Chapter 8 - Let's Learn Magic (5)

In the Special Response Section's break room, the operatives lounged in exhaustion, taking a rest. They had been put through the wringer last night by a case involving artificially haunted buildings.

Unlike abandoned buildings, dank places, or houses with a history, where ghosts arose naturally, this was a criminal scheme: deliberately releasing ghosts into commercial buildings to cause supernatural disturbances, drive down property values, and buy them up cheaply.

The section had been investigating it before the university incident. It ranked below the university murder case, in which someone had died in the middle of the street, but it was dangerous nonetheless.

Team Leader Park of Division Five of the Special Response Section grimaced as he loosened his tired shoulders.

"The professor's murder is enough of a headache already... That fucking ghost merchant bastard."

The youngest female operative in Division Three looked up at that.

"Ghost... merchant?"

CREAK

Sion entered the break room and answered for him.

"A wizard operating in Europe. The owner of the grimoire Heptameron."

[Heptameron — A grimoire said to have been written by an Italian scholar named Pietro of Abano. It describes methods for trapping ghosts in bottles and using the knowledge and skills they possessed.]

"He abuses magic to trap ghosts in bottles and cans and sell them as merchandise."

Sion placed drinks and some documents on the table.

"First of all, thank you for your hard work, everyone. Let's take a break over coffee."

Park picked up a coffee and took a drink.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. So, how's the cleanup going?"

"We caught the organization smuggling the canned ghosts, but some have already been distributed... We'll have to find the buildings and cleanse them for safety."

Irritation crept into Park's voice.

"Just tell them to use the buildings as haunted houses!"

"Wanting to see a tiger doesn't mean you want to see one outside its cage."

Sion picked up a coffee and handed it to the youngest operative, making sure she wasn't left out.

"Good work."

"Oh...! Thank you. You've worked hard too, Team Leader Sion. But what are those documents you brought?"

Sion looked down at the documents.

"Brief profiles of the students attending class in the lecture hall when the professor died."

Park sipped his coffee.

"You think the professor's killer is among them?"

"... It's just a fancy of mine. I'm looking into them one by one to check."

Sion explained her thoughts in a calm voice.

"Both the first incident, when the man was murdered, and the second, involving the professor, took place where there were witnesses, however few traces were left behind."

"Even if the first was a loss of control, I thought the second meant the owner was either drunk on power or unable to control the grimoire. But there was no third incident."

"... And it's been quiet ever since. Don't you think that's unusually cautious for someone who's acquired such immense power?"

Park rubbed his chin as he answered.

"Couldn't they just be timid or cautious by nature?"

"If the grimoire's owner is cautious by nature, that contradicts the second incident. If they wanted to kill him, they would have done it quietly somewhere less crowded, not in a lecture hall. They have the ability to do that."

"So what's your conclusion?"

"The second incident was also an unexpected loss of control over the grimoire. Afterward, the owner began bringing it under control and is trying to conceal their identity."

Sion brought her fist to her lips and calmly summed up her speculation.

"Perhaps we've already obtained something without realizing it—something that explains why the grimoire's owner is being cautious. Among the evidence from the two incidents, there may be some accidental clue that could expose their identity."

Park nodded at that, and the youngest operative's eyes brightened.

"We don't have any better leads right now. If this turns something up, all the better."

"I-I'll work harder too!"

Sion smiled faintly.

"Thank you."

She took a sip of coffee and read down the names in the documents.

Kim Gisu, Kim Seona, Kim Yohan...

Was the grimoire's owner really among them?

If so, what were they doing now? How deeply had they delved into the grimoire's knowledge? How much had they grown?

Their reason for being cautious... Could it be more than the evidence? Might they also have anticipated the section's existence?

With a calm gaze, Sion continued steadily through the documents.

* * *

Yohan collected his pay for the night's security work, did some shopping in a satisfied mood, and arrived home.

Perhaps the pay included compensation for being scared by ghosts. It was pretty good for a single day's work.

Though it was sitting in a chair for so long, rather than the ghosts, that had left me stiff.

Cheolmin had also been a nuisance at the end of the shift, peppering me with questions. Had anything strange happened? Had I seen anything?

People wanted a story they could accept. I doubted someone who'd already been tormented by ghosts would believe me if I said I hadn't seen a thing.

So, noticing the prayer beads on his wrist, I made up a plausible excuse: when I was little, a Buddhist monk had told me I had very good energy—strong yang energy.

A lie, of course. I'd never even been near a temple.

Anyway, after putting away the groceries and feeding Grizzly, I ate a simple meal and thought about my plans.

'... Should I just become an exorcist?'

The saltwater holy water had worked far better than expected.

Of all the things I could do right now, this might be the easiest way to make money. All I'd have to do was visit a building rumored to be haunted, wave the holy-water sprinkler, and scatter a few droplets. Job done.

There was one concern, though...

As always, it was the existence of a secret government organization that might be tracking me.

They didn't seem to have investigated me yet, but if they did later, it would look strange for someone who'd led an ordinary life to suddenly start working as an exorcist after the professor's murder.

"..."

I covered my forehead with a hand and sighed.

Having my actions restricted was more irritating than I'd expected.

A secret government organization I'd never seen, one that handled incidents involving the uncanny.

'... I'm really shadowboxing like a motherfucker here.'

I collected my thoughts.

No. If I learned they existed, that would mean they'd appeared in front of me. And that would mean they considered me a suspect.

At least for now, I had some breathing room.

I needed to learn more magic while I could.

I took a short nap to shake off my fatigue, then got up and opened the grimoire.

After holy water, the next thing I'd planned to make was incense. Magical incense to aid in performing magic, supposedly used to drive spirits away or summon them.

"Let's see. First, the ingredients I need... dried aloe, nutmeg, benzoin, musk?"

Musk? I felt like I'd heard the word before... What exactly was it again?

'Help me, Google!'

I searched online and got a shock.

Musk — A fragrance extracted from the musk gland near a musk deer's genitals. Like ambergris and civet, it is a representative animal-derived fragrance.

Naturally, it wasn't the fact that it came from musk deer that shocked me. It was the price.

'Two grams of powder... 330,000 won?'

I knew 330,000 won wasn't an outrageously high price in itself.

But considering the state of my wallet, it was expensive.

"..."

Sure, I could buy it, but between rent, Grizzly's food, and everything else, it was a headache.

I was starting to feel bad for calling the holy water nothing but water with salt in it.

It really was excellent magical water for what it cost.

But what could I do? I'd have to buy it in the end.

Unless I was saving up to take the money with me to the afterlife, buying it was the right choice if I intended to keep learning magic.

... And, looking on the bright side, it was an investment.

Eventually, I'd turn what I invested back into cash.

I tapped the grimoire's iron cover and said,

"... Here's hoping."