Ian left Amelia to unpack and took the potatoes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and other items she had brought in her bag to the kitchen.
They were far too high-quality to be dismissed as ordinary vegetables, even at a glance. It seemed the claim that they had received a spirit's blessing was no lie. Seeing that their shapes were all perfectly uniform, without a single deformity, one could guess how tremendous the blessing bestowed by the earth spirit had been.
“Gnomes are usually deeply associated with ores, but looking at this, it seems that’s not always the case.”
He put the potato—which was so round that it felt like a ball—into the refrigerator along with the rest of the vegetables, took a snack from the shelf, and approached the sofa where Mariang was lying.
Perhaps fully adjusted already, she was swinging her legs up and down while fiddling with her smartphone.
“What are you watching?”
Ian asked. Mariang’s eyes sparkled at the snack bag he was holding, and she stretched out an empty hand.
“I was just looking at some brief news.”
“News?”
“Magic news. It’s a site that reports on mage-related incidents at the Clock Tower and across the nation. You probably can’t access it with a Korean IP.”
“You can just use a VPN.”
“Your phone has to have been first activated in Britain, and you have to have belonged to the Clock Tower. Otherwise, you absolutely can’t get in even with a VPN. Ah, but I can.”
“What a ridiculous hassle.”
Ian tossed one of the snack bags he was holding to her. She skillfully snatched the bag, opened it, tossed a potato chip into her mouth, and flicked through her phone screen.
“Actually, I shouldn’t normally be able to access it either, but thanks to looting a Clock Tower mage’s phone, I can get in comfortably even now. It’s all the result of my hard work.”
“Any special news?”
Ignoring Mariang’s nonsense, Ian asked as he sat down on the sofa. Mariang answered listlessly.
“Nothing much. The most notable news is that Sherlock Holmes, who was in Britain, has escaped.”
“……Sherlock Holmes? The Sherlock Holmes I know?”
“That's right. But it’s not a person; it’s a strange creature that walks around with a camera where its head should be. It’s quite dangerous but also useful, so it’s one of the tools the Bureau frequently uses. But it escaped.”
Mariang giggled.
“It seems the employee playing the role of Watson failed to perform their duties as a proper assistant. Well, they reap what they sow. They couldn’t manage it themselves, so who are they to blame?”
“Even if it escaped, wouldn’t it be caught quickly since it’ll only be in Britain anyway?”
“No? The Holmes series is famous worldwide. It can appear anywhere. It wouldn’t even be strange if it suddenly popped up in North Korea.”
“……Huh.”
“The bureaus of each country are probably on high alert. Holmes is so elusive and brings cases with it wherever it goes, so it’s not easy to catch.”
“The British Bureau is in big trouble~,” she added, munching on the snacks with a crunch. Ian stared silently at her appearance, which was no different from an unemployed vagrant, then shook his head and killed time until the delivery arrived.
Shortly after, chicken was delivered to the front door. Ian flicked the snack he was holding, striking Mariang near the eye. Mariang spasmed.
“Ugh! Powder in my eye……!”
“Delivery's here. Go get it.”
“You could’ve just told me normally! Why are you being so mean!”
“Just because.”
“……Kah, ptui.”
Mariang pretended to spit, grumbling as she got up to fetch the chicken.
In the meantime, Amelia, who had finished unpacking everything, quickly came down the stairs.
“I’m done unpacking, Oppa. Ah, should I call you Master instead of Oppa now?”
“Do whatever you’re comfortable with. Titles don’t really matter to me.”
“Hehe…… Then I’ll keep calling you Oppa.”
Amelia smiled shyly and sat down next to Ian. Mariang, returning with the chicken, looked down at her and clicked her tongue.
“Someone’s busy fetching the delivery, while someone else calmly takes the seat next to the master…… I don’t like it…… It’s annoying…….”
“Stop glaring and go drain the pickled radish.”
“Master only hates me!”
Mariang placed the chicken box on the table, took the accompanying pickled radish, and went into the kitchen. Amelia broke into a cold sweat watching her, then quickly got up and rushed to the kitchen.
“Uh, Unnie! I’ll do this. You go ahead and eat first.”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes.”
Amelia smiled awkwardly and took the pickled radish, while Mariang grabbed a fork and returned to the sofa. Without hesitation, she opened the chicken box, dipped a drumstick thoroughly, and brought it to her mouth.
“Mmm…… Ith delithious.”
Without wiping the sauce from the corner of her mouth, she wore a pleasant smile. Ian stared blankly at that sight, then burst into a chuckle and picked up a piece of chicken.
The stimulating food he was having after a long time was, as Mariang said, quite delicious.
*
Mariang returned to her own dwelling late that evening. Thanks to that, the house grew considerably quieter.
Since he rarely even turned on the TV, the only sounds in the living room were the occasional car passing by outside. Or perhaps the refrigerator running. At least, there was no trace of human warmth.
Instead, human voices echoed quietly inside the study prepared on the second floor.
“The magic contained within the Study of Knowledge is probably all composed of public spells. Since only those kinds of things were recorded, I'm sure of it.”
A small, secret chamber.
Unlike the exterior, which had a modern interior, the study was made of warm-toned wood.
The bookshelves covering the entire wall didn't have many books yet, but they were filled with various original texts, so the atmosphere wasn't bad. At least, it wasn't lacking for discussing the academic discipline of magic.
Amelia, sitting in the chair, seemed to have adapted to the atmosphere as well; she tilted her head with a serious expression and placed the grimoire she was holding on her lap.
“Then can you use spells that aren't recorded here? Like secret techniques passed down in clans?”
“Something like that. Don't get your hopes up since I have no intention of teaching you. In the first place, it would put you in danger if I taught you.”
“I understand. I won't be greedy.”
At her mature attitude, Ian smiled faintly and leaned back slightly.
Since there was only one chair in the study, he was currently sitting on the table he usually used.
The wooden table creaked.
“Have you checked all the spells inside?”
“Not all of them. But I've read most of what the grimoire emphasized as important.”
“Tell me one that you remember.”
“Mmm…… Wraith of Damascus?”
“It’s a summon-type automatic defense spell. Its performance is good, but the preparation process is so complicated that it's a difficult spell to use in urgent situations.”
“Ah, right. First, it has to be a rainy day, and the location has to be somewhere a war occurred in the past or where many corpses were buried…….”
“And a river has to flow nearby.”
Ian glanced at the lamp illuminating the study and took a sip of the cold water he had brought. Amelia also drank warm milk and listened attentively.
“The conditions are so demanding that it's virtually impossible to use as a defense spell. The defense spells mages mainly use can be pre-cast somewhere or are convenient to activate, but this…… it's practically no different from a killing spell.”
“The materials are ridiculous too, right? Damascus steel. It's very expensive. Probably close to a thousand dollars per gram?”
“It’s an extremely rare material. Alchemists forcibly recreated a resource that had originally disappeared. It’s not strange for it to be expensive. Still, it is quite pricey.”
Ian smiled vaguely and pressed down on a single lavender strand of hair sticking out from Amelia's head. Amelia closed her eyes, let out a soft hum, and accepted his touch.
“And the summoned warrior is full of resentment, so if the enemies around the summoner disappear, it will try to kill the summoner instead. So you end up in a strange situation where you have to run from your own summon until the spell's effects completely wear off.”
“……Huh, really?”
Hearing Ian's words, Amelia tilted her head and expressed doubt.
“But when I used the spell, it didn't chase me?”
“……? You used the spell? How can you use magic?”
Ian frowned slightly and asked again. Amelia looked at him with golden eyes and answered calmly.
“This grimoire, that is, the Study of Knowledge, detects dangers that I haven't perceived on its own, then automatically casts the appropriate spell for the situation. I was told that's its signature spell.”
“……What?”
Ian's eyes widened at this spell he was hearing for the first time in his life. Amelia smiled brightly and tapped the grimoire's cover rapidly with all ten fingers.
“Even though I'm not a mage, I could use this signature spell. But since I had to pay the price directly with my body, I couldn't get up for two days and spent them in a comatose state. I also suffered some internal injuries.”
“No, no matter how steep the price, having it cast spells remotely for you…….”
“It's amazing, right? Grandfather also said it was incredible! He boasted to me that it must surely be a grimoire written by an Archmage!”
“……Huh.”
“As expected, Oppa is amazing! How did you create such magic?”
“……Mmm.”
Ian had almost blurted out, “Tell me about that spell too,” but swallowed it back down and wore a sly smile.
“To think you noticed that…… you have tremendous potential. Pretending not to know is useless. Hahaha.”
“Hehe! Of course! Whose disciple do you think I am! I figured out you were pretending not to know right away!”
“Haha.”
“Ehehe!”
Laughter bloomed between master and disciple. However, Ian clenched his hand where Amelia couldn't see and clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘To think even a grimoire I fathered without even realizing can do something like that, while those so-called Outer Gods are really just……’
[Uung.]
[Ung!]
[U, uung……!!]
The grimoires wriggling on Ian's bed, sniffing his scent, transmitted his thoughts and let out short vibrations.
It meant they felt wronged, but unfortunately, their feelings did not reach Ian.