Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Good Material
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Ian took his time carefully severing Eddie's head. He placed it on the table and stared at it intently.
It wasn't that he suddenly found beauty in a human head. He was pondering how best to use it.
'For now, the brain goes in a soul-holding chalice.'
He set aside the materials he already had plans for. He couldn't open the skull and extract the brain right here, but he could at least decide on it mentally. The important parts were the remaining facial features.
The eyes had been destroyed, so there was no helping that. Regrettable, but he'd have to wait for another opportunity.
On the other hand, the nose, ears, and tongue were in excellent condition. No cuts or significant damage. The nose was a bit squished, but that was no real issue.
Ian tugged at Eddie's intact ear with his finger as he racked his brain.
Then, he suddenly recalled one of the alchemy series from the grimoire.
The Dying Facial Features series.
Unlike eyeballs or tongues, which most creatures shared similar structures for, noses and ears varied greatly by species. So, unlike Dying Eyeball or Dying Tongue, which could use any suitable ones, noses and ears had to be human for this.
He had half-given up on them, but now that the opportunity had rolled in, there was no reason to hesitate.
He didn't bother with moral dilemmas. Holding someone to ethical standards after they tried to kill him would be ridiculous. Now that it was in his hands, the right thing was to make full use of it.
'Talk about a filial son.'
Ian patted the back of Eddie's head with his palm and stood up. He slowly looked around the room.
A mage's dwelling. It was a hotel room, and he hadn't stayed long, but there seemed to be plenty to gain. Ian first rummaged through Eddie's personal backpack on the table.
Inside were a few daggers, some papers organizing spells, and chunks of finely diced human brain piled up.
Below that, detailed incantations for handling mortal brains.
"......"
He had probably planned to use the brain chunks to wield a mortal brain.
If he'd had a bit more time, the outcome of the battle might have been uncertain. He had no idea how to counter a mortal brain......
Mental attacks might be ignorable, but it didn't seem like that kind.
Well, it was moot now that he was dead. Ian transferred the brain chunks in glass jars to his own bag and took all of Eddie's research materials. No reason to leave spoils behind.
"The name's Eddie, huh?"
He found Eddie's passport in the bag, too, letting him confirm the name.
Eddie Howard.
A name he remembered.
The bizarre sorcerer from Laplace that Dolores had mentioned. It seemed Laplace was indeed involved in this.
He'd suspected as much, but having it confirmed made the back of his head ache for no reason.
He couldn't even begin to predict what butterfly effects being targeted by a massive crime syndicate would bring. Probably nothing good.
"......Tch."
Ian clicked his tongue, shrank the passport to fingernail size, and tossed it aside.
The suitcase next to the backpack contained about ten million won in cash. Ian decided to take that too, then glared at the map on the wall.
It looked like an ordinary map at a glance, but closer inspection revealed subtle changes.
A pin symbolizing something crawled faintly across the map, heading somewhere.
A clear anomaly. Ian grabbed the map without hesitation and compressed it into a spherical orb.
Besides that, Chekhov's gun, daggers, mirrors, and more—numerous mystery items in tool form.
A real goldmine. Ian silently thanked Eddie as he converted them all into materials and packed them away.
Now his bag felt quite heavy.
A bag containing human brain chunks and a head.
If he got a surprise inspection, arrest on the spot wouldn't be surprising.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the broken front door opened, and a man and woman in suits entered.
"......Whew, what a total mess."
"......Haaah......"
Management Bureau agents. But not familiar faces.
He'd contacted Kim I-seo, expecting her to come personally, but she must have been busy. Ian shouldered his bag straighter and spoke to the two who had entered the room.
"Witnesses?"
"Almost none. We've just memory-wiped the few who saw anything."
"CCTV?"
"Erased, of course. Including the ones at your residence, Wizard."
Thorough work. Ian nodded and stood. Only then did the agents bow and greet him.
"Negotiation Division Team 6, Park Hee-yul."
"N-Negotiation Division Team 6, Kim Jun-il."
Park Hee-yul, who seemed experienced, introduced herself without tension, but the rookie-looking man was visibly nervous. Probably his first time seeing a mage.
All the better. Ian nodded toward Eddie's headless corpse with his chin as he stretched his stiff body.
"Laplace mage's corpse. Do whatever—incinerate it, I don't care. But the head's mine."
"......Laplace, you say?"
"Don't believe me? Run a DNA test. Mage named Eddie."
"Ah, Eddie."
Park Hee-yul let out a short groan, as if she'd heard the name before. Ian rubbed his crushed left hand and tilted his head.
"You know him?"
"......Infamous guy. The mysteries he handles are all dangerous and lethal—people avoid crossing him. But for you to take down someone like that......"
"Luck."
Ian didn't reveal the means he'd used against Eddie. No reason or need. Fortunately, the agents nodded without curiosity.
"Understood. We'll handle the cleanup. How about the bounty?"
"Bounty?"
"Eddie's got a hefty price on his head. You can claim it from the Cartel with proof."
"Oh."
"Guess you didn't know. We'll claim it and transfer the funds to you. No tricks, promise."
An unexpected offer. No reason to refuse.
"Sure, handle it that way—saves me the trouble. But isn't this usually your job?"
"We can cover for a mage's convenience when we've got the bandwidth, like now. Tough when busy, though. Use Cartel services then."
"Got it."
Ian patted Park Hee-yul's shoulder and left the hotel room. He retraced his steps home.
Early morning, the sun just beginning to rise. Ian gazed at the spreading dawn light, set down his heavy bag, sat on the bed, and caught his breath.
Having fought right after waking left him quite fatigued.
Pain throbbed continuously from his mangled left hand. Left alone, it'd fester or infect. He needed first aid beforehand.
Fortunately, he had leftover Cartel ointment. The same one used when his cheek was torn on the cruise ship. Ian slathered it thickly on his hand and wrapped it in bandages. A few days, and it'd heal fully.
He'd heard alchemy potions existed, but unfortunately, he couldn't make those. His alchemy leaned more toward crafting items than pharmaceuticals.
'Wonder if I could make potions if I knew the recipe.'
Ian finished tying the bandage knot amid his thoughts. A bit uncomfortable, but bearable.
He hung up his coat, rummaged in the bag, and pulled out Eddie's head.
No blood dripped. He'd magically sealed the cut surface, so no mess on the bag or floor. Grotesque-looking, but viewing it as magic material made it tolerable.
"Stick it in the fridge for now......"
Odd as the picture was, better than leaving it out. Ian wrapped Eddie's head loosely and stowed it in the fridge.
Somehow, he felt like a psychopathic criminal. Not exactly pleasant. Better for his mental health to use it quick and dispose.
"Whew......"
Cleanup done, Ian lay on the bed and pulled out his phone. He logged into the community.
Early morning, so few posts. The few were titles like [Baby Magic Addict Early Bird Rise].
Normally, Ian would post meaningless crap like them. Not today. He fidgeted under the covers, rapidly tapping the phone keyboard.
[Holy! Fucking! Shit Don't Mess Around+++! The Dying One's Here!]
[Yeah]
A mage suddenly attacked me today, taught me about human body mysteries, and I yanked his head off.
Too scared, gonna have beef soup for breakfast.
(Mage Pull-Out Cone)
[Likes 2][Dislikes 0]
[Comments]
-Guts Steel
ㄴFirst kill?
ㄴYeah: Right. Material rolled in.
ㄴlol Jealous as hell.
-Mage for less than half a year and already attacked—and you won? Talent freak.
ㄴMinus talent = corpse lol
ㄴWhy subtract shit You're a corpse if your brain's yanked too
-Honestly impressive. Not even half a year as mage, but killed the attacker? Can't explain that with just great grimoire.
ㄴRight. Wanna see his face. Talent crazy means ugly af lol
ㄴDeep Sea Angler: lol
ㄴ?
-Serious Magic Addict: Attacked, huh. Not a great ring. You okay?
ㄴYeah: Minor injury, fine now.
ㄴSerious Magic Addict: Glad. Still, be careful. Consider moving.
ㄴYeah: Planning to yeah
ㄴSerious Magic Addict: Pic soon, check your face.
-Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie: Eek, attack scary! But when the vampire contact?
ㄴYeah: (Mage Wait Cone)
ㄴStrawberry Yogurt Smoothie: (Mage Dance Cone)
-★Grandmother: Who was the attacker?
Grandmother slipped in a question at the end of the rapidly piling comments. Ian ordered beef soup for breakfast, then replied.
ㄴYeah: Eddie.
ㄴ★Grandmother: Pardon?
ㄴYeah: Laplace mage Eddie.
ㄴ★Grandmother: Wait, you caught and killed that Eddie? For real?
ㄴYeah: Yes.
ㄴ★Grandmother: ......More impressive than I thought.
Grandmother let out genuine admiration. Ian narrowed his eyes and hummed, wondering if it was that big a deal. Eddie didn't seem that amazing a mage, no matter how he thought about it.
'Guess impressions vary.'
Ian brushed it off, set down the phone, summoned his grimoire, and opened it.
Brag time over. Time to focus on alchemy again. He slowly turned pages, checking what he could make with his new materials.