Traitor

The godmother's house had an overall warm color palette.

The floor and ceiling were made of bright wood. The marble walls that contrasted with them added a nice accent to an interior that might otherwise have looked old.

It didn't look like she'd rushed to clean up. Nothing seemed out of place, so she probably wasn't the type to neglect cleaning in general.

In a corner, stacks of bottled water and tissues were piled up. On top of them sat a moon-shaped mood lamp, lit and scattering a pale glow in all directions as it softly brightened the room.

A wooden bookshelf stood against the wall. Packed tight with all sorts of autobiographies and general-interest books, it showed off a variety of shapes. There weren't many novels. The ones there were mostly famous works like Sherlock Holmes, Crime and Punishment, and The Metamorphosis.

She seemed to prefer reading itself over cultural pursuits.

Ian let out a low hum and slowly looked over the books on the shelf. Among them, he found one that seemed out of place.

The cover was ordinary. But it trembled slightly every time he looked at it, so it was clearly a grimoire. It was probably her Lemegeton.

‘Looks like she isn't any good at acting.’

Well, acting wasn't exactly an important virtue for a grimoire anyway. Ian let it go and flopped down on the sofa the godmother had shown him.

The plush sofa gently supported his body. The godmother brought a teapot, snacks, and teacups from the kitchen, then sat across from him.

“Thank you for coming. Even other mages would be reluctant to enter a mage's space…….”

She was right.

In the space where a ritual mage lived, the mage had absolute authority. They could freely manipulate the magic circles spread all around, and outsiders had no way of knowing how many there were, so storming a mage's house or workshop was basically suicide. There was a reason Eddie, all puffed up with arrogance and conceit, had waited for him outside Ian's house.

Those who handle ritual magic are a little less dangerous, but they're dangerous all the same.

So entering a mage's space had become one of the things everyone tied to the supernatural avoided. Even other mages were no exception.

He hadn't realized it yet, but the magic installed in this room was probably spinning eerily right now, waiting for the godmother to activate it. If he made even a tiny foolish move, it would come down like a guillotine.

He had no intention of doing anything like that, so it didn't matter. Ian took the tea the godmother handed him and gave a faint smile.

“I don't think you called me here because you expected me to ambush you. I trust my own judgment.”

More precisely, he trusted the reverse scope, along with the tools and the magic woven into his coat. The moment the scope sounded an alarm, Ian planned to use every means at his disposal to escape this place and then kill the godmother.

There was no need to do that now. As long as the scope stayed silent, he was effectively safe.

If the godmother were a psychopath who couldn't feel things like hostility or murderous intent, the story would be different, but she didn't really seem like that, so there probably wasn't a problem.

“Hearing you say that makes me even happier.”

The godmother forced a smile, trying not to look tense, and put the snacks she had brought onto a plate. Ordinary potato chips and choco chips spilled out onto an otherwise out-of-place luxurious plate. She folded the empty snack bag neatly and dropped it in the trash, then carefully set the plate on the table.

“Please feel free to eat while you listen. Ah, should I order lunch in advance too? The magic I'm going to use takes a bit of time. Of course, I'll pay.”

“I'd be grateful if you did. I'll leave the menu to you. There's nothing in particular I avoid.”

“Hmm... then let's go with pizza. One pie should be fine, right?”

“That's fine with me.”

Ian's answer made Eunha nod as she ordered the pizza. Then she set her phone beside her and took a sip of tea.

“……Hot, hot…….”

She must have gulped it down too quickly, because she stuck her tongue out slightly and frowned. Ian let out a snort of laughter and brought the cup he'd been holding to his lips.

The bitterness and faint acidity unique to black tea blended together with a trace of sweetness on his tongue.

It wasn't a flavor he particularly liked. Coffee was still much better than tea.

Still, she had gone to the trouble of preparing it. Ian didn't show it and spoke as he set the cup down.

“How does the magic you're planning to use work? Is there anything I need to do?”

“Ah, I need to make a small wound with the scale I've prepared. It might sting a little.”

That much was nothing. Ian nodded and rolled up one sleeve. Of course, he didn't take off his coat.

“Can we start right away?”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Eunha stood up and went into a small room. A short while later, she came back with a silver scale and placed it on the table.

A scale engraved with a devil's face. A sharp needle jutted up from the top, and a human-like figure engulfed in flames was carved into the tray below. Each of them had a face twisted in pain, yet their eyes were covered by blindfolds. Only faint screams echoed from their open mouths.

No matter how he looked at it, it was no ordinary object. Ian narrowed his eyes and examined the scale from every angle.

Clunk.

Eunha took out a small sphere from the lower compartment of the scale.

A transparent orb. She pricked her finger on the needle jutting from the top of the scale, making a wound, and carefully let her blood flow into the orb.

Like paint falling into water, the blood slowly spread before completely dyeing the orb red. Eunha put the orb back into the scale and closed her eyes.

“Orb of Destruction.”

She began to recite the spell. The magic circle engraved on the base of the scale lit up and responded to her will.

“You with the false tongue, you who govern sinners with fire and also delight in their suffering. I command your scale: answer only with the truth whether the owner of this blood lies.”

Eunha gave Ian a look. Ian immediately brought his finger to the needle on the scale and pricked it lightly.

With a stinging pain, the blood that welled out slid down the needle. Before long, the moment the blood gathered in the silver bowl, the meager amount surged and filled it to the brim. The lower bodies of the sinners were submerged in the blood.

At the same time, the prisoners screamed.

[Aaaaargh!]

[It's hot, it's hot! Save me! Fuck, what did I do wrong to deserve this kind of pain—!]

Stopped.

The overlapping screams were cut off at once.

And then.

[Beautiful blood. Truly delectable.]

The voice of an old man flowed from the mouths of the sinners carved into the scale.

[A bitter-sweet taste unique to mages. Judging by the density, you're quite an accomplished mage. I'd like to speak with you face to face.]

“Aym, obey my command.”

The godmother said in a cold voice.

Aym.

That was a name Ian remembered too. It was definitely the name of the one ranked 23rd among Solomon's 72 demons.

…….

He watched the two of them converse with a calm expression and wiped the blood on his hand onto his clothes.

[Don't get too worked up, successor of Solomon. You'll blow your head right off.]

“Aym.”

[Yeah, yeah. Fine, I get it. Damn bitch. I'll do as you say, won't I? What a rotten personality—and that voice is terrifying too.]

The demon called Aym grumbled like that, then soon began humming. Eunha took out the notebook she'd left under the table and wrote something down, showing it to Ian.

‘From now on, we'll communicate through the notebook. The demon might be eavesdropping.’

[Scratch, scratch. So you're writing something. What are you writing? Can you tell me too?]

‘I've ordered it to tell only the truth, so it won't be able to pull any tricks. It'll take about an hour for the result to come out. Until then, we have to keep talking through the notebook. You understand, right?’

[Scratch, scratch. Scratch, scratch. Damn scratch, scratch. Talk with your mouth. Hotly, passionately, while breathing out as you speak!]

Eunha completely ignored Aym's words and looked up at Ian.

That straight, unwavering gaze. Ian stared into her mint-colored eyes for a moment, then nodded. Eunha's lips curved into a faint smile.

‘Then please tell me what you've been through, Mr. Ian. This is fine to say out loud.’

‘Yes.’

Ian wrote the brief answer, then turned toward the scale and spoke.

“I killed a mage named Eddie. He asked a specific target whether someone who had recently obtained a grimoire was in Korea, and that target sold the information for money. The target was a mage who had joined the community.”

[Oh, a voice I've never heard before. A male? Of course. Since Solomon's successor is female too, if you're bringing someone along, a male is the right choice. Haha! A one-night fling? Or a scorching romance? Either way, lovely! I love playing with fire so mu—]

“Answer me, Aym. Is what he said true?”

Eunha cut him off and asked. Aym seemed irritated by her voice, growling once, but because of the Lemegeton and the command that had been given, he immediately backed down.

[Wait. I'm analyzing. If you'd summoned me in the first place, I could have known right away. Why go through such a cumbersome procedure?]

“Only say what's necessary, Aym.”

[Ha, just as you'd expect from Solomon's successor—your personality is a dead ringer too. You child of man, how long do you think you can stay so brazen before a demon? Hundreds of hell legions and demons want your blood and organs. So please, die. Scatter your flesh across hell and eternal suffering—]

“It seems that's exactly the kind of thing you need to hear. Fine, I'll change the command. Analyze only whether what the owner of this blood said is true or false, and answer that. And get lost.”

Gone.

Aym's voice disappeared. Eunha curled her lip and slowly scattered the salt she'd brought over the scale.

“You can never kill me. Because I am Solomon's successor.”

[…….]

“May the Lord's light and love cover my shoulders and back, and may You make me stand upright against evil.”

[……you bitch.]

“So shut up and just follow the command.”

With that, Eunha didn't open her mouth again. Aym didn't either. The only difference between the two was whether they did so willingly or not.

Slurp.

Having silenced the demon, Eunha let out a long breath and took a sip of tea. Ian watched her and wrote a question in the notebook.

‘Are you Christian?’

Eunha answered with a wry smile.

‘I'm not religious.’