Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Band Leader
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The day after heading down to Busan.
Ian tested several more items in Lee Seo-ah's workshop before heading to the station in time for his train.
Fortunately, he didn't run into any anomalies on the way. Whether it was because Lee Seo-ah's evil spirit had handled things properly or the Management Bureau hadn't put a tail on him, it was a relief.
"I'll be off. Thanks for all your help."
Right before parting.
Ian adjusted his bag and waved to Lee Seo-ah. She waved it off like it was no big deal.
"No problem. Contact me if you need anything. Anytime's fine."
They had already exchanged numbers. Now, there was no need to send messages through the community whenever something came up. A call or text would suffice.
Gaining another mage connection was welcome news for Ian. He might hesitate if she were a villain, but there was no need with a mage who'd lent him her workshop and shaken off any pursuit.
He checked the clearly saved contact for Lee Seo-ah on his phone once more, then sat on an empty bench. Lee Seo-ah cautiously took a seat beside him.
"I'll text you about the Cartel."
"Won't the Management Bureau notice?"
"When you joined the community, Grandmother cast a spell on your phone. They can't track it from there."
This was new information.
He knew the mage community wasn't ordinary, but he hadn't expected it to tamper with phones. Grandmother the mage was far more impressive than he'd thought.
As he marveled inwardly, a sudden thought made Ian furrow his brow.
"Wait. Doesn't that mean Grandmother could eavesdrop on my phone?"
"She can't. If she could, the mages would've hunted her down ages ago. I would've tracked her identity and sliced her up myself."
Fortunately, Seo-ah answered promptly.
"That makes sense."
"It's true she has a high-quality grimoire, but she can't just eavesdrop or spy at will. Mystic-based surveillance sets off mages' senses pretty sharply. If you couldn't detect that, you shouldn't be a mage."
She said it forcefully, but Lee Seo-ah was right.
Mages were inherently strong individualists. There were exceptions, but most put themselves first and eliminated anything threatening their safety. Leaving mystic surveillance or eavesdropping undetected didn't make sense.
So, it was safe to assume Grandmother wasn't pulling any tricks.
Ian knew something magical had been cast on his phone once, but he hadn't felt anything off about it.
Better to drop the needless suspicion.
'I don't know how long the community's been around, but its continued existence means the admin's competent. Any issues would've cropped up by now.'
No admin changes in the middle either, so Grandmother clearly had solid character and skills. Even if not, she handled Band Leader duties flawlessly.
No need to worry, then.
As Ian thought that, the KTX began pulling into the station. He stared at the approaching train in the distance, then turned to Lee Seo-ah.
"Contact me if you're ever up north. I'll help."
"Yeah. Safe travels. I'll head out first."
"Got it."
Lee Seo-ah lightly tapped Ian's arm in response. She stood there until he boarded and the train departed, then left the station and returned straight to her workshop.
Creak, click.
The workshop door opened and closed. She tossed her padded jacket onto a chair and lay down on the bed in the corner, pulling out her phone.
"......"
She swiped past the lock screen—a photo taken in front of her master's memorial portrait—and checked her contacts. A name was now prominently saved in her previously empty list.
[Shin Ian]
A fairly unique name in Korea. An oddball who'd picked up an Outer God's grimoire, become a mage, and stayed perfectly sane without a hint of madness.
Lee Seo-ah stared blankly at his number, then grinned foolishly and set her phone down.
"My first friend in life......"
Ian might not know it, but Lee Seo-ah felt a deep inner closeness to him.
They'd been aware of each other before she became a mage; he'd followed her advice to become one and even joined the community.
It was a setup bound to foster familiarity. That's why she'd invited him to her workshop and squeezed out what little affability she had to get closer.
And this was the result.
Numbers exchanged, no less. She'd finally made her first friend—something she'd never done before.
Sure, their ages and genders differed, but did that matter? What mattered was they were both mages and clicked in conversation, right?
Definitely. No doubt about it.
Merlin and Solomon up in the sky, along with her biological parents, were surely nodding in approval.
"Ehehe."
She hugged her phone, laughing as she rolled around on the bed.
Her guardian spirit standing quietly beside her shed moved tears of emotion and gave a thumbs-up.
*
*
*
[Title: No Band Leader? Hella running.]
[Yeah]
(Ghoul lying on bed in a bikini photo)
Ghoul lololol
[Comments]
-(Band Leader! Corn)
Early morning.
A woman who checked the community first thing upon waking sighed deeply and deleted the new post. She went through all the posts from while she slept, handled the ones needing deletion, and got up from the bed.
[Awake?]
As she blinked her bleary eyes, a deep voice came from the desk. The woman nodded, downed a glass of water from her bedside, and replied.
"Good morning, Solomon."
[I've told you countless times, I'm not Solomon. Just a remnant of thought he left in this book.]
The grimoire named 'Solomon's Lesser Key' hummed. The woman smiled softly, went to the kitchen, and brewed her morning cup of coffee.
"But I can't call you anything else. You hate Goetia."
[No better name?]
"Hmm...... Sorry. I'm no good at naming."
[Tch. Fine. Keep calling me Solomon.]
"Yes."
She drew the curtains, placed a chair by the window, and sat down to read a book. It was by a famous psychologist—a staple for nourishing the mind.
She always started her day like this: one book and one coffee. A habit from childhood, back when it was cocoa instead. Her tastes had changed since.
"......Hm."
After finishing the book, she washed the cup and studied the records in the grimoire. Info on the 72 demons was endless; she always imprinted it in her mind with Solomon's help.
[Amdusias is a demon who controls trees and plants with music. Summoning him grants musical talent. But he appears as a unicorn. If the summoner isn't a virgin, he uses music to kill them.]
"It's fine. I haven't even held a guy's hand."
[I know. No need to hesitate summoning him. The offerings are a horse, ivory, and virgin's blood.]
"Yes."
[Note: If he's in a bad mood and you say something offending, he might kill you instead. Better to sing or play music first to soothe him than propose a deal.]
"What can I offer in a deal?"
[Knowledge. On plants, trees, and music. Learn it. Includes mystic plants and music too.]
"Got it."
She jotted notes with a quill.
After about three hours of study, free time arrived.
She kept the community open on her phone, played yoga videos on TV for light exercise, and ate homemade sandwiches.
During exercise breaks, she quickly checked community posts, deleted what needed deleting, and secretly upvoted the funny or absurd ones.
Then back to exercise.
"Hngh......!"
After repeating muscle contractions and relaxations a few times, her daily workout ended. She showered off the sweat-soaked clothes and lay on the bed.
Routine complete. Now she could do whatever.
But this time slot was always the same.
She mounted her phone on a stand, played Mozart symphony collections via Bluetooth speaker, and logged into the community.
[Title: Another. Fun. Anomaly. Mukbang. Time.]
[SweetGrandpa]
(Something's limbs on a grill photo)
Tasty, food. Would be nice, to eat with a lady, just one,,,,,,
[Upvotes 0][Downvotes 0]
[Comments]
-Ear Bug: Grandpa, any bugs near your temple? Need to restock weird insects.
ㄴSweetGrandpa: No bugs! All eaten!
ㄴEar Bug: Fuck.
[Title: Saw my post deleted, so Grandmother must be on now.]
[StrawberryYogurtSmoothie]
(Cat shoving face in photo)
Hurry and unblock comments. You block comments but not posting? Why?
And I don't swear much.
Getting madder thinking about it. Seriously fuck off or what?
[Upvotes 0][Downvotes 1]
[Comments]
-★Grandmother: Block posting too?
ㄴStrawberryYogurtSmoothie: Sorry.
"This person...... Not bad, but......"
As she muttered with a deep sigh, the grimoire spoke.
[More importantly, Eun-ha. How long will you just manage the community from home? Time to go out, hunt anomalies, test magic. You're getting older—date someone. When do you plan kids? Band Leader with no kids? Ridiculous.]
"......I'm still young. Early twenties. And outside's scary. Never know when you'll run into anomalies. Staying home's safest."
[You just hate crowded hours. I saw you walk at the most dangerous dawn.]
Stung by the petty fact, Eun-ha scrolled down without responding.
Then, one post caught her eye.
[Title: Magic noob finally caught a Reptilian today.]
[Mad Moon World]
(Reptilian in suit photo)
Pretended to be Management Bureau agent so I followed, but looked inhuman so I just went for it.
Turns out Reptilian after killing. Fuck lololololol
Cartel buys these for big bucks, did I just hit life jackpot?
Feeling good, tossing bucks.
Line up!
[Upvotes 4][Downvotes 2]
[Comments]
-Line.
-Ear Bug: Line.
-Serious Magic Addict: Line.
-Taming Master: Line.
Grandmother skimmed the post and comments, then quietly typed.
-★Grandmother: Line.
Even as Band Leader, free burgers were serious business.
[Haa......]
She lightly ignored the grimoire's sigh.