Magu Festival Frenzy
Rachel's purification broadcast caused an enormous stir. It was the world's first gate-clearing stream that used nothing but Magu. And even that had only been a teaser. The real bombshell came when Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa announced they would begin distributing Magu to the public.
The internet erupted into celebration. After all, Magu had always been considered a type of artifact that only monsters could use. Now humans could wield the very same weapons monsters had once carried. Of course, Magu was still just a lower-grade substitute for true relics. It had been developed precisely because relics were too rare. In terms of raw power, Magu wasn't much different from ordinary artifacts. The market, built around genuine relics, wouldn't suddenly collapse. Nothing could ever replace the weapons of the great figures of history. Magu's true significance lay in opening an entirely new category beyond conventional artifacts. Even so, many found it hard to believe. Some of the highest un-cleared gates held Magu that surpassed anything human-made artifacts could achieve.
Public attention naturally turned to Rachel's press conference, where the truth would be revealed. And then—
Hunters cheered at Rachel's confirmation.
Among the hunters were plenty of Magu enthusiasts who had always been fascinated by monsters. The weapons once wielded by monsters were exactly the kind of items that could satisfy their vanity. But Rachel wasn't finished. Her next words sent the community into absolute chaos.
Even the reporter conducting the interview was so shocked they began to stammer. Mistaking a hunter for their own kind? That sounded like an absurdly overpowered ability.
Rachel clearly stated the limitations, but they didn't diminish the appeal. For an S-rank hunter like her the ability might be useless, but most hunters couldn't even enter high-level gates anyway. The mere possibility of sowing confusion among monsters made Magu worth buying many times over.
Once Rachel's interview ended, Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa released their full Magu catalog.
[March 2nd (Tue) 1:00 PM]
[Meet us at Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa!]
All eyes turned toward the upcoming Magu Festival.
*
The news of Magu distribution spread across the globe in an instant. The report even reached Patriarch Felix of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow.
"They say Korea has succeeded in purifying Magu."
Despite the bishop's report, Felix continued reading his Bible in silence.
"Shall we secure some Magu?"
"Jesus said, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"
It was his way of saying that something as trivial as Magu held no value compared to holy relics. The bishop agreed; Magu seemed meaningless to him. It might be useful for low-rank hunters, but nothing more. It couldn't compare to the holy relics used by the Church's high priests.
"Understood."
The bishop, having grasped the Patriarch's intent, prepared to withdraw. Just then, Felix spoke quietly while still reading.
"Only the one who has received His grace can fully purify Magu."
He was referring to the Saintess. There was only one reason the Patriarch would mention her. The bishop quietly closed the door and left the room.
*
Meanwhile, the news of successful Magu purification reached the opposite side of the world.
"Your Lordship."
"……"
The middle-aged gentleman addressed as "Your Lordship" silently watched the footage playing on the screen. It showed Rachel Bonaparte clad head-to-toe in Magu, cutting down a banshee.
"If they've purified Magu, that means they've solved mana pollution."
"It would seem so."
Gerald Cunningham, the Marquis, lifted the sword resting on the marble table. The blade looked dull, its mana heavily corrupted and murky.
"Then perhaps we can finally cleanse Iduz as well."
The sword in Gerald's hand was the magic blade once wielded by Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade and defender of the Holy Sepulchre. It was also the symbol of his ancestor, the swordmaster Alexander Cunningham. Restoring Iduz, which had been corrupted when Alexander died inside an un-cleared gate, had long been the Cunningham family's greatest wish. They needed Iduz to conquer the un-cleared gate known as the Sultan's Magic Mirror that was slowly destroying their house.
Gerald had entrusted Iduz to countless purification ability users, yet none had succeeded in cleansing its corrupted mana. Now, news had arrived from the other side of the world that Magu had been purified. For Gerald, who had made restoring Iduz his family's long-cherished goal, it was a dazzling ray of hope.
"At last, the day I can use Iduz may come."
Gerald gazed at the sword with eyes full of emotion.
"Contact Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa. Tell them I have something to discuss."
"Understood."
The same day, Gerald Cunningham, Marquis of one of Britain's most distinguished noble houses, boarded a flight bound for Korea—to attend the Magu Festival.
*
"Who's coming?"
"The Marquis Cunningham."
"Swordmaster Cunningham?"
"Yes. He contacted us saying he wants to purify a relic."
"If it's a relic, it must be the magic sword Iduz."
"Correct."
Ha Jinwu swallowed hard. They had only planned to sell Magu; they never expected someone of this caliber to get involved. Gerald Cunningham was a close confidant of the British royal family and an outstanding hunter himself, nearly S-rank. Gerald's long-cherished wish was the restoration of Iduz. But Iduz was no ordinary relic. It was the trophy taken by Godfrey of Bouillon during the First Crusade—the magic sword he had seized after cutting off the right arm of the Turkish Sultan. A blade like that, once corrupted, would not be easy to purify.
"What did he offer?"
"Twenty billion won."
Twenty billion. An astronomical sum no single person could ever spend in a lifetime. Yet the Marquis had offered it without hesitation in exchange for purifying Iduz. That alone showed how important the sword was to him. After all, to conquer the Sultan's Magic Mirror, they would need the very blade once wielded by the leader of the First Crusade. Still, this wasn't a decision they could make on their own. The one who would perform the purification wasn't them—it was Choi Seojun.
"I'll go speak with Seojun."
"Do that."
Kim Hayun rose from her seat.
*
Joan had been completely absorbed in reading lately. Having never learned to read as a girl, she now threw herself into books with the fervor of someone making up for lost time. Most of what she read concerned gates, monsters, and modern science—there was so much she wanted to understand. Occasionally she would pick up a romance novel, and whenever she did, she would stare at the pages with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth. Modern romance novels were far too stimulating for someone raised with medieval standards of propriety. For some reason, Joan tried to hide the fact that she was reading them from me.
Today she's reading Daddy-Long-Legs.
I decided to pretend I didn't notice.
Meanwhile, Vanessa sat at the table knitting. As a seamstress, she enjoyed making clothes for children. Her expression while knitting was one of pure contentment.
"What are you making?"
"A scarf."
"A scarf?"
"It's getting cold out."
She smiled softly at me as she spoke, then returned to her knitting with the same happy look on her face.
Bzzt—
Suddenly, the phone in my pocket vibrated. The screen displayed the name of Kim Hayun, 2nd Team Leader of Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa.
What could she want?
I tilted my head and answered.
"Team Leader Hayun, what can I do for you?"
—Seojun, I'm heading to your place right now. Are you home?
"Yes, I am. Is something wrong?"
—It's not something I can explain over the phone. I need to tell you in person.
I glanced at Vanessa and Joan, both lost in their own worlds, then quietly stood up from the sofa.
"I'll come out to meet you."
—Ah, then I'll wait at the Starbucks out front.
"Understood."
After hanging up, I reached for my coat. Vanessa naturally rose as well. Even Joan, who had been deeply immersed in her novel, looked up at me as if she had sensed something. For whatever reason, it seemed I wasn't allowed to go out alone.
"Shall we go together?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
Both women smiled at my question. I scratched my head and ended up heading out with the two of them.