Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 865

The edge of a tranquil, misty lake.

The lake, so vast that the horizon is out of sight, is a massive waterway that occupies a corner of the undeveloped district.

Due to the side effects of the development project, the water that has collected here only increases without ever draining away, yet the lake never rots or becomes polluted.

This is because the large amount of preservatives and radioactive pollutants that have sunk to the bottom of the lake prevent any bacteria or microorganisms from approaching.

It appears endlessly clean, but conversely, it is a lake of death that does not allow any living things to inhabit it.

At this lake, considered one of the most dangerous environments in the undeveloped district, Lenok was waiting with Ivelin for someone.

Whirr!

Ivelin, who was on the yacht and operating the motor with one hand, frowned deeply.

“Antares?”

“It seems that only a very few people within the mercenary group know about it.”

Lenok, sitting on the opposite side and holding a cigarette, replied.

“Felix went on a pilgrimage with Antares, so he must have known. Stella, the vice-captain, is also aware.”

“I thought he was traveling around the continent because he had no lingering attachments to that issue.”

Ivelin, as if she hadn’t expected it at all, put down the oar and fell into thought.

“From the start, is it right that Antares also wants the solution that Felix desires?”

“Well… I don’t know exactly what Antares is thinking as he travels the continent.”

As Lenok flicked the ash from his cigarette over the lake, the ashes were purified and disappeared as if washed away.

Lenok, watching the scene with a curious look, spoke again.

“However, Antares is not the type of person to try to interfere with something he already knows.”

“……”

“Perhaps he thinks that his own ending is also something that shouldn’t be changed…”

That’s why Felix was planning to meet Lapis alone and ask for help in assisting Antares, without telling anyone else.

A precognitive who values what they don’t know rather than what they do know wouldn’t want anyone’s help.

Lenok also doesn’t know what Antares is thinking.

However, only the note that Stella handed over, with the place and time written on it, was Antares’s answer.

Ivelin, who had been silent, asked.

“So… did you accept it too?”

“That’s just a secondary reason.”

Lenok replied, inhaling the smoke.

“Antares and his mercenary group have cooperated several times, so there’s no reason to refuse first. But more importantly…”

Swoosh!

Lenok nodded, looking at the fog slowly receding in the distance.

“It’s probably Lapis’s own will.”

From the end of the empty lake, it feels like something is approaching.

A strange sense of incongruity, as if something is clearly present even though it is not visible.

Lenok’s gaze, looking beyond the distorted horizon, flickers strangely as if it is simultaneously illuminating somewhere else.

Crack!!

A pure white boat emerged, rising from the surface of the lake that shattered like a mirror.

The shape of the boat is made of ivory, with a lavishly carved exterior. It’s quite small, barely enough for three or four people to ride.

With a mysterious appearance as if an old palanquin had been converted into the shape of a boat, Lenok slowly brought his hand to his face.

“It’s been a while since I’ve used this identity.”

Poof!

Watcher Evan. Or is it Evan Martinez now?

As Lenok, transformed into the face of the fire mage that Lapis and Ivelin remembered, raised his head, Ivelin slightly opened her mouth and stared blankly at Lenok.

“…That’s an amazing disguise. It’s the first time my dynamic vision hasn’t been able to capture the moment of transformation.”

“The speed of Face Shift is proportional to magic manipulation, not skill.”

Lenok said nonchalantly.

“Even a great mage wouldn’t be able to recognize it, so don’t worry.”

“No, I wasn’t worried.”

Ivelin said that, but she kept glancing back at Lenok, as if she was quite amazed.

“It’s not like you’re changing your face drastically, but you’re making your impression completely different… Even looking at you before and after the disguise, I can’t quite grasp it…”

Lenok smiled wryly at Ivelin, who was staring at his face with a strangely piercing gaze.

“It’s a magic that changes the perception itself. Even you wouldn’t be able to distinguish it with the naked eye.”

The disguise magic that Lenok uses is the result of countless modifications to the original, which was a common magic, to the point that it no longer exists.

As it is a core technology that supports multiple identities, Lenok also did not spare research and time investment.

As a result, the disguise magic, completed at level 8, had reached a mysterious level that even Lenok himself had difficulty distinguishing without magic.

“Stop looking and get ready. It seems like they’ve spotted us over there.”

“More than that, why don’t you change the cigarette you’re smoking?”

Ivelin, looking embarrassed, stood up and nagged.

“What’s the point of changing your face and identity if you’re the only one with that cigarette?”

“…I know.”

Lenok, looking sullen, threw away the cigarette and took out a thick cigar from his pocket.

He skillfully cut the end, lit it, and put it in his mouth.

Click!

“It’s a high-end product that was recently released, with a strong scent. This should be enough.”

“……”

Ivelin looked at Lenok, who was smiling contentedly, as if she was dumbfounded, and sighed.

“Fine. Who can stop you?”

Thump!

In the meantime, the pure white boat that appeared from the other side of the lake was closing the distance.

A faint presence like a ghost that cannot be felt at all, even though it is seen with both eyes.

However, as Lenok and Ivelin focus their gaze on the boat, it gradually becomes clearer.

A sense of reality, as if its existence has been fully placed on this lake only after it has completely entered the field of vision.

The fragment of the transcendent’s power, which is activated based on the act of ‘looking’.

It was proof that it was taking shape and becoming more real than anything else in this place.

Ivelin, who found the figure that appeared at the bow of the boat, smiled faintly and said.

“Lapis, welcome to the megacity.”

“…Ivelin.”

Rustle!

She walks forward, sweeping her pure white dress that extends to her toes.

Her elegant appearance, with her abundant blue hair tied up and carefully arranging the ornaments on both hands as she looks down at this side.

Even though she has grown tall enough to be called an adult, her calm demeanor, which is not suitable for her age, remains the same.

Lapis, who stepped down from the pure white boat without hesitation towards the yacht, hugged Ivelin lightly.

Ivelin smiled as she stroked Lapis’s head.

“Why are you like this? We saw each other not too long ago because of the Paradox siege operation.”

“That was then, and now is now. And…”

Lapis, looking awkward, let go of Ivelin and turned her gaze towards Lenok.

Lenok’s gaze seemed to be filled with a strange emotion.

“I really didn’t think you would persuade him to bring me. How…”

“I told you before. This guy will at least pretend to listen if I go to him.”

Ivelin suddenly shrugged and replied.

“It’s hard to call him out, but once I meet him, I was confident I could persuade him.”

“You tried to meet me with such flimsy grounds?”

“But you accepted it, didn’t you?”

“……”

Lenok looked at Ivelin as if he was dumbfounded, but he didn’t bother to deny her words.

In fact, it was true that he still felt indebted to Ivelin.

“I see…”

Lapis looked back and forth between Ivelin and Lenok with strangely sparkling eyes.

Ivelin patted Lapis’s shoulder a few times and then immediately stood up from her seat.

“Now that I’ve seen Lapis, I’ll be on my way. I need to disappear quickly before I get noticed.”

“Are you going to move as we talked about last time?”

“Yeah. I’m going to try to clear out any forces or elements that could be dangerous to Lapis inside the city in advance.”

Ivelin nodded and raised her magic power.

“There’s no point in being caught together, and above all, now that Evan is here, I can trust him and go back to take care of things first.”

In a situation where the granddaughter of the Heavenly Eye is visiting Vulcan City, there is not much that a high-ranking official like Ivelin can do.

Even though she was fired from the agency and is living without proper duties, her affiliation itself has not changed.

Even if she is not currently in office, it is highly likely that a powerhouse like Hyun-Gung officially supporting the Eye of Azure will cause conflict.

If things go wrong, it wouldn’t be strange to cause unnecessary conflict between Lapis and the agency.

Therefore, Ivelin decided to secretly protect Lapis from behind instead of officially intervening in this situation.

Lapis also seemed to have heard about Ivelin’s decision in advance, and she lowered her head as if she was sorry.

“I’m sorry, Ivelin. I wish you weren’t suffering because of my stubbornness…”

“Well, this much can’t even be called suffering. I’m more worried about you.”

Ivelin smiled faintly and shook her head.

“The city council will try to squeeze something more out of you no matter what.”

“……”

“Be careful. Even if Evan and I can help with visible dangers, dealing with the city council is…”

“Yes. Please leave it to me.”

Lapis replied with a smiling face.

There was a hint of determination in her voice, without a trace of wavering.

“It won’t take long either way.”

“…Okay. You’ll do well on your own.”

Ivelin, as if she thought it was useless to warn Lapis now, swept her hair back and nodded.

“Contact me when you arrive in the central district. Then, see you later.”

Whoosh…!!

At the same time, Ivelin’s figure scattered and disappeared like mist in an instant.

A perfect stealth technique that makes it impossible to know where she disappeared to in this empty lake.

“It’s always like this, but Ivelin’s presence is really… It’s hard to perceive even with my power.”

“Let’s move first.”

While Lapis was looking around with a curious look, Lenok grabbed the motor of the yacht.

Since they had come by boat to the center of the lake, they had to invest the same amount of time to return.

“Is it okay to leave that boat here?”

“Ah, about that…”

Lapis, who was slightly looking at Lenok’s expression, asked carefully.

“Would it be okay to move to the lakeside with that boat? I have an attendant I brought with me…”

“Attendant?”

Lapis accepted the condition of visiting the city without an accompanying Watcher in exchange for directly meeting with the city council to negotiate the treaty.

The fact that she asked Evan for help in the process was also possible because Lenok had not officially accepted the role of Watcher.

Lapis, noticing the thought in Lenok’s question, immediately replied.

“Ah, it’s not a Watcher. If I had to say…”

“Lady Lapis.”

A clear female voice echoed from the boat.

“Is this man the descendant of Jintun that Lady Lapis mentioned?”

At the edge of the pure white boat, a crane with bluish feathers stood proudly.

Lenok laughed unconsciously at the sight of the crane looking at him suspiciously with a strangely picky gaze.

“A crane that can talk, that’s quite a high-level spirit. Did you start carrying something like that around while I wasn’t looking?”

“…Something like that. That’s a very rude remark.”

The crane’s eyebrows twitched subtly.

“I’ve heard that you have an unrestrained nature. If you are a human that Lady Lapis cherishes, it would be better to pay more attention to etiquette, wouldn’t it?”

“Pa, Patia.”

“I don’t want to hear lectures on human etiquette from a spirit I’m seeing for the first time. Who is it?”

Ignoring the flustered Lapis, Lenok chuckled and replied.

“Judging by the fact that you’re talking about Jintun, you seem to know a bit about me.”

Within the Eye of Azure, the only people who know or suspect that Evan inherited Jintun’s barrier technique are the Watchers who participated in the Antares labyrinth operation.

The fact that the spirit in front of him knows that fact clearly means that Lapis told her about it.

If she is an attendant who is trusted by Lapis to that extent, but is not a Watcher, then she must have considerable power.

As Lenok asked, the crane called Patisha moved her beak, and Lapis spoke first.

“Evan, Patisha is not a spirit, but a long-lived species of Kundara.”

“…A long-lived species of Kundara?”

Is she saying that the precious creature who is holed up in the outer city and doesn’t come out is serving Lapis as an attendant?

At the unexpected explanation, Lenok turned his gaze towards Patisha, and Patisha proudly puffed up her feathers and said.

“I left Kundara to repay the grace I received from the Heavenly Eye a long time ago and returned to the lighthouse, and now I serve Lady Lapis.”

“……”

“I am not yet a Watcher, but my heart is no less than that of other human species. No, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I am rather encouraging the loyalty of other Watchers.”

“You’re strangely confident…”

“Patisha is from Kundara, so she is familiar with etiquette and assistance, and she has a sensitive sense that can read transcendent energy and thoughts well.”

Lapis lowered her head slightly as Lenok looked at her as if he was watching something interesting.

“So, I didn’t originally tell you anything about Evan…”

“You’re saying that they noticed the Jintun barrier technique that was set up at the lighthouse first. I understand.”

Lenok, nodding, put down the oar he was holding and stood up from the boat.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. This yacht is definitely too heavy to carry several people.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“It wouldn’t be strange if it sank quickly if you put a crane with such a good physique on it.”

“……”

Patisha’s eyebrows twitched at those words, but she didn’t say anything, perhaps acknowledging that she was a bit heavy to get on the yacht.

Lenok put Lapis on the boat first, and then got on after her, and Lapis gestured as if she had been waiting.

Whoosh!

The shape of the boat smoothly moving on the water’s surface, even without properly unfurling the sails.

“Evan.”

Lapis, having confirmed that there was no problem with the boat, immediately turned her body towards Lenok.

Slightly lifting the hem of her dress, Lapis bowed deeply and politely said.

“Thank you so much for helping me with this. I don’t know what to say to express my gratitude…”

“It’s better to make this clear.”

Lenok replied indifferently, with a cigar in his mouth.

“It’s not for the Eye of Azure, but I’m just interested in what you’re trying to do. I’m still not interested in the role of Watcher.”

“…Still, the fact that Evan is helping me doesn’t change, does it?”

Lapis smiled softly, looking more relieved than anything else.

“That’s enough for me.”

“……”

“You’re more honest than you look. What’s so hard about saying you came to help and receiving thanks?”

“Are you feeling a little better?”

Lenok ignored the crane who was unnecessarily interrupting and asked Lapis directly.

“You didn’t look too good when I saw you last time.”

“Ah, that’s…”

Lapis’s figure, who was slightly lowering her head while blurring the end of her words.

Lapis must also be remembering the time when they exchanged thoughts through the lighthouse.

At the time when he was facing the Dead Rise general, Peisha Greeceburn, Lenok had contacted Lapis and had a conversation.

Lenok also remembered that Lapis’s thoughts at that time were too unstable.

“Yes, I’m fine now.”

Lapis said, gently stroking her own cheek.

Lenok silently watched her gesture of trying to adjust her expression.

“No matter how our beginning was, we can’t stop anymore.”

“……”

“I also have to try so that the time of the people who devoted themselves to the answer I have decided on is not in vain.”

Lapis’s words, as she muttered like that, seemed to be repeated to convince herself, not anyone else.

Lenok, having confirmed Patisha’s figure looking at Lapis with a pitiful gaze, opened his mouth.

“I heard that what you want is a ritual to recover the Heavenly Eye’s power.”

“……”

“However, no matter how much you hide it, the possibility that the city council will not notice that fact is low. If they decide to intervene, it could become very dangerous.”

Lenok said, looking at Lapis.

“I will help, but I plan to act on my own judgment regardless of the success of the ritual. Do you understand?”

As the Eye of Azure grows in power, and as it becomes an organization that has established itself on the central front, Lapis’s role as the center of gravity also becomes important.

The reason why they were able to recruit talented people from all over was because many people sympathized with the answer that only Lapis could provide.

At least at this point, Lapis must not die.

Lenok made Lapis aware of that fact and declared in advance that he would move with that as his priority.

“I have no intention of complaining from the position of receiving help. I will leave it entirely to Evan’s judgment.”

Lapis also nodded calmly, as if she had understood.

She swept her hair back, smiled softly, and looked up at Lenok.

“Above all, I trust Evan.”

“……”

“Ever since we first met in the autonomous territory, always…”

Lapis’s soft gaze, which was much more mature than before.

However, Lenok crushed the almost finished cigar and turned his gaze away, pretending not to notice.

Regardless of how much Lapis trusted Lenok, he could not say for sure that he could live up to that expectation.

Lenok is not with them because he thinks that Lapis’s answer or the Eye of Azure’s keynote is right.

He also does not think that the maintenance of the Heavenly Eye and the power of the lighthouse keeper are truly the answer for this world.

However, he understands in his head that their existence is helpful for the survival of this world, so he is just lending his strength from time to time like this.

Perhaps Lapis also knows. She might also know why Lenok never accepts the role of Watcher.

However, even so, the reason why Lapis says that she trusts Lenok like this is probably-

“We’ve arrived. It’s over there.”

While they were talking about various things, the boat had already arrived at the edge of the lake.

Because the polluted lake is located at the end of the undeveloped district, they have to move a little further even after leaving the lake.

For that, Lenok, along with Ivelin, had prepared a means of transportation in advance at the end of the lake.

Lapis also seemed to have recognized it and pointed to the group of armored vehicles that could be seen in the distance.

“Is that the vehicle that Evan prepared?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s more than one?”

“The humidity of this lake makes it easy to damage things. Especially complex equipment like vehicles.”

Lenok replied, taking out a new cigar from his pocket and putting it in his mouth.

“I brought military vehicles from the abandoned base, so at least one of them should still be able to return-”

Lenok, who was saying that, stopped talking as he was lighting the cigar.

Lapis and Patisha turned their gazes.

“Evan?”

“Is there a problem?”

“The armored vehicles parked by the lake. I picked up five abandoned military vehicles around here.”

Click!

Lenok, who released the safety device with one hand and stood up, replied.

“There are fifteen now.”

“…!!”

At that moment, a missile launcher rose above the trunk of an armored vehicle in the distance, looking back at this side.

Thud thud thud!!!

Dozens of missiles were launched towards the boat without any greeting or reaction.

While Patisha’s face hardened, Lenok raised his magic power and reached his hand to the end of his sleeve.

Thump!

A huge metal pillar, densely engraved with complex formulas and characters, was slammed down at the bow of the boat.

There was a vent at the end of the rectangular pillar, and a complex ignition device was embedded on top.

It looked as if a huge lighter had been designed to be laid horizontally and held.

At the same time, a complex, dark red barrier magic circle began to spread around the lake, centered on Lenok.

Whoosh!

“Is that, a barrier technique?!”

Lapis, who was preparing to chant and respond to the missiles falling from above, turned her head in surprise.

“While I was quitting the Watcher’s job, I also made progress in the study of Jintun’s formulas.”

“By applying the concept of ‘isolation’ that has reached a transcendent level to flame magic, I have been able to rewrite its characteristics.”

Flame-type unique magic is a system of magic that Lenok uses very often among the elemental magic he uses.

Moreover, Lenok, who had faced the old world’s combustion magic, the Taiji Transformation [Taiji Henge] (太極化神), used by the Blaber Magic Tower Master, was aware that he could freely change and rewrite its properties.

What was needed was to use the knowledge of the barrier technique inherited from another Ascendant to become a drawing paper so that the properties and characteristics could be rewritten in an instant.

“I’ll show you now.”

Bang!

At the same time as kicking the ignition device with one foot, Lenok’s magic power, which had been rotating violently in his body, was neatly arranged.

Embracing the thoughts that burned like flames, he turned into a dazzling flame on the spot.

Combustion Zone Property Change

Flame Shaping Gunpowder Alchemy

[Saturation Armament No. 666: Gunpowder Depot Deployment]

[Contagious Incineration]

[Flame Disease Ammunition]

The moment the flame streak that extended from the ignition device ran across the surface of the water and soared to the ground hundreds of meters away.

Dozens of flame ports soared above the transparent lake, forming a vast formation centered on Lenok.