Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Mimir
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Academy City's security and guards were ironclad.
Research on Psi abilities and Rifts was being conducted vigorously here, and it was a hub where schools trained hunters responsible for the world's security against Dimensional Beasts. That made the defenses even tighter.
Especially when entering from the outside, the security network was so thorough that no incidents had ever occurred.
But that didn't apply to the 21st Century Secret Society.
I didn't know the details of their smuggling operations, but according to rumors floating around on the Secret Society forums, they used trade ships from major corporations transporting goods into Academy City to ferry monsters along a smuggling route.
There were collaborators inside Academy City helping with that side of things, too. Mimir standing in front of me now had probably slipped in via that very path.
It was 5 p.m. now, and the sun was lazily dipping toward the western horizon.
A woman in witch-like garb approached cautiously from the pier, thick with the briny scent of the sea.
"Ah, hello...?"
The witch's name was Mimir.
She wore a conical hat several times larger than her own head.
Her slender, long white hair was as pure white as snow blanketing a mountain range. Her pale skin and lifeless eyes evoked the image of an evil witch from a fairy tale.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trait 'Noble Blood' second condition achieved. "Hello."
I greeted her with an earbud in one ear, waving a white placard that read Welcome to The Ark.
The picture I'd drawn had come to life.
Mimir's presence was so ethereal and alluring that even before my possession, I'd thought she was a main heroine with impeccable design.
If Han Cheong-ah evoked spring and Yubyeol-ha summer, then Mimir was the heroine of winter.
"You've had a long journey. This way—I'll guide you to a spot where we can talk comfortably."
"Y-Yeah...!"
Mimir followed behind me with hesitant steps.
I led her toward the abandoned storefront where I'd first spoken with the goat.
Mimir gazed around at the street scenery in wonder, murmuring, "So this is Academy City..."
Her outfit was unusual enough to draw stares, but she must have cast some perception-lowering spell—people glanced her way and simply walked on by.
We arrived at a quiet rooftop.
"Sorry it's not a classier spot. This was the only place where our conversation wouldn't leak out."
"N-No, it's fine! I actually prefer quiet places like this...!"
Mimir rummaged in her bosom and pulled out a wooden box.
When she opened the lid—like a ring case—a red gem came into view.
A round, pearl-like crimson stone... This had to be Wallachia's Red Stone.
"Here—this is the Wallachia's Red Stone that Dracula wanted."
Mimir gazed at the beautiful gem. Its form reflected in her pale eyes.
"Um, does Dracula know anything about Wallachia's Red Stone, by any chance?"
"No. Just that it's beautiful... not much beyond that."
"Then you probably don't know about the True Ancestor either..."
In Red Ark, monsters weren't spotlighted that much. It was only natural I wouldn't know, since the first and last vampire to appear was Baek Do-hyun himself.
Mimir pointed to one of her eyes with her index finger.
"Do you know that vampires turn to stone when their life ends?"
"Yeah."
'After Yubyeol-ha's Death's Scythe pierced through Baek Do-hyun's heart, his body turned to stone like a statue. After some time passed, Baek Do-hyun had transformed into a beautiful stone sculpture as if carved there from the start.'
I knew about vampires' deaths from the prologue description.
I looked at Mimir with a puzzled gaze. Why bring up vampires turning to stone all of a sudden?
Mimir continued in a soft, gentle voice, like a mother reading a fairy tale to her child.
"About 600 years ago in Romania, there was a vampire who called himself the True Ancestor. Unlike other monsters who hid in the shadows, living in harmony with the world, he revealed himself to humans and ruled over them as their king."
A king hailed as a great hero who had triumphed over the conqueror of the grand empire that felled Rome—a lifetime warrior of the battlefields.
They say he absorbed the blood of countless humans in those wars, becoming an existence on a level beyond other vampires.
"But Zero One despised monsters meddling in human history. Despite Zero One's repeated warnings to cease his actions, the True Ancestor pressed on with the wars. In the end, Zero One and the True Ancestor clashed in a battle to the death."
The battle was grand enough for myth—a three-day ordeal.
Geography shifted by the moment, and only when a massive lake formed on the battlefield could a victor be decided.
"The True Ancestor ultimately fell to Zero One, who claimed his life. True to his claim as the True Ancestor vampire, even his death was unique: as he turned to stone, his red eyes became gems."
Wallachia's Red Stone was one of those eyes from the True Ancestor.
"This is the one Zero One gifted back from the pair at the time. No use beyond its beauty, so it just sat in storage."
She said it was hard to even look at once she thought of it as a human eye—creepy. Valued it at around 20 million won, equivalent to a 100-carat ruby.
Verifying if it was real or fake was simple. I took the Wallachia's Red Stone and checked my smartphone.
Thankfully, it was authentic.
"Give me your wallet address, and I'll transfer the payment today."
"Y-Yeah, got it!"
At that moment, Yubyeol-ha's voice leaked softly from the earbud I'd been wearing.
["Just like you said—there's a bug on her."]
I smirked.
Zero One trusted Mimir's abilities to an extent, but not the human herself.
Unlike Aria, there were no restraints or control devices on her—and unlike the other executives, this witch didn't buy into Zero One's ideology.
She was cooperating for now, but he saw her as someone who'd betray him at the first opportunity.
So whenever he assigned her important tasks, he'd send other monsters to monitor her. Just like in the original story, Mimir had a tiny listening device attached.
It was an effective countermeasure against a magic expert who was hopeless with machines.
The rooftop already had a full-spectrum analyzer bug sweeper that Yubyeol-ha had prepared, so we'd detected it.
Borrowed from Arcana—what kind of classes did hunter cadets even take?
["Don't even think about using an EMP if things go south. It's expensive. If it breaks, the instructor will kill me."]
For reference, Yubyeol-ha was monitoring the rooftop from the opposite building.
Before meeting Mimir, I'd consulted with Yubyeol-ha about this.
'So, the monster I'm meeting... one I could recruit to our side if I play it right?'
She'd eyed me suspiciously, but our trust had thickened after the Experimental Awake incident.
When I said we might even learn the society's next plan if things went well, she agreed without complaint to handle the bug detection and perimeter watch.
I flashed the prearranged hand signal: all clear.
["Damn."]
Now that we'd clocked the bug, it was time to move to the next phase.
My illusion wouldn't fool Mimir—on par with Aria—for long, but buying just a little time would suffice.
I took in the scene before me, imprinting it on my senses.
The feel of the breeze, the faint city scents—everything.
What I was about to do wasn't creation. It was imitation.
Once more, a pentagram etched itself into my red eyes.
The illusion traced the space where Mimir and I stood.
"Mimir."
"Yes?"
A cool breeze swept the rooftop. The sky remained a deep crimson, and the city's aroma matched reality perfectly.
Even though we'd stepped into the illusion, Mimir noticed no change. The bug was no longer a concern.
"I've got a question."
"Ah, sure. Feel free to ask... If it's about magic, I even brought a good book you might like..."
"Why did you come to Academy City?"
Mimir looked at me. Then, with a troubled expression, she spoke cautiously.
"Sorry. It's a personal request from Zero One... I can't tell Dracula."
"I already know without you saying. Aria Blood von Direwolf failed to acquire the Queen's data, so she's being recalled to HQ. And you've been ordered to take her place managing the monsters in Academy City."
Mimir's eyes widened in shock.
"How do you know that...?"
"I know a lot more besides. Let's see... Most notably, that you're obsessed with research into reviving the dead."
A moment later, Mimir's demeanor shifted.
The gentle woman's facade vanished entirely, replaced by the piercing, guarded glare of a witch.