“Are you saying this is Irene’s head?”
The day after the group dinner, Ian visited one of the Cartel’s affiliate shops with Alisa. It wasn’t a very large place, and it didn’t carry many items, but it was more than enough for collecting a bounty. Fortunately, the employee there was someone Ian had met before.
Otherwise known as Deer Head.
Deer, who had been exclusively in charge of Indemnis but had recently been promoted to oversee an affiliate shop, turned Irene’s head this way and that before speaking.
“Mm… There’s no face left at all, so it will be difficult to verify her identity accurately. Did you perhaps grind her face off like this, sir?”
“No. She was just unlucky in a lot of ways.”
“I see.”
Instead of asking further, Deer set the head down on the table and collected the blood dripping from it into a glass vial. Then she slowly rose from her seat.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll go run the verification.”
“How long will it take?”
“It will be done in five minutes. I’ll be right back.”
Deer left. Ian stared blankly in the direction she had disappeared, then let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the sofa. Sitting beside him, Alisa lifted her cup of milk tea and spoke.
“It feels a little late to say this now, but there’s something I should tell you.”
“…? What is it?”
At the sudden remark, Ian turned his head. Alisa smiled softly and tilted her head slightly.
“Thank you for helping me get my revenge. Without you, it probably would’ve been hard.”
“…Ah.”
“It’s not much of a repayment, but you can take the entire bounty. The corpse of Irene I promised you originally is gone, so I should at least give you this.”
“Are you sure? Even if you don’t get anything?”
“I am getting something. I gained your friendship.”
Alisa took a sip of milk tea and leaned back. The plush sofa gently embraced her upper body.
“That alone is more than enough for me.”
“You’re saying some embarrassing things.”
Ian chuckled and popped one of the chocolates on the table into his mouth.
It seemed they had put out rather high-end chocolate, because the taste spreading through his mouth was a bit more bitter than sweet. It didn’t suit Ian’s tastes, since he preferred cheap chocolate. So he didn’t touch the chocolate again and just drank coffee while chatting with Alisa.
“What are you going to do from now on? Return to England?”
“No, I’m thinking of staying here for a while. Even if I go back, there’s nothing for me to do.”
“Any acquaintances?”
“Dolores is the only one.”
In other words, she was a loner. Ian nodded and set his coffee cup down on the table. At the same time, the reception room door opened, and Deer returned. She immediately sat down in front of the two of them and brought out the cash bag she had carried in.
“Thank you for waiting. The verification was completed successfully. Here is the bounty.”
Click.
When she opened the bag, gleaming golden bundles of cash revealed themselves in full.
“The total bounty is 900 million, excluding the 10 percent fee—that is, 100 million.”
“…Fee? There wasn’t any shit like that last time.”
“It is because the amount exceeds one billion. The same rules as account transfers apply.”
“Hah.”
Ian let out a dry laugh. Regardless, Deer recited in a calm voice.
“Would you like to receive it in cash, or shall I transfer it to your account? If you wish, I can also give it to you in dollars.”
“…Just transfer it. Right here.”
“Understood. I will deposit half to each of you.”
“No, just give it all to me. We’ve already discussed it.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Deer looked at Alisa. When she nodded, Deer immediately took out a terminal and moved her fingers.
A few seconds later, 900 million was deposited into Ian’s account.
He had already had plenty of money, but with several hundred million more added on top, his bankbook now clearly showed the enormous sum of 4 billion. Just looking at it put him in a good mood for no reason.
‘I won’t have to worry about buying magic materials for a while.’
It was a shame that 100 million had flown away as a fee, but that didn’t mean he could throw a tantrum here. Even if he forced them to hand it over, ending up on the Cartel’s blacklist would be its own problem. It wouldn’t be bad to let a mere 100 million slide.
“The deposit is complete. If you would like to do any additional shopping, I will guide you.”
Deer spoke. Ian shook his head, while Alisa stroked her lips and rose.
“Then guide me. I want to look at some items related to necromancy.”
“Are simple occult goods acceptable as well, not just magical ones?”
“That’s fine.”
“Understood. I will show you the way.”
Deer also rose after Alisa. Ian remained seated, drank down the rest of his coffee, then stretched and tilted his head to the side.
“Ugh… Whew. Then take care of the shopping yourselves. I’m heading back first.”
“Yes. I look forward to your next visit.”
Deer bowed politely. Ian nodded to her, then turned to Alisa and grinned.
“If there’s a chance, I’ll see you again. If you have anything to say, send it through a community message. I’ll answer when I have the time.”
“Got it. Take care. I’ll come visit when I’m bored.”
“I don’t think we’re that close yet.”
Ian gave a bitter smile. Alisa also smiled, lightly tapped Ian on the chest, and walked deeper into the shop with Deer. Ian watched the two of them from behind, then took out a cigarette and bit it between his lips, picked up Irene’s head, and left the shop.
It was just past one in the afternoon.
Since it happened to be lunchtime, Ian packed some food from a nearby shop and returned home. Amelia, who had been sitting on the sofa reading a grimoire, welcomed him.
“Ah, Oppa. You’re back?”
“Yeah. I bought hamburgers. Want one?”
“I do!”
Amelia’s eyes sparkled as she closed the grimoire. Ian glanced at the rice bowl on the table and burst into laughter.
“Didn’t you just eat?”
“I can still fit one hamburger!”
“You’ve been eating a lot lately, haven’t you?”
“It’s because I’m still growing!”
Ian laughed aloud at her shameless attitude.
He sat down beside Amelia and handed her a hamburger. Amelia’s face brightened as she unwrapped it and took a big bite.
“It’s good…”
“…”
Ian glanced down at her, then lightly pinched the bit of flesh protruding from Amelia’s side.
“Eek!”
Amelia was horrified. Her face flushed bright red, and she hurriedly jumped up from her seat and fled into the kitchen.
“Wh-what are you doing?!”
“You really did gain weight.”
“I told you, I’m still growing! And, um, and alsooo…! You shouldn’t touch a woman’s body so carelessly!”
“A woman? You?”
Ian snickered. Amelia bristled.
“Wh-what’s with that reaction! You’re looking down on me because I’m young, aren’t you!”
“That’s pretty much it.”
“Ugh… Just wait… In a few more years, I’ll become a proper adult too…”
“Listen carefully. You get betrayed because you expect things in the first place. If you don’t expect anything from the start, you won’t have to be betrayed.”
“Don’t say weird things like they’re famous quotes!”
Amelia huffed and devoured the hamburger. Ian left her alone and took a sip of cola through the straw.
Just then, the door to the second-floor guest room opened, and Mariang walked out in shabby clothes. Having completely regenerated her limbs overnight, she let out a long yawn and sniffed the air.
“Mm… I smell something tasty…”
Her blue eyes turned toward the first-floor living room. Then she spotted the hamburger Ian was eating.
“Ah, Master… Me too, hamburger…”
“Here, catch.”
Ian took a hamburger out of the bag and threw it toward Mariang. She caught the hamburger, which flew in an arc, with perfect accuracy.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it… Haaum…”
Mariang unwrapped it on the spot as she came down the stairs. Fortunately, the contents didn’t spill.
‘The time left until the appointment is… about a week.’
Ian checked the calendar while chewing on fries.
One week. Long if you called it long, short if you called it short. But it was more than enough time to prepare roughly. He would be able to make plenty of items to prepare for any possible situation.
‘There’s a chance a battle might break out, so I should replenish the supplies I’m short on first.’
Thinking that, Ian took another bite of his hamburger.
*
Click!
With the sound of a shutter, Holmes, dressed in a suit, appeared inside the empty containment room.
A space decorated like an office from the modern era.
On the screen that served as a window, the sight of nineteenth-century England was displayed in full. Holmes stood still and looked down at it for a moment, then removed his coat and walked to the table in the corner of the room.
[How tiring…]
Clatter.
After carelessly setting down his sword cane, he roughly checked the condition of the reagents on the table.
He disposed of all the medicines that had gone bad during his brief absence and separately stored the ones that were still fine.
As he was doing so, the door to the containment room opened, and Bureau employees in protective suits rushed in. They stared at Holmes with slightly frightened expressions and shouted.
“Sh-Sherlock Holmes! Where did you go, and why are you only coming back now!”
[Did I not leave word that I was going on a business trip? Since your side would not bring me any proper cases, I had no choice but to move my feet myself.]
Holmes answered calmly and closed the cabinet door. Then he turned and looked directly at the Bureau employees. They flinched.
[Hmm.]
He stared at them for a long while before bursting into laughter.
[Yes, this reaction is normal. It seems I’ve been associating with far too many abnormal people. Still… hm, I suppose it wasn’t such a bad experience.]
“…What is that supposed to mean?”
[You need not know. Enough of that, bring me my revolver. And some whiskey as well.]
“No. Since you ran away once, stay quiet for a while. Don’t ask for anything either.”
The voice came from behind the Bureau employees. The employees jumped in surprise and stepped aside.
“B-Branch Chief.”
“You can go. Go manage the other anomalies.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
After the employees left, the branch chief calmly entered Holmes’s office, let out a deep sigh, and took out a cigar to bite down on. Holmes also calmly took out a long pipe.
“Did you quit smoking pipe tobacco?”
[I liked this one because it was longer.]
“What a load of bullshit. So, did this business trip of yours end well?”
[Hm. I was sufficiently satisfied. There were some slightly embarrassing moments, but in any case, it was a good experience.]
“Well, if it hadn’t been, you wouldn’t have come back, would you, you damn detective bastard.”
[A refreshing insult is always welcome.]
The branch chief cursed after hearing Holmes’s smooth reply. Then he blew out a puff of cigarette smoke.
“Where did you go this time? We combed through England, but we didn’t even see a trace of you.”
[I went to Joseon. Ah, in today’s terms, is it Korea?]
“What, North Korea?”
[South Korea. A democratic nation.]
“…If you went there, how did you avoid the Bureau’s eyes? Korea’s Bureau is still fairly competent.”
[Likely because I was moving together with a mage.]
“A mage?”
The branch chief’s face crumpled. Holmes smiled and crossed his legs.
[I barely managed to return at the right time. Otherwise, by now, I would have fallen to the status of the mage’s slave.]
“…Hah.”
[And… this is on the house. As a detective, I will give you one piece of advice.]
Holmes continued, twirling the long pipe between his fingers.
[There is a monster living in Korea. So absolutely do not go poking around there. Unless you do not value your lives.]
If you make one wrong move, England will be erased from the map, Holmes added, then let out a satisfied laugh.
“…”
The branch chief clutched his throbbing head and grimaced.