LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 63
A short message, brief yet lengthy.
Within that message were things that some would love and others would hate.
“Hey! Amazing! It’s incredible!!”
Iarin, who was enjoying some beer while chatting with a bear, couldn’t contain her joy as she received the text and dashed over to Iserin. And she didn’t just take the elevator like a normal person; she went through the window!
“Ah, you startled me!”
Startled, Iserin nearly dropped her book, her heart racing.
As she watched Iarin making a ruckus, Iserin crinkled her brow slightly.
It seemed like an unspoken warning—if it were nothing important, she wouldn’t take it lying down.
“Her brother’s coming to Russia?!”
But upon hearing Iarin’s next words, Iserin’s eyes widened.
She checked the message to confirm if it was true, and as the realization hit her, her pupils trembled a bit.
“I’ll finally get to see that brother of hers! Well, it’s about time he comes for a visit, right~?”
Iarin smiled widely at the thought of Jinseong visiting. She approached Iserin, continuously asking if she was excited to see her brother too, while Iserin just broke out in cold sweat instead of answering.
“Um… Didn’t I just get caught peeping not too long ago…?”
Iserin couldn’t say she was thrilled about Jinseong’s visit.
No, she was pleased.
It was just that…
“Seeing… his face… is a bit… um… uncomfortable…?”
How should she express this?
It was a feeling of being both happy and not happy.
She welcomed the visit itself but felt like she didn’t want to see his face or even talk at all.
Could it be described as the awkward feelings of a teenager caught doing something they shouldn’t have?
“It’s not that I dislike seeing him, it’s just… right now, I’d rather not…”
But Iarin seemed completely oblivious to her inner thoughts as she rambled on about her brother’s upcoming visit—what he had been doing in Japan, what gifts he might bring, and how she wanted to suggest he go sightseeing while he’s here.
Of course, Iserin listened with one ear and let it flow out the other.
More than anything, she was focused on how to change the image of being the “girl who likes peeping.”
And in the background, a demon quietly observed.
[He’s coming… huh.]
The demon’s expression wasn’t particularly cheerful. It was filled with a sense of unease, a mixture of something unsettling and something not so bad, creating a swirl of confusion.
What was clear was that the demon, like Contractor Iserin, wasn’t particularly thrilled about Jinseong’s visit either.
Jinseong, who had tried to call Iarin and Iserin to Japan time and time again.
What on earth had he done in Japan that made him want to bring them over?
What had he intended to give them that made him so insistent?
The demon gazed intently at Iserin, who was sweating.
In her hands was her smartphone.
『By the way, while I’m there, I’ll also make that Spirit Vision you mentioned last time. But I need materials for that, and the usual ones I can bring myself, so I’d like you to prepare just a few. First, 30kg of birch firewood, a goat no older than 10 months, 300mL of wild beast’s blood, and 1kg of snow that’s been on the ground for over 20 years. The type of beast doesn’t matter as long as the blood is fresh. It must be carnivorous and has never harmed a human.』
The demon felt something off as it read the materials Jinseong had sent.
[Using firewood and a young goat; it seems like a burnt offering is in order, but why does it require blood from wild beasts and aged snow?]
A burnt offering is an ancient ritual of magic.
This rite involves burning a young beast whole, a practice that has existed universally due to its simplicity and effectiveness.
In Greece and Rome, they used to burn beasts to gain magical blessings in various fields, while Christianity and Islam have used burnt offerings to acquire the skins of specially powerful animals for numerous applications.
In Hinduism, burnt offerings produced special efficacious foods, and in China, they created treasures through such offerings to amass wealth and power.
While these rituals did vary slightly in procedure or method, they all shared a commonality of “burning offerings,” specifically untainted young beasts.
Yet the materials Jinseong requested were perplexing.
[The firewood and goat are pure, but what about blood from wild beasts and snow that’s been around for 20 years?]
Wild beast’s blood is a crucial ingredient in magic.
A wild beast represents a being at the top of the food chain.
In other words, it signifies a tyrant that suppresses and consumes those below it in the chain of being, living off of the sin of killing for sustenance. Thus, it symbolizes “power,” “tyranny,” “the untouchable,” and “fear”—very aggressive concepts.
Moreover, snow that has accumulated for over 20 years?
This was in stark opposition to a young beast.
Newly fallen things symbolize purity.
And snow that has just fallen also embodies purity, but with time the symbolism begins to fade. Even if it hasn’t been polluted, once its freshness dissipates, it cannot regain its lost purity.
That’s why shamans seeking “pure snow” tend to live in areas where snow falls, often preparing light-weight magical cloth underneath clouds to immediately gather the materials needed for grand rituals.
Because using snow in magic, it’s common sense to use “freshly fallen snow.”
Yet…
[Snow that is 20 years old… festering, devoid of any signs of purity.]
But Jinseong was asking for precisely the opposite.
He was demanding something tainted, a symbolic opposite.
The front two and the last two were in completely contradictory positions—would this even be legitimate magic?
Had it not been Jinseong requesting it, one might have deduced it was a charlatan’s nonsense.
But considering how easily he had thwarted the powers of the Spirit Vision earlier, the ritual Jinseong intended to use must certainly be valid.
So what on earth was that ritual?
The demon turned its gaze uneasily toward Iarin.
『What I intended to give in Japan, I’ve handed over to someone else, but I’ll provide something similar. From now on, gather these items for me: one fully alive wild beast without a scratch, 1kg of mistletoe untouched by human hands, 500g of fish scales, 500g of raptor feathers, 5 blood packs of the same blood type as yours, 5L of alcohol over 80 proof, a stick made of Robur Oak measuring 80cm or longer, 1kg of the first harvest grain or fruit, and one first-born rodent.』
『The wild beast can be herbivorous, omnivorous, or carnivorous. And the mistletoe must absolutely be untouched by human hands, and during gathering nothing can touch it. If it proves too difficult to find, I’ll collect it myself, so just let me know where it’s growing. The type of fish doesn’t matter as long as the scales are beautiful, and for the raptor, try to aim for eagle or hawk. And the stick of Robur Oak must be just that—not ordinary oak but ‘Robur Oak.’』
『You need not go out of your way to fetch the fish scales and raptor feathers. You can purchase them at nearby ritual supply stores or online, but steer clear of shoddy or fake goods, so buy from well-reviewed sellers.』
『While you can catch the wild beast yourself, it might be better to request assistance from a Russian hunting cooperative or mercenary guild. Also, I’ll cover any necessary expenses. I’ve made plenty of money, so no need to worry about the cost.』
Unlike Iserin, Iarin received a long message from Jinseong.
It was almost like a parent nagging a child to run an errand—long and detailed with the information.
The demon couldn’t help but smirk as it read the message.
[Did it seem that if it weren’t detailed, they’d gather everything half-heartedly?]
And, as if proving the demon right, Iarin shouted with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“Ugh, why does it have to be so complicated? I won’t understand it anyway… Seirin! Seirin! Let’s gather this together!”
“No, wait… Um? But, it’s written down so clearly, why…?”
“Why not? It’d be nice if we both did it together! I’ll help you with your share too!”
“I have to find four things, and you’ve got nine! How’s that fair…?!”
“What?! A young goat?! I’ll help with that! I have a friend who raises goats!”
Iarin naturally decided to offload her share onto Iserin and leapt out of the window.
“Ah….”
Suddenly faced with the prospect of needing 13 items instead of just her own, Iserin could only stare blankly at Iarin joyfully bounding outside.