Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 555

Clunk!!

With the sound of the communication abruptly cutting off, the conference room at the Kurbas Dam fell into a deathly silence.

Dozens of people, not even daring to breathe, stared at the woman standing in the center of the room.

The overwhelming aura emanating from the figure, whose face was veiled and who wore a flamboyant robe, filled the space of the conference room.

Oliviera, without saying a word, stared blankly at the broken equipment where the communication had been cut off, then turned away without any hesitation.

Following behind her, gliding like a shadow, was the vampire, Virgil.

Kegan gritted his teeth and opened his mouth.

“W-wait a minute…!!”

[……]

“You came all this way, only to leave a few words and then turn back…!!”

At Kegan’s words, Oliviera quietly turned her gaze and stared at him through her veil.

Just meeting the faint glint of her magic eyes hidden behind the veil was enough to make cold sweat trickle down Kegan’s back.

The pressure poured down with her gaze. It was difficult enough just to resist the reverberation of magic pressing down on his shoulders.

But even in the midst of that, Kegan tried not to forget what he had to do.

“Considering the procedures and liabilities we skipped to guide you to this place, this is not enough.”

Kegan, gasping for breath, continued to speak with a pale face.

“Please provide more, more concrete information and circumstantial evidence about the inside of the restricted area…”

“…Kegan Grimes, Administrator.”

At those words, the vampire Virgil, who was standing behind Oliviera, slightly bared his teeth.

At the same time, a thick stench of blood emanated from below. Kegan silently inhaled slightly.

“I understand your position, but I cannot allow such rude behavior.”

“……”

Just by revealing a faint killing intent, the environment inside the conference room was gradually changing.

The ancient vampire who had taken the position of the de facto CEO of the cartel, surpassing Parden McQueen as the first president.

His intellect and martial prowess were so well-balanced that it was rumored even in the public eye that he was the best in the huge corporate alliance.

“The cartel is not bound by the interests of the city government. If you want to understand that fact in a way other than words, there’s no reason to stop you.”

If a level 7 Saint-level ability user started to act in this place, there would be a bloodbath.

But Kegan gritted his teeth and shook his head.

“…No. I still need to hear it. If you know something, you must tell us clearly here.”

A somewhat forced argument. But it wasn’t without reason that Kegan was being stubborn with Oliviera.

It wasn’t just to be compensated for the risks he had taken to bring her to this dam.

The very fact that Oliviera herself had arrived at this place was clear evidence that she had intended to go directly to the restricted area.

But after a brief conversation with Lenox, she abandoned that plan without hesitation and turned away.

Kegan thought that he had to hear the reason for that change of heart in this place.

Because that small action of Oliviera changing her mind could not have happened without the certainty that this matter could be resolved.

“You don’t understand the warning.”

Virgil didn’t say it twice. His red eyes coldly narrowed.

Two streaks of blood that had sprouted between his fingers rotated in a spiral and grabbed Kegan’s neck.

“C-cough…!!”

The expression on Kegan’s face, where the faces of a young man and an old man coexisted, contorted in pain.

As the risen blood vessels grabbed his neck like living hands and choked him, Kegan’s limbs trembled.

[That face.]

The grip of the blood vessels, which seemed as if they would snap his neck at any moment, stopped because of the transmission that echoed from behind the veil.

[You’re a survivor from the incident in the restricted area.]

“Cough!!”

The blood vessels released him as if it were a lie. Kegan, who had collapsed, coughed weakly.

[Most of them would have died not long after the exposure, but you managed to survive and come this far.]

“Haa, haa…!!”

Oliviera turned her head towards the collapsed Kegan with a languid air.

She lowered herself slightly to meet Kegan’s gaze and murmured.

[Kaise wasn’t very happy about victims like you. He considered the sacrifices he made to be errors arising from the gap between inadequacy and failure.]

“Hoo…!! Who would be happy about that…!!”

[That’s right.]

Oliviera readily agreed.

[But in the end of this maddening world, it’s just a trivial sentiment. At least, it should appear that way.]

“That’s…”

[Because that misjudgment ultimately killed Kaise.]

“…!!!”

Even Virgil, who had been listening to her words silently, slightly gasped at the shocking statement.

Leaving the quietly changed conference room behind, Oliviera slowly stood up.

[The reason I’m telling you this is because I thought that you, a survivor of the incident, deserve to hear about Kaise’s end.]

“……”

[The one who ruined your life eventually died in a way similar to how he sacrificed you.]

Oliviera, looking at Kegan who couldn’t say anything, spoke as if amused.

[The end of those who put their own lives on the chessboard is usually like that.]

“…You too?”

Kegan asked quietly.

“Do you think your end will be like that too?”

Virgil frowned at the reckless question that seemed to throw away his life, but stopped at the sound of laughter coming from behind the veil.

Oliviera looked down at the collapsed Kegan for a moment, then answered with an unwavering transmission.

[Is that even a question?]

There were no more questions and answers.

Leaving the silent conference room behind, Oliviera and Virgil quietly walked out into the hallway.

The cartel’s elite unit, which had been waiting outside the conference room, quietly guided them to the rooftop of the dam’s water wall.

Thud thud thud!!!

A heavy black aircraft was gliding above the water wall, scattering a loud noise.

The dam’s water wall. The area near the restricted area, where flying was considered virtually impossible due to the influence of the restricted area, was being flown over without any problems.

[It seems the newly developed airship has already arrived. What would have happened if anti-gravity technology hadn’t been commercialized?]

Oliviera looked up at the airship and spoke as if satisfied.

[Evan Bailon has done a great job. The scenery of this city will change a lot in the future.]

“The research team at the cartel’s headquarters is looking for ways to contact Evan Bailon. They say that the cooperation of the author of the paper is essential for a significant improvement in performance… They plan to delegate the task to the board of directors.”

Virgil, who had reported on the mass production of airships at the headquarters, asked as he boarded the airship with Oliviera.

“Are you sure you don’t need help? Even if the chairman is moving, I came here thinking that I would step in myself if necessary…”

[Since he survived meeting Kaise once and contacted me, there’s no need for me to move.]

Oliviera leaned back slightly in her seat as if tired and lowered her head.

[That’s proof that this situation won’t be easily resolved by the will of either Kaise or Gyonryeok alone. I’ve confirmed that, so it’s enough.]

“Are you saying that the fact that the situation is not being resolved quickly is a good thing?”

[Fragments of the past that are different from reality, yet infinitely close to reality… It’s not something that can be dismissed as just an illusion or a memory.]

It felt as if Oliviera was smiling slightly from behind her veil.

[It’s a dream that we all once had, and a dream that someone is still having.]

“A dream… you say.”

[Between endless rest and reverie, someone still hasn’t let go of that wish. And I think I know to some extent who that person is.]

“……”

[Gyeolbaek probably noticed that fact and tried to find himself in the endless dream, but…]

Only a faint sneer remained as the airship moved away.

[He wasn’t the only one who had such thoughts back then.]

* * *

A cold fog filled the cathedral.

A huge structure located alone in the southern meadow of District 25.

Lenox hid between buildings where the cathedral could be seen in the distance and took out a stimulant.

The fatigue from the fierce battle wasn’t completely gone, but there was no time to rest for long to take care of his body.

He had no choice but to continue his forced march, even if he had to rely on the power of drugs.

“Do you see anything?”

“…Not at all.”

Felix, who had hidden his characteristic huge body among the collapsed concrete debris, replied.

“I don’t feel any special signs or presence outside the cathedral.”

“Then we can’t rule out the possibility of a trap.”

Ilya said, checking the equipment she was carrying.

Clunk!!

One of the five ultra-vibration spears was already half-broken and on the verge of losing its function.

After hesitating, Ilya finally broke the broken spear in half, completely stopping its function, and took out the parts inside.

The spear made with the Cybrid Echo’s technology had a control device inside that linked with Ilya’s brainwaves to manipulate its movements.

The practicality of resonating brainwaves with magic to unify with the spear’s movements and applying it to the battles of superhumans.

It was a valuable and rare item. It would have been difficult to just throw it away in a place like this.

“In the worst case, we might be surrounded the moment we reach the meeting place.”

“…No, they don’t have that much power either.”

Lenox shook his head, pondering Ilya’s words.

“The forces deployed for Kaise’s research were only a small elite. If monsters like Oliviera or Madrich had moved, we would have definitely noticed it in advance.”

“……”

“The way the message was delivered was too secretive to be a trap, and the meeting place is too far away from the power plant. It’s proof that they don’t intend to play any tricks.”

“But…”

Instead of answering, Lenox got up and started walking.

Felix and Ilya naturally got up following the wizard with the cane, but Lenox immediately waved his hand.

“I’ll go alone.”

“Ban, it’s dangerous when the opponent hasn’t appeared.”

“No, it’s safer for you to watch the situation from the outside.”

Lenox scanned the two with a cold gaze.

“If we consider the possibility of a trap, as Ilya said, we should be even further apart. The worst case would be if all three of us were surrounded at once, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

Leaving the two who couldn’t answer, Lenox immediately moved towards the cathedral.

Quiet footsteps echoed in the city where no one was felt.

Even though it was noon, the fog surrounding the cathedral was so thick that it was difficult to see even an inch ahead.

Creak…!!

Lenox grabbed the old cathedral door with his bare hands and opened it, seeing that the dust that had flowed out through the fog filled the cathedral’s chapel.

He coughed lowly and walked to the front of the chapel, sitting down on an empty chair.

“I came alone as promised.”

Lenox muttered alone in the empty chapel.

“Kaise himself wouldn’t come, so it’s probably a messenger… If you have something to tell me, let’s finish it quickly.”

Felix and Ilya didn’t seem to notice, but Lenox had already known for a while that someone was waiting for him inside the cathedral.

He caught the extremely faint presence with magic detection, and used his spirit vision and magic eyes to project its location and traces.

“Or are you thinking of praying together in this old chapel?”

“…That’s not likely.”

With those words, from the chair opposite Lenox, someone’s figure slowly began to appear as if the color was peeling off.

A shabby figure with his arms crossed and leaning back, holding something long in his arms.

A wide black robe that didn’t show his body shape well, and a strange color of hair like black and white go stones.

But the moment Lenox saw the young man’s face that appeared last, he felt his breath catch.

“I’ve been up for more than two weeks. I feel the same way about wanting to finish the operation as soon as possible and go back. Let’s finish this quickly and go our separate ways.”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Hmm, to ask if there’s something on my face, well, it’s already pretty dirty.”

At the sight of the young man scratching his head awkwardly, Lenox couldn’t say anything more.

He just thought for a long time, and then barely uttered a name in front of him.

“…Claude Azlan. Was this the goal? For this…”

“Hmm? How do you know that name?”

The young man, slightly surprised, nodded with a pleased expression.

“Hehehe, it seems that the achievements I’ve made on the front lines are slowly starting to spread to the city. Are there already foreigners who recognize me?”

“……”

“I’m glad I participated in Kaise’s operation before the civil war ended. I hope this will also be clearly recorded as a contribution to the main text.”

Did Kaise know this fact and send this man to Lenox as a messenger?

The face of the young man sitting in front of Lenox was too similar to the level 8 spearman who had led him to the restricted area.

No, the word ‘similar’ wasn’t enough.

If you imagined Claude before he reached his current level, skipping over decades of time, he would probably have this face.

He had risen through the ranks and was free from the effects of aging, but his expression was still full of raw emotion before he was dominated by madness and unconsciousness.

The superhumans of the past who participated in Kaise’s operation.

It wasn’t just the past Oliviera, Madrich Onion, or the executives of Deadrise.

Gyeolbaek, the guardian of the Turyeon Gate and a level 8 spearman, and the past Claude Azlan had also participated in the operation to help Kaise’s research decades ago.