Chapter 762: One-Man Show (14)

After solidifying his decision to depart for the Military City Yorta.

Lennok swiftly began to resolve the remaining matters in Vulcan.

Aside from entrusting the management of the magic tower to others, there were a few tasks Lennok had to personally handle.

“Van, found her. Is this the woman you were talking about?”

“Location?”

“Exactly where you said. Should I bring her in, or will you come?”

“…I’ll go myself. Wait for me.”

Hanging up the call, Lennok immediately mounted his bike.

Leaving District 49 behind and speeding towards the outskirts of Vulcan, a small lake nestled between distant mountain ridges came into view.

A tranquil lakeside, where not a single ambient sound could be heard.

Near the lake, someone was waving at Lennok.

A powerfully built man with a can for a head. Mad Manson, the freelancer who joined Lennok’s company on contract.

“Why are you standing there?”

“Hahaha… I got kicked out. She told me to get lost if I didn’t bring the goods.”

Manson shrugged his shoulders comically.

“She has quite a temper, surprisingly. Shouldn’t we just take her and talk?”

“It’s meaningless without her consent. You know that, don’t you?”

“Hmm. I specially brought a strong body, thinking I might have to carry her myself.”

“…”

Manson muttered indifferently and stepped back.

“Well, anyway, you came yourself, which means you’ll handle it, right? I’m leaving now.”

“Wait outside the mountain. It won’t take long either way.”

He didn’t expect a long wait for an answer, but he needed someone to assist him just in case.

Leaving the grumbling Manson behind, Lennok immediately got into a small boat by the lakeside.

Squeeeak…!!

He slowly rowed the old oar towards a small island in the middle of the lake.

Though he could have crossed in a single leap if he wished, observing the procedure was a minimal courtesy to the person he was about to meet.

It was a mark of respect for her exceptional and outstanding skill, which had greatly alleviated one of Lennok’s penalties.

Arriving at a small thatched cottage built from ancient trees, Lennok walked with familiar steps towards the backyard.

An elderly woman sat with her back turned, her hunched form casting a fishing rod into the lake.

The moment Lennok took another step closer, a voice resonated in his mind.

[Judging by your footsteps, you’re someone who has visited this place before.]

“…”

The familiar method of conveying intent through telepathy, rather than spoken words. It was just as Lennok remembered.

The legendary pharmacist, Yakson Yanushika Greenway.

The one who committed the taboo of binding her own memories with Geas to greatly boost her Hierarchy.

Even though she had treated Lennok once, introduced by Jenny, she now couldn’t even remember that fact.

She was a pharmacist who had forgotten even her own family in such a manner, remaining alone in this isolated mountain village.

Without turning to face Lennok, she spoke.

[We are not strangers. Are we?]

“…Yes.”

Lennok nodded.

Yakson, as if she had expected it, immediately continued.

[So, someone who knows about me dared to send an outsider to inquire about my well-being? How impertinent!]

“…”

[And you regularly sent people to try and meet me. So all that was your doing?]

“I knew you wouldn’t meet anyone without the talismans you made.”

Lennok said, not batting an eye.

“However, since a long time had passed, I needed to confirm if you were still residing here.”

“…Nonsense. Who are you to worry about whom?”

“I don’t wish to concern myself in this manner either, but I consider it a necessary procedure.”

Lennok replied, settling onto a nearby tree stump.

“I believe it wouldn’t be strange for someone who has lost attachment to life to give up on themselves at any time.”

“…”

“Especially if their only remaining attachment was revenge.”

Only then did Yakson grasp the meaning of his words, turning around with a startled expression.

[No way…?]

Dominic Cavaro, the drug lord who had caused Yakson’s family to be treated, and even robbed her of her memories.

What Lennok had said was a secret of her own that he could never have known unless she herself had told him.

With that single sentence, she realized that the very person who had killed the drug lord stood before her.

“It’s been a while, Doctor.”

Lennok smiled and pulled out an old wooden box from his pocket.

“Quite a bit of time has passed, hasn’t it?”

The case where she had stored the elixir she made to treat Lennok’s mana addiction.

The elixir she had created back then was consumed long ago, but its effects still vividly pulsed within Lennok.

Even just partially alleviating the mana addiction that plagued Lennok in every battle was a significant gain.

“…Indeed. I understand that you are the person I treated.”

Yakson’s expression settled as she recognized the wooden box as something she, though unable to remember, had given.

“But if your business with this old woman is finished, why have you returned? Are you planning to take credit for killing Dominic Cavaro now?”

“I merely performed a simple confirmation for the sake of basic trust.”

Lennok smiled and shook his head.

“Because what I’m about to discuss isn’t something I can say to someone I consider a stranger.”

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, no matter if you were my patient–”

“There’s a way to adjust the Geas you’ve imposed upon yourself.”

Yakson’s words abruptly stopped.

Lennok looked at her, her eyes wide with disbelief, and asked,

“I’d like to invite you to my magic tower as compensation for attempting that adjustment, would you consider it?”

A colossal green palace stood in the middle of a crimson-black wasteland.

Bang!!

The heavily barricaded door exploded outwards, revealing the interior.

Someone stepped slowly into the palace, trampling over shattered metal fragments.

“Wow~ Look at this mess.”

A gaunt figure, with roughly shaven hair dyed yellow.

The man, clad in a leather jacket, shook off the dirt from his feet and whistled.

“I shouldn’t say this, being from the cult myself, but this is a truly perverse hobby. Are all the sorcerers of the Order Alliance like this?”

Hundreds of corpses were impaled and displayed on every wall his gaze touched.

From bodies so badly mutilated they were unrecognizable, to those preserved so meticulously they looked as if they had just fallen asleep.

The man silently surveyed the corpses, then his eyes lit up as he recognized one of the faces.

“Oh? Isn’t this the guy who sold drugs in the Republic? I heard he joined Pandemonium, when did he get taxidermied here?”

“They are not corpses.”

At the far end of the palace, someone was intently working with their back to the man.

Something lay on an operating table, and the person was repeatedly incising and suturing with a scalpel in hand.

The doctor, clad in green surgical scrubs from head to toe, turned to face the man with cold eyes.

“They are all my guests. You, a mere apostle of a primitive cult, wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, is that how you want to play?”

The apostle tilted his head, arms crossed, and snickered.

“But now that I think about it, it doesn’t really matter whether they’re dead or not. I’m going to turn all of them into corpses here anyway.”

“…”

The doctor, as if annoyed by the remark, lightly flicked the scalpel in his hand.

As if conducting an orchestra, he drew a line through the air, and simultaneously, a colossal chimera burst out from one side of the palace.

“Kiiiiaaak!!”

With grotesquely rolled-back eyes, it dragged its needle-stitched body forward.

Far from a decent appearance, it wobbled, unable to even maintain balance, yet its speed was almost subsonic.

Whoosh!!

The hideously distorted chimera transformed into a flash of light and lunged directly at the apostle.

But the apostle didn’t even look at the chimera, simply raising one arm.

Crrraack!!

The chimera, flung away at invisible speed, fell to the ground, a mangled pulp before it could even hit the palace wall.

The apostle chuckled, observing the chimera.

“Is this what happens to guys who die during surgery? You’ve got some weird taste, dude. It’s freaking disgusting!!”

“Compared to humans offered as sacrifices for your gods?”

The doctor retorted, not batting an eye.

“The surgeries I perform are ultimately for the betterment of human life. It’s incomparable to lunatics who entrust their future and hope to the Outer Sea.”

“Huh? But you’re using specialized magic. You joined the Alliance because no one else would let you use it, didn’t you? Am I wrong?”

“…”

The apostle taunted, watching the silent doctor.

“Annoying conditions, dark internal landscapes, and mana so peculiar it’s practically cursed. If there’s a disposition rejected even within divine doctrines, it would be someone like you.”

“I have nothing more to say to an inferior avatar.”

At the doctor’s cold retort, the apostle shook his head, as if he couldn’t help it.

“Well, honestly, me neither. This whole thing feels like a waste of time anyway.”

“…”

“Still, it’s the Holy Maiden’s request, so I have no choice. Shall we confirm one last thing before we begin?”

With that, the apostle slowly crouched, pulling up his magical energy.

At that moment, his body explosively swelled, transforming into the shape of a massive beast.

Crrrackle!!

A muscular body covered in dark brown fur. Four thick horns hung from its head, and a hideously distorted bovine snout flickered out.

Four arms and two legs supporting its massive frame. Spiked hooves and a tail like burning fire.

Would a Minotaur reborn from a pact with a demon look like this?

[Order Alliance Specialized Conjunction Sorcerer, Avesta Chapman.]

The apostle, now a monstrous creature with burning eyes, looked down at the doctor and asked,

[I plan to cut off your head to commemorate our renewed battle with the Alliance. Is that acceptable?]

“What if I say no?”

[Don’t worry about that.]

The cow-headed monster grinned, extending a hand into the air.

The apostle, gripping a burning axe that materialized from thin air, slowly aimed it at the doctor and spoke.

[I came here to confirm just that.]

“…Alright.”

The doctor mumbled, setting the scalpel he held down on the operating table.

Turning around with an annoyed expression, he slowly removed his surgical cap and walked forward.

“One hour and thirty-five minutes left until the spinal anesthesia is complete.”

Avesta muttered, pulling off the thin gloves on his hands.

“Before that, I’ll prioritize dissecting and anatomizing the apostle’s body.”

Rebatenon University, Elemental Arts Department, Research Building No. 1.

Aris Richellen’s private laboratory.

Lennok, who had been sprawled over a busy lab desk as usual, awoke to the pouring sunlight.

“…”

He blinked blankly, then slowly leaned back in his chair and raised his head.

The coffee cup on the desk was cold.

Lennok smiled bitterly, belatedly realizing he had spent the night in the lab.

“I planned to avoid spending the night in the lab if possible…”

[Master fell asleep precisely at 6:32:03 AM.]

Davi, curled up on Lennok’s lap, spoke as if waiting.

[I’ve analyzed Master’s recent sleep patterns and created an algorithm. Should I install it as an app on your phone?]

“…Do I really need that?”

Listening to Davi’s explanation that she was comparing statistics before and after taking sleeping pills, Lennok began to tidy his desk.

Recruiting necessary personnel for the magic tower, including the ongoing negotiations with Yakson. Disposing of and adjusting accumulated artifacts.

Distributing decision-making authority for operations, and filtering through the deluge of contracts.

He thought he could leave quickly, but with so many things set in motion, there was a lot to handle.

And among them, the biggest problem was the alibi for Evan and Van.

At this point, where the agreement with the magic tower had significantly increased attention on Evan, Lennok’s sudden disappearance would only raise more suspicion.

Furthermore, not addressing matters postponed under Evan’s identity, especially after his recent public appearance, would easily create loopholes.

Considering the contact from the Technology Advisory Committee and the scrutiny from other academic institutions and magic towers, simply vacating his position would be dangerous.

Lennok was aware of this, and thus, before heading to Yorta, he was creating a perfect justification for Evan’s absence.

“Never mind that, just print out the review results for the values you completed yesterday. Are the calculations done?”

[Of course. I ran over three thousand simulations while Master was asleep!]

Davi stiffened her tail and tilted her head up.

[There’s a slight margin of error, but it’s perfect. No problems!]

“…”

At that, Lennok squeezed Davi’s cheeks and gently pulled.

[Ugh, ugh, ugh!]

“How can it be perfect if there’s a margin of error?”

[Because I considered that it’s affected by situation and location, the results will naturally vary slightly each time!]

“…”

[I think it’s already a success, having reduced the error rate this much.]

“Hmm…”

Lennok shook his head, looking at the blueprint displayed on the lab computer screen.

“No, not yet. If anything, I’d say it’s half a success.”

[Should we make a few prototypes and then decide?]

“Contact the academic building and tell them to clear out the entire 3D modeling workshop. Oh, and inform the Dean’s office too.”

Lennok assigned the minor administrative tasks to Davi, and it wasn’t long before a reaction came.

“Ev-Evan!!”

Bang!!

The lab door burst open, and someone rushed in, disheveled.

Saiolus Garteanon, the Dean of Rebatenon University, stared at Lennok with wide eyes.

He had rushed so quickly that his coat and shirt were disheveled, and his tie was loosely undone.

The fluffy spirit clinging to his shoulder cried out pitifully.

[Puu, Puu-pu~]

Lennok chuckled lightly, seeing the Dean like that.

“You didn’t need to rush so quickly.”

“The message you just sent! Is it true?!”

The Dean’s voice trembled.

“That you’ve finally begun preparations…!!”

If he had received Davi’s message, he would immediately understand what Lennok was preparing.

Hence, he had rushed here so quickly to receive reaffirmation from Lennok.

It wasn’t a bad thing. Considering what needed to be done from now on, having the Dean’s assistance would be much more convenient.

Lennok thought so and replied readily.

“The theoretical proof is complete. I’m reviewing it, but there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

“Then…!!”

“Yes.”

Lennok nodded, looking at the Dean’s brightened face.

He needed a perfect alibi.

A perfect excuse that would leave no one suspecting Evan and Van’s absence even after Lennok left for Yorta.

“I will begin preparations for my third thesis. I’ll submit the abstract within three days.”

The final requirement to complete the integrated master’s and doctoral program.

The third thesis required to officially acquire a professorship.

Lennok intended to use its preparation as a powerful excuse for this journey.