Chapter 950: The Prohibition (5)

“Van!!”

Peshia collapsed, the price for defying The Prohibition and revealing the project’s inner workings.

Seeing her state, Jenny immediately called out Lennok’s name and rushed toward Peshia.

“Ugh… cough…!!”

Peshia Grisbern lay unconscious, blood flowing from every orifice on her face.

Her shoulders and limbs convulsed, and all the muscles throughout her body stiffened.

It was a truly horrific sight, as if she would give up the ghost at any moment.

Click!

Jenny flung open the office cabinet, pulled out an emergency kit, and plunged an ampoule into Peshia’s neck, shouting,

“Call Yakson. I’ll try to give her emergency treatment myself in the meantime…!!!”

The backlash of The Prohibition, inescapable even for high-level superhumans.

But in this tower, where experts from various fields were gathered, there might still be a chance to save her.

Jenny quickly assessed the situation and, without hesitation, was about to administer a painkiller to Peshia’s mouth.

Lennok, who had been quietly watching, replied,

“She’s fine.”

“What…?”

“She’s an irredeemable killer, but too useful to die here.”

He stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the convulsing Peshia.

Lennok’s gaze was cold as he watched her face, close to death, but conversely, he felt no particular killing intent.

“I’ve already handled it. The rest is up to her own will.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Cough, cough!!!”

At that moment, Peshia shook off Jenny’s hand and coughed violently.

She pulled out the ampoule from her neck and tossed it away, then rolled on the office carpet.

It wouldn’t have been strange if her head had burst, killing her instantly, yet she was still alive, convulsing all over.

That fact itself was proof that Lennok’s prior arrangements had successfully worked.

“Cough, cough…!!! Ughhh!!”

Peshia, who had been thrashing her limbs and scratching the floor with her nails, couldn’t hold back her nausea and vomited her insides.

Something other than stomach acid, from her belly that hadn’t eaten for days, spilled out and rolled across the floor.

A broken piece of a goat’s horn, snapped in two.

Soaked in wet saliva, it was corroding and melting as if burning away.

Hiss! “Haa, haa…!!!”

Peshia, sweating coldly, stared blankly at it, then slammed her head onto the floor.

It was a heavy impact, enough to cause a brain hemorrhage if it hadn’t been for the carpet.

However, Peshia’s breathing was much more stable than before.

“A method to bypass The Prohibition using a part of Anathema’s body.”

Lennok stepped forward to where Peshia had slammed her head, picking up the horn fragment.

He watched the quickly corroding and disappearing horn piece with interest and said,

“I was wondering how to use it, but it seems simple ingestion has some effect, at least for now.”

“You… son of a b****…”

Peshia muttered in a voice that sounded like it would break.

“After the summit… you played a trick… you f***ing….”

From the moment Peshia collapsed right after the summit, until she woke up while Lennok and the innocent were talking.

During that time, Lennok had cut off a piece of Anathema’s horn and made Peshia consume it.

“Don’t scold me too much. If not for this, you would have died right here.”

Lennok chuckled and crouched in front of Peshia.

Hiss!!

Lennok lit a cigarette and blew smoke over her head, saying,

“Anyway, if you went back to Olivera, you’d be used for experiments to bypass The Prohibition until you died. Isn’t it better to preserve your life this way?”

Peshia was able to survive defying The Prohibition because Anathema’s body, absorbed into her system, had taken the backlash instead.

Olivera must have requested a part of Anathema’s body, expecting this kind of use, of course.

“Bullshit! What’s the difference between that woman and you…!!”

But Peshia, instead of being convinced by Lennok’s words, let out a difficult sneer.

“Either way, if I go back, I’ll be experimented on until I die…!!”

“No, you’ll be fine. This kind of application is ultimately a one-time thing.”

Lennok said, looking at the horn fragment that had completely corroded and disappeared in his hand.

“Even if you bypass The Prohibition, it’s just a way to deflect the backlash onto a substitute. A Geas isn’t such an easy binding to trick.”

Lennok burned the crushed powder on his glove and turned his gaze.

“If you try to bypass The Prohibition the same way next time, it will ignore Anathema’s causality and directly kill the sworn party.”

“…”

Simply absorbing a part of Anathema’s body is only enough to take the backlash of The Prohibition once.

To use Anathema’s causality more effectively, a different kind of adjustment would be needed.

Perhaps that adjustment was Olivera Ron Maize’s true goal.

Thinking so, Lennok looked down at Peshia with an amused gaze.

“But your choice to defy The Prohibition, disregarding death, is unexpected. Did you think it was alright to die now?”

“…”

She was a person who had participated in war under Kaiser and witnessed the failure of the project firsthand.

Considering the life she had lived, she must have known from the beginning that it would come to this.

But Peshia, knowing this, chose to defy The Prohibition and die here.

If one could decide when and how to die, that alone was a blessing in this world.

“You mocked Krod so much, yet you too were looking for a place to die.”

Lennok scoffed.

“You want to be at peace, how contradictory. It’s a death too good for someone like you.”

“To you… it must seem laughable.”

Peshia struggled to lift her gaze.

Her eyes glistened with regret and self-deprecation.

“I just thought it wasn’t a bad end to this wretched life.”

“You speak as if you want to atone. Don’t you think it’s too late now?”

“…”

“It seems you thought of this as your end the moment you saw Jenny, but I won’t let you find peace that easily.”

Peshia’s words to Jenny were, she believed, her last will and testament at that moment.

She must have started the conversation intending to defy The Prohibition and die for Bajour’s granddaughter.

“I’ll make a separate deal with Olivera regarding your custody.”

Lennok whispered, looking at Peshia’s contorted face.

“Look forward to it. I plan to make you do much harder things than this.”

“You, you son of a…!!”

“But I can tell that what you spouted wasn’t a lie. To cut off the Heaven-Defying Talent in his generation…”

Lennok murmured, turning his gaze toward Jenny.

Jenny bit her lip with a complex expression and asked,

“Cut off a talent… you want me to believe that?”

“It wasn’t the answer I expected, but it’s not an incomprehensible reason.”

Lennok replied.

“Kaiser Bajour was born with a Heavenly Affliction where all the mana in his body flowed in the opposite direction of his blood vessels.”

Peshia’s shoulders visibly flinched at Lennok’s unreserved mention of Kaiser, but he ignored her and continued,

“Because of that, he acquired regressive spellcraft that reverses time, but he was a body that had to live in a different time than others.”

“…”

“It’s known that inherited bloodline abilities, curses, or bindings passed down through a family’s blood, manifest even more powerfully through atavism.”

Lennok said, looking at Jenny with an indifferent gaze.

“From here on, it’s just speculation, but it’s highly probable that Ethan Bajour was aware that Kaiser’s traits would manifest strongly in you.”

“…”

“If the Heaven-Defying Talent had actually manifested through atavism, your life would have been drastically different… and Ethan Bajour might not have been able to accept that.”

“That, that’s…”

Jenny’s hands trembled uncontrollably.

She endured it because Lennok was speaking, but it was clear proof of her deep agitation, so much so that she found it difficult to suppress her emotions.

“Of course, that’s Peshia’s claim; I don’t know what kind of person Ethan Bajour truly is.”

Therefore, instead of continuing his explanation, Lennok naturally changed the subject.

“It’s hard to say that Deadrise’s war or Peshia Grisbern’s passive acceptance of the massacres is desirable. I’m not sure what he’s thinking.”

“Bullshit…!! This son of a b****, knowing everything…!!!”

Perhaps Lennok’s behavior, feigning ignorance and changing the subject after almost reaching the correct answer, seemed detestable.

Lennok completely ignored the foaming, convulsing Peshia and collected his thoughts.

He had spoken vaguely for Jenny’s sake, but there was one fact he had to tell her now.

“However, because of that… one thing is clear: Ethan Bajour is still alive.”

“…”

“I learned that fact after contacting the generals of the legion. Deadrise, which he leads, literally refers to Ethan himself, returned from death.”

Lennok smiled and pointed at the collapsed Peshia.

“So, if you wish, you might meet him someday. Until then, this woman will be your means to find Ethan Bajour.”

“…”

Jenny seemed speechless.

Indeed, with her current standing and authority, it wasn’t an entirely impossible task.

The one and only Magic Tower in the mega-city. As Lennok’s business partner, an administrator overseeing most of the administrative affairs.

Someday, when Deadrise returns to Vulcan from the Central Front, if Ethan Bajour leads the legion, Jenny too will encounter him in some way.

“A presumptuous wizard like you, looking for Lord Bajour…”

Peshia grinned.

“He is not a being bound by this world’s time. No matter how skilled a spellcaster you are, even if—”

“That’s right. Returning from the dead isn’t possible with just strength of soul or mind.”

Lennok said, looking down at Peshia, who seemed to have been hit where it hurt.

“A vessel strong enough to contain a soul that has defied life and death. There’s no need to even confirm that Ethan himself was an outstanding superhuman.”

A leader who makes a military faction like Deadrise his symbol, leading them—his combat prowess needs no further explanation.

Moreover, Ethan Bajour was a person who traveled through the Military Spirit City alone, leaving journals in various secluded places.

If he wasn’t confident in his own might, how could such a reckless journey have been possible?

Unlike Kaiser, Ethan Bajour must undoubtedly be a tremendously powerful superhuman himself.

“If you have nothing more to say, let’s wrap this up.”

Lennok said, raising his hand.

“I want to clean up the room first. Your vomit is making my stomach churn too.”

Snap!

With a flick of his finger, the carpet where Peshia had vomited rolled up and folded itself.

The window opened wide, and the thin blackout curtains automatically drew back, letting in air to ventilate the room.

When he grabbed Peshia by the scruff of her neck with a Magic Scribe and sat her on the chair, Peshia, who had already regained some energy, retorted without missing a beat,

“For a madman who spills blood at every opportunity, you’re pretending to have a weak stomach… Who do you think would be impressed by such feigned innocence?”

“Not a single word you’ve said is correct. Can you only speak incorrectly unless you’re defying The Prohibition?”

Lennok retorted indifferently, pushing the window wide open.

Whoosh!

A chilly breeze poured in through the window, ventilating the room.

As the heat that had filled the office dissipated, the sounds of busy tidying echoed all around.

Only then did Jenny seem to come to her senses, rubbing her cheeks with both hands as she turned around.

“…Van. I’ll go handle the City Council’s contact first.”

Jenny said, gathering the documents she had placed on the table.

“It seems the higher-ups’ connections are twisted because of the Cult and the Apostles. I’ll clear up the Council’s communication lines and then listen to the situation again.”

“It wasn’t something that would be resolved overnight.”

Lennok nodded.

“I also have somewhere to go for a bit, so take your time. I’ll be waiting.”

“Alright. And what happened today…”

Jenny sighed softly, forcing herself to smooth her expression.

“Later. I want to hear Jordan’s perspective and think about it again. Is that okay?”

“Beyond whether it’s okay or not, it concerns you personally.”

Lennok chuckled, arms crossed.

“If you didn’t give it careful consideration and make a decision, I’d think there was something wrong.”

“…It’s been a mess from beginning to end, what are you talking about?”

Jenny grumbled, but despite her words, she seemed much less burdened.

Gathering her documents, Jenny patted Lennok’s arm, glanced at Peshia, and then left the office.

She probably sensed that Lennok and Peshia had more to discuss.

“…”

Even amidst all that, Peshia tried to glance back, perhaps wanting to remember Jenny’s face, but Jenny had already disappeared.

“You’re exceptionally devoted.”

At that reaction, completely absent from her usual crazed demeanor, Lennok scoffed at Peshia as if he had been waiting for it.

“Anyone would misunderstand and think I brought Jenny’s wet nurse to the tower.”

“…You’re the one who treats her granddaughter differently.”

Peshia, overcome with emotion, retorted without backing down.

“I didn’t know such a cold-hearted wizard like you could spout such trivial jokes. The people you’ve killed would be outraged enough to rampage.”

“Regardless of her birth, she’s capable and trustworthy.”

Lennok replied.

“There are many excellent strategists, but few who know how to gauge boundaries. Her talent is too precious to be in this dark place.”

“Don’t you think even that character comes from her bloodline?”

Peshia asked with a sharp laugh.

“Innate talent and a character that surpasses it. A transcendent will and mental strength that goes beyond human limits. Both of them possessed these.”

“Bloodline, bloodline… you’re practically singing praises openly.”

Lennok couldn’t hold back a chilling smile.

“If the Bajour bloodline was so precious to you, why haven’t you cared for her until now?”

“That…!”

“You betrayed Kaiser, and after the project failed, you abandoned Vulcan. His son became the leader of the traitors, leading a legion to war.”

“You… how dare you…!!!!”

“Where is Gileon, who boasted such loyalty, and what is he doing?”

With every word Lennok uttered, Peshia’s inner killing intent swelled like a balloon.

Each of his words struck a raw nerve, hitting the mark as if touching her dragon’s reverse scale.

But Peshia neither lunged at Lennok nor shouted coarse insults and excuses.

She only glared at Lennok with bloodshot eyes, as if waiting for something.

And Lennok knew what Peshia was thinking, too.

“Earlier, you got angry when I knew the answer in front of Jenny but pretended not to.”

Lennok whispered with a smile.

“Even though you despise me, you rely on my judgment, you hope for my intuition. You wanted me to understand the secret you couldn’t speak yourself. But I won’t.”

“…!!”

“You said Ethan participated in the project to eradicate the Bajour talent, but that differs from Kaiser’s goal as I know it.”

The Black Consumer Project was Kaiser’s plan to find an answer.

It was, quite literally, an act of insisting on dreaming of ungranted qualifications and futures.

Lennok, who had met Kaiser in the past in the quarantined zone, knew what he wanted and why he started the project.

Kaiser’s determination to fully investigate all failures in this world and find a single answer that would lead to the next.

Even in failure, his choice to become something more than fate left its traces even on Lennok’s Kaleidoscope.

However, Ethan Bajour’s goal, as Peshia had explained, was entirely different from the answer Kaiser desired.

That’s why Lennok knew that Peshia hadn’t said something, and that there was still something that couldn’t be explained to Jenny yet.

“If Kaiser and Ethan’s goals for the project differed, I can guess why.”

Beyond the open window, Lennok’s eyes glinted with an unparalleled sharpness.

“Either the two of them split ways during the project, or Ethan’s goal was part of the answer Kaiser sought. Or perhaps both.”

“…”

“That’s why I don’t believe your words. Everyone involved in the project has a different testimony, and your circumstances are inevitably biased towards Ethan.”

The essence of the Black Consumer Project was Kaiser’s lingering attachment to finding an answer to destruction.

Therefore, Ethan’s desire to eradicate the talent must have been one of the possible outcomes of the project.

The failure of the project. Kaiser Bajour’s change of heart and death. Ethan Bajour’s resurrection and the existence of Alkaid.

Deadrise is definitely hiding something.

Something only they, who directly served the Bajour family, know.

The decisive reason they betrayed Kaiser, despite directly participating in the project.

The reason they knew of Jenny’s existence but pretended to ignore her.

It was clear that this secret was most intimately tied to Ethan’s existence.

“Whatever happened to Ethan Bajour, however he changed, it’s none of my business.”

No matter how strong and exceptional a superhuman Ethan Bajour was, or how different a person he became after his successful resurrection.

Before the conclusion arrived, Lennok had to meet him once and hear his answer directly.

That would be the only thing Lennok could do for Kaiser, who entrusted his answer to the Kaleidoscope.

“At the very least, judging him will be something I do after I face him directly.”

“You…”

Perhaps she felt an unprecedented strong will in Lennok’s reply.

While Peshia forgot to even pour out her hatred, staring at Lennok with a pale expression.

Lennok, whose intensity suddenly subsided, put his hands in his coat pockets and turned around.

“Well, you don’t have to answer now. It wasn’t something I necessarily had to hear from your lips anyway.”

Lennok chuckled and gestured with his head, extinguishing the half-burnt cigarette in the office ashtray.

Jenny’s past and Peshia’s secret. Even Anathema’s method of bypassing The Prohibition. All the immediate tasks and experiments were done.

Now, it was time to collect the price of the deal exchanged before the summit.

“As for the remaining secrets about the project, I’ll hear them from Olivera.”