Chapter 74 - Best Condition (2)

The members of Solomon's 72 demons were not all demons from the very beginning, nor were they all fallen angels who had rebelled alongside Lucifer.

Among them were also beings from hostile faiths, gods or elementals who had been classified as demons and absorbed into the ranks.

Paimon, ninth of Solomon's 72 demons, is the beautiful one who wears a golden crown, the King of the West in Hell, and the King of Flames. He had also once been the Elemental King of Fire.

And so, the moment Yo-han summoned Paimon, a sudden upheaval unfolded. The massive magical reaction from Korea registered on mana-measurement devices around the world, throwing wizards everywhere into confusion.

The other wizards might not have noticed, but Alphons, the handsome, refined heir of the Paracelsus School, masters of the Four Classical Elements, felt it.

"...!"

Though fire was not his primary attribute, he was a skilled Elemental Wizard, and so he perceived it.

That someone in Korea had summoned Paimon.

...Unacceptable.

What was done was done, so there was nothing to accept or reject, but still.

It twisted his nerves.

Some rootless gutter rat who had never studied the arcane arts and knowledge that the great school had accumulated over the ages, getting his hands on some dusty old grimoire and calling himself a wizard.

Wielding such supernatural power was above his station.

On top of that, the headmaster himself, no less, was showing interest in this rootless wizard who had summoned a being that, though now fallen to demonhood, had once been an Elemental King.

If Alphons had been the headmaster, he would have shown the same interest, since the growth of the school was what mattered most, but...

Currently, Alphons was not the headmaster. He was one of the heirs.

'Von Hohenheim.'

The surname of Paracelsus, founder of the school.

A symbol passed down only to the headmaster, along with Azoth, the magic sword in which a demon was sealed.

He would be the one to become headmaster and the next Von Hohenheim.

And that process had to befit a truly pedigreed elite wizard.

There could be no blemish, no matter how small.

And there could be no being held back by some wretch who had been born an ordinary person, not a wizard.

...And while it was not yet official.

From the moment he learned that Paimon had been summoned, it was all but confirmed that the owner of <The Lesser Key of Solomon>, commonly known as <Lemegeton>, was in Korea.

There were even absurd rumors circulating among wizards that this person was the owner of both <De Vermis Mysteriis> and <The Lesser Key of Solomon>.

Regardless of whether the rumors were true or not, what needed to be done was the same.

Kill the rootless gutter wizard.

Recover the grimoire to elevate the school's standing.

Yes, he had dressed it up in all sorts of pretty words, but to put it bluntly, Alphons was absolutely terrified of someone who had only just become a wizard.

He had come to Seoul to kick the ladder out from under them.

And to recover a grimoire, a treasure of the wizarding world.

If the target proved inferior but still useful, he would make them a subordinate.

If the target seemed too much to handle, he would crush them preemptively.

Truly the rational behavior befitting an elite wizard of a magic school.

...And presently.

Having hired Lee Mun-ryong, a martial artist known for his considerable skill, and smuggled himself into Korea.

Alphons had arrived in Seoul and was walking the night streets after sunset.

"..."

He squinted at the grey forest of buildings, thinking of the owner of the <Lemegeton> who was somewhere out there.

The sturdy, elderly Lee Mun-ryong spoke up from behind him.

"We've arrived in Seoul, so how about a meal before we get down to business? I usually have a drink with my clients before starting a job."

Alphons did not even turn his head at this worthless, pointless suggestion and answered coldly.

"I did not hire you to make friends. Keep your mouth shut and stand by until I give you an order."

"Hmm..."

Lee Mun-ryong shrugged as if he understood.

"...Then let's get straight to business."

He opened his mouth again, completely unfazed.

"How do you plan to find the owner of the grimoire in this sprawling land?"

Alphons looked slightly displeased, but since it was work-related, he let it go.

"Obviously, I'll track the magical energy starting from where his presence was revealed."

He stopped walking and looked up at a black building, the epicenter from which that immense magical energy had radiated.

The site where Paimon had been summoned.

No-entry signs had been erected all around to keep people away.

Low-level wizards with inferior skills would never be able to pick up on it.

But Alphons specialized in mana detection, and with his level of skill...

Tracking residual magical energy was difficult, but still possible.

However, before that...

Lee Mun-ryong pulled a folded iron spear from the fishing bag on his back and extended it.

"About three of them. Not human... yokai?"

"I know without you telling me."

Alphons lifted his robe and took out one of the flasks containing clear liquid from his belt, then splashed it on the ground.

"Free water, take the form I need. Cage my enemies."

He had not poured water onto the asphalt for nothing.

It was magic, of course.

Bubble, bubble...

The stream of water that hit the ground began to foam and expand, its volume increasing until it swelled like a slime, and tentacles of water shot outward.

Swoosh!

"...!?"

The water tentacles snatched the heads of two vampires who had lunged from the dark shadows, targeting the wizard, and hoisted them into the air.

Having confirmed the watchers, one of Alphons's eyebrows rose in question.

"...Vampires in Korea?"

Then an arrow of ominous green fire came flying.

It plunged into the mass of water and sank inside.

Fire is extinguished by water. Common sense.

Whoosh, bubble bubble!

But that common sense was casually shattered.

Alphons's eyes widened for an instant.

"This is...!"

Green flames that refused to die even inside the water blazed and built heat until the mass of water burst apart.

Boom!

The moment water droplets rained down like a shower.

"Greek fire doesn't go out with water. It was made that way."

Someone stroked Alphons's hair from behind.

"Did you grow it out to use as magical materials?"

"...!?"

"It's lovely. Your face is quite pretty too."

Before he could counterattack, a firm arm quickly draped itself over Alphons's shoulder.

"By any chance, are you interested in cross-dressing and a rich, gentle vampire mister?"

Yoannis, the golden-haired, blue-eyed vampire, whispered mockingly into Alphons's ear in a low, soft voice.

"Oh, and please don't say something like, 'I'm a man, you know!'"

His blue eyes curved into a smiling crescent.

"Nothing gets me more excited than that."

Alphons's face went rigid. He was completely caught. There was not even a gap to uncork a flask.

And then...

"That's enough. Back off."

Lee Mun-ryong's spear blade was leveled at Yoannis's throat.

"..."

Yoannis released Alphons and stepped back a few paces.

"Well~ just kidding. My type is the cuter, prettier sort that triggers your protective instincts."

The words had been meant to tease from the start, not spoken in earnest.

Besides, if he had truly intended to kill, he would have gone for Lee Mun-ryong first.

Personally, this one was more dangerous.

Yoannis's and Lee Mun-ryong's gazes locked.

Alphons checked his stance and glared at Yoannis from a distance.

"...Head of Clan Madas, the alchemist Yoannis."

"Hmm~ I appreciate you not calling me 'Nazi Vampire.' Good hubae."

Yoannis smiled.

Since, aside from himself, there was no vampire capable of facing Shin Do-ryong, the Director of the Bureau for Abnormal Phenomena Countermeasures.

He had personally come to belatedly investigate the building that the Special Operations Division had been monitoring.

And he had obtained unexpected information.

'...The heir of the Paracelsus School, huh.'

A fairly decent hunting dog had arrived.

Given that the man had come all the way to Korean soil, he was obviously here for the grimoire too, but...

Even if their goals overlapped, there was no need to fight right now.

No need to help, but no need to interfere either.

After all, they needed to corner the owner of the grimoire <De Vermis Mysteriis>.

Killing Alphons now would only end up helping the grimoire's owner.

So Yoannis offered some casual advice.

"I assume you came to detect the magical energy, but don't linger here too long. The management bureau people in Korea might show up."

Then he gathered his subordinate vampires and left.

Lee Mun-ryong calculated and spoke to Alphons.

"If that one's our opponent, I'll need more money. The way he masked his presence and approached without a sound..."

His eyes narrowed.

"A monster learning human martial arts. That's cheating."

"..."

Since Yoannis was not their objective, Alphons likewise had no interest in pointless fights.

It was not that he was following Yoannis's advice, but.

Korea also had a management bureau in charge of wizards and supernatural incidents, so staying here long was not wise.

So Alphons did what he had come here to do from the start.

He chanted a spell and poured the liquid from a flask onto the ground.

Water, one of the Four Classical Elements. The most versatile of all elements.

When water spread at its widest, it flowed into even the tiniest cracks in stone.

Contracting with the Four Elemental Spirits and commanding them as servants was no easy feat, so he had not managed to contract with Undine, but.

Even so, among wizards who wielded water, Alphons was of exceptional caliber.

On the flat asphalt surface, the stream of water read the building's massive magical energy and flowed onward.

It advanced, detecting the residual mana left behind in this place.

When the immense magical energy had erupted, the only ones who left the building alive were Yo-han and Soo-ah.

Time had passed, but the search was smooth.

All it had to do was follow the pull toward the overwhelmingly powerful mana, which was Yo-han's.

However...

Lee Mun-ryong watched the slowly advancing stream of water and spoke.

"Can't this thing go any faster?"

"..."

Alphons shut his mouth and ignored the question, a display from the narrow perspective of a layperson who could not comprehend the aesthetics of magic.

***

Outside the secret workshop, on a deserted street.

Having finished studying magic, I stepped out of the secret workshop and stretched.

"Aah..."

Tomorrow was finally Tuesday.

I could use the magic that blocked fatal wounds, [Sixth Pentacle of Mars], again.

There was no telling what might happen next.

Defensive magic was essential.

And the moment I took one step forward.

Splash.

There was a sound, and I looked down.

'Water?'

It had not rained, nor had anyone washed the road. Yet a stream of water trailed along the road.

A long stream of water... That was not normal.

I turned my head to follow the stream and locked eyes with a duo that was obviously suspicious.

A foreigner with long black hair, and an old man holding a spear.

Alphons, too, saw me in my white coat.

"That's him. Kill him."

"What if he's just a civilian who happened to be nearby?"

At Lee Mun-ryong's words, Alphons shot him a look that said stop wasting time.

"What does it matter."

"Ha! Fair enough."

I immediately summoned the grimoire <De Vermis Mysteriis> into my hand and gripped it.

They could just be a pair of weirdos, but.

I would not rule out even the slightest possibility that they could threaten my life.

And judging by the atmosphere, they were obviously from that side of the underworld, but.

Even if they were not, an old man holding a spear in the middle of the street was dangerous enough.

'They're out of their minds.'

I summoned Grizzly.

There was no exchange of trivial dialogue like, 'Who are you?' or 'Why are you attacking?' or 'Hand over the grimoire'.

Eyes met, and the fight began.

A battle between wizards.

One where the safety or lives of civilians were tossed aside.

Battle City had begun.