Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 948

Clack.

A steaming cup of coffee was placed on the wide wooden table.

The sound of footsteps on the soft carpet gradually quieted, then stopped completely.

After a long night, it was late morning, and the city was coming back to life. The voices of people could be heard faintly from outside.

District 49. The Impregnable Magic Tower. The top floor private office, where a lazy ray of sunlight poured in through a slightly open window.

Lenok was busily moving around the office, taking various measures for the tasks at hand.

All entrances and vents around the hallway and near the office had long been secured with magic.

Once Anatame’s betrayal at the meeting became known throughout Vulcan, things could become troublesome.

To smoothly conclude the deal he had discussed with Oliviera, he needed to hurry a bit.

Lenok, rummaging through a safe he had left untouched for a long time among the desk drawers, couldn’t resist turning his gaze.

“If you need anything else—”

“I’m fine,” Jenny said, arms crossed.

“It’ll be over soon anyway.”

“……”

Jenny and Peisha sat facing each other across the table.

Jenny was sipping her coffee with a blank expression, while Peisha had her arms bound in chains and her head lowered.

Lenok had intended this, but seeing it laid out like this, it was quite an incongruous scene.

Peisha Grisburn, a general of Dead Rise.

A superhuman who fought alongside Kaise during the civil war, and now a high-ranking spear master operating within Etan’s legion.

And Jennysia Bajur, the granddaughter of Kaise Bajur and the only blood relative of Etan Bajur.

Now that he had Peisha in his grasp, Lenok had brought the two together before meeting Oliviera.

‘There won’t be another moment as safe as this to deal with the noble lady.’

Now that Peisha’s rank was broken and she had exhausted all her energy in the battle with Anatema.

Even if she were to show hostility towards Jenny, he could absolutely guarantee her safety.

The PMC [Private Military Company] Dead Rise, who betrayed Kaise and became independent.

How they, who had reigned as one of the three leaders in the shadows of Vulcan, had grown their power by advancing to the central front.

Regardless of the loyalty the legion’s members offered to their enemy, why had they left Jenny, a member of the Bajur bloodline, alone until now?

And what they thought of Jenny’s existence, he could also confirm now.

“……”

However, what Lenok considered most important was not Peisha, but Jenny’s reaction.

Jenny’s attitude of pretending not to know, even while being aware of her own birth and guessing the truth.

She had tried to act like she didn’t care, but Lenok knew that was a reaction only possible because Jenny knew the truth.

Dealing with Dead Rise’s people was too dangerous, so until now, he had been busy killing them all, let alone bringing them to Jenny.

But now that Peisha’s magic was completely depleted, within the confines of the magic tower, Lenok could control everything.

“……”

However, neither Jenny nor Peisha seemed inclined to speak first, even after acknowledging each other’s presence.

Jenny closed her eyes as if contemplating the situation, while Peisha stared intently at Jenny’s face.

Ironically, to Lenok, Peisha’s reaction seemed as if she were trying to read Jenny’s mood.

Clunk. Jenny put down her coffee cup and broke the silence.

“He’s a nasty piece of work.”

Jenny, arms crossed, gestured with her head towards Lenok’s direction with a disgruntled expression.

“He creates this situation himself and then acts like he didn’t intend it.”

“……”

“If he’s going to pretend he doesn’t know, he should at least make an effort. What’s with him not even leaving the office and just watching us so openly?”

Jenny spoke to Peisha as if she had known her for a long time.

But Peisha did not answer easily.

“You must have been treated like that by Ban too,” Jenny said, as if she understood Peisha.

“He enjoys creating situations to his liking. Considering what you’ve done, he must have treated you even worse.”

“Ban, you say.”

At that moment, Peisha opened her mouth.

With a transparent gaze that showed no emotion, she stared at Jenny, almost uncomfortably.

“You seem to know a lot about the Impregnable.”

“……”

Unlike when she first called Jenny ‘Lord Bajur,’ her tone was surprisingly ordinary.

Even Lenok, who was watching, couldn’t read Peisha’s thoughts for a moment, her reaction was so subtle.

It was as if she purely wanted to know what Jenny was thinking.

“…I know as much as I need to. I think I need to know.”

Jenny replied, showing signs of discomfort at Peisha’s reaction.

“We’re not just brokers and freelancers anymore. As someone running an organization like the Tower… there are things we have to do, even if it’s uncomfortable.”

“I see.”

“The fact that I’m taking the time to sit here with you is part of that.”

Jenny’s gaze towards Peisha turned cold.

“There’s usually a reason for what Ban does. And if it was something really dangerous or unpleasant, he wouldn’t have even mentioned it to me.”

“……”

“This whole situation is created because he thinks it’s something he can handle. Isn’t that right for you too?”

Jenny asked with a cold smile.

“Weren’t you also someone that Ban could always handle… a pawn?”

Jenny’s direct question, asking if Peisha was here against her will.

It was practically a provocation, directly pointing out her situation and defeat.

Normally, she would have flown into a rage and spewed curses the moment she heard such words.

But Peisha didn’t say anything even after hearing Jenny’s words.

About her defeat, which she had long mulled over, raged about, and constantly denied.

As if acknowledging that fact, she slowly nodded her head.

“…He’s an exceptional magician,” Peisha said quietly.

“Even with that much power, he’s rational, personable, and knows how to interact with others.”

“……”

It was an answer so calm and composed that it was hard to believe it was the Peisha Lenok had known.

But what was even more surprising was that Peisha was praising Lenok.

She couldn’t possibly not know that Lenok was listening to her, yet Peisha was speaking so freely to Jenny.

“Among the magicians I’ve seen, he has the most blessed talent.”

Peisha looked at Jenny with a calm gaze.

“So stay by his side. If it’s the Impregnable, he’ll be able to protect you forever.”

“……”

Jenny was probably just as surprised to hear those words from Peisha.

“I’ve investigated your past. You’ve killed many innocent people under the name of the ‘Noble Lady’.”

Jenny said, tapping the table with an uneasy expression.

“Peisha Lemonik Grisburn. A war orphan born in Kabahim. You wandered through various mercenary groups before settling in Vulcan. You gained fame while operating in the central district, and most of your battles resulted in dozens, if not hundreds, of casualties.”

“……”

“During your time in Dead Rise, you even had disciples, but you neglected them all. You made countless achievements in the civil war, but were defeated in the battle with Antares. After the project failed, you fled. There are even rumors that you became an 8th-level killer in the central front…”

Jenny’s gaze towards Peisha, who didn’t answer, grew cold.

“Why are you pretending to worry about me now, someone like you? What are you thinking?”

“Well… I wonder what I’m thinking.”

Peisha smiled quietly.

She didn’t seem upset at Jenny’s words, but rather looked as if she was feeling a long-lost longing.

“I’ve always lived as I pleased. I’ve never really looked for a reason. It’s the same now. The reason I’m saying these things in front of you…”

In the quiet silence, Peisha murmured.

“Maybe it’s because you resemble Lord Bajur more than I thought.”

“……”

Peisha’s answer, as if her madness and bloodlust had been washed away like a lie.

That’s why, instead of understanding it, Lenok became curious.

How did Kaise and Etan treat Peisha that she could become so docile just because Jenny resembled them?

If there was a secret to that kind of mind control, Lenok might have to learn a thing or two from them.

“You’ve never even seen me, yet you say that.”

Jenny silently lifted her coffee cup.

Her hand, as she brought the cup to her lips, was trembling slightly.

“I… I know. I didn’t have a father. Only a mother.”

“……”

“He never came to see me once. All I remember is that he tried to kill me because of my name—”

“No. Lord Etan wouldn’t have forgotten you,” Peisha said.

“He remembered your name.”

“……”

“Whenever he had time, he would worry about the medicine he had to send. Just like his father, he said that because it was a bloodline that couldn’t be healthy, he had to take precautions—”

“Don’t lie!” Jenny shouted, unable to hold back.

Clang!

When she slammed the coffee cup down, the handle broke and hot coffee spilled out.

Perhaps the pain of her burning hand cooled her emotions.

Jenny, who had been staring at it blankly, said quietly.

“I couldn’t even set up a tombstone for my mother because of the assassins who came after us.”

“……”

“If it weren’t for Jorden, I would have been next to my mother. I also know that the reason I was able to work as a broker was because of a deal Jorden made.”

Jenny closed her eyes and murmured.

“I thought it wouldn’t be strange if I died at any moment. I thought every moment was something that had nothing to do with my abilities or will. But even so, the reason I’ve lived… is because I thought I needed to know.”

In the deafening silence, Jenny slowly opened her eyes and asked.

“What is Dead Rise’s real goal?”

“……”

Even while facing her past, which was beyond her control, and being swayed by her emotions, she didn’t lose her judgment.

Even though she knew that this moment of facing Peisha was a situation prepared solely for her.

Rather, she was aware that there were things she needed to hear from her.

“Etan, Bajur… where is he now?”

Peisha, who had been looking at Jenny with pity as she hesitated even to say his name, glanced away.

She briefly made eye contact with Lenok, who was watching them from afar, and then let out a hollow laugh.

As if she had finally understood what she had to do at this moment.

And as if she had decided to move according to Lenok’s intentions, even knowing that.

“Lord Kaise changed little by little every time the project failed,” Peisha answered quietly.

“Everyone knew that he had changed from the beginning. But even so, the reason we stayed with him until the end…”

Her transparent gaze captured Jenny’s face.

“…was because everyone understood the essence of the project.”

“……”

“Lord Etan passed away before the project was completed, but what he tried to achieve through his death—”

Snap!!

The sound of a tightly connected string snapping.

Immediately after, black blood flowed down Peisha’s nose.

Jenny’s face changed drastically as she realized that the sound was a noise echoing in Peisha’s head.

“Wait, you…!!”

Just mentioning the project, she couldn’t escape the influence of the ban.

Zzzzt, zzzzt…!!!

Black currents leaked from Peisha’s eyes and nose, and Peisha’s face turned as pale as a corpse, her body trembling.

“Guh… cough!!”

A violent seizure that she had never shown even during the life-or-death struggle with Anatema.

But even in the midst of that, Peisha trembled her lips and forced out her voice.

As if she knew this would happen from the beginning, she stammered to finish what she had started.

“Ba, Ba…”

“Stop. Do you want to die?!!”

The first warning. There was no second chance.

The price for breaking the ban was a backlash that even the Ascended could not avoid.

It would sever the continuity of metabolism and thought, making it impossible to perform any life functions ever again.

At this rate, she would die.

But even as she saw Jenny jump up from her seat, Peisha didn’t stop.

With a look of longing, as if looking back at an old memory, she gazed at Jenny’s rapidly approaching figure.

“It was to cut off the talent of defying fate that runs in the blood of the Bajurs, in his generation.”

She closed her eyes and murmured as if whispering.

“The Black Consumer Project was such a miracle.”

Crack!!

There was no time to react.

Before Jenny could shout and Lenok could step forward.

Peisha was thrown backward, scattering blood as she collapsed.