A 9th Circle Mage Is the Gallery Owner?
A 9th Circle Mage Is the Gallery Owner?
"......Haa."
Hunter Management Bureau Director Oh Taeseok.
He was reading the report that had just come in.
"Department Head Seah, is this really true?"
"Yes. I witnessed it myself."
The report listed the events inside the Red Gate in chronological order.
"Heo...."
Every single one of them was a hard-to-believe fact.
Had there been only the report, he might have thought there was some degree of exaggeration.
However.
The Field Response Unit staff of the Management Bureau had bodycam footage recorded upon entering the Gate, and the video captured inside the Gate contained the exact contents described in the report.
The sky splits open, revealing a black void.
Then, after contracting to its limit, it releases a roaring explosion, temporarily paralyzing the bodycams.
When the bodycams returned to normal, what they captured was a sinkhole so massive it couldn't even be properly evaluated through the video.
It was truly an overwhelming sight reminiscent of cosmic horror....
"By any chance, AI has advanced a lot lately, so could that be—"
"Ab.so.lutely not."
"I see."
Oh Taeseok pressed his temples.
The Management Bureau's public stance.
That a friendly and docile magic beast was temporarily allowed outside, and out of curiosity, entered the Gate, causing the incident to escalate—something along those lines.
This didn't matter much. It was something that would be made public eventually, and hadn't they treated the magic beast named Tia amicably precisely for this reason in the first place?
Even gathering just the current circulating reactions, positive responses far outweighed negative ones. As time went on, positive reactions would only grow.
But that wasn't the problem.
"We need to socialize her as soon as possible."
He knew as well. That no matter what they did, she couldn't be stopped; surveillance was merely a device to minimize chaos, not a fundamental solution.
"This magic beast, Tia, was it? She often acts on impulse. Locking such a being inside a room will only end up growing the danger."
"That's true."
Jeong Seah silently nodded. It was an undeniable statement.
"So we must socialize her quickly and grant her citizenship."
"Certainly... we can't keep her inside the Management Bureau forever."
"In that sense."
Oh Taeseok looked straight at her.
"You take charge of this task."
"Pardon?"
Jeong Seah's eyes wavered slightly.
"You've been in charge of her custody so far, and above all, aren't you the person who has seen Tia the most?"
"...Even so, what specifically do you mean by socialization?"
"Nothing is decided right now. From identity issues to adapting to outside life, judge as you see fit."
Jeong Seah picked her words for a moment, then brought up the question that bothered her the most.
"Then, what about requests regarding going outside before socialization?"
"Hmm...."
"This incident happened because of that very issue this time as well. Of course, thanks to that, we were able to respond quickly to the Red Gate, but we won't necessarily be that lucky next time."
"I suppose so."
He fell deep in thought.
And his answer was:
"Do as you wish. I'll take responsibility for everything."
"As I... wish?"
Jeong Seah asked back.
"Yes, the higher-ups seem to have made up their minds. Socialize the magic beast and use that power for the development of our country. This is the first case."
"However, Tia-nim is on a different level—"
"I know she's different."
Oh Taeseok interrupted Jeong Seah.
"But put favorably, doesn't that mean South Korea's military power will also reach a whole new level?"
Jeong Seah had no choice but to nod.
"...Yes, I will do my best for now."
"How do you plan to handle the practical aspects?"
"First, issuing a Resident Registration Number will be a hurdle. With no nationality or birth record at all—"
"I'll speak to the higher-ups to handle that under a special exemption. Since the US has likely gone through a similar procedure, there should be reference materials."
As Jeong Seah bowed her head and stepped out the door, Oh Taeseok let out a deep sigh and wiped his face with both hands.
"Huu... Things are going to get busy."
Emerging from the Gate, I was surrounded by a massive crowd, but thanks to the swift action of the Management Bureau staff, I was peacefully transported to a cozy room.
As I lay on the bed like that, there was one fact I had missed.
"Ah, right."
The original purpose of going to the cafe wasn't to enter a Gate, but for my meetup with Want to Eat Shaved Ice.
I checked my messages to leave a belated apology.
Want to Eat Shaved Ice: I suddenly had a really urgent matter come up... I'm so sorry.
Want to Eat Shaved Ice: I think we'll need to reschedule for another day or adjust the plans... I'm really ashamed TT TT
Fortunately, it seemed she had left due to her own business.
"That's a shame."
9-Circle Mage: Ah, just saw this now
9-Circle Mage: So when are you free?
Want to Eat Shaved Ice: When might you be available...
9-Circle Mage: I'm fine anytime though?
I felt like Jeong Seah's sighing was deepening, but without minding it, I continued.
Want to Eat Shaved Ice: Then how about around next Thursday?
9-Circle Mage: Sounds good
And so the meetup was postponed, and during that time, I returned to my daily routine and continued lurking in the gallery as usual.
[Title: Breaking News) Management Bureau granting citizenship to the Gallery Idol whoa]
"We will continue to maintain friendly relations moving forward.
We expect that, similar to the elves in the US, she will become a strength to our country.
Once socialization is complete, we plan to grant her citizenship immediately."
Or so they say?
Official statement from the Management Bureau.
L But there are multiple elves, while the Gallery Idol is just one. Will one person even be a help?
L Aren't they trying to recruit her into the Management Bureau?
L Either way, having a first precedent is a good thing.
L Because they might encounter another friendly magic beast like the elves next time.
"The gallers are hard at work today as well."
Most were positive about giving me citizenship, but not everyone was.
[Title: Still, isn't she a magic beast?]
[Title: This isn't even the US, what are they thinking giving citizenship to a magic beast in Korea?]
[Title: They'll do this and then pretend not to know when shit hits the fan lololol]
There were negative reactions like these too.
"Mmm...."
It certainly felt like the Management Bureau was letting me loose.
Except for when they first put mana restraints on me, I had been enjoying a ridiculously luxurious life.
They hadn't blocked computers, cell phones, communities, or the internet, really giving the feeling of doing whatever I wanted.
I don't know what they're thinking, but it's good for me, so should I just let it slide?
[Title: Today's Magic Knowledge Kkiyathou!!]
[Author: 9-Circle Mage]
Truth is, what I'm sharing today isn't magic.
Truth is, I have nothing to share either.
Just posting cause I'm bored.
Flame Spammer: Now you're just throwing caution to the wind.
Hunter Gallery is ruined now too.
Sigh.
Today as well, I posted a shitpost like a daily quest and lay down on the bed.
Honestly, even if I don't sleep, it wouldn't be a problem, but I sleep regularly anyway.
Because only then did I feel somewhat human.
And so, time passed.
9-Circle Mage: Heading out now
The meetup with Want to Eat Shaved Ice.
The day of the rescheduled appointment arrived.
A black mask, a black hat, and on top of that, sunglasses.
A woman who looked suspicious to anyone was sitting in the cafe.
Her body curves, visible even through her cover-up, her snow-white skin, and her naturally flowing blue hair were striking.
"Hueu...."
S-class hunter Yoo Seolhwa, master of the White Night Guild and active on Hunter Gallery under the handle Want to Eat Shaved Ice.
'Thank goodness I finished early....'
Since being late for the appointment last time, she had made thorough preparations and arrived at the meeting spot early with plenty of time to spare.
If she was late this time as well, she wouldn't be able to face the 9-Circle Mage.
9-Circle Mage: This time let's go somewhere with fewer people go go
Following those words, even though it was peak hours, she was sipping a cup of coffee at a cafe where she was the only customer.
'What do they look like?'
A man? Or a woman?
'Their tone of speech sounded like a man, though....'
Given the nature of Hunter Gallery, the ratio of men to women didn't differ by a huge margin, so it could be a woman imitating a male tone.
'Their job is obviously a hunter, of course.'
Others might think it was clickbait or trolling, but she herself had actually experienced its efficacy.
Which meant that at least the knowledge they possessed was real.
'Ah, then unexpectedly, it might be someone I know.'
Assuming that the 9-Circle Mage was a hunter, the scope narrowed down significantly.
If it were a low-rank hunter, she might not know, but if they were above B-rank, she would have seen them at least once.
'I'm looking forward to it.'
Waiting with such anticipation, she checked the message that popped up on her phone.
9-Circle Mage: Arrived, wr u?
'They arrived?'
Want to Eat Shaved Ice: I'm at the table inside the cafe, can you see me?
9-Circle Mage: Are you the person wearing a mask, hat, and sunglasses?
Want to Eat Shaved Ice: Yes...
9-Circle Mage: Gotcha
As she was looking outside to see where they were, the sound of the cafe's automatic door opening echoed.
"Huh?"
Her eyes opened wide.
The one opening the door and walking in was none other than that child she had met at the Red Gate.
At that time, things were chaotic so they parted immediately, but she clearly remembered that appearance.
Famous among famous in the Domestic Hunter Gallery she frequented—
"Gallery Idol?"
It was the Gallery Idol.