The cannibalistic ritual Chairman Kim performed through <Cultes des Goules>.

Mia, his secretary, attendant, and lover, loathed the “Table of the Great Ones,” so Ioannis had decided to stay with him at a hotel until the ritual was over. The vampires of his bloodline were using the hotel as temporary lodging.

“Master, I've selected a few buildings we could use as a base once we begin operating in Korea in earnest. Please take a look.”

“Hmm... All right.”

Ioannis nodded from the bed while looking at something on his tablet. Mia tilted his head.

“Master?”

“Oh, sorry. I was looking at Mage Net for a moment.”

Ioannis moved close beside Mia and showed him the tablet's screen.

Mage Net. A website where mercenaries and magicians gathered.

Ioannis had spread information about <Mysteries of the Worm> there and posted a bounty. But...

“There's less interest in <Mysteries of the Worm> than I expected.”

“You're right. Perhaps they think it's a fake job posting because there's so little information?”

“That could be... but I get the feeling someone is deliberately interfering.”

Ioannis's blue eyes studied the posts appearing on Mage Net.

“Should I raise the bounty?”

Watching Ioannis's serious profile, Mia ventured a cautious question.

“You're quite concerned about the owner of <Mysteries of the Worm>.”

“Well, being the owner of <Mysteries of the Worm> also means being the master of the Invisible Vampire.”

“It takes the form of a magical beast, but isn't it still a vampire like us, ultimately?”

Ioannis smiled faintly at Mia's words.

“... A vampire like us? Mia, do you consider aliens human too?”

“What?”

“It is a vampire, yes. It falls into the vampire category, so the rules of the occult apply to it. It will be weaker in the morning, and unable to enter a church without permission.”

Ioannis spoke gravely, his voice low and gentle.

“But it's fundamentally different. It isn't a vampire from Earth.”

A vampire from beyond Earth. An incomprehensible alien monster.

“It's an invisible space vampire.”

Silence lingered for a moment before Mia blinked and offered his impression.

“Um... When you call it a space vampire, it somehow doesn't sound very dangerous.”

“Haha~ You're right. It's got two cool words in it, space and vampire. Why is that?”

Ioannis chuckled and shrugged.

“But it really is dangerous. I saw that monster tear apart a Tiger tank right before my eyes.”

The Invisible Vampire had been the familiar commanded by She Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken, the previous owner of <Mysteries of the Worm>—an infamous archmagician active during the First and Second World Wars.

Ioannis considered this for a moment.

“Hmm~ I'm a little concerned.”

“About what?”

“Chairman Kim's ritual. The occult attracts the occult.”

Normally it wouldn't matter, but some chance occurrence might entangle it with the owner of <Mysteries of the Worm>.

Yes, it wasn't the owner of <Mysteries of the Worm> who would get caught up in Chairman Kim's ritual.

Chairman Kim's ritual would get caught up in the affairs of <Mysteries of the Worm>'s owner.

Anyone who had become the owner of the grimoire <Mysteries of the Worm> and still hadn't destroyed themselves was no ordinary magician.

At that level, the magician alone would be dangerous, even without the Invisible Vampire.

That was why he had planned to unleash mercenaries and wear down the owner's physical and mental stamina with constant attacks, but...

“...”

Ioannis's blue eyes narrowed in thought, then relaxed.

... Well, Chairman Kim had private soldiers armed with guns in the building where he was holding the ritual.

He would suffer considerable losses, but he should be all right.

Even if the owner used the Invisible Vampire as a shield, a shot from an unseen blind spot might still hit them.

Seeing Ioannis's attitude, Mia spoke with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

“You're far too soft on that hideous human, Master.”

“Haha~ It's always the hopeless pupils you worry about more.”

“... Was he perhaps your lover before you met me?”

Ioannis's eyes widened at the completely unexpected question.

“Is that what you've been thinking? Why on earth?”

What a shock!?

“He and I aren't like that. We're teacher and pupil, and now that he's older, it feels more like we're friends.”

... Still, he had taken him in as a child and raised him.

Perhaps that was why he still indulged his childish behavior.

Ioannis soothed Mia, then sat in a chair, opened a can of cola, and drank as he pondered.

* * *

At the secret workshop disguised as a vacant building, I checked on the Hand of Glory I'd left to cure, then cleared out one of the refrigerators Kim Miryeo had used to store ingredients.

That was really what I'd come for.

I couldn't keep sacrificing the fridge in my studio apartment. I'd decided to turn one of the workshop's refrigerators into a toy fridge for Grizzly.

“Gyaa?”

Seeing Grizzly's interest, I rapped on the door of the unplugged refrigerator.

“Here, Grizzly. Play with this all you want.”

“Gyaaa~.”

Delighted at this officially sanctioned opportunity to fuck with a fridge, Grizzly reached out and opened its door.

“... Gyaaa?”

He tilted his head.

“Gyaa? Gyaa?”

It wasn't giving off any cold air because I'd unplugged it.

THUD... CLACK... THUD... CLACK...

After opening and closing the refrigerator a few times to check, Grizzly looked at me and appealed for help.

“Gyaa... Gyagyagyagyagya!”

Roughly translated into human speech, I figured it meant something like:

'Mashter! There's something wrong with this... This isn't right!'

I gave a small sigh and plugged the refrigerator into the outlet.

HUMMM.

Once the power came on, cold air began flowing out.

“Gyaaa~.”

Grizzly happily opened and closed the refrigerator door.

THUD—CLACK! THUD—CLACK! THUD—CLACK!

Since it was just a toy, I'd thought I might save a little electricity, but apparently it had to produce cold air.

I had no idea why he liked opening and closing refrigerator doors in the first place.

Well, sure. A fridge that wasn't cold would be disappointing.

I let Grizzly play for a while, then decided to head home, since it was nearly time for Sua to arrive.

“Grizzly, let's go now.”

“Gaaa~.”

It was Wednesday evening, so I planned to teach Sua some simple magic.

Something safe to make, yet essential for using other magic.

Holy water.

I arrived home and was getting ready to make holy water when Sua showed up right on time.

“Mister, I'm here.”

When I opened the door, she kicked off her shoes haphazardly in the entryway, came inside, and sat on the bed.

“...”

Anyway, time to start making holy water.

“You pretty much always need this for Catholic magic, so you should memorize how to make it.”

I demonstrated for Sua first.

“Tzevaot, Messiah, Immanuel, Elohim Gibor, Yahweh. God, who created truth and life...”

My calm voice rang through the room.

I recited the required incantation and added salt to the water. After reciting the remaining words to complete the holy water, I turned to Sua.

“That's how you make holy water. Think you can do it?”

Sua raised her hand slightly.

“Um... I understand the process. But am I supposed to memorize that whole incantation after hearing it once?”

“Of course I'll give you something to read from. Since it's your first time, I'll recite it beside you too.”

I opened my notebook of magical knowledge to the section on making holy water and handed it to her.

“Pay attention to your pronunciation, and recite the incantation without hesitating or stopping. Formula-based magic is popular in fantasy these days... but occult magic isn't about formulas. It's about faith. Just believe it'll work.”

As long as you prepared the process, procedures, and incantation properly, magical power took care of the rest.

“... All right.”

Sua stood before the earthenware bowl of water.

Reciting an incantation over a bowl filled with water.

When she really thought about it, the situation was ridiculous.

“...”

... Yet she didn't know why such a little thing made her nervous.

If she failed, if she couldn't make it properly, would mister... would Yohan decide there was no point teaching her, that she had no talent, and lose interest in her?

Like her father, who showed no interest in her at all?

Sua's gaze darkened.

'... I wouldn't like that.'

Just then, Yohan's even voice sounded, as though he were merely stating a fact.

“If you fail, try again. Just give it a go.”

“I-I was going to! Stop rushing me!”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sua looked at the earthenware bowl and the salt. She reached out and gently, carefully took a pinch.

Magic was absurd...

Common sense told her it couldn't possibly work...

But Sua had seen it herself.

The moment a single person's voice had resounded through the auditorium. The glowing magic circle, the flood of brilliant light.

She had personally witnessed Yohan's magic.

And so, with her heart now calm, she recited the incantation written in the notebook.

“Tzevaot, Messiah, Immanuel, Elohim Gibor, Yahweh. God, who created truth and life...”

‧

‧

‧

Sua watched the holy water slosh in the bottle she'd received as a keepsake, then spoke.

“When you said holy water, I thought it would sparkle all shazam-like. Isn't this just water with salt in it?”

I averted my gaze slightly at her words.

It was essentially salt water, so I didn't really have a way to deny it.

“... It works pretty well, though.”

Looking pleased about something, Sua grinned at me.

“You keep all the cool, good magic for yourself! Teach me the destruction beam too!”

“I teach you a little magic and now you want everything I've got. What are you, a robber? Stop talking nonsense and put on your coat.”

Leaving it at that, I slipped on my own coat.

“How are you getting home? Taxi? Bus? Or is someone coming to pick you up? It's late, so I'll walk you out.”

“Hmm~ Are you looking out for me?”

I frowned.

“I just don't want anything happening to you after you visit my place.”

Everyone would call me a murderer, wouldn't they? Especially Shin Sion.

“All right, all right. I only go home when I feel like it. Usually I sleep at Sister Ellie's place, so walk me to the bus stop.”

Sua put on her coat and stepped outside.

The two bodyguards Namgung Su had assigned to her also followed Sua and Yohan at a little distance.

... And then.

After confirming that Sua had come out, someone started the black car's engine.

VROOM.

Inside the car, Manager Kim, a man who looked like a white-collar gangster, reported to Chairman Kim over the phone.

“Yes, Chairman. We've located Namgung Sua. I'll bring her to the dinner gathering now.”