< 107. Shock and Terror (5) >
The mage, Kim Cheol-soo, exclaimed with delight.
"Wow, how long has it been? To meet you here... Have you not changed at all? I knew you were a quarter-elf, but it's still surprising. The expression 'time has bypassed your face' truly fits you!"
Min-jun also smiled. It was a surprise to meet an old acquaintance. Kim Cheol-soo was a student he had taught decades ago.
The young face he remembered was superimposed over the wrinkled skin. Although they had been teacher and student, there wasn't a significant age difference, and they seemed to be of a similar age back then. However, the passing years had created a noticeable gap in their appearances.
Kim Cheol-soo felt the passage of time, and Min-jun experienced the futility of the single lifespan.
"By the way, what brings you here?"
Min-jun explained the situation. Kim Cheol-soo was taken aback.
"What?! What did you just say?"
He reacted similarly to Oh Man-sik from the Witch Cooperative, with shock and disbelief.
Seeing his astonishment, Min-jun calmly repeated that he was currently working as an immigration agent and was searching for an artifact in the shape of a longsword that was presumed to have been illegally imported from another world.
Although the illegal importation was just an excuse, it wasn't entirely untrue if the fragment of Asif-1 was indeed involved.
Kim Cheol-soo knew about the enchanting sword and recognized the possibility that the murderer had been manipulated by it. His surprise stemmed from not believing Min-jun's current occupation.
"An agent? An agent, you say?"
A sound of disbelief escaped his throat.
"Are you saying you are now working as an immigration contract agent?"
His tone was one of utter bewilderment.
"No, an agent... Someone like you, with such a delicate heart, in the world."
Jeong-pal's eyes widened. What? A delicate heart?
Who?
As the orc stood there with his mouth agape, the mage continued.
"I still remember. You once stopped students from killing dogs during the dog days, saying that even beasts shouldn't be treated so cruelly. How could someone who couldn't even watch animals being killed do something so harsh..."
Min-jun clicked his tongue inwardly.
When he had been teaching, he was practically a bundle of affectation right after completing Earth-adapted socialization training.
Those who remembered him in that way couldn't help but feel a sense of dissonance.
He had condemned the brutal butchering of animals because it was considered the proper moral standard he had been taught. The misunderstanding was that Kim Cheol-soo thought Min-jun's reluctance was due to his sensitive nature.
In reality, if one were to discuss butchering, knowing that Min-jun used to burst dragon heads in his youth might cause more than just a fainting spell—it could trigger a seizure.
Feeling awkward, Min-jun shifted the topic.
"Anyway, can I take a look?"
"Of course. If the Immigration Bureau wants to check, there's no reason for the police to stop them. But why are you still standing outside and not coming in right away? I heard voices getting louder."
Min-jun pointed to the Unit 2 team leader standing beside him without saying a word. The detective's face flushed red. At the same time, the smile disappeared from Kim Cheol-soo's face.
"Was it you blocking the way?"
"Ah... I... I was following strict procedures and needed an official document..."
"If we were to follow the procedures strictly, isn't the command authority here with me?"
"..."
"When the Immigration Bureau requests cooperation, you know it's permissible to make decisions based on the on-site commander's judgment without an official document. Why didn't you come to me first to report? Why did you make the decision instead of me? Isn't that also a form of overstepping authority? Am I wrong?"
The questioning tone was monotone and smooth, but his gaze was piercing. The Unit 2 team leader, with a grimace, eventually looked down and mumbled.
"…I'm sorry."
Kim Cheol-soo, who had once been saved by the Unit 2 team leader, finally averted his gaze. The contribution was buried, unknown to both the benefactor and the recipient.
"I was too focused on the investigation and didn't manage everything properly. If it caused any inconvenience, please forgive me, sir."
Then he pointed to the scene.
"Actually, I was in a difficult position too. The enchanting sword was clearly a terrible curse, but there were no traces of it. Could you take a look?"
A scene unfolded where a high-ranking police mage was requesting cooperation from the Immigration Bureau. The old mage's eyes were full of expectation as he looked at Min-jun.
"That's why I came here. Of course."
Following the guidance, Min-jun entered the inner area and saw the troll lying on the floor. As reported, there were no weapons nearby.
The murderer's body was twisted, swollen, and covered in purple skin. The area was soaked with blood. Unlike Kwak Do-chul's wife and the investigation team who barely escaped with their lives, the 'sword's host' discovered this time was already dead.
Before dying, the troll had apparently emitted sword energy while decapitating a member of the National Assembly in CCTV footage. However, it had not been registered as a supernaturally-empowered individual.
'An unregistered weapon master. In today's world, really?'
Wondering about this, Min-jun began to search for traces of the sword.
Flare!
He surrounded his eyes with white flames and examined the surroundings. After focusing on the troll's corpse, he declared.
"There are no significant traces in the spiritual realm."
Kim Cheol-soo sighed.
"So, if it's not visible to you, it means it's not magic."
"Yes, the sword doesn't seem to have any curses attached."
It was almost certain that mind control by the soul was the hypothesis. Thus, the need to find the sword became clearer.
"Then there's no way to track the sword in its current state."
"Wait a moment."
Unconsciously slipping into old speech patterns, Min-jun concentrated.
Although trolls are known for their tolerance to pain, given the state of the body, the troll must have endured immense suffering before death. The more horrific the death, the harder it is for the soul to move on.
So, if Min-jun's guess was correct, the troll's soul was likely still...
'Still inside here.'
The agent focused on what others couldn't see. As he channeled his power, a hazy energy flowed out of the troll's body. It gradually took shape, resembling the body of the deceased. It looked like a rag that had been squeezed and left to dry without being unfolded.
=Ah! Aaaaah!=
The agent chanted a spell to subdue the troll's ghost. His consciousness connected with the ghost's memories. Since it wasn't a fully developed spirit, the inner world was almost chaotic. Min-jun focused as much as possible to discern meaningful fragments.
And he finally salvaged the most recent memory.
"Jeong-pal."
"Yes?"
"I'm looking into this gentleman's memories from his lifetime."
The sound of Kim Cheol-soo gasping in astonishment was audible. 'Has the teacher mastered psychometry in the meantime?!' He was astonished, never imagining that such a person would dabble in black magic or necromancy.
"The investigation team that quickly captured the mage who fled after stabbing someone. Was the suspect an orc?"
Jeong-pal shook his head.
"No, he was human."
"Then it means there was at least one intermediate host we don't know about."
"Yes?"
Min-jun recounted the scene he saw in the memory.
"Just now, I looked into how this gentleman got the sword."
"Really?!"
"Yes. The person who held the sword just before the troll obtained it was an orc."
The longsword had been wielded by at least one intermediate host, including an orc, before it enchanted the troll.
"This is more complicated than expected."
Nodding, Min-jun continued to examine the chaotic memories of the deceased.
With difficulty, he pieced together the record of the day the sword came into the troll's possession.
Thwack!
The orc collapsed, blood spurting from his eyes, ears, and nose.
And then he died.
The troll was baffled. Although he was confused, he needed to clear the body. Leaving it as it was might expose his own concealment.
He retrieved the chemical agents hidden behind the cigarette display case and skillfully dissolved the body, removing all traces. Fortunately, there were no witnesses in this desolate place.
After finishing the cleanup, the troll looked at the sword. On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary sword that could be found anywhere. There were likely thousands of similar swords circulating in Korea.
But he had personally experienced that its performance was far from ordinary. He carefully tore apart a few scrolls, but no significant spells were detected. The durability of the sword, which had withstood sword energy, seemed to be due to the material itself rather than any magic.
'What is its true nature?' Greed swirled within the troll's mind. He approached and grasped the hilt of the sword.
At that moment, the world turned blood-red. A holy and incredibly noble voice echoed in his ears.
"Hmm."
Min-jun frowned as he read the specter's thoughts. There were no memories left beyond that point. It seemed he had been completely dominated mentally.
So, Min-jun decided to delve further back into the past. There were too many suspicious elements in the troll's memories.
'Why would a weapon master set up a cigarette shop in a neighborhood with no pedestrians and sit there all day? And what about the suspicious items hidden throughout the store?'
As Min-jun pieced together various scenes, one word stood out.
He asked, "'Abrams Helper Service?' What is this?"
"...!"
Kim Cheol-soo's face instantly hardened. He quickly interjected.
"Is there such a term in the troll's memories?"
The mage explained.
It was the name of a recently notorious assassination organization.
"Interpol has been desperately tracking them, but it's hard to find their whereabouts. Even after capturing and interrogating a few killers, there's no information on their leadership."
"Could it be that someone from there was involved? It's too vividly remembered to dismiss as an unrelated term."
"...!"
The police officers' expressions grew more serious.
If the identity of the person who killed the legislator was a killer associated with an international assassination organization?
"If that's the case, it explains why they aren't registered as supernaturally-empowered individuals!"
"Sir, does this mean it might not have been an accidental crime?"
"I can't confirm that. It's clear that the killer lost his reason the moment he took the sword."
It was true that the killer murdered the legislator, but did so while under the sword's influence?
It was hard to accept rationally. Killers typically maintain their cold reasoning even while committing and after committing murder. However, this case lacked both motive and premeditation.
Min-jun searched through older memories, but all he found were similar records. Scenes of guarding a shop with no customers all day. He did not give up and continued to dig into the memory pool. The further back he went, the more incomplete the scenes became, with gaps that made it difficult to understand the context and meaning.
Then, he finally caught another scene.
"Huh?"
Min-jun managed to salvage one more scene.
Someone had visited the cigarette shop.
A foreign car, out of place in the neighborhood, stopped, and the door opened. A woman, who did not look like a local resident, stepped out. She was a thin, frail woman with an appearance of sickness.
She approached the shop, handed over neatly folded banknotes, and the troll, seizing them, handed her a pack of cigarettes.
That was it.
'Not very informative.'
Unable to hold onto the ghost any longer with his imperfect necromancy, Min-jun dispelled the spell. The freed troll specter, instead of returning to the corpse, screamed and fled into the distance.
Kim Cheol-soo immediately shared the information Min-jun provided with the police. Although he seemed eager to continue working with Min-jun, he bid farewell at that point.
It wouldn't be detrimental to Min-jun if they managed to obtain the sword first while operating separately. He could request official access to evidence or even discreetly intercept it if needed.
The next destination was the murdered legislator's residence. Unfortunately, no useful clues were found there.
Returning to the car, Min-jun fell into thought.
"This is troublesome. It's difficult to search with spirits through Lakefield. The sword is too common."
Without magical traces, observation and tracking through the spiritual realm were impossible. After some consideration, Min-jun decided on the next move.
"Jeong-pal, you're off today, right? If you have time, would you like to accompany me and do some part-time work? How are you feeling?"
The orc's eyes sparkled.
"I felt like I was going to die this morning, but oddly enough, I'm not tired. I'm fine. Where should we go?"
If only a simple driver was needed, he would have brought Cash along. Min-jun needed a police officer to accompany him.
"Where is Kwak Do-chul's wife now?"
Jeong-pal mentioned the name of a university hospital that had been with Chang-cheon but was now under the Red Dragon's control.
"Let's go there. I need to see her."
The sword's first appearance in the world was due to a murder committed by her. She might hold the most important clue.
However, Jeong-pal's reaction was ambiguous.
"Interrogation might be difficult."
Unlike the forensic team, Kwak Do-chul's wife had been unconscious since she fainted at the scene and had not regained consciousness. Interrogation was impossible.
Min-jun casually responded.
"It doesn't matter."
"Ah, are you going to find information through other means than conversation?"
Jeong-pal, not being a mage, guessed that Min-jun might have some unknown method.
Still, the reaction remained negative.
"The guardians probably won't permit it. Her father is a four-term legislator. You might have heard of him. If you say you want to bring agents into the comatose daughter's hospital room, they will vehemently oppose it. Given his influential position, the Immigration Bureau's influence might not work."
Jeong-pal tried to dissuade him, judging it to be a completely different level of difficulty compared to dealing with a few police officers. However, Min-jun seemed unfazed.
"A legislator? That's perfect. I have a friend who can handle even prominent legislators with just a snap of his fingers."
"...?!"
"How badly injured is she?"
Jeong-pal rummaged through the documents and explained. She had multiple fractures, including spinal injuries, and brain damage. Without the treatment of a high-ranking priest, there was little chance of recovery.
"As you know, a priest of that level has been on a waiting list since three years ago. Even as a legislator, it seems there's nothing that can be done. Unless supported by a dragon sponsoring the church, the only option is to put her name at the very bottom of the waiting list and wait endlessly."
Min-jun snatched the documents and skimmed through them.
"Are the injuries like this? That's a relief."
"Eh?"
Contrary to Jeong-pal's assumptions, Min-jun was planning to interrogate her directly.
Once she woke up, that is.
"Before we head to the hospital, let's stop by my place for a bit. I need to get something from the basement."
"...?!"
Jeong-pal started the car, puzzled by the request.
< 107. Shock and Terror (5) > End