Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 781

Thud!!

The body of the bull-headed apostle lay in ruins, not even a trace of its original form remaining.

Inside, the tentacles of Camrodal, which had been controlling the crazed apostle, were nowhere to be seen.

As Lenok climbed onto the fallen apostle’s corpse, the priestess muttered in disbelief.

[…A bizarre journey indeed.]

All the battles he had fought until now, were they all just to crush Camrodal’s parasite along with the apostle’s head?

It was only after Lenok had shattered the apostle’s head with a subspace bullet that the priestess realized his true intention.

[Camrodal’s apostle technique is a masterpiece, ranked among the top three in the Order for its perfection and precision. How could it be dealt with in such a way…]

“This apostle was a broken one, defeated in the war against the Alliance.”

Lenok replied nonchalantly, kicking the apostle’s head and turning away.

“It was just forcibly moving a corpse that had no chance of revival. Since it was being controlled like that, it was easy to break it down.”

Even before Camrodal controlled it, it was a monster whose brain was already damaged, making normal thought impossible.

He didn’t know what kind of sorcerer the Alliance’s grafting surgeon was, but they were probably someone capable of manipulating all sorts of body parts, including internal organs.

Since they had skillfully broken the apostle to the point where even it couldn’t endure, Camrodal must have had difficulty controlling it as well.

Such problems were just not apparent due to Camrodal’s skill and eloquence.

“By cutting off the ends of body parts like fingers and observing the reactions, it was clear that the body wasn’t being fully controlled. It was just a matter of burning the central nervous system to win.”

Opening the apostle’s head during the battle and cutting off the ends of its body to observe the reactions was to find out how perfectly Camrodal was controlling the apostle’s body.

As soon as he confirmed that the degree of control wasn’t as strong as he thought, Lenok created a spell, shoved it into the skull, and burned the apostle’s nervous system to death.

[…]

The priestess, who had been listening to Lenok, finally came to her senses and muttered.

[Y-you’re amazing. Such an outstanding warrior is extremely rare even within the Order…]

“There should be a few guys among the other apostles who can do similar things.”

[Yes. I haven’t seen it myself, but there are the 10 Apostles, and those who participated in the Holy War before becoming apostles—hmm.]

Perhaps she thought she shouldn’t mention too much about the internal affairs of the Order.

The priestess quietly closed her mouth, but Lenok guessed what she was trying to say.

In fact, the 10th Apostle that Lenok had defeated in the Far East Branch of the Order was one of the most outstanding warriors he had faced.

The 10th Apostle, Amrita Fraubel. Before becoming an apostle, she was said to have been a believer who participated in the Holy War as an Inquisitor.

He wasn’t interested in her past, but he remembered her because of her outstanding skill and artistry.

As the priestess said, it was true that there were outstanding warriors among those who participated in the Holy War.

And it wouldn’t be strange if there were more who became apostles like Amrita.

“Hmm, there aren’t many parts worth salvaging, are there…”

Lenok quickly checked various parts of the apostle’s body and pondered.

He had made good use of Walter Martinez’s carapace fragments before, so he had hoped for a meaningful harvest this time, but there was almost nothing to salvage.

Most of the body parts were full of stitched marks, and even those were full of organs that didn’t function properly.

“All the internal organs in its body are completely ruined. It wouldn’t be easy to do this even if you tried.”

Bizarre traces as if they had not only performed a full-body dissection on a living apostle but also reattached and restored it.

It must have been the work of the grafting surgeon who had handled this body before Lenok.

A special type of spell different from Lenok’s. And the master of a grafting spell that manipulates the bodies of living beings.

He had heard rumors that there were particularly unusual sorcerers in the Alliance, but he never thought he would confirm their truth in this way.

“There was a reason why the grafting surgeon and Camrodal used it twice and then abandoned it. Once the hooves and heart are removed, there’s no room for further use.”

If he were to dissect the apostle’s body with a purpose, he wouldn’t get nothing, but that wasn’t what he needed to check right now.

“Let’s confirm what you mentioned earlier. Is it true that Yorta was the destination?”

Lenok, awakened from his thoughts, stared at the priestess with cold eyes.

“Why was it going to Yorta in a body that was already dead?”

[…I think I need to explain this part clearly.]

The priestess sighed softly and then nodded as if giving up.

She must have decided that there was no point in hiding it any longer, since she had already talked about it with Camrodal for a while.

[As you may already know, I met my death at the hands of the Ascended Jinwa.]

“…”

[But due to the incantation she left behind, I was left in this world without properly dying.]

The Ascended Jinwa, who had established the Lost Paradise on the outskirts of the central front.

Was she saying that she had been directly sentenced to death by an Ascended [a being who has transcended mortal limitations] who had already fallen and was focused on creating her own followers?

Lenok had also seen Jinwa’s incantation stone once and knew how terribly insane she was.

But he never imagined that she would be able to sentence a priestess of the Order to death and inflict pain on her soul and body with that incantation.

That was already beyond the concept of an incantation, closer to a curse.

“…A curse.”

Only after thinking that far did Lenok understand why the Order was taking the dead priestess to Yorta.

[Yes, that’s right.]

The priestess also nodded, reading Lenok’s reaction.

[If it’s Yorta, which observes all the flows of curses in this world, it should be able to identify the nature of the incantation that has been placed on my soul and body.]

“…”

[As I said, the death of the body is nothing. As Camrodal said, my position can be taken over by a priestess of the next generation. There are plenty of children prepared to replace me in case of such an unfortunate event.]

The priestess spoke calmly.

[Just like the apostles, the existence of a priestess is just a cog in the wheel for the Order… It’s impossible not to fear the moment of being replaced, let alone welcome it.]

Well, Lenok already knew about the existence of the previous priestess who had refused death and tried to become a new apostle.

Izel Naidri, the priestess who tried to become an apostle by taking over Amrita’s body, but instead had her abilities and existence taken away.

Could it be said that the next priestess, Seina Naidri, was different from her?

Seina continued to speak, unaware of Lenok’s thoughts.

[But I still have work left that the Lord has given me. Unless I resolve it, or at least leave behind its meaning, I cannot disappear yet.]

“I’m not particularly interested in your circumstances.”

Lenok replied nonchalantly.

“Enough, just tell me exactly what you want. It seems like I can resolve that and release the ring’s bond.”

[The memorial tower located at the center and the highest level of Yorta. Please take me there.]

The priestess nodded firmly.

[Although I’m in this state, the power of the revelation that the Lord has given me is still alive. If I enter the memorial tower, it won’t be difficult to find a specific curse or soul.]

“Hmm.”

[If you also want to find a curse or soul you desire within the memorial tower, I will help you with that as well.]

He thought he had picked up a troublesome problem related to the Order, but it seemed like she could be a more useful helper than he thought.

If the priestess also had business at the memorial tower in Yorta, Lenok could actively borrow her talents in the process.

Regardless of whether he agreed with the Order’s doctrines and their faith, the power of revelation based on the power of the Outer Gods was a very powerful force.

In some ways, it could look into a wider range than the foresight of Antares or Ikabon.

He still remembered how powerful the 10th Apostle Amrita was when she fought using the priestess’s revelation.

‘The priestess herself seems to call that revelation ability a divine gift…’

Whatever it was called, the fact that he could borrow that ability in Yorta might be valuable.

“For now, I’ll accompany you to the memorial tower in Yorta.”

Lenok, having made a decision, pulled up his slowly slipping robe and turned around.

“The next step will be decided after seeing that flow of curses inside the memorial tower.”

* * *

Lenok moved a suitable distance away from the swamp where the battle had ended and hid the container containing the priestess’s corpse underground.

Perhaps because it was a decision made before facing Camrodal, the priestess didn’t seem to mind Lenok’s decision.

[You wouldn’t be able to transport a body that has been overturned by Jinwa’s incantation. It would be better to bury it properly and file a report with the Papal State later.]

Even though she had left her body and only her soul was residing in the ring, she didn’t seem to care about her own death.

Was it true that the priestess had no particular feelings about her own death or ending?

But more than that, Lenok felt interested in Jinwa’s incantation that the priestess was so wary of.

“If you’re a priestess of the Order, you should have resistance to various mental attacks, having performed all sorts of rituals.”

Woo-oong…!!

Lenok, who had raised his magic detection to find the Headrain River, glanced back at the priestess.

“Especially in the process of serving your gods, your mental resistance to avoid going insane must be considerable.”

[You seem to know a lot about the Order’s rituals and ceremonies.]

The priestess replied with a troubled expression.

[What you said isn’t wrong. In the case of priests like me, measures are taken to prevent direct harm from the flames of the Great God.]

“…”

[As long as my faith in the doctrine doesn’t waver, the only thing that can interfere with my will is the Lord’s arrangement.]

A strong mental resistance that wouldn’t waver from any other thought except for the Outer Gods and the Pope.

But Lenok thought that the priestess’s unique mental strength was a matter of course.

The priestess was not only the one who performed various rituals of the Order but also the one who connected the will of the Outer Gods to the incarnate body to create an apostle.

While constantly in contact with the end of the world, which sends its will from beyond the outer sea, mental resistance to maintain reason was essential.

“And yet, you couldn’t escape Jinwa’s incantation?”

The incantation that an incantation caster casts on an opponent is not a unilateral projection of a spell.

It is a powerful projection that is activated at the moment when the caster and the target both understand and share the meaning through the medium of language.

Even if it’s not a type of spell that directly attacks the mind, it’s a type of spell that is deeply intertwined with the minds of the caster and the target.

Most of the priests of the Order use the same language, but their mental worlds are already alien, far beyond ordinary humans.

Naturally, a being with a strong mental resistance like the priestess would never be affected by any ordinary incantation.

Nevertheless, the priestess could not resist Jinwa’s sentence and was invaded by her soul and body, leading to her death.

[…Jinwa’s incantation was no longer a spell that used language as a medium.]

The priestess, who had been silent, answered with difficulty.

[The incantation I felt from her felt like a sentence that already existed in that place.]

“…”

Was she saying that just by using an incantation, Jinwa’s words became a real phenomenon and took place in reality?

[The moment she declared my death, I had to decide whether to resist, risking the destruction of my soul and body, or to accept death.]

“So, you gave up and accepted it?”

[If it was to convey this fact to the Lord, my death would not be a problem. What would be the problem?]

“Is that so?”

Lenok asked back.

“Then can I assume that your Pope will not condone Jinwa’s corruption?”

[…]

A cold silence suddenly fell between the two.

If the priestess had risked her death to convey this fact to the Papal State.

And if the subject receiving that report was literally the Pope himself, who no longer existed in the world.

Wouldn’t that mean that the Pope himself intended to directly intervene in Jinwa’s corruption?

While the priestess hesitated to answer, Lenok discovered a huge river in the distance through his magic detection.

“That’s the upper reaches of the Headrain River.”

Kugugugu…!!

The flow of a huge river that begins at the contact point between the plains that appeared after the swamp and the towering mountain range in the distance.

The water itself was very clear and clean, but it was a deep navy blue color that made it impossible to see the bottom.

“The flood must have ended recently, the current is stronger than I thought.”

As Lenok muttered, the priestess added as if she had just remembered.

[If you go down the river, there will be a pier. Let’s take a boat from there.]

“If you were planning to go to Yorta, you must know what means to use when crossing the river.”

Lenok asked.

“Is there anything else we need to prepare to take a boat?”

[The Headrain River is a huge flow of spirit that runs through the entire Yorta.]

The priestess explained.

[Since the process of crossing the river is treated as an act that transcends the material world, it is very important to find a boat at the pier.]

“It doesn’t matter whether we have to buy the boat or take it by force.”

[…Unless it’s a currency that is used within Yorta, money will be worthless.]

The priestess replied with a dumbfounded look at Lenok’s matter-of-fact question.

[I know that the standard ritual is to exchange a boat for a valuable offering or sacrifice.]

“I see. The word sacrifice in the first place…”

It was a method of exchanging a boat for interesting objects or valuables rather than money.

He never thought that the need for ritual objects to pass through both the material and spiritual realms would mean this.

The problem was that while he had the ring of the guide to pass through the spiritual realm, he had not thought of any offerings to get a boat.

Lenok, who was briefly thinking about the items he had in his possession, suddenly turned his gaze behind him.

“Okay. Then let’s take that.”

[Huh? You mean that?]

The priestess, who had checked the direction of Lenok’s gaze, asked back with a troubled expression.

[…It doesn’t look like it will yield good results, though.]

“Let’s at least try, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll just stop.”

Lenok said, reaching out towards the object behind him.

“It’s even better. It’ll be a more interesting picture than I thought.”

* * *

The dark river and the desolate wind blowing at the pier.

As it was the first rite of passage to go to Yorta, many people were waiting at the pier.

“…”

People waiting for their turn, spaced apart between the wide decks of the pier.

Among them were criminals who were emitting an indescribably eerie magic power.

There were also madmen who were laughing to themselves like crazy, and even ghost-like presences that were hard to notice.

The way they watched each other with wary eyes was not friendly, to say the least.

They knew that those who had gathered here for the single purpose of entering Yorta were nothing more than competitors.

Splash, splash!!

The sound of waves rippling and breaking outside the riverbank.

No one stepped forward first, but the hostility and tension towards each other only increased in the quiet pier.

Thud!!

A huge roar, as if a hammer had been struck, echoed.

The shock was so great that even the managers who had not shown their faces peeked out, not to mention the passengers waiting at the pier.

However, everyone who turned their gaze towards the source of the roar forgot even the purpose of being here for a moment and was captivated.

Thud, thud, thud!!

The corpse of a bull-headed giant with its head completely crushed.

Someone wrapped in a black shadow robe, bound with magic threads, was walking towards the pier.

The size of the monster’s corpse that the robe was dragging was enough to carry several people gathered here.

All eyes were focused on its overwhelming size and the ominous body that exuded an indescribable killing intent even though it was already dead.

“…Is he a monster hunter?”

“To drag such a monster to the pier, he must be out of his mind.”

“Is he not even paying attention to the reactions of the managers?”

“Either way, he must be a guy with disgustingly strong power. Another competitor…”

Some of the passengers gathered at the pier were even more interested in the monster’s corpse than the robe.

“It’s huge, and the condensed killing intent is considerable. Was there such a monster in the swamp?”

“It’s a rare corpse. If I could pay for it, I would buy it.”

Ignoring the gazes pouring in from all directions, the figure in the robe silently walked, dragging the corpse of the bull-headed giant.

Only after reaching the end of the pier did the managers, who had finally come to their senses, hurriedly block his path.

“A noisy guest has arrived.”

An elderly woman with wrinkles on her face glared at him and asked.

“May I ask what you want?”

“I want to take a boat.”

From inside the robe, a bizarrely distorted modulated voice came out from the obsidian mask.

“I heard that I can get a passage at this pier.”

“…”

Lenok smiled, pointing to the monster’s corpse he was dragging.

“It’s the corpse of an apostle of the Guido Order. Can I get a boat by offering this as a tribute?”