Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Strange Companion
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Walking down the corridor, I scan my surroundings.
Snow-white wallpaper. Flickering fluorescent lights.
Nurses dash around, conversing among themselves in some bizarre language, while patients inside the rooms slump lifelessly. The nameplates on the patients' doors were so smeared and melted that it was hard to make out any shapes at all.
‘It’s not like someone erased them. It looks like they melted on their own.’
Was it like this from the start? Or did the victims, trapped here as patients, gradually melt away as they died?
If I had to guess, the latter seemed more likely. The degrees of melting varied, so it didn’t seem like they’d all been like that initially. If this hypothesis held true, scouting would be much easier. I could just head for the nameplates still clearly legible and save a ton of time.
It wasn’t anything that needed to be kept secret. Ian immediately shared his hypothesis with Cecilia. She listened with a serious expression before nodding.
“Good idea. Let’s try it.”
With her agreement, they continued scouting the sixth floor.
But there wasn’t a single patient with a normal name here. The only one even close was a half-melted “Kim Min-su.” His mental state wasn’t right either, so he wasn’t worth taking along.
They moved to the next floor and repeated the process several times. Seventh floor, eighth, ninth… By the time they reached the twelfth, the two took a short break on a bench.
“Whew…”
He wanted a smoke, but his throat stung too much to light up. In his current condition, it’d probably feel like his throat was burning alive. Still, to at least get the mood going, he just dangled the unlit cigarette from his lips and fiddled with it.
‘As long as I follow the rules, there’s no risk of getting killed. What I need to watch out for are the doctors and starvation.’
As non-patients, they couldn’t just eat food casually in this hospital. Stealing the patients’ meals was impossible, and buying from a convenience store would summon an internist… So their only option was their own blood.
It quenched thirst, sure, but it didn’t fill the stomach. Starvation was inevitable as time dragged on.
That meant they had to hurry. This break would be their last—they planned to push straight to the sixty-sixth floor without stopping. He’d already discussed it all with Cecilia.
‘I’d prefer to minimize fights if possible. Starting a battle here could lead to who-knows-what…’
If the enemy showed hostility first or it was truly unavoidable, he’d unleash magic without a second thought. Otherwise, no need to pull the trigger prematurely.
Quick and cautious judgment.
Using force only when absolutely necessary was the way to go.
“Ian, wizard.”
As he thought it over, Cecilia spoke up. Ian turned to look down at her.
“Yeah?”
“If we escape this place, I’d like to have a talk.”
“…A talk?”
Ian furrowed his brow as he asked, and she nodded.
“Your reason for coming to Korea. Mind consulting with me?”
“…Something to do with wizards?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not about the Book of Moses 8, is it?”
“…? Why bring up that grimoire out of nowhere?”
Cecilia blinked in confusion.
“That’s managed over in the Arab regions. The Vatican’s only grimoire is the Book of Pope Honorius.”
The Book of Pope Honorius.
Not the most famous grimoire, but well-known among wizards. It detailed spells to summon angels, holy magic, and how to command pure holy masses without intelligence for combat.
Ian had personally researched it in case he ever crossed paths with one, but he’d dropped interest after the Book of Moses 8 was destroyed and he could no longer hold ordinary grimoires.
‘That Book of Moses 8 is handled by the Arabs, huh.’
He’d assumed it was stored in the Vatican since it was Christian-related, but apparently not. That raised the chance that the Sixth and Seventh Books were also tucked away there.
He didn’t think zealots seeking brotherly revenge would come flying in, but he couldn’t rule out fanatics tracking the grimoires’ whereabouts. Once they escaped the hospital, he’d need to prepare in advance.
‘Lots to do.’
He hadn’t planned on lounging around long anyway, but it looked like his vacation would end even sooner than expected.
First things first: escape the hospital. Ian rubbed his sore throat and stood.
“I’ll hear you out. For now, focus on getting out.”
“Yeah, got it. Let’s head to the thirteenth floor.”
Cecilia gripped her dagger tighter and took the lead.
The twelfth floor was fully scouted. Time to head up again.
Ding.
They boarded the elevator and held down the button for the thirteenth floor. No sooner had they arrived than they started quickly checking the nameplates by the room doors.
Thirteenth floor: nothing.
Fourteenth had one partially melted name, but no brain activity, so they skipped it.
Fifteenth: nothing.
Sixteenth was labeled a psychiatric ward, so they didn’t bother.
Seventeenth and eighteenth: nothing in a row.
Nineteenth was ICU, ignored.
And then the twentieth.
Ding.
Beyond the smoothly opening doors, a familiar scene unfolded. Ian, his thighs tingling from the nonstop scouting, thumped them with his fist as he walked the corridor. Cecilia whispered from behind.
“More nurses than the other floors.”
“…”
She was right. His throat ached too much to reply, so he just nodded and tapped his grimoire with a finger.
Other floors had nurses too. Just not in huge numbers.
He’d encountered a total of three moving around, and even those sitting reading charts numbered two or three at most.
But on the twentieth, he’d already passed five in just a short walk.
“Patient, get it together. Additional surgery soon.”
“Check on that patient over there for me. If they refuse meds again, rip their throat open and force it down.”
“Bleeding patient here! Bring centipedes, gauze, and maggots!”
He let out a groan at the sight of the nurses moving with mechanical precision.
Their chatter was anything but normal, but their attitude toward patients was no different from real nurses. Despite their grotesque appearances, they threw themselves fully into the job.
That didn’t mean they were safe. No guarantee their prescriptions helped recovery—in fact, judging by patients on other floors, they likely worsened things. And there was no assurance they’d treat “intruders” the same way.
No letting his guard down. Finger on the trigger, grimoire in hand—he was ready to respond anytime. As long as he kept his wits, he wouldn’t be taken down easily.
‘The reverse targeting still works for now. It’ll break after two or three more warnings, but it’s enough for the moment.’
Just detecting threats ahead of time made it reliable. He couldn’t rely on it blindly, but he could trust it.
“Don’t provoke the nurses unnecessarily. Let’s move. More nurses probably means this floor’s different from the others.”
“Same thought here. Floors with few nurses had no survivors, ones with some had a few. So this place…”
“Highest chance of a sane one. Let’s go.”
Rustle.
Ian opened his grimoire as he walked the corridor. Cecilia stuck close, guarding him while scanning the surroundings.
After a while, Cecilia’s eyes lit up as she checked a nameplate.
“There!”
She grabbed Ian’s sleeve and pointed.
“Name’s perfectly clear.”
“…”
Ian turned to where she indicated.
[???][Park Hee-su]
A four-bed room. Amid the patients’ gooey, melted names, one remained pristine. They hurried to the door and peered through the window.
“…Curtains block the view.”
“According to the bed layout, right side by the window. Going in?”
Cecilia asked, pistol at the ready. Ian nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah. We went through all this to find someone sane—no reason to hesitate now.”
“Hide your face?”
“Anything to hide?”
“…Fair point.”
“Then no choice. I don’t love it, but no other way. We’ll gag him later if needed.”
“No violence.”
“I’ll do it wizard-style.”
“…That’s more worrying.”
Ian ignored Cecilia’s mutter and opened the door.
At that moment, the patients lying still convulsed into frenzy.
“Aaahhhhh!!!”
“Today they put centipedes in my head and maggots are eating my body and the bleeding and fever will rebirth me as a new species.”
“…”
Some screamed, some muttered madly, others scratched furiously with eyes and mouths sewn shut.
Amid the chaos, one bed remained calm. Ian strode in and pulled back the curtain by the right window.
Rustle!
Behind the pristine white curtain lay a middle-aged man. Eyes closed like he was asleep, but Ian instantly saw through the act.
Better than screaming. He looked down at the snoring faker, checking for any physical deformities.
Fortunately, he appeared normal. No signs of procedures. Meaning the doctors hadn’t touched him.
Faking sleep meant his mind was intact too.
This guy met the criteria perfectly.
Decision made, Ian pressed the gun barrel to the man’s forehead. Cecilia yelped in alarm, but he ignored her and spoke.
“I see through the fake sleep. You’re not a nurse or doctor, so open your eyes and answer. Scream, and I pull the trigger. Keep responses short.”
Starting strong had its reasons. Even Ian wouldn’t shove a gun at an innocent without cause.
‘We confirmed he’s a sane patient, but can’t trust blindly. Need to talk first.’
What if he was a lunatic faking sanity? Couldn’t rule that out.
No, it wasn’t impossible. Every action needed caution. That’s why the gun first—to force quick responses and establish dominance in the conversation.
Press.
Ian’s expression was ice-cold as he ground the barrel in and moved his lips.
“Answer.”
“…”
Sensing the pressure on his forehead, the man slowly opened his eyes and met Ian’s gaze. He said nothing at first, then spotted the grimoire in Ian’s hand and Cecilia with her cross-shaped dagger. He smirked.
“A wizard and a heresy inquisitor? Now that’s a weird combo.”