Chapter 47 - Mephistopheles (4)

A while back, I briefly considered souls in connection with Plato’s Forms. That was when I tested holy water by exorcising the ghosts interfering with business at the study hall. I’ve learned more magic since then, but my opinion hasn’t changed.

I look at Kim Miryeo’s figure, formed from the smoke rising out of the brazier. We can call these things souls for convenience, but I don’t consider them genuine human “souls.”

Going on about proof that souls exist would just be rehashing what people have debated endlessly since ancient times, in theology, religion, mythology, and philosophy. Let’s skip that. To me, this thing in front of me is simply what was left in this world after the soul departed. A residual thought retaining some information from life. Stored memory data.

'But... more importantly.'

Kim Miryeo’s stored memory data waits for me to speak.

[...]

Awkward...

Residual thought or not... seeing someone I killed again is awkward. Sure, Grizzly ate her of his own accord, but I’m his master. If he killed her, that’s as good as me killing her.

Still, whether this is how it normally works or thanks to the pentacle’s magic, Kim Miryeo’s soul neither screams nor acts hostile toward me. She just floats there quietly. Right, she isn’t the only soul here. There are others waiting their turn. Let’s get a move on.

'But deciding what to ask was a problem in itself.'

In any case, this magic subjugates souls. I hold out the design of [The First Pentacle of Saturn] drawn on the parchment.

[Ah... family secrets... workshop... emergency funds]

The smoke writhes and starts saying things on its own. They aren’t coherent sentences, but the information gets through. I check what Kim Miryeo, sporting her midwinter smoke skin, is saying as I jot it down in my notebook.

“What’s this...?”

Numbers and an address. A bank account? A password? And the address of a building.

'From what she’s saying, a secret hideout.'

I can make sense of it if I try, but...

“Soul, speak in greater detail.”

Tell me more.

But as though she’s explained everything she needs to, without a backward glance—just like the mother who dumped me—Kim Miryeo’s smoky form disperses and vanishes.

Then, like the next customer filling a vacant bank teller’s window, the smoke from the brazier takes the form of the old magician who attacked the campground. My gaze swings halfway around.

... Okay. Let’s keep going.

I more or less know why he attacked the campground. So, since we’ve exchanged spells and all, I decide to start by learning his name.

“Soul, tell me your name.”

[Edward... Coffin...]

The old zombie magician’s name was Edward Coffin. It sounds like a proper fantasy magician’s name. Is that because it’s foreign?

This time, too, Edward’s soul starts saying something without being asked, just like Kim Miryeo’s.

[##@#@##@~]

There is one difference, though—

[www... Me... phi... AA... stop...! heles! AAAAA!]

—the smoke forming Edward twists as he speaks, and a scream erupts.

BOOOM...

The room reverberates, and the brazier shakes.

“—!?”

CRACKLE—

The parchment pentacle in my hand turns to ash and scatters, as though scorched by fire.

The smoke filling the room and its ominous atmosphere vanish, leaving an ordinary dark room with the lights off. The magic has been dispelled. My eyes narrow involuntarily at the sight.

'What the...?'

Ms. Kim Gaeun is still waiting! There’s another person... no, another soul!

Come on, I finally summoned them after planning and preparing for so long. And this is it? Considering the time I put into this, Kurt Cobain ought to make a bonus appearance, even though I didn’t summon him, and sing Nirvana’s “Lithium” for me.

Or not? If he’s going to sing, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” would be good too. ... No, “Lithium” is better after all. Personal preference.

“Yeah~ yeah~ yeah~ yeah~ yeah...”

I mutter hollowly, then sigh at the extinguished brazier and the magic circle whose ritual has ended.

“Haah...”

I look down at the grimoire in my hand, <The Lesser Key of Solomon>.

“...”

... Well, what else can you expect from a grimoire that doesn’t even have Fireball or Chain Lightning? Still, it did pull its weight at the campground over the weekend, so I toss <The Lesser Key of Solomon> onto the bed instead of the floor.

THUMP—

For some reason, <The Lesser Key of Solomon> trembles on the bed, its pages fluttering slightly. Like a duke’s daughter in a romance novel, it gives off a sort of 'H-hmph... C-come at me if you dare!' vibe, but I blithely ignore it.

BUZZ— BUZZ—!

<Mysteries of the Worm> vibrates noisily on the desk, as though saying, 'You’re done now, right? You are! Now focus only on me!' I blithely ignore this one too and clean up the room. Crouching down, I wipe away the magic circle on the floor with a wet rag.

I think this every time, but now I understand why magicians in fantasy stories take on servants or apprentices. The defining feature of magic circles: cleaning up is a pain.

With the room cleaned, it’s time to sort out the situation. I sit at my desk and read the notebook where I recorded the information from the stored memory data.

First of all, the magic worked properly, without any issues. It’s just that, since this was my first time using spirit-summoning magic, there were things I didn’t know... It wasn’t as all-purpose as I’d imagined. The information a soul holds doesn’t come spilling out like a document, and I can’t ask about things I don’t know.

'Still, considering they told me things I didn’t even ask about...'

I look at the fragmented information Kim Miryeo gave me, written in my notebook. An address, a bank account number, and numbers that look like a password. Thinking back to what her soul said, it’s a secret workshop and slush fund she prepared without her family knowing.

... Well, it isn’t impossible. Thinking about it, a college student probably couldn’t have operated such a large underground facility alone. Is there a family of cannibal magicians with enough capital to build a fake farm and a massive underground human-meat factory here in Korea? ... Impressive.

That’s sarcasm, obviously. Fucking ridiculous.

Anyway, I have a rough idea of how this magic works now. Before I cast the spirit-summoning spell, my home was attacked, and I wanted a new, safe place to live. The pentacle’s magic picked up on the information I wanted—what its caster desired—and made Kim Miryeo’s soul tell me. Then, deciding its job was done, it dismissed the summoned soul.

... Then what about Edward Coffin’s information?

My eyes narrow. I tap the notebook with my pen. Unlike Kim Miryeo, Edward gave me little information. First, the name I asked for, and then... I look at the sequence of letters and numbers Edward screamed out.

... This looks like a website address.

The problem is that after he said it, the parchment pentacle turned completely to ash and scattered, interrupting the magic. Something like this did happen at the campground. When I fired the “Die, Saturn Death Beam” at Edward, the parchment couldn’t withstand the magic and scattered into ash, just like this time.

If I had to guess, was merely mentioning this website... magic beyond what the parchment could withstand?

“...”

... Thinking about it won’t give me an answer. There’s a way to check, so I decide to find out for myself. I immediately turn on the computer and enter the website address Edward gave me into the browser.

Well, I am a little worried.

'Am I going to get ransomware for no reason, or have my computer explode?'

When I enter the mysterious website address, the computer screen briefly flickers with a crackle. Then an anti-hacking verification prompt appears before the site opens. You know, the thing that asks “Are you human?” and makes you click. Except the wording is a little different.

[Are you a magician?]

A magician... At this point, I don’t hesitate. I immediately check “Yes.” The loading icon in the checkbox spins, then a chat window appears with a message.

[Pleased to meet you. What an unexpected guest. Would you mind telling me how you learned this site’s address?]

“Hmm... The site administrator?”

I don’t know how it works, but I never thought this was an ordinary website. I type a suitably indirect explanation into the empty field.

[I heard about it through someone I know.]

I shrug. I did kill him, but he tried to kill me too. And now that I know his name, it isn’t wrong.

[How interesting. Understood. No problem. Please choose an alias to use on the site. Oh, you may use your real name too.]

I frown at the nickname field that suddenly appears. Not because I’m annoyed, but because it’s a tough decision. Of course I’ll use an alias, not my real name. The problem is... what should I call myself? Personally, I find naming characters the hardest part.

As I mull it over, I notice the textbooks for my major piled haphazardly on the desk, books I don’t even look at anymore. I reach out, grab one at random, and open it. It’s Plato’s Republic, and the page I’ve opened to is “The Ring of Gyges.” It’s nothing particularly grand. A shepherd named Gyges happens to find a magic ring that makes him invisible, steals things, and becomes king.

... Well, nothing else leaps to mind. It’s a decent, unremarkable choice. I enter the alias I’ll use on the site into the nickname field.

[Gyges]

Then a message appears from the administrator.

[Understood. Then allow me to sincerely welcome you to Mephisto Market, Magician Gyges.]

“Mephisto... Market?”

As I mutter, the screen goes black. With a bang and a fireworks effect, signs resembling cheap neon displays appear.

[Mephisto Market~ A safe playground for verified magicians]

A smiling, pretty girl character with red eyes, black hair, and a red bunny-girl outfit appears.

[Hi, everyone~ I’m Mephi-chan, every magician’s friend!]

... There’s a warning in Mephi-chan’s speech bubble.

『These people are strictly forbidden!

People who have all their fun playing with us, then suddenly run away calling for their great and mighty Lord!

Blacklist: Faust.』

My eyes narrow. My first impression?

“... This doesn’t look safe at all.”

It looks like clicking anything will open some weird ad window and infect my computer with a virus. But something catches my interest.

'Magic Ingredients and Supplies for Sale.'

I click it. Starting with ingredients I’ve used before...

[Wrist of a Hanged Convict], [Swedish Sesame Seeds], [Rabbit Foreleg], [Magical Parchment]

... There’s a whole variety of magical supplies. Right, I never expected to find it this way, but this is the magicians’ community I’ve been looking for. A shop where I can get magical supplies.

'Right, this is something I wanted.'

Magic that gets the information you want from souls. It did work properly. Looking further, I see they don’t just sell magical supplies. They sell all sorts of things.

“... They even sell guns. How does delivery work?”

As I browse the product list...

“Gyaa?”

Grizzly, who was behind me, approaches with interest and pokes his head forward. Then, looking at the “Wrist of a Hanged Convict,” he licks his lips and smacks them.

“Gyaaa~.”

I look at the screen, then turn to Grizzly.

“Hmm~ Want me to buy you one?”

“Gyaa? Gyaa!”

Grizzly answers happily. Feeling mischievous, I smile and say,

“No. Stop eating, you pig.”

“Gyaaah!?”

Grizzly is shocked.

“You only just ate, and you’re already looking for a snack?”

I swivel my chair around and rub and stroke Grizzly’s head with both hands.

“Are you an Invisible Vampire or an invisible pig?”

“Gyaaa... Gyaaa...”

Grizzly shakes himself and flees.

Laughing, I get up, take meat and milk from the refrigerator, and put them in Grizzly’s food bowl.

“Here’s your snack. Eat plenty.”

“Gyaaa~.”

I return to the computer and leave Mephisto Market for now. Now that I know I can use the site, it’s time to check the other things. I look at the address of Kim Miryeo’s secret workshop in my notebook. Something like this needs to be checked quickly.

It’s a little late, but I get ready to go out. While Grizzly eats his snack, I put my coat back on and take the newly acquired suppressed pistol. The suppressor makes it bulky, but it fits nicely inside my coat.