Chapter 154
Chapter 154
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Return
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Memory manipulation had worked perfectly. Ian looked down at her, limbs severed and twitching, then knelt nearby. Marianne grinned sheepishly, showing no wariness even as he approached openly.
"My limbs... flew off, huh. Did I push myself too hard again?"
"Don't you remember why they got cut off?"
"Kinda... I remember fighting some monster last, but beyond that... not really."
Marianne wiggled her severed stumps like limbs.
It seemed the memory tweak hadn't gone into fine detail. But Ian wasn't particularly disappointed—he'd known as much already.
Ian tapped the grimoire's cover with his finger, pondering Marianne's fate.
She's useful as an ally, but I'm not about to get attached. She's no fully realized human mage, and with our personal bad blood, there's no reason to shoulder the risk of keeping her close.
To Ian, Marianne was a duck-egg conundrum—nice to have, but no great loss without. Extracting her info and securing one-way loyalty were perks, but not enough to drag her everywhere. Better to leave her be and summon when needed.
Hauling her around constantly had limits anyway. With her face too well-known now, summoning Cecilia was smarter still—or better yet, something from the outer sea.
For now, let her keep operating as Laplace and use her as an occasional pawn.
Decision made, Ian nodded and gazed into Marianne's bright, sparkling blue eyes.
"You just lost to a monster in battle, and I saved you. That's it."
"...You're the best, Master. Saving me again."
"No big deal. How long till you regenerate?"
"Hmm..."
Marianne rolled her eyes as if thinking, then answered cautiously.
"Roughly three days...? I think so."
"...That's too long."
"Sorry... I grafted werewolf bones, but since they got blown clean off, recovery's slower..."
Werewolf.
A grotesque born in Europe, just like vampires—known as wolf-men in Korea and other Eastern lands.
Traits: tough hide that strengthened with blood loss, and regeneration. But even grafted from a mystery with regen, it couldn't match Cecilia's innate efficiency.
Cecilia's healing needed conditions too, sure—but her speed was unmatched. Comparing Marianne was almost insulting. Right now, she was dead weight.
At least she's lighter without limbs. Though she'd be no burden with them.
Ian sighed deeply and grabbed Marianne's collar.
"Dragging you. Bear the scrapes."
"O-okay... Ugh..."
Scraaaape.
Ian dragged Marianne out of the ruins. Blood bubbled from her severed stumps, her skin tearing on rubble and glass shards. She stifled groans but didn't thrash.
The sky beyond the ruins remained blindingly bright. Sunlight glinted off shattered glass strewn inside the collapsed building, scattering sparkles everywhere.
Less light than in civilization's heyday, sure—but the scene was still beautiful.
"........."
Whiiish.
Wind shattered against the building howled sharply. Ian let his hair whip free and turned toward the Circulator sitting in the road's center.
Dozens of Reptilian corpses lay shredded at its feet—new arrivals drawn by the noise, handled by the Circulator.
Few intact bodies. But given its fighting style, that was expected.
Ian had no complaints. Reptilians? Harvest a few corpses, simplify with re-creation magic—no issue if mangled. He approached the Circulator, smirking faintly as it crunched one messily.
[...Gruk!]
The Circulator spotted him, spat out the corpse. Ian stroked its forepaw.
"Good job. They crashed in suddenly?"
[Gruk!]
"Yeah. Load these up. Help me."
The Circulator nodded, hooked Marianne's clothes with a claw, and flung her onto its back. She tumbled across its bumpy spine, coughing harshly.
Likely chest-compressed on landing. Ian shrugged it off and climbed up.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah... fine... *cough*..."
"Good."
Ian secured Marianne with veins like before, then rolled his stiff shoulders and wrists atop the Circulator. Overdid the cleaning—joints ached faintly.
Now to handle the Reptilians.
Cultists down first—time for lizards as planned. Couldn't wipe every Reptilian on Earth, but Incheon's? All dead.
Unnecessary, really. Escape via mirror, Grandmother's devil pact—done here.
But nothing better till she arrived. Feeding the Circulator beat twiddling thumbs.
Ian settled comfortably and patted its back.
"Hungry? Let's eat."
[Grrruk!]
The Circulator rumbled happily.
[That damned Solomon heir!]
Neighhh!
A small horse galloped through the city, roaring skyward.
Black hide, red mane—the great demon of hell. Gamigin, rank 4 of Solomon's 72, glared at the two women on his back and stomped the earth.
[I didn't answer your summon just to be a mount! I can teach you manners, necromancy, divination! But this? A mount? Treating a demon like a horse! What do you take me for?!]
"Excellent transport. Shut up and run faster."
Eun-ha yanked the chain coldly. The golden chain around Gamigin's neck tightened like reins; he gnashed teeth and accelerated.
[I am Gamigin, great demon of hellll!]
A marquis of hell who devoured villages on summon. Vatican watched Solomon's 72 closely, but Lemegeton dominated all demons. Eun-ha cared nothing for his rank.
"Right here. Turn properly. You're wobbling."
[Hee-hi-hi-hing!]
Gamigin obeyed, drifting wildly on cracked roads. Drowned souls from his shadow aided the sharp curve.
"Uwaaaah! Too fast, way too faaaast...?!"
Yu-na clutched his mane, screaming. Eun-ha replied nonchalantly.
"This is slow. Around... 200 km/h."
"Th-that's fast! Can't hear a thing...!"
"I hear fine. Contractor perk. You too, mostly—I'm boosting you with magic. Just endure."
"Eeeek...!"
Yu-na weakly smacked Eun-ha's shoulder. Eun-ha ignored the petulant tap, pulled out the looted national map.
Worn map, but good enough for position. She fetched a golden pentagram from her bosom, laid it under the map.
"I beseech thee to grant the sight of all to blind me."
The incantation lit the pentagram, spawning golden dots on the map.
Catholic magic dubbed God's Compass—versatile anywhere.
[Grrk! God's power...! Get that off me, you rotten bitch...!]
Gamigin snarled at Solomon's magic. Eun-ha snorted.
"No whining. Keep running. Veer left here."
[Horses aren't for long runs...!]
"You're a demon, not a horse. Quit complaining."
[Demon when it suits you, fuck... Just like Solomon...!]
Gamigin praised bitterly, speeding up. Yu-na shrieked; Eun-ha hardened at Incheon's encroaching ruins. Her bag rattled with the broken mirror, ignored as she gripped the map.
Where are you, Ian?
Last sighted on Incheon's ruined road.
No visible wounds then, but time passed—could be different now. Needed to find him fast.
"Please be safe..."
Eun-ha muttered, swapping to an Incheon map—
Boooom!!
A massive explosion rocked the city depths. Ground quaked; dust wind blew as a building's top crashed down.
"Ugh...!"
Debris flew from shattered pavement, shockwave bursting. Eun-ha squinted at the building chunk.
Inside: mangled Reptilian corpses, brutally exploded, torn, disassembled—frozen in terror, unseen by her eyes.
In a fallen, mystery-less world, nothing hunted Reptilians like that. No need to guess who.
"Ian...!"
Eun-ha murmured unwittingly as a beastly roar echoed from the debris' source.
A massive howl, wolf-like.
Eun-ha seized Gamigin's chain.
"There, fast!"
[That aura's ominous...]
"Now!"
[Fine, fine. You dog of a woman. Going.]
Gamigin grumbled and charged.