BANG!!
Alpha flung the back door open as if he were about to smash it apart and charged into the parking lot. Ian followed after him, supporting the injured Beta.
Dawn, with the moon sinking low.
Perhaps the customers who had been in the club had already left, because the parking lot was completely empty.
The police did not seem to have arrived yet, either. All that was there was a large black limousine and a woman wearing a deer mask, standing as if guarding it.
A neatly tailored suit and a deer mask made of real leather. Wearing the mismatched combination as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she politely folded her hands together and bowed to the group.
“Dear clients. Did you enjoy the hunt?”
“……Deer.”
Alpha lowered his bandanna and called her name. The woman called Deer clicked open the limousine door and stepped aside, as if inviting them in.
“The engine is running. Let us withdraw quickly.”
At her words, Alpha nodded without a moment’s hesitation and climbed into the limousine. Ian hesitated briefly, but clicked his tongue at the sound of sirens beginning to wail in the distance and got inside.
As soon as all three of them had boarded, Deer followed them in and closed the door. The man behind the wheel immediately stepped on the accelerator.
Vroooom!
The limousine began speeding down the wide-open road. Ian stared out the window at the club growing farther and farther away, then turned his head toward Deer. Deer, who had happened to be looking at him, inclined her head slightly.
“It is an honor to meet you, Mage. Though it is only for today, I will serve you with the utmost care.”
“……Are you with the Cartel?”
“That is correct. I am Deer, an employee of Indemnis, the safe transport service operated by the Cartel for our clients. Please feel free to call me Deer, deer, deer-head, or whatever you find comfortable.”
As she said so, she put ice into the glasses prepared inside the limousine and poured water into them with a soft trickle.
Alpha, who had just put a cigar in his mouth, exhaled smoke and downed the cold water. Ian followed his example and took a sip of water as well.
As the cold water ran down his throat, it felt as though his head cleared. He placed the glass beaded with droplets on the table and took a cigarette from his pocket.
“So you were the van hired by the Cartel that hunter mentioned.”
Flick.
He lit the end of his cigarette with a lighter. Far from reprimanding the group for starting to smoke right in front of her, Deer lowered her head as if it were nothing at all.
“That is correct. We operate a service that prioritizes our clients’ safety above all else, using thorough and reliable escape routes to leave the scene without becoming entangled with the police, military, Bureau, and so forth.”
“……I imagine that costs a fair bit. If you’re thinking of touching my payment…….”
“Ah. There is no need to worry about that. The one who hired us today was not you, Mage, but the vampire hunter. We intend to receive our compensation from him.”
Saying so, Deer turned her head toward Beta.
“The service fee comes to a total of three thousand dollars. How would you like to pay?”
“……Hey, can’t you see my leg’s injured? Can’t we talk business later?”
“My apologies. It is company policy to settle matters of money clearly and swiftly. If possible, I would like an answer now.”
“……Haa.”
Faced with Deer’s unyielding attitude, Beta put a cigar between his lips and leaned his head back.
“I’ll hand it over in cash after daybreak. Just send the right number of people to pick it up.”
“Understood. We will investigate the location ourselves and contact you.”
“Do whatever. More importantly, pay that mage.”
“Understood.”
At Beta’s words, Deer reached into the passenger seat and brought back a small case. She immediately held the case out to Ian.
Ian looked down at the case with a dubious expression and flicked off his cigarette ash.
“……Why are you only giving the payment to me? Do those two not get anything separately?”
“Ah, the request today was not one posted by the Cartel itself. Those two borrowed our name in order to recruit personnel and posted the recruitment notice through us. Therefore, only you, Mage, may receive a fee.”
“……I didn’t check the request form that carelessly. I’m quite sure nothing like that was written there.”
Instead of answering immediately, Deer took out the request form and spoke.
“At the top of the request form, do you see the seal stamped there besides our Cartel’s insignia? That is proof, as I just said, that a highly trusted outside individual posted the request using our name. Since this is considered common knowledge, there is no written notice. My apologies. I will pass that feedback on to headquarters, so please wait a few days.”
Deer spoke as she opened the case’s lock. Ian nodded as if he understood.
Apparently, just because something bore the Cartel’s certification mark did not mean it was a request they had posted themselves. Judging by the fact that Seoa had not said anything separately, it seemed she had not been aware of this detail either. Or perhaps she had simply forgotten to tell him.
Well, it was not especially important. Either way, he was receiving his payment.
Still, now that he had learned this, he would have to examine request forms more carefully from next time to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.
Thinking so, Ian checked the inside of the case that Deer slowly opened.
With a click, the case opened to reveal bundles of cash packed tightly inside.
“It is exactly seven million won in Korean currency. I can verify the amount for you here and now.”
“Then do it. Just in case.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Deer began carefully taking out the bundles of fifty-thousand-won notes one by one and counting them.
By the time the limousine left the downtown area and entered a small alley, her count had ended.
“Six million nine hundred thousand won, six million nine hundred fifty thousand won, seven million won. It is exact. There is not the slightest discrepancy.”
“……Hoo.”
Ian nodded as he exhaled cigarette smoke. Deer closed the case again.
“How would you like to receive the money? There are two methods: immediate receipt in cash, or transfer to your account.”
“……If a large sum suddenly appears in my account, won’t the Bureau be able to track it?”
“Please do not worry. We have dozens of methods to protect our clients. Not only this country’s public authorities, but even the Bureau will take no interest in you whatsoever. In the same way, you may use our Cartel’s shop without any risk.”
Deer said this in a courteous yet confident voice.
Ian stared past her mask.
At her black eyes, dark as a deer’s, for a long while before answering.
“Send it to my account.”
“Confirmed. Please wait a moment.”
Deer began making a call somewhere. Ian turned his gaze away from her and looked at Alpha, who was wrapping a bandage around his shoulder.
After deftly tying the knot, he took off his sunglasses and let out a long breath.
“That feels good…… As expected, tearing vampires to death is always fun.”
“Did you become a vampire hunter purely for pleasure?”
Ian asked. Alpha gave a small laugh and shook his head.
“My family was slaughtered by vampires.”
“…….”
“It’s a common story. For an ordinary person, not a mage like you, to set foot in this mystical world, that much sacrifice is necessary.”
“……I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Forget it. It’s just the story of an old man driven mad by commonplace revenge. More importantly, are you satisfied with the payment?”
“It’s not bad. Compared to the difficulty of the work, I might be getting paid far too much.”
Ian said it half as a joke.
Alpha chuckled and leaned back against the seat.
“Mages who can perform like that in actual combat aren’t common. Looks like you’ve had some combat experience?”
“Only a few times, just as you said. Not many.”
“Is that so? Then it’s even more impressive.”
With those words, Alpha fell silent. Ian, too, did not bother speaking any further and looked up at the dark night sky.
Unlike the club, where the smells of blood and gunpowder had run rampant, the world was exceedingly quiet. Only the faint sound of the car driving echoed through the air. The boundary between the extraordinary and the ordinary was that distinct.
The moment he realized that, Ian once again felt that he had stepped into the world of the extraordinary.
It would probably be impossible to return to the days of ignorance.
That was fine.
Once he had opened his eyes, there was no need to go back to being blind.
“……Hoo.”
Ian stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and leaned back against the seat.
It was a peaceful world.
At least, for most people.
*
[Sender: Deer]
[Amount: 7,000,000]
The limousine had stopped in a dark alley. As soon as Ian stepped out of the car, he turned back to Deer at the deposit message that arrived.
As if nothing were out of the ordinary, she followed the disembarking passengers out and bowed.
“Thank you for using the Cartel safe transport service. Then, everyone, please have a peaceful night. We look forward to your next use.”
“Sure.”
Alpha waved a hand at her. Ian made a gesture indicating that he had confirmed the deposit, then followed after Alpha, who had taken the lead. Beta dragged his leg as he followed the two of them.
Vroooom.
Not long after, the sound of a car came from behind them. It began from where the limousine had been parked and gradually receded into the distance.
“…….”
Ian stared for a moment at the full moon hanging in the sky, then shoved his hand into the pocket of his coat. At that moment, his fingers caught on a metal object.
It was a handgun. He let out an “Ah,” then returned the borrowed gun and sunglasses to Beta.
“I used them well.”
“Ah, right. I almost forgot and left with them.”
Beta took the handgun and slipped it into the inner pocket of his coat.
There was nothing left to deal with now. Ian tapped the grimoire tucked at his waist with his finger and walked along beneath the streetlights.
Before long, despite the early hour before dawn, they found a hangover-soup restaurant that was still open. The group entered without hesitation.
“Welcome.”
A young owner with heavy dark circles under his eyes greeted them. Alpha ordered three bowls of blood-curd soup and went to sit at the farthest corner table. Beta sat beside him, and Ian took the seat across from them.
As he took off his coat and hung it up, a question suddenly came to mind, and he turned to Alpha.
“Come to think of it, what was that capsule you threw at the end?”
“Smoke that erases spilled blood. If the police took it for a DNA test, it would be a pain, so I used it.”
“Ah.”
Ian nodded as if convinced.
A short while later, the blood-curd soup they had ordered arrived.
The two vampire hunters, who looked like Westerners, seasoned their soup with practiced ease and even ordered an additional bottle of soju. Ian smiled wryly and sipped the warm broth.
At that moment, Alpha popped the cap off the soju bottle and tossed out a remark in passing.
“Albert.”
“……?”
“That’s my name.”
“I’m Benjamin.”
After Alpha, Beta also introduced himself by his real name. Then they began staring silently at Ian.
At their gaze, Ian broke into a grin and opened his mouth.
“Mage.”
“You son of a bitch.”
Albert let out a curse laced with laughter and drank the soju.