Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 870

The Eye That Sees Fate (7)

Beyond the elevator doors, a massive hangar came into view, with a colossal spaceship displayed at its center.

Dozens of engineers and staff were busily moving around, detaching supports and connectors.

[The boundary of District 19 is right in front of this hangar door. We’ll depart as soon as the engine preheating is complete.]

A middle-aged woman wearing an iron mask that covered her lower face turned to them leisurely and said,

[Let’s put off explaining why we have to travel in this thing for later, and finish the necessary inspections first. I’m a bit impatient by nature.]

“……”

Amy Weinstein, the First Deputy Mayor of Vulcan City.

A powerful figure who held the second-highest authority in the megacity, next to the mayor.

Was it possible that she, instead of the mayor who rarely appeared in public, had come in person to guide Lapis?

However, Lapis did not react to her polite greeting and offer to guide them. Instead, Mayer, with a slightly stiff face, stepped forward.

“Councilor Weinstein.”

[Ah, John Mayer.]

The deputy mayor lightly raised her hand, looking at the old man standing next to Lenok.

[It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face. I heard you were quite ill, but you seem to be doing better now.]

“…Thanks to your concern, Councilor. What brings you here?”

Mayer gripped his staff and stepped out of the elevator first, saying,

“Surely, the councilor assigned to guide District 19 was someone else.”

[I spoke with the City Council and asked to switch places.]

The deputy mayor chuckled, adjusting the iron mask that covered her lower face.

A strange smile where only her eyes curved gently, with no sign of her lips.

[And there’s no need to call me Councilor. Strictly speaking, I belong to the City Government, not the Council.]

“……”

[The reason I even accepted the councilor position was because of the tedious procedure that the deputy mayor had to be affiliated with the Senate.]

“You should have been the Speaker of the Senate, not just a councilor-”

[That’s why I said I don’t like it.]

The deputy mayor waved her hand dismissively.

[A meaningless temporary speaker position, it’s pointless as long as that man is holding out in the Senate. Why would I go there and play the clown?]

“……”

[The place where I need to show my influence isn’t in that narrow den of old hags. It’s here, where the technology imported into Vulcan is working properly.]

The deputy mayor smiled contentedly, looking at the spatial distortions that were faintly rippling in the passage where the elevator doors had opened and around it.

[John Mayer. Don’t you think so?]

“You’re not wrong. We can’t talk about the development of the megacity without mentioning your contributions.”

Mayer replied calmly.

“But guiding District 19 is a different matter entirely. If something goes wrong, the leaders of both Vulcan and the Eye of Azure will be in danger at the same time.”

Mayer asked, looking at the violently vibrating spaceship in the distance.

“Councilor’ Weinstein’ might need to consider the repercussions more carefully.”

[…There’s no need to worry, Councilor Mayer.]

The deputy mayor’s eyes flashed coldly for a moment as she looked at Mayer.

[As agreed in advance, if Lapis Palshier has properly inherited the access bio-code, there won’t be any problems.]

“……”

At that moment, Lenok and Mayer simultaneously realized why the deputy mayor was here.

She knew that the access rights to District 19 had not been fully transferred to Lapis.

They didn’t know how she found out, but she had seen through the fact that the agreement between Lapis and the City Council had been disrupted.

And she had intervened in the original plan to confirm it herself.

[I’ve said it twice now, but we’re going to conduct a simple inspection to confirm that, is that alright?]

With those words, the deputy mayor slowly stepped aside from the elevator entrance and nodded to the group.

[Everyone else, please come this way. You might have health issues after visiting Clifton’s tomb.]

“……”

“Evan.”

Lapis, carefully grabbing Lenok’s sleeve, whispered quickly.

“If we find out the testing method in advance, I can deceive the inspector.”

“……”

“I’ll try to buy time while talking to the deputy mayor, and if possible-”

Was she trying to solve the problem on her own without relying on Lenok, even after coming this far?

Lapis’s determination was understandable, but considering the deputy mayor’s attitude so far-

[Lapis Palshier.]

In front of the scanning equipment placed on one side of the hangar, the deputy mayor gestured to Lapis.

[Let’s start with our most important guest. Is that alright?]

“…Could you wait a moment?”

Lapis turned her gaze with a blank expression.

Lapis, who showed no sign of agitation, turned to the deputy mayor and said,

“I’m wearing concealment spells and artifacts, so I need some time to remove them.”

[Oh, I don’t see any such spells or artifacts at all…]

The deputy mayor stared intently at Lapis, her eyes gleaming.

“I came to this city with only one escort, as recommended by the Central Council.”

However, Lapis, with a calm demeanor, touched her wrist instead.

“Do I have to explain everything I brought to Vulcan?”

[Of course. If possible, I’d like to look not only at your belongings but at everything directly-]

The deputy mayor, who had been muttering in a strange voice, chuckled and stepped back.

[It’s true that I was a bit hasty. Alright. I’ll give you time to prepare.]

Lenok turned his gaze to Lapis and whispered.

“Lapis. The deputy mayor isn’t sure about the owner of the bio-code. If she were, she wouldn’t have taken this approach.”

“…Then what?”

“But she’s definitely suspicious of you at the point of singling you out. It’ll be difficult to deceive the deputy mayor alone.”

“……”

Seeing Lapis close her mouth as if troubled, Lenok slowly grabbed Lapis’s wrist.

“So, let’s do this.”

Whoosh!

The moment Lenok drew up his magic power and applied it to Lapis’s wrist, the shape of an intricate barcode appeared below Lapis’s wrist.

The access bio-code for District 19, inherited from Clifton’s body.

Lapis looked up in surprise, confirming that the exact same radiance had settled on her wrist.

“How…?”

“It’s a replica code that only reproduces the appearance with magic projection. It has no actual effect.”

Lenok said, slowly lowering his hand.

“Go and get the inspection with that. Then after that…”

Lenok’s gaze deepened as he looked at Amy Weinstein, who was waiting with her arms crossed in the distance.

“I’ll take care of it.”

* * *

[Please come this way.]

The deputy mayor, with a smiling face, kindly guided Lapis to the scanning equipment.

Instead of immediately placing the bio-code on Lapis’s wrist under the equipment, she stared intently at it.

[Hmm, it seems similar to what I remember…]

“……”

Patisha fidgeted with her wings anxiously, while Mayer and Gaizl watched silently.

Lapis, with a blank expression, slowly placed the barcode on her wrist under the scanning equipment.

Beep!

At the same time as the barcode scan was completed, an inorganic announcement sounded.

=District 19 access bio-code authentication complete.

=Acquired access to Hangar Gate 3.

=A probe is waiting in front of the corresponding gate.

At the same time as the green light came on, the equipment that scanned Lapis’s wrist emitted a clear signal sound.

It looked as if the bio-code authentication had been completed normally to anyone who saw it.

[Is it certain?]

The deputy mayor turned her gaze with a suspicious look, and the engineer who was watching the data screen answered in surprise.

“T-There were no particular abnormalities in the measurement data…”

[Move.]

Thud!!

Amy pushed the engineer’s shoulder and sat in front of the screen instead, her eyes moving quickly.

Watching her, Mayer quietly whispered to Lenok.

“You did that, didn’t you?”

“……”

Lenok didn’t answer, but Mayer seemed to have found the answer in that silence.

A faint admiration was hidden in the old councilor’s voice.

“Amazing… Deputy Mayor Weinstein is one of the best bioengineering engineers in this city. Complex data like bio-codes are her specialty, but how did you so easily-”

“It’s not easy.”

Lenok shook his head.

“So I mixed in some deception.”

“…Deception, you say?”

The method Lenok used to deceive the deputy mayor was not that complicated.

While Lapis was placing the fake bio-code under the scanning equipment, he hacked the scanning equipment with the help of Davi.

He predicted the data values that should be calculated through bio-code measurement and displayed them on the screen as they were.

It would have been impossible without the knowledge related to bio-codes that Lenok had acquired while obtaining access to District 25, and Davi’s hacking ability.

However, the deputy mayor did not simply pass over the data that Lenok had manipulated and completed.

[Bio-code array. Genetic reproducibility, hadron bottleneck phenomenon. Even the 0.002-second measurement delay… All the data is perfect without any abnormalities.]

She accurately picked out only the necessary information from among all the numbers that appeared on the screen without any distinction.

[But it’s too flawless.]

“…!!

Bang!

The deputy mayor slammed the scanning equipment hard and turned sharply to look at Lapis.

The deputy mayor snatched Lapis’s wrist and stared intently at the barcode on her wrist, muttering.

[The access rights engraved on Clifton’s body are such an old bio-code that some parts would have been lost along with that bug’s rotten body.]

“……”

[Considering that, there should be some tangled parts in the bio-code, but there isn’t a single flaw. How is this possible?]

At the deputy mayor’s sharp voice, the atmosphere in the hangar instantly turned cold.

Even the other engineers and staff who were busy maintaining the spaceship began to watch her mood.

It wasn’t enough to pass the inspection, she was even trying to nitpick on the details of the data.

It was only possible because the deputy mayor was also well-versed in bio-codes, but from here on out, it was an area that could not be anticipated in advance.

Just as he was thinking about whether he should intervene now, Lapis’s expression turned cold.

“Councilor Weinstein. I don’t know why you’re asking me that.”

[……]

“If that much was impossible, would I have any reason to come to Vulcan and try to visit District 19?”

[Oh.]

The deputy mayor let out a strange laugh.

[Is that to say that it was possible with the power of the great lighthouse keeper?]

“I never intended to rely solely on the Central Council for the method. That won’t change even after the target changes from the Central Council to the City Government.”

The clear sky-blue eyes shone as if trying to pierce through the deputy mayor’s iron mask.

“How long do I have to endure this rudeness?”

[…Alright.]

Perhaps Lapis’s confident words had given the deputy mayor more persuasion, as she finally stood up from the scanning equipment.

[If there are no problems with the access rights, we can depart right away. We’ll start as soon as the inspections of the others are finished. Oh, and as I’ve said before-]

The deputy mayor, who had turned her gaze as if suddenly remembering something, had her eyes curved in a long line.

[Don’t call me Councilor. The old men of the City Council are enough to irritate me.]

Lapis smiled brightly.

“Understood, Councilor Weinstein.”

* * *

After Lapis’s inspection was completed, the inspections of the other members of the group were completed in an instant.

The deputy mayor didn’t seem interested in the other councilors either, as she finished the scanning and magic power measurements roughly.

[Councilor Mayer. Councilor Gaizl. Looking at the inspection results, it seems like you’re not feeling well.]

“……”

[It seems difficult to take the two of you to District 19 together.]

The deputy mayor, who was feigning a worried voice in front of the two of them before the inspection results even came out.

The deputy mayor, who neatly ignored Gaizl’s twitching eyes, said to the two of them.

[It seems that visiting Councilor Clifton’s sickroom has caused a problem, so please go back and rest. This is an order as the temporary speaker.]

“…Very well.”

Mayer gave a wry smile at the deputy mayor’s words, who was nonchalantly asserting the authority of the temporary speaker that he had refused.

“After all, guiding District 19 was not the role of old councilors like us.”

[I’m glad you understand so quickly.]

The deputy mayor nodded coolly and gestured, and the soldiers who were guarding the hangar began to approach.

Gaizl, who was looking at Lapis with a complicated expression, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Mayer and I were only tasked with listening to Clifton’s last words and overseeing the transfer of authority.”

“What do you mean?”

Gaizl said, glancing at the deputy mayor.

“Deputy Mayor Weinstein is one of the most capable people in this city who quickly seized the core power of Vulcan. She knows more than we do.”

“You’re being unnecessarily roundabout. If you want to give a warning, do it clearly.”

Lenok frowned at Gaizl’s subtle words.

“You said you had traveled with the Heavenly Eye, Lapis. Is it possible that you weren’t given high authority in the council even with your experience working with an Ascended?”

“Knowing a lot isn’t always a good thing. You know that too.”

“……”

“Those who have delved deeply into the darkness of this city all end up like that.”

Lenok knew that Gaizl’s gesture pointing upwards was referring to Clifton, whom they had just left behind.

“Without proper qualifications, knowledge alone drives most people crazy. That’s why omniscience cannot precede omnipotence.”

“…You.”

“But Councilor Mayer’s words are not wrong either.”

Gaizl turned his gaze to Mayer.

“There is definitely value in attempting something even if you know it will fail. I just ran away.”

The moment Lenok hesitated at Gaizl’s answer, which felt somewhat familiar, Mayer grumbled.

“Don’t try to grandly package an old man’s ambition. I just want to be the mayor now.”

“Councilor. But…”

“I’m no different. I started with a grand cause, but now I sometimes forget why I’m even here.”

“……”

“Still, it’s not too late.”

A faint smile appeared on Mayer’s lips as he looked at Lapis, who was putting on a safety suit in the distance.

“Just once, at the most important moment. Isn’t that all we need to remember?”

“Hoo… I still don’t understand.”

Leaving Gaizl, who was sighing, behind, Mayer turned his gaze to Lenok.

“As promised, no matter what happens, we’ll just say that we were deceived because we didn’t properly see the succession process.”

Mayer’s eyes, looking at Lenok, changed calmly.

“Whatever happens after this, we don’t know each other. Understood?”

“You’re saying strange things.”

Lenok shook his head.

“We didn’t know each other from the beginning. Don’t pretend to be friendly now.”

“…You. You’re more interesting than I thought. I’ll give you my contact information, so if there’s a chance later-”

Mayer, who was about to hand over his business card, was guided by the soldiers who had approached and disappeared behind the hangar. Lenok immediately picked up a safety suit and stood in front of the spaceship.

Woo-oong!!

Along with the violent noise of the engine turning, the spaceship was now emitting fierce flames from the back of the rocket.

It was writhing as if it would burst out of the firmly closed hangar door at any moment.

[Lapis Palshier. Please come this way.]

The deputy mayor, who had changed into the same safety suit as Lapis, adjusted her iron mask and guided the group.

Kwaaaaah!!

As they entered the spaceship, they became one with the vibrations, and their whole bodies shook violently.

The noise that echoed in their ears was so loud that it pierced their eardrums and numbed their other senses.

The interior of the spaceship, which had looked huge, was surprisingly cramped.

Inside the small boarding area, which had neither a cockpit nor a control room, there were only ten seats facing each other.

The deputy mayor boarded the front seat first, and Lapis sat opposite her, holding Patisha in her arms.

The moment Lenok sat next to her, the door of the boarding area closed, and the spaceship shook violently.

Chik!

Click, click!!

Cushions popped out from between the seat, armrests, and backrests, wrapping around their entire bodies, and a solid frame was added on top of them.

The seats transformed into a form that enveloped and protected the entire body of the occupant, like a steel cocoon.

The deputy mayor, who was calmly entrusting herself to the process, said,

[It’s going to shake quite a bit, but it’ll be enough for a moment. You’ll get used to it soon.]

“Even with this much safety equipment?”

Lenok gave a wry smile at those words.

Why were there only this many seats in this huge spaceship, and why was there so much safety equipment on the seats?

It was because the state of District 19, which they were about to head to, was unbelievably dangerous.

“It’s as if you’re about to go into space right now.”

[It was originally made for that purpose.]

The deputy mayor affirmed.

[A long time ago, when we believed that we could travel in space, investment in this field was very active.]

“……”

[Do you know why the probe, which was originally made for space travel, is now being used to enter a closed area?]

The deputy mayor’s gaze was directed at Lenok, not Lapis. As if she knew that Lenok knew the answer.

Feeling Lapis turn to look at him, Lenok asked back.

“Are you trying to say that the environment of District 19 is similar to space?”

[No, no. You know that’s not it.]

However, the deputy mayor shook her head as if she didn’t like Lenok’s answer.

[It’s similar but different. I know there’s a more plausible expression, don’t I?]

“If you want an expression similar to space… could it be.”

The reason why Lenok was escorting Lapis to District 19. The reason why Lapis was trying to meet the Heavenly Eye in District 19.

The huge rift that existed in the place where the Heavenly Eye’s consciousness had faced Lenok.

At the point where the deputy mayor of the Vulcan City Government was directly inducing this explanation, the answer she wanted to hear was already determined.

Lenok, who had quickly found a faint connection between them, hardened his expression.

“Has the entire District 19 been transformed into an [Outer Sea Gate]?”

At that moment, the vibration of the spaceship stopped as if it were a lie.

A quiet silence descended below the boarding area, and the moment Patisha took a soft breath.

Kwawoooooooong!!!

With a tremendous roar, the hull of the spaceship accelerated forward as if it had been pushed forward.