Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 921

Though it was nearing midnight, past dinner, the tower was still bustling with people.

While the energy seemed lower than during the day, the value of the transactions taking place was even higher.

Dangerous deals that couldn’t be publicly disclosed were happening secretly all over the tower.

The mercenaries guarding the tower were also turning a blind eye, unlike during the day.

“If we set a time for tacitly allowing black market deals, we can attract merchants who don’t want to go through the Magic Tower,” Jenny, standing next to Lenok, said.

“If they want to trade under your protection within the tower’s jurisdiction, there’s no reason for them to hesitate. Ultimately, the market will grow,” she added.

While they couldn’t allow transactions related to human trafficking, Jenny shrugged.

“So, are we leaving now? There’s still a bit of time left.”

“I never intended to leave right on time,” Lenok replied, looking out the office window at the tower.

“According to the necromancer, we need to check what’s happening before the meeting.”

“Then-”

“I’m just waiting.”

“…….”

Lenok closed his eyes.

“They’ll know too.”

Yes, if he was still in this city, there was no way he wouldn’t know.

Perhaps that was why he had finished his manifestation in this city.

If there was anything to say before night fell and everything began, now was the only time.

The moment Lenok thought that and touched his staff,

Dylan knocked on the office door.

“Sir, we have a visitor.”

“……At this hour?”

Jenny frowned but opened the door, then immediately fell silent.

A platinum-blonde woman of indeterminate age.

A mage with a calm expression, her shoulders covered by an antique robe, stood before the office.

“Clarice Richelieu…….”

“Kyonroe. May I have a word with you?”

Even though Lenok didn’t answer, Clarice spoke calmly.

“There’s something I want to say before the meeting starts.”

“……Come in.”

Jenny and Dylan naturally moved aside, leaving only the two of them in the spacious office.

Clarice, sitting across from Lenok, smiled and said,

“It’s been a while.”

“When did you come to Vulcan?”

“Just before your thousand battles began? I barely made it in time.”

“…….”

Clarice was also one of the high-ranking mages the city council had called in to consult on the battle at the time.

He had heard that several mages had stayed in Vulcan since then, but he didn’t expect her to still be here.

“It’s not often that you get to witness a battle where blessed mages give their all. Even for me, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a spell battle of that caliber,” Clarice added naturally.

“Did you know that there’s been an increase in attempts to learn martial arts among other mages? There are rumors that related studios are very popular in Vulcan…….”

Lenok pondered as he listened to Clarice explain the rumors and circumstances circulating among the mages of the Magic Tower.

He had an idea why Clarice had come.

However, given the timing of her visit, there was a possibility that the person Lenok was waiting for wouldn’t show up-

At that moment, Clarice tilted her head slightly and asked,

“Were you perhaps waiting for someone else, not me?”

“…….”

“Oh, I didn’t read your mind. It’s just that beings like me are very sensitive to those kinds of feelings.”

Clarice said quietly.

“Waiting for something is something we’re all too familiar with.”

“……Enough, just get to the point,” Lenok asked, pressing his temples with a tired expression.

“Did you come because of Oliviera?”

“Yes. As you might have guessed.”

Clarice adjusted her clothes and bowed slightly.

“I consulted her about the Kundara matter I asked you about earlier, and even though I didn’t mention your name, she seemed to have figured it out.”

“…….”

“It wasn’t my intention, but it seems I’ve made things worse.”

“You were acquainted with Oliviera Ron Maze.”

“She was a genius who wandered through all sorts of magic towers a long time ago. You may not know, but she’s quite famous in our circles,” Clarice admitted.

“A maverick who wasn’t satisfied with her own magic and wandered in search of a twisted utopia… Many people dislike her for her pride and arrogance, but I like her.”

“Is that because you’re not human but a long-lived species?”

“Well, rather than that… I should say it’s because she has something I don’t have.”

Clarice smiled.

“So, I tried to take her as my disciple when she was just blossoming with talent. But she refused, so it was all for naught.”

“…….”

Was it possible that the arrogant witch could have been a classmate of Aris?

“Anyway, you don’t have to fulfill whatever request she made,” Clarice explained, belatedly returning to the main topic.

“She’s talented but also very demanding. She’ll definitely ask for something in return for lending her abilities.”

“I know.”

“There’s a way to twist the orbital period without her help, so I came to give you a definite answer on that matter.”

A faint smile formed on Clarice’s lips as she looked at Lenok’s expressionless face.

“I don’t want to do anything bad to someone Aris cares about.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry to Oliviera, but I care more about my disciple.”

Well, would things really go as smoothly as Clarice said?

She said there was another way, but the fact that she consulted Oliviera in the first place was proof that things wouldn’t be easy.

That was probably because adjusting Kundara’s orbital period required an ability to manipulate causality at least on par with the Seven-Colored Treasure Eye.

In any case, he understood that entering the Outer City was a difficult task.

Lenok came to that conclusion and stood up from his chair.

Clank!

He tapped his staff and checked the feel of the gun hanging inside his coat.

He took out a new cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a long drag as he began to walk.

Clarice, having heard about what was happening in the city, nodded without surprise.

“It’s already time. I should leave now if I don’t want to interfere with the meeting…….”

“There’s one last thing I want to ask,” Lenok said, interrupting Clarice, glancing back at her from the office door.

“The name Anathema. Do you know it?”

“Anathema…….”

For a moment, Clarice’s face was tinged with faint surprise, then changed into a gentle smile.

“A nostalgic name.”

“…….”

“Pitiful traitors and foolish exiles,” Clarice said, closing her eyes slightly.

“The thoughts that those with that name emit are much closer to those of a long-lived species than a human.”

“…….”

“Please avoid confronting their minds directly.”

Did Lenok’s one question make her realize why he was asking about that name and what he was trying to do?

Lenok, who was about to ask her about it, realized that he wouldn’t get any more answers from the silent Clarice and turned away.

Oliviera had said that there was something Clarice couldn’t say due to the laws of the long-lived species.

Perhaps the matter of Anathema was also-

Clank!!

Jenny and Dylan were waiting outside the office door.

After a brief nod, he tapped his staff and immediately began to draw up his magic power.

Whoosh!!

With a hallucination that made his vision seem to flip entirely, Lenok’s body landed on the roof of the Magic Tower.

At the same time as he focused his mind, the tower’s power source and Lenok’s source magic resonated.

The tower, imbued with lightning attributes, and the caster’s magic power resonated, rapidly expanding the range and creating distance.

Crackle, crackle……!!

Lenok closed his eyes lightly, and the sense of distance he could perceive expanded wildly.

The sensation, which had instantly spread beyond District 49, reached beyond the undeveloped area, surpassing kilometers.

Lenok, confirming that the direction of the sensation was near the satellite city of Etanok, the agreed meeting place, immediately sent out his mental command.

Krrrrrr!!!

With a powerful lightning strike that landed on the roof of the Magic Tower, Lenok’s figure disappeared from the spot.

* * *

Satellite City Etanok.

It was an unfamiliar name among the various satellite cities located on the outskirts of Vulcan, but this wasn’t Lenok’s first experience with such a place.

The mid-term settlement of Pandemonium, a schedule where all the members gathered, had taken place in the satellite city of Bairutz.

Just like Bairutz, Etanok was probably a ruined city that had been abandoned after investment was halted during the expansion development plan.

Lenok thought so as he tried to find his way to the satellite city, but-

Splash!!

“There was such an environment in the undeveloped area.”

Unlike the other rough and acrid deserts of the undeveloped area, the sand was soft, finely ground, and pure white.

The transparent crystals scattered among it reflected the moonlight of the night sky, shining beautifully.

But what caught Lenok’s attention more than anything was-

Clatter!!

“…….”

Lenok fell silent as he stared at the skull fragments rolling at his feet.

The remains, which instantly reversed the atmosphere of this seemingly beautiful white sand desert.

And not just one, but a whole pile of remains buried all over this vast desert.

This was a strange city filled with traces of human death, completely contrasting with his memories of Bairutz.

This was why the necromancer had volunteered to announce the meeting place.

Perhaps the raw material for this white sand wasn’t bedrock but human…….

Grrrrr…….

At that moment, a strong killing intent was felt from the other side of the desert.

Bright yellow eyes. A one-eyed wolf with withered fur all over its body. It was drooling as it approached, as if it had just discovered Lenok while rummaging through the piles of bones.

Was it a beast that roamed this area?

Lenok thought so and was about to pull out his revolver for the first time in a while when-

A foot the size of a house came down on the one-eyed wolf’s head, crushing the beast.

Kwaaang!!

The impact flipped the nearby white sand, vaguely revealing the skulls and remains piled up beneath the sand.

Even in the sandstorm that rose and poured like a wave, Lenok, who wasn’t even touched by a speck of dust, raised his head.

[Pooo!!]

A rhinoceros the size of a house, covered in thick iron armor all over its body.

It was so huge that it was hard to believe that such a beast was standing in the middle of the desert.

If there was anything unusual, it was that the horn on its head was as large as its body.

Two horns, which were originally one on each head, were on one beast’s body.

The two-headed rhinoceros looked at Lenok and let out a fierce roar.

[Ooooooo!!]

The roar alone created a storm all around, unleashing a shockwave mixed with mental energy.

A monster that projected tangible and intangible power by mixing magic power and mental energy with movements close to instinct.

It was only then that Lenok realized that this two-headed monster was not an ordinary beast but a magical creature.

At that moment, someone’s voice was heard from the top of the giant beast’s head.

“Oh my, who would have thought someone would be lost in this desert…….”

The figure of a baby with an unusually large body.

The baby, with a child’s body but an old man’s voice, was looking down at Lenok.

“It’s our proud tower lord of Vulcan.”

“…….”

Instead of responding to the words, Lenok silently stared at the magical beast the baby was riding on.

Its eyes were bloodshot, and it was breathing roughly.

It was trembling as if it was about to rush at Lenok at any moment, but it was firmly stopped as if bound by an invisible restraint.

The art of forcing a magical beast into an excited state and making it rampage, while perfectly controlling its movements.

Lenok’s eyes narrowed as he realized that the magic power that formed the basis of that technique was of a very familiar system.

“A black mage.”

“I suppose so for now. But…….”

The black mage, who readily agreed, checked Lenok standing alone in the desert and gave a strange smile.

“The great mage who wields the fastest and most powerful lightning in this city seems to have failed to prepare a means to move his own body.”

“…….”

“I don’t mind, but at this rate, it will take too long to get to the satellite city, won’t it?”

The black mage, who burst into a hearty laugh without waiting for Lenok’s answer, said,

“Well, that’s just your ability. It’s not a flaw that a caster’s talent and aptitude are focused on only one area.”

“…….”

“Well then, I’ll be going first.”

Thump!!

Without stopping his steps, he lightly glanced at Lenok and walked ahead.

Under the dim moonlight, he didn’t bother to hide his figure, coloring the white sand desert as he headed towards the satellite city.

“…….”

Lenok, left behind, pondered as he stared at the back of the magical beast.

[Master, are you just going to let that arrogant organism go?] Davi peeked out from inside his pocket, looking slightly heated.

[He’s implying that Master is just an ignorant organism who’s only good at fighting!]

“Isn’t that provocation you’re doing to me right now?”

[Bbrrr]

Lenok, stretching Davi’s mouth, shook his head.

“There’s no need to clash before the meeting. It’s a waste of time.”

[But…….]

Even though the other party said that, they probably didn’t intend to make a decision with Lenok at this place.

It was a pointless battle of pride before the meeting.

That was why Lenok had no intention of wasting time fighting the black mage right now, but-

Lenok, stroking Davi’s head, smiled and nodded.

“But, there’s no need to tolerate such low-level provocation either.”

[That’s right, isn’t it?]

Lenok, holding Davi, who had become cheerful, planted his staff on the ground and began to form hand seals.

With each completed incantation, a dazzling lightning magic circle was drawn around the staff planted in the ground.

Crack, crackle, crackle!!!!

From the magic circle that was completed in an instant, the afterimages of fierce lightning overflowed.

After reaching the peak of one attribute magic power, there was no need to adhere to the category of the system.

The mental energy that had surpassed its limits influenced other systems beyond the defined categories of magic.

What Lenok was about to do now was also a concept that referred to the means he would obtain in that sense.

He brought the overflowing magic power towards the staff where lightning was striking.

“Summoning magic.”

Fzzzzzzzzzz!!!

The lightning, which was striking down, vibrated so violently that it seemed to tear through space, soaring into the night sky.

* * *

Goohhh!!

On top of the magical beast’s head, covered in jewels, the black mage in the form of a giant baby was watching the satellite city.

Chzzzt!!

[Tillian. It’s time.]

At the same time as a subtle noise, a low voice echoed in his ear.

[Close the siege barrier and complete the Bagua Formation. Hurry.]

“Akto.”

A low reply flowed from the baby’s mouth, who was called Tillian.

“I met Kyonroe on the way.”

The man called Akto’s words stopped for a moment.

[……So?]

“He was walking alone in the desert.”

A mocking smile formed on the baby’s lips.

“He doesn’t seem to have heard anything about the Bagua. There’s no need to be as wary as Cheoknoe said-”

Flash!!

At that moment, a powerful lightning flash swept across the dark desert night sky.

It was such a powerful light that even the magical beast, which was snorting and pawing the ground, was startled and raised its gaze.

Immediately after, a huge pillar of lightning struck down from the sky and began to split in two.

Crack, crackle, crackle!!!

The flashing lightning pillars split, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into the shape of wings.

A thunderbird, several times larger than the magical beast Tillian was riding, appeared from the other side of the night sky.

Fzzzzzzzzzz!!

The form of a bizarre bird, its entire body made up of intense lightning and thunder, was flashing.

As electricity crackled instead of feathers between its two wide-spread wings, it let out a strange cry.

The moment he realized that someone was riding on the back of the thunderbird, holding a staff,

Lenok and the black mage’s eyes met once again.

“…….”

The black mage, riding on the back of the magical beast, looked up at the thunderbird flying in the sky.

The eye level was now reversed from before, and the black mage, realizing the blatant intention, narrowed his eyes.

[Pooo!!]

The magical beast roared fiercely and rolled on the ground, but the thunderbird only flew around, mocking the magical beast, and unleashed lightning.

Lenok, with his back to the flashing lightning, looked down at the black mage and chuckled.

“I hope you won’t be late either.”

The thunderbird, which had soared into the sky as if showing off over the head of the roaring magical beast, reached the sky above the satellite city of Etanok in an instant.