Chapter 167
Even so, if you could buy a trace of a Great Demon for ten million won, it was basically a steal. Even the catalyst for summoning a low-ranking demon went for several thousand at market price, after all. It was basically just a nominal fee.
If the other party hadn't been Eunha, Ian would have tried to squeeze out the full price somehow.
No, from the start, he wouldn't have done a one-on-one deal this way in the first place. It was easier and faster to just take it to the cartel and sell it.
Even so, he sold it to Eunha because she'd personally helped him quite a bit. Right off the bat, she'd enchanted the bike for free, and when he bought the materials for Amdusias's contract, she'd even paid extra as his reward. It was fair to say he owed her a favor.
So, ten million won.
Not a cent more or less. He decided to sell it at a price that would be just barely manageable.
The reason he wasn't giving it away for free wasn't anything special. It was just to get what was due.
‘Still, I'm pretty decent for a mage, I'd say.’
Ian thought as he checked the deposited ten million won. Money that would disappear fast if he started buying this and that, but it was still better than having nothing at all. He nodded and handed the bowl to Eunha.
“Smooth transaction, thanks. This is yours now, Ms. Eunha.”
“……You sound strangely like a sales rep.”
Eunha placed a hand on the bowl with a reluctant expression. Then rough ripples spread over the once-still dark red surface. It looked as if it were thrashing to get away from something it hated, desperate to put even a little more distance between them.
It wasn't anything strange. Asmodeus seemed to hate Solomon, so if the owner of the Lemegeton suddenly touched it, it had no choice but to spasm. To begin with, there were almost no demons who actually liked Solomon aside from a tiny handful. Asmodeus's reaction was perfectly normal.
“It's full of vitality. Looks like almost all of it got absorbed.”
“Yes. It leaked a little onto the pillow, but we collected all the remaining residue. The heretic inquisitor took the pillow separately as well.”
“Hmm... If only a small amount leaked, it'll react with the ether in the air and evaporate on its own, so it shouldn't matter much even if it's gone.”
Eunha placed the bowl in the magic-item storage room with a hazy smile. There were quite a few strangely shaped items in there, and the scale he'd used last time was sitting all alone in a corner. Ian stared at it for a moment before leaving the room with Eunha.
That took care of his business.
After talking a little more with Eunha about this and that, he dragged his tired body home.
Creak.
When he opened the familiar front door, Mariang came into view, sprawled on the sofa. Her arms, somehow lengthened down to her wrists, were holding a glass of water as she watched TV. After a moment, she sensed Ian's presence and turned her head.
“Ah, Master. Are you all done with your work?”
“Yeah. More importantly, are you okay?”
“Yes! I'm fine.”
Mariang grinned and set the cup down. Ian took off his coat, changed into something lighter, and came back into the living room.
Mariang's clothes had also changed from when she first came here.
The goth-loli dress she had been wearing was neatly folded and placed in a corner of the living room. Taking its place was a white T-shirt and black shorts, protecting her skin.
Both of them were Ian's clothes. He wasn't attached enough to her to buy women's clothing for someone staying only three days. He didn't plan to treat her harshly, but he also didn't plan to treat her like a real friend. Just tossing her clothes he didn't wear was, in Ian's own way, the most consideration he was willing to show.
Whether she knew it or not, Mariang buried herself deep into the sofa with a peaceful expression.
“Haa... I really like this sofa. It's made by the Cartel, right? It's similar to the one at my place.”
“It's custom-made. It cost a bit, but I'm satisfied with it personally.”
“Cartel stuff usually does live up to its price. This, and the bookshelf that sorts books by category for you automatically, or the bed that helps you get at least eight hours of sleep no matter what, are pretty good too.”
“I'll think about it.”
Ian let her chatter on and took out his phone.
He checked the pile of messages. He sent quick replies to the recent texts and focused on the messages he was still wondering how to answer, looking them over one by one.
“Hmm.”
First was a note from a community user with the nickname 'Bug-in-Your-Ears.'
[Bug-in-Your-Ears: Hey, how'd you snag Mariang? No, never mind. You didn't snag her—you must just be that impressive. It's funny seeing the mage who beat Eddie to a pulp grovel before Mariang.]
[Bug-in-Your-Ears: What I'm curious about is this. Do you, by any chance, have a grimoire of a foreign god? Otherwise your growth rate doesn't make any sense.]
[Bug-in-Your-Ears: Ah, this isn't me interrogating you. I'm just asking because I'm curious. If you don't want to answer, that's fine. I'd rather not needlessly needle you and ruin our relationship. Whether you're connected to a foreign god or not, you're definitely a skilled mage. And seeing how close you are with the Godmother, your character seems pretty decent too.]
[Bug-in-Your-Ears: I've rambled enough. Long story short, I want to meet you in person once. No need to reply. Come to Taehyeol Yunsa (太血輪寺) in Gyeongsang-do by 1 p.m. on April 8. The bald monk and I agreed to meet there.]
Taehyeol Yunsa.
At a glance, it looked like a temple name, but unlike ordinary temples with three-syllable names like Bulguksa, Dabosa, or Yonggungsa, the name he'd given was four syllables long. That alone was unusual, and it even contained the character for blood, 'blood.'
A naming sense that seemed to openly flout Buddhism's doctrine against taking life. Ian narrowed his eyes and searched for Taehyeol Yunsa online.
“……Nothing's coming up.”
He searched all kinds of platforms, but the answer was always consistent.
No search results could be found. That made it clear it wasn't a place exposed to the public. Most likely its location was hidden with a warding formation or something.
“……”
Should he go, or should he ignore it?
Honestly, there wasn't much to gain even if he met him. At most, it would just be the beginning of an acquaintance.
Until now, Ian meeting community users had never been an impulsive decision. Thinking back, every one of them had a definite purpose.
Lee Seo-ah was the workshop. Han Yuna was the theme park. Yoo Eunha was the bike.
Kim Yul wasn't even someone he met through the community in the first place. Since he'd met her through the Bureau first, she was the exception.
And this proposal was also, if you thought about it, another kind of exception. At most, it was a call for socializing. If he thought about it coldly, there wasn't much merit to it.
But... it was true that he was a little curious personally.
'Everyone left in the community until now, except for a tiny few, has been a mage vetted by the Godmother. No way would they openly try to trick me through the community's note function.'
If that were the case, they'd be no different from a moron.
What idiot uses a single-admin community where personal information is basically laid bare and still believes the contents of notes could never leak?
The reason anonymity is maintained is because the Godmother is sane. If she set her mind to it, digging up someone else's personal details wouldn't be hard at all. If nothing else, she could just use a demon.
In a place like that, sending a note that blatantly says, 'Please come here. If you come, I'll kill you~'? I'd seriously have to wonder whether, instead of brain folds, they had a highway paved across their skull. Was the Korea Expressway Corporation really that useful?
If they were that stupid, they couldn't have been a mage in the first place.
Overestimating? No, it was a thoroughly objective assessment. A mage isn't just some dog from the house next door, after all. How could you talk about laws this and spells that with no intelligence at all? There's a reason mages in RPGs have INT as their main stat.
Of course, for modern mages, intelligence isn't everything. There are plenty of things that have to be handled physically, and there are definitely parts that don't require intelligence. But in the end, when you look at the whole picture, speed of thought and the ability to think are essential. If being able to draw a magic circle made you a mage, chimpanzees would be mages too.
“……Hmm.”
Anyway, to cut to the chase, that meant the chances of it being a trap were extremely low. Most likely, he really had just called him to meet in person.
Going would be fine if he wanted to build some familiarity, but even so, he couldn't just head there thoughtlessly and say yes. It seemed best to consider a few more things first. Thinking that, Ian checked the other notes that followed.
[Bug-in-Your-Ears: (Temple address) Here.]
[Bug-in-Your-Ears: This is where that mage monk built the place. You know him too, right? Sweet Grandpa. That bastard lives here. On top of that, there's also a disciple, the bald woman. Both of them are pretty trustworthy. I've been in contact with them for over five years.]
It was a familiar nickname. He didn't see it much lately, but back in the day it had been fairly active.
‘So he was a monk after all.’
Ian snorted softly, read the remaining notes, and closed the community.
“Let's think about this a little more for now. There's still time until April.”
April 8. Buddha's Birthday on the lunar calendar.
There was still almost three weeks' leeway, so deciding slowly would be fine. In the meantime, he could ask the Godmother about the two of them and check his other schedules.
If nothing urgent came up and there weren't any special incidents two days before or after, going once wouldn't be a bad idea. Of course, he'd have to prepare thoroughly in case something happened.
“Let's move on.”
That took care of the first matter.
Now for the second and final one. And it was rather urgent.
[Kim I-seo: Mr. Shin Ian, since you didn't answer the phone, I'm leaving you a text. To get straight to the point, we'd like to ask for your help with a Bureau operation. It's a place called the Museum of the Five Senses, and most of the people who returned from the recent operation either died or went missing. Only five returned in serious condition. In addition, a painting by Irene, a mage affiliated with Laplace, was discovered there.]
[Kim I-seo: The museum in question is currently slowly devouring the very concept of a 'museum' nationwide, so we need to deal with it quickly. That's why I'm asking you for help as well, Mr. Shin Ian.]
[Kim I-seo: Please contact me whenever it's convenient. We won't depart until we receive your confirmation, Mr. Shin Ian.]
It was definitely the text he'd checked when he came out of 'Owl,' so in real time it must have arrived roughly two or three days ago. He hadn't meant to, but a pretty long time had ended up passing after he left that 'let's talk in person later' message hanging.
Not wanting to leave her hanging with false hope, Ian immediately called Kim I-seo. She picked up before the ringtone had even rung a few times.
[Yes, mage. I was waiting.]
“Sorry. I think I kept you waiting too long.”
[Not at all. You must have had your own schedule, mage. I'm just grateful you contacted me now.]
Shhk!
The sound of something being sliced slipped in between her words. Ian tilted his head back.
“Are you working?”
[Ah, yes. A crocodile showed up near the sewers recently, so we're in the middle of an extermination operation.]
“A crocodile... a city ghost story.”
[That's right. It's pretty famous, too.]
Bang!
The sharp crack of gunfire and the shouts of Bureau employees running around busily could be heard faintly.
It didn't seem like the time for a leisurely chat, so Ian got straight to the point.
“I want to set up a meeting about the museum. When would be good?”
[Hmm. Today would be tough. How about tomorrow? If you come to the Bureau building around lunchtime, that should be fine. We'll send a vehicle to your house.]
“That's fine. I'm not planning to give you my address, so I'll just go myself. Any time around lunch is okay?”
[Ah, I see you've moved. The time is fine, as you said.]
“Then let's meet tomorrow. And just in case, can I ask who the people joining the museum operation are going to be?”
[I've already gotten confirmation from Namgung Minhyuk and Asakawa Mika, and Kim Yul said she'd join if Shin Ian does.]
Ian frowned slightly.
“......If I join, that means every mage gets sent in.”
[That's right.]
“......This is just me butting in, but is that really manageable?”
[......If we try, it should be possible.]
Yeah, right.
Ian swallowed the words that rose to his lips and let out a sigh.
“Well, do whatever you want. It's not under my jurisdiction anyway.”
[......Yep.]
“Right. Take care of yourself. See you tomorrow.”
[Understood. See you tomorrow.]
Click.
Ian ended the call and tucked the phone into his pocket.
Then, as if something had come to mind while she was waiting for the call to end, Mariang opened her mouth.
“Ah, come to think of it, yesterday was the day I was supposed to meet Irene. She must already be in Korea.”
“……? What?”
Because she said it so casually, Ian didn't understand her for a moment. Mariang tilted her head and answered.
“Irene came into Korea because she was looking for the foreign god's grimoire.”
“What the fuck? Why are you only telling me that now?”
“You didn't ask where Irene was.”
“…….”
Ian jumped to his feet and smacked the back of Mariang's head.
“Ow!”
“Ow!”