A secondhand bookstore with no customers.
“Haaahm….”
Just as the clerk yawned in the relaxed atmosphere—
Rumble—
A group of people opened the bookstore door and barged inside.
“Search everything.”
They began rummaging through the bookshelves, looking for something.
“W-What!
Who are you people!?”
As the clerk flinched in surprise and hesitated over whether to call the police, a man with a mild demeanor but the air of an intellectual gangster smiled and spoke.
“Ah~ We’re not suspicious people.
We’re just looking for a book.
There’s nothing strange about looking for books in a bookstore, is there?”
“…Well, I suppose not.”
“We’ll buy a few books before we leave.”
Faced with the pressure hidden behind his smiling face, the clerk simply kept quiet.
Manager Kim, the intellectual-looking man, inwardly grimaced at the orders from the chairman’s bastards.
According to information from the Special Response Division, a Grimoire might have appeared in search of its owner.
They had ordered him to search secondhand bookstores and libraries and take any Grimoires he found.
What a bunch of lunatics.
***
The Holy Maiden Sisters.
A pure-white temple where darkness settled like a warm curtain.
The flames in the brazier glowed beautifully as young girls gathered to pray.
Naturally, this was no ordinary religious order.
However, they had obtained the genuine power needed to maintain and expand their organization.
A beautiful girl with silvery-white hair closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against the cover of an elegant, antique white book.
The Book of Raziel the Angel
“Ahh~ Great Lord Raziel.
Yes~ Please, speak to me.”
She opened her ears and praised him in an ecstatic voice.
“Your saintess is listening.”
Then the saintess opened her closed eyes, revealing sky-blue irises.
A bewildered voice escaped her lips.
“…Pardon?
Korea?
…Yo, Yohan?”
Whoosh!
The flames burning in the brazier turned blue, sparks scattering as letters appeared on the floor.
‘Kill Yohan.’
After failing to receive Yohan’s attention at the secondhand bookstore, The Book of Raziel the Angel had immediately moved on to find a new owner.
But…
It was unforgivable.
How dare he leave such a radiant being as herself behind and choose that sinister—
The Mysteries of the Worm.
That shitty Grimoire.
It was simply unforgivable.
Even a Holy Grail overflowing with milk and honey would become a poisoned chalice if a single drop of poison seeped into it.
It had to be destroyed before the vessel of evil grew any larger.
Once Raziel’s oracle ended and the blue flames died down, the silver-haired saintess, Elsie, cautiously asked the other girls.
“E-Excuse me~ Does anyone know where Korea is?”
A bewildered voice rang out.
“…But we’re in Finland.”
Outside the Holy Maiden Sisters, a fierce wind blew.
***
An elderly man with white hair wore a dark cloak that concealed his entire body.
A wanted necromancer hiding in Korea.
Edward Coffin swung a censer suspended from a chain attached to the rod in his hand, standing in a dark cemetery.
Thick, pungent smoke poured from the censer and spread throughout the cemetery.
“Ahhh….”
Several zombies, their bodies concealed beneath black cloaks like Edward’s, dug through the cemetery with shovels.
They opened coffins, exposing the corpses inside, and the incense smoke seeped into the dead bodies.
A cold voice rang out from Edward’s mouth.
“Those who can no longer rise…
I grant you permission.
Rise once more.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Ahhhh…!”
Crack!
A sound that should never have been heard rang out as the corpses lying in the coffins rose one after another.
It was a process he had repeated countless times.
Edward watched the scene unfold.
Places where burial was the dominant funerary tradition were ideal for handling corpses.
There were so many to use.
He could put them to work without hesitation.
As he made those who should never rise stand again, Edward looked up at the sky among the dead.
He read the stars.
Through astrology, he had finally caught a trace of the great treasure.
The Lesser Key of Solomon.
Its more widely known and famous name was—
A Grimoire that commanded the 72 demons of Solomon, the lords of Hell.
Lemegeton.
A Grimoire every magician desperately yearned to possess.
Why had it revealed itself again?
Why had it appeared on this land…?
He did not know, but it did not matter.
It did not matter.
It did not matter.
It did not matter.
“O great Grimoire, Lemegeton.”
Edward’s voice rang out as he gazed up at the sky.
“Look at me.”
He spread both arms and howled toward the heavens.
“I am the one worthy of wearing Solomon’s crown!
Look at me!
Lemegeton!”
“Ahhhhhhh…!”
The cries of the dead spread through the sky.
Edward’s eyes glowed darkly.
Even if Lemegeton had already chosen a new owner, it made no difference.
He would kill that person…
And prove that he was the superior magician, the one more worthy of the Grimoire.
.
.
.
A new female member of the Special Response Division covered her mouth with her hand and gagged at the horrific scene spread across the cemetery.
“Ugh….”
The nauseating stench of corpses hung in the air.
And the bizarre structure resembling a tower, built from piles of rotting bodies, made her head spin.
“Is that the Tower of Babel?”
Sion frowned as well, but she kept her eyes on the structure and examined it.
The female agent could not understand it and asked Sion.
She could not comprehend why anyone would go so far as to use magic to construct something like this.
“Why would someone do this?”
Sion thought for a moment before answering.
“…To put it metaphorically, it’s a mating competition.”
“Pardon?”
“If Edward Coffin is doing this because he wants the Grimoire, then he’s showing off his magical abilities to it, much like a toad croaking louder than the others.”
The female agent stared at the horrifying structure with trembling eyes.
“…Does this actually work?”
“Perhaps if the Grimoire hasn’t chosen an owner yet.
But if it already has one, then no.”
Sion spoke firmly.
“When Grimoires choose their owners, they care more about personal preference.”
Some Grimoires did change ownership as spoils of war when their owners were killed.
However, the circumstances differed from one Grimoire to another, so there was no way to be certain.
In any case, what worried her now was something else.
“Someone who would go this far isn’t going to accept things easily.
They’ll keep causing trouble.”
Sion narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the carnage in the cemetery. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“We need to catch him before he causes something even worse.”
***
Yohan had received thirty million won from Smith, so he had made some money.
Now, wanting to experience what a proper luxury hotel stay was like, Yohan was on his way to the hotel he had booked.
Along the way, he noticed a tented area where various items were on display.
‘…Is this a flea market?’
He had some time, so why not take a quick look around?
He had no particular intention of buying anything, but he wanted to relax and get into the holiday spirit.
As he browsed the stalls, he noticed a pile of books for sale beside a stand selling drinks and cookies.
When he approached, the clerk smiled and spoke.
“Would you like some snacks or drinks?
We also have books.”
“Yes, I’ll take a look.”
I replied casually to the woman and examined the stack of books.
“…Hmm?”
A book with an old leather cover caught my eye.
The Lesser Key of Solomon.
The title seemed vaguely familiar, and my eyes narrowed slightly.
…Well, there were plenty of books with Solomon in their titles.
Just as I thought that and turned away—
“Excuse me, sir!
Would you like to try some of our drinks…?
Ah!”
Splash!
The clerk, who had been trying to hand me a paper cup filled with a drink, stumbled, splashing the liquid all over my face.
“…….”
“I-I’m so sorry!”
It wasn’t as if she had done it on purpose, and she was apologizing.
What else could I do?
I should just accept her apology.
“No, it’s fine.”
I took out a handkerchief and wiped my face.
Then, apparently still feeling guilty, the clerk spoke cautiously.
“Um…
I feel really bad about what happened.
Would you like to take any book you want?”
“……..”
I looked at the books displayed in front of me.
The Lesser Key of Solomon.
There was nothing particularly strange about it, but how should I put it?
The whole thing felt a little too contrived.
In the past, I might have bought it out of curiosity.
But now, I knew that Grimoires existed in this world.
I hadn’t read its contents yet, so I had no idea whether it would benefit me or bring me trouble.
At least Grizzly generally listened to me.
But couldn’t that book contain some monster that wouldn’t listen to me?
…Still, perhaps I should at least give it a quick read?
While I was pondering this, the clerk brought over another drink.
“Hehe~ Sir, I’ll get it right this time—Ah!”
Splash!
I got soaked once again.
“……..”
I ran my hand through my wet hair and let out a quiet sigh.
“Haaah….”
I had the strange feeling that The Lesser Key of Solomon and I had just made eye contact.
All right.
All right.
All right.
You win.
I’ll buy it.
I picked up the book and asked the clerk,
“How much is this?
I’ll just pay for it properly.”