An Exorcist Magical Girl! Chapter 147

As if to confirm this, the teacher pointed to the red cloth tied around Seo Jun’s wrists.

 

 “I don’t know what this spell is for without examining it closely, but it looks like an adaptation of an existing spell.”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“It should last for at least four more uses.”

 

“It’s…”

 

 Four more times?

 

 “Seo Jun, what does that mean?”

 

“Let’s go outside and talk about it. Sir, I’ll go outside first.”

 

 Without a second thought, Seo Jun stalked off.

 

 “Hey!”

 

 Seo Jun turned around and stared at me until she was far away from the academy building.

 

Her voice rose and fell with fear.

 

 “I told you she wouldn’t escape the Grim Reaper.”

 

 The words were a metaphor and an emphasis on the power and authority of the Grim Reaper, because the Grim Reaper does not die with murderous intent.

 

Anyone with murderous intent, even one as powerful as the Grim Reaper, could never escape the Red Box.

 

Its defenses are so secure and powerful.

 

 She said so herself.

 

 “I said that these defenses would not be broken unless the Master of Space himself came, but I didn’t expect the durability to break down so quickly.”

 

 Her voice was as nonchalant as ever, but if I listened closely, I could hear the barely concealed embarrassment.

 

 “Yeah. When the hell did you notice that?”

 

“That…”

 

 Seo Jun stammered, unable to answer directly.

 

 “Today…”

 

“Today, when?”

 

“When we both took on a monster and took care of it, and then I checked on you and noticed that your spell was weakened a bit.”

 

“Wait, that’s when it happened? Oh, you mean it was because we had two monsters trapped at the same time?”

 

 The fact that both monsters were hit by the defenses at the same time was the result of Seo Jun taking the kills of the monsters to save me.

 

It happened while she was trying to save me.

 

 “I don’t know. We don’t know what caused it. If I find out, it’ll be too late.”

 

 Seo Jun mumbles as if it’s a good thing.

 

Hearing her voice, which was only slightly shaken, I suddenly remembered the content of point 2 of the memorandum we had written not long ago.

 

 “No matter what happens (even if things take a turn for the worst), Baek Iri will never regret or blame herself.”

 

 “…Seo Jun, is there any way to get that back?”

 

“It’s just a matter of increasing the number of defenses you have left from four to five.”

 

“Damn.”

 

 Okay, to be honest, I didn’t expect this spell to be infinite. Neither I nor Seo Jun knew that there would come a time when their defenses would be stretched to the limit.

 

 But that was just a vague expectation.

 

I’d never had a concrete idea of the limits of the defensive spells.

 

 The only thing I could rely on had ended so quickly.

 

 “Shit.”

 

 The fear of being so close to the limit, the fear that the crisis was real again.

 

 In the midst of the fear and anxiety, something that wasn’t fear and anxiety kept nagging at me.

 

What is it? Something that doesn’t seem to be?

 

Ah.

 

 “Hey, Seo Jun!”

 

 I realized what was wrong and at the same time let out a shout that came from the other end of the line.

 

 “You know that life is short, don’t you? You knew all along, and you just said that because it’s more efficient for you to deal with it than to lock the rest of the monsters in a box?”

 

“I’m sorry. At least once…”

 

“Yaaaaaah!”

 

 It was a good thing we weren’t in a residential area.

 

 “Yaaaaaah… I’m really burning up, I’m burning up…”

 

“Do you want some…?”

 

 Seo Jun looks at me and hands me a Jusum Jusum Almond BriX.

 

 “Dude, that’s not what I meant.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“I’d rather be worried that you’ll throw me to the lions and run away.”

 

“No, but…”

 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”

 

 I was inwardly relieved that this wasn’t a residential area.

 

Seo Jun pretended to think for a moment and then spoke again.

 

 “…I don’t think they’ll come to kill me after five full fills, maybe one or two more and then give up if it doesn’t work.”

 

 She wasn’t completely vain; she had already destroyed a huge soul aggregation on her first attempt. I wouldn’t push it if I thought I had more to lose, and I don’t even know if this defense has a limit yet.

 

 “I agree, but I won’t let it go.”

 

 If Choi Hee-young gets a second chance, she’ll make sure to talk to her “father”, the owner of the room.

 

 “What are you going to do?”

 

“Nothing much, just…, a little rebellion from her adolescent daughter?”

 

 I made a big deal out of it, but it’s really nothing.

 

I’m just going to try a little blackmail.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Six in the morning.

 

Someone climbed over the school fence at an early hour when no one was at school,

 

That’s me, Baek Iri.

 

 It’s not that I suddenly felt adventurous and wanted to find a new way into the school. The front gate was locked, so I had no choice.

 

The reason for my early morning arrival was, of course, to find the Tinker.

 

I still hadn’t gotten the hang of the “finding ghosts without amulets” trick that the rest of the class had taught me. I came early on purpose, because I wanted to try it when no one was around.

 

 “Uh, I should have worn long pants.”

 

 I threw my bag first and curiously climbed up the wall, but I landed hard and fell down like a tragic heroine.

 

 “I took a long shower this morning, ouch.”

 

 I wasn’t hurt, but I got a lot of playground sand on my bare legs, which was pretty uncomfortable.

 

I wiped the dust off with my hands and made my way to the science lab on the second floor.

 

 The key to the science room was still in Seo Jun’s hand because she hadn’t gotten around to returning it after exorcising the water ghost yesterday after school.

 

Seo Jun found out shortly after arriving at the institute. I thought it was a good thing, so I coldly handed over the keys.

 

 The Tinker’s Arm that I left in the second science lab was still there.

 

The fact that it was still there was proof that the Tinker hadn’t disappeared overnight.

 

 “Okay, this is all good, but… I don’t know how to authenticate this.”

 

 I told my third-year seniors that I would make a video and send it to them as proof of the exorcism.

 

I hadn’t realized how quickly it would lose its powers, and now it was invisible to the casual observer, let alone on video or photographic record.

 

 I’d need a thermal imaging camera to confirm the exorcism, but where the hell am I going to get one?

 

 “Uh…”

 

 I almost kicked myself for not thinking of a way to verify the exorcism. One of those “meaningless hours” I’d filed away in the back of my mind came to life.

 

 ‘What’s the science club advisor doing? Oh, he’s absent, so he should have packed up the class materials beforehand. Is he the advisor for nothing?’

 

 The other day in science class, Min Ji-yoon, the class president, scolded me so much that I brought the thermographic camera to check for fever.

 

I don’t remember whether I got it from the science supply room on the fourth floor or the science room on the second floor, but luckily I found one on the table in the second science room.

 

 I said, “Mr. Wong, there were only four of them, not five.”

 

“Oh, the science club kids must have taken one and never put it back. Let’s just use four for today.”

 

 So here’s the one that the science club kids used and didn’t put back.

 

I suddenly remembered the overheard conversation and wondered if it was strange that these supplies were lying around. Maybe it’s because I woke up earlier than usual, but I feel like I have a lot on my mind.

 

 I pushed a few buttons and soon the screen lit up.

 

 “Oh, it works.”

 

 I pointed the screen at the Tinker’s arm and saw that only the part with the arm was dark blue.

 

The problem is, I don’t know if it’s recording and even if it is, it’s another thing to check the saved memory.

 

So I just took another picture of the thermal camera screen with my phone.

 

 “See? I found one arm of the Tinker.”

 

I narrated it like I would for a YouTube vlog.

 

Now that the basics were in place, it was time to go out and find the Tinker.

 

 After the class yesterday, I went home and thought about it.

 

‘What does the Tinker really want? What could I use as bait to get it to respond.’

 

I didn’t have to think long because the answer was surprisingly simple.

 

 One of its own arms, torn off.

 

 It was hard to think of something more desperately desired than a missing body part.

 

 I drew the markings for an offering on the ghost’s arm and the markings for an altar around it, as I had learned yesterday.

 

To mimic the sight of an offering to a demon.

 

It was the simplest way to make the spirit aware of the bait’s presence.

 

 

❰Skill: ‘Light that can only be seen by closing your eyes’ has been activated❱

 

 

I gathered the black energy that was about to spread out into the air into the index finger of my right hand.

 

It’s a skill I learned by spreading the energy as far as I could, but what I need now is a concentrated mass of sensation that’s powerful.

 

A concentration of senses so concentrated that I can double and triple my perception of anything.

 

 “Think of it as making the needle of a compass.”

 

 I could almost hear Mr. Kang’s explanation right next to mine.

 

The black energy gathered at the tip of my index finger nail, and it suddenly took the form of a flame.

 

 ‘Don’t try to move it, just let it flutter. Just let the air drag you along.’

 

‘Don’t think about it. Relax your body. Like you’re about to fall asleep.’

 

I kept repeating it to myself.

 

 A response from a ghost somewhere far away.

 

I had to leave the black flame entirely to the slight breeze that the reaction created.

 

 *Crackle, crackle, crackle*

 

 The flame at my fingertips flared up without restraint, and the black energy that broke away from the flame’s form scattered in all directions like real embers.

 

‘Don’t be conscious. Relax your body. Just like you’re about to fall asleep.’

 

 I’ve done this more times than I can count in my life, banishing useless thoughts to somewhere outside the realm of consciousness.

 

This has allowed me to focus like a laser on the goal in front of me, but it’s also meant that I’ve mastered the art of avoidance.

 

*Crackle, crackle, crackle*

 

 The flame, which had been wobbling in all directions, suddenly stood upright.

 

The edges were flickering, but the wick was solid, so the shape was stable, but the fire was the strongest ever.

 

 The tail of black flame rises vertically, straight up, as if the wind is blowing it from below.

 

 The ghost was sending a response from somewhere upstairs.

 

 I left the science lab and started walking slowly.

 

 Upward, toward the direction the tail of flame was pointing.