Chapter 62 - The Great One (6)

Because Mia, who served as Yoannis's secretary, retainer, and lover, despised the cannibalistic ritual Chairman Kim performed through <Cultes des Goules>, "The Table of the Great Ones," Yoannis had decided to stay at the hotel with Mia while the ritual was underway.

It was the hotel the clan's vampires were using as a temporary base.

"Master, I've picked out a few buildings that could serve as a base for our full-scale operations in Korea. Could you take a look?"

"Mmm... sure."

Yoannis nodded while looking at something on a tablet from the bed, and Mia tilted his head.

"Master?"

"Oh, sorry. I was browsing Mage Net for a moment."

Yoannis sidled up next to Mia and showed him the tablet screen.

Mage Net. A site where mercenaries and wizards gathered.

Yoannis had spread information about <De Vermis Mysteriis> here and posted a bounty. However...

"There's less interest in <De Vermis Mysteriis> than I expected."

"That's true. Since there's so little information available, maybe people think it's a fake commission?"

"That's possible, but... it feels like someone is deliberately interfering."

Yoannis's blue eyes quietly studied the posts appearing on Mage Net.

"Should I raise the bounty?"

Mia watched Yoannis's serious face and asked cautiously.

"You seem quite concerned about the owner of <De Vermis Mysteriis>."

"Well, the owner of <De Vermis Mysteriis> also means the master of the Invisible Vampire."

"It may be in the form of a magical beast, but isn't it still a vampire in the end?"

At Mia's words, Yoannis smiled faintly and said,

"...Still a vampire. Mia, are you the type who'd consider an alien a person?"

"Huh?"

"It is technically a vampire. It falls under the vampire category, so the rules of the mystical apply, making it weaker in the morning and unable to enter a church without permission."

Yoannis spoke in a composed, low, gentle voice.

"But it's fundamentally different. That thing is not an earthly vampire."

A vampire from beyond Earth, an incomprehensible alien monster.

"It's a cosmic Invisible Vampire."

A brief silence followed, and Mia blinked before sharing his impression.

"That... calling it a cosmic vampire. Somehow it doesn't sound all that dangerous."

"Haha~ Right? Two cool words like 'cosmic' and 'vampire' put together. Wonder why that is?"

Yoannis chuckled lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

"But the danger is real. I watched that monster tear apart a Tiger tank right before my eyes."

It was the familiar once commanded by the infamous great wizard who had been active during both World Wars: "She Who Must Not Be Named," the previous owner of <De Vermis Mysteriis>.

Yoannis thought for a moment.

"Hmm~ I'm a bit worried."

"About what?"

"Chairman Kim's ritual. The mystical draws the mystical to itself."

Under normal circumstances it wouldn't matter, but by some chance coincidence, they could get swept up in the affairs of <De Vermis Mysteriis>'s owner.

Yes, it wasn't that the owner of <De Vermis Mysteriis> would get caught up in Chairman Kim's ritual.

It was that Chairman Kim's ritual would get caught up in the owner of <De Vermis Mysteriis>.

The fact that someone had become the owner of the grimoire <De Vermis Mysteriis> and hadn't self-destructed by now...

That meant they were no ordinary wizard in terms of capacity.

At that level, even setting aside the Invisible Vampire, the wizard themselves would be dangerous.

That was why he had planned to wear down their stamina and sanity through continuous attacks by mercenaries.

"............"

Yoannis's blue eyes narrowed in thought, then relaxed.

...Well, the building where Chairman Kim was holding his ritual also had armed private soldiers.

There would be considerable damage, but it should be fine.

Even if the Invisible Vampire was used as a shield, a bullet from an unseen angle could still find its mark.

And in response to Yoannis's attitude, Mia spoke in a slightly jealous voice.

"Master, you're too soft on that ugly human."

"Haha~ Well, you always worry more about the disappointing students."

"...Were you two lovers before you met me?"

Caught completely off guard, Yoannis's eyes went wide.

"Is that what you've been thinking? Why on earth?"

Shock-!?

"He and I aren't like that. We were master and student, and after he got older, it was more like friends."

...Though he had picked the man up as a child and raised him.

So perhaps that was why he still indulged his tantrums even now.

Yoannis soothed Mia, then sat down in a chair, cracked open a can of cola, and thought.

***

A secret workshop disguised as an empty building.

I checked that the pickled Hand of Glory was still in good condition.

Then I cleared out and emptied one of the refrigerators Kim Mi-ryeo had been using for ingredient storage.

This was essentially why I had stopped by.

I couldn't sacrifice my studio apartment's fridge any longer. I decided to designate one of the workshop's refrigerators as Grizzly's toy fridge.

"Gyaa?"

Seeing Grizzly perk up with interest, I unplugged the fridge and knocked on the door. Thump, thump.

"Here, Grizzly. Go wild with this one."

"Gyaaaa~."

Grizzly, delighted at receiving officially sanctioned fridge-wrecking time, reached out and opened the refrigerator door.

"...Gyaaaa?"

It tilted its head.

"Gyaa? Gyaa?"

Since the cord was unplugged, no cold air was coming out.

Thud... click... Thud... click...

Grizzly opened and closed the fridge door several times to check, then...

It looked at me and asked for help.

"Gyaa... Gyagyagyagyagya!"

Roughly translated into human speech, that would be something like:

'Master! This one's weird... This isn't right!'

...or so I imagined.

I let out a small sigh and plugged the fridge cord back into the outlet.

Hummm...

Once electricity flowed into the fridge, cold air started coming out.

"Gyaaaa~."

Grizzly happily opened and closed the fridge door.

Thud, click! Thud, click! Thud, click!

I had thought about saving some electricity since it was just a toy, but apparently the cold air was a must.

I had no idea why it liked opening and closing the fridge door so much.

But yeah, fair enough. A fridge with no cold air would be disappointing.

After letting Grizzly play for a while like that...

It was getting close to the time Soo-ah would arrive, so I decided to head home.

"Grizzly, let's go."

"Gaaaa~."

Today was Wednesday evening.

So I planned to teach Soo-ah some simple magic.

Something safe, yet essential for using other magic.

Making Holy Water, that is.

I arrived home and was preparing the Holy Water materials when...

Right on time, Soo-ah showed up.

"Mister, I'm here."

When I opened the door, she kicked off her shoes carelessly at the entrance, came in, and sat on the bed.

".........."

Anyway, time to start making Holy Water.

"You'll always need this as a baseline whenever you use Catholic-based magic, so it's good to memorize how to make it."

I demonstrated for Soo-ah first.

"Sabaoth, Messiah, Emmanuel, Elohim Gibor, Yahweh. God who created truth and life...."

A calm voice resonated through the room.

After reciting the necessary incantation, I added salt over the water.

I finished the remaining incantation to complete the Holy Water, then turned to Soo-ah and said,

"That's the Holy Water crafting process. Think you can follow along?"

Soo-ah raised her hand slightly and said,

"Um... I get the process, but do I have to memorize everything you just said all at once?"

"Obviously I'll give you something to read from. Since it's your first time, I'll recite it alongside you."

I opened the notebook where I had organized my magical knowledge to the section on Holy Water crafting and handed it to Soo-ah.

"Pay attention to your pronunciation, don't hesitate, and don't stop while reciting the incantation. Fantasy these days is all about formula-based magic, but....

Occult magic isn't about formulas. It's about faith. Just believe it'll work."

As long as the process, procedures, and incantation were properly prepared, mana would handle the rest.

"...Got it."

Soo-ah stood before the earthenware bowl filled with water.

Scooping water into a bowl and reciting an incantation over it.

When she really thought about it, it was a ridiculous situation.

".........."

...And yet for some reason, she couldn't help feeling nervous.

What if she failed? What if she couldn't make it properly?

Would Mister... would Yo-han decide there was no point in teaching her anymore, that she had no talent, and stop paying attention to her?

Just like her father, who showed no interest in her at all?

Soo-ah's eyes dimmed.

'...I'd really rather not have that happen.'

And at that moment, Yo-han's calm voice rang out, as if simply stating a fact.

"If you fail, just try again. Go ahead and start."

"Oh, I was about to do it anyway! Don't rush me!"

Soo-ah gathered herself and spoke, then looked at the earthenware bowl and the salt.

She reached out and gently, carefully grasped the salt.

Magic, of all things. It was absurd, but...

Common sense said there was no way it could work, but...

Soo-ah had seen it with her own eyes.

The moment a single voice made an entire auditorium tremble.

The glowing magic circle, the cascading brilliant light.

She had witnessed the magic Yo-han had performed firsthand.

And so, with a calmed heart, she followed along with the incantation written in the notebook.

"Sabaoth, Messiah, Emmanuel, Elohim Gibor, Yahweh. God who created truth and life...."

‧

‧

‧

Soo-ah swirled the Holy Water in the bottle she had received as a memento, sloshing it back and forth, then said,

"I expected Holy Water to, like, sparkle all shiny and stuff~ but isn't this just salt water?"

At Soo-ah's words, I quietly averted my gaze.

It was essentially salt water, so I couldn't really argue.

"...It works pretty well, though."

For some reason in a good mood, Soo-ah grinned cheekily and said to me,

"You keep all the cool magic to yourself! Teach me a destruction beam too!"

"I teach you magic and now you want the whole store. Are you a robber? Quit talking nonsense and put your coat on."

I said what I had to say and threw on my coat.

"How are you getting home? Taxi? Bus? Or is someone picking you up? It's late, so I'll walk you out front."

"Hmm~ Are you worrying about me?"

I frowned and said,

"I just don't want problems after you've been at my place."

Everyone would call me a murderer. Especially Shin Si-on.

"Fine, fine. I go home when I feel like it and usually crash at Ellie unnie's place anyway. Just walk me to the bus stop."

Soo-ah put on her coat and stepped outside.

The two bodyguards Namgung had assigned also followed behind Soo-ah and Yo-han at a distance.

...And then.

A black car that had confirmed Soo-ah's departure started its engine.

Vroom...

Inside the car, a man who looked like a white-collar gangster, Chief Kim...

"Yes, Chairman. I've located Namgung Soo-ah. I'll bring her to the dinner gathering now."

...was reporting to Chairman Kim over the phone.