Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
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March mornings were chillier than expected. Winter had passed and spring had arrived, but spring hadn’t fully bloomed yet. Winter’s cold was more stubborn than anticipated, leaving the flower buds shivering and silently wishing for the chill to fade.
“Haa….”
In the midst of that silent season of flowers, Ian exhaled into the air and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. His hands were too cold to keep them out.
He considered putting on gloves but decided against it. They’d make it harder to react in an emergency.
Wearing gloves would inevitably dull his responses. Not just turning the pages of his grimoire, but even pulling items from his inner pocket would be a hassle. At least while handling a commission, bare hands were more convenient. The cold? Tough luck—he’d just have to tough it out with grit.
‘Still, having a hand warmer in my pocket helps a bit.’
Ian kneaded the rough-textured hot pack in his pocket and nodded to himself in satisfaction.
“Yap.”
As he did, someone approached from behind and covered his eyes with their hands.
A body temperature so cold it felt like ice pierced his skin and sent tingles straight to his brain. Ian flinched and immediately pulled away the hands.
“…Cold. Don’t.”
“Hehe, surprisingly weak to the cold, huh?”
The owner of those icy hands, Kim Yul, grinned up at him.
As always, her outfit was incredibly simple.
A tennis skirt exposing her bare legs, sneakers, and a thin athletic jacket—that was it.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t suitable for early spring. A regular person dressed like that would soon start shivering uncontrollably.
But Kim Yul was a mage. One who didn’t feel cold or heat. To her, clothes were just something to cover her nakedness.
“No one else has arrived yet?”
She stood right next to him and remarked. Ian nodded and pulled his phone from his pants pocket.
Cecilia’s message saying she was almost there had been sent five minutes ago.
The rest of the group had sent similar updates. Everyone should arrive soon.
Unfortunately, Han Yu-na was sitting this commission out. With Management Bureau agents joining, it couldn’t be helped. Regrettable, but he’d requested her assignment to another job instead.
Ian pocketed his phone and turned to Kim Yul.
“They’ll be here soon. You eat?”
“Why? Gonna buy if I didn’t?”
“No food around here, that’s all.”
Ian glanced back at the dark tunnel behind them.
An entrance to a rural village on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, essentially.
No cars moved inside the tunnel, where even sunlight couldn’t penetrate. Thick fog had taken their place.
The fog, laced with yin energy, scattered chilling gusts on the wind, and grotesque ghosts swarmed within it.
All of them were malevolent spirits who had died inside the tunnel. A normal person passing through would have their flesh and bones separate, collapsing in a heap on the ground.
Of course, to mages, they weren’t much of a threat. Unless they were ghosts controlled by a necromancer, these malevolent spirits were little more than wild animals. Killing them wasn’t hard.
But their appearance was so repulsive that staring too long just stirred up disgust.
“Gross things.”
Kim Yul stuck out her tongue at the ghosts in the tunnel, apparently feeling the same.
“I hate ghosts. If you’re dead, just go nicely—why stick around causing trouble?”
“Unfinished business, probably.”
“No amount of unfinished business justifies killing the living.”
“What do you expect from souls turned anomalies. Anyway, did you eat?”
Ian turned back to her and repeated his first question. Kim Yul nodded lightly.
“Grabbed something at the convenience store.”
“Good.”
As Ian replied, two men slowly approached along the straight road. Seeing their familiar yet long-unseen faces, Ian smirked. The men spotted him and curled their lips upward.
“Mage.”
“Long time no see. Albert, Benjamin.”
“Yeah, you damn bastard. Exactly three months.”
The elderly man with snow-white hair and beard, Albert, adjusted his sunglasses as he answered.
“Calling us only when you need us, you son of a bitch.”
“You guys want to hunt vampires too, don’t you?”
“That’s why we came.”
Albert chuckled heartily and tapped the revolver at his waist. Benjamin stood beside him and drew the crossbow from his back.
“Hunting Royal Vampires is a commission even I can’t refuse.”
Royal Vampire.
Otherwise known as high-ranking vampires or noble vampires. The names varied, but the meaning was much the same.
“You said you use mind reading.”
Albert murmured while checking the bullets in his revolver.
“Please, I’d love if you read my thoughts.”
“…”
“I want to etch in how deep my hatred for them runs. This’ll let me check off one item on my bucket list.”
Ian offered no response to his laughing words.
Albert was a victim who’d lost his wife and daughter to vampires. Naturally, his hatred and killing intent ran deep. He’d plunged into this world driven purely by revenge, without even memory erasure. Ian couldn’t even fathom the depth of his emotions.
No need to empathize, though. Ian just nodded vaguely and shifted his gaze to Kim Yul.
“As I mentioned, these are the cooperating vampire hunters.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t start any trouble.”
“Who do you think I am, a troublemaker?”
Kim Yul grinned and stepped back.
“Unless they pick a fight first, I’ve got nothing to say.”
“No worries.”
Benjamin replied to Kim Yul as he nocked an arrow in his crossbow.
“We’ve got no intention of provoking a mage. We don’t care about anything but vampires anyway.”
“Good.”
Kim Yul shrugged and tapped her foot in a puddle on the ground. Ian left her be and turned to Albert and Benjamin.
“One nun from the Vatican and a few more Management Bureau agents are on the way.”
“We know. Doesn’t matter to us. As long as we can catch and torment vampires, we’re good.”
That was a relief. Ian sat on a nearby rock and waited for the others.
About ten minutes later, Cecilia appeared at the end of the road in her nun’s habit. It was new to Ian, but more familiar to her than everyday clothes. She approached, trailing her fingers along the massive pistol at her waist.
“Ian.”
“Right on time. Witnesses on the way?”
“None. The Association gave me a ride.”
“Good. That cross on your back…”
Ian’s gaze turned to the enormous cross strapped vertically to Cecilia’s back. She answered nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.
“Greatsword.”
“…Greatsword?”
“Yeah. Pulls out into a blade. Want to see?”
“…No, it’s fine. Show me later.”
Ian muttered awkwardly.
A greatsword. Bigger than Cecilia’s head by a good margin—could she even swing it properly?
Well, she’d brought it herself, so of course she could. Still, it didn’t suit her. Hard to picture, that’s all.
‘She showed good instincts at the hospital, though. Should be reliable this time too.’
Obviously, regeneration paired with close-quarters combat produced great synergy. Better than sniping from afar—wielding a greatsword and charging into the fray suited Cecilia perfectly.
Ian welcomed her melee skills. No reason to refuse someone volunteering for the front line.
“Ah, Wizard. There you are.”
As Ian thought that, a man and woman in suits walked slowly from the far end.
Management Bureau agents. Both were strangers to Ian. They glanced at Kim Yul beside him, the two vampire hunters, and Cecilia before turning back to Ian.
“Response Division Team 4, Kim Seorin and Park Hoseok. Kim Seorin here is mute, so she doesn’t speak. Thanks for understanding.”
Park Hoseok said, turning to Kim Seorin. As Ian’s eyes flicked to her, she bowed her head politely.
“…Skills solid?”
“Yes. We’ve all been with the Bureau over ten years. Surviving that long proves we’re veterans.”
“Good. Everyone’s here—let’s head in.”
Ian lit a cigarette and turned. The agents nodded, and Albert and Benjamin pulled out cigars to follow him.
“Love the no-hesitation attitude. Let’s go. After-party drinks on me.”
“Blood from vampires.”
Ian chuckled at his joke. He lit his cigarette and began walking slowly into the tunnel.
Positions formed naturally. Cecilia and the agents up front, vampire hunters behind, Kim Yul and Ian bringing up the rear side by side. Kim Yul strolled lightly with hands behind her back, humming.
“Reminds me of old times, newbie. We walked like this back then too.”
“‘Old times’? Wasn’t that recent?”
“Nitpicking like that kills your popularity, you know?”
Kim Yul stuck out her tongue and laughed. Droplets of saliva fell from its tip. Ian recoiled and pushed her head away.
“Gross…”
“A cute girl like me? My saliva’s in high demand. Not gross.”
“Cut the crap and watch the rear.”
“Yessir.”
Kim Yul giggled and turned around. Ian gripped the Deep Sea Chronicles and tossed his spent cigarette into a puddle. In a ghost-infested place, he didn’t care about the environment or littering laws.
‘The grimoire’s fully recovered. I can use summoning magic now.’
No coincidence he’d gathered the team after March. That’s how long the Deep Sea Chronicles needed to recover.
Not using summoning wasn’t a huge loss, but better to be at full strength. Ian patted the delighted grimoire—back in top condition after so long—and scanned the foggy tunnel.
Fortunately, the tunnel ghosts didn’t attack. Even hatred-filled malevolent spirits weren’t dumb enough to assault a group with a mage and a nun. They passed through without incident.
Just before exiting the tunnel in silence, Park Hoseok spoke up.
“Wizard, heard the news?”
“…? What news.”
Ian tilted his head at the sudden remark. Park Hoseok glanced at him.
“The Nazis crashed in Korea.”
“…Nazis?”
“Yes. You know the conspiracy about a Nazi secret base on the dark side of the moon? It’s turned into a real anomaly.”
“Hah.”
Ian let out a hollow laugh.
“Isn’t that dangerous? I think I heard Nazi forces reviving is one of the world-end scenarios.”
“Secret base Nazis are a different category. No Hitler types there. Their individual power’s nothing special. Numbers are high, but no big deal.”
Park Hoseok spun his pen deftly as he continued.
“The Bureau’s already tracking them, so no need to worry. Just sharing info in case—”
“Hold.”
Cecilia’s clear voice cut him off. All eyes turned to her.
“Ghouls ahead.”
No one there failed to grasp that. The vampire hunters’ faces twisted, and the agents shone fog lamps forward. A ghoul gnawing something in the tunnel exit’s corner came into sharp view.
Four in total. Not many, but not few. Ian narrowed his eyes at the meat chunk they were eating.
“…Tch.”
It was human. Freshly dead—blood still poured from the corpse.
“Jackpot.”
Albert grinned and drew his revolver. Benjamin silently aimed his crossbow.
Then, Ian frowned at something odd.
“Wait, those ghouls. Their clothes are weird.”
Recently turned ghouls still wore their human-era outfits. They’d tear and fray over time, but within a week, clothes often draped like cloaks over pale bodies.
Clothing condition even helped detect lingering vampires. These ghouls’ outfits were nearly intact—proof a noble vampire was in the village.
But beyond that, their attire was bizarrely out of place.
Not modern clothes.
Long black coats, military boots, jackets covered in insignia, pants with swords and guns. Nothing fit the modern era. Not Korean military either—colors and styles didn’t match.
If anything… European soldiers. World War II officers.
German officers.
Nazis. Officers.
“Son of a bitch.”
Realization hit, and curses spilled from Ian’s mouth. Park Hoseok’s words about moon Nazis flashed through his mind.
“Nazis!”
Ian shouted.
“This damn village has Nazis and vampires together!”
No time for questions like what nonsense that was. The ghouls dropped their meal and turned at his yell.
[Grrr…!]
Bloodshot eyes gleamed through the fog, reeking of gore. Without pause, they bared dripping fangs and charged on all fours.
[Gaaaargh!!!!]
The distance closed fast. The group finally grasped what Ian meant about Nazis.
They spotted the stark symbols on the ghouls’ uniforms and grimaced, drawing their weapons.