“Haah…… Haah…….”
A narrow alleyway.
Mariang roughly wiped her dripping cheek with the back of her hand, gasping for breath.
Pain surged from her crushed knee, but since she had already modified her sense of pain beforehand, it wasn't unbearable. It creaked a bit, but moving was still perfectly possible.
“Tch…….”
She clicked her tongue sharply and leaned her back against the wall.
Her thighs, back, stomach, arms, shins, and even her organs.
There wasn't a single spot uninjured. Her entire body was drenched in blood. It only wasn't noticeable because her dress was black. The characteristic iron scent of blood had long since overwhelmed her body odor. A sickeningly sweet fragrance flowed from her entire body.
Thanks to the transplanted fluids of a succubus, her blood contained slight aphrodisiac properties. However, its pain-relieving effects were far stronger than any sexual arousal it might cause, so she cupped the flowing blood in her palm and drank it down in one go.
Gulp.
A revolting taste spread throughout her mouth. Her head spun from the momentary pleasure, and the pain pounding throughout her body slowly subsided. Only then did Mariang's expression relax slightly.
“Damned bug bastard.”
She slid down to sit on the ground, exhaling a breath reeking of blood.
Rustle.
At the same time, a bug's head wriggled out from a gaping hole in her thigh. Mariang furrowed her brows tightly, stuck her fingers into the hole, and pulled the bug out. The maggot-like creature thrashed, but she paid it no heed, crushing it until its body burst.
Squelch!
The bursting bug's bodily fluids and pus smeared across her palm. She roughly wiped it on her clothes, then opened her parasol to create shade.
“Thou, woman of the shadows. Become a veil for me.”
As she chanted the spell, the magic circle engraved inside the parasol glowed.
A concealment spell that distorted outside gazes, allowing her to escape observation. It wasn't her main field of magic, so her proficiency was somewhat lacking, but it was still enough to hide her body. She took out the hemostatic agent she had brought and swallowed it, then gazed at the street beyond the alley.
“Where did they go?”
“Team 2, go left. Team 5, go right. The rest, follow me.”
“Yes, sir!”
Employees of the Administration Bureau in black suits ran through the streets in perfect order. It was a chaotic sight, yet the pedestrians didn't spare them a single glance. They likely possessed tools that filtered perception.
When it came to the ability to transform the arcane into tools through science, the Administration Bureau was second to none. So it wouldn't be strange for them to have peculiar tools.
“…….”
For a moment, she considered killing them one by one, but immediately dismissed the thought. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
‘I've already drawn too much attention. I should have killed them quickly and run.’
It went without saying, but Mariang wasn't so weak that she'd get hurt merely from being pursued by the Administration Bureau. She could have wiped them all out instead. She had hunted nearly hundreds of the trash that had pursued her so far; there was no way she'd fall to Administration Bureau agents. Perhaps if they were strong agents, but the ones over there were all low-ranking. She couldn't let herself get hurt even if she wanted to.
Then who had inflicted a fatal wound on her?
It was obvious.
‘The Insect Warlock……’
A man in bizarre attire wearing a mantis mask. His muttering “transform” every time he switched masks was utterly ridiculous, but his skills were no laughing matter. A magician who simultaneously controlled hundreds, maybe thousands of bugs while even employing hand-to-hand combat could never be weak.
‘A Korean Insect Warlock. His incantations were similar to the Walpurgis Gravekeepers of Germany. Did he learn magic from them?’
The Walpurgis Gravekeepers.
A group of fanatics in Germany who never crawled out into the open and only dealt with grotesque magic that other magicians shunned.
They were so reclusive that joining the group was incredibly difficult, and because they absolutely never leaked their magic externally, they were madmen you could only find in Germany. She had never expected to encounter a magician using their magic here in Korea.
‘Did he escape, or is he just an exceptional oddity even among those fanatics?’
She didn't know.
She had no intention of finding out, either.
It wasn't important.
What mattered was that the man had inflicted a fatal wound on her, and that he had suffered one as well. He was probably staggering around right now just like her, shaking off the Administration Bureau's pursuit. Stupid bastard.
“Haah…….”
Mariang exhaled and looked down at her body, which was beginning to recover.
The regenerative ability she had gained thanks to transplanted werewolf bones. Feeling the sensation of severed nerves and tendons reconnecting, she fumbled out her phone. Then without hesitation, she made a call.
[Hello?]
The other party answered in French. Mariang leaned her head against the wall and opened her mouth.
“Walter, it's me.”
[I know, Mariang. What is it?]
Walter.
The head of Laplace answered in a gentle voice. Mariang immediately continued.
“I'm in Korea right now. I came to retrieve Eddie's body.”
[……Hm. Acting alone, I see. Why didn't you report this in advance?]
“Do I need to inform Laplace of my personal business as well? I merely wanted to retrieve my dead lover's remains.”
[Ahaha, Mariang. We both know that isn't such a pure motive.]
Walter chuckled.
[You simply want to use Eddie's corpse as a material, don't you?]
“So what? Is that so strange? It's merely the heart of an ordinary woman who wants to love even her lover's corpse.”
[Ordinary women do not think like you.]
“I don't know what you're trying to say. Anyway, I encountered an Insect Warlock here. He was using magic similar to the Walpurgis Gravekeepers.”
[Hoo, that's news to me. Why are there so many oddities in Korea? Is the land itself particularly favorable?]
“That magician is quite strong.”
[Gravekeepers tend to be. Hm, but Mariang. So what is it you wish to say? Are you asking for help because you got beaten by an Insect Warlock? Or asking me to avenge you?]
Walter asked, his voice still carrying a smile. Mariang looked back at the Administration Bureau agents still running around and answered.
“I've been discovered by the Administration Bureau. I need a place to hide.”
[Couldn't you just check into a hotel? Or go down to the countryside?]
“I mean a place far safer than that.”
She tested her somewhat recovered leg. The throbbing pain remained, but at this level, she could walk well enough.
“That Mirror World you created. I'll go in and rest for a bit. Tell me the entrance.”
[The Mirror World…… Now that you mention it, that did exist. I had ignored it as a failure, but…… yes, it should suffice as a hideout.]
“…….”
[I can make an entrance quickly. Break a nearby mirror and send me its photograph.]
“Thank you, Walter.”
[What for? We help each other to survive.]
Walter answered immediately. Perhaps turning the pages of a grimoire, he continued with a rustling sound.
[By the way, Mariang, since you're in Korea, could you move together with Miss Irene? She arrives in Korea tomorrow as well.]
“……Why is Irene coming here?”
[Her purpose is similar to yours. She's looking for the culprit who killed Eddie. She'll gather some information while she's at it…… In any case, I have a favor to ask.]
“……Alright.”
Mariang answered with a sigh.
Walter burst into laughter.
[Then, enjoy your comfortable rest in the Mirror World.]
*
“Inside the Mirror World, a world similar to yet different from reality unfolds. You can think of it as something like a parallel world.”
Eunha stood before the mirror and explained.
Before anyone knew it, she had donned a tight black leather jacket and jumper. It was the outfit she only wore when performing her main job. It wouldn't be wrong to see it as a type of combat uniform.
“However, it isn't a real parallel world. Nor is it the sort commonly claimed by the scientific community.”
“Th-then……?”
“An imperfect copy of reality created by the arcane. Well, roughly that sort of feeling. Even I have difficulty explaining it in detail.”
“U-uhn…….”
“It isn't dangerous. We've already sent a demon inside and completed one round of verification. You can enter and leave freely as well.”
Eunha secured the Lemegeton to her belt and turned to Ian. Ian met her gaze with a serious expression.
“Then what is the purpose of entering?”
“Investigation, and a contract with a demon. Whatever the case, it's the arcane that occurred in my house. That's reason enough to investigate. And if we summon a demon someplace other than reality, we don't have to bear the risk of failure, so it's safer to do it there.”
“Hm…… I understand. How do we escape?”
“Find the full-length mirror in the Mirror World and simply pass through it. The mirror appears at the spot where we first stepped inside.”
“So we don't need to wander around looking for it.”
“Correct. And um…… for now, this inner world has a very strong apocalyptic disposition. The buildings have all collapsed, and there are almost no survivors.”
This was another interesting story. Ian tilted his head slightly.
“Are you saying it's a post-apocalyptic setting?”
“Yes.”
“Did you find out the reason for the destruction?”
“Yes. Apparently it was destroyed by an alien invasion.”
“……Excuse me?”
Unable to grasp her words for a moment, Ian furrowed the corners of his eyes. Eunha scratched her cheek and answered.
“The Reptilians showed their true colors, and all countries except America were destroyed. America is fighting its last stand.”
“No…… What were the magicians, including the Clock Tower, doing, and why is America……?”
“Magic doesn't exist in that world. To be precise, not just magic, but everything related to the arcane doesn't exist there.”
At her following words, Ian let out a hollow laugh. Eunha put the materials Ian had handed her into her bag, wearing a faint smile.
“Interesting, isn't it?”
It certainly was interesting.