“After that incident last time, did Maninsa talk about me?”
That incident, of course, referred to when Iri tore off Lee Seokjin’s arm and issued a warning.
“M-Maninsa… sh-she talked about you while sh-shaking in fear. B-but I d-didn’t believe it….”
“Are you still traveling together with Maninsa?”
“Th-that snake… a-after that day, it r-ran away….”
“Then the only Evil God by your side right now is Berimos?”
“…….”
The exorcist, who had been answering just fine until now, shut his mouth. It was because of the geas.
“What about your family? Other than Lee Seokjin. Are your parents exorcists too?”
It wasn’t the tone one would use with a twenty-eight-year-old, but with an eighteen-year-old—no, with an eight-year-old child. And the twenty-eight-year-old man, just like an eight-year-old, pressed his lips together and nodded miserably.
“I-I… grew up in th-the same or-orphanage as S-Seokjin and A-Ah-jin…. I-I don’t know a-anything about my p-parents….”
Meaning he wasn’t blood-related to Lee Seokjin or Lee Ah-jin.
This was a very important point.
Because it meant that the only one born with the innate aptitude of an exorcist was this man—Hansu alone.
“S-Seokjin a-always took g-good care of me… sh-shared his b-bread, a-and he’s a r-really good p-person. A-Ah-jin too—even though she’s y-young, she’s sm-smart and g-good at studying, a-and she’s k-kind….”
“The Evil God inhabiting Lee Ah-jin ran away. She won’t be able to act as a shaman anymore.”
“A-Ah-jin actually… l-likes that…. M-Maninsa was a r-really bad s-snake… so w-we actually th-think it’s a g-good thing….”
“I see. Still, since a powerful god has left, other vengeful spirits or Evil Gods might target the empty vessel. Make sure you protect her well.”
“D-does that m-mean A-Ah-jin is in d-danger?”
“If you just attach a single talisman for her, nothing dangerous should happen. Exorcists are extremely powerful beings.”
“H-h-how… if you t-tell me th-the m-method, I-I’ll….”
The exorcist clenched his fist tightly. Iri stared straight into the eyes half-hidden by his bangs.
“Why wouldn’t you know the method? You’ve already used spells far more advanced than that countless times. You even spread curses and created a familiar.”
“…….”
“The Evil God only taught you what it needed, didn’t it.”
The exorcist clammed up like a closed shell. Iri let out a sigh.
“Dojin. Draw a talisman and give it to him.”
“A-ah, okay.”
Dojin pulled out a notebook and pen from his bag, scribbled rapidly, tore out the page, and slid it toward the exorcist.
“Hmph. Use it or don’t.”
“Th-thank you….”
With trembling hands, the exorcist took the paper.
The talisman wasn’t rectangular but a round circle densely packed with drawings and characters. Several lines had been added in the empty space at the bottom.
[*The tail under the drawing must be pointed. Draw carefully.
*In the part that looks like a sideways 8 (oo), you can write Lee Ah-jin’s name.
*IMPORTANT! Absolutely no gaps in the outer circle. Minimum thickness 5 cm! If you don’t follow this, vengeful spirits can slip in through the gaps. I’ve warned you sufficiently.]
Despite his prickly attitude, the explanation was meticulous.
The exorcist stared with intense focus, as if trying to burn every line and symbol of the talisman into his retinas right then and there.
Watching him, Iri fell into thought.
At only twenty-eight, without having received formal training from an exorcist lineage, he had managed to create a familiar. Now that he’d lost that familiar, he’d likely lost a significant portion of his power—but even so, an exorcist with this level of aptitude was rare even in ancient times.
What kind of help could be given to this young exorcist?
Iri tapped the table lightly, then spoke.
“For reference, that talisman can’t drive out an Evil God that’s already attached, so you shouldn’t use it on Lee Seokjin. You might just provoke the Evil God instead.”
“H-hk!”
Because Iri struck the core so effortlessly, the exorcist jolted like a fish pierced by a sharp spear.
“Did Lee Seokjin ask you to give him your arm?”
“S-Seokjin…!”
The reaction was violent. The exorcist half-stood from his seat, leaned forward toward Iri, and shouted.
“S-Se-Seokjin is n-not at f-fault…! I-it’s a-all because of m-my m-mistake…! I-I messed up. I-it’s all m-my fault…! S-Seokjin is s-suffering b-because of m-me…!”
The tears that had been welling up finally spilled out in drops. At the same time, the area around his neck—wrapped tightly until now—swelled rapidly like a boil, then burst. Blood splattered in all directions.
“Kkiuwoong!”
Startled, Kkiwoong leapt into Dojin’s arms. Dojin hid Kkiwoong inside his sleeve.
“S-sorry. I-I’m s-so s-sorry….”
The exorcist sat back down, pulled tissues from his bag, and wiped the blood from his neck. Now that he looked closely, his neck, jaw, and lower face were covered in scars. This clearly wasn’t the first time such boils had swollen and burst.
“That’s a backlash from the geas. Looks like the ‘mistake’ he committed is connected to Berimos.”
At Dojin’s precise explanation, the exorcist withdrew his neck like a turtle.
The man choking back sobs was timid and frail, but he didn’t look like a bad person.
When Dojin looked at Iri, Iri seemed lost in thought.
Why….Why isn’t he lifting the geas?
Dojin knew several ways to break a geas cast by an Evil God. One could use curios, or Taoist arts. It would be difficult for him, but for Iri, it wouldn’t even be troublesome. So why not lift it?
As always, Dojin didn’t hold back his question and blurted it out.
“Everything related to Berimos seems to be under a geas, but you can undo it, Master. Why won’t you?”
“I can’t intervene at will.”
“Ah, is this another rule?”
With a sigh, Iri nodded.
If Iri were to lift the geas, it would appear as though an Immortal were arbitrarily interfering with an Evil God’s affairs. According to the King’s regulations, intervention required justification.
For example, first: if an Evil God clearly showed intent to harm or bewitch humans. But the target here wasn’t a weak human—it was an exorcist—so this didn’t apply.
Second: if Berimos, after Iri’s warning, continued to kill or torment innocent Wia, then intervention would be allowed. However, since the warning, Berimos had been lying low as if dead. Because the Evil God was quiet, the exorcist must be running around cleaning up its aftermath. Since no additional crimes had been committed, intervention wasn’t permitted.
Then the final method….
Iri looked at the exorcist. The exorcist looked extremely startled by the notion that Iri could lift the geas. Yet he didn’t seem to fully believe it either—his face was filled with anxiety, restlessness, and suspicion.
“Do you want me to lift the geas?”
The final method was if the afflicted person himself wished it.
If the one bound by the geas formally requested Iri to remove it, Iri could hear the reason and decide whether it was justified.
“I’ll lift it. If you want me to.”
“H-h-how….”
“I can.”
“…….”
“Should I lift it?”
The exorcist’s eyes wavered like a candle before a typhoon. Fierce internal conflict was evident. Anxiety, suspicion, impatience, fear… every emotion surged through him.
Iri gave him plenty of time to think.
After a long while—long enough that even timid Kkiwoong cautiously peeked his head out from a sleeve—the exorcist finally spoke.
“N-no. I-I… I… th-this way… is b-better….”
“What? Are you insane or what?”
“Dojin.”
“No, this is ridiculous. He’s offering to lift it, so why on earth—”
Flaring up, Dojin’s face turned red before he shut his mouth. This time, it was because Iri had placed a hand on his thigh.
In a manner even harsher than a gag order, Iri froze his disciple into silence, then gently asked the exorcist,
“Don’t you need help?”
“…….”
The exorcist bit his lip hard. It was clearly a strong yes to Iri’s question. His trembling hands, shaking eyes, and bloodied lips were screaming, ‘Please help me.’
However……
“I-I… we… w-we…. I-it’s a-all m-my fault…. E-everything… a-all of it… h-happened b-because of m-me…….”
In the end, the exorcist rejected Iri’s help.
If this had been a matter solely among Wia rather than involving an exorcist and a human, Iri would’ve ignored such refusal and intervened anyway—but….
As things stood, this was as far as Iri was allowed to step in.
“Alright. If you change your mind, contact us. Dojin, give him our business card.”
“Yes.”
With stiff, creaking movements, Dojin pulled out a card.
The shop’s business card was extremely simple.
[Iri’s Curio Rental Shop
000-0000-0000]
“Iri’s Curio Rental Shop….”
The exorcist muttered as if he’d never heard a business name like it before.
“You see the number?”
“Yes, y-yes…. I c-can see it w-well….”
“If you need help, contact us anytime.”
“Th-thank you….”
He didn’t put the business card or talisman into his bag, instead gripping them tightly in his hands as he bowed deeply in gratitude.
Iri glanced toward the door, signaling that he was free to leave. The exorcist bowed deeply to Iri, Dojin, and even Kkiwoong before exiting the restaurant.
Kkiwoong.
Kkiwoong plopped down and stared at his former owner’s retreating back.
“Is the reason Kkiwoong is so timid because he resembles the person who made him?”
“It’s just his personality.”
“Is that so. This feels frustrating. We’ve clearly obtained a lot of information, yet somehow it feels like we’ve fallen deeper into a maze.”
