Chapter 68 - Flashy Hats and Blasting Rays

It was shocking terrorizing news for Eun Ha. ' So it's really true… He made it clear that there was something very important going on that needed all his attention; but I didn't stop to ask the details… ' she thought.

"A fairy-eating monster…?" her voice came out a bit high pitched, reflecting her anxiety.

"Yes."

"And why did we come here to do, Professor?"

Shin turned to his student, and said, "The place is magically locked. At first I might think this shop's owner, Chil Won, had fled the city… but that didn't make much sense."

Upon learning that, Eun Ha looked at the Hunter again, out of the corner of her eye. And a suspecting feeling began to form in her mind. She asked,

"It's locked magically... But... Why can't Professor come in?"

But the Hunter was not as inexperienced as her, and looked up at the fairy woman with an intriguing expression, and didn't respond directly:

"There are many ways to make magic, but the main fact about spells is that they cannot be undone..."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean that, once a spell is made, even the spellcaster cannot break it. There are some turn arounds; but basically, countermagic is a myth. And that's why a wise spellcaster will insert triggers to get it undone in the case it's needed. It mostly works for protection sigils like this one. If only we knew what the triggers are..."

"So, is there no way magic can blast this... uhn, sigil, off? Like...uhn... a beam of magic that ZZZZZZZZZTRUM! our way in?"

The hunter stifled his laugh before her dramatization of a magic beam blasting the door, sound effects and all. His eyes squeezed, betraying his amus.e.m.e.nt.

"No. No magic beam or whatever. Most fairies don't have such power in themselves to get a blasting beam as attack weapon."

"Oh, it's disappointing."

"But some do. It really gets a lot of 'chi', and lots of practice."

Eun Ha recalled the event in the cafeteria, where Hunter Shin conducted the whole thing and a blast of power ZZZTRUM the wraith! She couldn't possibly imagine how to replicate such effect without him gripping her wand tightly! " OMO !' She blushed to recall the moment. His callous palm in contact to her wand.

"Oh, no way we can make a blaster of pure chi… right?"

He frowned, a bit puzzled, but said, "Anyway, it wouldn't have the desired effect."

"But it would be super cool."

"You like flashy things, as you like flashy hats, right?"

She looked her tutor from head to toes, examining his black asymmetric clothes, his black hat and how everything just fitted him. He was a funny man. He could go around just as a drama Grim Reaper but she could not wear black hats, does it make any sense? Of course he dressed with some style like that by mere causality. He probably should buy his clothes in outlets or at the Salvation Army.

"My clothes have flair. It's called style. Some have, others don't," Eun Ha could only defend herself.

"I know," he returned to his casual cool self, and continued. " But I saw you doing something different, that day when we met each other. Something unique."

After listening to it, Eun Ha certainly understood that she was in a position of advantage. Her self-taught magic learning was apparently innovative and enviable. This information inflated her ego, and she grinned widely. She could already imagine herself in the future, as the forerunner of a magical school with her unique techniques.

"Unique? Something extraordinarily special and different?"

"Yes. I believe your style was banned by the Elemental Council and is considered a crime for over 5 centuries. Surely no acknowledged fairy could use it… If one knew the technique, of course."

"Uhnnn…" she pouted, disappointed and a little resentful that her dream of having a technique known by her name had died so prematurely. "Am I basically being called a criminal?"

"I think there are mitigators in your case. But… I'd like to see it in action one again."

She narrowed her eyes. 'Is this Hunter Shin really what he says he is? Does he really intend to manipulate me like this to do something he can't or won't take responsibility for?'

"But as the Professor said, I shouldn't be using it. It's a banned practice," she pondered aloud.

"…" the Professor sat in the shop's doorway, fumbling in his pockets for his pack of cigarettes, lighting one and having it in a relaxing nonchalant way. The designer stood watching, waiting for him to say or do something, but he simply stood there, smoking in silence. Eun Ha controlled her anxiety and desire to yell at him, and asked,

'What should we do, Professor?'

'It would be nice to see how things are inside. If there is anything that needs to be done there. Be taken care of, protected, investigated; or saved. But there's nothing I can do out here."

"So what could I do about it if the spells, sigils or whatever, can't be broken?"

"There's not a way that any regular fairy under 500 years old knows about. But you know how to break things using magic. It's a lost knowledge. Maybe you can break sigils too."

"Oh!" she exclaimed.

" OHHHH what?"

"Five-hundred-years ?! Can a fairy live this much?"

"Omo. I say one important thing and you only care about nonsense."

"How 500 years is nonsense ?!"

"They'll be nonsense if none of us live up to the end of the year, Jung," he stood, finishing his cigarette. "I would like clues as to what happened to Chil Won. That awgi seemed to imply only finding clues to his death; but not being the real culprit. Also, not an awgi modus operandi."

"Ahnn," the things were becoming clearer in her mind, but not pleasant to think about nevertheless.

And it would also be nice to know if it's possible that your… weird way of cursing things could interfere with this place's seal of protection."

"Hey!"

"What?"

"Don't call it cursing!" she said in a small, resentful voice.

The Hunter shrugged, tucking his hands in his coat pocket. Eun Ha walked to the door of the candy store, and watched what she could do_ if she could do something at all, that's it.

Strangely, when she focused on it, she could really feel the faint pulse of magic emanating from the charming building squeezed between larger buildings. She also thought that if she was 'being scammed by a thief who was just interested in taking advantage of her and her powers …' What would she do?'

She did not know.