Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Proposal
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Ian checked a few more matters before signing the contract. The two agents kindly answered all his questions.
Fortunately, there was nothing detrimental or bothersome to him. Ian nodded, added a few clauses to the blanks in the contract, and signed it.
The added clauses were nothing major.
When going on missions, prioritize his safety first. And only select reliable personnel to form a team with him. That was all.
They were selfish clauses, but there was no need to act altruistically.
Ian didn't think of himself as some movie-hero type. Sure, he was a mage now, but in any situation, his own safety was always the most precious thing to him.
He wasn't some psycho who treated others' sacrifices or deaths lightly, but he wouldn't get depressed or sad if he failed to save them. He had no such heroic spirit or altruism. In a mysterious world where lives could be discarded like weeds, selfishness was essential for survival.
So there was no guilt in writing those clauses.
Thud.
Ian finished signing and set down the pen. Kim I-seo checked what he'd written and nodded.
"This much we can certainly accommodate. However, separately from looking after you, the agents won't sacrifice themselves. We have our own policies..."
"I'm not asking for sacrifices. Just protection when needed is enough."
"Then there's no problem."
Ian pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket as Kim I-seo nodded.
He had no intention of smoking. He wanted to, but he had to hold off until these two left. He had zero plans to smoke at home.
"So, is that everything?"
"For now, yes. We'll take this contract back to the Management Bureau for final review, and once we have the results, we'll send a message from our side."
"Is there a chance the contract won't go through?"
"No."
It was an immediate answer. Ian chuckled dryly and took out a cigarette.
Then, a sudden question came to mind. He watched Kim I-seo hand the documents to Park Min-ah and moved his lips.
"What if I'd refused cooperation and sent you back? Would I go on the hit list?"
"...To be honest, if a mage refuses the Management Bureau's proposal, they're registered as a person deeply connected to anomalies and become a target for remote monitoring by the Bureau."
It was a response that could be called gentle or brutal, depending on the view. Ian listened closely while rolling the cigarette between his fingers.
"Either way, mages are beings who attract anomalies. Since anomalies stemming from them could kill civilians, monitoring is a precaution against that. Assassinations... are carried out against mages who harm civilians or those with extremely high risk levels."
"...."
"But killing a mage isn't easy, so we go through a lot of preparation."
"Is it okay to tell a mage this stuff?"
"I see it as building trust."
Kim I-seo said it with a calm expression. Ian stared at her pink hair and dull black eyes, then let out a long breath.
"Got it. So as long as I don't touch civilians, no assassination, right?"
"That's correct."
"Can you tell me how many mages have been assassinated so far?"
"None in Korea."
"...Really?"
He couldn't tell if it was a lie or truth. But it wasn't that important, so he didn't dwell on it.
Ian had a short conversation with the two afterward, then saw them off. Kim I-seo and Park Min-ah thanked him for cooperating and left.
The house was suddenly empty. Ian stood leaning against the wall in a daze, staring at the table for a moment, then put a cigarette in his mouth and headed to the rooftop.
The weather, just entering February, was still chilly. Spring would come in another month or two, but right now it was winter. The blowing wind stabbed at his bones.
The sensation helped clear his mind. Ian lit the end of his cigarette and took in the lightly falling snow.
'Getting involved with the Management Bureau means trouble from monitoring, huh.'
Whether he accepted their proposal or not, monitoring was inevitable either way. Mages with strong egos wouldn't accept what amounted to shackles.
They'd fight back first. No doubt not a single one would live under the Bureau's gaze forever.
...Actually, thinking about it, there was one.
Among the mages cooperating with the Management Bureau, there was one—the only one living under their surveillance.
'What kind of person just accepts monitoring like that?'
He couldn't understand it, but there was no need to. Why bother wondering about the mind of someone basically a freak? Best to just let it be.
Anyway.
He'd figured out why most mages avoided getting tangled with the Management Bureau. That was harvest enough.
Of course, he had no intention of handing over info on mages he'd met in the community—like Lee Seo-ah, Han Yu-na, Grandmother, and such—to the Bureau. Even in a society of mages with no loyalty whatsoever, there were unwritten rules. He didn't want to become every mage's public enemy overnight.
"Hoo...."
Ian exhaled smoke into the air and checked for CCTV around.
Fortunately, this was a blind spot.
He shook off the ash and spread his hand to summon the Hand of Recreation.
[Wooong.]
A pure white grimoire that vibrated faintly as it settled in his grasp. It almost seemed like it was sulking for being called so late, making Ian chuckle as he brushed the dust off its cover.
The Management Bureau probably thought the only grimoire he had was the Deep Sea Chronicles.
Since he'd only openly used that one in front of them, they likely didn't even know the Hand of Recreation existed, let alone whose hands it was in.
He had used a grimoire at the theme park, but his face had been thoroughly covered then.
Thanks to that, the Bureau apparently didn't connect the 'mage' from the theme park with the one cooperating at the hospital as the same person.
It made sense. The magic used was completely different, making it nearly impossible to predict they were the same.
If it were possible, the Bureau would've identified all mages long ago.
Intentionally or not, this information imbalance was to Ian's advantage. Better to hide one than flaunt having two.
The odds were low, but the Bureau could always betray him on a whim. Having an unpredictable ace up his sleeve wasn't a bad thing.
'I'll use both for the Cartel request, but at least when working with the Bureau, I'll stick to the Chronicles.'
The Deep Sea Chronicles excelled in firepower but lagged far behind the Hand of Recreation in versatility and stability.
That said, the Deep Sea Chronicles wasn't just full of summoning magic. It couldn't instantly kill like recreation magic, but it had a variety of attack spells.
Those alone would suffice for missions. He just didn't prefer the feeling of wearing shackles.
Well, summoning a Messenger or something comparable carried low risk when needed, so he could gauge situations and summon accordingly.
"...Hoo."
Ian exhaled toward the clouds and stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.
Even with these precautions, once in real combat, variables would be too many for things to go exactly to plan.
Still, better than no plan.
Ian put the cigarette in the ashtray and closed the lid.
Now it was time to rest.
*
Kim I-seo and Park Min-ah didn't exchange a word until they were far from Ian's house.
Once his house was out of sight, Park Min-ah cautiously spoke up.
"...Where the hell did a mage like that pop up from?"
She took off her suit coat and leaned back against the headrest.
Clammy cold sweat uncomfortably soaked her shirt and underclothes.
"He looks Korean for sure... Did he pick up a grimoire as a kid? Or a mage family?"
"Where's a mage family in Korea?"
Kim I-seo replied, tapping the steering wheel.
The so-called pureblood mage families were mostly in Europe. The UK had the most, followed by France and Germany.
There were some in other countries, but none in Asia at least.
Magic hadn't developed as much as shamanistic practices there, so even during the Age of Exploration, mages hadn't bothered with Asia. Korea was no exception.
"Probably picked up a grimoire at least ten years ago. That explains it. No way someone like that just appeared out of nowhere."
"Yeah? Hoo... How did he hide for ten whole years?"
"No idea. We know so little about mage ecology. They don't even share info among themselves..."
"Creepy."
Min-ah muttered as she stared out the window.
The sun was half-hidden beyond the horizon, scattering sunset glow everywhere.
She gazed at the moon rising on the opposite side and moved her lips.
"What was that grimoire, anyway?"
"No clue. But it's definitely high-tier."
Immediate answer.
"At least Lemegeton level, or higher."
"...What if it's connected to the Cthulhu Mythos?"
"Nah."
Grimoires from the Cthulhu Mythos.
The Unnamed Rites, Book of Eibon, Song of Yste, etc. Fictional grimoires from mere novels become anomalies rather than true grimoires when manifested in reality, as stories gain power.
But that didn't mean they taught no magic. Being fictional works by imaginary mages, they were highly dangerous, yet their knowledge was profound, so many mages sought them.
However, these fabricated grimoires had one fatal flaw.
"Cthulhu Mythos grimoires all doom their owners to a short lifespan. Unless it's something like the Feast of the Dead studying immortality, they all kill within five years."
"...Ah, I think I've seen that mentioned."
"It's not well-known due to few cases. I dug it up myself."
Kim I-seo brushed back her hair in slight irritation at the congesting road.
"If it were something real like the Necronomicon, maybe, but the rest? No way you last ten years. So that guy's grimoire isn't Cthulhu-related."
"Then what is it?"
"No need to wonder."
Kim I-seo replied.
"As long as he's useful to the Management Bureau and my goals, that's enough. And... some things are better left unknown."
"...."
"Let's just do our jobs."
"...Yeah."
Park Min-ah closed her eyes and replied.
The two headed straight to the Management Bureau without further talk.