Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 603

“Among the customers who visited this workshop recently, was there a man who used a folding blade?”

A woman, looking hesitant, stood before Renok’s workbench, holding a pistol upside down as she spoke.

“He’s my uncle, and he said he was very satisfied with the work he had done at this workshop.”

“I see.”

“He’s usually very critical, to the point of only giving harsh reviews to most services and shops, but he was unusually full of praise for this workshop…”

“…”

Is this how it feels when you find out that a seemingly normal customer is actually a malicious reviewer?

In any case, the fact that good service leads to good customers was something to be taken positively.

With a slightly awkward expression, Renok accepted the small pistol from the young woman, his eyes gleaming slightly.

“The storage condition is very good. It seems you take great care of it regularly.”

“That’s right. That’s why I don’t understand why my shots aren’t hitting the mark…”

Seeing the woman sigh with a dejected look, Renok silently amplified his magic detection.

Having identified the problem, Renok picked up a small screwdriver and slowly began to disassemble the area around the pistol’s magazine.

The woman, who had been watching him, asked with a puzzled look.

“I heard that the artisan usually doesn’t touch the equipment itself, but you’re handling my equipment directly?”

“I’m not sure why that kind of rumor became more famous, but if there’s actually a problem with the equipment, it needs to be fixed.”

The woman’s expression became even more bewildered at Renok’s calm reply.

“Huh, does that mean there’s actually something wrong with my gun? But other workshops said it was definitely not a problem with the gun itself…”

So, she came to Renok because of the rumor that he consults on problems and their causes by looking at the equipment.

However, Renok knew that repairing the gun first was more important than her lifestyle or attitude.

“It’s done. It would be good if you came inside and tried it out.”

Renok said, opening the makeshift door next to the stall and nodding to the woman.

“Since I’m repairing them right away, it’s easier to just make a makeshift shooting range inside the workshop.”

“Well, I won’t refuse.”

The woman, smiling, entered Renok’s workshop and looked around with a curious expression at the various parts hanging on the walls.

Various firearms and faintly magical blades hanging everywhere, a furnace burning in one corner of the workshop, and a slightly blackened hammer and anvil.

It didn’t feel like it had been hastily put together in a few days; it had the distinct smell of a skilled workshop.

However, what caught the woman’s eye was not the interior facilities designed by Renok, but the sight of unknown mechanical devices constantly moving and automatically repairing all sorts of firearms.

“Amazing. Can it automatically repair equipment just by turning it on?”

“Simple tasks like fixing magazine jams or barrel warps can be handled by automated processes.”

Renok replied as if it were nothing special.

“If you create the necessary program and install it in the device, the process itself is not difficult to implement.”

“I’ve heard that master-level workshops these days are proficient not only in magical engineering but also in cybernetics, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen it.”

“Let’s go to the makeshift shooting range and check the problem by firing the gun.”

Renok immediately led the woman to the makeshift shooting range next to the workshop.

Loading a bullet and pulling the trigger towards the target, the bullet was fired naturally.

Bang!!

The woman, seeing the bullet hit the target and split, looked around with a slightly surprised expression.

“The soundproofing is very good. The space between the workshop and the makeshift shooting range isn’t even separated, but how can the sound be so quiet?”

“The power of science.”

In reality, he had just plastered the area with noise-canceling magic to absorb all the noise inside the makeshift shooting range.

Renok didn’t bat an eye and casually spouted words that sounded like they came from a master artisan.

The woman pulled the trigger a few more times to test the zero point, and then nodded as if satisfied.

“It doesn’t feel completely fixed, but it’s much better than the last few days. How did you do it?”

“It’s nothing much. I just replaced the weight inside the gun with a slightly older one.”

“Replaced the weight? I always replace it with a new one…”

Seeing the woman’s reaction, as if she still didn’t understand, Renok finally explained.

“Among high-end firearms that have gone through a very precise manufacturing process, there are cases where they are made to be customized to the user’s tendencies and habits.”

Renok said, making a gesture with his hand as if a pendulum was swinging.

“This gun is the same. It adjusts itself through the break-in of internal parts, adjusting and optimizing the firing efficiency based on how you hold the gun, the direction you lift it, and how much strength you use to grip the barrel and pull the trigger.”

“Oh, I see. I didn’t know that.”

“The problem is that you were not only maintaining the gun very frequently, but you were also replacing the weight, which should have been broken in to fit the user, with a new one.”

“Ah…!!”

Only then did the woman realize what Renok meant, and she let out a small exclamation.

“By periodically replacing the parts that are supposed to adapt to the user with new ones, the feeling you had adapted to would not match, and you would lose your zero point while practicing shooting with the new feeling… This is not simply due to a personal mistake.”

Renok turned his gaze to the woman and smiled.

“Someone who taught you how to maintain your gun has been deliberately sabotaging your shooting sense and talent.”

“Oh, no… surely not.”

Seeing the woman wave her hand with a slightly awkward expression, Renok pulled a chair nearby and sat down.

“You’re a soldier, aren’t you?”

“…!!!!”

“If you use such a high-end custom-made gun and don’t know much about the internal parts, you’re a member of a unit that receives equipment from above. Yet, your physical abilities, including shooting skills, are excellent, and your aura and impression are not strong… You’re a person who has received specialized combat training. I’d guess you’re from the security department.”

“That…”

“Seeing that you came to the workshop with your face exposed, it seems you work in an environment where your face is not easily visible.”

The woman closed her mouth. As if she couldn’t think of any answer to refute that guess.

Without waiting for her to answer, Renok said.

“Take a good look at the colleagues or seniors who taught you how to shoot, or those around them. There will be someone who wants your bullets to hit the wrong place at a critical moment.”

“…”

“Perhaps it’s someone who wants to deal with the VIP you’re protecting, by the hands of a bodyguard.”

The woman, who had been staring at Renok with a speechless expression, slowly took a breath and smiled.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“…”

“But I will definitely keep that advice in mind. Thank you so much.”

After bowing her head in thanks, she left, leaving behind a more generous payment than promised, without revealing her name until the end.

Perhaps, as Renok had guessed, she was a bodyguard who was not supposed to reveal her identity, or a superhuman belonging to a similar military unit.

Despite being caught off guard, her calm response was commendable.

“It seems the rumors are starting to spread among the high-ranking superhumans of Machina…”

After fixing the equipment of several people in the past few days, is it a delusion to be looking forward to what kind of equipment and circumstances the next customer will bring?

And Renok’s anticipation quickly became a reality.

Customers with a more dangerous demeanor than ever before began to visit Renok’s workshop, one by one.

* * *

“I was introduced by a customer who visited the workshop around 9:46 PM yesterday.”

A woman’s voice, deeper than Renok’s, spoke, her hood pulled down low.

“I heard you have excellent skills in personal firearm maintenance and modification.”

“…”

Could it be that the woman who seemed to be a soldier from the security department, who had received consulting from Renok, had introduced yet another new customer?

Next to the woman was another young man wearing the same hood, standing with a smiling expression.

An unusual combination, one with a hood pulled down and the other with their face exposed.

However, the aura emanating from the two was incomparably sharper than that of yesterday’s soldier.

A moderate level of caution and prudence, honed in actual combat. A keen gaze and movement to identify and assess an opponent that surpasses them.

A more dangerous and precarious atmosphere than any customer who had visited the workshop so far.

Renok nodded without panicking.

“Show me.”

While clearing the counter to place the equipment, the hooded woman spoke again.

“Before that, I’d like to check your skills first. Is that okay?”

“…”

At those words, Renok stopped his hand and looked up at the hood.

A strange silence flowed between the three of them.

The young man standing next to her shook his head as if he couldn’t help it and said.

“It’s a piece of equipment made with a rather rare modification method, so it’s said that it’s difficult to reverse if it’s improperly maintained.”

“I know you’re an artisan from outside the city. All I want is to see if you have the skills to repair my equipment. Once that’s confirmed, I won’t interfere.”

“That doesn’t seem to be the problem…”

“I’ll pay ten times the usual repair fee.”

“On second thought, it’s not a big problem.”

Renok, who had changed his words without any hesitation, looked at the two people who were looking at him with a dumbfounded expression and asked.

“So, what would you like to use to confirm my skills?”

At those words, the hood didn’t hesitate and took out a small metal craft from her bosom.

A mechanical craft that seemed to be intricately intertwined with various mechanical devices and parts.

However, it was not working and was convulsing with an uncomfortable noise.

After placing the object on the workshop workbench as if placing a precious item, the hood said.

“This is a craft made by the artisan who modified my equipment. Unfortunately, it broke down around the same time, making it difficult to use.”

“…”

“If you can fix this, I think I can at least test your minimum ability to fix my equipment.”

Instead of answering, Renok quietly picked up the craft and examined it.

“It’s made of very precise parts. Each part seems to be handmade rather than mass-produced…”

Renok muttered, calmly checking the internal structure of the craft, the cross-section of the parts, and the heat treatment method through magic detection.

The hooded woman nodded.

“Yes, I can’t tell you the details or origin due to personal reasons, but-”

“It was made about 14 years ago. The metal used is from Hollinger Metalworks. It’s a form of art commonly seen in the transition period between the Baidora and Glentis styles among ancient artifacts.”

“…”

“If you can collect parts from a metalworks that has stopped production to make an art piece, the artisan who made this craft must have been very interested in old relics and history.”

Of course, Renok could never say that he was well-versed in the art of this world, but if he borrowed the power of the cybernetic spirit peeking out from his bosom, it was a different story.

Renok, having succeeded in seizing the initiative with a story about ancient art styles as if he had known it from the beginning, did not wait for the hooded figure to speak and examined the inner structure of the craft more closely, and then he marveled.

“You’ve created space for magic to pass through between almost all the parts. Regardless of the level of completion at the time of production, it seems you expected it to break down often.”

Renok, smiling at the young man who looked flustered next to him, reassembled the craft and put it down, saying.

“The style of an old artifact. Metal parts from a discontinued production. The skill to pay attention to even the smallest details for repair, knowing it would break down. It seems you want to be remembered and cared for even as time passes and memories fade.”

Click.

The inside of the craft opened on the workbench, and an music box that appeared from inside began to play a quiet melody.

A melody well known as a way to express love in the Southern Continent.

“It seems you had a romantic lover.”

“…”

The young man, noticing the silent hood, carefully called her name.

“Isabella…?”

“Uzat, it’s okay.”

Isabella, a woman who cut off the young man’s words with a calm voice, carefully took the craft and said.

“Thank you for fixing it. I’ll pay you separately for this.”

“Thank you.”

She said, looking at Renok, who was receiving the wad of bills without any sign of emotion.

“The equipment he makes is all beautiful and delicate, but it tends to break down quickly unless he maintains it himself.”

“…”

“He used to say that the things he made followed their owners. As he said, he was a skilled artisan, but he couldn’t live long and passed away.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Nevertheless, he was so considerate of the user at the time of production that many people still use the equipment he made.”

Isabella said, finally tilting her hood back and looking at Renok.

A dry and cold impression, just like her voice. But her eyes were a burning red, unlike her cold appearance.

Clank!!

Isabella, who had taken out something long from inside her thick hood, placed it on the workbench and looked at Renok.

“Can you fix it?”

Instead of answering, Renok stared at Isabella’s gloves.

He had noticed them when she first took out the craft, but it was indeed a strange shape in his memory.

A small blue cross shape engraved on the back of the black glove.

Maia Lenslith, whom he had encountered in the Hanghasa Labyrinth and the interim settlement, was also wearing gloves with a similar shape.

Maia Lenslith’s origin and the environment of this mechanical city. The presence of the two, who exuded a suspiciously dangerous aura.

They still hadn’t mentioned who they were, but Renok seemed to know who they were.

They were Executors.