Chapter 107: As if Lenormand was Whispering (1)

Viktor spoke to his adjutant standing beside him.

"Wait here. Monitor, and if anything seems strange, unleash the Organ without mercy."

"How much should we fire, sir?"

"Pour everything in as if to erase this entire amusement park from existence. Understand?"

"Understood, sir."

As if the face-like shape was meant to hear, Viktor gave orders to his adjutant in a not-so-small voice, then walked forward without hesitation. When he reached where the mushrooms were singing, he slowed down slightly as if reluctant, but Viktor walked steadily as if he didn't want to show weakness.

The sound of military boots hitting the cracked and worn-out stone floor echoed, and to that rhythm, the mushrooms danced and sang.

[ A guest is coming~ ]

[ A guest is coming to eat! ]

[ It's worth looking forward to! ]

[ Because today's menu is amazing! ]

Aside from being noisy, the lyrics made people uneasy.

"Hey. Can't you make those things shut up?"

[ It-can't-be-done- ]

He asked the face-like shape as if he couldn't bear it anymore.

"I wonder what kind of meat you've prepared to make such a fuss."

[ You-can-look-forward-to-it. ]

"Tsk. If it doesn't meet expectations, I won't let it slide. And."

Viktor glared at the face-like shape with fierce eyes and then closed his mouth. But as if knowing what he was about to say, the face-like shape spat out flying insect corpses from where its mouth was located and spoke.

[ Don't-worry- It's absolutely not human flesh or anything like that. ]

Viktor looked at the face-like shape's assurance suspiciously and then walked on.

Before long, Viktor was able to reach the front of the Ferris wheel, where the face had intended to guide him, and.

"Oh dear."

What he saw upon arrival was a white shimmer.

The Ferris wheel, burning and emitting more light than necessary, spewed out an enormous amount of light as if to render the camera attached to the goggles useless. And the camera, which had a function to amplify light for easy activity at night, couldn't properly process that light and could only turn white.

When his vision was blocked, Viktor immediately restored his goggles to their original state according to the training his body remembered, and at the same time, opened his qi sense to check if there were any elements that could threaten him. But he didn't feel any killing intent in the surroundings, and after confirming that the face-like shape was also floating quietly, he finally looked at the Ferris wheel.

"Ha!"

Viktor exclaimed when he saw the Ferris wheel.

Because flames were burning in a circle from the ground.

Without emitting any smoke, just burning red and maintaining its form, its appearance–

Looked as if the sun that had been in the sky at noon had fallen to the ground.

The places where people would have ridden in the old days had become small fireballs, becoming part of the sun, and the frame had become a medium for transmitting fire and shone brilliantly.

Despite being made of metal, it maintained its shape without melting, and gathered flames that fluttered as if swaying in the wind to create a giant wheel of flames.

And in the center, a straight pillar of fire was in place.

From afar, it would look like a lollipop made of flames, if one approached closer, it would look like a torture wheel spewing fire, and if one looked at it up close like Viktor, they would feel as if the sun had been captured by a pillar of fire.

"It's amazing."

For Viktor, who loved such sights, it was a more beautiful spectacle than any scenic view.

[ Vik-tor. I thought you would like it. ]

"Flames and explosions. That's the virtue of a soldier, and what an officer should love."

Viktor wasn't paying attention to the bizarre sound coming from his right side, but when he felt raw voice mixed in with that bizarre sound, he hurriedly turned his head.

Where he turned his head, there stood a boy who was no different from a child by Russian standards.

No, he looked young even by Asian standards.

The boy was wearing a cloth similar in form to a robe, and on his head was a wreath made of oak. Also, in one of his hands was a small obsidian dagger that strangely emitted heat, repeatedly turning orange as if shimmering in the burning flames.

"Nice to meet you, Viktor. Viktor Alexandrovich Smirnov. I am the one who invited you, and the insignificant sorcerer who will serve you food today. How is it, you said you wanted to see my face, has your curiosity been satisfied?"

The boy's face looked truly youthful. At a glance, he gave the impression of a young rabbit, and from another perspective, he seemed to resemble a puppy. Just as one feels a protective instinct and lowered aggression when seeing a very young offspring, Viktor felt a strange sense of familiarity instead of wariness when looking at the boy's face.

But no matter how youthful his face was, his attitude was peculiar.

Although he was clearly a boy, what came out of his mouth was the tone of an old man, his eyes that should be full of vitality showing a depth as if he had been to the abyss and back, and his face that should be full of boiling vigor was full of reason. His gestures and expressions didn't convey emotion, which was something that couldn't be seen in normal people.

If what was in front of him was human, he would be close to an actor.

If he hadn't learned acting, he would be a being far from human.

"Yes. I've seen your face well. You look like a sorcerer at first glance."

He spat out words that were unclear whether they were praise or criticism towards the boy.

Then the boy smiled faintly as if pleased with those words. That appearance was like a smiling mask a child might make during school craft time, truly clumsy yet stimulating people's discomfort.

"The meal hasn't cooled yet."

The boy raised his hand and pointed at the Ferris wheel.

"Look. That brilliant flame. The meal that you and I will share is prepared inside that burning flame."

As the boy made a gesture of grasping the air, something flew towards them from the center of the Ferris wheel.

What flew at high speed as if cutting through the air slowed down as it got closer to people and eventually arrived in front of them, slowly floating through the air at the speed of a turtle moving.

Meat.

It was a roasted whole animal of unknown form, whether rat or pig.

"It's certainly unique."

Viktor smirked when he realized that the meal the sorcerer had been talking about wasn't some metaphor, but a real meal of eating meat. But soon he hardened his expression, drew his sword like lightning and pointed it at the sorcerer's neck, then asked in a low voice as if growling.

"Alright, I've seen enough of your tricks, now it's your turn to explain to me."

"Explanation, explanation!"

The sorcerer looked at Viktor with exaggerated gestures, seemingly unafraid of the blade pointed at his neck as if about to pierce it.

"Don't be suspicious. As the old saying goes, the first meeting might be chance, but from the second meeting onwards, it means there's a connection. To turn a connection into a good one, one must treat it with good intentions, and to turn it into a bad one, one must treat it with evil emotions. I've only prepared this meal to approach with pure goodness."

Exaggerated actions like those seen in a cheap theater troupe.

"So. You're saying you met by chance but want to treat me to turn it into a good connection?"

Even though there were many eccentrics and oddballs among sorcerers, wasn't this too suspicious?

Why was he treating someone he’d just met, and how did he know Viktor's name?

He glared at the sorcerer with these questions in mind.

And the sorcerer opened his mouth as if to resolve his unspoken curiosity.

"Oh, Viktor. Don't you remember?"

"What?"

With childlike innocence.

Jinseong smiled.

"This is our second meeting."

With those words, silence fell between them.

Viktor's eyes widened, and his hand gripping the sabre tightened.

And then his waist twisted slightly and his arm extended like lightning.

Stab!

Like firing a gun with a human body, the sabre made a small hole in Jinseong's neck.

The sword that made the hole wet its blade with the blood from his neck as if quenching its thirst, burned the hole with sword energy as it came out, and spewed its sharpness into the air. And it moved away from Jinseong along with its owner who stepped back as if jumping to create distance.

Jinseong smiled as if nothing was wrong despite having a hole pierced through his neck. He put his index finger into the hole as if used to such things.

"Those who call upon the sacred name do not die. This is like the repetition of a day, and like the eternal sun."

As Jinseong chanted the incantation, the Ferris wheel poured sparks towards Jinseong as if giving a baptism of fire. Then the flames stuck to Jinseong's neck as if spreading, and eventually, the flames became flesh and completely filled the hole in Jinseong's neck.

"Khepera."

The sparks were like dots.

Eggs for flames that would flicker and bloom.

Eggs made of light, where flames slept.

"Ra."

The sparks became flames.

The flames that rose like candle flames increased in strength and wrapped around Jinseong's neck, burning as they circled around the filled hole. They moved like snakes as if trying to use the flames that had become flesh as fuel, and wrapped around his neck, rising to his face and overturning his head with flames.

"Atum."

The flames that overturned his entire head formed the shape of a snake again without causing even a hair's breadth of damage to him. They slid down his face, and as if shedding their skin, they scattered a veil of flames in all directions and then disappeared.

But just as a young sun becomes an old sun, and an old sun becomes young again and rises with rest, the flames didn't completely disappear.

They floated in the form of sparks waiting for the right time, and were connected to the Ferris wheel with ropes made of invisible heat.

This meant that Jinseong could continuously regenerate until the flames of the Ferris wheel went out.

It was like saying that Jinseong's safety was guaranteed unless the soldiers shattered the Ferris wheel with multiple rocket launchers or Viktor used his power properly.

Jinseong spread his body wide open and exposed his chest as if to show he had no intention of causing harm.

"The first meeting is chance. But the second meeting is a connection."

He said to Viktor, who was wary of him.

"At our first meeting, I saw your physiognomy. And I realized that the connection between you and me wasn't over, and I also realized that I should give you advice at our second meeting. This place was established for that reason."

Jinseong gently placed the meat he had floated in the air at the midpoint between himself and Viktor.

"I saw that you would finally become king."

He walked steadily and sat in front of the meat.

Then he smiled brightly and said.

"And you want to become king."

Viktor's expression hardened at those words.

"Now, do you feel like talking with me?"