Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 621

Even with the four Executors intervening, they couldn’t even touch a single wheel of the scooter.

The unidentified shadow, which was clearly right in front of them, had slipped away as if mocking them.

The bizarre nature of what they had just experienced made the expressions of the Executors, who had failed in their pursuit, look more bewildered than angry.

“…I’ve been doing this for over ten years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered someone like this. I’m not even sure if the opponent is a fellow superhuman yet,” one of them muttered.

Meanwhile, another Executor, who had received a call, reported to Phileo.

“They’ve safely recovered the assassin’s body and the duplicate of their identity from the scene.”

“We need to find out which district is on the other side of the barrier. This industrial district changes its location so often…”

Phileo and the other Executors opened their communication networks and quickly began gathering information.

Each Executor has independent investigative authority, so even when they work as a team, they collect information and draw conclusions in their own ways.

Soon, the other Executors began to share the information they had quickly gathered.

“It seems to be a normal residential area. It’s a space that accommodates young residents attending educational institutions.”

“Then we need to contact the Metropolitan Police Department first.”

“Damn it, it’ll take forever to cooperate with them…”

Another Executor, grumbling, cautiously glanced at Phileo and asked,

“It’s not a coincidence that he chose this direction to escape, is it?”

“…No. He must have been aiming for it,” Phileo replied, planting the harpoon he was holding on the ground with a stern expression.

“Despite having the combat prowess to face a Side Squad [a military group within the mechanical city], he focused solely on escaping. It’s proof that he had planned his route from the beginning and moved according to his plan.”

“I didn’t expect to encounter someone of that caliber in this lower industrial district…”

Looking back, even though he had the ability to fight the Executors, the opponent ultimately avoided clashing with them until the very end.

That must be because the opponent’s goal was solely focused on dealing with the Side Squad assassin.

Uzat asked,

“Since you faced him directly, Branch Manager, it might be easier to make an educated guess. What do you think?”

“Well, just thinking of what comes to mind…”

Phileo tilted his head.

“At the very least, he’s a resident who has lived outside the mechanical city for decades.”

“You mean he’s not an outsider?”

“He knew the traffic conditions and local flow of the slums outside this industrial district unbelievably well.”

“…”

“It hasn’t even been 12 hours since Nasisa Solmer decided to visit the lower industrial district. In that time, he learned all the systems and transportation of the entire industrial district, assassinated the Side Squad assassin, and then thought of escaping?”

Seeing the bewildered expressions of the Executors, Phileo slowly shook his head.

“It would be easier to think that we just faced Maiya Lenslit.”

The other Executors shook their heads at the absurd hypothesis, but Uzat nodded with a serious expression.

“Well, if it were her, escaping like that wouldn’t be impossible. It’s rumored that she knows every street and terrain of the mechanical city Machina like the back of her hand.”

“And now she’s been exiled from Machina, and her biometric information is blocked by all the security systems of the mechanical city.”

The Branch Manager, who had responded with a nonchalant tone, pulled out his harpoon, slung it over his shoulder, and turned away, yawning.

“I’ve been talking nonsense. I need to find a suitable excuse for the higher-ups.”

“Is it okay not to pursue him? Reopening the barrier itself shouldn’t be difficult.”

The Execution Agency has the authority to move freely within the mechanical city’s barriers, regardless of whether they are open or closed.

If they wanted to, they could temporarily request the opening of a closed barrier and ask for a space to be opened for people to pass through without any problem.

However, Phileo shook his head with a dull expression, even at the other Executor’s question.

“If there was a chance, I would have tried it. You all saw it too, didn’t you?”

“Um…”

“That’s not something you can catch by chasing after his tail. We need to go back and gather more information about criminals with similar abilities.”

The other Executors also understood the meaning of his words, so they let out a groan.

He was an opponent they had missed right in front of them, in the same district, without even touching the hem of his clothes.

They knew that the possibility of catching him by opening the closed barrier and chasing after him was low.

Uzat also understood the Branch Manager’s thoughts, so he nodded silently.

“It’s not wrong, but I think we need to at least make a show of it. We might get caught by Ex Machina [the governing body of the mechanical city].”

“I don’t know if we had no results, but we got physical evidence, so I think it’s okay.”

Phileo said that and immediately turned around.

“We got both the culprit of Nasisa Solmer’s assassination and the strange duplicates of identities that have been appearing recently. That’s enough to have at least a minimum justification.”

He took out a new cigarette, lit it, and smiled at the Executors.

“Let’s go back to headquarters and think about it.”

“…Understood.”

Only then did the Executors, who had accepted the Branch Manager’s opinion, begin to move after him one by one.

The sight of the Executors naturally chatting and walking away into the distance.

In front of the cold mechanical barrier, only merchants doing business and those who had not yet crossed the barrier were anxiously waiting for their time.

The outermost edge of the lower industrial district. A quiet street where almost no one comes and goes.

Among them, a young man sitting with his chin resting on his hand at a street stall selling dried fish skewers quietly muttered,

“I was hoping they would chase me to the end of the barrier…”

Renok, with his bare face, having discarded his iron mask and shadow, was nonchalantly munching on a skewer.

He hadn’t escaped beyond the barrier to avoid the Executors’ pursuit.

He had used the moment the barrier opened to deceive his pursuers and naturally remained in the lower industrial district.

‘If I go over to the residential area on the other side, it’ll be difficult to return for half a day. Considering the assassination attempt, I need to be mindful of my alibi.’

Since Nasisa had come to the industrial district to meet Renok, being away for too long would not be good for Renok either.

In the worst case, Renok, who killed the person who tried to assassinate Nasisa, could be framed.

Renok knew this well, so from the moment he decided to escape, he intended to finish the job without leaving the industrial district.

Despite the bizarre texture of chewing on scales and chicken skin at the same time, Renok patiently ate the skewers he had ordered while sitting there.

While chewing and swallowing the skewers, he also naturally talked to the stall owner.

“This has a rather unique taste.”

“It’s delicious, right? It’s lizard skin simmered in broth, sprinkled with iron powder. It replenishes iron and nutrients.”

“…Cough.”

“Young people these days hate it, calling it weird food, but you seem to know a thing or two about taste!!”

“…”

Even though he had learned a truth he didn’t really want to know, Renok managed to maintain a calm expression.

In order to resolve the Nasisa Solmer assassination situation and discuss what he had to do with Mauser, he had to return immediately.

Knowing that being away for too long could make his alibi suspicious, Renok did not rush.

He knew that the gazes of the Executors, who seemed to have just left, were still clearly lingering in this place, watching the vicinity of the street.

The Executors seemed to have made a decision among themselves and returned, but that didn’t mean they had completely forgotten what they had to do.

They were also retracing the path they had been pursuing, searching for any clues or traces as they returned.

Renok had known this from the start, so he didn’t rush to leave the vicinity of the barrier.

The more he tried to move hastily, the higher the chance of being detected by those excellent Executors’ senses.

Only after confirming that the sharp gaze that had been circling above his head for a while had gradually faded and completely disappeared did Renok slowly get up from his seat.

“Hey, you left some, are you sure you don’t want to eat more? Should I sprinkle more iron powder?”

“…”

After politely refusing the stall owner’s consideration, which was not really consideration, Renok immediately began walking towards Mauser’s workshop.

Renok took out the pendant of the Fire God General he was holding in his hand and stared at it quietly before putting it inside his pocket.

“It’s not that I didn’t gain anything… but as a result, things have become troublesome.”

During this incident, he had obtained the Fire God General’s automatic crafting tool, the method of casting Armadelta alloy, and confirmed traces of Pandemonium.

He had even obtained solid circumstantial evidence that the Doctor was clearly involved with the upper echelons of Ex Machina.

However, with Nasisa, who had decided to move to the upper industrial district, collapsing at this point, it was impossible even for Renok to predict how things would unfold.

He could only do something after returning to the workshop where the incident occurred and checking Nasisa’s condition.

After that, Renok thought about what he had to do and boarded a small streetcar that was running nearby.

* * *

“The bullet has accurately penetrated the lung, making it impossible to breathe voluntarily.”

Beep, beep, beep.

The rhythmic beeping sound.

A private hospital room with cold sunlight streaming in.

Renok was quietly looking down at Nasisa’s face, who was lying down with an oxygen mask on and her eyes closed.

Next to Renok, a doctor in a white coat, holding a medical chart, spoke quietly.

“It’s difficult to maintain life without the help of a respirator, and a caregiver will be attached 24 hours a day to check her condition.”

“…”

Instead of Renok, who was lost in thought, Mauser asked,

“Is her life not in danger?”

“She avoided immediate death by sharing the bullet with the bodyguard next to her, but…”

The doctor explained in a cautious tone.

“The bullet used in the assassination attempt seems to be an unusual object, so it will probably be difficult for her to regain consciousness for a while.”

“…”

“Still, the emergency treatment was quick, so she got through the crisis relatively easily. If the impact of the bullet had reached the spinal cord, she would have already…”

It was said that the bullet itself was imbued with a curse-like spell, containing a strange power that amplified injuries and led to death.

Nasisa, as well as the soldier whose pistol Renok had personally repaired, would not be able to get out of bed for a while, according to the negative assertion.

The only good thing was that both of them had passed the biggest crisis, and as long as a caregiver was attached, the possibility of sudden death was low.

Since Renok and Mauser were not the guardians of Nasisa and the soldier, the two simply listened to the explanation of the current situation and immediately left the hospital room.

As if understanding the distraught feelings of the patients’ guardians, a smoking area was set up on the rooftop.

Following Mauser, Renok naturally took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, leaned against the rooftop railing, and tilted his head back.

“Are you okay?”

“Hm?”

“Isn’t she a fellow disciple of Master Mauser? You didn’t seem to have a good relationship, though.”

Of course, Renok had no feelings or connection to Nasisa, so he had no particular feelings, but Mauser was different.

Even though they were from the same master, the Fire God General, and learned the craft together.

Looking at their conversation, they didn’t seem to like each other very much, but they didn’t seem to hate each other either.

However, Mauser, at Renok’s words, instead looked at him with wide eyes as if he was surprised.

“I didn’t know you were the kind of person who could worry about that. Aren’t you, in the city… famous as a crazy magician?”

“…”

Mauser had also heard by hearsay about how the magician called Kyunryeon was treated in the megacity.

Renok, with a dumbfounded expression, waved the cigarette in his hand, stirring the smoke.

“I don’t think I’m still at the point of being called crazy.”

“Hehehe, that’s right. In the first place, rumors are not very reliable.”

Mauser smiled like that and put a cigarette in his mouth.

“That’s why I didn’t care so much when I was kicked out of the master’s workshop. I thought that if we were fellow disciples who had shared hardships, they would respect my decision.”

“…”

“But that wasn’t the case. To Nasisa, I was just a craftsman who abandoned his responsibilities and acted recklessly. So I…”

“Are you still talking about something that happened decades ago?”

A clear voice echoed from behind the two of them.

A man with thick glasses. The man, who looked young in his 30s, looked at the two of them and pushed up his glasses.

“I couldn’t find you in the hospital room, so I was looking for you for a while. Fortunately, you were still in the hospital.”

“Ibert.”

Mauser called the man’s name with a slightly stiff face.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been 10 years since we last met at the Supreme Council, brother. How have you been?”

Ibert smiled and extended his hand.

“I heard that you were selected for the delegation and were in charge of touring the magic towers, so it seems you were safe.”

“…I made a deal with the council members.”

Mauser replied with a bitter smile.

“It wasn’t safe, but I’m still alive and well. What brings you here?”

“As you know, I work at Nasisa’s workshop.”

Ibert said with a calm expression.

“While Nasisa is away, I will be in charge of the workshop and act as the manager of the upper industrial district.”

“I see. You…”

Mauser seemed a little surprised, but surprisingly, he seemed to accept the fact.

Perhaps the man named Ibert in front of them was also an excellent craftsman comparable to them, or someone with a strong position.

Ibert took out a small memo from his pocket and pushed up his glasses.

“As Nasisa was part of the War Hammer faction, and it has been revealed that the Side Squad was involved in this incident, the aftermath will be significant.”

The Side Squad is a military group created for the power holders of the mechanical cities, including Ex Machina.

The fact that they tried to assassinate Nasisa Solmer, who was a member of the same Ex Machina council, was enough to cause a stir within the council.

“As such, I think I will have to attend Ex Machina for a while, so I am trying to take care of the things I need to do in advance.”

“What do you mean by things you need to do? With Nasisa losing consciousness, this matter is virtually…”

“Nasisa has already decided to move Master Lyman’s workshop to the upper industrial district and has even completed the notification to the higher-ups in the meantime.”

“…”

Did she handle all the work and complete the notification in that short time while leaving the workshop?

Even Renok, who had only met her for the first time today, was inwardly impressed by her speed and decisiveness in handling work.

However, Ibert’s words did not end there.

“However, the Fire God General’s pendant, which should be used as circumstantial evidence in this case, has been lost during the incident, and the basis for Nasisa’s decision to move has disappeared.”

“…So?”

“Before visiting the ward, I contacted the Ex Machina leadership and completed the adjustment of the agenda.”

Ibert said.

“The move itself to the upper industrial district will proceed as planned. However, for the verification, you must respond to the summons of Ex Machina. However-”

Ibert glanced around and whispered quietly so that only the two of them could hear.

“Perhaps, the location of the summons… there is a rumor that it might be the Mind Training Center under the seabed barrier.”