Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 739

“……I see.”

Lenox, who had been silent while holding the key, turned his back to the man.

A presence that had been observing all the situations unfolding within the ruins even before Lenox.

A nobleman holding the title of Duke of Kabahim, and a physical ability user who had reached level 8.

The only man who could call himself the owner of the castle.

“So, you’re the Grand Duke of Kabahim.”

The Grand Duke of Kabahim, Jillian, whom the clown was so desperately searching for, was within the Giant Soldier Corps ruins.

Moreover, with his arms and legs bound by heavy restraints, as if he were being held captive by someone.

However, even at Lenox’s words, Jillian waved his hand with an annoyed expression.

“Ah, don’t call me by that name. Are there still people who know me by that?”

“……”

“If you have to call me something, call me a mercenary. If you must attach a useless title, that would be better.”

Clang!!

At that moment, the restraints binding Jillian’s arms and legs fell off.

A reaction as if it had belatedly recognized Lenox’s presence and released the Grand Duke’s restraints.

Thud!!

Contrary to its appearance, it seemed to be quite heavy, as the restraints made a tremendous noise as they fell.

It was heavy enough to feel the entire ruins faintly vibrating for a moment.

To have been lying down with such heavy restraints on, hiding his presence.

However, even after his arms and legs were free, Jillian didn’t seem to have any intention of getting up.

Rather, he just leisurely propped himself up on his arm and stared at the fallen restraints with a nonchalant expression.

“Ah, the restraints came off because an intruder came in. It’s a pain to move… Can’t you just leave on your own?”

“……”

“Anyway, the items in these ruins can’t be used without my permission, which is tied to the Giant Soldier Corps. But I’m not going to give them to a thief, so just go.”

Lenox looked at Jillian with an absurd expression and asked.

“There was a rumor that you were lazy and dissolute, and it seems that wasn’t wrong. Do you really think you can act like that at this point?”

“Screw you. Why should I care?”

Jillian yawned widely as he retorted.

“I hate troublesome things. It seems a bit noisy outside, but that’s none of my business either.”

Jillian, who was lying down and scratching his stomach, laughed.

“To be honest, I’m not really interested in you either.”

“……”

“So, just put down that thing you stole and run away. Then I won’t care whether you live or die here.”

He said that this entire ruin was a place where the relics of his comrades were gathered, yet he wasn’t angry at Lenox for trying to steal the key.

A response and reaction that showed he had no interest in what was going on around him.

‘There was a reason why he didn’t show his face to the Azure Eye and all sorts of organizations. From the start, his situation and nature are…’

Lenox had also heard Jillian’s name during the Hanghasa Labyrinth operation.

He had heard from other observers that many of the strong individuals belonging to the Azure Eye were unable to join the labyrinth because they were busy with their own affairs.

At that time, he didn’t know much, but after meeting the Grand Duke in person, Lenox felt like he understood why this man hadn’t appeared in the Azure Eye all this time.

From the start, he was too lazy to even understand why he would lend his name to the Azure Eye.

His work as an observer was also practically that of an outsider who had only stepped a foot in. He wouldn’t have any interest in the lighthouse keeper’s mission.

‘What should I do…’

When he heard the explanation of the operation from Sabrina, he hadn’t imagined this situation.

That was because she didn’t know much about the Giant Soldier Corps, or perhaps she hadn’t even grasped the fact that the key was a treasure bound to the ruins.

However, at this point, Lenox had no intention of putting down the key and retreating.

It was absurd to give up on his plan after having reached this point, having squeezed out time from his busy schedule of establishing the Magic Tower, writing papers, and researching spells.

Lenox, wearing gloves, pondered as he fiddled with the key.

‘The power bound to the key isn’t a simple spell. If anything, it’s closer to a curse.’

While talking with Jillian, he secretly investigated the key and figured out what was preventing the opening of the vault.

Jillian’s appearance, bound to the ruins. The explanation that permission was needed. Even his unusual attitude, which seemed to lack motivation.

Perhaps it was a binding that was forced upon him against his will, or a restraint closer to a curse.

It would be right to see Jillian as being bound to this place, just like the other ‘stolen goods’ in these ruins.

It seemed that the relationship between the Kabahim Dynasty and Jillian was more complicated than it was known, but Lenox focused on the curse on the key rather than that.

‘The ruins of the Giant Soldier Corps. The corpses of giants. The resentment of the dead. The most efficient medium for resolving this kind of curse is…’

Unfortunately, as Jillian said, it was most likely that he held the solution.

For a smooth resolution, he would have to provoke Jillian to some extent, making him take action himself.

A person related to the Giant Soldier Corps, a war mercenary. He might have to face a high-level physical ability user head-on.

However, even knowing that, Lenox slowly rotated the mana within his body and began to gather his thoughts right there.

It was something that wouldn’t be profitable under normal circumstances, but there was a stunned idiot who had been electrocuted and left behind on the way here.

If he used that useful sandbag well, he could handle things more easily here, even if he acted somewhat aggressively.

“Well. I think a little differently.”

Lenox, having finished his thoughts, chuckled and retorted.

“The relics of your comrades that you speak of. Aren’t they just useless stolen goods that you wouldn’t have been able to keep here if you didn’t have the status of a Grand Duke?”

“…What?”

“You have no interest in what they are, or what their value is. What do you think is making you hold onto the contradiction of giving meaning to the past while also distrusting it?”

Lenox shrugged as he looked at the silent Jillian.

“In my opinion, you seem to be relying on that useless title of Grand Duke, which you yourself belittle, like a child.”

[Wow. He really hit him hard.]

Agnetta, who was listening from the side, clicked her tongue at the scathing provocation.

And the Grand Duke, who was lying sprawled out in the distance, felt the same way.

The illusion of a spark flashed in Jillian’s eyes, which had been staring at Lenox with a drowsy look.

“Okay. So that’s how it is?”

Thud!!

As Jillian scratched his head and stood up, a roar echoed as the mountain of weapons collapsed entirely.

He lightly stepped onto the floor of the ruins with his bare feet and grinned at Lenox.

“That was a pretty good provocation for a thief. To be honest, it wasn’t entirely wrong, which makes it even better.”

“……”

“I’ll kill you myself. That’s what you wanted in the first place, right?”

Whoooosh…!!

The moment the Grand Duke took a step forward, the air throughout the ruins began to rotate around him.

Distorted mana from under his feet wrapped around Jillian’s body and leaped up, transforming into a form like a giant demon.

Jillian tilted his head back, his right hand outstretched towards Lenox, as he slightly twisted his shoulder.

“Let’s see if your skills are as sharp as your words.”

‘His stance…’

However, Lenox focused on his stance rather than Jillian’s eerie declaration.

Lenox had heard that Jillian was a top-tier physical ability user. A warrior who was used to pushing his body to its limits.

Why was he suddenly raising his mana and extending his palm instead of rushing towards Lenox?

A ranged projectile. Or a powerful slash equivalent to it.

The possibility of a preemptive strike that transcends space itself could not be ignored either.

In the worst case, he might be attacked before he even recognized the attack.

The moment Lenox quickly simulated dozens of situations in his head and quietly drew out his mana threads.

Jillian’s presence began to amplify explosively.

It was as if his very existence was becoming infinitely larger. The moment Lenox frowned inside his mask at the sense of incongruity.

Inner World Microcosm: Giant Soldier Weapon

[Heaven Piercer]

The Grand Duke’s hand, which had appeared in front of him, swelled dozens of times and slammed Lenox’s body into the wall of the ruins.

Kwaaaang!!!

The wall of the ruins collapsed from the impact, and a giant arm protruded from the other side.

The ceiling and floor of the castle shook violently, and debris flew up and down.

Kugwagwagwa…!!!

Jillian, who had walked out from among the debris that had collapsed in an instant, looked at the other side as he returned his greatly enlarged arm.

A cold sneer spread across Jillian’s face as he checked the crushed wall below.

“You’re as quick as a rat with your reactions. Are you that fast without knowing about my power?”

“Cough…!!”

Lenox, leaning against the collapsed rubble, coughed lightly.

He cleared away the rubble and debris he had been holding with his mana threads and stood up. Lenox adjusted his mask and asked.

“That’s not a normal… microcosm [a personal reality or inner world]. It doesn’t seem to be just about expanding the body.”

The preemptive strike that Jillian had just shown was not simply about enlarging and extending his own arm.

It was as if a giant’s arm had been there from the beginning, and it had only appeared explosively.

With just that speed and mass, Lenox’s defense was easily crushed, and his body was pushed back.

The mass was hundreds of times that of an ordinary human, and the explosive power to wield it as he wished in an instant.

Conversely, Jillian also seemed to have identified the system of spells that Lenox was using in that short time.

“A manipulator? I’ve seen them occasionally on the battlefield.”

Thud!!

Jillian said as he took a step forward.

“They were all cunning and fickle. But most of them had useful abilities.”

“……”

“To waste that rare talent on something like theft, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“I’m not stealing because I want to. If the owner doesn’t even show up at the stall, there’s no room for negotiation.”

Lenox said with a smile.

“Or have you changed your mind about a deal now?”

“Oh ho, that’s good.”

Jillian grinned.

“I’m thinking of taking your pathetic life as payment, is that okay?”

At the same time, Jillian swung his left hand like a whip.

Inner World Microcosm: Giant Soldier Weapon

[Fell Strike]

The explosively enlarged giant’s arm smashed through the remaining wall of the ruins and scattered the impact all the way to the underground stairs.

Pududududuk!!

The outer wall cracked and broke, revealing the scenery outside the mountain range in an instant.

However, Lenox dodged Jillian’s slash with a blink and instead approached him.

“The microcosm deployment speed is amazing, but once I read the direction, it’s not hard to avoid.”

Swaeak!!

The obsidian mask under Lenox’s shadow robe flashed sharply.

As he tapped the air like a piano, the mana threads that extended from his fingertips lashed out sharply in all directions in an instant.

Several dozen mana threads wriggled like living snakes, rushing to bind Jillian’s arms and legs.

“Let’s see if you can still transform into a giant with your limbs bound.”

“Hahaha, you’re very fearless!!”

Jillian, too, laughed wildly at the movement of the sharp mana threads and began to swing his arms.

Whooong!!

Even without using the image of a giant transformation, the brute force of a physical ability user remained the same.

A single strike that was so fast that his hand could not be seen properly. A strong wind blew, sweeping away the dust and dirt.

He read all the trajectories of the mana threads moving in different directions, grabbed them with his bare hands, and pulled them.

Red lines were instantly carved onto his skin, and even as blood flowed from his palms, he focused on smashing Lenox’s head.

The warrior’s momentum, pushing forward madly without caring about his own body, was truly eerie.

A mad laugh that seemed like he wouldn’t be able to endure it unless he tore Lenox’s limbs apart and drank his flesh and blood.

His initial lazy and relaxed attitude was a stark contrast, so intense that it made one suspect it was a defense mechanism to hide his violence.

Any ordinary mana user would have been overwhelmed by that momentum.

However, Lenox completely ignored it and focused on manipulating the mana threads right in front of Jillian.

Chwarararak!!

He manipulated hundreds of mana threads at the same time, exquisitely adjusting their trajectories and power, while also maintaining a strict distance from Jillian.

A subtle distance that was too close to use giant transformation, but conversely, too far to strike with his bare hands.

Jillian also instinctively sensed this and, enduring the injuries, pushed forward forcefully.

Kugwagwagwa!!

He flicked his arm, which had dozens of blood lines carved into it, as if it were annoying, and the ruined outer wall of the ruins was swept away like a storm following his will.

Kwaaaang!!

The old weapons piled up under his feet scattered like an explosion, and the ground and walls shook from the impact in all directions.

Even as the shock of shaking his head continued to erupt, he pushed the tensile strength of the mana threads to the limit to withstand Jillian’s brute force.

Kkiririk…!!

He used the brute force and reflexes of the physical ability user, which flowed indiscriminately, in reverse, manipulating him with mana threads like a puppet with broken strings.

The moment dozens of layers of mana threads, stacked diagonally on the ceiling and floor, wrapped around Jillian’s fingers.

Chwarararak!!

Several dozen mana threads were added to Jillian’s arm in succession, binding it to the ground.

“Such a pathetic trick…!!”

The moment Jillian, whose arm was instantly pinned like a stake, gritted his teeth and exerted his strength, the entire ground began to shake.

Kuuuung!!

It wasn’t just about cutting the mana threads, but an overwhelming sense of weight as if he was using the entire surrounding terrain as a support.

Feeling that, Jillian looked up at Lenox with a bewildered expression.

“You…”

Even if Jillian was careless, it was absurd to stop his movement head-on.

Only then did Jillian realize that Lenox was not an ordinary spellcaster, and his eyes changed drastically.

“You’re not just an ordinary thief. Where did you come from?”