Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Kim Yul
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“…….”
Ian peered at the woman who had introduced herself as a mage.
She did not avoid his expressionless gaze but met it head-on.
She was a woman with an overall gloomy appearance.
Her finely disheveled hair looked frizzy and neglected, and thick, indelible dark circles sat heavily under her eyes.
Her skin was clean, but it was so excessively pale that it felt like looking at a sheet of blank white drawing paper.
At the very least, she was not the type of appearance that inspired fondness.
Yet she did not feel ugly because her features were objectively close to those of a beauty.
Most men would probably feel their hearts pounding just from her initiating a conversation.
Ian did not.
Now that he had realized she was a mage, the way she appeared in his eyes was closer to the identity of 'mage' than 'woman.'
Gender was meaningless.
‘Is she bluffing?’
It was not easy to distinguish a mage from an ordinary person.
Unlike mages in fantasy novels who carried mana in their bodies or wore conspicuous robes and pointed hats, it was only natural.
To realize that the other person was a mage, one had to see them using magic directly.
Even fellow mages were no exception.
Mages did not come equipped with telepathy or instincts to recognize their own kind.
All one could trust were the eyes and ears.
In that regard, her appearance was closer to that of an ordinary person than a mage.
There were no features at all that seemed like she could boast, 'I'm a mage.'
She might even be impersonating a mage to test his reaction.
“…….”
Honestly, it did not matter what she was.
The important points were that she had uttered the word 'mage,' that this was the Management Bureau building, and that she had recognized him.
If she knew his identity, there was no need to wear masks.
Ian subtly shifted his gaze and stared at the Management Bureau building while moving his lips.
“You seem to be the guide. Don't stray elsewhere; head straight inside.”
“……Coming on strong right from the start. I don't dislike that side of you.”
She smirked and slowly walked ahead of Ian.
Then, as if telling him to follow, she gave him a sidelong glance.
Ian idly tapped the cigarette pack he had tucked into his coat pocket and moved his feet to follow her.
“Why is a mage handling the guiding?”
“To avoid ruffling your feathers, or so I heard. They must have judged that it would be better for a fellow mage to greet you than a Management Bureau employee.”
“A judgment that knows nothing about mage ecology.”
“Right? Mages basically have strong kin-loathing and pride, after all. They don't particularly like fellow mages.”
She continued in a tone that felt oddly familiar somewhere.
Ian felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
“But I'm not like that. I like mages. Watching them is fun, isn't it?”
“That's a bizarre hobby.”
“I've heard that a lot.”
Kim Yul smiled brightly.
Her awkwardly twisted lips quivered faintly, and Ian looked down at her before casually saying,
“You, from the community?”
The sense of déjà vu was not a mere illusion.
He had never directly conversed with her before, but her speech pattern felt familiar from somewhere.
Even though it was his first time hearing her voice from this person, it inexplicably felt intimate.
If she truly was a mage, there was only one community where he could get this feeling.
“Oh?”
As if he had guessed correctly, a brief flash of delight crossed Kim Yul's face.
She stopped walking, turned to Ian, and licked her lips.
“You too?”
“Not that long, but yeah, I do.”
“Just to be sure, but you're not talking about some ordinary community, right?”
“Yeah, the mage community.”
While walking, Ian spotted the smoking area right next to the Management Bureau building entrance and pulled out his cigarette pack.
Kim Yul followed him with light steps, hands clasped behind her back.
“Hmm, hmm. Just as I thought. Alright, let me guess your nickname.”
“……Sigh.”
“First, exclude those who've done face verification. Exclude those revealed as women too. Then, hmm…… about 10 left or so.”
“You know quite a bit.”
“Told you, I like mages. I've even compiled a list. To exchange warm greetings if we meet later.”
Every single word was utterly outlandish.
Ian shook his head and exhaled cigarette smoke into the air.
Kim Yul stood a short distance away from him, tapping her chin with her finger as she pondered.
“Hmmmmm…… Who could it be? Ah, it's a monologue, so don't answer. I'll get it.”
“…….”
“The scent emanating…… Strangely, almost no cigarette smell, just a sweet body fragrance. Magic? It's a nice smell anyway.”
“……Kinda creepy.”
Ian muttered as he watched her sniff the air.
But Kim Yul paid no attention to his words.
“No bug or earth smells, so not nature-related. No water smell either. That means ritual or mental lineage mage…… And with such a good scent, maybe a spirit-handling mage? Those kids are sensitive to smells, after all. Or doll magic?”
As she said that, she glanced at Ian.
“Dolores? Is that you?”
“First time hearing the name. Is there a nickname like that?”
“Wrong. Hmm, then who is it. Umm, who?”
Kim Yul seemed to enjoy riddles or deductions, repeatedly tilting her head left and right with a fairly pleased expression.
Since there was no harm in indulging her while smoking, Ian sat on an empty chair and flicked off the ash.
“Should I tell you?”
“Shh. I'm guessing. Don't ruin the fun by revealing the answer.”
Kim Yul placed both hands on her hips and put on a feigned stern expression.
Then she swayed her waist side to side.
“A mage who joined the community recently. Ritual or mental lineage. Not spirits, good body scent. Umm…….”
“Skip the body scent part.”
“Oh, and carrying a bag? That's the opposite of ordinary mages who try to minimize their luggage.”
Her black eyes sparkled as she circled around Ian, who was discarding his cigarette butt.
“A mage who carries a lot of stuff? That's alchemist, necromancer, or anomaly mage…… Ah.”
Then, as if something had occurred to her, she raised a finger and continued.
“That newbie bragging about making one knife!”
Ian chuckled softly instead of responding to her words and stood up.
“And you're Deep Sea Angler. Right?”
“Yeah, yeah, correct. How'd you figure it out?”
“Your speech there and your real speech are almost identical. I was iffy at first, but listening confirmed it.”
The two entered the Management Bureau building proper while conversing.
Perhaps because he had realized she was a member of the community, Ian's attitude toward her had softened a bit.
If she were someone with no connection, he would have let it be, but the mage called 'Deep Sea Angler' was a grateful figure who had spared no advice in various areas, including workshop crafting.
Thus, his attitude toward her could not help but soften.
He had known long ago that she collaborated with the Management Bureau, so he had thought they might run into each other someday.
It was just that the timing was a bit earlier than expected.
Well, it was not a bad thing.
If they were going to meet anyway, sooner was better, was it not?
As long as she did not make the first hostile move, Ian had no need to show sharp reactions.
For now, they were partners, and since they were cooperating, it was right to maintain good relations.
If nothing else, to avoid getting stabbed in the back over some grudge.
“What's your name? I'm Kim Yul, as I introduced earlier.”
“Shin Ian. Call me Ian casually.”
“Ian? That's a really unique name. Kinda sounds like a foreigner. An English name?”
“It's hanja. Yi from 'different' (異) and An from 'peaceful' (安). Pure-blooded Korean.”
“Means others feel at peace around your differences. Even without being a mage, you'd get tangled in anomalies someday. The name's packed with talismanic meaning.”
Kim Yul smirked and clasped her hands behind her back.
“In a way, becoming a mage might've been more profitable?”
Ian inwardly agreed with those words.
If it were the days when he was ignorant of anomalies, maybe not.
But now that he realized monsters that devoured people lurked everywhere in this city, he had zero desire to return to those ignorant times.
It was only natural.
Once you realize killers are swarming all around, could anyone stay sane wandering around bare-handed with no means of self-defense?
Becoming a mage had been a significant gain in its own way.
At the very least, it meant he had secured a means to protect himself.
‘Though that means is a grimoire penned by some god in outer space.’
Still, it had not caused any harm yet, so it was not a big problem.
Ian tapped with his finger on the grimoire tucked into his coat's inner pocket and followed Kim Yul's steps.
And so they arrived at the first floor of the Management Bureau building.
Employees bustled about busily, taking phone calls or preparing for dispatch while exchanging briefings right before missions.
Office workers clutched coffee with haggard faces, shambling around like half-dead zombies.
Fortunately, not a single person paid much attention to the two of them.
They glanced briefly but soon returned to their own tasks.
“Probably already all briefed.”
Kim Yul said as she walked with light steps.
“Don't provoke the mage coming today for no reason; just let them through, or something like that. It was the same when I first came.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Back then, I was fully prepped to kill anyone who even brushed against me, but in the end, I went home without using a single one. Felt a bit disappointed.”
“That can happen.”
Ian gave a vague reply while fumbling the inside of his coat where he used to keep his revolver.
He had thrown it away in the fight with the captain, so he no longer had any firearms.
It seemed about time to acquire a new one.
It had been an item he was attached to, but since he had discarded it himself, he did not cling to it much.
Now that he had decent financial means, buying a good automatic pistol would not be bad.
Thinking that, he moved his feet, and before long, they arrived in front of a small meeting room on the third floor.
Kim Yul grasped the meeting room door handle and swiftly turned to Ian.
“They're all waiting inside. Going right in?”
“Do I have anything else to do?”
“Probably not?”
“Then let's go right away. If possible, keep it secret that I'm an alchemist.”
Ian said as he readjusted his bag.
Kim Yul smirked as if to say not to worry.
“The third unspoken rule among mages: Unless in a hostile relationship, don't go blabbing about what magic another mage uses. I know it well. Don't worry.”
With those words, she turned the door handle.
With a click, the firmly shut iron door opened, and the interior came into Ian's view.