Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 983

Central Front Border Zone

The Central Front.

The largest battleground on the continent, formed around Ars Nova.

This vast front, encompassing the heart of the continent, has never been unimportant since the fall of the Central City.

Fertile soil. Diverse environments spanning mountains and plains. The legacy of the Central City, said to possess a third of the world’s wealth and resources.

Even at this moment, countless people are dying to seize that legacy, which remains untouched by anyone.

Despite hearing about it constantly since opening his eyes in this world, Lenok himself had never once visited this battlefield.

“Hoo…”

Lenok sat on the outermost border of the Central Front, smoking a cigar.

He scattered acrid smoke, gazing at the blue meadow stretching below the hill.

He had vaguely imagined a wasteland stained with blood, but the scenery of the border zone was more ordinary than he expected.

Considering that the area around the Central City was rich in earth energy and magic power, it was no coincidence that the nearby ecosystem was somewhat maintained.

As Lenok thought this, he took out his ringing cell phone from his pocket.

Beep beep…!!

-Ah, yes. Can you hear me~?

A languid, drawn-out male voice.

But Lenok was aware of the subtle wariness hidden beneath it.

-If you can hear me, please respond. It’s a line we abandoned ten years ago, so I’m not sure if it’s working properly—

“I hear you.”

-……Hmm.

The man inhaled sharply, seemingly surprised by Lenok’s response.

It took a little while for him to reply.

-It really is you. When I heard about it from the Chairman, I thought it was a lie.

“……”

-I’m Angel from the Communications Department. We’ve met before, haven’t we?

Angel, the fourth president of the Olivier Ron Maze’s board of directors, in charge of the Communications Department.

A 7th-level Cryokinetic Esper [Cryokinetic Esper: An individual with the ability to control and manipulate ice and cold] from the Ability Awakening Corps, currently occupying the Central Front.

However, Angel’s claim of knowing Lenok was not due to any personal familiarity.

“An Esper. You’re alive.”

-You could say that. I thought I was going to die when I saw the sun you dropped back then.

Angel chuckled over the phone.

-If Merilda hadn’t been there, I would have melted into a puddle on the spot. I was lucky in many ways.

“……”

Thousandfold and Angel had clashed once while trying to save Lapis.

Near the abandoned dam, Merilda, Angel, and a curse user, along with three other board members, had blocked Lenok’s path.

If Angel was in his right mind, he wouldn’t have forgotten the technique used to shake off the board’s pursuit back then.

“Are you the guide for this deal?”

-Yes. Among the board members, I’m the one who’s been in the Central area most recently.

Angel replied with a wry smile.

-I still have acquaintances in the Central Front, so it’s relatively easy for me to come and go. I’ll guide you to the gate.

Angel, the fourth president of the Cartel, is an Esper from the Ability Awakening Corps.

As an active member who has been operating in the Central area for a long time, it’s not unusual for him to have acquaintances from the Corps around the front.

Contacting the Corps through Angel would make it much easier to approach the gate.

It was ironic that Angel, who had almost died fighting Thousandfold, was now in a position to help him.

However, Lenok didn’t express any emotion about it and immediately stood up.

“Understood. If you’re ready, let’s move.”

-Ah, just wait there. Smugglers heading to the gate will be here soon.

“Smugglers?”

-Well, there are many things needed in a war zone.

Angel laughed.

-Weapons, drugs, organ trafficking, even the slave trade… There are too many items that need to be smuggled in and out.

“……”

So, smugglers dealing with shady businesses regularly pass through the gate.

Certainly, if he hid among them and headed to the gate, he wouldn’t get caught up in unnecessary trouble along the way.

-We’ve purchased the smuggled goods under the name of the Ability Awakening Corps and asked you to bring them, so just play along. It’s simple, right?

“You’re a member of the Cartel’s board, yet you freely use the Corps’ name.”

Lenok asked, exhaling smoke.

“Are you still that closely connected to the Ability Awakening Corps?”

-Ahaha, weren’t we supposed to keep the specifics of that situation off the record?

Angel calmly retorted with a smile.

-Speaking of which, I’d like to know why you, a former member of the Blue Eye, are handling things for Ban.

“……”

-I know you made a deal with Ban, but honestly, I don’t trust it. This is too dangerous to be justified by a mere deal.

There was an undeniable sharpness in Angel’s voice over the phone.

Angel was also internally questioning why Thousandfold was moving towards the Central Front at this time.

But even knowing that, Lenok answered Angel without hesitation.

“During the battle in Vulcan, Kyeonroe saw how I increased the power of my spells.”

He slowly clenched and unclenched one hand while tapping on his phone.

A small flame that bloomed between his fingers hovered in the air before disappearing.

“He knew I needed a [Spark]. So, I accepted this job in exchange for it.”

-……A Spark, you say.

“If you’re in charge of guiding me to the gate, there’s no need to hide it.”

Lenok said as he stood up.

“You’ll see and understand it whether you like it or not.”

-…….

“We’ll need to use a different line once we enter the front. Is there anything else you want to say?”

-……Although we’re entering the Central Front, our goal is only the first gate.

Angel said in a slightly tense voice.

-The battleground inside the gate. Especially, you must prioritize not getting involved in the war between the Alliance and the Order. Understood?

The first gate is one of the few passages connected to the inside of the Central Front’s barrier.

Naturally, the war inside the gate is more intense and fierce than outside.

Angel was warning Lenok that entering the gate was not the purpose of this operation.

“Rather than the situation inside or outside the gate, the presence of the Conjunctionist [Conjunctionist: A powerful individual with the ability to manipulate and control connections between different things] guarding the gate seems to be the biggest obstacle.”

Lenok said, rubbing his shoulder and turning his gaze.

“Can you handle that part by borrowing the name of the Ability Awakening Corps?”

-I’m not sure. There’s only speculation about the Conjunctionist’s whereabouts, even in the Central Front right now…….

Angel trailed off.

-No one knows why the Conjunctionist, who was most active in the war with the Order, suddenly took up a position at the gate.

“……”

-Some say he was injured fighting an Apostle, while others say he wanted a place suitable for human experimentation. He’s not someone who moves based on a single standard…….

“So, it’s hard to grasp his specific motives unless we meet him directly. Fine.”

Lenok moved his feet, looking at the old truck approaching from afar.

“I’ll take care of that part myself.”

* * *

Clunk, clunk!!

He closed his eyes, leaning against the dusty truck bed.

He crossed his arms and leaned back, but the gaze fixed on his face didn’t waver.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly.”

Lenok said, his eyes still closed, to the young man who was glancing at him from across the way.

“Your gaze is annoying.”

“Ah? I’m sorry.”

The young man was startled and apologized readily.

But even then, his gaze was still fixed on Lenok’s face.

“Um, excuse me… but, are you perhaps Evan Martinez…”

“……”

“I think I saw a similar face on a wanted poster before…”

“Hey, you little shit.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man sitting next to the young man smacked him on the head.

Thwack!

The man sneered next to the young man, who was holding his head and bowing.

“I told you they were smugglers from the Ability Awakening Corps. There’s no way a mage like Thousandfold would be riding in a shabby truck like this.”

“No, but his face is definitely…”

“It’s probably just someone who looks alike. Damn it, think!!”

The man shouted, spitting as he spoke.

“Even though he’s said to have left the Blue Eye, a mage of that caliber would be in high demand everywhere. If there was even a hint that he was coming to the Central area, all sorts of factions would be sending envoys.”

“……”

“Damn it, I’d understand if he was riding in a flying ship like that. What nonsense is he talking, riding in this grimy truck…”

The young man tried to say something, but then shut his mouth, looking at the hazy sky peeking over the truck bed.

He was looking at the shadow of a huge airship, and the man was grumbling.

But Lenok read more than just denial or ridicule in their conversation and asked.

“The treatment of the mage called Thousandfold is more generous than I thought.”

“What?”

“He’s never operated in the Central Front, so how do you know him so well?”

The identity of Evan Martinez was essentially a name that branched off from the identity of Evan Bailon.

Therefore, Lenok had only used this identity when working with the Blue Eye.

He could understand the rumors spreading in the area where he had operated under the name of Evan in the Hanghasa Labyrinth or the Far East Branch of the Guido Order.

But it was strange that even the smugglers heading to the Central Front knew Evan so well.

Even if he wasn’t a mage who had left the Blue Eye, there were many more famous superhumans in the Central area.

However, the man scoffed at Lenok’s question.

“Of course, it’s because of the battle between the great mages in Vulcan. You must be deaf if you don’t know about that.”

“……”

“There’s no one who doesn’t know about the rumors that their fight turned a huge city upside down. Where did you come from?”

The man’s gaze towards Lenok became suspicious.

But Lenok didn’t waver at the man’s suspicious gaze and replied.

“I’m a disciple from a magic tower. I’ve been traveling around to get funds for my research, so I haven’t heard any news from the outside.”

“Hmm…”

“I’m curious about outstanding mages. If you know any rumors, I’d like to hear them.”

Now, even gilding his own face was as natural as breathing.

When he took out two silver coins from his pocket and placed them on the man’s hand, his expression immediately softened.

“Heh heh, now that I see it, you’re a very polite young man. This makes me have a lot to say.”

“……”

Ignoring the young man who was looking at him with a sulky expression, the man cleared his throat.

“Well, you see, the reactions of the other magic towers to the fight in Vulcan were enormous.”

“Other magic towers?”

“You could say that the Vulcan city government handled it well. The 8th-level great mages were on edge, but instead of mediating, they called in high-ranking mages from the magic towers for advice.”

“……”

Lenok knew that the mages from other magic towers had shown great interest in what he had done at the time.

After all, the reason Claris had visited Vulcan again was essentially to act as an advisor on the matter.

The man glanced at Lenok and spoke again.

“But in the battle between Kyeonroe and Thousandfold, the high-ranking mages of the magic towers seemed to have a great… interest in Thousandfold.”

“Interest?”

“I don’t know much about it. It’s like…”

When Lenok threw another silver coin as if he was annoyed, the man immediately said as if he had remembered.

“It seems like there was something to dig into about the way Thousandfold uses magic. There were rumors about it for a while.”

“……”

He had expected it, but it was indeed about the alternative incantation using martial arts.

As a result, the mages of the magic towers were lining up at Rancia’s studio to learn martial arts.

It was no exaggeration to say that the rumors about it had already spread throughout the Central area.

While Lenok was lost in thought, the man’s explanation continued.

“Anyway, since the magic towers in the Central area were so interested, other factions also began to raise their evaluation of Thousandfold.”

“That’s not strange.”

“Right. It’s also true that rumors that can’t be seen are more easily inflated.”

The man chuckled.

“I think that Thousandfold is probably not as monstrous as the rumors say. If he comes to the Central area, everyone might be disappointed.”

“……”

“In the first place, if he was really confident in his skills, he should have been scouted by another faction and come to the Central Front a long time ago-”

Bang!!

The man, who had been smiling while rolling three silver coins in his hand, collapsed, blood splattering from his temple.

He was slumped in the truck bed, his eyes rolled back, and trembling.

He looked like he was still alive, but it was a fatal wound close to instant death.

While Lenok was calmly looking down at him, the other passengers in the truck bed jumped up from their seats.

“Shit, damn it!! It’s an ambush!!”

“There’s a sniper. Southeast direction. Where the wind is blowing from!!”

Even while screaming in terror, they accurately grasped the direction and location of the attack.

They immediately used the cargo piled up in the truck bed as cover to protect themselves and hide.

These were people heading to the Central area in this old truck. Most of them had learned how to take care of themselves anywhere.

Among them, a woman who had hidden behind the relatively safe driver’s seat shouted at the driver.

“Step on it at full speed!! We have to run away before they catch up!!”

“……”

“Hey!! Why aren’t you listening…!!”

The woman, annoyed, stuck her head out and then shut her mouth when she saw the driver’s head slumped down.

His forehead had a hole in it, and blood and bodily fluids were flowing onto the steering wheel.

“This is bullshit-”

Bang!!

At the same time as a short scream, the woman’s forehead had the same hole as the driver.

Screech!!

“Uwaaaah!!”

Someone screamed and rolled around on the truck bed.

The truck didn’t overturn, but the wheels were twisted, and it seemed to skid for at least tens of meters.

Lenok, who had been sitting in the truck bed with a frown, looked at the young man who had fallen across from him.

The young man noticed Lenok’s gaze and gave an awkward smile.

“It seems like this isn’t your first time.”

“It’s not a once-in-a-while thing.”

The young man said, scratching his head as he stood up.

“I thought it would end smoothly this time, but I guess not.”

“End smoothly? Isn’t that a bit of a misnomer?”

Lenok laughed.

“There’s no one in the world who says a robbery ends smoothly.”

“Ahaha.”

The young man smiled along with Lenok and reached out his hand.

At that moment, a bone saw that grew from the young man’s fingertips pierced through flesh and cut off the neck of the passenger sitting next to him.

Thud!!

The corpse, with flesh torn off, spewed blood from the cross-section of its neck.

“Uwaaaah!!”

He slammed down on the crown of the head of a passenger screaming next to him.

He dragged out a person who was secretly hiding in the back and cut off their legs.

He tore off the wrist of a peddler who was tapping on his phone and shoved it into his mouth.

Clack clack clack!!

The young man moved like the wind through the cargo piled up in the truck bed, massacring the people in the truck in an instant.

“Phew…!!”

The young man, covered in blood, walked towards Lenok and mumbled.

The young man, who spat out a half-broken finger from his mouth, grinned.

“By the way, how did you know I was a robber?”

“Knowing or not… you were originally in cahoots with that driver.”

Lenok replied in a languid voice.

“You were the only one sitting in a spot where the side mirror of the driver’s seat was visible, and coincidentally, it was near the exit to the outside of the truck bed.”

“……”

“You suddenly mentioned the wanted poster and tested if I was Thousandfold, then had the sniper kill the driver. What’s the reason?”

“Well, the fewer heads, the more reward, right?”

The young man said, wiping the bone saw that had popped out on the back of his hand with the corpse’s clothes.

“These people are all smugglers who are crawling into the front to make a buck. They may look shabby, but their bundles are quite substantial.”

“I guess so.”

Lenok replied nonchalantly and asked.

“So, you killed the man as soon as you heard I wasn’t Thousandfold?”

“That guy hit me on the head first.”

The young man said with a smile, stomping on the dead man’s head.

Crack!!

At the same time as he lightly put force on his foot, a gruesome sound of a skull being crushed echoed.

Leaving the corpse that had immediately lost its human form under his feet, the young man stared at Lenok.

“And, it’s not because of what this guy said. It’s because it became clear that you weren’t Thousandfold.”

“What… does that mean?”

“After the events in Vulcan, there was a big rumor about Thousandfold’s personality.”

At that moment, the back door of the truck bed burst open, and a clear female voice was heard.

More than a dozen armored vehicles surrounded the truck, and dozens of people stood with their weapons.

Bizarre outfits and appearances that didn’t match the place or time, like military uniforms or armor.

Some had half their faces torn off, while others were missing an arm or a leg.

The only thing they had in common was the strong greed and murderous intent mixed in their gazes towards Lenok.

The curly-haired woman at the front said in a cheerful voice.

“According to the rumors, Thousandfold is said to be a man of incredibly upright character. It doesn’t really suit a sensitive mage like you, does it?”

“……Upright?”

Had he ever done anything to warrant such a story under the identity of Evan Martinez?

“Of course. Are you perhaps unaware? He’s currently the number one target for recruitment among Central scouts.”

Lenok tilted his head at the unexpected words, and then the woman swept back her curly hair and said.

“His actions of turning a huge city into a sea of fire are highly regarded in the Central area. Although he lost to Kyeonroe, it’s said that he was actually superior in terms of wide-area spell deployment.”

“……That’s.”

“Especially since he fought to the death to protect the lighthouse keeper in Vulcan, his character and personality are highly regarded. Do you understand what this means?”

The woman smiled at Lenok.

“A man with strong loyalty and who would risk his life for his master is unlikely to get angry at a robber like us, let alone talk to us first.”

“……”

Lenok, at a loss for words, covered his face with his hands to hide his expression.

It was only now that he understood why they were so sure that Lenok wasn’t Thousandfold.

It seemed that in the Central Front, the evaluation of Thousandfold had spread in a very strange direction.