Shrine maidens.
They are a profession that appears quite often in subculture, but in reality, they are existences rarely seen directly. For starters, they basically don't exist in Korea; you would have to go to Japan to even catch sight of their hair. And the ones who actually appear and act in public are all not real shrine maidens, but miko cosplayers.
The nature of shrine maidens itself differs somewhat from Korean mudangs or priests. If a mudang is seen as earnestly following the gods and repelling evil spirits, a shrine maiden receives oracles to preach them, or enlivens the atmosphere at divine ceremonies through song and dance, among other things. They tend to hold a wide variety of roles.
Of course, it was likewise true that there weren't many real mudangs in Korea, but even so, the existence known as a mudang could be seen once or twice on the street without too much difficulty. In contrast, since shrine maidens only existed at shrines, running into one was no easy feat.
And that was exactly the sum of the information Ian had regarding shrine maidens.
It was partly because he hadn't bothered looking it up, but more than that, it was because it was a foreign country's affair, so he hadn't paid attention.
How would one see a shrine maiden in Korea when even in Japan they're hard to find?
Rather than spending time learning about shrine maidens, obtaining information on mudangs was far more beneficial.
“Hm? Customer? Customer?”
“Ah.”
He had been lost too deeply in thought. Ian saw Miko looking up at him with her head tilted and brushed away his stray thoughts.
“Is that the bike?” He pointed at the outline of something covered by a cloth and asked. Miko broke into a broad smile.
“Yes! The base price alone for a new one is 30 million won! On top of that, autonomous driving and various options added another 20 million! Combined, it's a whopping 50-million-won motorcycle!”
“You confirmed the payment, right?”
“Of course. Thank you for the refreshingly swift payment! The Cartel simply adores customers like you, Mage-nim!”
Creak.
Miko moved her prosthetic arm and flicked away the cloth covering the bike.
Beneath the fluttering cloth that drifted away, a sleek black motorcycle revealed itself. Ian unconsciously let out an admiring exclamation and ran his hand along the bike's body.
“Ah, you touched it? Now you can't even return it!” Miko quipped upon seeing that. Ian let out a short laugh in response and lightly inspected the bike's condition.
Fortunately, there wasn't a single defective corner anywhere. The engine started smoothly, the exhaust sound was extremely low, and an autonomous-driving AI was even installed. Not a single scratch marred the body.
It meant that it had been maintained extremely well. Ian smiled in satisfaction as he tapped the bike's fuel tank with his fingers.
Although a rather large sum of 50 million won had gone out, he didn't regret it. Money was something you earned again to spend, so there was no need to hesitate unnecessarily over expenses. It was a well-known fact that items sold by the Cartel were expensive by default, so it was better to align one's economic mindset with that from the beginning.
Of course, that was all nonsense, and he was simply in a good mood because he had a brand-new bike.
Ian briefly rode the bike around—the engine was running, yet the noise wasn't very loud—then turned his head toward Miko.
“The paperwork? I'd like to fill it out right away.”
“Here you go. I even brought a pen!” Miko pulled out a bundle of papers and a ballpoint pen from inside her clothes and handed them to Ian.
Though his mood had improved somewhat after getting a new vehicle, Ian still carefully read the contents written on the papers and signed them.
It didn't take long to finish. Miko politely received what he handed over and, leaning against the wall, checked for errors.
Fortunately, there was nothing amiss anywhere. She nodded and broke into a grin.
“Great! Now that bike belongs to you, customer! Feel free to ride it to your heart's content!”
“What about the license plate?”
“Ah, here you go. It's already registered, so you won't have any trouble with the police. The insurance is backed by the Cartel, so the premiums are rather high, but it's not a price that would burden you, Mage-nim.”
The insurance Ian had just signed was from an insurance company created and managed directly by the Cartel. Full free vehicle repairs, hospital bills, and so on. It covered so many things that the monthly premiums were nothing to scoff at.
But as Miko said, it wasn't at a level that would be burdensome. He could pay it and still have plenty left over.
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“Hmm... nope! Now just ride around comfortably! Ah, but there's one thing to know! Never hurt that pretty face of yours in an accident! What a waste that would be!”
At Miko's natural flattery and banter, Ian burst into laughter. He received the prepared documents from Miko and sat on the bike's seat.
As soon as he lifted the stand, the vehicle automatically began balancing itself. The level of the installed AI was quite high. Expensive as it was, it was worth the money.
“Then, this has been Miko, an employee of the Cartel! It was an honor to serve you, customer. Please make use of our services again next time!” Miko bowed respectfully at the waist toward him as he prepared to leave.
Just before departing, Ian looked at her green hair and asked in a low voice, “It's a personal question. Why is a Japanese shrine maiden working as a Cartel employee in Korea?”
“…Huh? That's such a sudden question, desu wa.”
“…If you don't want to answer, forget it.” The moment Ian turned his head at that absurd manner of speaking, Miko straightened her posture and answered in a nonchalant tone.
“It's nothing much. I lost my arm while working as a shrine maiden, so I decided to take a break, let go of all the gods and everything, and joined the Cartel.”
“…Is that right?”
“Yes. It's no big deal. So there's no real need to hide it.”
Miko shrugged and moved her prosthetic arm with a creak.
“I don't regret it. My income is higher now, and the stability is absurdly better. I might die if I encounter the occasional ‘nightmare customer,’ but that's unavoidable.”
“Aren't you a shrine maiden? Can't you handle them?”
“I told you I let it all go. All I have left now is a faint divine power and my Spiritual Eye. There's almost nothing I can do with these.”
“I can't use things like anti-evil arrows or talismans like I used to,” Miko added. Then she fixed her pink eyes on Ian and smiled sweetly.
“Are you curious about shrine maidens?”
“…I suppose I am, a bit.”
“No can do, no can do. If I tell outsiders about these things, divine punishment will descend. My god took away all the power I had left but left the punishment intact. Isn't my god a bit too much?”
Watching Miko banter, Ian let out a bitter smile. Even though she had lost an arm and been afflicted with an eternal curse of forbidden speech, not a trace of sorrow could be found in her voice or expression. On the contrary, she felt completely light and unburdened.
If he were to abandon his identity as a mage and return to ordinary life with a permanent disability and a curse... he wasn't confident he could behave as she did. At best, he predicted that he likely wouldn't be able to live normally.
It was a meaningless hypothetical. Ian had no intention of letting go of his profession and identity as a mage for the rest of his life.
He exchanged farewells with Miko and personally rode the bike out of the logistics center. He hadn't bought a helmet or any other gear yet, nor had any magic been cast on the bike, so he felt somewhat uneasy, but thanks to the wind rushing past him, his mood was quite good.
‘The mountain the godmother told me about... it's here.’
Ian left the driving to the autopilot, took out his phone, and checked the address.
Fortunately, it wasn't very far. He gripped the handlebars again and personally told the bike the destination by voice.
[Destination confirmed. Setting route. Initiating semi-autonomous driving for your safety.]
Vroom!
The motorcycle began moving toward the destination Ian had set.
*
A back mountain rarely frequented by people. Upon the white expanse where fallen snow had yet to fully melt, a woman wearing a black hood stood alone.
Her face was impossible to see, not even its outline. Thanks to the mask, sunglasses, and hat, it wasn't easy to distinguish whether she was a man or a woman. Her fashion was so suspicious that one would readily believe she had come here to dump a corpse.
[Why don't you just put up an ad saying you're a mage?] Unable to hold back, Lemegeton spat out a remark. She replied while wiping her fogged sunglasses with a cleaning cloth.
“Does this look like a mage to you? I'm just an ordinary woman.”
[How many times have I told you, you need to go out and wander around to learn the standard of “ordinary.” Quit your online communities, too. You might as well use social media.]
“If I'm not there, who will manage the community? And I'm outside right now, just as Lord Solomon told me. Don't nag me.”
[What I meant was for you to make at least a friend... Hoo, forget it. I'm not your babysitter. Do as you please.]
“Do you know how many times you've said that?”
[If you know, then fix yourself.]
The woman, Yu Eunha, ignored Lemegeton's geezer-like nagging and picked up a twig, beginning to draw something on the ground.
It was no ordinary picture. They were magic spells to protect herself in case of an unexpected situation. As they were of the Catholic system, their offensive power wasn't particularly high, but their defensive capabilities were outstanding.
“Do no harm to one blessed by thy God's grace; return to whence thou camest and seek mercy.”
She placed a small amount of blood, ground animal bones, and bread atop the magic circle and chanted the incantation. The magical reagents immediately seeped into the magic circle and vanished from sight.
Numerous spells similar to the one she had just cast were laid out around her. They were enough to leisurely subdue someone who might arrive soon and immediately show hostility.
It wasn't merely the quantity that was impressive. The quality of the spells was also top-class.
Setting aside her personality, Lemegeton thought very highly of her magical skills and talent. It was not for nothing that he had chosen her, on the opposite side of the Earth, as his master, ignoring the mages of the Clock Tower.
However, never in his dreams had he imagined she would be a severe anthropophobic shut-in.
If only she would change just a little—no, quite a lot—no, if her personality were to change completely... there wouldn't be a greater mage than her. Damn the gods for being so fair.
[Sigh... In my day, if a mage acted this way, we would start by breaking their legs with a club without so much as a word...]
Yu Eunha ignored Lemegeton's geezer ramblings and gathered the snow piled on the ground, hurling it at a tree.
It was then. The sound of a motorcycle exhaust began to drift in from quite nearby.
It was not a loud noise, but neither was it faint. The sound echoed across the uninhabited mountain.
[He's here.]
“... .” Eunha listened to Lemegeton's muttered soliloquy and checked her condition once over.
Mask? Intact. Sunglasses? Fine. Hat? Passable. Face? Not visible. Perfect. She nodded in satisfaction, pulled her padded jacket's hood down firmly, and turned her gaze toward the direction of the motorcycle sound.
Before long, a black motorcycle came into view.
On the bike rattling its way up the road, the face of a man wearing a black turtleneck with a coat draped over him was visible.
It was the man she had encountered while taking a walk by the river a few weeks ago.
‘So it really was him.’ She had wondered after seeing a verification post about exercising at that familiar riverside, but she had never imagined it would actually be him. Whether to call this fate or coincidence, she could not say.
[Eunha.]
In the very moment Eunha was thinking this, Lemegeton spoke in a grave voice.
[Run away.]
A completely unexpected remark popped out. Eunha tilted her head, momentarily failing to understand what he had said.
“...? Huh?”
[Run away.]
Lemegeton shouted clearly.
[That lunatic possesses two grimoires from another world...!]