Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 779

The Order’s special forces, the 8th Apostle Camrodal.

Is he saying that the most elite apostle, within the single digits, is projecting his will here right now?

While Lenok frowned at that fact, the priestess calmly requested.

[I will explain the situation myself. Would you allow me to face him?]

“……”

As Lenok silently touched the ring, the priestess’s spirit emitted light and floated behind Lenok.

Fwoooosh!!

The apostle, who had raised his hammer, hesitated and stepped back, and the tentacle hanging on his shoulder tilted its head.

[Camrodal. I thank you for finding my body.]

Only then did the tentacle squirm as if embarrassed by the priestess’s clear telepathy.

“……Priestess? What are you doing there?”

[Due to an unavoidable situation, I have decided to cooperate with this person. I would like to explain about that.]

“Hmm, then could it be……”

Camrodal sighed deeply as if he had finally grasped the situation.

“I thought I was lucky, but even that was a delusion. Did I only find the trail after you joined hands with an apostate?”

It seemed he immediately realized that he had succeeded in his pursuit only after Lenok discovered the priestess’s existence.

While Lenok tilted his head at the calm reaction that was unlike an apostle, the priestess calmly replied.

[I will explain the corruption of Jinwa [a deity or entity] in front of him myself. For now, would you please retrieve my body and return to the Papal Palace?]

“Hmm……”

The tentacle seemed to be pondering as it swayed.

Its appearance, clinging to the apostle’s shoulder like a parasite, was very bizarre.

However, instead of pondering for long, Camrodal slowly shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but that would be difficult. Are you telling me to ignore the apostate who stole the soul of a believer?”

[Camrodal. Normally, I wouldn’t make such a request, but-]

The priestess calmly shook her head.

[It just so happens that this person’s destination matches the place the Papal Palace has instructed.]

“……”

[Although it’s a coincidence, if the destinations are the same, there’s no reason to disrupt the grand scheme, is there?]

Only then did Lenok understand why the priestess had reacted that way after hearing his destination.

No, he had only been putting off the fact he had vaguely guessed because of his worries about the cult leader.

The reason why the Order’s believers were isolated in the middle of this swamp.

The reason why they were transporting the priestess’s body through this rough terrain instead of retrieving it to the Papal Palace.

Wasn’t it because they, like Lenok, were heading to the military city across the Headrein River?

The isolated position of the Order, which had almost no contact with other cities.

Because of its unique organizational system that was hostile to almost all forces, yet respected by them, he was late to notice.

The Guido Order, or more precisely, the priestess Seina Naidri, was heading to Yorta to solve the problem related to death.

[Although he is a sorcerer from Pandemonium [a place or realm], his abilities and conditions matched, so I asked for an unintentional accompaniment.]

“Pandemonium? Ah, I see……”

At that moment, Camrodal’s sticky voice seemed to become faintly thinner.

“Hearing that, I understand. I heard that a very eccentric special-type sorcerer has entered Pandemonium.”

“……”

“I heard that there are many people who are wary of his actions because he only deals with extremely sensitive cases and figures. I never thought I would encounter him in a place like this.”

At Camrodal’s words, which were tinged with a faint smile, the priestess also nodded with a blank face.

[Once I have released the spell placed on me in Yorta, I will speak to you directly next time. So, for now, let’s minimize the division of this situation-]

“……That’s wrong.”

At that moment, Lenok, who had been silent with his arms crossed, lightly flicked his fingers.

A faint illusion of space distorting in front of his eyes.

Swoosh……!!

The moment a jet-black shadow robe fluttered and disappeared from that spot.

The cross-section of a huge hammer struck the spot where Lenok had been standing at subsonic speed.

Clang!!

The sound of what seemed like a deck being split echoed just from striking the air, and the shock pushed the air in all directions, causing an explosion.

Kugwagwagwa!!

Lenok lightly descended amidst the commotion that had instantly overturned the swampy ground once more.

Behind Lenok, the priestess, who had been watching the situation, coldly asked.

[Camrodal. What is the meaning of this?]

“What do you mean?”

Camrodal replied, wriggling his tentacle.

“I am interrogating the heretic who stole the priestess’s soul on the spot.”

[You didn’t listen to me.]

“No. I did.”

Camrodal laughed.

“But priestess, haven’t you forgotten how you met your death?”

[……]

The tentacle, which had been parasitizing on the shoulder of the snorting apostle, uttered a different, fishy tone than before.

“You could not escape the paradise of the Ascendant Jinwa, and you were sentenced to death by a spell. Do you not know what this means?”

[……That’s.]

“It means that your body, as well as your spirituality, may have been destroyed, making it impossible for you to think normally.”

Camrodal said.

“In the meantime, how much can I trust the explanation you are giving after having your soul stolen by a sorcerer from Pandemonium?”

“Logical. The way you use language is unusually coherent.”

Lenok, who had been listening to their conversation, shone his gaze from behind his mask.

“The monsters I know as apostles were not like this.”

After observing his way of thinking and his conversation with the priestess, he felt that he was clearly different from other apostles.

Most of the apostles Lenok had seen so far were capable of conversation, but they had a strong feeling of being intoxicated.

In Camrodal’s case, except for the parasitic form of the tentacle, he seemed to be further away from madness than most of the apostles Lenok had seen.

If one were to judge solely by the level of his thinking and his ability to converse, he would be comparable to the 2nd Apostle, who was on a different level from other apostles.

However, as soon as Camrodal heard Lenok’s words, he laughed loudly.

“Hahaha, is a mere non-believer trying to judge the thinking ability of our great incarnate?”

“……”

“But you are not wrong. Sometimes, things are better seen from outside the doctrine. In that sense, your pointing out the solidity of my reason has hit the essence.”

Kugugung……!!

Along with Camrodal’s words, the bull-headed apostle he was parasitizing began to raise his hammer again.

His eyes were dripping with red light, and there was not a trace of intelligence in his frantic appearance.

It was a completely opposite appearance from Camrodal, who was speaking coherently in the form of a tentacle.

“The end given to our apostles is usually like this. Becoming an incarnate, swimming in a great dream forever, never to return……”

Camrodal said, tapping the apostle’s body with his tentacle.

“Although I wish we could die as if falling asleep in a dream, we still have a mission for the doctrine of the myriad gods.”

“A mission, huh?”

Lenok chuckled behind his mask.

“Is it to parasitize on the bodies of other apostles and lead the mad monsters to a necessary death?”

“……”

“The form of a tentacle. The method of parasitism. Rational thinking unlike other apostles. Your apostle technique seems to be specialized in controlling other entities.”

Chwararak!!

Lenok pulled out his mana threads and draped them over the tree fragments above his head as he asked.

“You didn’t bring the already broken apostle’s body as a puppet just to fully retrieve the priestess, did you?”

“Hoo.”

Camrodal let out a faint exclamation, and the priestess’s soul turned its gaze.

[You.]

“The Order already uses mad apostles on the battlefield as indiscriminate killing machines.”

Lenok said, glancing back at the bull-headed apostle.

“If that guy brought a mad apostle instead of another entity, it seems like it’s not to save that side, but to eliminate any room for it.”

[……]

The priestess also fell silent, as if she had realized something after hearing those words.

From the moment Camrodal mentioned Jinwa’s power and said he couldn’t trust her even after hearing the priestess’s words,

It became clear that he had not come to help the priestess in this situation.

“Haha, of course, this is not the judgment of the Papal Palace. It’s just my personal decision.”

Camrodal nodded his tentacle and laughed.

“But for the sake of the great doctrine, the act of weighing the safety of the Order and the priestess should not even exist, wouldn’t you agree?”

[Camrodal……]

“Priestess. I respect your devotion to the Order and your achievements in fulfilling your duties as a priestess.”

Camrodal said, leaving the speechless priestess behind.

“But if your death has become Jinwa’s instead of His, the Order must not leave any room for Jinwa. I hope you understand that.”

[……]

“There are no personal feelings. But-”

At that moment, Camrodal’s tentacle grew long and sharp thorns appeared at the end.

The tentacle, which had been swaying on the bull-headed apostle’s shoulder, pierced the back of the apostle’s head.

[Kkeueeeeee!!!]

The apostle writhed, letting out a terrible scream.

Lenok realized that it was the result of Camrodal’s apostle technique beginning to manifest and immediately swung his mana threads.

Chwaaak!!

The mana threads, swung like a whip, cut through the bushes and tree trunks, trying to cleanly sever the apostle’s neck.

At that moment, the bull-headed apostle grabbed the bundle of mana threads with one hand.

Swish!!

The apostle’s palm immediately split open, and blood dripped down, but at the same time, he was regenerating his body with monstrous regenerative power.

At the same time, a calm voice flowed from the bull-headed apostle’s mouth.

“Mana threads. High-level manipulation technique. Imparting cutting?”

“……”

“It’s not just a level specialized in manipulation, you have already reached the point of interfering with the nature of the technique and twisting its attributes.”

It was a calm and coherent tone that was hard to believe was coming from the monster that had been howling without any intelligence until just now.

The apostle stroked his chin with one hand and stepped forward.

“As expected of a special-type sorcerer. The scope and limits of your abilities are almost impossible to guess. Exploration itself would be meaningless.”

“I really can’t understand the likes of apostles.”

Lenok also shook his head, realizing what had taken over the apostle’s body.

“Did you take over the body of another apostle and completely make it your puppet?”

The tentacle that had been parasitizing on the shoulder of another apostle until just now.

The 8th Apostle Camrodal had begun to use his apostle technique in earnest, completely taking over the body of another apostle.

Such an exclusive and self-righteous act that was hard to believe was done by those who belonged to the same organization, believed in the same doctrine, and served the same cult leader.

The apostle’s mentality, which nonchalantly committed a taboo that was difficult to commit even against an enemy, let alone an ally.

However, even at Lenok’s words, the priestess was calm as if she had expected it, and Camrodal also replied nonchalantly.

“You seem to know about the Order, but you don’t know it well. Do you not yet understand what offering means to us?”

“……”

“Faith is sacrifice. Sacrifice is devotion. It is foolish to confirm every intention when following His guidance.”

Thud!!

Camrodal, who had slowly raised the hammer he was holding, said.

“The same goes for the priestess’s matter. It is unfortunate that her death was decided by Jinwa, but that death must not deviate from the doctrine.”

Is he going to incinerate even her soul because the priestess’s death must belong entirely to the Order?

Lenok still couldn’t sympathize with that absurd way of thinking, but the priestess didn’t seem to feel the same way.

While she was in agreement with Camrodal’s logic and understanding it, she hesitated for a moment before finally opening her mouth.

[……No. I still have things to do.]

The priestess said, looking at the 8th Apostle who had taken over the body of another apostle.

[Camrodal. I respect your decision, but now is not the time for our promise. There are still things that He has entrusted to us.]

“……”

[I will go to the memorial tower in Yorta no matter what.]

“I see. But I believe that even that role can be replaced by a priestess of the future. Just like all of us apostles.”

Camrodal also nodded as if he was not particularly shaken.

“If you cannot agree, then we have no choice but to follow our own judgments here.”

Kugugugu……!!

From a mindless monster to the body of a warrior imbued with the spirit of a rational apostle that surprised Lenok.

Just with that, the mana that the apostle was emitting quickly became organized and turned into a subtle oppressive aura.

Lenok, feeling the killing intent that was clearly felt even through his thick robe, tilted his head in annoyance.

“I didn’t want to get involved in the Order’s affairs……”

[You. I’m sorry. I didn’t think things would turn out like this either……]

The priestess replied in a voice filled with complex emotions.

[The 8th Apostle is a very capable apostle when it comes to handling the Order’s affairs. If you are worried, you can release the soul bond now and-]

“Leave?”

Lenok scoffed and took a step forward.

“That guy was trying to eliminate witnesses even before he knew the situation. Even if I leave you behind now, he’ll try to follow me.”

[……]

If he had to yield judgment, he would have to reverse the fact that he had retrieved the priestess’s soul into the ring itself.

Otherwise, no matter how he dealt with it, it had become difficult to avoid a clash with Camrodal.

Rather, here, it was more reasonable to push forward strongly, as he was acting as Victor.

“Well, fine.”

Lenok said, gathering mana from inside his robe and putting his hands together.

“It wouldn’t be bad to kill a few more of the Order’s apostles at this opportunity.”

“How arrogant. Even if you are a sorcerer from Pandemonium, in this remote place-”

At that moment, Camrodal’s words, which had been looking at Lenok, stopped abruptly.

The moment Lenok, who had put his hands together, slowly separated his palms.

It was because the scenery distorted and slowly began to rotate in the space between his hands.

“Summoning magic.”

Kiiiiing!!

Along with a fierce rotating sound, the crack in the split space eventually turned into a colorless fragment.

At the same time, two withered arms from beyond the imaginary dimension grabbed the crack and popped out, revealing their appearance.

[Kikikik.]

A giant with a hooked nose, wearing a dark hood all over his body, was making an unpleasant laugh.

What was unique was that the number of arms protruding from outside the hood was as many as eight.

On top of the forty thin and withered fingers, dozens of times more mana threads were hanging.

“Manipulation magic is difficult to handle, and even I need preparation and adjustment. There have been quite a few cases where it was a waste of time.”

When engaging in battle under the identity of Victor, he often needed a warm-up because he mainly used manipulation techniques.

Lenok had also realized this while fighting alongside the clown in the citadel of Jillian, the Archduke of Kabahim.

That was why Lenok had succeeded in researching and obtaining a new technique to use under Victor’s identity.

It had circumstances that no one would doubt even if Victor had newly acquired it, and its power itself was overwhelmingly powerful.

A completely different type of weapon created by taking inspiration from Agnetta’s ability and the essence of Naiab, who had made himself a summon in the Order of Spells.

If it took too long to catch up with Agnetta’s innate senses, who was born as a hybrid of an ancient species.

Wouldn’t it be enough to create a substitute that could imitate Agnetta’s abilities?

“A special-type artificial summon. The tailor of the imaginary dimension.”

Lenok laughed.

“It’s a perfect stage to experiment on a mad apostle.”

[Khehehehe!!]

The tailor, who had appeared above Lenok’s masked head, began to swing his eight arms wildly.