Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 889

“If there had been a way to leave the tower, I wouldn’t have used such a cumbersome method.”

A cold voice echoed from the hallway above the staircase.

“She’s still in the tower. Let’s start by calling only the personnel who have had direct conversations with the Lighthouse Keeper.”

“……”

District 49, the Adamantine Magic Tower. The item division located on the 8th floor staircase above ground.

Lapis was hiding under a cart piled with items, listening to Jenny’s voice.

It took less than three minutes to restore the power to the Magic Tower’s internal facilities and organize a search party.

Such a quick and agile response, enough to nullify the gap Lapis had painstakingly created over several days with just a brief commotion.

However, even knowing this would happen, Lapis had to start her escape in front of Jenny.

The brief window of opportunity created by the power outage in the tower’s facilities.

It was virtually impossible for Lapis to gain freedom with just that one moment.

Given Lapis’s situation, where she was always under surveillance, there was no way to shake off the encirclement.

Therefore, Lapis had planned to create an opportunity by choosing her own watchers.

Jennysia, who was in charge of the tower’s management, was not particularly gifted in terms of magical aptitude and talent, despite her abilities.

If she could escape in a one-on-one situation with Jenny, she could temporarily be free from the tower’s surveillance.

‘Don’t move. If I move…’

Lapis, with her unique perception ability, was extremely sensitive to the gaze and senses of others.

She was aware of the moments when the pursuers’ gazes landed on her and had been focusing on concealing her presence, so she hadn’t been discovered yet.

But that wouldn’t last long.

Clunk!

Someone grabbed the cart Lapis was hiding behind and abruptly started moving it deeper into the branch.

Going into the branch would make it easier to avoid the pursuers’ gazes, but it would make it impossible to get out of the hallway.

However, Lapis was still crouching inside the cart, knowing this fact.

Thud, thud.

Someone who had moved the cart into the branch and closed the door was walking back this way.

They reached into the cart, as if looking for something they needed, and started rummaging around.

“……”

She closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for an opportunity.

She hadn’t been discovered yet. If she used her ability to subdue them before others noticed-

Thump.

The cover that had been hiding her head was removed, and just as Lapis was about to draw on her magic power.

“Lapis?”

A woman with an exotic appearance was looking at Lapis in surprise.

A face she had never seen before. But Lapis immediately recognized the voice and asked in a flustered tone.

“Evelyn…?”

“Why are you so surprised? Oh, is it because of this?”

Squeak!

Evelyn, who had casually touched her face and removed her mask, smiled awkwardly.

“I’m not as good as that guy, but I’m also quite skilled in disguise. Pretty natural, right?”

“You surprised me…!”

As Lapis sighed in relief, Evelyn put her hands on her hips, looking exasperated.

“You were the one who started without saying anything. Do you know how quickly I had to come to match the timing?”

“……I couldn’t know exactly when I would be able to have a one-on-one with Jennysia.”

Lapis replied, standing up from inside the cart.

“I thought it couldn’t be helped if you couldn’t help me.”

“Hmm… Honestly, I still don’t know if starting the plan in front of Jenny was the right choice.”

Evelyn said with a disgruntled look.

“She’s very sensitive and has a good intuition. In the worst case, she might catch you even after you escape from Vulcan.”

“I know.”

Lapis nodded.

“The power supply circuit of the Magic Tower facilities that Evelyn told me about. It was restored in less than a minute after it stopped.”

“She probably knows more about the tower’s internal facility management than the tower lord. She has a reputation for being good at her job.”

Evelyn said, immediately taking out a long box.

“Okay, let’s go inside to pack you up.”

“……I’m not sure if this method is right either.”

Lapis looked up at Evelyn with a disgruntled expression as she slowly sat down inside the box.

“You’re planning to transport me out of the tower disguised as cargo… Is this really a solid plan?”

“It’s definitely solid in terms of getting you out of the Magic Tower.”

Sizzle!

Evelyn said as she started sticking packing tape on the box.

“With all the entrances to the tower closed, they’ll be most wary of you trying to escape through a door or passage.”

“That’s…”

“So, we’re going to exploit a blind spot and escape by breaking through the outer wall of the Magic Tower.”

“……”

“The place to aim for is the 13th floor research wing, where the barrier strength is relatively weak. It’s an area where the barrier is intentionally weakened for spell research.”

Evelyn said, pointing to the Magic Tower floor guide on the wall of the branch.

“However, to do that, we need to temporarily neutralize the tower’s domain, which is a very difficult task… It will be very difficult even with your cooperation.”

“So, even for Evelyn, it’s a burden to clash with that mage’s domain.”

Evelyn nodded with a serious expression at Lapis’s surprised question.

“Extremely.”

“……”

Evelyn Marcia was an archer who had reached level 8, transcending the hierarchy [a level beyond the normal power structure].

Yet, neutralizing the domain of a great mage, not even the mage himself, was such a daunting task.

“Originally, it would be absolutely impossible for me alone. It’s only possible because of a combination of many different circumstances…”

Evelyn’s face looked very strange even as she said that herself.

Sizzle!

“As I said, all I can do is get you out of the tower. Getting to the fortress is entirely up to your will.”

Evelyn, who had firmly wrapped the box with tape, asked.

“If you understand, let’s start right away. Are you ready?”

“Evelyn.”

Lapis replied quietly.

“I don’t have much time left.”

“……”

“Considering the situation and conditions, the opportunity to attempt the ritual is only once… Evan probably knows that too.”

How long would the consciousness of the Heavenly Gaze, existing on the boundary of the world, wait for Lapis?

In the first place, could the residual thoughts of the Heavenly Gaze eternally replace the role of the lighthouse beyond the boundary?

If that were the case, the Heavenly Gaze wouldn’t have needed to challenge ascension and could have simply taken on the role of observing the outer sea forever.

The fact that Lapis found the Heavenly Gaze’s thoughts on the boundary of the world.

The fact that the Heavenly Gaze was waiting for Lapis beyond the boundary.

What if they were all coincidental miracles that were close to fleeting moments?

Wasn’t that why Lenok and Lapis had come to Vulcan so urgently, understanding that fact?

“Now, we have no choice but to assume that we will meet each other on time and act accordingly. And I…”

Lapis nodded and moved her feet.

“If Evan hasn’t given up, I believe we will definitely reach him.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Evelyn, who had taped the box shut, put on her mask for disguise again and left the room.

“Let’s go.”

Click!

Evelyn started walking, pulling the cart with the box containing Lapis.

A pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, blending naturally into the crowd.

Even Lapis, who was sensing the gazes around her, was unconsciously impressed by the perfect assimilation.

“Wait a minute, where are you going? Can I check what’s inside?”

However, even amidst all this, there were mercenaries who noticed Evelyn and spoke to her.

But Evelyn didn’t panic and handed the circulation slip she was holding to the other party.

“This is a delivery notice from the materials department. We plan to deliver documents with security designations to the 13th floor laboratory. If you need to confirm, please have the person in charge sign it.”

“Sign? What kind of document requires a signature from the person who checks it?”

One of the mercenaries frowned after checking the name written on the circulation slip.

“Hey, this is…”

“What is it?”

The mercenaries, who were affiliated with the office but not well-acquainted with Lenok, looked disgruntled after seeing the circulation slip.

“It says it’s a letter that Professor Bailon sent directly to the tower lord.”

“Is it okay to open this here?”

At that moment, a woman with her dark blue hair tied up appeared.

Mila, who was chewing gum and patrolling the hallway, looked this way with a glint in her eyes.

“Greg, what’s going on?”

“Mila, they said I need a signature to check the contents of this…”

“Bring it here.”

Mila frowned and snatched the circulation slip, writing her name on it.

Mila, who had tossed the circulation slip into Evelyn’s arms, nodded towards the sealed box.

“Okay? Open it.”

“……It’s supposed to be a letter to Ban, is it okay for us to open it?”

“Catching that blue-haired brat again is the priority.”

Mila replied nonchalantly.

“We don’t have to look at the contents.”

“……”

“He’d hate it the most if we let it slip by carelessly. If he gets angry later, we can just bow our heads and apologize. Open it.”

As Evelyn reluctantly tore off the tape, Mila ripped open the box.

Mila’s forehead was dripping with cold sweat at the sight of the piles of paper.

“Shit. It was real?”

“Damn it, close it quickly!!”

“No, we have to check the inside too!”

Mila rummaged through the box, confirmed that there was nothing wrong, and stood up with a disgruntled expression.

“It’s not there…?”

“……”

Mila, who had been glancing at Evelyn, cleared her throat and stepped back slightly.

“S-sorry. Please continue with your work.”

“I will.”

“Could you possibly keep this a secret from Ban…”

“Excuse me.”

Evelyn ignored Mila, who was quietly trying to persuade her, and started turning the corner of the staircase with the cart.

As she circled the staircase, which was made up of a circular hallway, and passed in front of the room where she had first come out, Evelyn naturally switched the box with the second box that was placed behind the door and loaded it onto the cart.

Whoosh!

Lapis, who had been hiding in the box behind the branch door from the beginning, sent a message of admiration.

[The expert’s ideas are different from the start. Is it ‘the slower you go, the faster you get there’?]

“I’m not an expert? I was actually the one who was in charge of catching guys who pulled these kinds of tricks.”

Evelyn grumbled in a small voice.

“It’s just that I learned the know-how from dealing with them so much.”

[Considering that, it didn’t look like you’ve only done it once or twice…]

“I have to do it a few more times, so get ready. It’s not a fixed number, I have to adjust it while watching the surroundings.”

[That’s a detail that can only be learned in practice.]

Evelyn ignored Lapis’s words and started climbing the stairs quickly using a similar method.

There were several more inspections after that, but Evelyn was surprisingly quick-witted in hiding Lapis.

As a natural archer, her ability to sense danger was probably superior to any other type of superhuman.

“Hoo… I’m getting a little nervous because I can’t make a mistake.”

If she failed to switch even once, she would expose the hidden Lapis to the mercenaries.

‘This way.’

Clunk!

They arrived at the 13th floor of the Magic Tower. The hallway where the laboratories were located, and the boxes piled up like mountains in front of the hallway doors.

In front of the closed 13th floor entrance of the tower, Evelyn took a light breath.

“Okay, then…”

“Oh, right. Stop that person for a moment.”

At that moment, Evelyn’s expression slightly hardened at the voice that came from behind her.

Jenny, who was talking on her cell phone while pointing directly at Evelyn, appeared.

At Jenny’s gesture, Manson and Belver, who were standing next to her, immediately stood on either side of Evelyn.

“Okay, I’ll ask them to handle the insurance processing for the business division in District 47 that Sebastian warned about.”

Click.

“You’re not one of our people, are you?”

Jenny, who had finished the call in an instant, asked, looking at Evelyn’s back.

“I narrowed down the candidates by selecting only those who passed the inspection, and you were the one who followed the manual most perfectly.”

“……”

“But that’s not enough. From the beginning, I was keeping an eye on people who didn’t make any mistakes at all.”

Jenny gave a cold smile as she looked at Evelyn, who didn’t answer.

“If the Lighthouse Keeper tried to escape in front of me, I thought it was definitely because there was a very skilled collaborator.”

At that moment, Lapis understood why Evelyn had judged Jenny to be a sensitive and intuitive person.

It was a conclusion that could not be reached without blindly trusting one’s own intuition and judgment, even though it was far from a rational deduction.

But Jenny had proven that her judgment was correct, right in front of Evelyn Marcia.

“She must be a very skilled thief or assassin? There’s nothing distinctive about her presence or gait. It’s actually scary because she’s too ordinary.”

“……”

“If she were alone, she would have the skills to even fake a mistake to avoid my eyes. The reason she couldn’t was because she had to safely get Lapis Palcier out, right?”

Jenny said, slowly distancing herself from Evelyn.

A thorough response that completely blocked even the slightest possibility of a variable.

“She faked a mistake to avoid suspicion, because if she got caught, it would be the end.”

“……Heh heh.”

At that moment, Evelyn gave a wry smile as if she couldn’t hold back any longer.

She put her hands on her hips, turned to look at Manson and Belver, who were slowly approaching, and shook her head.

“Is this how it feels.”

“……What?”

Crack!

At that moment, the hundreds of boxes piled up behind Evelyn swelled up.

A change in air pressure that started without any warning.

Although no one realized that it was an expansion artificially created by pressing down on the air pressure with thought, everyone knew what was about to happen.

“Manson, grab her!!”

Jenny shouted quickly and took out a self-defense artifact from her pocket.

“She’s trying to block our vision. She’s going to do something!!”

The moment Manson and Wayan, followed by other mercenaries, rushed towards the pile of boxes.

Boom!!!

“……!!”

The boxes exploded, scattering their contents everywhere and completely obscuring the view near the 13th floor hallway.

“Lapis.”

Whoosh!

Such a quick and agile stealth movement that it was difficult to accurately perceive the speed even when seen through Lapis’s eyes.

Evelyn, who had instantly grabbed Lapis’s waist and stood in front of the outer wall at the edge of the hallway, whispered.

“Jump.”