Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 296 The Question of Loyalty (Second Update)

Salomon was unaware of, and had no interest in, the efforts Mr. Reese and Mr. Harold had made to stop the CIA drug cartel from getting close to him. All he knew was that he was late; the witches had said they were having Mexican food that evening. Fortunately, the witches liked Salomon's newly learned cuisine; after a day of hunting, they needed something stimulating to rejuvenate.

"It still needs improvement, Rodin." Just as the witches were enjoying their meal in the booth's soft chairs, Salomon placed the prototype of the bolter on the bar. However, the fallen angel craftsman only gave the sorcerer a disdainful look.

"There's no better craftsman in the world than me." The owner of the Hell's Gate bar took back the Coke cup that had been in front of Salomon, even though it was still more than half full. "If anyone else had handled this gun, it would have exploded. Your hand is still attached to your wrist; you should thank me."

"I think the recoil of a 12.7mm bullet is a bit too much, especially for a pistol. This gun has more recoil than a .50 caliber Repulse pistol! And this is a rocket-propelled bullet!"

"That's the price of range. High muzzle velocity means high recoil; it's a law of physics. It allows you to penetrate light armored vehicles and blow up car engines, which matches your requirements—unparalleled drag. A bullet costing less than $200 can rival a grenade. What bullet offers better value for money? If the recoil is too much, practice more. I know you can do it." Rodin wiped the impeccably clean cup. "If you have other needs, the standard firearms here will meet your requirements. Sorry, you only have water to drink today."

"Hey, you cheapskate! At least get more varieties of bullets! And muzzle brakes too!"

"This thing's not bad." The Sorcerer Supreme toyed with the bolter, tentatively firing a shot into the Mirror Dimension before returning it to Salomon with a satisfied expression. "I don't think most deacons' protective spells can withstand such an attack. Even the armor of lower-dimensional beings would be penetrated by this kind of bullet. If you coated the bullet with silver, one bullet would be enough to end the battle," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "But I think you should still remember that you're a spellcaster, right?"

"I feel that ever since we accepted the magic from the Book of Vishanti, our fighting style has drifted further and further away from traditional spellcasters. But I still keep two wands as spares," the Sorcerer Supreme's favorite disciple sighed. "But that's not what I want to know, Master."

"It's about the witches, isn't it?" The Sorcerer Supreme already knew Salomon's question, but she hadn't brought it up herself. She wanted to know just how much Salomon cared about those two witches. It was the Sorcerer Supreme's wicked sense of humor; she had discovered that the more dangerous a woman was, the more attractive she was to Salomon—this was the so-called "women aren't bad, men don't love them."

Although the Sorcerer Supreme was the one who initiated this whole affair, he still felt that his disciple might have some issues with his mind, because Salomon and the witch's feelings for each other likely arose during their first meeting when they both wanted to kill each other, which predates the time Salomon was taking care of Ceresa.

"Of course, wasn't the Ragnarok Order thing over a long time ago? Jupiter is also completely dead, so why are there so many angels descending recently?" Salomon asked. "I thought these higher plane beings had already moved on to something else."

"Do you remember what I told you before? Extradimensional beings will never give up their plans to enter the Prime Material Plane, especially the Nine Realms, a special plane. The power of Yggdrasil, which supports the Nine Realms, is no less than that of any magical entity. Even Odin's rune magic system was created based on the World Tree."

The Venerable One said slowly, "Heaven and Hell are both our enemies. Protecting the Prime Material Plane is our mission. Although Kamar-Taj may appear to protect only Earth due to the favoritism of successive Sorcerers, the entire Prime Material Universe is our responsibility. I don't mind delegating matters to more specialized individuals, such as witches."

"So Bayonetta and Joan of Arc are doing outsourced work, just like before?"

"Karmar-Taj pays in cash. I know your laboratory needs funding. I know your initial motivation for forming that organization, and that's good." Salomon's cheeks flushed at the mention of this. Robbing a bank was indeed somewhat despicable, but those companies didn't accept gold, so Salomon had to use secular currency to purchase experimental equipment. The Venerable didn't reprimand his disciple for this. "But until you fully take over Kamar-Taj, you'll only have a certain amount of secular currency each month for living expenses, and that's only because you're my disciple. Even as the Sorcerer Supreme, this is the only way I can help you."

"Then why are there so many angels at this time of year? Do they also have some kind of Golden Week? The witches have been away on business for over a month now, I think they might need a break."

"That's hard to say. The specific reasons still need to be investigated, but the only ones related to those highly distinctive angels are the Sages and Witches. You've witnessed the power of the 'Left Eye' and 'Right Eye,' and this power can interfere with the Eye of Agamotto, so I speculate that the Sages may not have been completely wiped out." The Venerable One skipped over the answer in a very perfunctory manner. "You know, this is work, and it can't be interrupted because of your feelings for the witch."

"How long will this kind of life continue?" Salomon sighed. It seemed he would have to endure days without the witch's company.

"It might be a while, but I don't mind you participating in the witches' operations; your work is unpaid. Also, keep a close eye on your laboratory in the Immortal City; you'd better show yourself there often—every contract has loopholes, and those wizards aren't as loyal as Balthazar imagines," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "Not every member of Merlin's Order and its successors are loyal to Camelot. Back then, many of Morgan's henchmen weren't caught, and the Battle of Camlann broke out, so the matter was left unresolved. But now you've encountered them again. If they threaten your safety, I hope you won't show mercy; you are far more important than them."

"I will, Your Excellency. I don't think they'd mind signing a few more contracts." Salomon raised an eyebrow and left the meditation room.

"Don't forget your 'handgun'! If this thing is a handgun."

The bullet whistled through the air as it pierced the body of the angel with the head of a bird. The shockwave from the explosion shattered the angel into pieces, spraying blood into a mist that even Salomon, far away, could smell the rosemary scent of the angel's blood.

"Well done, Boya." Bayonetta blinked, leaping from the summit of the Alps. Then, she rode a colossal angel into the clouds. The sorcerer looked up; in the sunlight, the witch's figure grew increasingly blurry as the angel rose higher. Everything was bathed in a colorful halo of light reflected from the snow-covered ground. Salomon squinted; he could only vaguely make out two separate figures, the larger one exploding into a golden light shortly afterward.

"This is the result of your request to help out on the weekend." Joan stood beside Salomon, though she too was wearing high heels, but the magic on her feet prevented her from sinking into the snow like Salomon. "To be honest, I'd rather you had stayed home," she said. "At least then we'd have a nice lunch instead of eating self-heating food in a cave."

"Families should always be together."

"I think you're just avoiding your homework, Salomon."

I've gone to book my vaccine appointment, so updates will be delayed.

(End of this chapter)