Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 907

The Hearing (4)

Not long before Lenok’s appearance at the hearing.

A meeting was being held on one side of the Magic Tower’s staircase regarding a certain work Madam had done.

[It took a bit longer than I thought to adjust the Geas [a magical binding or oath]. But the effect will be certain, so please don’t worry.]

Madam said, pretending to wipe sweat from under her dark veil.

She pointed to a large piece of equipment placed next to her.

[With this equipment, evading the third rule of the Judgment Covenant [a magical agreement with specific rules] won’t be difficult.]

“…….”

[Why is everyone reacting like that?]

“No, I understand what you mean, but…”

Jenny said, unable to hide her discomfort.

“That equipment to evade the covenant. Did it really have to be this shape?”

Lenok didn’t point anything out either, but his silence served as agreement.

A wheeled chair made by layering several pieces of ink-black metal.

The design itself was simple and not awkward, but the purpose of the object was clear.

“I can’t imagine what kind of reaction we’ll get if an 8th-level Archmage attends a hearing in a wheelchair.”

Jenny said, frowning as if imagining a very difficult image.

However, Madam snorted coldly, as if it were absurd.

[You seem to be mistaken, but this is a piece of equipment that has always been effective throughout the long history of vampires.]

“No, but this is…”

[From what I’ve heard, Kyunroe has been suffering from injuries for a long time. Why is it a problem to use a walking aid for the safety of an injured person?]

“…….”

[If you understand, please sit here once. I need to check if the equipment is working properly.]

Madam’s words were firm.

As if this was absolutely necessary, she tapped the wheelchair she had placed next to her.

[Wasn’t the reason you sought my advice to get help with this kind of thing?]

“……Okay.”

Only then did Lenok unfold his arms and walk forward.

Lenok, who was holding a cane in one hand, took off his coat and glanced at Madam.

“Do I just need to sit down without any other preparation?”

[Yes. Of course, you’ll need someone to help you move around when you attend the hearing.]

Madam replied leisurely.

[I could add an automatic driving function, but it would be more effective if someone pulled you instead.]

“…….”

While Lenok moved as Madam requested, Madam began to adjust the wheelchair, moving around it.

[Okay. The height and seat length are about right. The equipment is working fine too… Now that I see it, your weight is quite low for your build?]

“You seem quite skilled at this kind of thing.”

When Lenok asked, seeing how skilled she was at adjusting the assistive device, Madam nodded lightly.

[I learned a bit of Kundara’s technology. Most of the residents there are used to handling this kind of equipment.]

“The long-lived species of the Outer City are used to handling assistive devices?”

[No, I mean the equipment for adjusting Geas.]

Madam shrugged.

[But what you said isn’t entirely wrong either. Now and then, Kundara’s interest has always been in deficiencies and defects.]

“…….”

Adjusting Geas. Deficiencies and defects.

As a vampire, Madam probably knew more about the Outer City than others.

But for now, it seemed that Madam had no intention of explaining it either.

[Okay. Finally, put the cane you’re carrying on your lap, and cover it with your coat like this…]

Madam stepped back and clapped with a satisfied look.

[A powerless mage, forced to appear by the Central Council’s tyranny, is complete.]

“…….”

“Hey, this…”

Jenny’s expression, who had been watching with a dubious look, changed slightly.

Jenny, who had been staring intently at Lenok sitting in the wheelchair, said in a reluctant voice.

“It suits you better than I thought?”

“…….”

Madam laughed loudly and puffed out her chest.

[My eyes don’t lie. Do you know how much I’ve invested in beauty while interacting with so many humans?]

“That’s true. I thought the intention was too obvious, but at this level, no one would suspect it.”

The two brokers, who had quickly reached an agreement, whispered about Lenok.

As if intoxicated by her own work, Madam said excitedly.

[This pale face and gaunt expression. Dry lips and tired eyes. Everything is aesthetically perfect.]

“I can see how different the vampire’s sense of beauty is from humans.”

[From here, just roughly sweep your hair up and then spray it to fix it-]

“Wow…”

While Jenny was unintentionally admiring, Madam pulled the wheelchair and took Lenok to the mirror in the hallway.

Only then could Lenok see how he looked now.

“…….”

Hollow eyes and a cold expression. As Madam said, faded lips and a dry face devoid of moisture.

Even after changing his face with transformation magic, the intense fatigue was still visible.

The aftereffects of not sleeping properly for days and circulating magic had not yet subsided.

Sitting in the wheelchair with his cane held at an angle, he looked like a patient who didn’t have much time left to live.

[I don’t see what’s wrong with making a sick person look sick.]

Madam shrugged nonchalantly.

Once she saw Lenok’s completed appearance, she seemed quite confident.

[If you don’t like it, I can change the Geas adjustment equipment to a different form right now. But I’ll need an incentive this time.]

“…….”

[What will you do?]

Since he had no intention of using Madam for free anyway, giving an incentive was not a problem.

The only question was whether the reason for attending the hearing in this state was sufficient for Lenok.

While Lenok was pondering, Jenny grabbed the handle of the wheelchair as if she had thought of something.

“I think we can use it like this too?”

Whirr.

Jenny slowly pushed the wheelchair, going up and down the ramp between the stairs.

She easily moved Lenok up and down the tower’s stairs.

As soon as Lenok saw the wheelchair moving more smoothly on the tower’s ramp than before, he nodded.

“Okay. I suddenly like it.”

“Right?”

Madam looked at Jenny and Lenok, who were smiling as if they knew it would be like this, with a puzzled look.

[……?]

* * *

Flash! Flash! Flash!

The moment Lenok, in his wheelchair, got out of the back of the sedan, camera flashes poured down.

There was no one who didn’t know that Lenok’s face wouldn’t be captured by the cameras, but no one gave up pressing the shutter.

Even if his face wasn’t visible, just his appearance. If his appearance couldn’t be captured, then even his shadow.

They thought it was enough if they could leave a record proving that Kyunroe had attended this place.

Amid the incessant shutter sounds, the reporters quickly exchanged whispers.

“He’s a truly extraordinary person. How did he think of coming to the hearing in that state?”

“I heard he was sick. He must have pushed himself quite a bit during the battle with Chunbun.”

“Maybe. Maybe he’s deliberately trying to emphasize that in front of the media.”

“Look at his face. Does that dying complexion look like he’s acting sick?”

“…….”

The moment they saw the young man’s face in the wheelchair, even the doubting reporters fell silent.

His appearance, leaning against the armrest with his eyes closed, seemed so faint that he might disappear at any moment.

His presence was so deeply submerged that it was hard to believe he was the mage with the most notorious reputation in this city.

Like a candle burning its last wick, some reporters quickly began writing notes instead of taking pictures.

Flash!

While receiving the camera flashes pouring from all directions with an expressionless face, Lenok raised his hand.

“Antares.”

“Yeah.”

The man who had swept back his hair grabbed the handle of the wheelchair behind Lenok and began to walk.

Click, click!

Antares’s unusual appearance, as much as Lenok’s, naturally drew the camera shutters towards him as well.

However, instead of ignoring the cameras like Lenok, Antares waved his hand with a relaxed smile.

His nonchalant reaction caused the sound of the reporters pressing their cameras to become even more intense.

Lenok, leaning back in his wheelchair and holding his cane, said.

“I know it’s been a while since you returned to the city, so I’m sorry to ask you to do this.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Antares smiled.

Even as he walked on the carpet through the crowd of hundreds, his voice was clear.

“It’s something I wanted to do. I’m sorry that this is all I can help with.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m refraining from interfering in the matter of changing the future of this city.”

Antares said, passing through the cameras at a pace that was neither fast nor slow.

“It would be troublesome if the cause and effect were unnecessarily twisted if I stepped in. That’s why I’ve been away from Balkan for a while.”

“That’s…”

“As I said before, it’s better for the future to change in a direction that no one knows.”

Lenok closed his mouth, and Antares shook his head leisurely.

“There’s a clear distinction between what can’t be changed and what can be changed.”

“Are you saying that the outcome of this hearing won’t have a big impact on the future’s changes?”

“Well, more than that… it’s because of you.”

Antares tapped the handle of the wheelchair.

“You’re someone who didn’t exist in the ending I saw. When I interfere with what you do, I don’t have to worry too much about the changes.”

“…….”

“No matter how it moves, the future will eventually follow the unknown. This time, I just want to watch that fact from the side.”

Antares said that, then stopped the wheelchair in front of the hearing hall entrance and turned it around.

The reporters, who had slowly followed Lenok, formed a circle and held out their microphones.

A short interview time given to the reporters before the hearing officially began.

“B, Ban-nim…!!”

One of the reporters mustered the courage to speak.

As if calling Lenok’s name itself felt very awkward, they hesitated.

“It’s an honor to meet the great, great Archmage.”

“…….”

However, he did not lose courage until the end and brought the microphone closer, boldly asking a question.

“Could you tell us why you decided to attend the hearing today?”

Lenok slightly opened his eyes, and Antares shrugged as if to say, ‘Do as you please.’

In front of the hearing hall, the sound of the shutters disappeared, and the plaza in front became quiet to hear his voice.

Lenok, who had been silently looking at the reporters, raised his magic power and opened his mouth.

[As I was watching quietly.]

Whoosh!

At the same time as Lenok opened his mouth, a magnificent transmission exploded from his mouth.

Not a voice, but a Six Harmonies Transmission [a magical technique to project one’s voice], that processes magic power into the form of a voice.

The extreme of the art of conveying one’s will to reality, where physical laws exist, solely through thought.

[Recently, useless rumors and ghost stories have been circulating around me.]

“……!!!”

The moment the reporters’ faces turned pale at Lenok’s answer, which mimicked Oliviera and suppressed the recording devices in this place.

Lenok said leisurely.

[I ignored it because I wasn’t interested, but it became too exaggerated without knowing the limit.]

“Th, that’s…”

[So, I would like to take this opportunity to clear up the misunderstandings.]

Lenok smiled, facing the reporters who were cowering at the spine-chilling sensation.

[I hope that’s a sufficient answer.]

“…….”

All the reporters gathered here reacted as if they didn’t understand his words at all.

But soon, the reporters, regaining their senses, quickly began to ask other questions.

Now that they knew Lenok would answer their questions, they wanted to get even a small news item from this opportunity.

If they could hear Kyunroe’s private life or true feelings, which he rarely revealed, it would be a huge opportunity.

“I heard you don’t usually use a wheelchair, is there a reason why you came to the hearing in one?”

“Is it because you pushed yourself too hard in the battle with Chunbun…!!”

“There have been huge amounts of bets placed on this situation in various places, what do you think about this!”

“Regarding the destruction that has been carried out mainly in District 49, how do you plan to take responsibility…”

Keeing!

At that moment, the reporters’ voices, which had been getting rough from all directions, suddenly stopped.

Even though they were speaking, there was a strange sense of incongruity as if the sound was not reaching their ears.

Someone who had walked out from inside the suddenly quiet hearing hall stood next to Lenok.

A woman with a fancy appearance in a suit said in a blunt voice, with her hands behind her back.

“It’s time. The interview will end here.”

“~~!!”

The reporters opened their mouths as if protesting, trying to say something, but the sound did not reach here.

The woman neatly ignored the reporters and nodded lightly towards Lenok.

“You’ve been waiting a long time. Let’s go right in.”

“You’ve created a vacuum area to block the sound.”

Lenok ignored her words and muttered, resting his chin on his hand.

“Looking at the very regular magic power array, it must be the Tower’s magic that is refined while being passed down. Which side is it?”

“I am Avenia Stenson, one of the Seven Blades of the Valefor Magic Tower.”

The woman who introduced herself as Avenia bowed politely.

“I have formed an alliance with the Balkan Central Council and am helping with the Council’s work for the time being.”

“Helping with the Council’s work…”

Lenok said that and stared at Avenia.

Even though he was just sitting in his wheelchair and casting his gaze, Avenia’s body flinched for a moment.

Lenok’s eyes narrowed, not missing that sight.

“You saw it. Didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Avenia admitted.

“I was invited as an advisor for the duel between Ban-nim and Chunbun. Since then, I’ve been staying in this city.”

“…….”

I had heard that the mages of the Tower had begun to stay in Balkan one by one and start research after this incident.

But there were already high-ranking mages who had formed alliances with the City Council and were actively working.

Avenia, who quickly regained her composure, spoke again.

“Now that Ban-nim has arrived, the hearing will begin soon. Please, this way… and Antares.”

While guiding Lenok towards the entrance of the hearing hall, Avenia gestured towards Antares.

Antares smiled transparently.

“Stenson. It’s been a while.”

“…Refrain from using precognition inside the hall. I’ve also warned the innate ability users who are attending the hearing.”

“Don’t worry.”

Antares replied leisurely to Avenia’s sharp words.

“I didn’t come here today to read any ominous signs.”

“We’ll have to see about that.”

Avenia, with a twitch of her lips, turned her back and started walking first.

Lenok asked with a surprised look.

“Do you know each other?”

“From before. We worked together a few times.”

Antares said, slowly pushing the wheelchair into the hearing hall.

“The mages of the Valefor Magic Tower are very extreme practical types. If they can’t fight, they won’t even send them out for external activities.”

“…….”

“They are basically skilled in advanced combat techniques, so it’s easy to work with them, but that means there are many friends with bad personalities.”

“Bad personalities…”

If Antares, who had gone through thick and thin in the mercenary industry, said that, one could guess the level of the Valefor Magic Tower’s reputation.

“Most of the towers would have a stronger identity as research institutions, so it’s unusual.”

“More than that, I felt it when I saw how she was treating you earlier…”

Antares grinned and said in a quiet voice that Avenia couldn’t hear.

“It seems that Avenia respects you?”

“…What?”

“Perhaps because they are practical types, the Valefor Magic Tower really likes people who are good at fighting.”

“…….”

“She must have been strongly impressed by what you’ve done recently.”

While Lenok was silent at the absurd words, Avenia, who was walking ahead in the hallway of the hearing hall, stopped.

Because a middle-aged man with thick blond hair was standing in front of the huge door leading to the hearing hall.

A heavy and dull sense of pressure could be felt at a glance from his face.

The navy blue badge on his sleeve indicated that he was a member of the Central Council’s Upper House.

He leaned against the door and was silent as if deeply contemplating something, then straightened up as he saw Lenok approaching from afar.

“Ah, you’re not late.”

“Councilor Haven.”

Conrad Haven.

A powerful figure with considerable influence in the Central Council’s Upper House, and a power broker who occasionally intervened in major events within Balkan.

He had met him once as Evan at the expo, and once as Ban when dealing with Reisen Azamaha.

Conrad scratched his head at Lenok’s indifferent reply and said.

“I heard there was a minor commotion outside the hearing hall. So I wanted to check before starting…”

The Councilor’s expression, who was saying that, scanned the haggard Lenok sitting in the wheelchair and changed to a reluctant one.

“…It doesn’t seem like there’s a need for that. Well, if your condition is that bad, others will understand at a glance.”

“Why are you out here?”

What was the reason why Haven was out here, leaving all the other city councilors attending this hearing behind?

Considering the sensitive public opinion, the act of secretly coming out to meet Lenok before the hearing itself could act as a risk.

Was there a reason why Conrad had to meet Lenok in advance, even at that risk?

“I owed you a debt for the Reisen Azamaha incident before.”

Conrad lowered his voice slightly and gestured towards Antares with his eyes.

It was probably because he was reluctant to openly talk about the fact that former Councilor Reisen had combined with the Myeolmok [a parasitic entity] and become a deformed being.

Perhaps they had achieved results in the joint research to weaponize parts of Reisen’s body that had been consumed by the Myeolmok.

“Thanks to your advice, we’ve been able to see meaningful results since then. As a reward, I’d like to give you a warning before the hearing starts.”

“Briefly.”

When Lenok nodded, Conrad immediately opened his mouth.

“A hearing held against a high-level transcendent is not a simple ceremonial event.”

Conrad’s eyes darkened for a moment.

“For the safety of the attendees and the stable progress of the hearing, restraint and restrictions are indispensable. But you can’t impose restrictions without any compensation.”

“Are you saying that compensation is needed for the Judgment Covenant to be established?”

“…Did you already know about the Judgment Covenant? Well, if you’re an Archmage, it might not have been difficult to obtain information in advance-”

“One minute left. The door will open soon.”

At Antares’s words, which sounded certain, Conrad cleared his throat and said.

“Anyway, in order to compensate for the Judgment Covenant, one person each from the city government, the council of elders, and the judiciary must step forward to enforce the establishment of the covenant. And the members must be the superiors of all the parties involved in this matter.”

“Superiors…”

Lenok’s eyes changed slightly as he understood the meaning of those words.

It was easy to be mistaken because of the battle between Kyunroe and Chunbun, but the fundamental cause of this incident was the wanted order that started in District 19.

The reason for the wanted order was that Amy Weinstein, the Deputy Mayor of the Balkan City Government, had fallen into a coma.

And, at this point, if someone higher than Deputy Mayor Weinstein had to step forward to enforce the establishment of the Judgment Covenant-

“You seem to have already understood what I mean.”

Conrad, realizing that Lenok had noticed, omitted all other introductions and nodded.

“This hearing. There’s a possibility that the Mayor of Balkan himself might be attending.”