Fortunately, the line the Godmother had drawn vanished as the magic was completed. Ian let out a sigh of relief and stroked the bike’s body, now clean again.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. The magic applied properly, and for the next year, no matter how you ride it, you should be able to operate it safely without any accidents. But that doesn’t mean you can drive the wrong way, ram into a truck, or fall off a cliff. If you try to cause an accident on purpose, the magic won’t react, so please be careful.”
The Godmother straightened up from where she had been bent over and spoke.
“As I said, this isn’t an existing spell. It’s one I personally modified. There are still a few unstable parts.”
“So ordinary riding, or even speeding to some extent, won’t be a problem?”
“Yes. But don’t speed too much. The police will catch you.”
I’ve experienced that a few times myself, the Godmother added. Ian gave a small laugh and nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you again.”
“Not at all. I don’t particularly like seeing the number of community users go down, either. There aren’t that many of us to begin with, so we ought to cherish one another, even if only a little.”
Ian did not know exactly how many mages there were in Korea, but it was clear there were not even a hundred. There were probably twice as many superhumans, and several times more shamans beyond that.
Superhumans who excelled at only one thing might be outstanding in their own field, but they were not as versatile as mages.
There was a reason cartels and other organizations ranked mages above superhumans. The danger they posed was also considerable, but there was a reason to accept that level of risk.
‘And every mage uses different magic. The more mages there are, the better.’
Even the Godmother alone could accomplish a great many things through the power of demons. The same went for Lee Seo-a, and while Han Yu-na was a little ambiguous, there was no denying that her level of magic was exceptional.
She was even a rising star who had only just become a mage half a year ago. In terms of potential alone, she was certainly superior to other mages.
If even the mages who did not belong to the Clock Tower were like this, what kind of people were hiding in the mages’ headquarters in England?
It was not that he was not curious, but he still hoped he would never encounter them.
He had no desire to become deeply entangled with beings whose actions could not be predicted. He did not particularly want to meet and befriend those who were not users of the same community.
It was a kind of self-hatred toward his own kind. If the Godmother had not created the community, Ian would not have gone around meeting other mages as he did now.
People often said not to develop a sense of belonging to a community, but if its scale was extremely small and it was made up only of similar people, there was no need to build nothing but walls. Putting up a reasonable fence and accepting those worth accepting was also one way to live. At least, that was what Ian thought.
“There are evil people in the community, and there are good people.”
Just then, the Godmother suddenly spoke. Because her face was not visible, Ian could not read her expression, but he could tell that the dark mint eyes faintly visible behind her sunglasses were gazing up at the sky.
“Of course, in terms of proportion, there are far more good people. As for the evil ones... many of them weren’t like that at first, but changed later.”
“……”
“But one thing. Whether evil or good, it doesn’t matter. You must not show indiscriminate malice toward another user of the same community for no reason at all. It’s a community created so everyone can get along, after all. I have to stop things that go against its purpose.”
“……Is that why, when users try to meet each other, you identify the other person’s disposition for them?”
“That’s right. It’s better to prevent what can be prevented. When the community had just been created and there were no rules, it was utter chaos.”
It was a time Ian did not know.
A story from at least several years ago.
“People threatened to kill each other, described crimes they’d committed in detail, posted photos and comments without any filters... Back then, it was truly one hardship after another. After the rules were made and those who rebelled were dealt with, it became what it is now.”
Dealt with.
Ian mulled over the word she had uttered as he leaned his body against the bike.
There was a saying that all safety regulations were written in blood. It did not apply in every case, but at least in the mage community, something similar seemed to have happened. Ian let out a low hum and looked back at her.
“Are there any mages who have remained from then until now?”
“A few. Not many. Most are new members. They were invited by the people already there. Aren’t you that type as well?”
“I am. That was already several months ago.”
“Time really flies, doesn’t it?”
Eunha smiled faintly and shook the snow from her shoes.
“Now, evil people don’t run wild like they used to, but that doesn’t mean there are none at all. There are also cases where someone who had been neutral until a few years ago suddenly becomes a criminal.”
“Mm.”
“In any case, what I want to say is this.”
Eunha turned her head slightly and looked up at Ian.
“I hope that disposition of yours doesn’t change. I’m asking you not to become evil. And don’t fall into any alien powers, either.”
At her words, Ian’s eyes slowly turned toward Eunha.
‘……Did she notice?’
It was understandable for her to tell him not to become evil. But telling him not to fall into alien powers was an extremely broad statement.
She might have simply meant not to go insane, but there was also a good chance she had said it after realizing the true nature of the two grimoires Ian possessed. Since she was the owner of that Lemegeton, perhaps she had noticed long ago.
However, unless she was the first to mention the words “Outer God,” there was no need for him to move rashly. If she was not trying to threaten him, there was no need for him to react.
“……I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’m sorry if that sounded meddlesome. That wasn’t my intention.”
“It’s fine. I don’t really mind.”
Ian answered her with a gentle smile. Then he loosened his wrist and climbed onto the bike.
“Well then, I’ll be heading back now. I’ll be sure to repay you for what happened today someday.”
“Ah, yes. Please go ahead. And... mm, as for the debt, I’ll tell you later if there’s something I need. Please repay it then.”
The Godmother answered with a slight bow of her head.
The fact that she did not even say as an empty courtesy that he did not need to repay the debt was very mage-like. Ian gave a small laugh and kicked up the bike’s stand.
“Understood. Then I’ll see you then.”
“Yes.”
Leaving the Godmother’s reply behind, Ian started the bike and pulled the throttle. With a not-too-loud roar, the bike began moving forward.
Soon, his figure disappeared from the Godmother’s sight. At the same time, Lemegeton, who had been holding its breath until then, spoke in a bewildered voice.
[……How absurd. That is a mage who possesses two grimoires of the Outer Gods? He is normal to a serious degree.]
“Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?”
[There is no way. I have even fought directly against a grimoire of the Outer Gods. It was in the past, but I am not so foolish as to forget such an intense memory.]
As the Godmother conversed with Lemegeton, she scuffed away the magic she had engraved on the ground with her foot.
[But... it is also true that he is extremely unusual for a master who possesses grimoires of the Outer Gods. I have never seen anything like him in my life. He should have gone mad long ago, yet he is too normal.]
“If you train in magic, you can control the madness, can’t you? I’m sure there was something like that written somewhere.”
[That is not control. It is obedience. When you think about it, is that not absurd? How can one become skilled in the magic of an Outer God and escape the dominion of an Outer God? On the contrary, one falls deeper into it. And little by little, one becomes an obedient slave.]
“……That’s frightening.”
[Indeed. That is why everyone avoids the grimoires of the Outer Gods. Once possessed, the end is either death or being treated as a plaything. But that mage... was far too sound.]
Solomon said this, then added just in case.
[Is he fine because there are two? He went mad from one, then went mad again from the other, and instead became normal...?]
“Is that possible?”
At Eunha’s sincere question, Solomon did not answer.
Because even he thought it made no sense.
*
On his way home, Ian bought gloves and a helmet at a nearby motorcycle gear shop. They were items he did not particularly need unless an accident occurred, but having them was still better than not. To begin with, it was illegal not to wear a helmet.
“Thank you, please come again!”
Seeing off the shop owner, he stepped outside.
He put on the gloves as he was, sat on the parked bike, and checked the helmet’s visor.
Fortunately, there were no scratches or broken parts. A full-face helmet that did not even reveal his face. As expected, this was what suited a motorcycle best.
Just as Ian thought that and was about to put the helmet on his head—
“Excuse me.”
Someone suddenly spoke to him from beside him.
A deep male voice. The awkward pronunciation was not that of a Korean. Ian lowered the helmet he had lifted and turned his head toward the owner of the voice.
What entered his sight was a middle-aged man with snow-white hair and a beard. The suit he wore was elegant, and he was tall, giving him quite an atmosphere.
For some reason, he had the feel of a wealthy European. As if he had no intention of hiding that he belonged to the upper class, he fiddled with a watch that cost tens of millions of won apiece and continued speaking.
“I apologize. My Korean is still poor. I wanted to ask for directions.”
There was no change in his expression, but his tone was quite polite. Hiding the inexplicable discomfort blooming in his heart, Ian smiled outwardly, pretending to be a kind person.
“Ah, yes. Where are you trying to go?”
“This hotel here. It does not appear on the map.”
“Ah, that’s nearby. If you go straight that way, then turn left when you see the futsal court, it should be right there.”
“Mm... Is it possible to translate that into English? My apologies.”
“It’s fine. One moment.”
Ian repeated what he had just said into the phone the man handed him. The man checked the translated sentence and nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. Well then, I’ll be going.”
Leaving behind the man who had thanked him, Ian pulled the helmet down over his head. The man also bent slightly at the waist, then began walking toward the place Ian had pointed out.
Beyond his vision, which had turned slightly hazy,
the name on a business card sticking slightly out of the man’s back pocket came faintly into view.
Ian could not make out his position or the name of his company, but he could recognize the name written in large English letters.
[Eddy]
Eddy.
It was certainly that name.
There was no particular need to remember it.
Without feeling any special interest, Ian started the bike and pulled the throttle.