March 29th.
At last, Amelia’s first elemental stage was complete. And just as Ian had, Amelia too could clearly feel the effects of the earth element from the morning.
“My body feels so light! I went to bed really late yesterday, but I’m not even tired!”
Eight o’clock sharp in the morning. Amelia shouted in a bright voice toward Ian, who was sitting in the living room. Ian burst into a chuckle.
“You like it?”
“Yes! With this, I’m one step closer to becoming a mage too, right?”
“It’s a great stride. Do you know what you have to do next?”
“It’s the wind element, right? Meditating where the wind blows a lot in the mornings and evenings!”
“That’s right. You can just use the rooftop for the location. It’s not that spacious, but it should be enough for you to sit alone.”
While they were talking, the sandwich ordered for breakfast arrived. Amelia went out with a bright face and returned with a bag containing the sandwiches. When she opened the transparent bag, a warm ham and cheese sandwich revealed itself.
“Hwaah…….”
Amelia gazed at the sandwich with ecstatic eyes, then carefully took a bite.
Immediately, the corners of her mouth melted away slackly.
“I-it’s delicious…… So meat and bread could be this tasty…….”
“I ordered one more, so eat to your heart’s content.”
“Yes!”
Amelia puffed out her cheeks like a hamster and devoured the sandwich.
It wasn’t table manners befitting a noble young lady, but he didn’t say anything since she was eating proper food for the first time after a week of nothing but uncooked vegetables. Even Ian still remembered the taste of the convenience store lunchbox he had eaten after a week.
Still, there wouldn’t be such a difficult process going forward, so there wouldn’t be any major problems. Meditation was something you just did, and the water and fire elements were much easier than earth. There wasn’t really a need to stay by her side.
‘Amelia already knows the entire process of becoming a mage. Even if I don’t guide her from the side, she’ll do well on her own.’
If Amelia had been a disciple with considerably lacking intelligence, Ian would have thought twice, but fortunately, she was fairly smart. She had organized magic by reading grimoires on her own, and had practiced in advance for when she would perform rituals later.
Perhaps because of the backlash from growing up being told she had no talent, her drive and tenacity toward magic were at a level that wouldn’t lose even when compared to active mages. He didn’t know what would happen after she became a full-fledged mage later on, but at least for now, it was more than satisfactory.
‘It wouldn’t be bad to take her around myself later and show her how to resolve requests.’
Ian thought so and finished the entire sandwich. Then he roughly crumpled the wrapper, stuffed it into the bag, and spoke to Amelia.
“I have a personal outing today, so I’ll be away for a while. You’ll have to be alone, is that okay?”
“Ah, I’m fine, please go comfortably.”
Amelia answered, wiping the cheese stuck to the corner of her mouth. Ian lightly patted her head, quickly showered, and began preparing to go out.
Click.
He put the revolver into the gun holster and stored the grimoire in his coat’s inner pocket. Among the alchemical items he had made, those that were convenient to use or assisted in combat, he kept in his clothes for easy access. The rest of the items he packed separately in a bag.
After double-checking that he hadn’t forgotten anything, he put additional bullets for the revolver into his coat’s inner pocket. Then he slightly tore Irene’s picture and wrapped it in a handkerchief for safekeeping. Carefully, just in case her face showed through.
The reason he tore the picture was nothing much.
‘What Mariang had said.’
Ian hadn’t forgotten Mariang’s statement that Irene was currently committing indiscriminate murders across the country.
It wasn’t that he was particularly angry at Irene’s actions now.
He was bringing the torn piece of picture simply due to the hypothesis that he might be able to find out even a little about the characteristics of the magic Irene used at the murder scenes she created. Because with this, tracking her would be easier.
‘I roughly heard Mariang’s explanation about Irene’s magic, but it would be better to see it directly at least once. I might end up with a headache if I blindly believe only Mariang’s words.’
Ian thought so and roughly crumpled the torn piece of picture into his pants pocket. Perhaps because of the ether he could feel, his mood wasn’t very good.
“Hoo…… Shall we go.”
Anyway, all preparations were complete. Ian finally packed a bundle of cigarettes, then came out to the living room holding his helmet.
Amelia had just finished eating and was cleaning up the trash. She was roughly stuffing the wrappers into the bag when she turned to Ian and opened her mouth.
“Buy something delicious on your way back!”
“Sure, if there’s anything you want to eat, send me a text.”
“Okaaay.”
Ian left the house with her send-off behind him and got on his bike.
The destination was the Cartel shop.
It was time to modify his weapons first.
*
The Cartel shop was basically by reservation. However, the shop that only dealt with firearms could be visited anytime without a particular reservation. It was also larger than expected, so any gun one wanted could be easily obtained.
The downside was the price. As if to prove they were an enterprise crazed for money, each firearm easily cost several hundred. Good performance weapons sometimes approached several thousand.
Of course, actual firearm prices were quite expensive too, but Cartel priced them far more excessively.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. If guns were legal in Korea, that would be one thing, but since they weren’t, there was no particular means to stop Cartel’s brazen business. If you don’t like it, go get US citizenship.
Since Ian had no such intention, he quietly parked his bike in the parking lot near Cartel’s gun shop. Then he lit a cigarette in the smoking area and looked up at the building housing the shop.
“……Hoo.”
The exterior was no different from an ordinary commercial building.
A building with a pharmacy on the first floor, a hospital and an academy on the second, and a Pilates studio on the third.
There didn’t seem to be a separate place for a gun shop, but illegal business shouldn’t be done out in the open. Ian took out his phone and double-checked the exact location of the gun shop.
The third basement floor of the building. Except for the fact that you absolutely had to use the stairs to go down, the route was more ordinary than expected.
Since there was no reason to dawdle, Ian immediately threw his cigarette into the ashtray and moved his feet.
As soon as he entered the first floor, a staircase next to the elevator caught his eye.
The path going up was open, but the path going down had a rope like a barricade and a sign with [No Entry] hanging there. Without hesitation, Ian removed the rope and went down.
Thud, thud.
The path going down to the basement was quite dark. There was no light at all, and damp moisture soaked his face wetly.
An unpleasant smell wafted up from below. It was similar to the smell of rotten water.
‘Would it smell like this if Kim Yul didn’t wash for a year?’
He continued down while thinking useless thoughts.
He quickly passed the first basement floor. He soon arrived at the second basement floor. But the stairs were cut off, so it looked difficult to get to the third floor normally.
‘They must have cut them to prevent ordinary people from entering. Not surprising.’
With a calm expression, he put away his phone and stared at the firmly closed iron door on the second basement floor.
Clang.
When he roughly touched it with his hand, the thick iron door shook back and forth and made a loud noise.
It didn’t seem as durable as he thought. It might be difficult with guns or saws, but he wondered if it couldn’t be easily breached with a bomb. Of course, he doubted there was any crazy bastard who would openly use a bomb in such a commercial building.
“Hmm.”
Ian stopped his thoughts, knocked on the iron door, and whispered in a low voice.
“A greedy customer has arrived, so let the toad crazed for gold open the door gladly and welcome him.”
Screech!
The moment he finished speaking, the firmly closed door opened. Beyond it, a woman in a tuxedo walked out and bowed toward Ian.
“Welcome, customer. Thank you so much for finding the Cartel gun shop.”
“…….”
“I am called Absinthe, one of the gun shop’s professional dealers. I am truly honored to be serving as your guide today.”
“……Why is a dealer greeting customers here?”
“The dealers of Cartel gun shop take turns greeting incoming customers. And we stick by the customer’s side to guide them through the shop and act as bodyguards. Now is my turn; before was Korn’s turn. Next will probably be Rakia’s.”
“They’re all alcohol names.”
“They are appropriately beautiful and stimulating names to use as aliases.”
Absinthe gracefully bowed and stepped aside. Ian didn’t particularly refuse her guidance and stepped through the door. At the same time, the door closed automatically.
“…….”
The scenery of the second basement floor was quite fancy, more than expected. A short corridor decorated with gold and marble. At its end, a staircase going down was prepared. Absinthe took the lead, walking ahead, and looked back at Ian.
“Shall we go?”
Instead of answering, Ian took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and followed her.
The descending staircase was also quite refined, just like the corridor. In other words, it reeked of wasteful spending. He wondered if several billion hadn’t been used to make the corridor and stairs.
‘They must have a filthy amount of money.’
Well, it made no sense for them to be financially strained when they sucked up money like that. Cartel probably had the most cash in the world.
“We have arrived.”
While he was thinking, the two arrived at the third basement floor. Absinthe glanced back at Ian, then pushed open the door at the end of the stairs. With a screeching sound, a thick smell of gunpowder wafted through the opened door.
“Haaah…….”
Absinthe spread her arms wide as if doing drugs, reveling in the gunpowder smell. After inhaling for a long time, she turned to Ian with a thoroughly flushed face and made an expression as if troubled.
“Umm…… Customer, I’m sorry. Could I perhaps step away for a moment?”
“I don’t mind, but why?”
“I just returned today after enjoying a vacation of over two months, so it’s been too long since I’ve smelled guns, bullets, and gunpowder. That’s why I couldn’t contain myself.”
There was no time to ask what she couldn’t contain. Absinthe exhaled heated breath and licked her dry lips with her tongue.
“Haah, I’m wet. This is so exciting.”
“……?”
Ian’s head tilted at the following words. Regardless, Absinthe swept her groin area with her index finger and slightly sucked on it.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll go change my pants and underwear…….”
“…….”
“Please look around inside for a moment…….”
Without waiting for an answer, she staggered into the shop. Ian blankly stared at the back of her head, then scrunched up his face.
“Is she crazy?”
It seemed Cartel employed even lunatics as staff.