Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 769

Immediately after proposing the absurd solution of demolishing all the stairs near the first floor of the Magic Tower’s main hall,

“Professor, I’m sorry, but could we discuss the staircase issue after the seminar?”

Jenny, who had belatedly regained her senses amidst the silence of the group, hurriedly shook her head.

“It seems like there might not be enough time to demolish all the stairs in the tower.”

Jenny said with a smile, checking the time.

“Considering the rehearsal preparations, I think it would be better to allow a little more leeway…”

“Understood.”

Although he said that, Lenok didn’t intend to demolish all the stairs as soon as he arrived at the Magic Tower.

Evan Bailon was the party that made the agreement with the Magic Tower, but from Jenny’s perspective, he was ultimately an outsider.

It would be one thing if it was purely about improving the system, like fixing the heating system, but drastically changing the facilities could be seen as excessive.

Seeing Lenok nod obediently, Jenny was about to check the time with a relieved expression when.

“Then, let’s just adjust the other systems around the hall that I saw on the way and finish it.”

“……Pardon?”

While Jenny was questioning, not understanding the meaning of his words, Lenok began to tinker with all sorts of systems around the main hall.

“There’s an error in the expansion spell hanging in the second-floor exhibition hall. I’ll untangle the magic flow.”

Clank, clank!

“The magic-infused material used on the walls is wearing out. Just making a hole at the bottom will make a noticeable difference.”

Thud!!

“The elevator. It seems like a cleaning spell was cast on it, but it’s a crude method, so let’s remove it. That alone will greatly increase power efficiency.”

Whirring!!

“I’ve fixed the facility’s ventilation system. It seems like it wasn’t managed even after the function was created, but this will make air circulation between each floor much easier.”

“……”

Despite touching every visible facility, Jenny and Tatiana couldn’t say a word.

It had only been a few minutes since Lenok started working on the Magic Tower’s internal systems.

However, the visible improvements were already so clear that they were noticeable.

The warm air blowing into the Magic Tower became much clearer, and the air in the facility circulated pleasantly.

The elevator moving between floors became faster, and all sorts of functions of the tower that even Jenny had forgotten were being improved everywhere.

But Lenok didn’t stop, even with those who were busy watching him work.

“There’s a considerable amount of magic accumulated in the underground power unit that isn’t being used.”

Lenok said, pretending not to know as he checked the system circuit of the Magic Tower’s power room.

“If we use this, we can install additional convenience functions.”

“Pardon?”

Instead of answering, Lenok opened his laptop again and began manipulating the program.

With Davi’s help, he configured the necessary algorithms and linked the system to be controlled by magic, replacing the software.

System manipulation and organization that he could never do openly under Ban’s identity were handled in an instant under Evan’s identity.

Fwip, fwip, fwip!!

“The construction itself is impeccable, so linking the facility’s system with the internal magic isn’t difficult.”

“……”

Jenny and Tatiana watched the tower’s system being updated in real-time, unable to ask anything.

“If I add variables so that the accumulated magic can be compatible and remotely transmit it to the artifact to which ownership is attributed…”

Whoosh!!

The tower’s corridor became a giant screen, displaying scenery and showing the people currently entering.

Magic-infused drones resembling small birds flew overhead, exchanging encrypted signals.

Kiosks that looked like soft jelly walked around the corridors, looking for guests to guide.

Thump, thump, thump!!!

“Jenny, the tower has been a bit strange since earlier. What are you doing again?”

“We don’t need to evacuate right now, do we?”

Even Dylan and Drey, who were working elsewhere, were surprised and rushed over.

Jenny, looking at the other colleagues chattering noisily below, asked Lenok with a bewildered expression.

“All of this, is it all a system that the professor just created… ?”

“Strictly speaking, I didn’t just create it.”

Lenok said, dusting off his dirty research gown.

“It’s closer to properly linking the spare magic built into the Magic Tower and reusing algorithms I made before.”

“……”

Although he said it as if it were nothing, no one laughed it off.

Everyone knew the value of the system manipulation ability that Evan had just shown.

Regardless of Evan Bailon being an outstanding researcher, it was generally accepted that scholars invested a lot of time in achieving results.

Even if it wasn’t about publishing a paper, preparing was necessary to review the results of research or repeat experiments.

However, Evan had skipped all those preparation processes and was modifying the tower’s system with his own hands as soon as he arrived at the Magic Tower.

How deeply had he researched magic manipulation systems to make this possible?

With that alone, the three of them felt like they could understand why Ban had rushed the agreement with Lavatenon.

It wasn’t just to conveniently use Evan Bailon’s anti-gravity paper or the magic-to-electricity conversion paper.

They had intuitively realized that it was to readily borrow the abilities of this researcher, Evan Bailon.

“Amazing…”

Felix, who had been listening to Lenok’s explanation, shook his head.

“There’s no engineer who can handle this kind of work in less than half a day. Professor, you don’t know the value of what you’ve just done.”

“So, this is what it means when they say the direction of talent is different.”

Tatiana muttered, finally regaining some composure.

“It’s excessively unique. This could even be dangerous…”

Other mercenaries who had climbed to the upper corridor were surrounding Lenok and starting to scrutinize him.

Even the representatives of the collaborating companies in the exhibition hall on the lower floor were looking up at them with bewildered expressions.

“Almost all the system updates that can be tried right away are done.”

Lenok said, turning to those people and speaking to Jenny again.

“Finally, we’ll just do a rehearsal on the podium, and then we’ll start the seminar right away.”

* * *

“He’s a peculiar person, isn’t he?”

Jenny said, turning her gaze towards Lenok, sitting in the seats prepared for the audience to listen to the seminar, a massive podium prepared in the center of the main hall.

A stage made for a single person’s presentation and tiered mobile luxury seats surrounding it.

Evan, standing on the podium, was experimenting with the operation of the spell with the help of other mercenaries.

Evan, who was measuring the amount of light, the viewing angle, and the size of the screen, looked like a calm researcher, unlike before.

“Looking at him like this, he really seems like a different person than before…”

Tatiana tilted her head.

“Was there some common denominator that geniuses would dislike? I’m just finding out now.”

“I thought he wouldn’t have an ordinary personality, but his reaction is somehow strange.”

Felix, who was standing next to her with his arms crossed, nodded at Jenny’s muttering.

“There’s no doubt he’s an extraordinary person. Isn’t he a renowned scholar who is among the top in this megacity?”

“I heard he hasn’t officially obtained a professorship yet.”

Tatiana replied.

“There’s talk that he’ll pass the integrated master’s and doctoral program and take up a professorship as a result of this seminar. So, strictly speaking, he’s not even a scholar yet.”

“I heard Aris Richelieu personally took notice of his talent and scouted him. Either way, he’s a remarkable person in many ways.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

Jenny interrupted the two and asked.

“There are suspicious parts about his personality and behavior. He definitely seems a bit strange.”

“Strange…? I didn’t particularly feel that way.”

“That’s because you’re not very interested. If you talk to him directly, you’ll feel a sense of incongruity.”

While Felix was tilting his beak, Jenny turned to him and scolded him.

“Felix, do you think I don’t know that you’ve been coming to the Magic Tower these days just to gobble up tuna?”

“…That’s too much. I’m taking the time for collaboration, it’s not just for that.”

Jenny turned her gaze away from Felix, who couldn’t deny it and avoided her gaze.

“Look at that. He’s already naturally using our people.”

“……”

“That’s true. When did Manson start working so hard…”

With the help of other mercenaries, he was adjusting the positions of the engines and models around the podium, and rearranging the seats.

Following Evan’s gestures, other mercenaries were moving in an orderly manner, creating space.

It was one thing to be kind to the guest of the Magic Tower, but it was strange that they were putting aside their own work to help with the rehearsal preparations.

While Felix noticed this and tilted his head, Tatiana found the reason.

“It seems like he’s checking the mercenaries’ artifacts in between work.”

“Could he be unlocking the system locks on their personal equipment?”

“……”

Among the high-performance equipment sold on the black market, there are also items sold using a subscription-based system.

Instead of having to pay a regular fee to get the full performance, the initial purchase price is much cheaper than the market price.

Strictly speaking, it’s a way of selling installments to unreliable customers on the black market.

Evan was hacking and fixing the mercenaries’ equipment in exchange for using them.

“To have become so close with the mercenaries in that short amount of time to make such a deal, that’s quite amazing.”

“I’ve been thinking since earlier, but his abilities and personality are too different from Ban’s to work together. Even if they had a point of contact by chance, I don’t think they would have been compatible enough to consider collaboration…”

The magician named Ban that Jenny knew was not someone who liked to rely on the talents or abilities of others.

He much preferred to find and obtain what he needed himself, and he was someone who could handle most problems on his own.

Of course, it wasn’t that Ban didn’t receive help from others at all, but that was only a matter of efficiency.

It was only for tasks or problems that he could handle himself if he wanted to.

It was unlikely that he would actively seek out Evan Bailon to bring him in just because of his abilities, as he was doing now.

Should it be seen as him taking notice of Evan’s abilities and talents, or was there a secret about Evan Bailon that Jenny couldn’t see?

“Even though his way of treating the mercenaries is unfamiliar, he seems to know quite a lot about this industry.”

Jenny muttered.

“Maybe he’s someone who has worked in this industry before.”

“Maybe he heard information about us from Ban. Aren’t you jumping to conclusions too much?”

Tatiana shook her head with a skeptical expression.

“He’s a guy who talks a lot even if he doesn’t seem like it. It wouldn’t be strange if he talked about the industry while talking to the professor.”

“…So, it wasn’t just me who was thinking that.”

While Felix nodded, agreeing that Lenok wasn’t just a taciturn person, Jenny shook her head.

“I’m going to look for information about spirit mages who have worked in the shadows over the past decade. Can you help me?”

“Looking into Evan Bailon’s background at this point… seems a bit dangerous. Is it okay to proceed without getting confirmation from Ban separately?”

They weren’t going to make an enemy of Evan right away, so why would they need to investigate his background?

While Felix was slightly contemplating the proposal, Jenny asked with a rather dumbfounded expression.

“What are you thinking? The goal is to find information about spirit mages and erase the traces as much as possible.”

“…Ah.”

Tatiana nodded, finally understanding what Jenny was trying to say.

“You mean, instead of finding out his background, we should hide it?”

“Even if it’s a low possibility, if the professor gets caught up in that, it will cause a setback in the agreement.”

Jenny muttered, fiddling with her phone.

“Let’s prevent any unforeseen circumstances that might happen in this industry.”

“Well, I have no objections to that.”

Felix nodded and took out his phone from his pocket.

He said, tapping on the small screen compared to the giant hand of the bird-headed giant.

“There’s a list of personnel agencies managed by the mercenary industry. If we entrust it to a broker who works in that field, they’ll erase the traces cleanly.”

“I’ll take care of the deep web. Don’t forget to not only erase the spirit mages but also choose a few more professions to do it without making it obvious.”

“There’s an association that shares the personal information of mages who handle unique spells on the Magic Tower side. I’ll find a way to contact them.”

As Felix, Jenny, and Tatiana each specialized in different fields, the division of work was also done skillfully.

However, since the seminar presentation was not far away, the proper work would have to be done after the presentation was over.

“Hmm, we’ll have to find the right time to show off to Professor Bailon about this.”

“…Do we really have to go that far?”

“Of course. If we don’t say it, who will know about this effort? That’s how we’ll get him to cooperate more actively with the agreement.”

While Jenny was scolding Felix, who was shaking his head, a quiet vibration suddenly echoed from the back of the corridor.

Whoom!!

A clear and serene resonance, as if to announce someone’s visit in advance.

Tatiana, who had been gazing at the podium with a languid expression, immediately sensed the anomaly and turned her gaze sharply.

“Jenny, they’ve arrived. They’re representatives from other cities.”

“Did they arrive from other cities before Vulcan?”

As the seminar venue was moved to Kyeonroe’s Magic Tower, the scope of the representatives attending the seminar also increased significantly.

Not only representatives from Vulcan’s internal businesses and research institutions, but also Magic Towers in other cities and battlefronts had expressed their intention to participate.

Among them, the representatives from distant places had started to arrive first.

They were emitting a clear and unique magic that could be felt even from the far end of the corridor where the main hall was not clearly visible.

“What should we do?”

“First, we need to guide them to the VIP room and have them wait. If we start the seminar as soon as the rehearsal is over, the time-”

While giving instructions to the attendants to guide the representatives elsewhere, someone passed by them and started walking towards the podium.

Even though Tatiana raised her magic to stop him, he seemed to slip away like a ghost.

“…Wait. What is that?”

At that strange sensation, Tatiana frowned and stood up.

Someone who had approached the podium, avoiding the witch’s detection, scratched his chin while looking at Lenok’s back.

“Hmm…”

The man, who had been staring at the podium, muttered.

“I roughly understand what he’s trying to do. But this isn’t their way…”

“Sir, you’re not supposed to come in here yet?”

The man, who openly ignored Dylan’s words as he carried speakers on both shoulders, pondered for a moment and chuckled.

“Still, it seems like it was worth coming all this way. It’s good to go to a famous feast sometimes.”

Lenok, who had finally noticed the man, glanced at the time and turned his head.

There were less than 10 minutes left until the start of the presentation.

At this point, when the release of the paper was imminent, an outsider had slipped past Tatiana and Felix’s defenses.

He was not an ordinary person. Lenok was sure of that and asked.

“…Who are you?”

“Are you Evan Bailon?”

Lenok unconsciously asked that question, and then closed his mouth as soon as he saw the person who had approached him.

An unfamiliar face. Magic that he didn’t remember. An ordinary-looking elderly man with no particular characteristics.

Even though it was clear that he was a stranger he had never seen before, the moment he made eye contact, an enormous sense of incongruity flashed through Lenok’s mind.

“Ah, I’m someone who snuck in among the representatives from the Machine City. Strictly speaking, I’m not an industry person, so, um…”

The old man smiled nonchalantly and calmly extended his hand.

“Just call me Artermeier, roughly.”

“…”

Artermeier.

The moment Lenok heard that name and tilted his head to manage his expression.

“It would be better if you called me Doctor.”

The Doctor looked at Lenok with a strange smile.