Chapter 106
Just because he was a ritual mage didn't mean he couldn't handle magic circles at all.
Sealing his mouth could stop him from using magic, but it couldn't nullify the magic already set in place. If Park Seok-hyun decided to act even now, the magic in the basement would still activate and come crashing down on Ian and Eunha.
But that still couldn't be faster than Ian pulling the trigger.
Squeeze.
He pressed the gun down with such force that the muzzle seemed ready to ram all the way into Park Seok-hyun's throat. Park Seok-hyun gasped for breath, but Ian didn't care.
“Dispel them. I’m not saying it again.”
“Kkh, khek!”
“One, two....”
“Kkh!”
Ian's finger moved toward the trigger. Seeing that, Park Seok-hyun hurriedly raised both hands.
At the same time, the magic circles filling the area began to melt away. Circles and figures made of blood gave off a thick fishy stench as they dispersed like steam.
But Ian didn't pull the gun back. Instead, he shoved it in even deeper.
“Ugh!”
The hard edge of the gun tore across Park Seok-hyun's palate and tongue. Blood poured from the wounds, and he grimaced sharply at the stinging pain. Ian looked down at him with a cold face and tapped the stake embedded in the man's thigh with his knuckles.
“Do I look like an idiot? I said disable every hidden magic circle too.”
“...Kkhp.”
Of course, Ian had no idea there were hidden magic circles. But as if he'd hit the mark, Park Seok-hyun trembled and clenched his fists tight. Then the magic circle etched beneath the sofa began to melt and run.
Drip....
Feeling blood soak his shoes, Ian slowly and deliberately scraped the edge against the wound as he withdrew the muzzle.
“Cough, cough....! Khehk!”
Once the chunk of metal obstructing his breathing was gone, the man coughed again and again. After a moment, he glared at Ian and Eunha and parted his lips.
“You damn barbarian bastard... If you're a mage, don't use a gun...!”
“How absurd. Why wouldn't I use something this good?”
Ian let out a snort of laughter and put a bullet into each of his knees. The bang rang loudly through the narrow basement, echoing off the walls.
The noise was far louder than expected, making Eunha wince, and Ian took out a cigarette, bit down on it, and smacked him in the mouth with the grip of the gun.
Thwack!
With a vicious crack, several of Park Seok-hyun's teeth flew through the air. Ian grabbed his head as it reeled from the impact and set it back in place, then lit his cigarette, pulled over a nearby chair, and sat down. Eunha also took a relatively intact chair and sat beside Ian.
“Ghh, ghh...! You fucking bastards, what the hell are you even here for! What did I do!”
“Not much room for complaints from a mage who kidnapped people and used them as materials. Do you really think you're in any position to feel wronged?”
“What the hell are you talking about! Non-mages aren't even worth keeping alive! They should be grateful I use them!”
“Crazy bastard.”
Ian clicked his tongue and flicked cigarette ash onto his face. Some of it must have gotten in his eyes, because Park Seok-hyun screamed and twitched his limbs. Ian personally put bullets into both of his shoulders, then turned to Eunha.
“Let's begin.”
“Yes, the spell is ready too.”
Eunha placed a bowl of clear water on Park Seok-hyun's chest. The water, mixed with salt, sugar, and a few pebbles, remained perfectly still despite the slightest movement.
“It's a spell that reveals truth and lies. It wouldn't work on a powerful mage like Ian, but I think it should work on this man.”
“...Are you ignoring me right now? You son of a bitch—”
“Quiet.”
Eunha said in a flat voice, pressing the dagger to the back of Park Seok-hyun's neck.
“From now on, answer only what you're asked. Say anything else, and I'll drive nails through every joint in your fingers.”
“Hah, crazy bitch...”
“I told you not to speak.”
Eunha took a nail from her pocket. The color drained from Park Seok-hyun's face—he hadn't expected her to actually have nails on her—and before he could open his mouth again, she drove one into the tip joint of his thumb.
“Gyaaaagh!”
Blood and muscle were crushed, and the joint shattered. But Eunha didn't stop there. Using Lemegeton like a hammer, she drove the nail into the sofa.
Thunk, thunk!
With a heavy thud, Park Seok-hyun's fingers were instantly fused to the sofa.
“Quietly. Understood?”
Eunha said, wiping the blood splattered on Lemegeton with a handkerchief. Though his eyes trembled, Park Seok-hyun eventually nodded. Following the motion of his head, blood running from his lips fell in an arc.
“Good. First question then. Did you ever sell information on community mages to a mage named Eddie?”
“No....”
It was an instant answer. At that, the water in the bowl resting on his chest swayed violently.
“That's a lie.”
Eunha's face immediately turned cold.
Crack!
It took about a minute before Park Seok-hyun told the truth. Apart from new nails driven through his thumb and index finger, there was no major outward change.
“Fuck, yes, I sold it! I sold it, damn it! So stop already!”
“Mm. That's the truth. Good. Next question.”
Eunha tilted her head. Her black hair flowed downward with gravity.
“How many people did you sell out? I'm not just asking about the ones you sold to Eddie.”
“...Two.”
“Mm. What were their nicknames?”
“...The rookie mage I sold to Eddie, and Dolores. Though Dolores was already a well-known figure, so I didn't get much money for him. The ones who bought the information were just a simple criminal group connected to the occult.”
“Hmm.”
“They probably set foot in Korea by now to catch Dolores. I don't know how things turned out, though....”
“That's the truth.”
Eunha nodded. As if she'd asked everything she wanted to know, she put Lemegeton away again and shattered the bowl. The water inside evaporated and scattered at once.
“There's no need to drag this out any longer. Let's clean up and head out.”
She said, turning to Ian. Ian nodded and aimed the gun at Park Seok-hyun's head. At the obvious intent to kill, he opened his eyes wide and waved the hand that wasn't pinned down.
“W-wait! I did everything you told me to! There's no need to kill me!”
“You can't leave loose ends.”
Ian flicked the cigarette from his mouth at him and smiled faintly.
“You're a mage too, so you know that, don't you?”
“...Ah.”
Park Seok-hyun couldn't refute that. Instead, he worked his lips for a moment, then lifted his head and began murmuring a spell.
“By the purest, most immaculate blood I command, by the will of blood, my—”
Bang!
Before he could finish the spell, Ian pulled the trigger. A small lead bullet pierced his forehead and burst out the back of his head. Blood sprayed, and crushed muscle and brain matter scattered everywhere. His eyeball bulged out and burst, unable to withstand the impact of the bullet.
The corpse with its head blown apart instantly became nothing more than a lump of meat and toppled onto the sofa.
A corpse with its knees, shoulders, and head blown apart by bullets, and nails driven through its hands. By any measure, it was a gruesome murder scene. If the police saw it, this wouldn't end lightly.
But there was no need to worry about being exposed to the media. In this world, there existed a company that would do anything for money.
“I’ll call Cartel Services. Please wait a moment.”
Ian nodded.
For him, calling the Administration would have been much more convenient, but rather than drag Eunha into it for no reason, it was better to just use the Cartel. He was also curious about their service, so this might as well be a good chance to check it out.
With that thought in mind, Ian left her tapping away at her phone and slowly looked over the various items in the basement.
There wasn't anything particularly useful.
Perhaps because he was a mage who dealt with human blood, all that was there were specialized torture devices and blades. He couldn't find a single magical tool.
“Tsk.”
Ian left the table he was rummaging through and turned to look at the victims hanging upside down from the ceiling.
He had no intention of killing them to silence them.
If he couldn't get help from the Cartel or the Administration, he'd have no choice but to deal with them, but otherwise there was no need to stain his hands with unnecessary blood. They would all have their memories wiped and return safely to society.
Their memories would be tampered with a little, but that was still far better than leaving them with the full memory of being tortured.
“Don't worry. You'll be safely back in your families' arms soon enough.”
Ian said that to reassure them and sat down in a chair.
It wouldn't help much, but at least it might keep them from panicking over whether the person right in front of them was going to kill them.
Fortunately, their trembling seemed to gradually subside. Ian let out a long breath and took out another cigarette, glancing sideways at Eunha, who was writing a notice for the community.
“Phew....”
Time passed.
The basement had no windows, so they couldn't check the state of the sky, but the damp, heavy air made the passage of time obvious. It didn't seem like all that little time had passed.
'When are they coming?'
Just as he was starting to get tired of waiting, footsteps suddenly came from the stairs.
The clip-clop of dress shoes.
At the unmistakable footsteps of another person, Ian took out the grimoire he'd put away and gripped his pistol. Eunha also set her phone on the table and opened Lemegeton.
At the same time, someone stepped into the basement.
“Ah, so you were both here. I thought you'd be waiting outside.”
The voice belonged to a Cartel employee wearing a carp mask. She spoke in a high, feminine voice, then raised both arms at the murderous aura Ian and Eunha gave off.
“I’m a Cartel employee—My name is Carp! I’ve also been called things like catfish brat and fish head, and I’m a veteran with five years at the Cartel! Please show mercy!”
At Carp's quick declaration of surrender, Eunha let out a deep sigh and put away her grimoire.
“...Phew. I almost attacked you there. Please be more careful next time.”
“Understood!”
Carp nodded vigorously.
Strictly speaking, Carp hadn't done anything wrong. But what could she do? If a mage told you to be careful, you had to be careful.
It was a matter of course, so Carp approached them without the slightest offense and took in the basement at a glance.
“Did you request our cleanup service?”
“Yes. The people hanging over there are the victims.”
Her gaze briefly moved toward the people hanging upside down, then came back.
“I see. Don't worry. We'll take them with us and brainwash them. Your identities won't be exposed.”
Carp said, tapping her mask with a finger. Eunha nodded.
“I was told the payment has already been sent. Is that right?”
“Yes. The cleaning service costs 5 million won. We've confirmed the transfer. We'll start cleaning up right away, so you two can leave without worrying.”
“Okay. Then please take care of it.”
“Yes. Have a nice day.”
Carp bowed at a right angle in a polite gesture, and Eunha turned to Ian with a faint smile.
“Shall we head back?”
“...Yes. Let's go.”
Ian smiled back and left the basement with her.
He briefly considered taking Park Seok-hyun's corpse with him, but since he hadn't even been able to fully make use of Eddie's head, taking one more would just be greed. Besides, it was too damaged to use properly anyway.
Unfortunate, but it would be better to leave him here.
On the first floor, the Cartel employees who had come with Carp were busily at work. The two left them behind, came out through the front entrance, and walked away at an unhurried pace.
Even though it had been bright when they came in, the sky had already turned the color of sunset. The temperature had dropped so much that their fingertips would have gone red if they didn't keep their hands in their pockets. At least the wind wasn't blowing much.
“Haah....”
Eunha exhaled a pure white breath into the air. The gray smoke rose toward the clouds tinted by the sunset, then scattered.
“It’s a relief that it ended well.”
She said, pulling her hat down low. Ian nodded.
“That’s true. It wasn't as difficult as I thought, so I guess it went fine.”
“He was a bit weak.”
Eunha answered with a hint of laughter in her voice. Ian chuckled and looked down at her.
“I’ll pay half of the Cartel service fee.”
“Hehe, it's fine. I can cover this much. It was a case that happened in the community to begin with. You can't say I bear no responsibility at all.”
“Still....”
“If you really want to, then buy me a meal instead.”
She tilted her head at an angle. Her mint-colored eyes, glinting between the brim of her hat, mixed with the sunset light and created a mysterious atmosphere.
“It's almost dinner time. Let's eat before we part ways.”
“...Would that be okay?”
“Yes.”
The corners of Eunha's lips rose softly.
“After today, I don't think I'll have any reason to go outside for at least two months. Let's take this chance to eat out.”
At her half-joke, Ian gave a wry smile.
“All right. Is there anything you'd like to eat?”
“Hmm... How about street food?”
“Works for me.”
“Then let's go to a snack bar. There's a place I order from often.”
So they did. As soon as the two of them came out onto the road, they hailed a taxi and headed to the snack bar Eunha frequented.
It wasn't a very large place. A tiny neighborhood snack shop run by a single ajumma. Eunha went to a corner seat she knew well and ordered the things she wanted.
A little later, the food they ordered came out.
A plate of tteokbokki, assorted fried snacks, fish cake skewers, and so on. Typical street-food fare was set on the table. But instead of immediately picking up her chopsticks, Eunha thanked Ian.
“Thank you for treating me. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Not at all. I’m the one who should thank you more. If there’s anything else you want, order as much as you like.”
“Yes.”
She gave a small smile and tilted her head. Ian checked her reddened cheeks and looked over at the open window nearby.
“Should I close the window? You do seem cold. Your cheeks are red.”
“Oh, it's fine. I'm not particularly cold.”
“Hard to say that when your ears and nose are all red, though....”
“It’s not because I’m cold.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Eunha smiled and lifted her chopsticks.
“I'm not telling you the reason.”