The scale of the temple was much larger than he had expected. Though not as famous as the renowned ones, it seemed comparable to a fairly well-known, established temple.
Of course, the only religion Ian had any deep ties to was Catholicism, so this was merely his subjective judgment. Still, it was genuinely spacious.
Various trees planted throughout swayed their leaves, scattering in the wind. The sound was refreshing, and the breeze carried the scent of flowers. Fully bloomed cherry blossoms fell like a light drizzle.
In the courtyard, red spider lilies were blooming sporadically. Since they were flowers deeply associated with Buddhism, it was not strange to find them at a temple. Ian did not know if it was normal for red spider lilies to bloom at this time of year, but that hardly mattered. He simply relaxed his face as he took in the floral scent.
‘Nice.’
A temple visited for the first time after spending over twenty years in the city.
Though it was not a temple inhabited by normal monks, a religious facility harmonized with nature still held the power to put one’s mind at ease. The atmosphere was similar to yet different from a church, making it feel refreshing.
“So, this girl is your disciple?”
“Yeah. Her name is Amelia. She’s from France.”
Walking through the wide garden, Ian and Iseo-a conversed. Amelia stuck close to Ian’s side, bowing her head slightly.
“Ah, I’m Amelia. Nice to meet you… um…”
“Iseo-a.”
“Y-yes. Iseo-a unnie…”
Fidget.
While gauging Iseo-a’s reaction, Amelia fiddled with Ian’s hand, which she held tightly. Ian laughed briefly and stroked her head. She let out a whimper.
“O-Oppa…”
“Why are you so shy? You talked just fine when we first met.”
“T-that was different from now… And… I see too many strange things around that unnie…”
Amelia’s gaze pierced directly behind Iseo-a. Her guardian spirit, with a kitchen knife stuck in its forehead, grinned broadly and waved a massive hand.
“Eek!”
Amelia’s face paled. Ian laughed softly.
“It’s okay. It won’t eat you.”
“T-that’s not the issue… It’s scary…”
“Ghosts are scared of you too. Hmm… Let’s go ghost hunting later. Then you’ll be fine.”
“Hieee…”
Amelia trembled, her shoulders shaking. Iseo-a tilted her head as she watched.
“You two are surprisingly close. I thought it was a coercive relationship.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“No, it’s just—you’re not the type to be so soft and friendly to just anyone. So I figured you’d be an extremely strict teacher, but you don’t really look like one.”
She smiled gently.
“It reminds me of my own teacher. Not a bad thing.”
With that, Iseo-a hummed a tune and walked a few steps ahead. The man in the Kamen Rider cosplay filled the empty spot beside him.
A man in a pitch-black suit with a mantis mask pressed onto his face. He opened his mouth with an incredibly normal tone and voice.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Bug in Your Ear?”
“Wow, hearing my nickname in real life feels incredibly strange.”
He snickered and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He was about the same height as Ian, so their eye level matched perfectly.
“To be honest, I didn’t think you’d come. I thought you were a crazy bastard who only posted weird stuff but had real skill. Usually, that type doesn’t want their true nature revealed, so they tend to reject offers.”
“What true nature? I just take my brain out when I’m on the forums. In the first place, Dolores is the only one who acts exactly like his online persona.”
Ian took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. When he lit it, a refreshing mint scent wafted up. David flicked the lid of the Dupont lighter in his pocket open and closed repeatedly as he nodded.
“I agree with that. Dolores is a lunatic whose head spins 720 degrees. If his personality were dirty on top of that, he’d have died long ago.”
“You know Dolores?”
“You’d have to be an idiot not to. I’ve run into him unintentionally a few times. Korea is a small chunk of land, after all.”
Clack.
He closed the lid of his lighter, turned to Ian, and removed his mask. Long black hair and black eyes were fully revealed. Ian tilted his head, surprised by his face.
“Were you a foreigner? You sounded Korean.”
“This is my tenth year in Korea. You could say I’m already Korean. I’ve already finished forging all the documents, too.”
“Then did you serve in the army?”
“Germans shouldn’t go to the army. They get beaten.”
“…”
Having spit out a line of black comedy himself, he crumpled the mask roughly and stuffed it into his bag. Then he smirked and shifted his gaze toward the main hall.
“Everyone’s gathered.”
Ian turned his gaze to follow.
At the stairs leading up to the Daeungjeon, two monks with cleanly shaved heads stood stiffly, staring at Ian and the rest of the group.
One was a woman, and the other was an elderly man. Contrasting his missing hair, he stroked his bushy beard and burst into a hearty laugh.
“This old monk cannot help but smile at having so many guests visit my temple. It has been quite a few years since such an occasion…”
“Stop pretending to be so refined. It’s creepy.”
The old man glared.
“Be quiet, Sohui! Did I teach you to behave in such a manner! What kind of disgrace is this in front of guests!”
“Sowwy.”
The woman called Sohui winked and crossed her arms. The old man lightly smacked her smooth crown with his palm and turned back to the group.
“Hehe, there was a brief commotion. How embarrassing. It was not intentional.”
“…Are you the magician called Sweet Grandpa or something?”
Ian asked. The old man nodded benevolently.
“Indeed. It is my proud nickname.”
“I heard you were famous as the magician who devours grotesques. Is it okay for a monk to kill?”
“This old monk is no longer a monk. To be precise, I am one who was a monk. Now, I am a magician.”
He stepped slightly aside, wearing a faint smile.
“Well, it is rather improper to continue our conversation out here, so how about we go inside to finish talking? Food has been prepared for the guests, so please do not decline.”
“…It’s not grotesque meat, is it?”
“Ordinary pork and beef. I cannot force my eating habits upon the guests.”
Ian let out a sigh of relief. David stepped toward the main hall from beside him.
“It’s samgyeopsal, right, baldy? What about soju?”
“None left. I drank it all.”
“Damn it. What about beer?”
“There is a little.”
“Good. Bring it, Sohui.”
“Always bitching at me…”
Sohui entered the hall with David. Rather than following them immediately, Iseo-a glanced back at Ian and stuffed her hands into her hoodie pockets. Ian’s and her gazes collided in midair.
There was no conversation. However, eye contact alone was enough.
If something dangerous happened, they would cooperate to either escape or kill everyone. The two held that conversation with their eyes and moved toward the main hall together.
They climbed the stone stairs and stood at the entrance to the main hall. The old man slipped past the three and entered the inner room of the hall first. Since he had not removed his shoes, Ian, Iseo-a, and Amelia followed him while still wearing theirs.
A small door attached to the right edge of the main hall. Upon opening it and entering, a space resembling a Korean BBQ restaurant popped out.
In the center of the room sat a table unique to BBQ restaurants, built to hold charcoal, and above it a pipe for absorbing smoke was crudely installed. Ian let out a hollow laugh.
“You’ve really done it right…”
“Cooking has always been about sincerity and preparation above all. Ingredients are secondary.”
The old man laughed and sat beside David, who had taken the head seat. Ian also sat in a row with Amelia and Iseo-a.
Shortly after, Sohui brought various ingredients including meat and set the table. Amelia, who had been quietly watching her, glanced at Ian for approval and cautiously got up to approach Sohui.
“Let me help too.”
“Oh, you will? Thanks.”
Sohui stroked Amelia’s hair. Amelia smiled bashfully, and Ian watched the scene with an expressionless face.
‘No hostility. The scope isn’t reacting.’
His gaze swept past the crow-shaped brooch attached to the hem of Amelia’s coat.
The reverse-direction scope crafted by Ian himself.
Its effect was simple, but its performance was excellent precisely because of that. If anyone in this space harbored killing intent or hostility, even unconsciously, both Ian and Amelia would immediately notice and respond. As for Amelia’s response, it would rely on the grimoire’s autonomous ability, but even that was enough to catch an enemy off guard.
‘I hope nothing happens, if possible.’
Ian exhaled a long breath.
Even as he did so, various meats, vegetables, ssamjang, and other ingredients steadily piled up on the table. Iseo-a watched the scene and whispered softly into Ian’s ear.
“There’s no poison or anything. I secretly had Hanako use her Gimisanggung, and she says there’s no problem.”
Peek.
From between Iseo-a’s legs, Hanako poked her head out with a tearful face.
She was a ghost captured while resolving a school ghost story, and it seemed she was still being handled well. Ian looked down at Hanako, who moved her lips as if begging for her life, and gave a bitter smile.
“How roughly do you usually treat her?”
“I’m a pretty good owner, if I do say so myself.”
At Iseo-a’s immediate answer, Hanako sent her a look saying, ‘What kind of bullshit is that, Master?’ Iseo-a casually ignored her gaze.
Shortly after, Sohui entered carrying heated charcoal. But she didn’t use tongs or tools. Holding a bowl full of charcoal with her bare hands, she nonchalantly placed the charcoal into the table.
“…”
There was no sign of feeling heat. Her white hands did not redden, nor did they blister. She was simply holding the charcoal as if it were perfectly ordinary.
‘She isn’t handling the fire element… There are no burn marks on her entire body.’
To master fire magic, one had to throw their entire body into a blazing inferno.
Moreover, since elemental aether settled into the burn scars created in such a manner, the burn scars could not be removed by any means, and even if one could, they shouldn’t. It was no wonder that rumors circulated among magicians to be wary of those with full-body burns.
But Sohui was unblemished. Not even a trace of burns could be found.
‘Then that means she used a different kind of magic… Could it be related to eating grotesques?’
As Ian thought this and rested his chin on his hand, Amelia, who had finished setting the table, returned to the seat beside him. Ian stroked her head.
“This old monk shall grill the meat. I have grilled it often, so I know very well when it is at its most delicious.”
“It’s just because Teacher can’t eat meat grilled by others.”
“Ahem! Be quiet and place the grill plate!”
The old man barked at Sohui. Sohui grumbled and placed the plate over the charcoal.
When the plate was moderately heated, the old man picked up meat with tongs and placed it on the grill. With a sizzle, smoke billowed up.
“Ooh…”
Amelia stared at the cooking meat with her mouth open. Ian watched her blankly, then reached out with his empty hand and pinched her plump side.
“Hyaak!”
She spasmed.
*
The meal continued ordinarily. Befitting the purpose of socializing, the group ate slowly and briefly introduced themselves.
The old man started first.
“This old monk’s name is Uhyeon. I was originally a monk in India, but after taking up magic, I was expelled—an ordinary expelled monk. Please call me Uhyeon comfortably.”
“I’m Yusohui. I used to have a very lush head of hair, but the senile bastard who calls himself my teacher shaved it all off. Here, a photo from when I had hair.”
“Well? Pretty, right?”
With a rather confident face, she tilted the phone in her hand. David stared intently at the photo, then glanced sideways at Iseo-a and Amelia before letting out a snicker.
“Fortunately, she’s missing a head. If she had one, she’d just be an ‘ugly virgin,’ but without it, I think she’s improved to something like ‘a virgin with a decent amount of personality.’”
“You really wanna die?”
“Pulling off baldness isn’t easy. Sorry, but you’re not in my defense range.”
David said with a grin. He lightly dodged the chopsticks Sohui threw at him, took a swig of water, and continued.
“David König. Born in Germany. I’ve been in Korea for a little over ten years, and as you all know, I deal with bizarre insects. The reason I wear a mask isn’t for cosplay, but to strengthen the bugs’ cohesion.”
“…….”
“Alright, that about wraps up my introduction. Now it’s your turn, crazy newbie.”
David tilted his head, staring at Ian. His gaze briefly shifted to the bag on the floor.
“But before you introduce yourself, what’s in that bag that it’s bulging like that? Did you put a human head in there or something?”
It was obviously a joke. But Ian hummed calmly and picked up the bag.
“It is a head. I brought it because I was going to take a group verification shot anyway. I was originally going to post it the day I received the bounty, but I figured if I’m going to verify it anyway, it’d be better to do something a little different.”
“Huh?”
David blinked, unable to understand Ian’s words. Amelia let out a sigh, and Ian pulled out Irene’s sealed head from the bag.
He pulled out a human head so naturally that everyone except Amelia stared at him with blank expressions.
Regardless, Ian carefully placed Irene’s head on the floor and let out a low chuckle.
“You said your name was David? Put your mask back on for a second, and strike the same pose as that surprised Black guy photo. Put this on your lap, too.”
“…….”
David fell silent. Then, unable to hold it back, he blurted out.
“Are you actually insane, you bastard?”
*
[Uwung, baby Demon Lord. I woke up from my sleep and Santa Claus left me a present~]
[Mm]
(A photo of the masked David with both hands on the back of his head, Irene’s head placed on his lap)
It’s still spring, but Santa Claus gave baby Demon Lord a present for being good! Thank you~, Grandpa!
The present seems to be the head of a magician named Irene? It looks like Mr. Mantis was surprised too~.
It wasn’t the present I wanted, but I still don’t think it’s too bad~.
What do you all think~? Is this a good thing~?
Please tell me it is ㅠㅠ
[Upvotes 31][Downvotes 7]
[Comments]
-Irene? Did you say Irene? That? But there’s no face?
ㄴShe does have blonde hair, but… ugh, the face is way too mangled. I can’t even tell who it is.
-Deowida: I just checked. Used astrology, and Irene’s dead, confirmed. Hyung went off to lie down sick for a while due to the price of his magic.
ㄴEven Dohwang collapsing is seriously fucking cool;;
ㄴDeowida: I told you I’m not using that joke in the community anymore, fuck
ㄴDeowida: Ah, I get annoyed and cough up blood, you bastard.
ㄴDohwang getting angry is also fucking cool;;
ㄴDeowida: fuck
-StrawberryYogurtSmoothie: Congrats on the present. But why aren’t you hanging out with me these days? I think I’m gonna go mental~.
ㄴ★Daemo: Can someone block her so she’ll take a break?
ㄴStrawberryYogurtSmoothie: !Cured!
-★Daemo: You’re not hurt anywhere? I’m a bit worried.
ㄴWho’s worried about who? You think this crazy newbie fraud bastard would lose to another magician? This is already his third verification shot?
ㄴ★Daemo: You poor thing who doesn’t know love.
ㄴ?
-NekomimiBest: If you’re gonna post verification shots, you should call me too… I’m hurt….
-No, but this crazy bastard caught three Laplace magicians? And this time it’s even Irene? She’s not some grunt? How the hell did you do it, you crazy fuck.
-He’s going for that shit concept again, ugh fuck
ㄴDolores: Isn’t it cute, though?
ㄴBirds of a feather, I swear.
[No, so how did he catch her, fuck]
Stop doing weird verification shots every time and tell us the story, fuck
How the hell did he catch her. Does he have some grimoire written by an Outer God or something, fuck
[Comments]
-Three consecutive fucks means he’s seriously pissed ㄷㄷ
-Wow, you really just stabbed at the **core** right now. Very sharp.
-Don’t tell me he has an Outer God grimoire? If he did, he’d have gone crazy and run amok long ago.
ㄴHe IS going crazy and running amok right now, fuck
ㄴ(That much is true! Mage Con)