Chapter 45
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 045
Chapter Title: Mephistopheles (2)
The news reported a toxic gas accident.
[God's Healing Campgrounds]
Even after time had passed, it was still a restricted civilian access zone.
The grounds were vast, so slipping past the government agents surrounding the camp was possible.
Of course, this was just the outskirts. Deeper in, you'd get caught.
The helmeted motorcyclist checked the readings on the toxic gas detector in his hand.
"·········."
The readings were, naturally, normal.
This wasn't a real toxic gas leak, after all.
···It might have dispersed over time.
Still, he'd checked just in case.
Anyone in the know already knew.
This incident was the grotesque event caused by the necromancer Edward Coffin.
The motorcyclist removed his helmet.
A woman with a black bob cut emerged—her face evoked a small, harmless animal, but her eyes were sharp.
A freelance journalist.
Or rather, a broker who'd provided Edward with a hideout and intel in Korea through backchannel deals.
Kim Gaeun felt the cool breeze and flashed a peculiar smile.
Her journalist identity was fake, of course. Her real trade was brokering for wizards.
"···Something's off."
It was absurd to call a grotesque incident "off," but it was.
After such a massive event, no signal from Edward's side.
No signs he'd shown up at the prepared hideout either.
She wondered if the Response Special Task Force had taken him out, but their movements suggested they hadn't even grasped his whereabouts.
Someone had leaked that Edward might be dead···.
The other wizards seemed completely in the dark too.
In fact, the vibe was that they couldn't believe he was dead.
If another wizard had killed someone of Edward's renown, hiding it would be weird—they'd spread the rumor to boost their name.
He had a bounty on his head, after all.
So, not the Task Force, not other wizards, not bounty hunters···.
A complete third party was involved.
"-Ha!"
Laughter escaped Gaeun's lips.
'Edward Coffin.'
The fearsome wizard who'd danced with death had raided the campgrounds.
Only to be killed by some random third party there?
Ridiculous—utterly ridiculous···but···.
Gaeun's eyes turned serious. Edward's catchphrase came to mind.
'Mystery draws mystery.'
Edward had been hunting that infamous grimoire, colloquially known as such.
At first, she'd thought filling the camp with zombies to find a grimoire was insane nonsense.
But if it actually worked and lured the grimoire's owner here?
"···Gonna need to dig deeper."
Gaeun muttered quietly and donned her helmet again.
She revved the bike and left before the agents spotted her.
And after that.
Gaeun background-checked the camp survivors.
She had personal info channels.
And folks selling intel from the Anomalous Phenomena Countermeasure Agency for a price, so no big hurdles.
But some unexpected names popped up.
Namgoong Sua and Sister Ellie.
These two were off-limits. No point approaching them.
A quick check revealed one was the daughter of somewhat famous Namgoong Su from their world—a chaebol heir.
The other's order, Sister Ellie's, answered directly to the Vatican.
In this world, even wizards steered clear of the Vatican Holy See.
No upside to contact.
So Gaeun picked a suitable survivor from the list, excluding those two, to extract info from.
With her signature harmless-cute smile, she approached a man from the survivor list.
"Excuse me. I'm a reporter with ○○. I have a few questions. Got a minute?"
"Huh? Reporter? ···Well."
The man, taking a smoke break in an alley during downtime from work, looked flustered at Gaeun's words.
Government officials had already said broadcasters and other outlets were done, so no more reporters approaching.
If anyone posing as a reporter asked about the incident, head to the nearest station or crowded area.
But the cute woman before him didn't look dangerous at all.
Quite his type, actually.
And while they'd said no reporters, things don't always go perfectly, right?
'She's cute. Maybe swap numbers?'
The survivor nodded.
"···A little time, sure."
Moments later. A deserted alley.
"Aaagh-."
"Answer only what I ask from now on."
Gaeun pinned the man to the asphalt, straddled his back, and wrenched his arm.
"You know human fingers break easier than you'd think?"
Terror shook the man's pupils, and Gaeun set the mood.
"Go ahead, call the cops. I won't get caught."
Some bluff. Getting reported would be a hassle.
But if regular cops could nab her, she couldn't broker against wizards.
"What happened at the campgrounds?"
"I-I don't know. ···Memory's fuzzy."
Gaeun looked down at him.
The Countermeasure Agency offered psychological treatment and faint memory wipes for civilians caught in grotesque events—PTSD prevention.
But it was just faint blurring; she could jog it right back.
Gaeun gagged him with a cloth and snapped one finger.
Crack-
"Mmph-!"
Just pained thrashing, but Gaeun got her desired info from the survivor.
Gaeun checked Kim Yohan's photo from the survivor list against the details.
"Ha- haha!"
The intel was staggering; laughter bubbled up.
The guy named Kim Yohan had drawn a magic circle on the auditorium floor and chanted a spell. The zombies crumbled to dust.
'Mystery draws mystery.'
Who'd have thought Edward's mad plan actually summoned the grimoire's owner.
No hard proof yet, but odds were high.
Otherwise, Edward's disappearance made no sense.
Per the survivor, drawing the circle and prep work screamed ritual magic user.
A classic wizard. Deadly with prep time, but harmless without it—like any civilian.
Timeline-wise, since Edward arrived in Korea, he couldn't have had the grimoire long.
Impressive magic, but a newbie to their world.
Exploitable weaknesses galore. ···Or if uncooperative, subdue and sell him off.
Lucky kill on Edward, but still a civilian unused to this.
Overwhelm him in a sudden ambush panic.
A grin lingered on Gaeun's lips. Without hesitation, she hopped on her bike and headed to Yohan's place.
A rundown one-room villa.
No lights in Yohan's unit.
Gaeun rang the bell at the door. No response.
Perfect. She needed more intel anyway.
She picked the door lock with her gear and slipped inside.
Creeeak-
Checked the threshold—no traps.
A tidy little one-room.
Gaeun kept her shoes on, searched inside.
Kitchen had earthenware bowls, herbs, spices, meds.
She unfolded the white trench coat on the wall.
Magic runes and text: [YOD, HE, VAU, HE] [ADONAI] [EL] [ELOHIM]
"···Haha."
Gaeun smiled. No grimoire visible, but this was enough.
And then.
Creeeak-
The door opened. Gaeun instantly drew her silenced pistol, aiming at the returning Yohan.
"Quietly. Close the door."
"·········."
Yohan, the calm-faced man from the survivor list, silently obeyed.
Creeeak- Thud.
She expected panic. Instead, calm.
And without being told,
He slowly raised both hands. Quick on the uptake—good.
"Ha! Nice. Speak if you want. But quietly."
His low voice rumbled in response.
"Don't wear shoes in someone else's house."
"What?"
And then.
Shrrrip-.
Gaeun died, torso pierced before she even noticed.
Light faded from her pupils; blood trickled from her mouth.
Lifted by a transparent arm through heart and torso, her legs dangled.
I sighed at the woman's corpse impaled on Grizzly's arm.
"Haa···."
I didn't really kill her just for wearing shoes inside.
But if she'd planned to talk, she wouldn't have.
Maybe a foreigner with cultural differences···.
But a Korean breaking in, shoes on, pulling a gun on the owner?
That's "no talk, straight to deathmatch" body language.
···Kidding.
I never planned to spare an intruder from the start.
Figuring out who she is comes later.
Blood spreading on the floor—if it drips downstairs, big trouble.
"Grizzly, take it to the bathroom and eat."
"Gya? ···Gyagyagyagya."
Grizzly glanced at the bathroom, then at me.
Rough translation:
'Master! The bathroom isn't for eating!'
-Something like that.
"That's···."
I pondered Grizzly's words, then nodded.
True enough.
Making him eat where I do my business is kinda off.
I'd hate it too.
The bathroom isn't for meals.
"Hang on then. Be careful not to drip blood."
I pulled out the tarp from a corner.
Why keep one? For times like this, obviously.
Spread it on the floor for the body.
A ridiculous chuckle escaped.
Keeping the wizard average alive today too.
I eyed the woman's corpse.
Perfect timing—Saturday, prepped ingredients for a soul-summoning ritual anyway.
Rifled her for info, summon her soul for the rest.