Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 56

“This is… quite an interesting story.”

“………”

“If you’re telling me this directly, it’s not a lie, but the reasons why corporations haven’t touched this area aren’t just one or two. If you’re thinking of jumping into this game and taking on such risks, I’ll be quite busy…”

Sebastian’s face hardened, and he shook the glass in his hand incessantly.

His face, which had been deep in thought, suddenly relaxed, and he grinned.

“Okay. Let’s talk in detail after we retrieve the blueprint. In the meantime, I’ll gather some information about other companies.”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course. Even considering the agreement with the Autonomous Region, this move is very bold. It’s not an exaggeration to call it reckless. With something like this, there must be a problem with the company’s internal power dynamics. If I shake up the executives I know, something will definitely fall out. I’m actually getting interested.”

“……..”

Sebastian, who was picking up his phone while saying that, looked completely different from the image of an old man giggling over a glass of alcohol.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s nothing. Then, I’ll be on my way.”

Lenox, who had put down his wine glass, got up from his seat.

Since Sebastian had immediately decided to take action, Lenox didn’t need to delay any longer.

The clues about the robbers, according to Madison’s testimony, were volatile, and he had to move as quickly as possible to chase them.

“I’ll leave right now. Send me Madison’s recording file too.”

According to Madison’s testimony, the blueprint was stolen by the robbers at an apartment complex owned by a construction company in District 35.

District 30 is generally where many residential areas for Balkan citizens are located.

Lenox was also thinking of moving his residence to this area if he had some spare time.

After all, the security is far superior to District 40, and considering the magic research Lenox conducts in his studio apartment, the importance of security cannot be ignored.

A season with a warm atmosphere.

The sight of families walking down the street and friends chatting boisterously.

“………”

A peaceful scene that was once taken for granted, but now feels absurdly awkward.

Calming his uneasy mind, he found the place Madison had mentioned.

Considering his situation, there was no reason for Madison to lie about wanting to retrieve the blueprint, and if that was the case, there was no reason to deceive them when testifying.

The back of a dilapidated apartment complex scheduled for redevelopment.

A narrow promenade with a small, bare hill.

Lenox nodded, confirming the bloodstains scattered on the dusty bench.

He immediately used magic.

[Bloody Chase]

The magic power that spread out from his grasp drew a specific image and instantly turned into a dark red magic circle.

The magic circle, which had been slowly rotating around the bloodstains, suddenly turned into a single red thread—

Snap!

It broke and disappeared.

“……”

The tracking magic, which had never failed to meet his expectations when tracking down fugitives, didn’t work, but Lenox wasn’t too flustered.

Bloody Chase was a surprisingly simple magic, and it was common for tracking to be cut off or stopped by very small variables.

It was fortunate that there had been no problems so far.

Lenox was actually pleased that the magic to track these bloodstains had been cut off.

If this blood was simply Madison’s, the magic would not have been interrupted from the start.

No matter what happened here, it was proof that the robbers who actually stole the blueprint had also left bloodstains here.

‘There are two possibilities to consider when Bloody Chase is cut off.’

Either the owner of these bloodstains is skilled enough to notice and cut off the interference as soon as Lenox used the tracking magic.

Or the blood mixed in these bloodstains belongs to more than one person.

And in Lenox’s view, the latter was much more likely.

If a mage skilled enough to immediately notice and cancel the magic he had implemented had been here, they wouldn’t have left such traces in the first place.

“What should I do…”

Lenox, who had collected the bloodstains on the bench and put them in a prepared plastic bag, fell into thought.

He was using a common magic that tracked targets using blood as a medium, but his knowledge of blood itself was very limited.

In the end, it meant that he needed someone’s help in this field rather than solving it alone…

There were a few options that came to mind, but it seemed that additional costs would be unavoidable in any case.

Lenox slowly walked out of the apartment complex while calling Sebastian’s number, which he had exchanged earlier.

[……]

After finishing the discussion about additional incidental expenses, he immediately headed to District 40.

District 44.

As if befitting the ominous-looking number, this area was mainly occupied by professions with a strong occult vibe.

Those who deal with very dark and minor catalysts in the field of sorcery, or secret techniques passed down through one-person transmission.

Or those who deal with disciplines that may not directly help people’s futures, such as divination or astrology, can also set up shop without any hesitation.

Lenox, who had entered a street in an area with a particularly strong fishy smell, slowly looked around.

Judging by the smell that tickled his nose, it seemed like he had come to the right place, but he was at a loss because he couldn’t find the entrance.

Whoosh…!

With no other choice, he spread his magic widely to look around, and only then did the entrances, hidden as if concealed in places with many talismans, reveal themselves from all directions.

Strange patterns drawn with red ink flowing down on blue paper.

It was obvious that the ink was not just a product made with pigments.

Blood Mages.

Without hesitation, he removed a talisman and chose one of the entrances to enter, and a person who was burning incense with his back to the door turned his head.

A boy who looked to be in his mid-teens. Unlike his young appearance, which was hard to believe he worked in such a place, his expression seemed very calm.

It was the first time Lenox had encountered such a young colleague while working in this field, so he looked at the boy with curious eyes.

The boy also openly scanned Lenox up and down, then uttered a word in an indifferent tone.

“I didn’t say I was doing business.”

“If the entrance is open, isn’t it normal to receive customers?”

“……..”

The boy, who was looking at Lenox with a somewhat sullen gaze, reluctantly nodded.

“…Sit down.”

As soon as he sat down in the small room designed in a tatami style, Lenox took out the blood he had collected from his pocket.

“I’m looking for someone. I want to know who this blood belongs to.”

The place Lenox went to with the bloodstains that cut off Bloody Chase was the lair of the Blood Mages.

It was possible to entrust the bloodstains to a facility like a research institute and analyze the blood components to track them, but he judged that it would be much more efficient to get help from those who specialize in blood-related techniques, even if it cost a little more.

He had thought about getting help from Blood Mages when he was chasing Taylor Evans before, but he had given up at the time because Jenny said the labor costs were considerable.

However, no one could be superior to Blood Mages in the field of extracting and handling information about blood at a more professional level.

The boy replied indifferently.

“Three million cells, upfront. Additional costs will be added depending on the subsequent work.”

When Lenox silently placed a wad of cash next to the blood, the boy immediately picked up the money and the bloodstains.

The boy, who had placed the blood sample on the old table, slowly brought his index finger to it.

The bright red light extracted from the bloodstains seeped into the boy’s finger, and soon after, he opened his mouth.

“There are three people’s blood mixed in.”

“Three?”

“One man in his 40s. One man and one woman in their 20s.”

Madison and two robbers, perhaps.

While Lenox was lost in thought, the boy immediately continued.

“The man in his 40s shows no signs of having learned magic, and the magic concentration of the other two is quite high. The injured areas are the fingertips of all three. Judging by the smell of iron mixed in, it seems that the wounds were intentionally made with a blade.”

“…What?”

“The bloodstains have been exposed to the outside for about 30 hours. The two in their 20s are magic users, so I’ll have to use magic one more time, but… I can write down the location of the man in his 40s right now.”

“………”

He had thought it would be helpful, but the information extracted from just a few drops of blood was unbelievably specific.

Of course, it would be impossible to identify the owner of the blood with this information alone, but if the various information and circumstances of the underworld were combined, it would be possible to greatly reduce the list of candidates.

It was precisely because of these advantages that Blood Mages had been able to maintain their lineage and receive a never-ending demand, despite the fatal disadvantage of having to pay with their own life force.

Jenny said that even the city government’s investigative agencies often visited this street, so the usefulness they had, assuming the existence of blood as a medium, could not be expressed in a single word.

Of course, all these advantages only applied to those who did not have a strong target designation resistance ability like Lenox, in other words, those who were not very skilled.

Considering the number of people who died every day in this huge city, nothing much changed.

The boy, who had said that much, suddenly shut his mouth and stared up at Lenox.

“From here on, it’s an additional cost.”

“Additional cost?”

“Twelve million cells to find the location of the two men and women in their 20s. Four million cells for the man in his 40s.”

He had expected it, but it was definitely a considerable cost.

No, this was a much higher amount than what he had heard from Jenny.

That’s why Lenox, instead of answering the words, asked the boy a question in return.

“How much does it cost to classify the mixed bloodstains separately?”

“What?”

Ignoring the boy’s question in return, Lenox took out more cash from his pocket.

Thud!

Five million cells in cash that he had withdrawn directly from the bank on the way.

Lenox, who had placed all the money left over after paying the deposit on the old table, said.

“Five million cells for the cost of accurately classifying the mixed blood into three separate samples.”

If the blood wasn’t mixed, it would be possible to specify the direction to some extent using Bloody Chase.

It wouldn’t be as efficient as accurately specifying the location with blood magic, but there was no need to spend money unnecessarily.

When Lenox came out strong first, the boy slowly shook his head.

“It’s a little short.”

“……..”

“I’m not doing this deal just because I like money. If not money, then offer a price that’s worth it.”

The boy’s tone itself was quite softened as he said that.

It wasn’t just a matter of being stubborn, but he really thought that the money Lenox had offered was not enough.

A price… What kind of price could Lenox pay him now?

In the first place, if it was a valuable item for sorcerers who stayed in one place and earned money by receiving customers…

The conversation Lenox had with Evelyn came to mind.

“How about this?”

“Tell me.”

“I heard that there will be an inspection soon for sorcerers doing business in District 40. It seems like it would be quite important information for blood mages like you.”

Evelyn had released the information about the inspection as if she was doing a favor, but Lenox had noticed that the information about the inspection was not as important as she had said.

There was no way that the police would do their job properly in this city, and even more so if it was targeting District 40.

By the time the inspection started in earnest, rumors would have spread everywhere.

It was obvious that a money feast would be held, with money changing hands instead of the sorcerers actually being caught.

It seemed like it would be a good deal if he could sell this information to someone else before it lost its value.

Of course, on the premise that the boy believed all of these words.

At Lenox’s words, the boy frowned silently.

“…Are you joking right now? You want me to believe that without any proof?”

“………”

“Go away if you’re going to talk nonsense. Hearing such words from an unskilled sorcerer doesn’t make me think anything.”

“Hoo…”

Lenox also let out a small sigh at the calm answer mixed with faint contempt.

He often forgot, even though he knew it well.