Chapter 166
Cecilia carried the bowl of blood into the living room. Ian followed, peeling off the priestly robe that seemed to keep choking his throat. The sticky lust that had been ensnaring his mind had long since subsided.
“I’ll take this back to the Vatican. It’s dangerous.”
Clink.
As she set the bowl on the table, she said that. Ian slumped onto the sofa and idly twirled the unlit cigarette between his fingers, letting out a low groan.
“Seems like even in that state, the demon can still do something.”
“Exactly. It keeps causing strange phenomena around it. And this thing itself can also serve as a catalyst to summon Asmodeus. It contains the remnants of that bastard. If you leave it lying around or toss it down the drain, he might show up again.”
“Ah.”
Ian nodded as if he understood, then suddenly narrowed his eyes at the thought of Eunha’s face.
What Asmodeus had said—that he’d rather possess someone outright than be made to serve the owner of the Lemegeton.
He didn’t need to think too deeply about it. Even from a cursory listen, it was obvious that Asmodeus hadn’t made a contract with Eunha. If he took this bowl of blood and handed it to Eunha, making a contract between her and Asmodeus wouldn’t be difficult.
As a being who had fallen from an archangel to a demon, Asmodeus was far pickier about contract terms than other great demons, but now that he had failed at possession and been driven off, his power had to be weaker than usual. Skipping every step and using his remnants as a catalyst would likely be enough to force a one-sided slave contract.
‘Even if I can’t make a contract right away, if I keep it for now, she’ll probably handle it herself. Better than the Vatican taking it.’
After sorting through his thoughts, Ian put the cigarette away and said to Cecilia.
“How does the Vatican handle this? Seal it? Or purify it?”
“The cardinals will personally step in and spend a week purifying it. Sealing it would be too much of a waste, so they’ll probably just purify it and burn it—that alone is enough.”
“Hmm... then how about you don’t take it back with you and just hand it over to me?”
“...To you?”
Cecilia blinked and asked back. Ian nodded.
“I know someone who specializes in demons. If I hand it over there, Asmodeus probably won’t be able to openly cause trouble anymore.”
“...A mage, huh.”
“I can’t tell you exactly. I can only guess.”
Setting aside that Cecilia was trustworthy, he couldn’t carelessly reveal information about other mages. If he had their consent, that would be one thing, but this wasn’t the case.
Cecilia also seemed to have a rough idea of mage society, and after a moment of thought, she looked at Ian with a serious expression.
“...They’re really trustworthy, right?”
“Among the people I know, they’re probably one of the most decent.”
“Better than me?”
“Could be a close match.”
“So that means they’re impressive.”
Without changing her expression at all, Cecilia shamelessly praised herself and flopped onto the sofa. The dark red blood in the bowl sloshed.
“What kind of magic does this person use?”
“A little bit of everything.”
“...Um, Ian. Since this is related to a great demon, if you don’t tell me exactly what it is, it’s hard for me to give you a definite answer too.”
“They’re more of an expert on demons than we are. I can’t tell you any more than that.”
“……Haa.”
Cecilia let out a heavy sigh and stared down at the bowl on the table. After a while, she removed the veil covering her head and looked at Ian.
“...Through our cooperation so far, I’ve come to understand well enough that you’re not the sort of person who’d suddenly say something weird.”
“…….”
“So, I’ll trust you this once.”
Ian had even prepared for a refusal, but Cecilia’s unexpectedly straightforward answer made him look surprised.
“...I know it’s a little strange for me to say this as the one asking, but is that okay?”
“The Vatican inquisitors have a certain amount of discretion in post-mission cleanup. It shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s not like I’m leaving it here because I can’t be bothered. If I hand it over to a mage I’m working with, the Vatican won’t make much of a fuss.”
In that case, there was nothing to hesitate over. Ian nodded and put the bowl with the blood into his bag.
Surprisingly, the liquid in the bowl didn’t spill out, so there was no need to worry about the bag getting wet.
“……Grrrkk!”
He could feel the bowl, placed in the same space as the grimoire, having a fit, but he ignored it. There was no reason to show even the demon’s leftovers any consideration.
“We should head back now too. It’s all done.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Ian replied to Cecilia.
Ian and Cecilia tidied up the tools used for the ritual, then called Park Han-sol’s parents back in. The two returned in anxious states, confirmed that Park Han-sol was breathing peacefully, and burst into tears of relief.
“Thank you, Priest...! Thank you, truly, truly thank you...!”
“How can we ever repay this kindness...!”
In the room, where the smell of a corpse no longer lingered, the two of them held Park Han-sol, who lay in bed, and cried out like that. Cecilia calmly took their hands in hers.
“It was only the Lord’s gaze reaching this place. There’s no need to repay us, so please keep your faith as before and continue attending Mass at the church. That alone is enough.”
“Ah, ah...! Understood, we will do that, Priest...!”
Cecilia recited prayers together with the two sobbing parents, took the box, and left the house. Ian also picked up the priestly robe he’d taken off and headed for the parked car.
It was already well past morning. The sun, which had only been faintly visible before they went into the house, had long since fully come out. Perhaps because April was getting close, the daytime temperature was fairly warm.
Clunk.
Cecilia loaded the box into the back of the vehicle, put on sunglasses, and turned to look at Ian.
“You worked hard today. What do you want for breakfast? Want to eat together?”
“What are we having?”
“There’s a 24-hour Korean buffet I go to often. It’s the only place where I haven’t been banned from entry.”
Beep-beep.
She entered the address into the map on her phone.
It wasn’t exactly a famous buffet. Still, it was the only place where Cecilia could eat her fill, so the two of them got in the car and went straight to the restaurant.
Maybe because they stopped at rest areas along the way, they arrived at the restaurant right around lunchtime. They parked in the lot and went inside to start eating in earnest.
Thirty minutes later.
“...Excuse me, ma’am.”
“...?”
An employee approached Cecilia, who was gnawing on ribs with plates piled up like a mountain. Staring at the dishes strewn across the table with the eyes of someone looking at a monster, he forced a smile.
“Uh... your time’s up, so I came to let you know. If you could please head out soon...”
“That’s not right. Here’s the timer. Only thirty minutes have passed.”
Cecilia held out the phone timer she had set in advance.
The employee’s face crumpled. It was twisted so badly it looked like he wanted to say, ‘What a nasty bitch!’ Ian kept nibbling on the orange he had brought for dessert and continued watching the farce.
“The dining time here is one hour and thirty minutes. There’s still an hour left.”
“Ah... ha, haha... r-right. I must have been mistaken...!”
“Mm-hm. Then...”
“P-please, eat more! It’s fine...”
“Thank you.”
Cecilia puffed out her cheeks like a hamster and nodded.
The employee returned to the counter with a dazed expression.
Ian glanced at them, then let out a bitter smile when he heard the employee and someone who looked like the owner hugging each other and muttering, ‘Let’s close early today.’
Whatever they did, Cecilia kept eating. Only after using up the full one hour and thirty minutes and devouring every cake and jelly for dessert did she leave the restaurant.
Less than ten minutes later, a message arrived on her phone.
[We’re sorry. It seems our shop is far too lacking to satisfy you. So until we improve our skills and earn a Michelin star, we will prohibit your entry. No, honestly, isn’t this your tenth visit today? Every time you come, you end up wiping out the food—]
It was obviously a ban notice.
“Why!”
Well, that was only natural.
*
After parting ways with a dejected Cecilia and promising to see each other next time, Ian headed straight to Eunha’s house.
Having contacted her that same day, Eunha didn’t refuse his visit. In fact, she welcomed it.
“Welcome. You got here faster than I expected.”
“There wasn’t much traffic. Thanks to that, I got here quickly.”
The house he was visiting again after two days was hardly any different from the last time he’d seen it. Ian took off his shoes, sat on the living room sofa, and took a sip of the coffee she handed him. Back then and now, the coffee Eunha brewed herself was still delicious.
Clink.
As Ian quietly savored his coffee, Eunha, having brought tea for herself, settled lightly into the seat across from him.
“Thank you for coming. I didn’t expect we’d be reunited this quickly.”
“I didn’t expect it either. Still, a good thing is a good thing, right?”
“That’s true.”
Eunha gave a faint smile, so slight you’d miss it if you weren’t paying attention. Ian smiled back at her and took the silver bowl out of his bag.
A bowl with dark red liquid sloshing inside. Though it had no lid, not a single drop spilled out, and Eunha tilted her head at the sight.
“Is that... the remnants of Asmodeus you mentioned?”
Since they’d already finished discussing it, the conversation moved quickly. Ian nodded and set the bowl down on the table.
“That’s right. This time I had to work with a Vatican inquisitor, and I got this from there.”
“...An inquisitor? Was it a woman?”
“...? Yes, it was. Why do you ask?”
At his immediate answer, Eunha frowned as if displeased. After a moment, she exhaled and returned to a calm expression.
“It’s nothing. It’s just... you seem to know a lot of women.”
“Uh... I didn’t mean it that way, but I guess so. I didn’t know until you told me.”
“...Really?”
Clack.
Eunha set down her teacup with a sharp clack and stared at the bowl with cold eyes. For some reason, she seemed angry.
‘Hmm. She really does harbor a deep grudge against demons.’
Ian decided not to dwell on it and smiled brightly as he ran a finger over the bowl’s surface.
“Anyway, I’ll hand this over to you, Eunha. I don’t have any use for it even if I keep it. If it’s going to be used, wouldn’t it be better for the owner of the Lemegeton to use it?”
“I won’t refuse. Asmodeus is a demon I was after as well. Making a contract right away would be difficult, but if I have it, it should still come in handy.”
“Yes. It will. So, considering all the help you’ve given me, I’ll hand it over for the bargain price of 10 million won.”
“……?”
At Ian’s words, Eunha blinked.
“...You were selling it?”
“Seems that way.”
Ian smiled and folded his hands together.
Take What You're Owed.