Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 839

Takeover (8)

The situation at the arena has been mostly resolved.

It was a dark sky, nearing midnight.

Lenok sat on the roof of his mansion, listening to Murphy’s explanation over the phone.

-The project is on hold for now. The detailed evaluation will be postponed until after all the designers who were at the site have evacuated.

“What about the clients?”

-Most of them agreed. Probably because of you.

The young man’s voice sounded somewhat strained and weak.

-There were more clients who wanted to get to know Kyunroe, so things went better than expected. There won’t be any more talk about this for the time being.

“For the time being?”

-There were thousands of eyes that witnessed your rampage on the spot. Once the money we gave them to keep quiet runs out, rumors will spread.

“There was no need to bribe them. It’s not like we exposed some great secret.”

So, they silenced all the other spectators in the underground arena with a suitable amount of money.

Considering the caliber of the clients who were watching the match, raising the funds wouldn’t have been difficult.

At Lenok’s words, Murphy finally let out a sinister laugh.

-I guess so. Considering your notoriety, even the most loose-lipped guys will keep their mouths shut for a while.

“…….”

-I’ve heard plenty of rumors, but it’s my first time seeing it in person, so it’s fascinating. If you go around causing chaos like that, you’re bound to attract all sorts of tall tales.

“It’s not intentional. You know that, right?”

-Right. But that makes it even more interesting.

Murphy’s voice, which had been steeped in fatigue, seemed to gain a bit of energy.

-You don’t deny that you’re somewhat broken. That’s a different kind of madness from being driven insane by the backlash of climbing the ranks.

“…….”

-I’m not an expert in psychiatry, but I understand that it’s a very peculiar kind of self-hypnosis.

“What are you trying to say?”

-Thank you for cooperating with this matter.

Morphy said while Lenok was silent.

-I underestimated the ‘standard’ of talent that exists between you and me. I admit it. It was my arrogance that made me want to rush when I had the chance.

“…….”

-It’s a relief that it was resolved well, but I might have had to betray the trust I’ve built with my clients today. That’s…

What is Murphy’s purpose in jumping into the blood-selling and doping business, and creating connections with powerful figures across the continent?

Could it be related to the fundamental motivation that has kept him alive since he escaped from Ars Nova [a research facility]?

What did Murphy see in the ruined central city that made him run away? What remains in the heart of the continent that has lost its meaning?

While Lenok was lost in thought, he heard the sound of Murphy moving away from the receiver.

-I’ll send you the examination records later via communication. As promised, I’ll leave you the capacity to use the database one more time, so come whenever you want. I’ll be waiting.

Click!

The call ended without waiting for an answer. He probably wouldn’t answer even if I called back.

I doubt if he ever called me first in the first place.

That’s how important this business is to Murphy himself.

But instead of worrying about Murphy’s past, which Lenok couldn’t figure out right away, he put his phone away and turned around.

At the end of the mansion’s reception room balcony, where the soft moonlight shone, a guest who had come to see him was waiting.

Lenok, who walked out while looking at the green eyes that shone clearly under the moonlight, smiled.

“It’s been a while, Evelyn. How have you been?”

* * *

Green eyes that glowed faintly even in the dark room. A ghostly, faint presence.

No, if you had to compare, her skill in hiding her presence was more perfect than even Yorta’s military orders [referring to the military of Yorta].

So much so that Lenok could only feel her presence the moment he stepped into the reception room.

“Nice house.”

Evelyn spoke first, leaving Lenok, who had stopped leaning against the balcony.

“It’s reasonably far from the central district, but close to the residential area, so it doesn’t stand out unnecessarily.”

“…….”

“It’s an old mansion that was remodeled through a loophole, so it’s not even listed as a tradable property. It must have been traded in kind for quite some time.”

She said, sitting upright on the sofa.

“The city government has been meticulously processing resident registrations up to the 30s district recently, so it must be difficult to find a place like this. You managed to get your hands on it. You’re quite resourceful.”

“You get the hang of it after doing it a few times.”

Finding a hideout to live alone was something Lenok had been doing steadily since he arrived in Balkan.

Now, with Davi’s help, he was even avoiding electronic tracking and records, so it was no wonder Evelyn felt that way.

“It wasn’t difficult.”

“…I guess so.”

Evelyn, who had been silent, agreed.

“You’ve always handled things resourcefully, no matter where you are or what you do.”

“…….”

Evelyn’s words seemed to contain something more than that.

Lenok put down the bag of groceries and sat opposite her.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and leaned back comfortably to light it.

Chik!

“How did you find out?”

Lenok asked, exhaling smoke.

“As you said, this is a property that’s not recorded in the books. I was careful when I got it.”

“…….”

“Whether it’s transaction records or physical goods, it would have been difficult to trace the tail after laundering it several times. Is it different for an agent?”

“Ah, it’s not that.”

Evelyn replied calmly.

“I used the lighthouse with Lapis’s help. When I told her I couldn’t reach you, she helped me right away.”

“…What?”

While Lenok was asking back, somewhat dumbfounded, Evelyn explained calmly.

“I thought that if it was you, you wouldn’t leave any traces when you moved your residence. And you’d want a property with a relatively large area for personal research, and you’d handle the transfer process without leaving any trace.”

“…….”

“It sounds grand, but I just walked around the central Balkan area and did some legwork.”

Evelyn’s lips momentarily pouted.

“I didn’t expect you to separate the mansion and the lab. It seems like it took five times longer than expected because of that.”

Using the lighthouse’s power to look down on the 20s and 30s districts at once, she had searched for real estate that Lenok would want, one by one.

It was practically the only way to find Lenok’s address, which left almost no traces, but it was clear that even that would have taken a lot of time.

“Five times.”

Lenok, who had thought that far, nodded slowly with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Well, you have plenty of time, so it wouldn’t have been difficult for you.”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“Of course not. You’re practically the strongest unemployed person in the world – just kidding.”

Lenok slightly averted his gaze at Evelyn’s cold expression.

Clearing his throat, Lenok, with a cigarette in his mouth, leaned on one knee and chose his answer.

When was the last time he worked with Evelyn? Looking back, it was quite a long time ago.

It was even easier to recall the time when he fought with Evelyn.

He hadn’t actually seen her face since he made the random box [a reference to a previous event].

“I was away because I had a lot of personal matters to take care of. I’m sorry I couldn’t reply for so long. I’m fine now.”

“Really?”

Evelyn asked, staring at Lenok with clear eyes.

“Are you really okay?”

“…What do you want to ask?”

A quiet silence flowed over the darkened living room.

Evelyn, who had been staring at Lenok silently, gestured with her eyes.

“You’re still hurting, aren’t you?”

“…….”

“It’s not just because of Onion’s work anymore. A significant part of your problems stem from yourself.”

“That’s…”

“What are you trying to find by constantly traveling the continent and breaking yourself down?”

Lenok, who was about to say something, closed his mouth with a bitter smile.

The archer sitting in front of him was not someone who didn’t know Lenok well enough to be fooled by a clumsy lie.

It would be meaningless to make excuses with vague lies against a skilled person like her.

She knew that Lenok was trying to leave Balkan regularly, and that the reason was not just because of his injuries.

There are things that can be seen even if you don’t say them directly or show them on the outside.

Instinctive guesses and convictions that are felt unintentionally just by talking and sharing a drink.

Evelyn was asking about the subtle gap and sense of incongruity that he had been trying to ignore and turn away from.

“…It’s not just because I’m hurting.”

That’s why Lenok thought he needed to tell her some of the truth.

“Of course, that’s an important reason too. It’s not wrong. But more than anything… I’m searching.”

“For the Black Consumer Project?”

“No, for the reason.”

“…….”

Lenok said.

“Who I am, and who I was. There are worries there that can’t be solved just by transcending the ranks.”

“That’s…”

Evelyn couldn’t answer easily and trailed off.

Evelyn also knew about Lenok’s talent and capabilities, and the potential he possessed.

From the time he started taking requests as a freelancer, to the time they met at Charlotte’s factory. To the point where they faced each other as an 8-level archmage.

Even though they had different kinds of fights and experiences, she couldn’t have not known that Lenok’s growth was transcendent and unparalleled.

Evelyn knew it too, but she just didn’t point it out directly in front of Lenok or try to ask about it.

Lenok also knew her thoughts, so he tried not to answer, but now the inevitable moment was approaching.

Yorta and Makina are shaking one after another, and the big shots from all over the continent are starting to move in earnest.

Balkan, and the people who live among those districts.

Even Lenok’s companions and Lenok himself wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

“Who you are, and who you were…”

But instead of agreeing with those words, Evelyn closed her eyes and murmured.

“Well, I… I can’t believe those words anymore.”

“…Evelyn?”

“When Yorta collapsed, where were you and what were you doing?”

A sudden question that made even Lenok speechless for a moment.

Evelyn was now staring straight at Lenok with her eyes wide open.

“When I borrowed the lighthouse with Lapis’s help, I saw what happened in Yorta.”

“…….”

“I saw someone I thought was an enemy, but also suspected, fighting Crocken Acilus.”

She reached into her pocket and placed a black glove on the table.

“Just like when we first met at Charlotte’s factory.”

A glove made by the Black Palace Workshop, and something Lenok had used for quite a long time.

And it was something he had left behind when he clashed with Evelyn under the identity of Victor during the mid-term settlement.

“I know you don’t want to be tied to one position. You were helping Lapis under the name of Evan for that reason, right?”

Evelyn said.

“But if you’re trying to live different times while sharing two identities, is it strange to think that a third one exists for you?”

“…….”

“Is it strange to think that I already know your third face, which might exist?”

Lenok couldn’t answer those words and remained silent.

Why Evelyn had come to think that way, and why she had no choice but to think that way. Lenok knew better than anyone.

Looking back, there were so many things that had happened.

Amidst the overlapping causes and relationships, he had gone through countless times with the three identities of Ban, Evan, and Victor.

Evelyn was one of the very few acquaintances who had watched Lenok’s life from the beginning.

That’s why she had been carefully collecting clues and circumstances that only she could know, one by one in her heart,

and finally, she had reached an answer that even she herself could not ignore.

Evelyn asked, distorting her lips.

“Inside that coat, are you hiding an obsidian mask?”

“…….”

“Who are you? Where are you standing right now?”

No answer came back. Evelyn didn’t expect an answer either.

“The reason I came to see you today is not just to explain what has happened so far.”

A clear green light flashed in the darkness.

“The facts that you told me but didn’t tell me. The secrets that you’ve been trying to ignore and pretend not to know.”

“…….”

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll have to tell you.”

Whoosh!!

A black arrow brushed past Lenok’s cheek.

Evelyn, who was now wearing a suit all over her body, stood in front of Lenok and looked down at him.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t really fought properly since we transcended the ranks.”

“…Evelyn.”

“Come outside, Ban.”

Evelyn’s expression, clutching her visor, was coldly hardened.

“If there’s an answer that can’t be conveyed through words, there’s only one way.”