Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 941

The memories of Oshto Duris, an 8th-level extreme ability user.

The burning of the Guido Order’s headquarters, where he met the previous Saintess to save his son.

Even the Order’s head, who directly manifested his will as proof of the contract at the end of a deal that transcended human morality.

Lenok understood that all of this happened in a moment, almost instantaneously, within the sanctuary created by Ureka Naidri.

[You have a look that suggests you have many questions…]

The head of the Order, who had manifested his will from beyond the veil, nodded towards Lenok, who remained silent.

[I understand. There must have been many things that have happened in the meantime…]

Without any explanation, and without knowing where the current timeline of the world was located.

It seemed as if he was already aware of the situation.

“…Head of the Order.”

Lenok replied in a subdued voice.

“I-”

[There was one more person… that we promised…]

“…”

The head of the Order said, raising his gaze, and Lenok also fell silent.

If it weren’t for him, who possessed a nature and origin that contrasted with the head of the Order, Lenok wouldn’t have been here in the first place.

However, the head of the Order tilted his head for a moment and then gave a strange smile.

[It seems like we need a little… more time…]

“…What do you mean?”

[I mean that he paid a price for this meeting today…]

The head of the Order replied, slowly moving his body using Izel’s form.

[It seems we have some time, so shall we listen to what we need to hear first…]

“What we need to hear?”

I can guess why the Commander is late.

The power of inevitability that helped Lenok split the Anathema. [Anathema is a term for something or someone that is greatly disliked or cursed.]

If it was that divine power that twists the world to ‘aim’ bullets and targets, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be a price or backlash.

Or is it a delusion to feel that it’s more monstrous that he could come here after paying the price for such power?

However, Lenok’s thoughts were swept away by the head of the Order’s next words.

[If you have seen and heard about what happened in Yorta, you must have something you want to ask me…]

“…”

The military city of Yorta. The cursed sanctuary in the memorial tower, Mugan.

The body of the Ascended One, which was kept at the center of the sanctuary that observed and stored all the curses of the world.

It was once the vessel for the head of the Order to manifest his will in reality, and later, it was a vessel prepared for Kaise Bajur.

The head of the Order nodded, as if understanding Lenok’s feelings.

[Now that we have traded my protection and the name of Anathema, I think I can tell you about the origin, bearing the cost…]

A story about us.

Surely, it wouldn’t be about the head of the Order’s purpose or why he hid the corpse of the Ascended One in Yorta.

It wouldn’t be about why the head of the Order met Kaise Bajur and prepared a spare vessel for him.

The head of the Order was simply saying that, by borrowing the name of Anathema, he could talk about a more fundamental issue at this place.

That’s because he knows what is most important and urgent for Lenok, more than all the things happening in the mundane world.

Realizing this, Lenok was momentarily lost in thought.

“…”

Considering the Commander’s presence, this moment itself was an unintended question and answer.

Rather, it was a time when the head of the Order, who relies on chance, could answer about his own nature.

Where should I start? What question should I ask to get the most fundamental answer from him?

[You don’t have to worry too much… You don’t need to choose your questions so carefully…]

The head of the Order smiled lightly at Lenok’s serious face.

[If you answer as your heart leads you, that will be the path that connects to my origin.]

…As my heart leads me.

Upon hearing those words, Lenok decided on the first question to ask.

Fighting and killing the Order’s lackeys, cursing and desecrating their human sacrifices.

Yet, if there was one memory that came to Lenok’s mind first.

It was the existence of a comrade who sacrificed himself for Lenok at the last moment.

“The Order’s Saintesses are said to be handed the authority to access the faith system as priests who preside over rituals.”

Lenok asked in a quiet voice.

“Is that to act as a terminal to convey your voice, like now?”

Through long travels and investigations, Lenok already knew how the head of the Order existed in this world.

The head of the Order, who had gone through two ascensions and crossed over to the third world, could not exist in this world in a proper way.

Therefore, he was hiding and residing his essence in the memories and beliefs of others, only indirectly exerting influence on reality.

That proves his transcendence, that he can intervene at any time if it is a memory of himself.

Conversely, it also meant that if it was a memory not related to the head of the Order, it could be free from his influence.

However, the head of the Order was conveying his will in this place by borrowing the existence of the Saintess in the memory, even though it was not a memory related to him.

Wasn’t that because the Saintess was originally a being prepared for such a ‘purpose’? Lenok thought so and asked the head of the Order.

[The children of Naidri are kept by my side because I pitied their fate…]

The head of the Order looked at Lenok and then answered in a slow voice.

[I don’t prioritize reasons and uses, let alone emotional motives. That concept itself is meaningless to me now…]

“Are you saying you just take them in and then think about their usefulness?”

Lenok laughed.

“That doesn’t sound convincing coming from the master of a hundred thousand Orders. Are you saying that the things you’ve done were such impromptu decisions?”

[There are things that do not disappear even after the world is destroyed and causality is severed…]

The head of the Order closed his eyes.

[An unplanned past. An uncontrolled future. Unknowable possibilities… They collide in meaningless chaos and create new causality…]

“…”

[The moment when cause and effect exist independently of each other, gaining independence from fate…]

The head of the Order, speaking through Izel’s mouth, smiled faintly.

[I call this coincidence.]

“…”

Beyond countless time and space, he gathers all the passing possibilities.

It’s enough if it blooms and becomes meaningful someday, and it’s fine if it withers and dies.

Without completely controlling everything, he lets things flow and watches to some extent.

That’s why his essence remains even beyond the end of the world, and he has eternal life.

Even after everything comes to an end, everything will happen by chance, end by chance, and have meaning by chance.

The head of the Order was telling Lenok that he had succeeded in ascending and crossing over the world in that way, and that he would continue to exist in that way.

The existence of Izel Naidri was just one of the countless arrangements that bloomed from the head of the Order’s hands.

That’s why Lenok had no choice but to ask about another Naidri.

“Seina Naidri… tried to believe in the salvation of the world until the very end.”

Lenok muttered, unconsciously touching his wrist.

“Cursed by Jinwa’s incantation, and even in the face of her body dying and her soul about to be extinguished, she tried to leave a possibility other than the Order.”

[…]

“Was all of that enough as a part of a passing coincidence? Was there no meaning beyond her extinction?”

Could the head of the Order have not noticed the authority of the priestess that Seina had given to Lenok?

That couldn’t be. He was just pretending not to know, watching without intervening or taking action.

All the things that Lenok did, using the priestess’s authority to take away Anathema’s innate abilities and see through its essence.

Even the moment when Seina Naidri abandoned the doctrine and chose Lenok at the last moment.

Was it just an arrangement that failed to bloom and died for the head of the Order?

However, the head of the Order laughed as if he was surprised by Lenok’s words.

[How could that be… You should know better than anyone.]

A reaction as if Lenok’s question was so funny that he couldn’t help it.

[The many things you have seen and felt, are moments that I too have passed through at some point…]

“…”

[Although the worlds we have lived in and the people we have loved are different, the fact that we have seen and felt the same things…]

The head of the Order whispered.

[It’s just worn out. I’m too tired to express my feelings about everything… I suspect I’ve forgotten what’s most important…]

“What’s most important…?”

[You thought you wouldn’t forget the heart you had when you first made up your mind, right?]

The head of the Order’s question left Lenok speechless.

A word that seemed to see right through the heart with which Lenok had survived in this world.

I know. He was me at some point. I would have been him at some point.

There’s no need to try to understand by analyzing or intuiting.

It’s enough to take out the few remaining memories from the old memories that can no longer be counted and place them in front of Lenok.

With that alone, Lenok was feeling a sense of bewilderment, as if looking in a mirror, and as if he could not fathom it.

[You won’t forget… But you won’t remember if it was really right…]

The head of the Order said quietly, as if guessing Lenok’s feelings.

As if he was telling the story of someone’s past who had already gone through that path, comparing it to Lenok’s situation.

[You make countless mistakes to see if your answer was right, and each time it becomes more unknowable…]

“…”

[In the end, you even stop trying to confirm it yourself. And then…]

The head of the Order whispered, closing his eyes.

[You wait.]

What kind of life did the head of the Order live?

He, who first opened his eyes with the talent of a martial artist, went through two ascensions and was left alone in the third world.

What made him hesitate and break down in that journey?

I know.

That even the transcendents who succeeded in ascension may have already gone through the things that Lenok thought and felt.

That they may have thought like Lenok, thought like Lenok, made decisions like Lenok, and finally attained a level comparable to the world.

That’s why they too may not have forgotten the heart they had when they first made up their minds until the very end.

However, they only did not forget their own answers. They failed to protect the other things in the end.

They don’t remember if their answer was right before the end of the world, or if the journey to find the answer was what they wanted.

They are just waiting now.

For the time to confirm if their answer was right.

For their past and future selves who have not yet broken down.

Then, the words written in the mirror back then-

Crack!!!

At that moment, the pure white sanctuary made of Duris’s memories cracked as if it was breaking.

A strange sense of alienation, as if the entire world of memories was distorted and twisted.

Then, the other correction knights, who had been frozen in place, all glared at the crack at once.

Even Oshto Duris, who had been bowing his head in the memory, showed hostility as he looked at the crack with bloodshot eyes.

A sense of unease, as if they could not tolerate the impurity that had intruded into this moment.

[It seems he has arrived…]

The head of the Order whispered slowly and raised his hand.

[Then, is it okay to end this little amusement here?]

“…Before asking for my permission, it was something that started with your whim in the first place.”

Lenok shook his head with a bitter smile.

Lenok, who had forcibly shaken off the stuffiness that was rising in his chest, regained his composure and spoke.

“I don’t trust your answers that much in the first place. The things the Order has done in this world don’t add up to believing those words.”

The head of the Order’s answer contained so much meaning that even Lenok could not fathom its depth, but Lenok did not think that all of those words were true.

Even if his mistakes and failures were purely to find what was right, the wars and sacrifices that the Order was committing were too cruel.

Whatever the reason, the Order he leads is an extreme religious group that treats humans as mere expendables.

It is also clear that all of those things are ultimately a process to worship the ends of the outer sea as gods.

“The failure of the project. The destruction of Ars Nova. The Emperor’s legacy. It’s only clear that all of these things are connected. Other than that, it’s just words that observe the world from your perspective.”

Lenok raised his gaze.

“I know. I know you tried. I even know you succeeded twice. There must be a reason why it turned out that way.”

[…]

“But I, in the end-”

Lenok knows that the head of the Order is a challenger who has achieved great feats that the current Lenok cannot even imagine.

A monster who not only obtained the qualification to challenge ascension, but actually succeeded in the miracle of transcending the world twice.

The way he exists in the worship and fanaticism of others is at a level that it wouldn’t be strange to call him a god.

However, if there is one thing that Lenok thinks and is sure about the head of the Order-

Crack!!

At that moment, the crack engraved in the pure white sanctuary widened even more, twisting and splitting the space itself.

The figures of Oshto and the correction knights, and even Izel Naidri, who had been glaring at the crack in the memory, were shattered and scattered in the shock.

Only the pale, glowing light of the sanctuary circled above the crack like an angel’s halo.

It was as if the crack in space had a will and was forcibly tearing open the sanctuary.

[It seems he doesn’t like this memory… How picky.]

From beyond the angel’s halo, the head of the Order’s laughing voice echoed faintly.

[Very well. If you don’t like the stage… I’ll adjust it for you…]

At that moment, the scenery of the Pantheon where Lenok was standing changed as if it was being flipped over.

‘Waaaaaaah!!’

Thousands of holy knights in pure white armor ran across the blood-stained wasteland.

Priests with angel wings shot out pure white magic from the sky.

From the opposite side of the battlefield, a black aura-clad machine army rose up and clashed with the holy knights.

Blood and oil scattered over the dust of the wasteland, emitting a pungent smell.

A battlefield somewhere. A memory that does not exist in this world.

Before Lenok could ask anything about it, the head of the Order moved first.

[Let’s go… He will be waiting.]

“…What is this memory?”

[If it is a moment when those who are not from this world meet, wouldn’t it be predetermined…]

The head of the Order answered slowly.

[A miracle of transcendence where worlds overlap. When the level of humans and the world become equal, and they eclipse each other…]

“…”

The moment Lenok realized the meaning of those words and stopped breathing, the head of the Order gave a strange smile.

[It is the memory of the moment when an Ascended One succeeds in ascension.]