The residents’ immortality was severed with the Buddha’s death.
Their bodies, which had been writhing without pause, went limp without warning like puppets with their strings cut. All that remained were wretched lumps of meat.
“Securing them will be difficult.”
Thanks to that, the plan to take them away and investigate their immortality was scrapped entirely.
It was only natural. Corpses that had lost their immortality were nothing more than ordinary corpses. Nothing would come of taking them back. At best, they might analyze their blood types or DNA.
Whatever it was, it would not be meaningful.
“……”
Ian left the hanok and informed the Bureau agents of what had been inside. He naturally concealed the matter of the Touch of Re-creation, and since there was no need to hide the fact that the Monkey’s Paw was the work of a mage, he relayed it plainly, without exaggeration.
“A Mystery practitioner…… Could it be a mage who was originally in Korea?”
Lee Minsu muttered as he accepted the limp Monkey’s Paw.
The hand, which had been stabbed through the magic circle, was smeared in the blood that had flowed out of it.
Its fingers were bent grotesquely, and each was very different in length. The ring finger was the shortest, the little finger was the longest, and the middle and index fingers were so jumbled it was as if their positions had been switched. It was a truly bizarre sight.
“Is it possible to create a Mystery with magic?”
Kim Yul answered Kim Miryeo’s question.
She was in the middle of having her fingers splinted with Kim Iseo’s help. Blood flowed from her joints, which had been bent backward, but Kim Yul continued speaking calmly.
“Impossible. If that were possible, mages would’ve been subjugated long ago. Mystery practitioners are guys who handle spells that command and control Mysteries that already exist. To make one directly, you’d probably need an Outer God’s grimoire. You know, the [Apocalypse of Mysteries]. The grimoire left in the records.”
“Ah…… Then did the owner of an Outer God’s grimoire intervene in this incident?”
“No idea. How would I know?”
Kim Yul replied indifferently and tightened the bandage.
“If it were a somewhat rare Mystery, the possibility would be high, but the Monkey’s Paw is famous. The owner of a grimoire probably wasn’t involved. You think so too, right?”
She asked, turning to Ian. Ian, who had been retrieving the magic he had activated, nodded.
“If an Outer God’s grimoire had been the cause, things wouldn’t have been this easy. There should have been far more casualties than this.”
“……I see.”
“Of course, the risks would have been just as great, but in any case, this incident is no different from a small-scale terror attack. It would be better to assume that some common terrorist mage used their power.”
“If it was a terrorist mage, then perhaps it was Laplace after all.”
Kim Iseo muttered. Kim Yul, who was beside her, tilted her head from side to side and answered.
“Ugh, I hate those bastards.”
Laplace.
It was the name of an organization Ian had never heard of before. If the Bureau knew of them, and Kim Yul knew of them as well, then they had to be fairly famous. He simply hadn’t known because they had never been mentioned in the community or anywhere else so far.
But he did not bother showing it now.
It would be better to ask about it on the community after finishing the job and returning home. There was no reason to reveal his ignorance.
In any case.
The site was cleaned up quickly. Kim Yul and Ian withdrew to the rear to rest, while the Bureau agents took photographs of the scene and collected the corpses and the Monkey’s Paw.
The Buddha’s whereabouts were unknown, but when Ian said it had melted away and disappeared as soon as he dealt with the Monkey’s Paw, they let it pass.
He was not sure whether they truly believed him. It was not something that mattered much either way, so he did not pay it much mind.
The corpses of the Bureau agents were piled together with the other bodies inside the container they had discovered when they first entered the village.
Every one of them had been completely flayed. Perhaps because they had eaten human flesh, several of the corpses even bore clear tooth marks.
“……”
“……Tsk.”
The three people silently and carefully gathered what had once been flayed agents. Judging by the respect in their actions, it seemed they were not at ease either.
It was only natural. Even if they had not known them personally, how could collecting the corpses of people who had been their coworkers be easy?
From a mage’s perspective, it was not something to feel anything about in particular, but from the perspective of a fellow human being, it was understandable enough.
Perhaps Kim Yul’s nature as a mage was stronger between the two; she hummed while fiddling with her splinted hand. She did not seem to care about the dead agents at all.
As she was singing, she suddenly looked back at Ian, who was soaked through, and smiled coyly.
“But wasn’t this mission basically done by the newbie alone? I don’t think we were much help.”
“……That’s not wrong.”
Ian did not bother denying her words. Honestly, it was true.
Objectively speaking, the fantastic mental attack collaboration of the Laughing Buddha and the Monkey’s Paw was difficult enough that most mental barriers would not have been able to withstand it. If Ian had been hit by the attack as well, everyone standing here would have become one of the corpses in that container.
There was a reason the Bureau had said it was a difficult mission. This time, they had been lucky and Ian had joined them, but on a similar mission in the future, if he was not there, annihilation would essentially be guaranteed.
Thinking that made him feel somewhat impressive. Kim Yul seemed to feel something similar, because she stamped her feet and continued.
“I owe you one this time. If there’s anything you need my help with next time, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll help you for free.”
“Perfect. I’m thinking of going vampire hunting soon. Join me.”
“Vampires? Hmm…… Sure. Send me the date and I’ll come right away. As long as it’s not overseas, I don’t care.”
Kim Yul accepted Ian’s proposal without hesitation. As if to prove she was a mage who had learned water-current magic, her personality was refreshingly straightforward. It was quite likable.
A little while later, the Bureau agents returned after finishing the cleanup. They carried sacks containing the corpses on their backs and packed only the necessary evidence into their backpacks.
“Let’s return.”
The group immediately came down the mountain and headed to the parking lot where they had left the car. The sun had already fully risen, filling the street with light, but fortunately, there was no one passing by. It seemed they had chosen such a route from the start.
The Bureau agents loaded the corpses into the car trunk and carefully placed the evidence in the empty seats. Then they began making a call somewhere.
“……Ah, yes. This is the Bureau’s Daegu Branch, correct? I’ll send you the address, so please come and clean up the site. Yes. Ah, that’s right, the Monkey’s Paw. A mission dispatched from the metropolitan area. Yes, thank you.”
After ending the call, Kim Iseo turned to Ian and bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Mage. Thanks to you, we were able to finish the mission without any casualties. It may not be much of a reward, but we will add an additional incentive to the basic cooperation fee and transfer it to you.”
“That’s enough.”
“Thank you for your generosity. As for an after-party……”
She asked carefully. Ian immediately shook his head.
“No. I’m tired, so I want to go straight back. You can go to the after-party among yourselves.”
“Ah, that is a relief. There are mages who like after-parties, so I asked just in case. Then we will return right away as well.”
“Why aren’t you asking me?”
Kim Yul tilted her head and cut in. Kim Iseo answered as though it were nothing.
“Do you not dislike after-parties as well, Kim Yul?”
“That’s true, but still, ask me.”
“……Will you go to the after—”
“No, I don’t want to. I’m going to rest at home.”
Kim Yul laughed brightly and was the first to get into the vehicle.
Kim Iseo stared silently at the back of her head, then let out a deep sigh. The other two seemed used to it, exchanging farewells with Ian as though nothing had happened before getting into the driver’s seat and passenger seat. Kim Iseo shook her head, then turned back to Ian and held out her hand.
“We will be going now. Please stay well until we meet again.”
“Yeah, you too.”
The two shook hands and turned to go their separate ways. A little while later, the vehicle carrying Kim Iseo as well began descending the mountain road.
“See you next time, newbieee!”
Kim Yul stuck her upper body out through the back-seat window and shouted. Ian smiled and waved until she disappeared from sight, then moved his feet toward the place where he had parked his bike.
The bike had kept its place from dawn until sunrise.
He released the helmet he had hung on the lock, pulled it down snugly over his head, put on his gloves, and started the engine.
[Welcome, Shin Ian. Please set your destination.]
The voice of the artificial intelligence came through the helmet. Ian climbed onto the bike seat and answered.
“Let’s go to a nearby convenience store first. I need to buy cigarettes.”
[Convenience store confirmed. The nearest convenience store in this area is two kilometers away. Would you like to activate autonomous driving?]
“Yeah.”
[Beginning autonomous driving. We hope you enjoy a comfortable ride.]
Vroooom!
The bike operated the throttle and clutch on its own and began descending the mountain road. Ian simply kept his balance and waited until they reached the convenience store.
A short while later, he bought a bundle of cigarettes at the convenience store they arrived at. He opened one pack on the spot and used it.
After smoking one cigarette, he slipped the pack into the inner pocket of his coat and got back on the bike.
“Let’s go home.”
[Destination: home. Shall we proceed with autonomous driving this time as well?]
“Semi-autonomous. I think I need to do some of the controls myself.”
[Confirmed. Semi-autonomous driving, beginning.]
Click.
Ian pulled the helmet back down and lowered the visor. Then he shifted into first gear and set off for home.
The estimated arrival time was roughly four hours.
It was a long time, but not so long that he could not endure it. He left the bike’s gear shifting to the artificial intelligence and sped along the national road, operating only the throttle and brakes.
By the time he arrived home after riding for so many hours, it was almost late afternoon.