Chapter 727: The Wizard and the Magic Tower (4)
Jenny’s bar in District 49.
The wide lobby was bustling with customers, regardless of the time.
Beyond the usual full tables, people conversed, drinks in hand.
It was a neutral ground where one could quickly get all sorts of messy news from the mega-city’s underworld.
But the rumors circulating among the people today weren’t about requests or incidents.
“Did you hear the news?”
“About the Antares Mercenary Group, you mean? They say she’s become a total fisherman.”
“Camilla, you know. That shotgun-wielding madwoman.”
The man quietly looked around and said,
“These days, they say she’s completely quit taking requests and is devoting herself to tuna fishing. Must be quite profitable, don’t you think?”
“…Really?”
“I heard the owner of this bar also runs that business, so maybe you should ask about the unit price—”
At that moment, a deeply沉 voice came from behind the two men.
“It’s not about money.”
“Gah…!”
The man flinched and turned around, his face turning pale as he recognized the owner of the voice.
The voice paid no mind to his reaction and mumbled,
“There’s something far more important than that. Don’t interfere.”
“Ah, alright. Dammit, out of all the people to badmouth, it had to be her…”
With awkward expressions, the customers quickly paid their tabs and left.
The voice ignored them and quietly kept an unblinking eye on someone at the far end of the bar.
“…”
Glancing over, then turning her head away as if she didn’t know.
“…”
She was quietly peeking at Lennok, who was sitting near the counter, from behind a pillar.
She stared intensely with a tense expression, then brazenly pretended not to be looking, as if she had never done so.
Blue hair swayed like a tail from behind the pillar. And despite everything, the habit of constantly sipping from her drink remained.
Though Lennok knew who the gaze belonged to, he focused on savoring the new cocktail Jenny had devised.
In fact, Lennok’s colleagues seated around him were the ones finding the situation awkward.
“I’m genuinely curious, though.”
Jenny, shaking a shaker in front of Lennok, couldn’t hold back.
“Did you lend Mila money or something?”
“How could I have?”
“Then why is that crazy bitch suddenly acting like a lunatic?”
Thud.
As Jenny asked that, a glass full of whiskey was suddenly pushed under her arm.
Mila had approached unnoticed and discreetly handed Lennok a glass full of cocktail.
“…Ahem. I’m a bit full.”
When Lennok looked, she pretended not to notice, turning her head away and looking distracted.
Her intentions were so blatant and clumsy it almost seemed like a prank.
Dylan and Felix, who had been sitting on either side of Lennok debating the cost-effectiveness of small tactical vehicles, gaped at the sight.
“Huh…”
“What am I seeing right now?”
Dylan clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“This one’s giving up her own drink? Is she dying tomorrow or something?”
“If Antares had foreseen this future, they might have come back to watch by now.”
Mila seemed to bridle at their teasing but held it in and turned away.
She was back to quietly observing Lennok from behind the pillar.
Her unusual reaction and attitude left everyone pale.
“…That’s not Mila. It seems she’s possessed by a very potent ghost.”
“Her patience is extraordinary. Should we try to find a famous shaman?”
Lennok shook his head, watching the mercenaries seriously begin to worry about Mila.
“She’s probably not possessed. I dealt with a similar ability user not long ago.”
“Then what is it, exactly?”
“Well…”
Lennok chuckled softly.
“I suppose I’ll have to hear it from her own mouth.”
After that, Mila continued to shadow Lennok like a ghost, subtly bestowing favors.
“Hey, weren’t you off duty today?”
“…I suddenly felt like working.”
She worked harder than usual at the bar, chasing out unruly drunkards.
“I can wipe this too, right? Like this?”
“Ah, be careful with that window, you have to clean it…!!”
Crash!
She participated in office cleaning, something she’d never done in her life, or joined bodyguard training to be a sparring partner.
“Hey, Weian. Watch this carefully. This is how you clean a shotgun magazine.”
“For someone who knows so much, Mila’s shotgun seems awfully dirty.”
“…”
She used her extensive knowledge of firearms to inspect the company’s internal equipment and attended morning office meetings without a word of complaint.
Even the mercenaries who initially suspected Mila welcomed her change.
“If it’s an illness, I almost hope she doesn’t get better.”
“She might really be possessed, so if a shaman comes to the bar, just chase them away.”
“I agree.”
“…It’s not like that.”
Mila endured the mercenaries’ jokes, which were almost outright teasing, and silently wiped the Guardian Spirit Beast’s egg.
[Nom nom.]
The Guardian Spirit Beast made a contented sound as Mila wiped its shell with a potion-soaked towel.
Its colleagues stared at the egg, which waddled and rolled around the bar lobby floor, with bewildered expressions.
“What a life. So, when is that thing going to hatch, anyway?”
“Given its intelligence, maybe there’s another reason it’s not breaking out of the egg.”
“Perhaps its consciousness formed first, and then it’s constructing its body inside the egg.”
“For that, it’s way too gluttonous.”
Mila, who had been diligently wiping the egg, now expertly fed it tuna.
The Guardian Spirit Beast received the tuna, wiggling its shell and sticking out its tongue.
Even while doing so, it was so quick that it hardly showed its true form.
“It’s in its growth phase, isn’t it?”
“…”
But the part Mila truly put effort into was consistently showing her sincerity to Lennok.
She’d suddenly buy expensive parts or accessories for the firearms Lennok used, or gift him costly whiskey from the bar every day.
She’d nervously hand over rare liquors she had hoarded at home, or throw herself into helping laborers at the Magic Tower construction site.
Mila was seen diligently hauling materials, even bickering with Chen, who was directing the construction.
Jenny, sitting at a newly opened cafe terrace in the bustling downtown area, sipping coffee with large sunglasses, murmured naturally,
“Her intentions are so transparent it almost makes me not suspicious.”
“She’s an honest person, isn’t she? To herself and to others.”
Lennok leaned back in his chair opposite her and smiled.
“She can’t hide her true feelings, and she doesn’t try to. She might not be serious, but she’s not shallow.”
That’s why, even though Lennok knew why Mila was acting that way, he didn’t find her particularly annoying.
Ultimately, wasn’t she doing all this to gain favor with him, and for someone other than herself?
“So, there’s no need to worry.”
“…”
But Jenny, instead, stared at Lennok as if dumbfounded, then slowly shook her head.
“Right. Who’s worrying about whom? So, how long do we have to watch this?”
“Just a little longer.”
Lennok sipped his coffee, looking at Mila beyond the terrace.
“I think there might be another reason she’s working so hard like that.”
And so, Mila, who had been steadily building up to this moment without rushing, finally made her move.
It was early morning, after the bar’s daily schedule had concluded.
Customers were sparse, and the bar lobby was temporarily closed under the pretense of maintenance.
As the Antares Mercenary Group members and Jenny’s company employees gathered around scattered tables, chatting,
Click!
Mila walked towards Lennok, holding a small box with a determined expression.
She took a slow, deep breath, then carefully extended the box towards Lennok.
Lennok, who had been leaning back at the table, drinking, stopped his hand when he saw the box.
“…”
Other mercenaries and Jenny also watched her with intrigued expressions.
“So, she finally made up her mind.”
“That crazy act is finally over? Took long enough.”
“You should say that’s a shame, Dylan.”
“Ah, just shut up!”
Mila snapped, shooing her colleagues out of the bar.
The others reluctantly excused themselves from the bar.
In the meantime, Lennok opened the box, stroking his chin with an intrigued expression.
“This is…”
It was a single-lens optical device radiating a faint glow—a monocle.
At a glance, it was an artifact with unusual abilities.
Mila stood before Lennok, her expression tense, as she placed the monocle down.
In the lobby, with only Jenny, Jordan, and Lennok remaining, Mila sighed and painstakingly parted her lips.
“Th-There’s something I… want to ask…”
“I figured.”
Jenny retorted indifferently.
“If you had gone through all that effort and had nothing to say, I would have thought you were truly insane.”
“…”
Jenny, who had been observing from the side, had also noticed that Mila desperately wanted something from Lennok.
“What exactly did you want to do that made you stall for so long?”
“…There isn’t much I can do for Van, is there?”
Mila replied with a bitter smile.
“What would a wizard like Adamant Thunder lack that he would accept something from me? So I wanted to show my sincerity, even like this.”
“…”
“I have a younger sister.”
Mila took a deep breath and slowly spoke to Lennok, who remained silent.
“She’s a wizard. She specializes in Waterflow Magic and wants to work in the field.”
“Your sister was from Rebatenon, wasn’t she?”
Jenny tilted her head.
“Wizards from there aren’t bad at their jobs, but most of them are researchers, I thought. She doesn’t seem like the type for field work.”
It seemed Jenny also knew something about Mila’s family. Perhaps they had chatted about their personal lives over drinks.
Her comment about Rebatenon University wizards suggested she hadn’t anticipated this kind of situation.
“It’s because of me.”
Mila frowned at Jenny’s question and mumbled,
“She knows how I work, so she wants to work somewhere close, even if it’s just nearby.”
“So, you want to ask if your sister can work at the Magic Tower?”
Only then did Jenny realize what Mila’s request was and asked.
Mila calmly replied,
“I’m not asking you to accept her without question. Of course, she’d have to be tested for qualifications and have an interview. But… could you just give her a chance?”
“…”
“No matter how I think about it, Van, you don’t seem to have much interest in research wizards.”
Only upon hearing those words did Lennok understand why Mila had invested so much time and effort.
The Van that Mila knew was a monster who had clawed his way up through Vulcan’s underworld on his own.
A freelancer who, far from being a wizard capable of field work, had more practical experience than any other superhuman in the underworld.
Did she, therefore, think that Lennok wouldn’t even give an opportunity to someone from a research background?
Rather than simply pushing Priscilla into the Magic Tower, Mila had put in all this effort just to secure a chance for her.
“Could you perhaps reconsider your thoughts on that—”
Mila’s words stopped short as she looked at Lennok’s expressionless face.
She silently raised her head to look at the bar’s ceiling, then, after a long silence, said,
“No, no… This isn’t it. My heart wants to ask you to just accept her, but I shouldn’t… Ah, seriously. I don’t even know what I’m saying.”
Mila smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“She’s my only family. I want her to live safely and comfortably. But if she absolutely wants to work in the field…”
“If she wants to?”
“…I want her to be by the most trustworthy wizard I know. That’s all. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
Mila herself must have agonized over what could possibly be helpful to Lennok.
And yet, if she had put in so much time and effort just to make this request of Lennok…
Instead of immediately answering, Lennok picked up the monocle Mila had placed down.
“It’s an artifact that projects light at different magic transmission rates to see beyond the visible spectrum.”
Lennok said, looking at the faintly glowing monocle.
“It must have been expensive due to the difficulty of its production. It would have taken some time to collect the incentives from accepting requests, too.”
So, Mila had been working diligently by Lennok’s side, buying time for this?
“Its efficiency isn’t great, and visibility isn’t good. Honestly, it’s a bit heavy too. But…”
Lennok silently brought the monocle to his right eye and looked at Mila, then chuckled softly.
“It’s a good item.”
“…”
“Don’t you think artifacts like this can only be made by research wizards?”
“Th-Then…!”
“If she’s from Rebatenon, her fundamentals should be sufficient. Take her to Tatiana for an interview.”
Seeing Mila’s face light up, Jordan, who was wiping glasses, smiled warmly.
Jenny, too, merely scoffed with her arms crossed, offering no objections.
Perhaps they thought that if Mila’s sister had the intuition to work among veteran mercenaries, her abilities wouldn’t be severely lacking.
While an excited Mila called Priscilla and ordered several strong whiskeys from Jenny, Lennok approached Jordan.
“Jordan. Do you have a moment?”
“Of course.”
Jordan, who had been wiping glasses, immediately wiped his hands and nodded.
“Is it something I should step away for?”
“…Probably.”
Since Mila, who had been persistently following Lennok for days, had disappeared, it wouldn’t matter if they made an excuse to leave.
Jordan immediately led Lennok to a small storage room behind the bar.
“Jenny doesn’t even know about this place. It would take her a while to find it.”
“You visit often, it seems.”
“Everyone needs some time alone occasionally, don’t they?”
Lennok lit a cigarette and offered one to Jordan, but Jordan declined.
“Dylan and the other mercenaries will be back, so let’s keep it short. What do you want to say?”
“Ethan Bajour is alive.”
“…”
Lennok quietly spoke, watching Jordan freeze like a stone.
“If you worked with Kaiser, you must know that name.”
Jordan was Kaiser’s colleague during his lifetime and the only remaining associate still by Jenny’s side.
But if Jordan was still alive despite being involved in the project, there must be a reason for it.
Lennok had surmised this, which was why he had never directly questioned Jordan about it, but now the situation was different.
Ethan Bajour. Kaiser’s son and Jenny’s father.
It was impossible for Jordan, who had watched them so closely, not to know about their family ties.
Jordan seemed to intuit that Lennok was asking about this fact and remained silent, his face expressionless.
Jordan, unable to speak, finally opened his lips with difficulty.
“I apologize for going back on my word. Would you give me one?”
Jordan took the cigarette from Lennok, put it in his mouth, and pulled out a lighter from his pocket.
He lit it skillfully, uncharacteristic of someone who didn’t usually smoke, and inhaled deeply.
“As you might have guessed, I was Kaiser’s primary physician.”
Jordan turned his gaze to Lennok and said quietly,
“I had to watch that cursed heavenly punishment by his side, treating him constantly. To keep him from breaking. To help him endure until the very end of the project.”
Jenny had told him that Jordan had learned medicine by traveling through battlefields since he was young.
He had met Kaiser and started working with him well after he turned forty, so he must have already had decades of experience by then.
“Does Jenny know?”
“…I wonder.”
Jordan, smoking his cigarette, replied.
“But she surely must have tried to find out.”
The old man’s eyes, staring into the darkness beyond the storage room, deepened.
“That child was very intelligent from a young age. She knew how to find what she wanted without being told…”
Jenny was a more capable and seasoned broker than Lennok when it came to the underworld’s dynamics and business.
It was more reasonable to think that she had stopped investigating at some point, rather than being ignorant of the project.
Lennok, aware of this, decided to ask Jordan first, rather than Jenny directly.
“Ethan Bajour must have been a very special person.”
“He was like Kaiser, yet fundamentally different in crucial ways…”
Jordan smiled bitterly.
“He had innate brilliance and charm, but in the end, he tended to hide his true feelings.”
“…”
“Perhaps he even tried to hide and conceal his own death, shaping it into another form.”
Was he saying that even without certainty, he had considered it a possibility?
“Kaiser suffered his entire life from the curse he bore, yet he loved his talent and his destiny.”
Jordan spoke as if anticipating Lennok’s question.
“But he couldn’t treat Ethan that way.”
“…”
“That’s all I can tell you. I couldn’t stop Ethan’s death, after all.”
Jordan spoke painfully.
“Perhaps, perhaps… when everything surrounding Jenny turned harsh, I thought it might be true… but I…”
Did he mean that even after Ethan’s death, he thought Ethan might be alive but couldn’t be certain?
If Jordan was Kaiser’s doctor, he would have treated Kaiser’s son, Ethan, too.
That’s why Jordan felt responsible for Ethan’s death and didn’t delve deeply into the matter.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a veterinarian. But after being dragged to the battlefield, I had to heal humans, not animals.”
Jordan mumbled, fiddling with his cigarette.
“Sewing, attaching, cutting… It felt like repairing living parts, not people. I learned there that sometimes there’s a life worse than death.”
Jordan said absently,
“I’m not afraid of death now, Van. But…”
Jordan slowly finished his cigarette and turned his gaze.
“I’m afraid that the decision I’m making might betray Kaiser’s will.”
“…”
“I thought that quietly waiting for the end in this bar, wishing for Jenny’s happiness, was the last task given to me…”
Jordan, with a complex expression, turned to leave the room, then pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Lennok.
“I once gave this to you before, do you remember?”
“This is…”
It was the necklace Jordan had given Lennok, saying it might be helpful, before Lennok went to the Hanghasa Labyrinth in the Northern Continent.
Lennok had returned it after finding no particular use for it, and now Jordan was handing it back again.
“I couldn’t tell you then…”
Jordan said, as if having made up his mind,
“Among Kaiser’s mementos, it’s the only item Ethan ever wanted.”