Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 745

“You overheard my conversation with the Watchers?” The clown’s sudden declaration of deduction, claiming to know Victor’s identity, was unexpected. However, upon hearing those words, Lenok sighed and shook his head. He knew that the moment the clown mentioned was the least likely time to suspect Victor’s identity. Having a foot in both the Azure Eye and the Pandemonium, he had been meticulous about such matters. The only direct conversations he had as Victor were a few words with the Watcher twins, Fio and Gio. And that was merely pointing out their style and movements during a hectic battle. If the clown sensed something there, it would be closer to the delusions of a mad illusionist than a fragment of truth. “I won’t even mention your domain, so shut up and crawl out. I have so much to deal with as it is-” “A rare disease that costs you your lifespan.” The clown interrupted Lenok. “A congenital curse, almost a shackle.” “……” “Isn’t that the secret you’re hiding?” The clown peeked his head out of the ground, gauging Lenok’s reaction. Lenok, who had been silent, slowly turned his gaze towards the clown. “That’s an interesting thing to say. I don’t know where you got that idea.” A faint light emanated from behind the obsidian mask as he calmly looked down at the clown. Lenok, sitting on a rock beneath the meadow where the clown was buried, met his gaze and smiled. “It seems you have something to say to me. Go on. I’m all ears.” “……” The clown seemed rather bewildered by the unexpectedly calm response. However, Lenok knew there was no reason to react hastily to the clown’s speculation. It was true that the clown’s answer touched on Lenok’s essence to some extent, but it was unlikely that the basis of that speculation was the conversation with the Watchers. If that thought hadn’t changed, he must have approached it through other words or knowledge. First, he needed to hear the clown’s explanation on that matter. The clown looked up at Lenok silently, then grinned and replied. “The twin synchronizers you encountered pointed out your strength, didn’t they? Do you remember?” “……” “Synchronizers, sensitive to their surroundings, rarely miss information they touch with their skin. According to them, you’re perfectly concealing it with manipulation techniques, but your physical abilities themselves aren’t particularly outstanding.” Before Lenok could answer, the clown lowered his gaze. The clown, looking at the shadow robe he was wearing, muttered. “Shadow robes used by plague doctors and rift guardians. A mask and gloves that completely hide the skin. Abnormal talent in techniques and a body that can’t handle it. I’ve heard of it a few times.” “……” “If it’s a type with transcendent aptitude for trait-based techniques, yet extremely reluctant to expose themselves…” Several gazes, unable to read each other’s intentions, crossed paths through the obsidian mask. The clown, grinning as if not to miss any reaction, and Lenok, with an expressionless gaze, stared at his mouth. A conversation as sharp and precarious as a blade, where the atmosphere could flip with a single word. As if gaining confidence from Lenok’s silence, the clown chuckled and said. “One of the oldest mage families, and the bloodline of the rebellious sky, cursed by the world. Victor, you must have inherited the blood of an Ascendant. Isn’t that right?” “……What?” “Huh?” Lenok, who had inadvertently retorted, was met with a brief silence between the two. The clown, also not expecting this reaction, tilted his head, then shouted triumphantly as if he had found the answer. “Puhahaha, I’m not falling for that bluff!! How is it, my sharp deduction!!” “……” “If I got the answer right, quickly take off your mask and reveal your identity- ugh, ugh, ugh.” A pile of dirt poured down on the clown’s face, half of his makeup already peeled off. Lenok, who had shoved a lump of dirt into the clown’s mouth, got up from his seat without hesitation. “There’s a chance Jillian will send a pursuit team, so we’ll move to the border. Let’s move now.” “Huh? Wait? Is it not true? I thought you were from that family since you were recommended by Myung, but your reaction is not very fun.” The clown said, crunching the dirt in his mouth. “Wasn’t your participation in the operation against Gyebaek also because the Ascendant’s bloodline could withstand the well [a source of magical power]?” “……Were you guessing my identity by linking it to Myung’s bloodline?” He suddenly pointed out Victor’s identity, but was he just saying it to see Lenok’s reaction? However, the fact that his reckless guess wasn’t entirely wrong confirmed the clown’s danger. He was out of his mind, and his methods and ideas were terribly twisted, but ironically, that was why he never completely missed the mark. The essence of an illusionist who plays with the hierarchy through contradictions and sophistry, and escapes from madness, was being revealed even in the moment of this conversation. “Hmm, to be honest, I’m interested in the descendants of Ascendants who have already died.” The clown nodded. “Even though the young lighthouse keeper is like that, there are parts where the doctor and I agree on how far their abilities continue through generations.” “……” Looking back, he seemed to have heard that the clown was conducting research similar to the doctor’s within Pandemonium. Was it from Freya when they escaped the great forest where the well was located? While Lenok was retracing that memory, the clown slowly stirred and said, staggering. “Among them, the Ascendant, the rebellious sky, has had its bloodline completely wiped out, leaving no trace. Only a chilling anecdote that they were cursed by the world has been passed down like a legend.” The clown, with one shoulder out of the ground, looked at Lenok and gave a deep smile. “So, how about providing me with your blood, Victor? It seems you don’t know much about your own origins, but I might be able to solve that curiosity for you.” “I have no desire to volunteer to satisfy the curiosity of a mad clown.” Lenok smiled. “However, I’m a little curious about what it feels like to kill an illusionist, so I’ll cooperate if it’s to satisfy each other’s curiosity.” Whoosh…!! The sight of the clown, with only his head buried, and Lenok looking down at him was quite comical, but the magic power swirling around them was as sharp and keen as a blade. A spectacle of anticipation, as if they could draw their blades and strike each other at any moment. However, instead of being tense in that atmosphere, the clown burst into laughter. “Hehehe!! Victor, I’ve been thinking since earlier, but you really haven’t changed at all. Personally, I really like your arrogance.” “……” “If it were a request, I might not be able to refuse, but I also have things to do. Such a deal is a bit difficult.” With that said, the clown suddenly bit into the dirt with his teeth and swallowed it. “It seems we’ll have to part ways here, unfortunately.” Crunch, crunch! He dug out his own shoulder, which was buried up to his neck, while eating the dirt with his bare mouth. He chewed on the lump of dirt Lenok had given him a few times, and perhaps he thought it was okay. While Lenok frowned at that insane idea, the clown, who had crawled out from under the ground while eating dirt, patted his stomach and said. “I used up more reserves than necessary in the citadel. I’m worried that it might interfere with my real job. What should I do?” “I don’t particularly want to worry about someone who eats dirt to fill their stomach.” “Kuhuhu, you’re much cleaner than I thought. I’ll keep that in mind.” “Was this a matter of cleanliness?” When Lenok retorted, looking disgusted, the clown chuckled as if he couldn’t hold back his laughter. The clown, who was laughing like a madman as if something was funny, suddenly stopped laughing as if he had remembered something. “Ah, right. Agnetta. Stop hiding and come out now.” The clown, with a serious expression, looked around and raised his gaze with his hands on his hips. “Or do I have to drag you out myself?” “……I thought you two were going to fight again.” Agnetta, who was descending with a spider web from beyond the sub-dimension, replied with an embarrassed look. “I wasn’t going to run away anyway, since I had to give Victor the sub-space technique.” “Ah, you also had something to do with Victor separately? Hmm, in that case…” The clown, with a much more relaxed demeanor, pondered, then bit his fingernail. He raised his sharply filed fingernail and slashed his forearm a few times. The clown, who had made a few letters by wounding his forearm, tore off the skin of his forearm and handed it to Agnetta. An insane idea of using his own skin as paper to write a letter. The clown, unconcerned about his forearm, which was bleeding profusely from the peeled skin, said to Agnetta. “After you’re done with Victor, please deliver this to the fisherman.” “Ew, to the fisherman?” Agnetta frowned, clearly showing her dislike. “You don’t want to?” “It’ll take me a lot of time to go outside the continent. There aren’t many sea routes that go that way in the first place.” “That’s why I’m asking you.” The clown said, as if dumbfounded, and tossed the peeled forearm skin to Agnetta. The spider, who had caught the letter made of skin with a magic thread, grumbled with a displeased look. “I knew it. I shouldn’t have run into you.” “It might not be necessary to deliver it, but I think I should at least pass it on.” The clown said, loosening his shoulders. “If any problems arise, he will take care of the next steps.” “With a letter written in this kind of handwriting?” “……What I’m about to say is confidential.” The clown dabbed the blood flowing from his forearm on his lips. A gruesome appearance with red blood smeared on his lips. However, Lenok realized that the tone of the clown’s voice had changed drastically immediately after that action. “While searching through the Baracheda Liberation Front, I obtained information that there is another ‘door’ in the underground of the Kabahim Royal Capital.” Crack!! A sound of something breaking in the air was heard, but nothing happened. It was as if something had tried to block the clown’s mouth, but had been blocked by some means. “I’m going to check it out now, and I’ll need someone to clean up after I move.” The clown slowly loosened his body and continued. “If the fisherman hears this news, he will return soon. He’s a man with a loyal sense of duty, not a pushover… enough to cooperate in finding the door outside the continent.” “Oh…” Agnetta said with a strangely impressed look. “That’s like leaving a will to us, right? The atmosphere is just like that.” “Agnetta. Are you going to keep saying ominous things?” “I’ll take good care of your grave, so don’t worry.” “It would be a relief if you didn’t throw it into the sub-dimension.” The clown chuckled and raised his magic power. “I don’t even plan to approach the door. I’m just going to cause a ruckus and ask the relevant people for advice, like today.” “Just cause a ruckus…” Could he describe what happened at the giant’s citadel today like that? While Lenok was inwardly impressed by that standard that defied common sense, Agnetta asked. “Who are the relevant people? Is it someone you know personally again?” “They’re not acquaintances. But there’s someone who knows more about the confidential facilities inside the Kabahim Royal Capital than anyone else.” The clown said, turning his steps without hesitation. “If you ask the king directly, you’ll get the answer, won’t you?” “……” “Ah, Victor. It was fun today.” The clown, who was about to disappear, turned his gaze as if he had belatedly remembered Lenok and gave him a playful wink. “It would be more fun to work in Pandemonium if there were more people like you. It’s never an easy thing.” “What do you mean by people like me?” “Do you have to ask?” The clown smiled. “Someone with a chosen talent, and who knows very well that they have been chosen.” “……” “I don’t like observing lowly fates, but there are people like you who are fun to watch.” The clown’s figure blurred from his toes. His appearance, melting and disappearing like frost in the middle of winter, as if he had never been there from the beginning. It was a sophisticated and high-level illusion, so much so that it was hard to believe that he was not in good condition. “Whether that arrogance is broken and thrown into the mud, or finds meaning at the end of the sky… either way, it’s the best entertainment on this wretched stage, isn’t it?” The clown, leaving Lenok who didn’t answer, grinned and disappeared. “So let’s get along in the future. We’ll see each other again soon.” “Who’s calling who a clown?” Leaving Agnetta grumbling, Lenok silently stared at the spot where the clown had disappeared. He had such an excellent illusion that he could disappear completely without even Lenok’s senses being able to catch his trace. Yet, when he was pulling himself out from under the ground, he had the crude idea of eating dirt. Just like when he was stealing snacks in the citadel audience hall, he was still an unpredictable madman. Even his attempt to deduce Lenok’s identity at the end was probably just an impromptu idea to see Lenok’s reaction. It ended with a meaningless blunder, but there will come a time when the coexistence of different identities will be necessary. He could only hope that the gyro’s trajectory and key he had obtained today would become the means Lenok desired. “I’m tired…” Lenok muttered, sitting blankly on the grass and looking at the dark sky. Agnetta, who had been quietly watching Lenok fiddling with his mask, asked quietly. “I’ve been wondering, are you really hiding your face because you’re a descendant of a noble bloodline?” “……” “A sorcerer like you would be treated well anywhere without having to hide your identity. Myung is the same, and he doesn’t want to explain it either.” Agnetta also seemed to have some ideas about the basis and logic of the clown’s deduction. Knowing Myung’s family, it was not strange to think that Victor, who seemed close to him, was from a similar family. Lenok was about to ignore Agnetta’s words, but he changed his mind and opened his mouth. “It’s part of the deal I made when I joined Pandemonium.” “Deal?” “Anything in excess is worse than not enough.” “……” “Maybe Myung knew this would happen.” “I don’t understand a word you’re saying.” Leaving Agnetta’s words behind, Lenok silently recalled the time he joined Pandemonium. Myung had constantly persuaded him, saying that he needed Lenok’s talent, and had also helped him hide his identity. The obsidian mask used as Victor’s identity was proof of the identity that Myung had given him. But why did he give him the mask when he noticed that Lenok was using multiple identities on a regular basis? Myung might have thought that Lenok should hide his face in a way other than transformation magic. Was he also predicting that he would receive misunderstandings about his identity like now? If that was foresight gained through experience, there was no need to say who Myung had been inspired by. “Where is the captain now?” “You’re suddenly talking like Soryu. Are you looking for the captain now too?” Agnetta shook her head as if she didn’t understand, then said. “I can only contact the captain when he sends his consciousness into the sub-dimension. And even then, I can hardly find him unless he calls me directly.” “……” “He doesn’t move unless it’s an operation he initiated. He usually just shows up at the end, takes care of the important parts, and disappears. You know that, right?” She shrugged her shoulders. “There are quite a few people who want the captain to maintain that way. Maybe the captain knows that too.” “That way.” Lenok chuckled as he repeated those words. Even now, after understanding the captain’s power and background to some extent, he was still somewhat sympathetic to that ambiguity. How far did his true intentions reach, and how much of his existence remaining in this world was what he had hoped for? Did he finally find the answer in the third time? He wanted to ask all those questions right away, but he also knew that he wouldn’t answer. If the captain’s intention was not to care how Lenok moved within the plan and organization he had established, then Lenok would also interfere with Pandemonium’s plans and direction as he pleased. At least, as long as he knew what the captain wanted and was planning all this, he would definitely encounter him again someday while continuing his activities as Victor. Lenok didn’t know what he could talk about with the captain at that time. But it was enough to be sure that that moment would come someday. Having thought that far, Lenok slowly shook off his robe and got up from his seat. Now was the time to check the harvest he had obtained with more difficulty than expected. “Agnetta, take out the trajectory.” Lenok, who had put his hand inside his robe, nodded. “I need to take out the guide’s remains and check them directly here.”