Chapter 79
Ian and Kim Iseo boarded the elevator.
It was fairly spacious. The elevator's interior was large enough to transport patients.
She didn't just press the button for the basement. Like the ghost story about an “elevator to another world,” she operated a great many buttons at once.
It probably wasn't actually using the ghost story. Unlike the Vatican, which rejects and exterminates mysteries, the Management Bureau focused on research and exploitation, but even so, it wouldn't leave a ghost story roaming around inside the building.
Of course. An elevator to another world? If something really went wrong, who knew what might burst out from inside—who would dare use it carelessly?
Mysteries were basically malicious toward humans, and if their categories were similar, they often appeared together. Even the library Ian had visited had other eyeball-like monsters lurking outside besides the library anomaly, hadn't it?
If the conditions were right and a passage existed, they wouldn't hesitate to cross into reality. The moment an elevator opened as a definite entrance, that place would instantly turn into chaos.
If the passengers themselves were the ones crossing over, that'd be one thing, but mysteries weren't that kind.
It was always right to assume the worst.
[Input confirmed. Descending to the quarantine room.]
While he was thinking, Kim Iseo finished operating it and stepped back. The elevator then announced its movement and began descending on its own.
A brief sense of floating brushed over him for a moment, and Kim Iseo straightened her loosened necktie as she turned back to Ian.
“The quarantine rooms are places where security is enforced very strictly even within the Management Bureau. Before you go in, you should read the manual.”
It was a suggestion he had no reason to refuse. Leaving her to tie up her hair, Ian leaned against the wall, took out the manual he had been handed, and opened it.
A small booklet-style guide.
The first page contained nothing but an introduction. It detailed the history of the Management Bureau and when the Korean branch was established.
It wasn't important information, but it caught his personal interest, so he read it slowly.
[The Management Bureau, a global institution, was founded in 1872. It began full-scale operations during the Second Industrial Revolution and established branches in various countries during the World Wars. Naturally, it had obtained government approval.]
[In the 19th century and the early 20th century, many people were still loudly calling out God's name. But the world situation at the time wasn't very good, so most citizens were more interested in reality than in the unknown beings called mysteries. Thanks to that, information concealment and manipulation were easy to carry out. You could say the timing was favorable.]
[The Management Bureau entered Korea in the early 20th century. Its history isn't very deep, but it still achieved explosive growth compared to other countries. Even if it has many shortcomings compared to the European Union, in the East it could still be called the best.]
It was full of self-praise, but Ian let it slide.
Ordinary companies also start by telling you what kind of place they are and what advantages they have, don't they?
There was no need to shove the drawbacks in front of a new recruit who had just joined. Of course, Ian had no intention of joining the Management Bureau, so it wasn't much of an issue.
“Hmm.”
He flipped the manual over and skimmed the quarantine-room section. At that moment, a barrier wall slowly lowered inside the descending elevator, covering the mirror. Ian slightly furrowed his brow at the eerie metallic sound.
“......Why are they covering the mirror?”
“Mirrors are passages connected to the other side. In reality they don't have much power, but in a quarantine room full of mysteries, the story changes. There is a high chance that the person called ‘me’ will be replaced by something else, and cases where the soul is trapped inside the mirror do occur.”
Kim Iseo answered with a calm expression.
“For the same reason, there are no mirrors in quarantine areas except in certain quarantine rooms. If you find a mirror in a corridor or bathroom, or anywhere else where no mystery is confined, destroy it immediately or leave the area.”
“......”
“I don't think you'd be easily taken in, but still, there's always the possibility. Generally, the being reflected in a mirror possesses the same abilities as the original. I'm worried that something copying you might try to use magic.”
That was a reasonable concern. However, in Ian's personal opinion, they didn't seem likely to be able to use his magic.
For all that they looked unimpressive, every spell Ian used was fundamentally derived from the Foreign God. Spells for finding lost items, making you dream of sheep, and forcing you into a comfortable sleeping posture, and so on. Even the spells that seemed trivial at a glance were things whose magic circles and flow were directly designed and controlled by the Foreign God.
There was no way a mere mystery could imitate that exactly. It would probably die from the strain the moment it tried to use magic.
Still, having something with the exact same appearance burst out of a mirror—or getting trapped inside one—wasn't a good thing either, so there was no need to stare into mirrors and act tough.
If one appeared, break it. That was all.
Ian gave Kim Iseo's words a perfunctory nod and looked back through the manual.
The explanation of the quarantine areas. It was rather lengthy, but boiled down, it was this.
‘It is divided into Zones 1 through 5, and the closer you get to Zone 5, the more dangerous mysteries are stationed there. Zones 1 and 2 are mostly composed of tool-type mysteries.’
Mysteries are divided into quite a few types, but only a limited number can be directly quarantined. Tools that bewitch others and living creatures. Those two were the main types.
Tools aren't necessarily weaker than creatures just because they are tools. Creatures aren't necessarily stronger than tools just because they are creatures.
To put it simply, think of the relationship between humans and wild beasts. No matter how strong a lion is, if you shove a double-barreled shotgun between its brows, it dies on the spot. Likewise, a tool-type mystery can easily kill a creature-type anomaly depending on how its user handles it.
But without a user, a tool is literally just a tool. A shotgun doesn't suddenly gain a mind of its own, declare, 'I'll kill you,' and pull its own trigger. In the end, it all depends on the situation and the matchup.
‘So they placed the tools near the entrance so they can be used when needed. They don't seem to hesitate when it comes to actively handling mysteries.’
Bold, or reckless—it was certainly a daring setup. But since their basic policy hadn't changed so far, I supposed there hadn't been any major problems.
There was no guarantee it would stay that way in the future, but there was no reason to tremble with anxiety over a future that hadn't happened yet. Ian closed the manual and turned to Kim Iseo.
“Where exactly are we planning to move around in the quarantine area?”
“For now, we won't go below Zone 3. Only the quarantine team is allowed below that, so we can't go in.”
“Even Zone 3 has dangerous ones stationed there, doesn't it? That's what the manual said.”
“That's true, but up through Zone 3, as long as you follow the rules, it shouldn't be all that dangerous. We're not planning to do any quarantine-team work experience or anything, so you don't need to worry too much.”
As soon as Kim Iseo finished speaking, the elevator doors opened. She put on the gloves she'd kept in her pocket and turned back to look at Ian.
“From here on, we'll move right next to each other. Please don't move more than a handspan away from me.”
“......Isn't that a bit too close?”
“It's for escort duty, so please bear with it. If one of us has to die, it'd be better if it were me.”
He'd clearly just heard that it was safe, so why were they suddenly talking about someone dying?
Still, since she was volunteering to sacrifice herself, there was no reason to refuse. Ian took the grimoire in hand and stayed close behind Kim Iseo.
[Hum.]
The Deep-Sea Chronicle vibrated briefly, seemingly displeased by the distance between the two of them. Ian soothed the grimoire by stroking its cover and followed after her.
“Zone 1 doesn't have any particularly remarkable mysteries. I'll briefly introduce the representative anomaly and then move on.”
She glanced at the grimoire in Ian's hand, then stood before the door at the end of the white corridor. A small light device above the door scanned her entire body once.
[Identity confirmed. Agent Kim Iseo. Entry authorized.]
Once the brief scan was over, the door opened with a flat, emotionless announcement.
The scenery beyond it was more ordinary than expected.
A long corridor. Various doors and windows along it. Signs bearing the names of the quarantined mysteries, and quarantine-team staff walking around in protective suits, and so on.
Overall, aside from being completely white, it wasn't particularly strange. It was closer to a laboratory than a quarantine facility. The two of them stepped through the open door without hesitation.
“Ah, Agent Kim Iseo.”
At that moment, one of the staff members who had been rushing around called out to Kim Iseo. She gave a slight bow with an expressionless face.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, yes. More importantly, why is the Response Team suddenly in the quarantine area...?”
“I am currently guiding the mage. I was told advance notice had already been sent.”
“Ah, ah! Right. Feel free to walk around. Of course, you mustn't go into any areas restricted to the quarantine team only.”
“I understand.”
“Then there's no problem. Please act according to the manual, and if anything dangerous happens, immediately call the quarantine team and the Response Team.”
Kim Iseo nodded. The staff member chuckled heartily, greeted Ian, and left.
The two of them once again slowly walked down the white corridor, looking around the quarantine rooms.
Walking alongside Kim Iseo, Ian let out a low murmur as he stared at the teddy bear displayed atop a case behind the transparent window that seemed almost nonexistent. Sensing the direction of his gaze, Kim Iseo spoke.
“It's an anomaly called the Teddy Bear of Love. It feels a strong attachment to its owner and is like a guardian deity that saves them when they're in danger, but if it takes interest in another human, doll, or animal, it will rip open their victim's insides and kill its owner.”
“......Whoever named that thing, seriously...”
“Most mysteries already have names. If they don't, the first person to discover them usually names them.”
Kim Iseo continued, staring at the staff member who had entered the quarantine room.
“The Teddy Bear of Love isn't all that strong an anomaly. It can be subdued by force easily enough, and if its head comes off, it can't move. Sew it back together, and it moves again.”
“How strong is it?”
“Under normal circumstances, it's no different from an ordinary doll. But if you feed it blood or it gets jealous, it can briefly change its form into a bear. Most casualties happen then.”
“Because bears tear people apart.”
Ian idly tapped his cigarette pack and looked at the bear doll sitting quietly.
It looked limp and lifeless. But when the staff member approached, it moved its button eyes to take her in.
The sight of a doll moving was absurd, but by now he no longer found it especially surprising. Honestly, if a stray cat nearby started babbling in human speech, he felt like he'd probably just accept it.
“Would you like to keep going, or would you like to observe it a little longer?”
Kim Iseo asked. Ian turned his head without a trace of hesitation.
“Let's keep going.”
“Understood. As I said, once I show you only the most famous mystery in Zone 1, we'll go down right away.”
“What kind of thing is it?”
Ian tapped the grimoire lightly and asked. Kim Iseo answered without hesitation.
“It's a figurine.”
“......A figurine?”
At his follow-up question, Kim Iseo let a small smile appear.
“Do you know Pygmalion?”