Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 827

“That’s an interesting item.”

Only then did Lenok, understanding Oris’s intention, smile.

“So, this is an item that will allow me to become a military spirit after I die?”

A pendant that prevents the annihilation of the soul, not just the death of the flesh.

It was already strange that an artifact with such abilities existed, but the intention behind it—to make Lenok a military spirit—was even more astonishing.

It seemed like he wanted one last private meeting with Lenok, only to give him this item as a gift.

However, it was clear that this was the greatest act of goodwill the spirit before him could show Lenok.

“Yes, if you happen to die somewhere later, come find Yorta after becoming a military spirit.”

Oris grinned and nodded.

“I will look upon this matter of yours with special favor, and I will accept you as a spirit of Yorta then.”

Lenok, who had been silent, nodded.

“…Alright. I’ll take it. But that won’t happen.”

Lenok, having placed the pendant inside his cloak, stood up on the rowboat and said,

“There won’t be a second chance for me. That’s not an opportunity prepared for me.”

“……”

Lenok’s talent isn’t limited to his innate intuition, judgment, reason, and self-awareness.

His body, bound by this penalty, the magical power he has accumulated, and his magic system—all of it is the identity and standard that makes up Lenok.

No one had directly explained it to him, but he knew it instinctively.

“As you said, it’s the same for me, Oris.”

Lenok smiled as he looked at the judge.

“This is the last time. This moment is everything for us.”

“…You.”

There is no such thing as a convenient situation for Lenok, where he dies once and becomes a military spirit to aim for the next opportunity.

That is a miracle only granted to transcendents who have succeeded in ascension and overcome the shackles of the flesh.

The opportunity given to Lenok is only once. And that is the end he faces at the same time as the end of this body’s time.

Regardless of the goodwill Oris shows Lenok, he must not be mistaken.

Living in this world is clearly the role of the living, who possess both spirit and flesh, and the boundary between life and death is also one of the standards of the world.

Lenok cannot allow himself to become complacent due to his exceptional experience in Yorta.

Perhaps surprised by Lenok’s uncharacteristic, low voice,

Oris stared intently at Lenok’s obsidian mask for a long time, then nodded as if he understood.

“…That’s right. I said something unnecessary. Such words should not have any meaning for the living who live in this world.”

“……”

“Then, our ties must end here.”

Leaving Lenok, who had stepped onto the pier, Oris slowly lowered his head from the rowboat.

“Farewell, troubled living one. Excellent mage. Great seeker.”

“……”

“May you find what you seek on your path. I hope you find rest at the end of your journey.”

Oris, having slowly turned the boat around, smiled at Lenok.

“I will wait for you beyond death and watch the moment your journey ends. Thank you.”

Surely, Oris knows that Lenok is not just a simple special-type mage.

The technique Lenok showed against the spirits of the Soul Calming Hall. The conversation he had alone with Kraken. [Kraken is a legendary sea monster.]

And at the end, the radiance of Ouroboros [Ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail, representing infinity and cyclicality] he unleashed against the monster of Cheondun.

But he no longer asks any questions, and instead, he ends it by wishing Lenok well on his path.

The greatest respect shown to a seeker who pursues the end of a world that Oris cannot reach or challenge.

Therefore, Lenok also slightly lifted his obsidian mask and nodded.

As if that was enough, with a satisfied smile, Oris’s figure disappeared into the other side of the Headrain River.

The dazzling and beautiful city of ghosts, which can never be seen beyond this swamp.

Even if Lenok were to reach that place again someday, it would certainly not be in the same form as now.

But even so, this meeting clearly has meaning.

Lenok thought so and, leaving the departing rowboat behind, immediately turned his steps.

The managers who rushed out from the surroundings and other travelers who were now lining up to head to Yorta tried to speak to Lenok as if they had been waiting.

But before they could, Lenok’s figure had already vanished from the swamp.

* * *

After that, Lenok immediately traversed the swamp and began retracing his steps back to Balkan.

In the process, he did not forget to stop by the battlefield where he had fought Camrodal, who was controlling the mad apostle.

“It’s not here.”

At the place where he had hidden the body of the priestess Seina, her corpse was no longer there.

The coffin where her body had been kept had also completely disappeared. Only the traces of the ground where Lenok had hidden it being dug up remained in its place.

However, what truly surprised Lenok was not the fact that Seina’s body had disappeared.

After all, it was clear that the Order would desperately try to recover Seina’s body.

However, even so, if there was one obsession that felt particularly severe among the Order’s actions—

“They even recovered all of Jinwa’s incantations and erased the traces….”

The fundamental reason why Lenok could not take Seina’s body to Yorta was because of Jinwa’s incantations placed on her body.

The energy was so severe that just hiding it here would have permeated and polluted the entire swamp.

That very energy of Jinwa has completely disappeared from this area.

If someone who didn’t know visited this place, they wouldn’t have noticed anything was here.

Evidence that they had cleanly recovered even Jinwa’s incantations that had polluted the ground and completely erased the traces.

Dabi also peeked out from Lenok’s cloak and looked around.

[It would have been impossible to penetrate and erase even the ground below, it’s a strange thing.]

“They must have performed a human sacrifice to erase the traces. It’s obvious.”

Lenok had no intention of denying that he was somewhat impressed by her determination after witnessing Seina’s sacrifice.

But the fact that the Order’s methods are base and unsympathetic does not disappear.

Regardless of what choices the leader made to get to this point, it is also clear that the actions of the Order he leads now do not please Lenok.

Therefore, instead of moving to chase after the already disappeared priestess’s body, Lenok cleanly gave up and moved his steps towards Balkan.

Since he had already received the authority of the high priest from Seina, there was no reason to look for her body.

However, one problem remains: whether this authority will remain with Lenok even after the next priestess is confirmed.

Perhaps through the authority of the high priest, he might face a situation where the next priestess and Lenok are connected to each other.

Lenok fell into thought as he looked down at the stigma Seina had engraved on her wrist.

‘I can erase it anytime if I want to….’

Through his target designation resistance ability, Lenok can throw off any external force engraved on his body at any time.

However, considering that the authority of the high priest is likely to be useful in future matters related to the Order, it is also true that it is a waste to erase it right away.

In the end, Lenok did not make an immediate decision and crossed the swamp, returning to the train he had taken and arriving at a satellite city near Balkan.

In the process, he buried a few outlaws who were now even familiar to him, who were trying to swindle a suspicious mage wearing a robe, and boarded an airship heading to Balkan.

Booooom!!

“……”

In the sky above the megacity, hundreds of airships, which could not be seen before, flew through the sky, drawing sky paths.

The airships connecting the satellite cities and the megacity circulated around the outskirts of the city, and the sight of people getting on and off the airships at the stations built on the rooftops of high-rise buildings.

Every time Lenok left and returned to Balkan, it felt like new facilities and systems were being built and added.

The speed at which this city accepts and adapts to change was overwhelmingly faster and more flexible than any other city Lenok had passed through.

Thud!!

As soon as he landed in the undeveloped area on the outermost edge of Balkan, he took out his bike.

While immediately moving to the old church in District 21 where Hairea was staying, his cell phone in his cloak rang like crazy.

As soon as he entered the megacity’s communication network, his cell phone, which had been out of service, connected, and the accumulated messages and calls constantly activated the cell phone’s notifications.

Lenok, having turned his bike and immediately stopped near the church, adjusted his obsidian mask and said,

“Dabi. Select only the important contacts and summarize them briefly.”

[Yes. Let’s see….]

Dabi, who was wriggling in his cloak and observing the cell phone’s communication network, said with a bewildered expression.

[The Machine City was attacked by an apostle and was half destroyed?]

“What?”

Screech!!

Lenok immediately slammed on the brakes and stopped.

* * *

Bang!!

In the old church located in District 21.

Hairea, who was sitting in front of the organ in the chapel, glanced back and immediately made a surprised expression.

“…Victor? When did you get back?”

“I had some things to do.”

Lenok, leaning back on an old wooden chair and looking at Hairea askew, gestured.

“I’m planning to leave Balkan soon. I have something to ask before I leave, so if you have anything to do, do it quickly.”

“…I was just preparing for a gathering in the mock ritual space.”

Hairea turned her body around and answered with a sullen expression.

“It will take some time for the meeting to end. Can you wait until then?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard about the commotion you caused in Yorta. It’s a mess because of the destruction of the memorial tower.”

“……”

“They say that the atmospheric pressure near the military spirit city has changed entirely because of how much you rampaged. The communication network is buzzing with news related to you.”

Hairea shook her head as if testing Lenok, who had closed his mouth.

“Even the weather near the central front has been affected, and there are more than a few organizations that have launched investigations. Among them, there are many who are openly looking for the culprit of the incident.”

“Well.”

Lenok, leaning back in the chapel chair with his arms crossed, tilted his head indifferently.

“I don’t know what kind of crazy person would do such a reckless thing.”

“…Really? Are you going to pretend you don’t know at this point?”

Lenok cleanly ignored Hairea’s question, who was asking back with a bewildered expression.

“You turned Cabahim upside down to get the Guide’s Ring. What excuse are you going to make now?”

“What are you talking about? Please refrain from making assumptions that could lead to misunderstandings.”

“……”

Lenok, who had wiped his mouth clean and pretended not to know, spoke confidently.

“I did visit the military spirit city, but there weren’t many violent clashes as you think.”

“You’re not saying there weren’t any at all.”

Hairea sighed and handed Lenok the tablet she was holding.

“Okay, stop talking nonsense and check this out.”

“What is it?”

“An image transmitted through the Dead Rise military line. I was lucky enough to obtain it and was just about to show it in the ritual space.”

The image that appeared on the tablet was of a black figure that someone had drawn with a graceful style.

A drawing of someone wearing a dark shadow robe all over their body, wearing a black mask, and standing with bombs in both hands.

Since a photo could not be taken, they had drawn this figure as it was.

“As you said, I really don’t know who it is at all. Right?”

Hairea smiled at Lenok, who was at a loss for words.

“Dead Rise has released information about the culprit who destroyed the memorial tower. It seems they were stationed near Yorta and were determined to collect information.”

“……”

Did they respond by releasing information because he had captured and threatened Songha?

“In a few hours, the embargo will be lifted and the name of the terrorist who destroyed the tower will be released.”

Hairea asked with a smile.

“How does it feel to be a vicious criminal who has shaken the entire continent?”

“…Didn’t you say you were preparing for a meeting earlier?”

Lenok turned off the tablet and got up from his seat.

“Prepare it. I’ll go in with you.”

“What?”

“Daymus. You’re there, right?”

If Dead Rise’s 7th Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Daymus, is scheduled to attend this meeting, then he will be able to discuss this matter.

Lenok, leaving behind the bewildered Hairea, immediately forcibly connected to the mock ritual space she was preparing.

Since he had entered it once before, the connection and maintenance of consciousness itself was not difficult.

Lenok’s consciousness felt like it was floating up and immediately slammed down in the middle of the consciousness space.

Whoosh!!

A dark void with no end in sight, with several chairs placed in it.

Among the members of Pandemonium who had arrived first, Lenok, having found Daymus, opened his mouth.

“Daymus. I have something to ask.”

“…Yes. I thought there might be contact.”

However, the expression on Daymus’s face, who was sitting in a chair, changed to a rather bewildered one.

“But, I didn’t expect you to come in that form.”

“What?”

At that moment, Lenok realized that his appearance in the mock ritual space did not exist in human form.

A huge void that seemed to fill and overflow the entire space.

He was standing there in a grotesque form, distorted like a jet-black monster, pressing down on one of the members below his feet.

“Ugh….”

A huge void figure standing on top of Vernon, who was drunk, as if he was being trampled by a shadow.

Daymus stared at the figure as if he was disgusted and asked.

“What the hell happened in Yorta?”