[Weekend Ranch]
Far away from the bustling city center.
A place where you could escape your complicated life, even if only for a short weekend.
A place that fulfilled your fantasies of rural life, allowing you to become a shepherd for a while.
Gazing at the idyllic scenery of a peaceful farm, with sparkling sunlight, a shining meadow, and a flock of sheep wandering around freely, bleating, “Baaaa~.”
‘Sheep are cute.’
Yohan thought to himself.
It wasn’t as though he had any particular fantasies about moving to the countryside.
Of course, living in the city was more convenient and enjoyable.
Still, this relaxed and quiet atmosphere wasn’t bad.
Naturally, that was only from the perspective of a tourist.
People who actually raised livestock had to get up early at dawn, deal with countless chores, and clean up animal droppings.
It was probably exhausting work.
Just then, a ranch employee opened the gate to the sheep pen and spoke.
“Everyone, feel free to go inside the pen and take a closer look.
You can check out the other animals, too.”
“They’re so cute~ Oppa, let’s go over there.”
“Sure, okay.”
“When I get old, I’d like to live somewhere like this.”
Around ten people, including me, had signed up for the ranch experience.
Following the employee’s directions, they scattered around to look at the animals.
The reason I had gone out of my way to make a reservation and pay to visit this weekend farm was that, rather unusually, the ranch offered a program where visitors could pay to purchase livestock and then slaughter the animals under the supervision of an expert.
Well, naturally, the program’s promotional material dressed it up with all sorts of appealing phrases, such as “Pay to legally experience killing an animal,” “Experience medieval slaughtering techniques.
Meat doesn’t come easily,” and “An opportunity to understand the weight of life.”
Anyway, finding the Wizard Market was one thing.
I couldn’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs in the meantime, so I had joined this experience to make pentagrams using parchment or whatever metal I could get my hands on.
As I wondered which sheep would make the best parchment, I—
“Baaaa~.”
Kneeling on one knee, I gently felt the wool of a reasonably well-grown sheep and reviewed the process of making magical parchment.
The first step in making medieval magical parchment.
First, recite an Incantation while using the knife you prepared to skin the dead animal.
‘Adonai, Shaddai, Tetragrammaton.
And may the holy angels of God…’
‘Appear and bestow power and virtue upon this parchment, and sanctify it.’
The second step.
Hold salt in your hand and recite an Incantation.
‘O God of gods, bless and sanctify this salt.
Through the power of salt, may this parchment gain virtue.
Amen.’
Afterward, rub the salt thoroughly into the hide and leave it in the sunlight for a day.
The third step.
Now, it was simply a matter of making parchment.
Soak the hide in a bowl or container filled with water and lime for three days, then take it out and remove any lime clinging to it.
After that, secure the hide properly so the parchment wouldn’t curl, and leave it to dry in the shade for three days.
Finally, place the Magical Incense I had prepared into a brazier.
Dry the parchment in the rising smoke, and the magical parchment would be complete.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“Haah….”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
Skinning an animal wasn’t exactly an easy task…
It was simple enough to imagine doing it, but actually carrying it out would obviously take a lot of time and effort.
I would also have to be careful not to damage the hide.
Still, I needed it, so I would just have to learn through trial and error.
I really wished there were a market that sold magical materials.
While Yohan was thinking about this and looking around at the sheep—
“…!”
A pair of calm eyes, concealing their surprise, cautiously watched Yohan from behind.
It was Shin Sion, Team Leader of Special Response Division Team 3.
‘Kim Yohan…!?
What on earth is he doing here?’
She had concealed her identity and joined the ranch experience as a customer to investigate the livestock farm, which might be a wizard’s workshop.
She had never expected to run into Yohan here.
“…”
She quietly calmed her startled heart.
Fortunately, her emotions rarely showed on her face.
Sion naturally pretended to look at the sheep as she moved around, observing Yohan from a blind spot.
It might have been called paranoia, but… when someone did something out of character, it was suspicious.
For example, suppose someone who always ate pork cutlets for lunch suddenly ordered something different one day.
You could simply brush it off by thinking, ‘Maybe they just felt like eating something else that day.’
But there was undoubtedly a reason.
Even if it was nothing significant, there had to be some reason why they had wanted a different menu that day.
According to the background investigation, Yohan wasn’t the kind of person who would pay to participate in a livestock-farming experience designed to fulfill people’s fantasies of rural life.
Yet here he was.
For a university student on leave who had quit his part-time job, this would be a considerable expense.
And he had willingly paid for it.
Why?
But her impression from investigating Yohan was that he was a rational person.
He tried to avoid wasting resources whenever he did something.
And yet, he had deliberately come to a livestock farm that had nothing to do with his major or hobbies.
…Was there a reason he had to come here?
Was he trying to obtain something?
If so, why the Weekend Ranch specifically?
What distinguished this farm from other livestock-experience farms?
…Was it the program?
Could he know that this place was another wizard’s workshop…?
As Sion thoughtfully brought her gently clenched fist to her lips, a ranch employee approached with a smile.
“Haha!
You don’t have to be so afraid, ma’am.
Our sheep are gentle.”
“Ah… yes.
I’m just a little afraid of animals.”
Sion immediately relaxed her expression and replied with an awkward smile.
For now, I should focus on investigating the farm.
She turned her gaze away from Yohan.
Although there was no physical evidence, such as fingerprints, the corpses could reveal how the victims had died.
If Yohan really was the culprit behind the university murders, then he possessed an invisible Familiar capable of effortlessly lifting an adult man and severing his cervical vertebrae in a single motion.
Sion looked at the people chatting peacefully and enjoying their day off.
“……”
Considering that Yohan had quietly kept to himself since the university incident, he probably wouldn’t act recklessly.
But if she provoked him carelessly, the worst-case scenario was that everyone here could get caught up in the situation and be slaughtered.
…And, as things stood, Yohan was still only a suspected culprit.
That was nothing more than a hypothesis.
With that in mind, Sion observed the ranch employees.
They treated the customers with smiling faces, but—
There was also something faintly mocking about their attitudes.
Yes, something about them was suspicious.
The one thing all the people who had gone missing from this farm had in common was that they had all come alone.
That was why Sion had left Special Response Division agents waiting outside and instructed them to storm the place if she stopped sending her periodic signals.
She had come alone as a customer, intending to use herself as bait to investigate the situation.
However, this time, things were a little different.
“Everyone~ Lunch is ready, so come on over and help yourselves.”
The employee gestured toward the grilled meat, vegetables, and soup prepared on the outdoor tables, inviting the customers to eat.
“The meat and vegetables are all grown right here on our farm.”
And, naturally, the food contained sleeping pills.
After everyone had eaten—
“…”
The ranch employees watched the people slumped over the tables and began collecting their belongings with practiced movements.
They loaded the unconscious customers onto stretchers.
“We’re taking everyone today.
Isn’t that dangerous?”
“According to the information from inside Special Response Division, an investigation team is coming soon.
The young lady said we should finish everything off today and wrap things up.”
“Ah~ So we’re turning all of them into magical materials while we’re at it?
Those people sure are unlucky.”
“Should we take their belongings to the young lady as usual?”
“She certainly has some nasty hobbies.”
“Keep your voice down… She’ll eat you alive.”
Meanwhile, Yohan and Sion, both lying face-down on the table, were thinking to themselves.
‘The Grimoire in my bag was vibrating, so I pretended to eat.
These bastards are absolute scum… But Special Response Division?
Magical materials?’
If things went well, I might be able to meet another wizard much sooner than expected.
From the employees’ conversation, Sion was certain.
This really was a wizard’s workshop.
And…
‘So there really is someone inside Special Response Division selling information.’
If she was lucky, she might even obtain information about the Special Response Division spy.
And so, Yohan and Sion were quietly and peacefully loaded onto stretchers together.
They were carried down into the wizard’s workshop in the basement of the villa.
Yohan was a little worried that his bag containing the Grimoire had been confiscated, but it was fine.
Because it was almost time for Grizzly’s meal.
Grizzly would awaken from the Grimoire and come to him.
***
A woman with delicate features and a slender, beautiful face.
Kim Miryeo sat in her room, where she monitored the entire workshop through CCTV cameras installed throughout its central area.
She was inspecting the belongings of the ‘meat’ they had brought in this time.
Just as a hunter appraised the game he had caught, she appraised the spoils she had acquired.
Killing people and taking their meat and possessions was one of Kim Miryeo’s hobbies.
Although, most of the things she obtained were rather unremarkable.
“As expected, the belongings of ordinary meat are all pretty much the same.
Nothing interesting, either.”
It didn’t really matter, since the act itself was primarily about satisfying her sense of superiority.
Sneering, Miryeo proceeded to check the other bags.
“What’s this?
I can understand the meat, but why did he pack milk?”
Thinking it was strange meat, she inspected another bag belonging to the man.
“…?”
The moment Miryeo picked up the bag, she felt an unusual heaviness.
No—not merely heaviness.
Something special.
Inside the bag was a peculiar book with a dark Iron Cover.
“…Huh?”
She instinctively realized it.
This was a genuine Grimoire.
Her eyes widened.
With trembling hands, she picked up the cold, Iron-Covered Grimoire and pulled it out.
Miryeo was so excited that she failed to notice it, but—
The title engraved on the Grimoire’s cover, The Mysteries of the Worm, seemed to writhe unpleasantly, its letters twisting and wavering until the title changed into De Vermis Mysteriis.
Miryeo immediately opened the Grimoire.
‘Latin… The original text?!’
Her voice trembling with excitement, Miryeo began reading the book slowly.
She couldn’t interpret it perfectly because it was written in Latin, but she could still understand a little.
“The owner of this book is… the master of the… Invisible Vampire?
Hahaha!”
Unable to contain her joy, Miryeo burst into loud laughter.
“Ha—hahahahaha!
It’s real!
It’s a real Grimoire!”
She had heard that Grimoires would naturally move and appear before their owners once they found them.
There was no doubt about it.
The Grimoire had come to meet her as a spoil of war.
Miryeo laughed like a madwoman.
…And then, with a thud, the Grimoire fell to the floor.
“Huh?”
Had she been so happy that she had lost her grip?
Dropping such a precious Grimoire on the floor was unacceptable.
Miryeo reached out to pick it up again, but—
They were gone.
Her hands were gone.
“Huh?
What?
Huh?
Wha— AAAAAAAAAAH!”
Both arms that had been holding the Grimoire moments ago had disappeared, leaving exposed bone and flesh as crimson blood poured out.
“AAAH!
W-Whyyyyyyyyy!?”
Because she wasn’t the Grimoire’s owner.
Crack—crunch.
Crack—crunch.
The sound of something chewing echoed through the room.
Miryeo turned her trembling eyes toward the noise.
…There was nothing to be seen.
And yet, something was definitely there.
Something invisible and transparent!
“Ah… Aah!”
Breathing raggedly from pain and terror, Miryeo staggered backward before falling to the floor.
“Hah!
Hah!
N-No.
This can’t be happening!”
The Invisible Vampire.
Inside the room, Grizzly looked around.
“Grrrr….”
Its master, Yohan, was nowhere to be seen.
But still—
Grizzly looked at Miryeo.
—It seemed he had left it something to eat.
Miryeo’s pupils shook frantically, and her teeth chattered.
If only she hadn’t seen it at all, perhaps things would have been different.
But she had partially awakened her Third Eye, allowing her to sense the existence of the transparent monster.
“D-Don’t come near me… Don’t come near me!
D-DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”
“Haaaah…!”
Its mouth opened, revealing the sharp teeth of a monstrous creature.
Miryeo kept screaming at the invisible thing approaching her, but—
CRUNCH—!
Her head was severed, and she collapsed where she stood.
Crack—crunch.
Crack—crunch.
The sounds of a skull breaking and a brain being crushed echoed throughout the room.