Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 675

“A Magic Tower, huh….”

Lenok, with a cigarette in his mouth, quietly echoed the chairman’s words.

He had expected the Central Council to bring up the topic of mages when they summoned him, but he hadn’t anticipated them suddenly bringing up the creation of a Magic Tower.

“That’s a bit surprising.”

Lenok tilted his head slightly and asked,

“I thought the City Council had a slightly different view on mages.”

“…….”

Even in a city as powerful and vast as Vulcan, a Magic Tower had never existed.

This wasn’t due to a lack of ability on the City Council’s part or the environment of the megacity, but purely because of the Central Council’s policy.

“Nurturing over recruitment. Education over employment. Wasn’t the existence of the Lavatenon Magic University the City Council’s will?”

“That thought hasn’t changed even now.”

The chairman said.

“However, all decisions must be followed by a value judgment. If there is a value that warrants overturning existing policies, the Central Council will not reject that flow.”

“A new value?”

Lenok laughed.

“I didn’t know the Senate was still looking for something like that. I thought your wish was to hold onto failed projects and bury the evidence.”

“…….”

The atmosphere in the conference hall turned cold at Lenok’s direct mention of the project.

However, Lenok was certain that it would be stranger not to mention the project at this point.

The spacetime bottleneck phenomenon of Kaise that he had resolved in the closed area at the request of the Elders.

The Senate couldn’t possibly be unaware that Lenok had witnessed some of Kaise’s past at the end of it.

The secret of the Black Consumer Project and its origin.

It would be strange if Lenok didn’t ask the Senate about it, even though they had some understanding of the facts.

At this point, Lenok asking them such thoughtless questions was an opportunity to alleviate suspicion.

“……Whether we want it or not, the world’s time continues to flow.”

The chairman said.

“It’s the same. No matter how much we try to calculate and filter the value of everything, variables like you will eventually emerge.”

“…….”

“The reason this city has been able to exist and grow for over decades is because we have actively tried to embrace variables like you.”

An affirmation that Lenok was valuable enough to overturn existing policies and propose the creation of a Magic Tower.

Instead of responding to those words, Lenok quietly tapped the cane he was holding.

The flame of the cigarette in his mouth intensified, instantly burning the remaining filter and disappearing.

Tap…!!

A puff of smoke that rose above his head scattered through the conference hall.

Some of the council members on the dais showed interest in the smell of the smoke, but Lenok ignored them.

The chairman, who had been watching with a blank face, was the only one who showed interest in Lenok’s cane.

“You’re still using a cane. Hasn’t the injury you sustained in the battle with Onion healed?”

“…….”

“I heard it’s something you made by modifying a life support device? You have a unique taste, as expected of a mage. There’s no reason to go out of your way to show it off.”

“I carry it because I need it. There’s no other meaning to it.”

At Lenok’s words, the chairman quietly looked at him before speaking.

“Onion was a great man.”

“…….”

“A trustworthy ally, a seasoned commander, an impartial judge, and… a dear friend.”

With those words, the atmosphere in the conference hall felt heavy.

The senators gathered here, especially the older ones, would know Madrich Onion in his prime.

They would know how outstanding he was as a military strategist and a colleague.

The Central Council holding a funeral in his memory wasn’t just for show.

“In the end, we had different paths, but I respected his will and determination. Even the strength he had to not lose his beliefs until the end.”

“What do you want to say?”

“I just wanted to say that the military strategist who fell at your hands was someone who deserved to be mourned.”

The chairman of the Senate tilted his head.

“Also, that you were the first person to receive this proposal after Onion went into seclusion.”

“…….”

Madrich Onion, an 8-level military strategist.

His achievements as a former Chief Justice and executioner of the Great War, who had dedicated himself to the megacity, and how great they once were in this city.

It made one realize how difficult an opponent he was, and how his aftermath still has such an impact.

However, even as he said that, the chairman didn’t dwell on his sentiments for long.

Instead, he lifted his sunken eyes and turned his gaze back to Lenok.

“Well… the story has gone a bit off track. The important thing is, after all, what you did in Machina with your ailing body.”

“…….”

“No matter how outstanding your talent may be, it’s still hard to believe that you committed such acts with a body that relies on a life support device… but the fact that you’re standing here is proof.”

The chairman asked.

“That’s because you’ve achieved something worthy of your talent, isn’t it? Therefore, I ask.”

“…….”

“Ban, have you transcended the hierarchy you established and found a new path?”

The conference hall fell silent with the weighty question.

It seemed that the other council members, except for the chairman, had no intention of interfering in this exchange.

They were simply waiting for Lenok’s answer, without any reaction or sign.

However, Lenok knew that this question itself was a result of the respect they had for him.

They had already guessed the facts based on Lenok’s actions, the enemies he had faced, and the achievements he had accumulated.

To go out of their way to call him to this place and directly ask for confirmation.

This seemingly cumbersome procedure itself was a sign that they respected and treated Lenok as an equal.

It was quite the opposite of the attitude they had shown so far, openly disregarding Ban’s existence and power, even though they were well aware of it.

And Lenok knew where this reaction from the Senate was coming from.

Click.

Lenok tapped his cane once more and sat on the nearby railing, lifting his head.

“You want to know if I made a deal with Ex Machina.”

“…….”

Lenok spoke, ignoring the chairman’s silence.

“That’s why you contacted me as soon as you knew I was back, and tried to meet me secretly, without the knowledge of the existing contact.”

The reason why the Central Council Senate was now directly calling Lenok and asking questions.

It was because they too had caught wind of the circumstances that Lenok had made contact with Ex Machina in the Machine City.

A mage who had reached level 8. Moreover, an extreme mage who had survived in the shadows, covered in countless blood.

They didn’t want to keep such a monster close and in check, but they couldn’t just watch him go over to Machina either.

Depending on how he moved, the environment and situation surrounding Lenok had become so significant that it wouldn’t be strange for it to change drastically.

That’s why the Senate wanted to meet him directly before it was too late.

“The reason you brought up the topic of the Magic Tower is because the calculations have only now been made due to the Machina incident, isn’t it?”

“Ban, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

The chairman slowly placed his hands together on the table.

A heavy gaze fell upon Lenok’s head.

“The Central Council has no intention of persuading you. I know very well how difficult it is to change the mind of a mage like you.”

“…….”

“Contrary to the rumors, you are far from being malicious or having a mad nature. But even so, the fact that all the fears about you are the achievements you have accomplished as a result….”

The chairman’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at Lenok.

“That in itself is more dangerous than being simply obsessed with blood.”

He was saying that even though he already knew that the rumors about Lenok weren’t all true, he thought Lenok was even more dangerous because of it.

A perspective and tone that was different from others, and an insight that grasped the essence of the matter.

“We are simply making a proposal.”

The chairman said.

“If you wish, the Central Council will fully support you so that you can unleash your talent and qualifications without any restrictions. A Magic Tower for just one person. It would be the one and only Magic Tower in the megacity of Vulcan.”

“…….”

“Once you are officially approved as a Magic Tower and start forming a school, a territory with extraterritorial rights will be completed. You will be free from all responsibility and punishment for all the crimes you have committed so far. Only fellow mages will be able to judge and define you.”

The reason they hadn’t built a Magic Tower until now was because it wasn’t worth it.

But the chairman was saying that he could overturn the existing policies and use his power for Lenok alone.

He was simply making a proposal and waiting for Lenok’s answer.

In the process, he didn’t seem to care whether Lenok chose Machina or Vulcan.

“The choice is yours.”

“No.”

Lenok laughed.

“You’re making it sound grand, but in the end, it seems like you want me to take the side of either Vulcan or Machina.”

“…….”

The conference hall fell silent. For a moment, it felt like the gazes of the council members, whose faces were not visible, intensified.

Lenok tilted his head, vividly feeling the air gradually becoming sharper.

“That’s because no matter which city government I side with, my actions and intentions will fall within a range that can be controlled and calculated, right?”

Lenok tapped his cane, looking at the chairman’s expressionless face.

“I’m going to do what I want. If I build a Magic Tower, that too will be entirely based on my judgment and decision. Above all….”

Lenok looked around and opened his mouth with a cold smile.

“You’re way behind the proposal the Elders made. What exactly is it that makes you better than those old geezers in the back room?”

They weren’t uninterested in Lenok, or trying to distance themselves from him.

It was just that they didn’t like the fact that Lenok, a powerful variable, was now outside of their calculations and control.

That’s why they were using the opportunity of the Ex Machina deal as an excuse to urge Lenok to choose one of the two cities.

An 8-level extreme mage.

But even if he had great power, if he was swayed under the laws and order of the city, it would be much easier to handle.

At least, the chaos that Lenok was causing by roaming around various cities and continents would be greatly reduced.

“You want to do what you want….”

The chairman, who had been silently looking down at Lenok, slowly lifted his head.

“That’s an answer that didn’t exist in my predictions.”

At that moment, a very heavy magical power began to pour down like a wave from behind the chairman.

Kugugugugu…!!

A powerful pressure that seemed to crush the entire space of the conference hall with just the manifestation of his will.

He wasn’t manipulating gravity or a specific mass.

A technique that amplified non-existent pressure by filling the density of space with magical power alone.

It was nothing less than revealing that the magical power the chairman possessed was more vast than any other superhuman here.

Dududu…!!

Just with the will to pour magical power into the space, the conference hall building, which was made with spatial parallel design, was shaking.

“Chairman. What exactly are you doing?”

Only then did some of the council members, who had been silent, begin to express their displeasure to the chairman.

“We clearly agreed to only mention the investment proposal for the Magic Tower.”

“It’s a loss to use force against a mage like Kyunroe. It would be better to refrain.”

All of those gathered here were managers who led and governed the megacity in their respective fields.

That’s why they weren’t intimidated by the chairman’s absurd magical power, but rather openly expressed their displeasure.

Lenok looked at those council members and lightly grasped the chairman’s heavy magical power that was pouring down in the air.

A contradiction where magical power, which should have no weight, flowed down like sand with a clear texture and heaviness.

However, Lenok brushed off the chairman’s magical power with his bare hands and nodded.

“I see.”

Paah…!!

The mage’s will that rose from Lenok’s fingertips pierced through the chairman’s magical power and reversed it.

The chairman’s sand-like magical power, which had been flowing downwards, shot upwards and soared above the ceiling of the conference hall.

Peobeobeobeong!!

“Magical power reversal….”

“He reversed the nature of it?”

Lenok ignored the voices of the surprised council members from all sides and tapped his cane with a cold laugh.

At the same time, a torrent of magical power that seemed to be boiling erupted from below Lenok’s feet.

“I wouldn’t mind ending things here.”

Kugugugugu!!!

The two people’s magical powers collided fiercely from above and below, shattering and scattering the sparks in all directions.

A chilling noise of space creaking and a strange phenomenon where the scenery in sight seemed to be slightly distorted.

At the moment when the fiercely heated air in the conference hall was about to explode, unable to withstand its limits.

“Alright, let’s stop there.”

Between the two of them, a brilliant platinum light burst forth.

Paaaaaa!!

The platinum light, rotating counterclockwise, gently pierced through the magical power of the chairman and Lenok in that spot.

In an instant, from the invisible void, the scenery of a clock distorting and squeezing into the conference hall.

Through it, a young man wearing a bowler hat walked out, smiling brightly.

A slender physique and a strange impression that made it impossible to pinpoint any characteristics other than being a young man.

“What are you doing, when you all know each other?”

“…Silford.”

Lenok, who immediately recognized the other party, chuckled.

“What’s the Elders doing here?”

Area 25, designated as a closed area. The last moment when he found Kaise’s research journal.

At that time, the magician Silford, who had come to greet him as the new representative of the Elders, had appeared.

The platinum light that was still swirling faintly beneath his feet was proof that he was a noble from the Central City.

Silford clapped his hands lightly, changing the atmosphere, and turned his gaze towards the chairman with a smile.

“Chairman. You need to be moderate. Don’t you know that you can’t break something no matter how much you hit it?”

Silford shrugged his shoulders.

His light tone and actions, as if all the weight had been completely lifted, were still the same.

It was a completely opposite atmosphere to the chairman, who seemed as if he would sink deeply at any moment.

“He’s not someone who will be swayed by ordinary persuasion. Why are you doing this when you can resolve it amicably?”

“…….”

Silford sighed softly at the chairman’s reaction, who didn’t answer.

As he snapped his fingers once more, the platinum light that had risen from below his feet began to turn into a spatial rift once again.

“Knowing that would happen, I brought a noble person who can mediate this situation.”

From beyond the spatial rift, someone wearing old slippers quietly walked out.

A copper-skinned woman with a thick hood and shawl, wearing a large rosary and various accessories around her neck.

Her face, smiling with her eyes closed, showed a considerable amount of time.

“…That woman.”

“She came in person?”

The council members, who had been observing the situation with a nonchalant attitude, murmured with a slightly surprised look.

Even the chairman, unlike before, seemed somewhat hesitant.

“I don’t know what it means to bring an outsider here and try to finish things here.”

Lenok asked, looking at Silford with a cold gaze.

“Who decided that we’re going to stop here?”

“Come on, don’t be like that. It’s a very good opportunity for you too.”

Silford naturally grabbed Lenok’s shoulder and whispered, turning to the woman.

“That person is the most gifted astrologer on the continent.”