Genius Warlock-Episode 235
“Oh my, I never thought I would actually send an employee as a substitute… .. Damn, you have no regard for the situation here..”
A grumpy man wearing a hood said with dissatisfaction..
The wrinkled man was a researcher at the Herbal Research Institute in Mountain Face, and although he was quite old, his rank did not seem very high..
"sorry. Since the professor was busy, he sent me away for now. Please, thank you for your understanding..”
Oliver politely asked for forgiveness, but he didn't listen..
There were negative feelings toward Oliver, but he seemed to have a very angry personality to begin with..
Not rational anger like Willes, but emotional anger..
He snorted and grumbled..
“under-! No matter how busy you are, how busy you are....."
Jealousy and irritation shone through his emotions..
The exact reason is unknown, but it seemed to be related to the fatigue accumulated to the point where vitality was blurred, rough hands, and dirt on work clothes..
As Oliver was wondering how to respond, a woman appeared from inside the lab..
“You have to be careful what you say. Hayden, Principal Researcher. Professor Kevin is the master of the Magic Tower and is higher than you in terms of status..”
The woman who suddenly appeared was in her 30s and wore the same work clothes as the man..
The difference was that I had much more energy and self-esteem..
As she approached, the man wearing a hood was embarrassed..
"yes? Yes, warden..”
"Come on in. hayden.”
At the woman's gentle command, the man named Hayden shook his head and ran into the lab..
When the man disappeared completely, the woman held out her dirt-covered hand to Oliver..
"nice to meet you. My name is Sophie, and I am the director of the Herbal Medicine Research Institute. I heard you were coming.”
Oliver also responded politely to her friendly greeting by holding her hand..
“My name is Zenon Bright, and I am a personal employee hired by Professor Kevin Dunbar of the Elemental School. It's an honor to meet you. Director Sophie.”
Sophie laughed at Oliver's polite greeting..
"Oh, sorry. I heard that Kevin hired him, so I was curious as to who he was, and as expected, he is an interesting person. Please understand what Hayden complained about earlier. I am a person who has been stuck here and is very angry..”
"I'm fine. Do you know Professor Kevin more than that??”
“sure. It’s the same gate… .. Would you please come in for a moment??”
Oliver nodded and went inside. Sophie suddenly stopped Oliver by showing his palm..
"Wait. who is that?”
The person Sophie pointed to was Willes, who wore a leather mask..
As promised in advance, Oliver introduced Willes as the hired fixer..
“A problem solver?”
“Yes, I heard it's rough here..”
"Hmm… .. It is difficult for outsiders to enter. For wizards, research and knowledge are their lifeblood, so they are conservative when it comes to security..”
"I understand that according to the school rules, you can enter if you provide proof of identity..”
Sophie's eyes widened slightly..
“Ho... .. By all means, have you read all of the [Magic Tower Rules]? That thick one?”
"Because I decided to work at the Magic Tower.?”
“You are sincere... . These days, no one reads those boring, thick books for that reason, so there's nothing you can do about it. Come on in.”
Sophie allowed Willes to visit..
"However, keep in mind that if a problem arises, it could also harm Kevin..”
"Yes, I understand. The professor will understand too..”
“is it so? I’m a picky friend.?”
“Since you sent me on your behalf, I believe you will understand this level of discretion..”
"under-! Not only is it fun, it's also gutsy. I like it. I believe it will help you that much..”
"It's not enough, but I'll try my best..”
"great. Do you know about the situation here??”
“Yes, I understand that a small number of laboratory employees at Mountain Face are missing, and the wizards who came to investigate have suddenly stopped hearing from them..”
"Exactly. Three people from our lab also disappeared..”
Sophie took out her pipe and held up three fingers..
He then took out dried herbs from the front pocket of his overalls, stuffed them into his pipe, and lit them with his magic power..
Sigh. Sigh. Smoke rising with sound. It smelled like cigarettes, but a little sweeter..
“sorry. I was holding back because I was working just now..”
“I'm fine. Can I ask what the total number of people in the lab is and who the three missing people are??”
"Including all the small workers, the number of people in the laboratory is fifty-four, and the missing people are two trainees and one general researcher who manages them..”
"How did you go missing??”
"It disappeared while I was digging up the necessary herbs. Originally, I would have entrusted it to a nearby villager, but since it is an item that can be properly collected only if you know how to use magical power, I entrusted it to my friends... .. Now that I think about it, it was a mistake..”
Sophie appeared calm on the outside, but on the inside, her sad feelings shone..
"still… . Three out of fifty-four is not that many..”
"As soon as the disappearance incident occurred, we restricted all laboratory personnel from entering the laboratory. The lab that responded late suffered slightly more damage than here..”
"Is it very serious??”
"If you look at it from the Magic Tower's perspective, it's not like that. It's still at a good level. The Magic Tower doesn't want to make a fuss over this issue. The fact that this place is a bit traditional also plays a part..”
Sophie's words with bones. As Oliver was trying to figure out what was going on, Willes intervened from behind..
"Are there any rumors or stories??”
Sophie glanced at Willes and answered..
"Rumors?”
"Yes, rumors. When a disappearance occurs, strange rumors are bound to spread. A monster or a ghost or something..”
“It's the same as what the villagers say. By any chance, did you stop by??”
Sophie asks Oliver. Oliver said yes.
"Yes, I was wondering if I could find any other traces in the village..”
"hmm… . That's not a bad approach. The villagers here are also suffering. First of all, the answer is that we did not see it..”
"Is that so?”
“yes. First, restrict outside access. The wizards sent first from the Magic Tower searched, but they also found nothing... .. Then the story is one of two things..”
"What is it?”
"Either it's a rumor, or the ghost's hiding ability is so good that it can avoid the wizard's search..”
Oliver thought about those words for a moment..
After some time passed, Oliver spoke again..
“Could I ask what exactly this lab does??”
"Does it have anything to do with the disappearance??”
"A little bit. I'm curious too.”
Sophie smiled slightly..
"Kevin picked a really interesting friend… .. As the name suggests, this is a place where medicinal herbs are studied. As you may know, herbs are essential to making excellent potions. Although it is not a very important study in the alchemy school, it is very important research..”
“So, is there anyone who wants that research??”
Oliver asked calmly but sharply, and Sophie, understanding the point, raised the corners of her mouth..
"Of course there is. A wizard's research can be quite profitable. However, these days, it is rare to see people trying to steal laboratory data. At least those outside the Magic Tower..”
"Is that so?”
“Wizards are often exposed to the risk of having their research stolen, so they know how to prepare for it. Each research institute, including this one, has its own security system and guards, so it is not easy to be attacked, and we have a security system that can respond even if attacked..”
"It's a security system.?”
"yes. When they submit regular reports to each school every day, they send their own password. If anything goes wrong, you can know right away. In addition, an emergency contact network is set up to notify nearby research centers and magic towers in the event of an attack, so if something goes wrong, you can't go unnoticed..”
Oliver said, ‘Ah…. ' I had no choice but to say out loud..
I thought that the disappearance might be some kind of advance to attack the research center, but based on what Sophie said, it definitely wouldn't be easy..
“So, can I ask another question??”
***
As the sun was setting, Oliver left the herb lab and returned to the village with Willes..
Afterwards, I asked a few questions, but nothing in particular came to mind..
Since only obvious answers were given to obvious questions, it was a natural result..
"sorry. I thought I would get something, but it's not easy..”
"Specifically? are you okay. I didn't expect to get the answer right away anyway. Rather, I am satisfied because I obtained useful information..”
"Useful information.?”
“Right, you said that even the wizards who volunteered from the Magic Tower couldn't find any traces, right? Then it means the other person is not normal..”
The person Willes was talking about was the culprit involved in this disappearance, and Oliver agreed with this..
This wasn't an ordinary disappearance, so it was inevitable that people would get involved..
Since there was a wizard among the missing, it was easy to infer that the culprit was not ordinary..
That's why Oliver suspected that they were planning to attack the lab..
‘Did I look at it too much from a warlock's perspective? Well, wizards are larger and more organized than warlocks, and they are also protected by the law, so attacking them may not be as easy as it sounds..’
Even if I heard about the security system of this research institute, even if there was an attack, the problem was how to handle it..
There is a difference between heaven and earth between a researcher and worker disappearing and a research institute being attacked..
If that were to happen, the Magic Tower would abandon its cautious attitude and immediately dispatch a large number of wizards here..
Then, the side that tried to steal the research had nothing to gain..
'After all, it's not easy to deduce something..’
“Your guess wasn't bad either..”
Willes spoke to Oliver.
"I mainly thought about the village people and thought they were human traffickers or warlocks who wanted to conduct human experiments. However, if it's Mountain Face, the research center might be the goal..”
"Ah, that's too much praise..”
“That's not too much praise. The Magic Tower officials don't really think like that..”
Oliver tilted his head..
"I don't think it's to that extent?”
"No, the magic tower surprisingly doesn't think like that. It's not because I'm stupid, it's because I have reasonable confidence..”
"I'm confident that I'm reasonable?”
“Yes, the Magic Tower is so powerful that they no longer think that they will be attacked first. Smart wizards will still let down their guard, but most of the rest cannot. Because they are strong. So your comment was quite interesting..”
Willeth asks, opening his eyes sharply. With him a feeling of doubt shone through.
"I've said this before, but this year is my first time entering the Magic Tower..”
"So, what did you do before that??"
"yes?”
“What did you do before entering the Magic Tower? Restaurant worker? Bellboy? Factory worker? Or a fixer?"
A confident question, not just a question.
Just as Oliver was about to answer, something approached from a distance..
Oliver recognized it with the eyes of a warlock, and Willes recognized it with the detection magic that his body periodically released..
The story is interrupted, and Oliver and Willis suddenly appear, bracing for their presence, even though they haven't exchanged a word..
Soon, someone appeared through the bushes. She was a woman wearing outdoor clothing and an expensive necklace that did not match her outfit..
“ha. ha… .. hello! My name is Lena, and I am a general researcher from the Chimera Research Institute under the School of Life. I came here after hearing a call from the Herbal Medicine Research Institute. Are you Mr. Zenon Bright, who came to represent Professor Kevin Dunbar??”
***
"It will arrive soon at the latest. I never thought I'd get a car like this, thank you.”
Lena, a general researcher at the Chimera Research Institute under the School of Life, spoke while riding in the bed of a truck with Oliver and Willis..
She said that the Chimera Research Institute under the School of Life conducts chimera research using the beasts found in the Mountain Face.,
Luckily, the Chimera Research Institute heard from the Herb Research Institute that Oliver had arrived, and they told me to come find Oliver, who was there at the right time..
"I was really lucky. Because it happened to be nearby. I'm so glad we met so easily.”
"Thank you for your thoughts… .. I am only an acting professor, but I am so grateful that you welcome me like this..”
Wallace's eyes lit up slightly at the different side of Oliver, who was polite but not servile..
Lena from the Chimera Lab waved her hand with her characteristic bright smile..
"no! no! First of all, we feel fortunate that support came from Mage Tower. It's enough just to pass on our words.!”
"I mean?”
"Oh, didn't I tell you? I found some traces.”
“Are you talking about traces??”
"yes! Traces of a disappearance case! I can't tell you the details right now, but I figured it out to some extent..”
"That's amazing.”
"you're welcome. Our research institute is relatively large here, and there are a lot of missing people. They say a thirsty person digs a well.?”
"I heard about it at the Herbal Medicine Research Institute. It's one of the research institutes that suffered the most damage... .. So the reason you were outside was to find traces of the disappearance??”
“Oh, that's not it. I went outside for a moment to do an experiment. To see the condition of the animals tagged for observation. Even if it's messy, research can't stop. There are a lot of people who want to achieve results quickly and get out of here… .. I don’t know if you know, but.”
"I also heard that a little while ago. Mountain Face is said to be the best overall Mage Tower..”
"Yes, that's right. It's a good job, but it's not a place where you'll be recognized. So most of the time, the goal is to achieve results here and return to the Magic Tower... .. It’s been a while since I’ve seen an outsider like this, so I’m talking about all sorts of things..”
Lena said that and laughed. There was emotion in her words, a hint of sincerity. As if you were really in that situation..
Oliver looked at this with interest and continued to ask questions until the truck arrived at the Chimera Lab..
What specifically does the Chimera Research Institute conduct, the number of people at the research institute, the number of disappearances, and other situations?.
Lena answered naturally, not much different from what she heard at the herbal medicine lab..
Eventually the truck stopped..
The driver spoke through the eye sockets of the driver's seat..
"Im here.”
Lena, Willis, and Oliver get off.
When I came out, the sky had already turned black..
Oliver approached the driver's seat and said to the driver:.
"Sir.”
"yes?”
“I left some luggage in the village. Could you please bring it to me? .. If you are tired, you can take a nap in the village and come back tomorrow..”
The driver frowned at Oliver's sudden words. I worked hard until late at night to come up here, but it was like they were making me do errands so I couldn't rest..
However, the driver was quick-witted as someone who helps Willes, and looked at him in silence..
Willes also seemed to have noticed something, and nodded slightly..
"yes… .. All right.”
The driver answered and started the truck at the same time..
Lena said when she saw that.
"It's too late, wouldn't it be better to rest and go down tomorrow??”
"sorry. I want to do that too, but it’s important stuff. I see that you are okay, so I don’t think you need to worry.."
"aha….”
Lena could not say any more, and the driver was able to go down to the village below without interruption..
Probably wouldn't come up until the sun rises tomorrow..
"Then, can you guide me to the lab??”
"Ah yes! Please follow me.”
When Oliver spoke to her, she suddenly came to her senses and led the way to the Chimera Lab..
Is it true that it was a bit large? It was definitely bigger than the Herbal Medicine Research Institute..
Although the herbal medicine research center was large, it looked like a botanical garden built on the ground.,
The Chimera Research Institute was in the form of a secret fortress dug into a part of the mountain face..
Even though it was the same magic tower research center, the sense of intimidation was very different..
"Our life school pays more attention to security than other research institutes. Please follow me.”
Lena led the way, followed by Oliver and Wallace..
The School of Life's research lab had a thick iron door. When I placed my hand on it, the magic power of the iron door responded and the door opened with a heavy sound..
“It's similar to the automatic door in the Magic Tower library..”
"Oh, you recognize me. It is a security system created by taking the idea from there and applying technology from the life school..”
When I opened the door and went inside, eight people who appeared to be lab security guards were waiting for me..
As if they had expected Oliver and his group to come, they made a gesture to guide them without saying a word and then stood around Oliver and Willis..
As if guarding, as if surrounding.
As I passed through the door and entered the hallway, the door to the School of Life Chimera Lab closed, blocking the outside world..
The only light was from a row of soft light bulbs on the ceiling, so the interior was a bit dark, as if a veil had been placed over it..
Oliver asked, looking at the light bulb on the ceiling..
"How did you apply life science technology??”
“Did you know that the automatic door used in the Magic Tower is set in the world tree and opens when a certain amount of magic is input??”
"yes, i know.”
"The basic principle is similar. For communication purposes, the world tree is pulled in and set values are given in the style of life school, allowing only certain people to enter..”
"Life school-style settings.?”
As Oliver asked the question, a dim light bulb began to blink..
Tididik- Tidik-tick-
"Yes, the flow of magical power is slightly different for each person. Like fingerprints on your fingertips.”
Lena pointed to her fingertip..
"In other words, unless you have the same magic flow and the same fingerprint, you cannot open that door and enter. And for security reasons, researchers here open the door one by one every day..”
“Oh, then there is no need to worry about external intrusion or infiltration.?”
"Yes.”
"But can a fingerprint be copied exactly with a leather mask??”
Stand tall.
everyone stopped walking.
Lena and Willes, who were leading the way, and all the bodyguards surrounding them..
“But there's something I don't understand. I know that the flow of magical power is different for each person, but is it easy to follow? I was a little picky because it required detail..”
“oh.… . is it so?”
Lena, who was in front, turned her head back and answered..
Her once gentle and lively face became unnatural, like a mask, and not only that, it turned into a hideous person..
Tendons sprout, muscles stand out, long fangs sprout, etc..
"He's a person who enjoys bragging. Well, just check it slowly... . bite.”
At Lena's command, the bodyguards surrounding Oliver and Willis rushed towards them, screaming like beasts, and along with them, the dim light bulb in the hallway went off! and turned off.
Everything was immersed in darkness.
Comments