Chapter 59
A grimoire from another world.
Eunha wasn't stupid enough not to know what that meant.
Chaos not born on Earth. A repulsive crystallization of pure malice, born from nothing but malice and selectively preying on the wicked. An outer-cosmic calamity that could drive people insane just by looking at it, and spread madness without regard for whether the victim was its owner or someone nearby.
“…….”
From the past to the present, the number of times an Outer God's grimoire had been discovered was only two.
The grimoires were called [The Mystical Apocalypse] and [The Flooding of R'lyeh].
The owner of [The Mystical Apocalypse] was a monk and mage who had taken part in the Hundred Years' War. He was a very diligent man, but after falling into the knowledge of an Outer God, he slaughtered all his companions and made them his mysteries, controlling them.
That was the first recorded case of an Outer God's grimoire being observed. Through that, the Clock Tower and the world began to learn in earnest of the existence of Outer Gods, and countless people went insane while analyzing it.
And then, the second.
The one who obtained [The Flooding of R'lyeh] was an ordinary mage from the Clock Tower. Unlike the first case, however, she did not abuse the grimoire despite obtaining it, and instead personally recorded every piece of information related to the grimoire. Nearly all of the information known so far about Outer God grimoires was written by her.
She eventually went insane and carried out massacres, but her records were of great help to the mages.
It wasn't because she was a good person. On the contrary, it was because she was a lump of pure evil who would stop at nothing to pursue knowledge.
Eunha had once read the contents of the records she wrote.
[If you open an Outer God's grimoire and read it, there is no turning back. You will immediately fall to them as their plaything, obeying their will, and strange murmurs, murderous intent, and curses will begin to well up in your mind. It is impossible to resist that. Therefore, anyone who possesses an Outer God's grimoire must absolutely be purged.]
That is how the record ends. The time Eunha read it was right after she obtained Lemegeton, so she still remembered it clearly to this day.
But…….
'If he really had an Outer God's grimoire, his aura is way too…… ordinary.'
Eunha didn't know what Lemegeton had sensed. However, to her eyes, that mage's aura was extremely ordinary.
Ever since she gained magic that could tell good from evil through a contract with a demon, she used it whenever necessary, and the man's appearance reflected in her eyes was also far closer to neutral or good than to evil.
He wasn't a perfect paragon of virtue, but he also wasn't the sort of person you'd tell to run away from. Unless he was the kind of personality-disordered person who couldn't feel emotions at all, a pure embodiment of innocence where there'd be no need to distinguish between good and evil. But there was no sign of that at all, so there was no reason to antagonize or push him away.
“……Am I mistaken?”
In the end, after finishing her inspection, Yoo Eunha muttered that in a small voice.
Yet Lemegeton's intent was firm.
[No, I'm certain. That lunatic has two grimoires from another world. Which means he's not the culprit. He must have committed mass murder or some equivalent crime. Those who possessed Outer God's grimoires all committed that sort of thing as casually as breathing!]
“……Doesn't seem like it.”
[I told you it does! He's radiating pheromones! That mage has the power to attract grimoires! That's why even the Outer Gods took an interest in him! Grrr, if I hadn't had a master like you, I might have found him interesting too……! What a poisoned chalice……!]
Leaving the rampaging Lemegeton behind, Yoo Eunha turned her gaze to Ian, who was bringing the motorcycle over.
She checked again with magic just in case, but the image of him reflected in her eyes was still utterly ordinary.
An alien aura? None.
A sinister energy? None either.
An aura of a good person? None, but there was no aura of a bad person either.
Just an ordinary human being. That was all.
Maybe, just maybe, he could be someone closer to a villain. She had finished checking with magic, and she had even verified him before, but there was still the chance that, against all odds, he had turned out to be a truly vicious person. Even so, no matter how you looked at it, he wasn't someone worth making a fuss over.
In the end, Eunha let out a long sigh and tapped the Lemegeton tucked in the inner pocket of her puffer jacket.
“I checked it out, and I don't see any particular problem. Even if he's not a perfect saint, he's not a villain either. It doesn't seem like he committed the crimes Lord Solomon mentioned.”
[Eunha! You have to trust me! You have to respect me!]
“It's not that I don't believe Lord Solomon. An Outer God's grimoire? He might have one. He could be dangerous. But he's only going to cast a spell for a moment and leave, so it won't be that dangerous. And…… even if something did happen, I'm not the kind of mage who'd go down that easily.”
[……Eunha.]
“You believe me, Lord Solomon?”
[…….]
Solomon did not answer. More than anything else, that became the clearest answer of all.
“……You're the Godmother?”
In the meantime, Ian, who had parked the motorcycle on the shoulder, spoke up. The Godmother removed the hand that had been tapping Lemegeton and nodded.
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“……Just asking in case, but did you bury a body nearby? Your clothes…….”
Ian's gaze swept over Eunha's clothes.
Not a single bit of skin was showing. Wearing gloves could be because of the cold, but covering even her face completely was, no matter how you looked at it, anything but normal. Even if she said she'd just buried a corpse nearby and come back, it'd be believable.
'Could what I said in the gallery really have been true?'
For a moment he had that thought, but he didn't sense any hostility, so he relaxed his eyes.
Even so, to be able to respond at any time, he idly fiddled with the knowledge-devouring paper in his pocket. No matter how great a mage was, there would be nothing they could do once their head had been emptied clean.
While Ian was thinking that, the Godmother, who had been silent for a moment, opened her mouth.
“……I didn't bury anyone. And I don't really like jokes like that.”
A voice far more delicate and youthful than he had expected.
So she really was a woman after all.
Since it wasn't really important, he nodded and immediately tapped the motorcycle with his palm.
“The motorcycle is here. Can you cast the spell right away? Or do you need some preparation?”
“I can use it right away. Before that, I'll make a brief oath.”
He didn't even have time to ask what kind of oath it was. The Godmother suddenly summoned a red grimoire above her palm and began chanting.
“O you who govern me. In the name of God, I offer this oath: I swear that my magic shall have not the slightest trickery or error.”
Shaaah……!
As soon as she spoke, a crimson pentagram rose from her grimoire. The spinning pentagram floated slightly into the air, and from within it a long arm emerged. The pallid arm rested exactly on the Godmother's head and murmured in a low voice.
[Received.]
With that, the arm vanished. Ian let out an admiring breath inwardly and narrowed his eyes.
'Did she summon a demon? No, more like she used part of the power of a demon she'd already contracted with.'
Summoning magic always required some kind of sacrifice or medium as a conduit. The summoning arts Ian used were fairly cheap, but the spells written in Lemegeton were not. Because they dealt with beings called demons, the required materials were also quite complicated.
Beast corpses went without saying, and there were poisoned knives, skinned snakes, heads of cat-like beasts, and more. There were many grotesque and bizarre items as well. Some even demanded human beings.
There was no way such a summoning art could be used that casually. So it was more accurate to say she had used the power of a demon she'd already contracted with.
'As long as I don't know how many demons she's contracted with, I can't fight carelessly.'
He wasn't especially knowledgeable about Solomon's 72 demons, but he did know that some of them were highly specialized in combat.
For example, Flauros could freely wield fire, and Vepar or Focalor could control the sea at will. There were also ones who could alter perception or forcibly induce lust or love.
He didn't know whether she could handle them all at once, but there was no reason to take unnecessary risks in an uncertain situation.
More than anything, the fact that she had survived this long as the owner of the Lesser Key of Solomon was proof enough of her skill. In a world where grimoire hunters roamed openly, there was no need to explain how seasoned she was.
“The oath was carried out without issue. That makes it all but impossible for me to meddle with your motorcycle. Please rest easy.”
The Godmother said that. She tucked Lemegeton back into her arms and slowly, hesitantly approached the motorcycle. Ian naturally stepped aside.
He didn't doubt her oath. With magic used on an object, it can be hard to tell whether it succeeded at the moment it is cast, but a spell as straightforward as this, where a demon's arm plainly popped out, was something any seasoned mage could tell had succeeded or failed.
And from Ian's point of view, her magic had succeeded without a single error.
Confirming that, he gave a small laugh and lowered his head slightly.
“You didn't have to go that far for me. Thanks.”
“Not at all. I don't like pointless power struggles either. It's better to earn trust in one shot.”
That was the sort of remark only a seasoned powerhouse could make. Ian watched her place her hand on the motorcycle, wearing a wry smile.
“Still, you speak politely. The mages I've met until now all spoke casually.”
“That's the default, yes, but I personally prefer this way.”
“Isn't there a rumor that any mage who speaks politely is either a lunatic or a deranged sex maniac?”
“……That's true, but I'm not either.”
The Godmother turned her head slightly toward Ian.
“Still, be careful. As for other mages besides me, if they speak politely, just ignore them by default. It's better for your safety that way.”
It was ridiculous how casually she exempted herself, but Ian just gave a small smile and nodded.
“Understood. I'll keep that in mind. By the way, would it be all right if I also spoke politely like you? Since you broke the unspoken rule first, it shouldn't matter, right?”
“Uh…… do whatever you want. I guess you're normally more comfortable using honorific speech?”
“I did until I became a mage. I've adapted somewhat by now, but…… I still don't particularly like it.”
Ian brushed away the wind mixed with snow and continued.
“Then, I'll be relying on you for the magic. Godmother.”
“……Yes.”
The Godmother answered and took out a pen.
Then she engraved a magic circle directly onto the body of the motorcycle she'd just bought.
Screeeech.
A pure white line was drawn in one long stroke across the black motorcycle.
“…….”
Ian's face contorted all at once.