Genius Wizard Takes Medicine
chapter-235

“Shall we move to a different spot for now?”

As he uttered these words and snapped his fingers, shadows rapidly enveloped the two of them, and Fame’s form disappeared from that spot.

“……”

Lennok stared intently at the remnants of the shadow, and at that moment, Fame reappeared, grumbling.

“Damn it… Can’t you just go along easily? It’s always the high resistance to magic that makes it difficult to control.”

Fame had just tried to employ a specific spell to envelop Lennok, who, as anticipated, resisted it.

A typical wizard might not have been able to resist Fame’s intentions, but Lennok’s exceptionally high resistance to being targeted instantly nullified it.

“This spell is a bit tricky for me too, so if you resist, it becomes hard for me to use. It’s just to move us to a more suitable place for conversation.”

“……Okay.”

After some consideration, Lennok nodded.

If Fame had genuinely intended to harm or overpower him, he wouldn’t have chosen this moment.

The Cartel’s executive meeting. Fame showing up at such a critical time to disrupt their plans was evidence enough of his strong interest in Lennok.

Furthermore, considering the spell Fame had just used, it was worth listening to what he had to say.

As Lennok ceased his resistance, the shadows once again enveloped him.

When the darkness dissipated, Lennok found himself in a spacious lounge with a panoramic view of the city.

“…….”

An unnamed restaurant in a towering skyscraper.

Fame, casually taking a seat by the window, gestured to Lennok.

“Sit down. Let’s talk over a meal.”

“This is…….”

The table was already set with various dishes.

As Lennok sat across from him, Fame immediately started eating.

He spoke between bites of his steak.

“This is a place I often use to host important guests. It’s run by an acquaintance and offers a nice view. It seems even the most unruly ones calm down here.”

“Is that comment directed at me?”

“You’re definitely a tough one.”

Instead of touching his meal, Lennok observed Fame closely.

Their third encounter, but the first time he had observed him so intently.

Despite his unassuming appearance, Lennok remembered the power and sophistication of the spells engraved in Fame’s body.

More than a high-level wizard, he was a formidable opponent who could hold his own with individuals like Olivier Ron Maze.

Lennok decided to ask the burning question on his mind first.

A question that was essential for him to move forward.

“Are you studying spacetime-related spells?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Because I’ve seen you… at least vaguely touching on those concepts.”

At that, Fame stopped chewing his meat and smirked.

“Now that I remember, you did ask for magic in that field as payment. I thought you were just setting a difficult price because you didn’t want freelance work, but you seem genuinely interested.”

“…….”

“Unfortunately, you’re wrong.”

Thud!

Fame set down his knife and began to dig into the pasta with his fork.

He seemed to have a surprisingly hearty appetite.

“What you saw were just results of pushing my spells to the limit. They slightly touch upon time and space, but it’s not to the extent that I can claim to manipulate them essentially.”

Saying this, he thrust his fork into the shadow inside the bowl.

“It seems like my black magic involves linking shadows to enhance the power of spells or combining different spells. I’ve refined this concept to its limit, applying it even to objects and life forms. Just like this.”

Swoosh-

The tip of the fork that entered the bowl’s shadow emerged from the shadow of a salt shaker placed in the middle of the table.

It seemed to be a temporary spatial movement created by connecting the shadows of two spaces through black magic.

“Considering the position and size of the shadows to delicately control the amount of mana is quite difficult… And it’s greatly affected by the time of day.”

Lennok commented, to which Fame nodded with a smile.

“Exactly. Since shadows constantly change in size and area depending on sunlight or light sources, it’s quite a challenging spell to use, especially outside buildings where there’s no sunlight.”

Though Fame spoke casually, Lennok remembered that Fame had used this magic in the bustling streets.

For a wizard of his caliber, adjusting the amount of mana in real-time to the changing shadows was not a significant challenge.

“But despite these complex conditions, the effectiveness of my magic isn’t much different from spatial magic.”

Fame stated, gazing intently at Lennok.

“Why do you think that is?”

“Is it because spacetime magic is actually quite inefficient?”

“Exactly.”

Fame chuckled darkly.

“That’s why I like talking to fellow wizards. We understand each other well.”

“…….”

Lennok had somewhat anticipated this.

For two years, he wandered here and there, dealing with all sorts of things, but all he managed to acquire were a few space-related artifacts.

However, handling such artifacts allowed him to understand something to a certain extent.

When thinking about objects like the Restraining Device, which required a considerable warm-up time and devoured a huge amount of mana, and the Charm of Earth’s Embrace, it became clear what the characteristics of space-related magic were.

“Space-related magic consumes a massive amount of mana as the manipulated space increases. It’s like setting fire to a sea of oil. It doesn’t bend the rules to manipulate space, but directly manipulates space to bend the rules. It’s fundamentally different from black magic, which merely touches upon space.”

“So, it means that controlling spatial manipulation comes at the cost of consuming mana like water.”

“Not only that, but even to learn lower-tier spells, one needs a level of spatial understanding comparable to that of a high-ranking wizard. Even if one has the opportunity to learn rare magic, they might find themselves hindered by their own talents.”

“…….”

“What about time-related magic, which even lacks proper information circulating about it?”

Lennok remained silent.

Fame looked at Lennok with an amused expression but began to devour the food on the table relentlessly.

“That’s why the academic and traditional wizards have long given up on the space-time series. Eventually, by refining and redefining the magic they have mastered, they can interfere with those two great gaps as a result.”

This might explain why other high-ranking sorcerers didn’t seem too eager to seek out space-time magic.

“Of course, if one could truly freely handle those two series of magic, even worrying about the inefficiency of the process would feel like a luxury… but it’s a realistic problem. It’s absurd for wizards to abandon their path in search of magic that is hard to find and learn.”

“I see. But…”

Such matters were irrelevant to Lennok, who was not bound by the constraints of a magic system.

Going beyond mere non-conformity, he was creating his own system and establishing his own rules.

However, instead of voicing these thoughts, Lennok kept them to himself.

Fame was unusually friendly towards Lennok but was ultimately a member of the Pandemonium.

Considering the trust level, this meeting itself was almost nonsensical.

“Well, I’ll end my lecture to my junior here and get to my main point.”

As he cleared the empty dishes aside, a waiter who appeared out of nowhere began swiftly clearing the table.

Two cups of coffee were placed on the now-empty table, and Fame leisurely sipped his coffee while looking down at the city.

“Come to Pandemonium.”

“…….”

Silence followed.

Even after making such a shocking proposal, he gazed out of the window as if nothing had happened.

Instead of responding, Lennok slowly turned his head to look down at the cityscape.

It was a stark contrast to the desolate scene he had encountered in the battle with McQueen.

The bustling center of civilization.

The lively scene of the busy district was vividly chaotic and complex, but it made the sensation of being alive feel almost too blatant.

“If you killed that foolish heretic, you’re more than qualified, and with my recommendation, a simple test or two should suffice. It won’t be too difficult to pass. The important thing is how much you know.”

Fame turned to look at Lennok.

“So, it doesn’t matter if I reject your offer right now?”

“Hahaha! Of course. Did you think I was going to threaten you here?”

Fame burst into laughter.

“I have a rough idea of what you’ve been doing in this city. Someone as meticulous as you wouldn’t have come to me without any preparation.”

“……”

“I’m not interested in clinging pathetically to a dark junior. I don’t need someone who moves at the will of others. Even if that weren’t the case, we have too much to do.”

Lennok found himself hesitating to answer.

His encounters with countless individuals had indeed helped him understand this world to some extent.

But the man sitting calmly in front of him, sipping coffee, was an entity moving in a completely different direction from those he had met before.

Was it wise to engage in a conversation with him on this topic?

Having seen and experienced many things, Lennok never overestimated himself. He was neither a sage who had understood the truths of the world, nor a prophet who could see and understand everything.

He was just a human being, living in the reality in front of him, just like everyone else.

It appeared to be a misconception that he could engage in an equal dialogue with this man, who seemed to transcend humanity.

If, through this conversation, Lennok found himself aligning with Pandemonium’s ideology.

And if that wasn’t the right path.

Lennok candidly acknowledged his own uncertainty.

“I’m afraid that what I desire might not be the right answer.”

“…….”

“I can’t even be sure if the question at hand truly has a correct answer. Nor am I sure if I’m qualified to answer it.”

Fame listened silently with his eyes closed to Lennok’s words.

“It’s unclear how far the meaning of ‘opening the heavens’ extends. Maybe you guys are seeing reality more clearly.”

Ascension and Revelation.

Which is closer to the idea of a snake biting its own tail, the cyclical nature of order?

Lennok felt he was starting to grasp its meaning faintly.

However, this understanding didn’t come from achieving some ultimate right to answer or reaching the pinnacle, but rather from being an outsider from a wholly different world.

Was all of this predetermined from the beginning?

How closely are the three sentences he heard just before awakening in this world linked?

The definite answer still eluded him.

That’s why Lennok chose not to force himself.

“I have no intention of cooperating with you right now. That’s all I can say.”

“……Okay.”

Fame faintly smiled and rose slowly from his seat.

“At least it’s clear you’re not a complete outsider. That’s enough for me.”

In the spacious lounge where only the two of them remained.

As Fame headed towards the elevator at the far end of the room, he turned to Lennok.

“But the others won’t be as kind as I am.”

“…….”

“If someday the leader of Pandemonium needs you, will you really be able to refuse the offer?”

Lennok did not respond. He simply endured the scrutiny in silence.

Fame smirked and then glanced at the elevator button before pressing it.

As he watched the numbers on the display ascend, he muttered.

“The more you carry, the more entangled you are, the harder it is to escape. No matter how firm your resolve, it doesn’t always work out as well as you hope. Unless you’re like me…”

The only option is to sever all ties.

“…….”

With that, leaving a profound remark etched in Lennok’s mind, their conversation came to an end.

Did Fame genuinely want to bring Lennok into Pandemonium, or was his sole intention to engage in conversation?

Until the end, Lennok could not decipher the true motive behind Fame’s cryptic benevolence.

The inscrutable figure, difficult to fathom, vanished into the elevator.

Lennok remained alone in the expansive lounge, gazing up at the darkening sky.