Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 731

The Magic Tower and the Mage (9)

In the dark research lab, where all the lights were off.

Leaning back in his chair, Lenox flicked his lighter, watching the platinum mass manipulation formula spinning on the workbench.

Click, click…!!

Lenox’s expression was deeply sunken, having stayed up all night chain-smoking.

‘Information about Yorta…’

Grimeider, who was murdered in the Military City, was a person directly involved in Kaise’s death.

If he wanted to find out where Kaise’s body was, digging into Grimeider’s death would be the most ideal approach.

The problem was that Lenox had neither the justification nor the means to head to the Military City at this point.

‘The information that can be obtained through Balkan brokers is too old to be of any help. And there’s no useful information on the deep web either…’

He had searched the deep web, the brokers’ networks, and even the Watchers’ information network, but he couldn’t find any suitable information.

All that was left was the hint he had given to Jenny and Hairea.

The first to contact him was Hairea.

Hairea, who requested a call through the secret line connected to Victor’s identity, said:

-Victor. One of the members wants to meet with you regarding the topic you mentioned.

Lenox immediately changed his voice and asked,

“Who is it?”

-It’s someone you know.

Hairea said calmly.

-The Spirit Speaker is looking for you. She wants to meet, is that okay with you?

“…”

If there was anyone called a Spirit Speaker in Pandemonium, it would only be one person.

Sabrina, who had also participated in the mid-term review and had traded information with Lenox separately.

Could it mean that she has information about the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits?

“Where is it?”

-Balkan’s outermost undeveloped area, military facility.

Hairea answered immediately.

-The Spirit Speaker will be staying there for four days starting tomorrow, inspecting the military facilities of the megacity. Is that okay with you?

Sabrina is participating in the inspection of Balkan’s military facilities.

That must be a justification possible because she also holds another personal identity besides Pandemonium.

Lenox was silent for a moment, then slowly answered.

“Three days later.”

-…Three days?

Lenox didn’t wait for an answer and hung up the line.

There was no need to explain the reason in detail.

This would at least give the impression that Victor was coming to the meeting place from somewhere other than Balkan.

The connection of the existence called Foudre, which started from Ethan Bajur’s necklace.

Even the fact that someone among the project associates was murdered in the Military City of Yorta.

The circumstances were clear that someone related to the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits in Yorta had laid hands on someone related to the Black Consumer Project.

‘Madrich Onion didn’t say anything about the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits.’

What he could hear from the level 8 Military Spirit User was only the truth about the Black Consumer Project and its harms.

He could get a glimpse of what the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits was through Onion’s domain, but at that time, he dismissed it as a failed memory of the past.

The Black Consumer Project of Balkan. The Ascension Gate of Makina. The Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits in Yorta.

But unlike the already failed Ascension Gate, if the [Night Parade] is still ongoing.

Even if he doesn’t head to Yorta right away, it would be good to get the information he can in advance.

Thinking that far, Lenox unfolded the scroll he had thrown on the workbench while puffing on his cigarette.

Since he had postponed the appointment to three days later, he had enough time to stay up all night for about two days to do research.

The unique light-attribute magic he received as a gift through his deal with Oliviera, the clone-type [Radiant Body of the Divine].

It needed a little more modification to be used in actual combat, not just as a simple illusion.

Among the common magic Lenox possessed, there were shadow-type common magic that could be combined with the Radiant Body of the Divine.

‘If I combine Shadow Scratch and Alpha Light in the right ratio, I can hide the heterogeneity. And if I mix in a little space manipulation to transfer the incantation…’

Zzzzt, zzzzt…!!

Lenox’s figure, leaning against the workbench, became a blurry shadow, distorted in place.

A form that was both there and not there, its appearance itself becoming faint.

Lenox’s figure, as if paint had been dissolved in water, slowly spread out through the space.

A state where he could dissolve and scatter his appearance itself without directly melting magic power into his own body.

Looking down at his trembling hand, Lenox immediately unfolded the scroll and began to interpret the incantation of the Radiant Body of the Divine.

* * *

Three days later.

The day of the appointment he had hinted at to Hairea.

Lenox stood in the ruins near the undeveloped area, wearing an obsidian mask and a shadow robe.

Walking through the ruined streets, Lenox slowly stopped walking.

“…”

Someone is watching this place right now.

Judging from the presence that was not in Lenox’s memory, it was an outsider, not a member of Pandemonium.

Should he take action?

If he were in Ban’s identity, he would have dealt with it cleanly without even revealing his killing intent the moment he thought of it.

But at this point, wearing Victor’s mask, there was no reason to hide his emotions or aura.

“…Ha.”

Lenox slowly turned his head and flicked his finger, and blatant killing intent flowed out like fog in all directions.

The killing intent that a transcendent who had reached the pinnacle materialized and extracted.

There was a reaction.

Someone was slowly walking out from behind the alley Lenox had passed.

“I know what you’re thinking, but calm down for now.”

A man with a thick beard.

His tone of voice didn’t sound old, but his appearance didn’t look young.

He slowly looked at Lenox’s obsidian mask and raised both hands.

“It wasn’t intentional. I apologize. I have no intention of fighting.”

Lenox stared at the man for a moment, then flicked his hand under his robe and said,

“These days, you say you don’t intend to fight, but you’re still glaring like that.”

Whoosh!!

A magic thread that stretched out from the air instantly bound the man’s mouth horizontally.

“Would a better answer come out if I tore your mouth?”

The shape of the magic thread that rotated near the back of the man’s head and tightly bound his mouth.

If he applied force like this, the man’s mouth would be neatly cut off on both sides.

The man’s beard trembled when he realized that fact.

Because he realized that the projection of magic power started from behind him. That this entire area was within Lenox’s range.

A high-level sorcerer who uses manipulation formulas that are probably unimaginably unique and deadly.

“Crude stealth… The presence, the reaction, the speed, everything is flawed.”

Before the man could say anything, Lenox flicked his finger with a nonchalant look.

“It’s so annoying that it’s hard to bear.”

At the same time, a dozen people began to be dragged out one after another from various places in the street.

Screech!!

Thump, thump!!

“Uwaaaah!!”

“Kyaaak!!”

People who were rolling on the floor as if they had been forcibly grabbed by the collar, or falling after breaking windows.

All of them seemed to be magic users, but they were rubbing their bodies with a dumbfounded look.

They were horrified by the sense of incongruity that their limbs had moved on their own and crawled out in front of Lenox.

Lenox, with the transcendents tied up with magic threads like sausages at his feet, asked,

“If you don’t answer next time, I’ll make it so you can’t answer for the rest of your life.”

“…Freelancer. I came here because I heard there was a unique broker here.”

“Lebert!!”

A woman looked back at the man in a panic, but the man called Lebert answered obediently.

“I heard that he handles requests that are not registered on the deep web because he deals with different fields than the city’s brokers.”

“…”

“The requests from unknown sources are suspicious, but that’s why I need a lot of money.”

Only after hearing Lebert’s explanation could Lenox understand how they had found this place.

It seemed that while Hairea was staying in Balkan, she was also working as a broker, taking on requests other than those from Pandemonium.

Was she handling the work of the Underworld in District 21 and the work of other freelancers in the undeveloped area?

“You, you’ve already received a request from that place, haven’t you?”

Lebert asked.

“I heard the rumors, but I have to be careful about this kind of thing, right? I was waiting for a senior who had experienced it first.”

Famous brokers have their demand, and lesser-known brokers have their own demand.

The fundamental reason why the freelancer and mercenary industry in this city is constantly active without a moment’s rest.

Thinking that far, Lenox turned around and withdrew his magic power.

Thump!!

While the released people were tangled up and screaming, Lenox, who had released the magic thread that was binding his mouth, said coldly,

“Get lost.”

“…You seem to be quite skilled, would you like to work with us?”

Lebert, who was rubbing his neck, glanced at Lenox and asked.

“If a sorcerer like you joins the team, I’m willing to give up a large share-”

Swoosh!!

At that moment, Lebert’s shoulder armor split vertically and fell to the floor.

Not stopping there, the old commercial building behind Lebert was split in two and opened up.

A flash of light that started from the side of Lebert’s neck and cut through the building behind him and disappeared.

Lebert, realizing the meaning of that answer, quietly shut his mouth.

Lenox’s figure had already disappeared without a trace from that spot.

* * *

A hangar abandoned on the outskirts of the undeveloped area.

A material room where the remains of small aircraft, rusted and covered in dust, were piled up to form a small mountain.

Bang!!

Lenox, who had broken down the hangar door without hesitation, walked towards the nun standing under the wreckage of an airplane wing.

The nun, who was fiddling with the propeller as if it were interesting, flinched and turned to look at Lenox.

Judging by the fact that she was wearing an eye patch, it was the original personality that was becoming Hairea’s body.

But he could have a conversation without having to directly call out Hairea’s personality.

At the same time as taking a step forward, cold magic power instantly pressed down on the air in the hangar.

Saaak…!!

“I clearly said that I would come today, so why are outsiders loitering around here?”

Lenox, adjusting his obsidian mask, asked, looking at the nun who had shrunk her shoulders.

“If you want to spread rumors that the Underworld’s broker is here, I won’t stop you. But don’t do such stupid things when I’m not around.”

“O-Oh, I can’t help it…”

The nun answered Lenox, trying to hide her agitation.

“To hide the traces without being suspected, I really have to work as a broker.”

“Suspected? By whom?”

“Victor, I told you last time.”

A voice echoed from the back of the hangar.

A woman, sitting with her legs crossed in the cockpit of an old airplane, munching on something that looked like a snack.

Sabrina shook her head at Lenox.

“There’s a crazy magician living in this city, you know? You need a justification to avoid being caught by him.”

“Crazy magician?”

Lenox only realized that it wasn’t referring to someone else after he had questioned that far.

“It’s Kyeonroe. Kyeonroe.”

Sabrina mumbled, stuffing a snack into her mouth.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors recently? That magician actually built a magic tower in this city. If you get caught even a little bit, you’ll be detected right away.”

“…”

“That’s why it’s better to actually run a broker business. Because he’s a freelancer, he doesn’t usually mess with brokers.”

Come to think of it, even while doing various things, he had rarely killed or confronted brokers.

Even as the notoriety about Lenox spread in various ways, were attempts to read the tendency of his actions still continuing?

While Lenox was pondering over that fresh interpretation, she, who was savoring the taste of the snack, smiled with a satisfied look.

“Ah, it tastes good after all. Things sold in such big cities are worth the money. Most of the convenience foods sold on the front lines are addictive, so I can’t even touch them.”

Sabrina, who had folded the snack bag neatly, stood up.

“It’s a shame that the atmosphere in Balkan isn’t so harsh, or I would have come and gone more often.”

Lenox looked at her and asked,

“Considering what you’re saying, you don’t seem very wary.”

“Ah, this time I came to Balkan not as a member of Pandemonium.”

Sabrina said, patting her shoulder.

An epaulet with an unknown pattern was shaking on her clothes.

Sabrina, who had taken out another snack while rustling, said,

“I came here by joining the delegation heading to Balkan, so I have a justification. It’s relatively safe, you see.”

“…”

A delegation.

Looking back, Sabrina had once said that she belonged to another organization besides the Underworld.

Was she able to get a justification to enter the city because she worked for a large organization that sent a delegation directly to Balkan for exchange?

But instead of answering that, Lenox quietly stared at Sabrina.

Because there were parts of Sabrina’s actions that were difficult to understand with just that explanation.

As he slightly closed and opened his left eye behind the mask, his purple magic eye swirled and stared at Sabrina.

Only after completely observing Sabrina’s magic power flow through his magic eye did Lenox realize the reason and avert his gaze.

“You’re not using Spirit Speech anymore. Did you completely seal off your aptitude in that area?”

“What?”

Sabrina stopped munching on her snack and looked up at Lenox with a surprised look.

Even the nun, who was standing with difficulty behind the warehouse, looked at Lenox with a slightly surprised look.

But Lenox had clearly confirmed that the magic power pattern of the Spirit Speech that Sabrina had been using had completely disappeared.

Her accumulated hierarchy had not disappeared, but at least the formulas she used had completely changed.

“…That’s right. I’m not a Spirit Speaker now.”

Sabrina, who had been silent, nodded with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“It’s also true that I thought I would be safe in this city because of that. But it wasn’t just because of Kyeonroe.”

“Then why?”

“The information we traded during the mid-term review before. Do you remember?”

Sabrina said, glancing around.

“The rumor that the Ascendant Jinwa is gathering apostles to become a god himself. Unfortunately… it seems that it won’t end as just a rumor.”

“…”

Sabrina tried not to say it directly, but Lenox immediately understood what she was saying.

The orchard of Jinwa that he had seen beyond the central front using the power of the fifth lighthouse.

Lenox had seen with his own eyes what the Ascendant who dreamed of becoming a god was doing and had returned.

“The power contained in language has many meanings, but among them, a significant portion is the ripple effect and propagation power.”

Sabrina explained.

“That’s why Spirit Speakers are especially susceptible to each other’s influence. What if a level 9 Spirit Speaker who created the common language of the continent and became an Ascendant takes action?”

“Are you saying that you sealed your own power to avoid being influenced by the Ascendant?”

She nodded at Lenox’s question.

“To be precise, what you said is the most accurate. I sealed my own power, so I can’t do anything for the time being.”

Was she saying that she knew how powerful and influential Jinwa was because she was also a Spirit Speaker?

That’s why Sabrina was trying to prevent herself from being influenced by Jinwa’s Spirit Speech by temporarily sealing her own Spirit Speech.

“So now I’ve been re-employed as an information broker. Even though I’m like this, I know quite a few people, so I’m confident in exchanging the information I need.”

“…”

Indeed, she seemed to be very interested in similar professions, as she had requested information exchange from Lenox first during the mid-term review.

“Well, you probably don’t care about my situation. Shall we get to the point?”

She asked, gesturing to Lenox from the cockpit seat.

“You said you needed information about the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits, right?”

“Most of the information about Yorta is too old to be of any value.”

Lenox replied with his arms crossed.

“It seems that they are constantly maintaining their external activities, but the records are strangely scarce for that.”

“That’s right. In the first place, the Military City is a difficult place to visit unless you have the aptitude.”

“Aptitude?”

“What kind of aptitude would you need in the city of souls?”

Sabrina grinned and covered her eyes with both hands.

“You have to be able to see ghosts.”

“…”

“It’s not nonsense, there are cases where people really have the aptitude. Those friends go to the Military City on their own without anyone telling them to.”

Sabrina whispered.

“And they never come back.”

“Are you going to tell me a ghost story?”

“That’s how strange that place is. Just so you know.”

Sabrina added with a smile.

“There are a few members who have been to Yorta for work. It’s a strange city that doesn’t rely on the laws of physics and has one foot in the spirit realm.”

“…”

“It’s for a similar reason that they observe the souls of all places in the world and store curses. The souls and curses left by monsters who have died and disappeared, or who left their names a long time ago… they are still vividly present there.”

Sabrina’s explanation, as if trying to scare him.

But Lenox didn’t react much and waited for her to finish speaking.

In the first place, Lenox knew better what kind of place the Military City was and what secrets it held.

Sabrina also changed the subject as soon as she noticed that Lenox didn’t seem very interested.

“Now, shall we make a deal? What I want to offer you is this. It’s also something that would be very tempting for manipulators.”

Saying that, Sabrina suddenly raised her head and whispered,

“Agneta.”

At that moment, a sound like hundreds of threads rubbing against each other was heard in the empty air.

Charrrr…!!

A faint noise, like someone tightrope walking from the other side of the invisible space.

The moment that faint sound, which could not be heard unless one concentrated and listened carefully, disappeared.

“Ah, so you’re the human called Victor.”