the Air Force or achieved truly overwhelming results, they could easily be buried without any attention.

The topics that the judges would like had been decided. Where does that fact lie on the spectrum of fairness and unfairness?

Perhaps this kind of tightrope walking was one of the things that the old monsters of the Central Council were most adept at.

“Then, following Commander Carrasco’s request, shall we start looking at the participants a little faster?”

“I agree. Since we’re using the expo’s procedures, we need to select a few presentations to show to the citizens as well.”

“There are too many guys trying to piggyback on Evan Bailen’s paper. Let’s quickly filter them out.”

As soon as he finished speaking, another presenter began to walk in from beyond the platform.

* * *

The auditorium located in the innermost part of the city hall, where the Upper House members were waiting for the judging.

In the dark corridor leading inside, dozens of researchers were waiting for their turn with nervous expressions.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

Another researcher wearing a gown from the Pegrache Research Institute, who had picked a fight with Lenox, walked out with a dazed expression.

Soon, other researchers who were chased out were not much different.

They had expected it to be an opportunity to showcase their achievements or papers, but they had returned after being miserably crushed.

Other waiters were busy reciting their prepared speeches or constantly checking the operation of their work.

However, there were definitely some researchers who walked out after completing their presentations with a relatively relaxed demeanor.

A chaotic waiting room in the corridor where conflicting emotions of tension and relaxation were mixed. Instead of calming his mind while waiting his turn with them, Lenox-

“You’re Assistant Professor Evan Bailen.”

“I’ve always wanted to meet you. Do you mind if we talk for a moment?”

Was receiving greetings from countless researchers and mages who recognized Lenox.

As Evan Bailen’s first paper had caused a huge ripple effect in various fields,

There were countless industry insiders who had heard his name, even if they didn’t know Lenox’s face.

In particular, researchers who had come from outside the mega-city for the expo and mages from the magic towers seemed to have no intention of letting go of Lenox.

“You look much younger than I thought. How old are you now?”

“I never thought you would prove the principle of magic power to electric power conversion like that. I’d love to hear how you came up with such an idea.”

Numerous requests for handshakes poured in from all directions from the magic towers and talents from outside the city.

Of course, there were also quite a few who suspected and probed Lenox among them.

“Isn’t it true that nothing has been properly verified yet?”

“We’ll have to see the results of this expo. We’ll find out how much Professor Richelene helped with the writing of the paper.”

“If he’s the genius he’s rumored to be, he wouldn’t bring such flimsy results to an expo of this scale, would he?”

An obvious attitude of subtly provoking Lenox and observing his reaction.

However, those words were scattered by a blond man standing next to Lenox, who burst into a hearty laugh.

“It’s not too late to talk about that after the expo is over. I’m curious how Assistant Professor Bailen came up with the idea for that paper, aren’t you?”

At the man’s words, other researchers naturally joined the conversation as if they inwardly agreed.

“I agree. The fact that he predicted the future, presented a virtual experiment, and then proved it in the past by turning the tense around is absurd.”

“Do you know that the proof method used by Bailen-nim is already being tried in various ways in several academic fields?”

“I know that related papers are already being written. Soon, a proof method named after you might be created.”

“…”

Lenox listened quietly to the words around him, while also carefully observing the blond man who had skillfully changed the subject.

A sturdy physique with broad shoulders, a suit that was old but neatly folded, and a simple attire without any accessories.

He was the man who had spoken to Lenox first in the tense corridor and had been enthusiastically talking about his achievements.

Even just now, he had subtly sided with Lenox and overturned the tense atmosphere of the corridor.

The blond man didn’t pay any attention to Lenox’s gaze and had already started chatting loudly among the researchers.

“I hope this paper gets a good evaluation from the judges…”

“I’m worried because the Upper House members are directly participating. What do those old men know about sacred magic engineering research?”

“This is the last opportunity the magic tower has given me this year. If I don’t achieve results within this quarter, I might really be dragged to the central front.”

From those who were expressing worries and complaints to those who were sharing information about the expo’s judging process.

The atmosphere around Lenox was smoothly loosening, and the attention of others began to focus on them as well.

Even mages were showing curiosity towards the spirit in Lenox’s arms.

“That’s a very cute spirit.”

“It’s rare to see a spirit that has undergone such concrete materialization.”

“Nice to meet you. Would you mind if I shook your hand?”

[Hmm.]

Dabi, who stretched out her front paw with a haughty air, shook hands politely, and the mages turned away as if satisfied.

Dabi whispered to Lenox with a somewhat satisfied expression.

[The mages outside the city are more polite organisms than I thought.]

“…”

“Evan Bailen. You’re still here.”

A woman in uniform tapped Lenox on the shoulder.

It was Fedora, who had introduced herself to Lenox earlier as being from the Defense Army’s Technical Bureau.

“Did your presentation go well?”

“So-so?”

She looked at the mages and researchers standing around Lenox with a sullen expression, then looked at the engine next to him and smiled faintly as if she had expected it.

“It would have been difficult to change anything significantly in the meantime. Good luck.”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier, that the city councilors have a set theme they want.”

“I’ll be going now.”

Lenox quietly muttered towards Fedora’s back as she turned away.

“Technology related to the Air Force’s power.”

“…!!!”

“Or research on a flight method equivalent to it. One of the two, right?”

Lenox smiled as he looked at Fedora, who had turned her head sharply.

Fedora’s face, which was alternating between looking at Lenox and his engine, was filled with a tension that was clearly different from before.

A gaze that was not of an ignorant person who knew nothing, but of someone wary of a competitor.

From that reaction alone, it was clear that Lenox’s guess was close to the answer.

The strange duplication of research themes that he had felt while walking around other booths with Dabi.

The internal affairs related to the themes that Sleeman and Fedora had mentioned.

Through that, Lenox had soon realized what the judges wanted at this expo.

Fedora, who had approached with a stiff face, whispered in a small and quick tone that only Lenox could hear.

“You, how on earth…!!”

“Was it a bigger secret than I thought?”

“…!!”

When Lenox didn’t answer, Fedora immediately raised her magic power and tried to grab his collar.

Perhaps she was confident in her own skills as a member of the Defense Army’s Technical Bureau. It was an aggressive response close to that of a soldier.

The moment the mages, surprised by the air that was heating up in an instant, were about to find the source of the magic power.

“Well, it’s troublesome if there’s a commotion yet.”

*Thwack!!*

Someone standing next to Lenox struck Fedora’s forehead like lightning and tapped it.

Fedora’s eyes rolled back and she fainted on the spot before she could even react.

The man who skillfully caught Fedora’s body and sat her down in a waiting seat near the corridor said.

“I didn’t want to be disturbed, since I had created such a good atmosphere.”

The middle-aged man with dark blond hair slicked back, who was smiling with a friendly face, stood up.

The man who had been laughing heartily next to Lenox until just now. The other researchers had blank expressions at his words.

“No, what are you talking about?”

“W-We were waiting for our turn for the expo together…”

The man didn’t even look back at the researchers who had been laughing and chatting until just now.

He just quickly straightened his clothes with a light gesture and swept his hair back.

Just that seemed to change the man’s impression to a heavy and dull one.

Unlike his somewhat excited demeanor, his face was now expressionless and calm.

The man, who had adjusted his collar, slowly extended his hand towards Lenox.

A faint navy blue badge representing the Upper House of the Central Council was gleaming on his sleeve.

“I’m Conrad Haven.”

The man, who naturally grabbed Lenox’s hand and shook it, smiled.

“I’m a foolish old man who holds a councilor position.”

“C-Councilor Haven…!!”

“How did a key figure who is the busiest in the Upper House get here…!!”

Voices were heard from the crowd, unable to hide their agitation. The aftermath spread like a wave in all directions a beat later.

Only after listening to those voices did Lenox finally realize who his opponent was.

A member of the Upper House of the Balkan City Government’s Central Council.

One of the old monsters who were at the very top of the power structure of this vast city had come to meet Lenox in person.

Moreover, he had mixed in with the researchers and mages from the magic towers as if it were nothing, even intentionally creating a lively atmosphere.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Shall we go out and talk?”

He smiled and casually touched the engine once, then pointed behind his shoulder.

The next words he spoke were of a kind that completely deviated from Lenox’s expectations or predictions.

“Before we erase everything that happened at this expo today, I’d like to have one last conversation with you.”