Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Owl
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Ian's expectations fell flat. Even as the appointed time drew near, no one resembling Dolores showed up. The only one around was the red-haired madwoman, frolicking wildly.
In the end, Ian let out a deep sigh and walked toward Dolores and Ari, who were sitting on the bench with Yuna.
"Hmm?"
Dolores, who had been idly kicking her legs, tilted her head at the sight of the two approaching. Her red hair drooped limply, defying gravity.
"Who might you be?"
Her voice was surprisingly thin. It was the soothing ASMR type that Eun-ha would find comfortable to listen to. If Yuna's voice had a slight edge to it, Dolores's was just high-pitched.
The kind of volume that could make your ears tingle if you listened for too long.
Ian replied quickly, before drawing too much attention from passersby.
"Dolores. Right?"
Her eyes widened slightly at his cautious question. She covered her mouth with both gloved hands and took a step back—or rather, just shifted slightly to the side.
"Oh my, could it be...?"
She murmured, her pupils trembling faintly. Ian nodded.
"That 'could it be' is spot on. I didn't set a nickname, so it's hard to prove, but I'm—"
"Used Newbie!"
Dolores cut him off and shouted. Passersby startled and turned to stare. Ian's brow furrowed just as much.
"Hey, your voice—"
"Weren't you a girl?! Why are you a guy?!!!"
Her volume spiked another decibel. Ian's face twisted in dismay—he'd suddenly been branded a netkama. He could overlook the aggro from her loud voice, but not the outright fabrication amplified by it.
Loud voices had a way of making lies sound convincing. He needed to clear this up before Yuna got the wrong idea.
"I've never once pretended to be a girl. What the hell are you talking about?"
"No! Your speech was totally feminine! Like, 'What's this doing~' or whatever!"
"That's just the concept."
"What?!"
"Honestly, I'm more shocked that you're not putting on an act..."
Ian sighed deeply and turned to the other woman sitting beside the stunned Dolores.
Petite build. Shoulder-length bob with dark roots showing through the dyed blonde. Nothing particularly striking about her. Ian gave her a slight nod and murmured,
"You're Kim Ari?"
"Ah, yes! Nice to meet you! Ah, I mean—nice to meet you!"
She smiled awkwardly and extended her hand.
Mages didn't usually shake hands. Who'd grab someone else's palm without worrying about hidden spells? What if their wrist got blasted off?
But she was a beginner mage. Her magic probably topped out at making light flicker from her fingertips. No real danger.
His aiming device hadn't reacted anyway, so there was no need to be overly cautious. Ian extended his hand without a second thought and gently clasped her small one.
"Yeah, nice to meet—"
A familiar vibration hummed from somewhere.
It was the telltale rumble grimoires made when conveying their will. But Ian's grimoires were silent. The Hand of Recreation tucked in his coat, the Book of Contracts getting smacked in his bag, and the Deep Sea Chronicles smacking it back—none of them stirred.
So who was the source?
"Eek!"
It didn't take thinking. The only ones here with grimoires were Ian and Ari.
"Wh-what's wrong, Moses?"
A devout Christian would've smacked her with a Bible for that line, but Kim Ari patted her brown coat pocket anyway. The vibration didn't stop. If anything, it grew louder.
"Ah, why, seriously! You're embarrassing me! Stop it, stop! I don't even know what you're saying!"
"Don't just vibrate—say something, please!"
Ari stomped her feet in frustration.
As a new grimoire owner, she clearly struggled to interpret the vibrations. Even Ian hadn't realized at first that they signaled a desire to communicate.
He didn't fully grasp their wills even now, but he had a decent read. Helping out a rookie mage was no big deal. He released the handshake and glanced at her vibrating coat.
"Looks like your grimoire's throwing a tantrum. Mind showing me?"
This was a low-traffic spot—no worry about prying eyes spotting a grimoire.
They just looked like pretty books anyway. Without anomaly exposure or magic knowledge, no one could identify one. He made the offer casually.
Ari accepted readily.
"Ah, sure! Now that you mention it, Used Newbie senior has a grimoire too, right?"
"...Shin Ian."
"Got it, Ian senior! Here's the grimoire!"
She rummaged in her coat and pulled out a small grimoire.
About half the size of Ian's.
The cover text was in ancient Greek—unreadable for a native Korean like him. Yet he effortlessly parsed it as Book of Moses 6.
Not by sight, but direct comprehension in his mind.
Like reading his native tongue. The Book of Moses 8 had been the same—no language barrier.
'High overall grimoire affinity, maybe. Even if owned, no issue reading.'
He'd instantly read the title of Eun-ha's Solomon's Lesser Key too. No exception here.
High affinity let him read, but without it, meaningless. Still, he could threaten to read it.
"Lend it for a sec."
"Ah, sure! Here..."
Ari handed it over without hesitation. Dolores, who'd been listening quietly, gasped and grabbed Ian's wrist.
"Wait! Touching another mage's grimoire directly causes splitting headaches! Reading it is worse! I've seen people pass out!"
"It's fine. Just need one word."
Ian gently pried off her hand with a smirk.
"Probably."
"Huh? What do you—"
Before she could finish, Ian placed his hand on the Book of Moses 6. The increasingly frantic rumbling calmed the instant his fingers touched the cover.
Frozen solid, like stone. Confirming no headache on contact, Ian grinned and tapped the cover.
He leaned in and whispered,
"Quiet down, or I'll rip you in half."
...Tremble.
The grimoire shuddered wildly side to side, but silently. The threat worked.
It crept fearfully up Ari's arm like a scolded pet. She picked it up with a look of wonder.
"Whoa... How'd you do that? It never listens to me!"
"Threats from someone who's actually killed carry weight."
"...?"
"Basic mage knowledge. Burn it into your brain."
"No idea what that means..."
Ari pocketed it with a puzzled frown. Ian didn't bother explaining and turned away.
The vibration on handshake was likely due to his Outer God grimoires.
The Book of Moses 8 from the library had known too—hence its desperate refusal to open. No different for the 6th.
'Or maybe it realized who killed whoever killed the 8th.'
The thought chilled his expression.
Just speculation for now. With Lemegeton in Korea, no reason Moses books couldn't be too.
But the timing—frenzy starting on physical contact during the handshake, intensifying as his hand neared. Easy clues to deduce.
'Better stay cautious.'
He doubted it'd harm them directly. But no blind optimism. It could summon an angel to attack anytime—healthy suspicion was wise.
Worst case, kill Ari and destroy the grimoire.
"..."
That was a last resort. Unlikely to come to it.
Ian turned back to Dolores. She stared at him—untouched by the contact—with sparkling eyes.
"You're amazing! Handling a grimoire like that without a hitch! Special constitution? Psychic mage hybrid? Either way, this young lady is deeply impressed!"
"Uh, yeah. So when do we head out, our little owl?"
One way to handle madwomen: don't challenge their reality. It seemed to work—Dolores gasped, covered her mouth, and cleared her throat awkwardly.
"A-hem! Indeed! Time to guide you! Follow me, everyone! It's not far from here!"
She spun gracefully and strode off. Ari hurried after her. Yuna whispered from behind Ian.
"Sh-she's nuts... Should we bolt now...?"
"...Nuts, yeah. But nicely nuts. Should be fine."
"Ugh... Just in case, I should prep some spells..."
Yuna shuddered, stuffing ghoul-blood potions into her pockets.
Ian sighed and followed Dolores.
This crew was going to be anything but easy.