Chapter 103
Ian and Eunha kept conversing in the notebook until Aim reported the result.
-Is Ain your real name, or is it an alias?
-It's an alias. My real name is Shin Ian.
-Shin Ian. That's a name you don't often see in Korea. Still, it's pretty. Ah, I'm Eunha. Yu Eunha.
-I'll remember that.
At Ian's unhesitating reply, Eunha let out a small laugh. Then she tapped her lips with her pen, pondering the next topic.
Just then, the doorbell in Eunha's house rang. The delivery she'd ordered had arrived. She went, "Ah," stood up, and immediately came back with a bag holding pizza boxes. The two exchanged glances and started eating in silence.
By the time they were nearly done with a whole pizza,
[The scales have tipped.]
Aim suddenly spoke in a flat, even voice. The two of them turned their heads toward the scale on their own.
[Check it.]
“…….”
Ian and Eunha put down the pizza slices they were holding and moved closer to the scale to check the tilted bowls.
The bowl without the prisoner carved into it was positioned lower than the bowl with the blood boiling inside. There was only one possible meaning.
“So it was true.”
Eunha said.
“Thanks for your help, Aim. I’ll be counting on you again next time too.”
[Get lost, bitch.]
With those words, Aim disappeared. The blood in the scale vanished on its own, and the prisoners’ screams also died away. Quiet classical music took their place. The sounds of the violin and cello rode the air and moved through the room.
Eunha took out the orb she had placed in the lower part of the scale and set it upside down. Then the blood inside began to pour out in a stream under gravity.
The flow wasn't particularly fast, but it looked like everything would be gone in a few minutes. Ian stared for a moment at the red blood beginning to pool on the table, then turned toward Eunha.
Scratch, scratch.
Using the pen she'd left nearby, she wrote a sentence in the notebook.
-Is it all right if I speak now?
After checking Ian's handwriting, Eunha gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Yes, it's fine now. I confirmed that it disappeared.”
“……Phew. Then that's a relief.”
Ian let out a relieved sigh and wiped the oil from his hands with a tissue. Eunha did the same, then stretched out an empty hand into the air.
“Summon.”
With her murmur, a grimoire appeared in her hand.
It was the Lemegeton with a cover reading 'Hamlet.' When Eunha removed the Lemegeton’s cover, the title The Lesser Key of Solomon was revealed clearly.
That title was written in Latin. But, as with the other grimoires, Ian could understand every letter as if it were Korean.
Of course, Ian had never studied Latin. The only language he knew was Korean. He could speak a little English and Japanese, but using them like a native speaker was impossible. For him to look at Latin and understand it was absurd.
Still, he had a guess as to why.
‘Probably because the compatibility is so high.’
Touch of Re-Creation and Deep-Sea Chronicle. The two grimoires written by the foreign god weren't written in any language that existed on Earth, let alone a foreign language. Even so, from the very first time Ian saw them, he could read their titles without any trouble. The contents were the same.
If the reason was 100 percent compatibility, then being able to understand the Lemegeton's language was somewhat explainable. Probably the Lemegeton and Ian were 100 percent compatible, or nearly so.
But the Lemegeton would flinch every time Ian's gaze turned toward it. It was an obvious fear response. The vestige of Solomon's will remaining in the Lemegeton sensed the presence of something quietly holding its breath inside Ian's coat and made its edges tremble.
[Eunha, under no circumstances hand me over to that guy. This is an order!]
“……Why would I show my grimoire to someone else? Don't worry.”
Eunha muttered in disbelief. Ian tilted his head.
“Pardon?”
“Ah. The grimoire suddenly started talking to me, so I answered it.”
“……The grimoire talks?”
“Yes. We've been communicating ever since we first met. It sends its voice into my mind.”
“……I see.”
Ian glanced down at Touch of Re-Creation in the inner pocket of his coat. That look seemed to rebuke it, as if asking, 'Why can't you talk?' and Touch of Re-Creation trembled in grievance.
But there was no way a mere mortal who couldn't even make a sound could understand what he meant. Ian ignored the grimoire's trembling and turned back to Eunha. It was time to stop the small talk and get back to the main point.
“Has it been proven that what I said is true?”
Ian asked. Eunha lowered the scale beneath the table and answered.
“Yes. There isn't the slightest doubt. Aim is basically a demon who lives on lies, but he can't refuse an order to speak the truth. So, Ian... ah, is it all right if I call you by your real name?”
“I don't mind.”
“Thank you. Then, by your real name... anyway, it's been established that what you said is true.”
As she said that, Eunha flipped through the Lemegeton's booklet. Between the yellowed parchment pages, detailed magic circles and descriptions of the seventy-two demons could be seen at a glance.
“So from now on, we should find the traitor and deal with him. Whatever the reason, I can't just look the other way after someone sells information.”
“But we still don't know who he is, do we?”
“There are ways.”
Eunha wore a faint smile so small it would be hard to notice unless you looked closely. Then she said she'd prepare some magic for a moment and went into the dressing room. Thanks to that, Ian was left alone in the living room.
“Hmm.”
He ate the remaining slice of pizza, tidied up the box and trash, then sank back onto the sofa. Leaning against the backrest felt as comfortable as lying in bed. Ian sat quietly for a moment, catching his breath, then held a wooden chopstick between his teeth and bobbed it up and down.
He wanted to smoke, but going out for a cigarette after being invited into someone else's house was a little ridiculous. If they were close, that would be one thing, but this was their second meeting, so there was no reason to do something that would make her dislike him. So he decided to be satisfied with merely imitating the feeling.
‘Magic that uses the blood of the pure.’
Ian recalled the testimony Eddie had spat out and looked up at the ceiling.
‘Would it be difficult to deal with?’
If one thought of magic that used blood, the first thing that came to mind had to be blood magic from fantasy games. Mage combat classes that freely manipulated blood and fought by transforming it into all sorts of forms. Their performance varied from game to game, but apart from that, they were quite flashy.
Of course, reality isn't a game. Even Kim Yuljo, who handled water, had only ever used magic in an emergency to raise a wave that went no higher than his thighs.
Even that had been the result of using up all the water he had. Unlike in games, he couldn't use water magic in a place where there was no water. If that was the case, then what about magic that handled blood?
“…….”
Thinking realistically, it probably wouldn't amount to much. Countering it should be no trouble.
But to catch and kill the bastard, he'd inevitably have to set foot inside his residence. And a blood mage's home was bound to be full of blood.
Blood packs or buckets—blood stored in some form would surely be scattered all over the place.
‘It's practically fighting on the bastard's home turf. He might be even trickier than Eddie.’
Ian let out a long breath and set down the chopsticks he'd been holding.
Still, just because it was tricky didn't mean he planned to let the bastard live. Leaving him be and allowing more people like Eddie to keep coming around would be worse, so even if there was some risk, it was far better to deal with him decisively.
If worst came to worst, he could ask Cecilia for help. Even if she lost an arm or a leg, she wouldn't die, so hiring her with proper compensation didn't seem like a bad idea.
The moment Ian was thinking that, Eunha, who had gone into the dressing room, poked her head out and called to him.
“Mr. Ian, I'm ready. You can come in.”
“Ah, yes.”
Ian cut off his thoughts and went into the dressing room.
The dressing room didn't have very many clothes hanging in it. Ian checked the huge magic circle engraved on the floor and opened his mouth.
“This is……”
“It's a spell that borrows the power of a contracted demon. Unlike with Aim, the demon's voice or form won't appear, so you can relax.”
Eunha said that and stepped into the center of the magic circle. The clearly drawn pentagram responded to her footsteps, adding light to each line one by one.
“Please step back a few paces. It won't be dangerous even if you're caught in it, but still, there’s always the chance.”
“Understood.”
Ian didn't bother refusing her words. Eunha smiled gently and sat down on the magic circle, closing her eyes.
“Huu……”
After taking one deep breath, she began to chant.
“Prince of prophecy, duke who rules the legions. Being with eyes that pierce the past, present, and future. I desire your ability to uncover what is hidden beneath the veil, and as your contractor, I command you. Tell me the location and information of the target I have in mind.”
“Vwoom!”
At the end of the incantation, the magic circle beneath Eunha blazed to life. The letters spelling Vassago were dyed gold, and black ichor seeped from the seal carved into the upper portion, writing a sentence on the floor.
[I have put knowledge into your head.]
“…….”
Eunha narrowed her eyes and glared at the sentence. But what she was really staring at was the new knowledge in her head. After spending a while sorting through the suddenly implanted information, she stood up, wiping away the blood that had flowed from her nose.
Ian furrowed his brow slightly at the sudden nosebleed.
“Wait, the blood……”
“Ah, it's okay. It's just a mild side effect. Vassago's magic doesn't really suit humans. Can't be helped.”
Eunha said with a wry smile. Ian was about to say something, but instead he just let out a sigh and tore off some nearby tissues to hand to her. Eunha said, “Thank you,” then roughly wiped away the blood.
“Still, I found everything—location, name, age. It's information that disappears after 24 hours, so let's move quickly.”
“Understood. I'm asking just in case, but how are you going to deal with him?”
“The way a mage does.”
Eunha answered without hesitation. Ian gave a light chuckle at her refreshing reply.
Right, he shouldn't mistake her for someone else. The mage in front of him was on the better side when it came to character, but she was also a veteran who had spent years in this line of work. The period when she felt repulsed by killing was long over. She was probably well accustomed to mage-on-mage combat by now.
‘She's a mage who specializes in wielding demon power. She should have plenty of strengths in combat too.’
Thinking that to himself, Ian came out of the dressing room. Then he picked up the bag he'd left there and looked back at Eunha.
“Will you be heading out right away?”
“Hmm…… I'll get ready a bit. Please wait a moment.”
Ian nodded. Eunha went back into the dressing room and started bustling about as if gathering things.
A little while later, she came out into the living room wearing a hooded jacket and a hat pulled down low. At first glance, several daggers seemed to be strapped to the inside of the jacket. The Lemegeton was tucked into her pocket as well.
“Let's go. The location is near Yongsan. He lives in an old villa, so move carefully so the neighbors don't notice.”
“Yes.”
Ian answered and worked the stiffness out of his wrist.
His left hand still hadn't fully recovered, but handling a grimoire was no problem. After checking how many bullets were left in his pistol, he left the house with Eunha.
Their destination was Yongsan.