Chapter 133
Fortunately, the grimoire written by an Outer God didn't do the same and dodge away. Ian snatched up the grimoire that appeared the moment Lea stepped up the stairs.
Rattle.
The thin, short iron chains hanging from the corners scraped along the floor as they crawled out. It was a bizarre sight, with chains attached to the book, but it wasn't all that heavy. It wasn't feather-light, but it was about as light as a guidebook.
[U, uunng!]
The grimoire vibrated briefly in his grasp, as if stammering.
Nothing exploded, and nothing felt wrong. His head was clear, and his mood was unchanged. He didn't feel any urge to tear someone apart, hatred, resentment, or anything like that.
It was tranquility itself. Thankfully, his compatibility with the grimoire seemed to be quite high. Ian nodded once and, leaning against the wall, looked back at the others.
“I found the grimoire. But wait here for a moment. It seems to hate being in the same space as other people.”
“……Hm.”
“I don't like it.”
The two Outer Gods narrowed their eyes and glared at the Blue Shackles and the Book of Contract. Perhaps sensing their gaze, the grimoire trembled and burrowed even deeper into Ian's grasp. It almost looked like it was breaking out in a cold sweat.
“……Uh, Ian? Something's coming down from upstairs in droves.”
At that moment, as if tipped off by the ghost Lee Seo-ah was controlling, she pulled out a bone knife and said it. Lea, who had been standing there indifferently, lifted her head.
“Ah, they're Mysteries. They must be angry that we found the grimoire.”
“What?”
“What's there to be surprised about? I told you, didn't I? The grimoire is the foundation of this space. Of course it'd be angry if its own house were about to disappear.”
“Even so, there are way too many of them......”
“They're weak no matter how you look at it. They're just numerous. If it really comes to it, ask that fish over there for help, bug. Swarm warfare is his specialty, isn't it? I'm so glad he has at least one useful side.”
The fish Lea was referring to was the Lord of the Outer Sea, and the bug was Lee Seo-ah. The self-proclaimed fish frowned in annoyance.
“Why should I help some human who's not even my husband? Do I look that merciful to you?”
“My husband is standing in the underground corridor right now. And he's holding the grimoire, the source of this space. If this place gets breached, who do you think those parasites will latch onto? Use that head of yours and think. Ah, sorry. You don't have a head, just tentacles, right? My mistake, octopus.”
Lea smiled in mockery. The expression vanished from the Lord of the Outer Sea's face.
“Don't talk about your true form in front of my husband.”
“That's absurd. You were the one who brought up your true form in front of him last time, and now you don't want to hear about it? Honestly, just how low is your intelligence level... Every time I look at you, I get so disgusted I want to throw up.”
“I said shut up.”
Crack.
Half of the Lord of the Outer Sea's face was covered in black seawater. Through it, red eyes bloomed like flowers in all directions. For a moment, she seemed to remember that Ian was right in front of her and changed back into a human form.
Hoo......
“Heh, so you do know your true form is disgusting?”
“I wish that freak with eight arms would shut up for once. Before I turn you into a one-armed cripple.”
“Try it.”
“Think I can't?”
The two Outer Gods' glares collided in midair. Lee Seo-ah, who had been waiting for their argument to end, finally couldn't hold it in any longer and shrieked.
“Hey, you two! I know you don't get along, but could you help me out a little! While you were fighting, they've already, eek!”
With a whoosh, a thick iron pipe came crashing down in front of her. If she'd been even a little later dodging, her head would have been split in half.
“There are way too many of them! If I'm alone, they'll break through! Ian'll die too!”
“Sounds like it, fish.”
Lea said, working the muscles in her face. The Lord of the Outer Sea glared at her, then glanced sideways at Ian and let out a sigh.
“......I'll say this, but this isn't because you told me to do it. I'm doing it all for my husband.”
She didn't answer. The Lord of the Outer Sea picked up a few Mystery corpses lying nearby, slammed them into the wall, and muttered.
“Come out and kill them all.”
The moment she said it, the wall was coated in sticky red. From within it, five tiny Messengers crawled out.
The weakest among the creatures listed in the grimoire, and yet still enough to tear Mysteries apart and kill them. Thinking Ian was the one who had summoned them, they were just about to greet him happily when they met the blood-red girl's gaze and started trembling all over. Seeing that, the Lord of the Outer Sea muttered lowly.
“Kill them. Do you want to die?”
[Kkii-kreek!]
The Messengers hurriedly turned the corner and hurled themselves at the Mysteries. The Lord of the Outer Sea snorted, and Lee Seo-ah let out a sigh of relief as she manipulated the evil spirits.
Ian wasn't paying any attention to them. Instead, he slowly read through the contents written in the grimoire.
[This grimoire, the Outer God 'Shackles of the Hermit,' hereafter written by ■■■■■, contains magic for one-sided contracts with all organic and inorganic beings in the universe, as well as concealment and suppression. Since there was no previous owner, its memories cannot be viewed.]
[The grimoire's author, Shackles of the Hermit, is currently very happy, but at the same time trembling in fear. However, it will not harm the human, 'Shin Ian,' who has become the master of this grimoire. Shackles of the Hermit bears deep goodwill and kindness toward the first human it has ever met with 100 percent compatibility.]
This was the introductory text written at the very front of the thin book.
Written like the descriptions in other grimoires. Ian carefully mulled over each character, engraving it in his mind, and nodded after reading the last sentence.
He had more or less expected there to be no previous owner. After all, it was a newborn grimoire. There was no way something that had just been born would have a previous owner.
The magic described was of the contract, concealment, and suppression types.
He could get a feel for contract and concealment right away, but suppression wasn't clear. It was probably magic that could press an opponent down and subdue them, or perhaps something like putting a leash on them. He'd have to slowly read through the grimoire to find out.
'The symbolic magic is the contract side. The ability to make one-sided contracts regardless of whether the target is organic or inorganic probably means you can grab them by the hair and swing them around however you want, regardless of their will.'
Impressive if you thought it impressive, disappointing if you thought it disappointing. Still, he hadn't properly gone through the magic section yet, so it was better to reserve judgment for now.
What mattered right now was that compatibility was 100 percent. Just like the Hand of Re-creation and the Deep-Sea Gazetteer, this grimoire, for Ian, was nothing more than a plain book that couldn't harm him at all. It had self-awareness, yes, but that wasn't really a problem.
'I don't need to worry about madness.'
Ian gave a slight smile and brushed the chains hanging beneath the grimoire. Aside from the light weight, the feel was no different from that of a real iron chain.
“I'm going back to reality. I'd like this space shut down soon.”
He said it to the grimoire. The grimoire seemed to understand Ian's words and rustled through its pages to show him a certain page.
[Breaking the Contract]
[If you have formed a contract with a specific target, you can break that contract either by killing the target or by declaring that you will unilaterally sever it. If you choose the latter, the suggestion placed on the contract target will be lifted, so caution is required. Just like contract formation, breaking it also does not require the other party's consent.]
A page filled with the methods for breaking the contract. Ian tapped the grimoire's cover with his finger and pushed off from the wall.
“That means I just have to do what's written here, right?”
[U, uunng...... uunng......!]
“Yeah, I get it.”
Though it was only a vibration, he already had experience with two grimoires. Ian instinctively understood what the grimoire was saying and, scribble-scribble, drew a magic circle on the floor according to the instructions in the book. It was a fairly complicated diagram, so it took some time, but he still completed it properly. Not bad for a first try.
He tucked the pen he'd taken out back into his pocket and, gripping the grimoire tightly, began chanting the spell.
“You, tiny creature bound by my shackles, listen.”
Boom!
The school shook once. At the same time, with a crackling sound, the basement ceiling—no, the school as a whole—was blown away. The Mysteries that had been surging in were swept up with the school and ground to pieces, and the dark night sky descended.
Countless moons and stars floated in the sky. And at the center, a tiny something slowly drifted through the night sky.
It was a statue. A statue that looked like three women bound together.
It was the form of Hecate, as commonly described in myths.
'So the school ghost story is a fusion of several Mysteries with that goddess, huh.'
It was a fairly interesting phenomenon, but now wasn't the time to indulge his curiosity. Ian looked up at the sky with a blank face and continued the incantation.
“I do not offer thanks for your toil. I do not offer praise. Since you danced entirely within my will, all I can feel is that you're laughable.”
Boom!
The night sky was torn apart. Through it, the enormous face of Hecate, twisted like a demon, was revealed.
He ignored it.
“But even that absurdity has now grown tiresome. So I declare.”
Rattle!
The iron chains hanging beneath the grimoire stretched long and wrapped around Hecate's neck.
“I sever the contract.”
Crack!
The moment he finished the final incantation, the chains were pulled taut and then snapped. At the same time, the chains wrapped around Hecate's body turned into sharp blades and shredded the stone body to pieces.
[Aaaaaah!]
Night wailed. The Goddess of Night, the Queen of the Moon, shed a beautiful a cappella cry instead of blood. Ian watched it and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
A one-sided contract annulment. An Outer God contract that dumped all the burden on the other side.
For an instant, he thought it was truly a spell befitting an Outer God.
“...”
By then, he and Lee Seo-ah were standing at the entrance to the high school.