Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 719

The staircase of flames unfolded before their eyes, accompanied by the words that the message of the Seventh Sun would be played.

However, even after waiting, no voice was heard.

The giant firebird merely supported the small land it was on and slowly flapped its wings.

Tatianna, who was looking at the staircase in front of her, muttered,

“…What’s going on?”

“I think it’s an automatic procedure that happens after the Phoenix Hall activates.”

Lenox said, staring at the staircase engulfed in flames with an uncomfortable expression.

“Considering the message is supposed to play, doesn’t that mean something will come down the stairs?”

“Then we should wait a bit.”

Whoosh!

The wind grew stronger and more painful as the altitude increased.

“…”

“…”

After waiting for about five minutes, the two realized their guess was wrong.

Lenox muttered,

“Could it be…”

“It seems like they’re telling us to climb the stairs ourselves.”

Tatianna scratched her cheek.

“Maybe stepping on the stairs is the trigger for the message.”

“You’re saying we have to climb the stairs to hear the message?”

Lenox frowned.

“Now that I think about it, the 7th Tower Master was a very strange person. I must have misjudged him.”

“Is it really that bad…?”

Tatianna shrugged at Lenox, looking dumbfounded.

“What do you want to do? If you don’t want to, I’ll go instead.”

“…No. I’ll go first.”

Since the authority of the Phoenix Hall was transferred to Lenox, it was possible that Tatianna going first wouldn’t work.

There was no need to risk the procedure going wrong.

Whoosh!

As expected, the moment he stepped onto the stairs, he felt the air faintly vibrate.

A vibration as if someone was choosing a tone to deliver a message.

The vibration became clearer as he climbed the stairs into the air.

Lenox muttered without even climbing three steps,

“I don’t understand why they would choose such an irrational way of communication. This is a waste of time.”

“No, is it that hard for you to move your body? Should we go slowly then?”

Tatianna, who was following behind, smiled as she wiped away sweat, but Lenox shook his head.

“…If it’s just playing a message, there’s no reason to set up such a troublesome trigger. I think it’s just the eccentricity of the previous Tower Master-”

The moment Lenox said that and climbed a few more steps.

[From the moment I first entered the tower.]

A faint female voice echoed in his ear.

[I was never interested in taking responsibility for anything.]

“…”

The voice disappeared after leaving just that one sentence.

Tatianna also looked up at Lenox with a surprised expression, as if she had heard the voice as well.

When he slowly stepped onto the stairs again, the voice was heard again as if it was a playback switch.

[Even after being pushed into becoming the Tower Master, it was the same. I’m not good at recording and leaving things behind. I’m not used to it either.]

A voice was heard with each step he took.

This blunt yet soft female voice must be the voice of the 7th Tower Master of the Blaber Magic Tower.

If they climbed all the stairs in front of them, they would be able to hear all the messages left by the Tower Master.

“This is just awful…”

Lenox muttered, forgetting the voice he was hearing.

[But even so, the reason I’m leaving this message now is… because I judged that there was a possibility that my magic could be misused even after my death.]

“…”

The possibility of misuse.

The message was left thinking about an ominous future, but ironically, the Tower Master accurately predicted that future.

The fact that the residual thought material left after her death was used as a part of the engine was certainly not of her own volition.

Even as Tatianna’s expression hardened, the voice continued.

[Someone must have foreseen the possibility of pioneering the sea with my ability.]

“…”

[Someone must have found a clue to withstand spirit pressure from my past.]

Lenox was now silently climbing the stairs without saying a word.

Even while sweating and breathing heavily, he slowly focused on the echoing voice.

[They also coveted the memories I had because I was born outside the continent.]

The 7th Tower Master was not from the continent, but from the outside, which had not yet been explored.

He knew that there was another land outside the continent, but this was the first time he had indirectly encountered someone from there.

Even as he was lost in thought, the message continued.

[I also thought about it, but I buried it, thinking it was not something that could be done in my generation.]

She said,

[But it will be different after I die. There won’t be much time left then.]

“…”

There was something special that was possible with the Tower Master’s ability, and she thought it would be misused in the future, so she tried to prepare for it.

It was a vague explanation that was clear but did not directly mention the topic, but Lenox immediately understood its meaning.

Sea exploration. The meaning of withstanding spirit pressure. The circumstances that the Phoenix Hall was used as an engine for the satellite.

The Tower Master’s words implied the possibility that her magic might be able to withstand the outer sea.

[You must be wondering why I chose such a troublesome method. I understand. I also hated moving my body.]

A voice mixed with a faint smile.

Before Lenox could even laugh at the sudden feeling of inner intimacy, she spoke again.

[But this is one of the forms of seeking the truth that implies the ending. I didn’t know it before, but sometimes there are things that can only be conveyed in this way.]

“Seeking the truth…?”

[Human life, our lives, are the same.]

She muttered,

[You can’t just live doing what you want. I realized that too late…]

“…”

[I hope you don’t end up like that.]

The Tower Master’s voice gradually faded.

[I ended up regretting it.]

With those words, the message ended…

Lenox had already reached the end of the stairs.

Tatianna quietly called out to Lenox, who was standing at the end of the flame staircase, looking up at the sky.

“…Ban.”

He was still sweating, breathing heavily, and his legs were shaking.

An unpleasant sensation no matter how many times he replayed it.

But sometimes, the thoughts that lingered in his mind took precedence over the pain in his body.

The message left by the 7th Tower Master was vague, roundabout, and slightly off the essence.

But the fact that she wanted to warn them was clear.

Even the fact that she had regrets about what she couldn’t do until she died.

The exact meaning of that would remain in the Phoenix Hall, which was created with her residual thoughts.

“…Let’s go down.”

Lenox finally organized his thoughts and turned his head.

“I think I’ve heard everything I needed to hear.”

* * *

It’s hard to know that going down is as hard as going up without experiencing it.

Sometimes, descending a mountain is more dangerous and requires more caution than climbing it.

At the end of the stairs that disappeared as the Tower Master’s message ended, the two barely managed to step back onto the ground.

“Why, why am I so out of breath…”

“…”

Lenox didn’t say anything and just quietly leaned against a nearby rock.

Tatianna, who was lying on the ground, reached out to Lenox, who had taken out a cigarette.

“Just one.”

“…Looks like you liked the one you smoked last time.”

Lenox chuckled and took out a cigarette from his pocket and tossed it to her.

Thump!

Tatianna, leaning against the engine that was rolling with a heavy roar, put the cigarette in her mouth and lit it.

“Hoo… I’ve been wondering this for a while, but what is this really made of?”

Tatianna asked, exhaling smoke with a satisfied look.

“I’ve handled these kinds of drugs a few times in the central front, and most of them were trash worse than drugs.”

“That’s probably right.”

In the first place, most of these products, commonly known as cigarettes, were made to cheaply inhale narcotic plants or catalysts.

Lenox himself had lived day by day smoking cheap drugs when he first entered Vulcan.

“It’s not a drug, but it’s not a medicine either. If you had to categorize it, it’s closer to a stimulant, but it doesn’t have strong side effects…”

“Because it’s not something made for money in the first place.”

Lenox also sat in front of Tatianna and answered while smoking a cigarette.

“I buy catalysts and materials that come up at auctions from time to time and combine them myself. I manufacture them in large quantities at a time, but I experiment by changing the materials and effects each time.”

“So this is the result of all the trial and error you’ve gone through?”

Lenox nodded, watching Tatianna smoke with a satisfied smile.

Thanks to meeting someone who recognized the value of cigarettes and showed interest in them, Lenox also became talkative.

“There’s still room for improvement, but the destination and direction are somewhat set. After adjusting the efficacy and side effects to an appropriate level, I’m constantly changing the fuel efficiency and effectiveness.”

“That’s interesting.”

Tatianna laughed.

“That seems a bit similar to your magic, if you think about it.”

“…”

Lenox suddenly closed his mouth.

Tatianna, slightly surprised, glanced at him.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“…No. That’s not possible.”

Lenox smiled, put the cigarette in his mouth, and tilted his head back.

“It’s something I’ve thought about occasionally, so I was just a little surprised.”

Finding the necessary conditions and materials, repeating various experiments and attempts to reduce errors and mistakes.

Constantly reviewing the direction he had in mind and repeating the process until he reached the desired level.

As Tatianna said, the process was similar to the way Lenox had researched and developed his magic system.

Was it possible that such an attitude had seeped into Lenox without him realizing it while he was manufacturing drugs for his own use, including cigarettes?

Lenox had also been aware of it at some point, but Tatianna had immediately pointed out something he hadn’t had the chance to bring up.

“What, was that a compliment?”

Tatianna chuckled and tapped Lenox on the shoulder.

Lenox watched her, finished his cigarette, and got up from his seat.

“Enough of that, look around. The scenery is definitely worth seeing now.”

Whoosh…!!

The small island engulfed in flames had risen high enough to see the entire restricted area.

The sun rising beyond the horizon mixed with the cold dawn air and became distorted.

Even the desolate ruins and junkyard landscape spread out on the ground looked distant when viewed from above.

Tatianna looked around in surprise.

“This is…”

“There was a reason why Deadrise was so obsessed with it.”

Lenox laughed.

“The ability to enter the tower’s solar system and temporarily establish a domain [a controlled area of influence]. At this level, it would have been perfect to consider it a branch of the Magic Tower.”

The overwhelming advantage of building a Magic Tower and declaring a domain to take control of a part of the sky.

The fact that such a miracle could be imitated simply by operating it with the Tower Master’s residual thought material.

He had thought that such a result would come out when he grasped Deadrise’s plan, but it was even more surprising to see it in person.

However, the Phoenix Hall seemed to dislike Lenox’s words, as it landed on the engine and flapped its wings.

[If a higher-level suitable location exists, better performance can be achieved.]

“I guess so.”

[Please retract any statements that may cast doubt on the performance of this system.]

“…”

A statement that seemed strangely obsessed with the system’s output and performance.

As Lenox was wondering if he should turn off the system now, Tatianna smiled with a troubled expression.

“I think it might be a reflection of the previous Tower Master’s personality.”

Tatianna said, rubbing her forehead with a tired expression.

“I’ve never met her in person, but I heard she was quite diligent.”

“…I don’t really feel that from the message I heard earlier.”

Tatianna smiled bitterly at Lenox’s words.

“Well… as far as I know, maybe-”

[She was a great magician.]

A low voice suddenly echoed.

Not from the engine where the Phoenix Hall had landed, but an answer that seemed to echo from the far side of the sky.

“…!!!”

Tatianna, her face hardened, jumped up and began to gather her magic power.

But the voice spoke slowly, regardless of Tatianna’s reaction.

[She was an excellent disciple, a kind colleague, and a benevolent junior. She was also an unfortunate Tower Master swept away by the tides of time.]

“H-How…!!”

A pale expression in an instant. She desperately began to form hand seals with trembling hands.

Lenox looked at Tatianna, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her around.

“Tatianna, calm down.”

“Ban, we have to run away right now!! This voice is…!!!”

[But as a teacher, she was terrible.]

At that moment, the voice echoing from the other side of the domain cooled down.

[She was a pitiful person… but I couldn’t accept that fact.]

Whoosh!

A sound as if something was burning in the distance was heard.

The moment he realized that it was a transmission echoing through the sun shining in the distance.

Something bright red soared from the end of the horizon and bloomed into the shape of a red pillar.

The crimson flames that soared with the sun behind them instantly swelled in size and surged in as a huge sea of flames.

Thump thump thump thump!!!!

The sea of fire swept across the scrap metal plain and engulfed the entire area.

It instantly swallowed the ruined theme park and burned the whole world.

Kuwahhh!

The flames that flooded the ground dyed even the sky red and instantly incinerated everything around them.

Hundreds of thousands of ashes fluttered and scattered over the red sky,

And the heat of the flames completely burned and swallowed the completely destroyed theme park facilities and ruins.

Kugugugu!

On top of the sea of crimson flames that had flooded and swallowed the ground in an instant, a person stood with their hands behind their back.

The whole body was tattered, broken, and torn in a bizarre shape.

It was too weak and flimsy to call it the master who was riding on the sea of fire.

“…”

Lenox was able to recognize the identity of the human on the sea of fire only after confirming the figure through magic detection.

A bizarre figure with his chest stained red as if he had spat out a handful of black blood, his arms and legs swaying like a doll.

His face, with his hair stuck in a mess, was in his memory.

One of the five strands of the Magic Tower. Duren.

The Saint-level magician who had been fighting Lenox until just now, failed to deploy his magnetic field, and died when his heart stopped.

The corpse, which should have already lost its power and died, was rising again and burning the entire theme park.

Creak!

Duren’s head, swaying with the surging sea of fire, turned towards Tatianna, who was standing below the launchpad, as if it was forcibly fixed.

The moment Tatianna flinched and trembled, the same low and soft voice as before flowed from Duren.

[Tatianna.]

A transmission from someone completely different from the Duren’s voice that Lenox remembered.

Someone completely different from the strand he had killed was conveying his will instead.

A faint smile was mixed in the tone of the voice.

[It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your face. How have you been?]

“…Master.”

Tatianna gritted her teeth and answered.

“What brings you to this city when you should be on the front lines?”

A transcendent being powerful enough to convey his will to the other side of the Phoenix Hall’s temporary domain.

A possessor of a twisted sensibility who could forcibly manipulate and raise the corpse of a dead strand.

A transcendent user of flame magic who could turn the restricted area into a sea of fire without even arriving at this place.

The Blaber Magic Tower Master had appeared in this place, acting on his will.