Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 973

Nox Biblio.

The fact that Thillian’s face turned as pale as a corpse the moment that word was mentioned couldn’t have been a coincidence.

‘The Dark Archive, huh…’

Wasn’t it said to be an archive that collected all the forbidden arts not of this world?

If so, then it’s understandable why Oliviera brought Lenok to this dungeon.

A subspace that stores and records all sorts of formulas that operate using wicked thoughts, even among the techniques of the old world.

Oliviera must be thinking that she needs to find a way to get to the Outer City from there.

However, the fact that Thillian, of all people, is guarding such an archive was unexpected.

He had participated in the meeting between the extreme ability users in the satellite city of Etanok, but he was defeated by the Executioner immediately after Anathema’s manifestation and had to leave early.

But seeing him alive and well in this dungeon now, it must mean that his appearance back then wasn’t his full power.

“To crawl into my workshop barefoot, you must be out of your mind, Maze.”

The black magician, Thillian, who had been glaring at Oliviera, roared in an old voice.

The eerie incongruity of an old man’s voice coming from the form of a young baby.

“I haven’t interfered with the Cartel’s affairs for the past dozen years. How dare you invade and defile my territory…!!”

[There’s a fallacy in that statement, Shandorei.]

Oliviera, who had crossed her arms over her fancy robe, retorted.

[If we were to discuss who started it first, we’d have to go back at least several decades.]

“Don’t be ridiculous. Who is this coward who didn’t even attend the meeting, spouting nonsense at me?!”

Thump!!

As Thillian slammed his hand down, the black magic that enveloped his body surged powerfully and intensely.

As if his very existence was the heart of this massive dungeon, his thoughts were clear and weighty.

As is the case with all sorcerers, Thillian’s power would also increase exponentially within this dungeon.

Thillian, who was well aware of this fact, glared at Oliviera, exuding a menacing aura.

“Even if you came alone, I would have hesitated to let you in, but you dare bring that young mage with you?”

[I brought the ‘Keonroe’ because I heard about the meeting. I hope you don’t misunderstand.]

Oliviera asked in a mocking tone.

[I’m sure you said with your own mouth that the insight of a ‘Slayer of Apostles’ was needed for the meeting.]

“……”

[The order of events was different, but in the end, this man became a ‘Slayer of Apostles’. I’ve brought the expert you wanted to this place, so shouldn’t you be thanking me?]

At the meeting, Thillian had once provoked Lenok, saying that it should have been the ‘Slayer of Apostles’, Chun-beon, not ‘Keonroe’, who came.

Oliviera, despite not attending the meeting herself, was mocking Thillian by bringing up that fact.

Thillian, who hadn’t forgotten about the meeting either, trembled with anger.

“Hmph, do you want to humiliate me…!!”

[Shandorei, you didn’t think I wouldn’t notice your trickery at this meeting, did you?]

Oliviera, cutting off Thillian’s shout like a knife, flashed her magic eyes from behind her veil.

[It’s absurd that a cunning sorcerer like you would be so easily defeated by a thug. You must have avoided the situation immediately after Anathema’s manifestation because you didn’t want to get involved in unnecessary matters.]

“……”

[More than anything, while the church’s lackeys were crawling into the satellite city, can you say that you, who were hiding in this burrow, didn’t know about it?]

After Oliviera’s interrogation, Lenok understood why she was cornering Thillian.

Clearly, Thillian was defeated by the Executioner during the meeting and left early, but Oliviera was thinking that it was Thillian’s intention from the start.

On top of that, she was saying that the fact that the church’s forces had entered the satellite city was something that happened with Thillian’s tacit approval.

“That’s absurd. So, should my dungeon have become a beacon to protect Balkan?”

However, Thillian, as if he had something to say, quickly calmed his expression and retorted.

“Even if it was your request, it would be impossible. Yes, impossible. I would have rather destroyed the satellite city with my own hands.”

Thillian’s face, looking down at the two of them, twisted gloomily.

The face of the giant baby grotesquely slumped, casting shadows like a hideous demon.

Kugugugu…!!!

“Don’t provoke me too much, Maze.”

[……]

“We may not be able to go back to the days when we shared and researched formulas, but you should help me keep the memories of decades ago.”

‘Magic power…’

Lenok, watching Thillian’s thoughts swell, tilted his head with an intrigued look.

He hadn’t realized it at the meeting because the situation was so urgent, but the completion of the formula was beyond imagination.

A black magic that was different from the famous black magic, yet completed by diverging and branching out in its own unique way.

Perhaps it was also related to the reason why the black magician, Thillian, existed in the form of a giant baby.

More than anything, the name Thillian.

Wasn’t that also consistent with the name of the black magician, Craig Thillian, whom Lenok had faced once a long time ago?

At least, it was clear that the giant baby sitting in the obsidian coffin was related to Craig, who had rebelled against the city council.

Oliviera scoffed even after hearing Thillian’s words.

[So much time has passed, yet you make me repeat the same words over and over again… What you were learning was not proper black magic.]

“……”

[You tried to hide that fact and teach me magic, and I refused. It should have been completely over at that point.]

“But even so, you came to find me first, as if to show off.”

Thillian, muttering in a gloomy voice, glared.

“I helped you access the Nox Biblio, but you abandoned me and sided with Kaise.”

“……”

Thillian raised his trembling fingertips and pointed at Lenok and Oliviera.

“Neither of you are qualified. You, who are not sorcerers, have no right to access the Dark Archive…!!”

[No. You, the key keeper, have no choice.]

Oliviera’s answer was cold.

[Enough, bring the key. I will enter the Nox Biblio.]

“This is not a request.”

Thillian said, reaching out with a distorted expression.

“This isn’t what I wanted to hear. I…!”

“……”

Whoosh!!

At that moment, Thillian’s hand sank into the darkness, and he pulled out a key covered in black oil.

He handed the key, which emitted an ominous aura as if it would rot just by holding it, to Oliviera with a trembling hand.

His body trembled with displeasure, as if the action itself was not his own will.

From that forced restraint, Lenok could tell what Oliviera had done.

‘Thillian can’t refuse the act of requesting access to the archive.’

For some reason, Thillian had to hand over the key to anyone who wanted to access the archive.

Perhaps the keyword was the phrase ‘Nox Biblio’ and the request for access.

Oliviera knew that fact and knew that Thillian couldn’t refuse the request from the beginning.

[Keonroe, take it.]

However, Oliviera threw the black key, dripping with oil, to Lenok as soon as she received it.

Oliviera, who had turned away from Thillian without any regrets, immediately left the cradle.

[There’s no time, so I’ll explain quickly. The key is a consumable artifact. It will disappear on the spot when the archive is opened.]

Oliviera said as she walked back down the dark corridor.

[So, it shouldn’t be me, but you who enters the archive. There’s only one thing you need to do after entering the Nox Biblio.]

Whoosh!

Oliviera stopped in front of the sheer cliff located at the entrance of the dungeon.

She turned her back to the wall of Madelyn’s bones that were densely packed on all sides of the cliff.

[That is to ‘borrow’ the celestial formula that can arbitrarily change the orbital period of the central front barrier.]

“No. I don’t know.”

[……What?]

Oliviera turned her gaze with annoyance, then stopped speaking when she saw Lenok’s cold expression.

Lenok’s reaction was mixed with a faint hostility, as if he was facing an enemy rather than an ally.

Whioooo!!

A cold wind swept over the sheer cliff, and the bones of Madelyn on the wall shook.

Hundreds of worn and eroded skeletons swayed and danced.

Lenok and Oliviera stood facing each other below the cliff, staring at each other.

“Explain properly, Oliviera. I can’t work with you like this.”

Lenok’s eyes, looking at Oliviera, were coldly sunken.

“You’re not thinking of continuing to work like this until we reach Kundara, are you?”

[……]

It wouldn’t be strange if the partnership broke down just a few hours after they started working together.

However, Lenok thought that if Oliviera tried to solve problems in this way, it would be better to not have her at all.

Being dragged around without even properly understanding the situation was the thing Lenok avoided the most.

It would be better to hear an explanation about everything here and give up on collaborating with Oliviera.

“If you’re going to keep your mouth shut under the pretext of a taboo, let’s end it here. I’ll consider the deal void and find a way on my own.”

[……]

Oliviera, after hearing Lenok’s words, stood there in silence for a long time.

It was a strange reaction, as if it took her a little time to accept Lenok’s firm refusal.

It was a few minutes later that Oliviera spoke again.

[……Alright.]

“……”

[I admit that I was somewhat hasty regarding the matter of Kundara.]

Oliviera, who spoke slowly, said as she slightly lifted her veil.

Her transparent cheeks glowed faintly from behind the veil.

[The Nox Biblio is a subspace archive created by a powerful transcendent whose origins are unknown.]

“……”

[Because he had the belief that the transmission and transfer of knowledge should be free without restrictions, he disclosed all the knowledge and formula information he had collected without restrictions.]

“You disclosed formula information to other sorcerers?”

[If someone who knows of the existence of the archive requests access, the librarians must hand over the key according to the will of the archive’s owner. That was the content of the deal I requested from Thillian, and…]

Oliviera said, glancing at the cliff.

[The existence of this dungeon is created in a relatively suitable environment for accessing the archive. That’s because Shandorei Thillian himself created the dungeon to access the formula information of the Nox Biblio as an external librarian.]

“……”

[The number of times you can enter the archive is limited. What information you can access and ‘borrow’ depends entirely on your own abilities.]

Oliviera, from behind her calmly lowered veil, stared at Lenok.

[I’ve used up all those opportunities. So, I have no choice but to leave the next one to you.]

“……I see.”

Lenok belatedly agreed with Oliviera’s words, which were explained as if she was pouring out information.

The silence before choosing an answer was probably to check if there were any parts of the content that needed to be explained that were subject to a taboo.

But even considering that, the information Oliviera had given about the existence of the Nox Biblio was extremely interesting.

A forbidden arts archive created by a transcendent who made the sharing of information and the transfer of knowledge his task.

It was surprising that such a transcendent existed, but the fact that he chose Shandorei Thillian as his librarian was also very unusual.

Perhaps he was a transcendent who had reached a level where the distinction between good and evil was meaningless, not just a level where he was not bound by secrets and mysteries.

“The fact that you researched formulas with Shandorei Thillian was to obtain information by entering the Nox Biblio.”

Lenok asked.

“Did you use Thillian to adjust your rank to match your magic eyes?”

[I have no intention of adding excuses about the past for your curiosity.]

At that moment, Oliviera’s voice lowered.

[The fact that I brought up things that were buried decades ago is only because I’m fulfilling your request to go to Kundara.]

“……”

[What’s important is finding a way to get to the Outer City. Among them, it’s the act of twisting the barrier to reveal Kundara itself.]

Oliviera said that as she slowly lowered her veil, completely covering her face.

[If you understand, insert the key into the cliff. If the time and place are right, the archive will always welcome the visitor.]

“……Okay.”

Oliviera had said that she had traveled around the continent and the magic tower, learning and researching various magics.

It wouldn’t be strange that she once tried to learn black magic from Thillian and use it for her own path.

If she had recognized the existence of the Nox Biblio in the process and had entered the archive, it was understandable why she was trying to find a way here.

But more than anything, the most important thing was that Lenok had confirmed that Oliviera had at least the will to cooperate with him on this matter.

Unlike Lenok, who was even thinking of ending the cooperation here, at least she was not reluctantly participating in this matter.

At least until the path to the Outer City, it would be okay to think of her as an ally.

Lenok thought that as he slowly pushed the key, dripping with oil, into the cliff.

Click!!

He had stuck the key into a crack in the hard rock, and a metallic sound, as if a lock was being opened, echoed.

The black oil that flowed from the key exploded and instantly covered the cliff in black.

Chwaaaaaak!!

The massive cliff, dyed in dark darkness.

The countless skeletons hanging on the cliff were dancing, with the swaying darkness behind them.

It was an eerie sense of solitude, as if he was standing alone in front of the entrance to a giant dark cradle.

Lenok turned his back.

“What are you going to do?”

[I have some more things to talk about with him.]

Oliviera, with her arms crossed, glanced away.

[I need to take care of it before you return from the archive.]

“He seems to have a lot of feelings left for you.”

Even while talking to Oliviera, Thillian seemed to be lingering on the days when he taught her magic.

Even Lenok, who was watching from the side, had noticed that, so there was no way Oliviera wouldn’t know that fact.

However, Oliviera scoffed as soon as she heard Lenok’s words.

[Being bound by such trivial emotions is nothing but foolish.]

“……”

[Enough. It’s not something you need to worry about. It’s something I’ll take care of, so just go and come back.]

The magic eyes looking at Lenok from behind the veil flashed sharply.

[If you fail to borrow the celestial formula from the archive, you’ll have to be prepared.]

Whoosh!!

Leaving behind Oliviera, who had disappeared like the wind, Lenok turned his head.

Darkness swaying from all sides. The dance of countless bones soaring above the cliff.

Lenok, who let out a soft breath, took a step, and the world twisted as if it was turning upside down, and a void unfolded before his eyes.

Paahhh!!!

It wasn’t that the surrounding terrain or scenery had changed.

Everything visible was slowly sinking while being dyed black.

The black cliff stood tall in front of Lenok’s eyes, and the skeletons hanging on the cliff were also clearly visible.

The only thing that had changed was that tens of thousands of books were densely packed on the cliff.

Dudududu!!!

As if the sheer cliff itself was a giant bookshelf, an immeasurably vast archive was unfolding before Lenok’s eyes.

Magical books and parchments emitting all sorts of strange energies were placed everywhere, revealing their presence.

Clatter, clatter!!

The bones that were hanging on the cliff moved, organizing and carrying the books of the archive.

It was a strange sight, as if those countless skeletons were functioning as librarians to manage this archive.

Only then did Lenok understand what it meant that this dungeon was created as an environment for accessing the Nox Biblio.

The strangely deep and wide cliff, and the piles of skeletons that were brutally hung on the cliff.

They were all part of the environment for accessing and managing this dark archive.

Creak……!!

The bookshelf of immeasurable height that unfolded above Lenok’s head bent and distorted each time he took a step.

The width and height lost their concept and went awry, and new bookshelves rose again from within the bookshelf.

The sense of three dimensions lost its direction and shook in this space, drawing different axes beyond time.

Numerous magical books and parchments slowly passed by Lenok, who was standing in the middle of the archive.

“……”

Lenok, who had been standing at the entrance of the archive for a while, was about to take a step when.

[Welcome.]

Someone spoke to him from behind Lenok.

One of the skeleton librarians who had been carrying books and moving between the bookshelves.

The skeleton, which was tapping its jaw up and down and shining a dim light, said.

[It’s been a while since you’ve come.]

“……It’s been a while.”

Lenok tilted his head and asked.

“This is my first time in this archive.”

[No.]

The skeleton let out a broken laugh.

[Surely, you have come here once before.]

“……”

Who was this skeleton librarian looking at and mentioning the past, not Lenok?

Without caring that Lenok’s gaze was turning cold, the skeleton librarian smiled and slowly turned his back.

[Let’s go. I’ll guide you to the formula archive section that you always look at…….]