Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 544

Crack, crack…

Iriya, who had been fiddling with the transmitter, looked at it, sighed, and put it in her pocket.

‘Even after replacing it with spare parts, it’s still like this. It’s practically useless.’

Iriya, a member of the Cybrid Echo, was quite knowledgeable about machinery, yet she couldn’t fix the transmitter.

If Iriya was having this much trouble, the others probably couldn’t even touch the transmitter.

In this situation, it was practically impossible to contact Keegan at the Kurbas Dam.

A look of delight began to spread across Iriya’s face as she fiddled with the communicator instead of the video transmitter.

Felix’s somewhat tired voice was faintly heard over the radio.

[…Iriya?]

‘Magath, you’re safe.’

[I got caught up in an unexpected fight… things got complicated.]

Felix’s voice was utterly serious.

[I was moving with Ban, but he suddenly disappeared as soon as we entered near the power plant.]

‘……’

[I plan to head straight to the power plant after finishing the battle here. Considering Ban’s health, the burden of being alone is ridiculous-]

‘You don’t need to worry about Ban’s safety for the time being.’

Iriya replied, slightly averting her gaze.

‘I just confirmed that he entered the power plant with someone’s guidance. In fact, he seems to be making the fastest progress among us.’

[…What?]

Felix stuttered for a moment at her unexpected answer.

[Iriya, how do you know that… no, that’s the wrong question. Where are you right now?]

‘Rather than where I am, it’s more like now…’

Iriya answered, leaning slightly forward.

Her figure tilted, and her hair fell like a waterfall.

At the top of the power plant’s heat exhaust vent, the end of which could not be seen.

Hanging upside down on the top of the exhaust vent with a diameter of tens of meters, she was staring into the darkness where the end could not be seen.

‘I’m just about to infiltrate the power plant.’

[……]

‘But I thought I should contact you before it’s too late.’

Iriya, who had undergone body modification, could see things that ordinary human eyes could not.

Ultra-high temperature heat lines that were impossible to see with the naked eye.

The only ventilation duct in the power plant that served not only as an exhaust vent but also as a barrier to intruders.

Iriya was planning to directly access the power plant’s internal facilities through that.

‘Ban drew their attention, and the surveillance network in the sky became temporarily lax. Thanks to that, I was able to get here easily. The others will probably have to be careful.’

Click, click!!

Iriya said, checking the belts and ropes tightly attached to her body.

‘He’s a superhuman with incredible flying ability. It’s hard to believe he’s from decades ago. I didn’t see his face, but he’s probably from the Tri-Heads Iron Blood Palace…’

Felix quietly gasped at her calm explanation.

[…You already realized it.]

‘Isn’t the battle that Magath got caught up in the same?’

Iriya replied calmly, slowly tilting her back. Her body straightened upside down, forming a loose arch.

‘The timelines in the restricted area are completely tangled, and that goes for the people living inside as well. It’s not some illusion from memory. They are clearly alive and thinking.’

[……]

‘To solve this mystery and stop the radiation exposure, we have no choice but to directly access the depths of the power plant. Ban recognized that and chose to be captured by them himself.’

[What are you planning to do?]

‘I’m not as good at it as Ban, so I can’t go as easily…’

Iriya, who had put on her goggles for the last time, slowly released her body fixed to the belt and answered.

‘I just hope to be of help when it’s needed.’

It wasn’t just a matter of avoiding the heat lines surrounding the exhaust vent.

The intense heat wind rising irregularly from below. If she were to get caught in it, her whole body would melt or be cut off by the heat lines.

But even knowing that, Iriya was ready to throw herself into the darkness beyond the exhaust vent.

[Damn it, where is Azlan… we haven’t even been able to contact him since his last message.]

‘Ah, I have something to say about that…’

Iriya said, releasing all the remaining belts.

‘Azlan doesn’t seem to be very interested in the success of this operation. I don’t think we should expect any help from him.’

[What the hell does that…]

Felix said that, then belatedly realized something and urgently asked Iriya.

[Iriya, what did you see inside the restricted area!!]

‘……’

[Did you confirm something related to Azlan’s secret? If you knew that in advance…!!]

‘What the Immaculate One [referring to Azlan] is looking for in this area is not an object or a person.’

Iriya said.

‘From the beginning, he was only interested in himself. I think we realized that too late.’

[Iriya, wait there!! I’ll resolve the situation here right away and join you…!!]

‘We need to add at least one more person before the situation gets out of hand.’

Click!!

At the same time as she released the last belt without hesitation, her body sank down as if it were being sucked in.

Iriya’s figure, which barely grazed through the countless heat lines, disappeared into the darkness in an instant.

Only her last message echoed quietly.

‘I’ll do what I can, so please do the same, Magath. I’m begging you.’

* * *

‘So…’

The man, with a displeased expression, stroked his chin and pondered.

‘You’re saying you joined the operation newly under Oliviera’s orders?’

The appearance of the man, who had roughly swept his curly black hair to one side, was quite handsome.

The magic power emanating from his body had a rather unique resonance, quietly spreading out like ripples.

Instead of answering, Lenox quietly observed the magic power emanating from Kaise’s body.

‘He’s not a physical ability user.’

It was very difficult to guess whether an opponent was a sorcerer or a physical ability user just by their inherent magic power.

This was because the system of spells or the direction of the mind were not necessarily defined by just two categories.

There were many cases of those who had learned pure spells but were strong in close combat, or those who were close to physical ability users but specialized in long-range bombardment.

Making a judgment was just a matter of comprehensively checking the physique, muscle density, the flow and direction of magic power, and making an educated guess based on experience.

But even so, Lenox was half-certain that Kaise was not a physical ability user.

‘The flow of magic power is very unique. No, it’s not just unique…’

Lenox’s eyes, looking at Kaise, cooled down.

‘The direction of the flow itself is going against the whole body.’

Originally, the flow of magic power in a living being rotates along the direction of blood vessels and is naturally supplied throughout the body along with oxygen and blood.

As the most basic driving force and source of power that constitutes the essence of a superhuman, it was obvious that it was ideal for it to be done and circulated simultaneously with life activities.

However, Kaise’s magic power did not follow the circulation of blood and life activities, but rather went against the flow of the whole body, scattering its irregular pattern in all directions.

Crack, crack!!

A reverse-heavenly magic power that was absolutely impossible unless it was due to a congenital constitution, or the influence of a bloodline or an ability factor equivalent to it.

It was more heterogeneous and powerful because it went against the flow, but it was not unusual for it to harm the caster’s body in real time.

Perhaps Kaise’s health in this timeline was not good, to say the least.

Perhaps sensing that Lenox couldn’t take his eyes off the magic power that was going against the flow, Kaise stared blankly at Lenox and said bluntly.

‘As expected of a guy brought by Oliviera, you’re incredibly rude. Didn’t you learn that it’s rude to stare at people like that?’

‘……I didn’t know you were the type to care about manners. I’ll be careful from now on.’

Kaise chuckled at Lenox’s indifferent words.

‘Well, still, judging by that reaction, you seem to have some insight.’

‘Insight?’

‘Weren’t you looking at my magic power? Not many guys understand that as soon as they meet me.’

‘……’

‘She’s a very powerful magic eye holder among the people I know. It’s not strange that her subordinate has good eyes.’

Only then did Lenox understand the meaning of Kaise’s words and smiled bitterly.

Kaise had already noticed not only that Lenox was observing his magic power, but also that he possessed magic eyes.

Kaise, who had turned his back without a care, said.

‘If you’re a magic eye holder of that level, it’s not hard to understand why you’re joining this operation late. There’s no need to say anything if the other guys aren’t going to do their jobs carelessly.’

‘You’re quick to understand.’

‘Anyway, if you’re not planning to help me right now, would you please leave?’

Kaise waved his hand, starting to quickly operate the tablet again.

‘There’s not much time left until I get results. I need to finish the adjustments as quickly as possible and get some rest. I need to get some sleep before the research starts so I can at least conserve my energy… cough!!’

Kaise coughed a few times, shrugged his shoulders, and turned his gaze.

Lenox stared at Kaise’s back for a long time.

A personality that seemed somewhat different from the ruler of the underworld he had imagined, easygoing yet somewhat indifferent.

Apart from his reputation as a strongman who ruled the underworld of the megacity, his essence seemed closer to that of a researcher or scholar.

Was it because he possessed both these abilities and personality that he was able to oversee the Black Consumer Project and gather the darkness of the city in one place?

Jenny’s grandfather. The boss of the underworld. The ruler betrayed by his confidants.

There were not a few people around Lenox who still remembered his name and longed for that era.

What kind of wishes and aspirations did this man hold that so many people remembered him?

Why was his name still occasionally echoing in the back alleys of the city, where people forgot everything after a day?

If not now, he would never be able to confirm it directly.

But instead of directly resolving the questions he had in his heart, Lenox brought up something else.

‘You look tired. Do you need help?’

‘I do, but if you don’t have the basic knowledge, you’ll only get in the way. Do you think I’m doing all this work alone for no reason?’

Lenox quietly raised his gaze and looked at the huge machine in the center of the power room.

A shape like a giant egg. The inside parts and circuits were clearly visible through the half-split shell.

Even a high-level mage could only recognize that something beyond common sense was happening inside, but it would be difficult to guess exactly what kind of research was being conducted.

However, Lenox, who had confirmed the radiation exposure and the distortion of the timeline in the restricted area, could guess what Kaise was aiming for with this research.

The moment he grasped the principle and structure of that machine through his innate intuition and transcendental sensitivity, Lenox understood.

He didn’t know if Kaise was the most powerful transcendent and ruler in the underworld.

However, he was certainly one of the most outstanding geniuses this city had ever produced.

‘I can only hope that Oliviera will come back soon and help with the adjustments-‘

‘To materialize the space-time domain, you need to increase the magic power hardening rate a bit more.’

Kaise’s words stopped abruptly.

Lenox continued, not caring about the reaction.

‘You’re artificially extracting and expanding space, but even the original isn’t proper. Then you have to forcibly create stability by increasing the output by several times.’

‘Wait a minute, you…’

‘Are you thinking of trying to maintain the status quo by borrowing the chairman’s magic eyes? What’s the point of getting results by using such a temporary trick?’

Lenox, after saying that, immediately realized the answer to the question he had asked.

‘I see… so even this isn’t the essence of the project. If you’re planning to set up a testbed and build meaning on top of it…’

Bang!!

At that moment, the tablet that had flown from the other side fell at Lenox’s feet and shattered.

Kaise, who had risen from his seat with a blank face, was looking at Lenox.

‘You weren’t the guy Oliviera called.’

‘……’

‘You know what you shouldn’t know, and you don’t know what you should know. What’s your identity?’

Kaise asked in an indifferent tone.

His gaze was completely different from the somewhat dazed one he had shown earlier, utterly cold and indifferent.

A cold and strict atmosphere that seemed as if he would kill and bury Lenox right away filled the power room in an instant.

An inhuman aura that was in no way inferior to the symbol of the ruler of the underworld that Lenox had imagined.

‘Why did you come looking for me?’

‘Well…’

Lenox crossed his arms and trailed off, averting his gaze.

Because he knew that things would inevitably turn out this way from the moment he met Kaise.

It was good that he had tricked Parden McQueen into entering the power plant, but he didn’t know how to deal with Kaise after meeting him.

There were many things he wanted to ask about the Black Consumer Project, the research being conducted in this restricted area, the secrets of the city council, and the existence of the Alcaide.

But if Kaise was in his right mind, there was no way he would explain such secrets to a stranger.

It was also impossible to intimidate or torture Kaise to make him spill information. He was not the kind of person who would fall for such tricks in the first place.

What was the only way to safely hear the secrets of the project and get out of here without antagonizing Kaise?

The conclusion had already been reached.

‘I’m interested in the research you’re conducting. I want to cooperate.’

‘……What?’

That was why Lenox had decided to help Kaise in this place and completely finish the work that was happening in this timeline.

It was also the most efficient way to extract the knowledge that Kaise had about the project and space-time research.

‘You’re trying to handle the construction of the domain in actual space-time through this research, right?’

Lenox continued, leaving Kaise, who was not responding.

‘I’ll help your research to be completed. In return, you just need to play along with me for a while.’

‘Play along…’

‘It’s true that I have ties with Oliviera, but I’m not just her ally.’

Lenox shrugged his shoulders and continued.

‘I can’t stay here after McQueen returns. I want to avoid unnecessary commotion. I’m here because I want to see your research completed.’

‘You can help me in that process?’

‘It’s up to you to judge. But don’t you already know?’

Lenox replied.

‘That I can help you and that I have no intention of harming you.’

‘……’

There was no answer.

That was probably because Kaise was agreeing with Lenox’s words, but at the same time, he was also suspicious.

It was obvious that Lenox, who had passed through Gilleon, who was monitoring the vicinity of the power plant, and was having a one-on-one conversation with Kaise, had no hostility.

Nevertheless, it was natural that the offer to help with the research out of the blue felt suspicious.

But instead of cutting off the offer, Kaise was just looking at Lenox with cold eyes.

As if he was waiting for the only answer that could connect all this unnaturalness.

‘……I see.’

Lenox thought about that fact, and then, realizing that the answer was in the path he had taken so far, he laughed without realizing it.

He was vividly feeling the lingering echoes of the terrible contradictions and coincidences that had permeated this moment.

‘Don’t you know yet?’

As if it had been decided from the beginning, he reached out his hand to Kaise.

‘Alcaide. We made a promise, didn’t we?’

While telling the most perfect lie he had been waiting for.