Chapter 108: As if Lenormand was Whispering (2)

Jinseong began to speak as Viktor sat down in front of him.

"Physiognomy, physiognomy. It's truly mysterious yet ephemeral, existing between science and superstition. This is because it always fails when using machines, but often proves accurate when observing people directly. This problem arises because a person's appearance alone cannot be judged, and correct judgment is only possible when using both instinct and reason, not reason alone."

Jinseong continued speaking while carefully separating the capybara meat on the plate. The whole roasted capybara floated slightly in the air and was torn apart as if pulled by invisible hands, being torn into bite-sized pieces.

"This is a human mystery that machines cannot imitate. So there's nothing strange about me reading your physiognomy and predicting your future."

"Ha, for someone who looks like they still smell of milk, you sure talk well."

Viktor smirked as he looked at Jinseong.

His expression was mixed with mockery and the ridiculousness one feels when seeing a con artist.

"You're not a witch, so your age must be as it appears. Oriental guys tend to look younger than us, so you might be older than I feel, but even so, you look like you're barely an adult, if that. Do you think I'd believe in human mysteries and futures from someone like that?"

He examined Jinseong's neck. The part where he had pierced with his sabre was clean without a single scar, and the sparks floating around it seemed to be no ordinary sorcery.

"Alright. It seems you can do some sorcery. But that's separate from this, isn't it?"

"Hahaha! Viktor. You already have some faith in me. You say you can't believe it, but your unconscious mind believes in me."

Jinseong laughed.

"If you had no faith, you would have cut off my head and turned this place into a sea of fire. You're not the type to accept a dinner invitation from someone you consider a con artist."

"Ahem."

"A meal is sacred. For you, a meal is not just about sharing friendships and information. You never eat together with those you deem unworthy of conversation or exchange. For you, a meal is a time to compensate for your unfortunate childhood and one of the few times you can feel truly alive."

Viktor slightly frowned as Jinseong mentioned his past again. His appearance was like a fierce beast pondering whether to pounce on its prey or not, but Jinseong, far from being intimidated by this sight, smiled even more brightly.

"Let me ask you. Besides meals, when do you feel alive? When did you truly feel alive? During the brutal Spetsnaz training when you thought it would be better to die right away? No. When you put a military bayonet in your mouth and pierced your cheek during the graduation ceremony? No."

"You..."

"Violence isn't sweet, but it's close to pleasure. It's close to primal instinct, something all living beings possess. Endorphins surge, vision narrows, and it makes you forget even things that would normally cause pain. And when you come back to your senses after victory, a sense of achievement follows that makes you forget the physical wounds and pain. This much."

Jinseong looked straight into Viktor's eyes and said.

"What else could make you feel so alive?"

"Feel alive, huh."

"But there's a threshold for all pleasures. Just as people adapt to pain, they adapt to pleasure. Beating up people as a child becomes beating up soldiers. Beating up soldiers becomes killing each other with guns and swords. And guns and swords become explosions. Explosions become bigger explosions. And eventually, no explosion can make you feel alive anymore. Viktor, you're someone who will always live with destruction by your side. You've adapted to people dying, adapted to your surroundings being destroyed, and have no qualms about any of it."

He smiled.

"Where else could you find someone so well-suited to be a monarch?"

Viktor saw a smile unfitting for a boy.

"However, the qualities of a monarch cannot be judged by this alone. No matter how cold-blooded one is, they cannot stand above people if their capacity is small. And even if their capacity is large, if there's a crack in it, they'll become like a fool who tries to rise to the sky only to fall. This is where physiognomy comes in."

Jinseong made exaggerated gestures with both hands. But each of his gestures was followed by a halo of light made of sparks, adding mystery to his appearance, and the halo traced a trajectory to create a picture.

It was a male lion with a lush mane.

"In ancient Greece, it was said that a person's character could be known by comparing their form to that of animals. This is because the shape of the mind appears on the face, and that shape corresponds to fate! This is Western physiognomy, the method fortune-tellers use to divine the fate of Westerners!"

The male lion raised its front paw, pointing at Viktor's face.

"Your square forehead resembles the shape of a lion, so you must have strong pride, and your hair is similar to a lion in its prime, so you must be very brave. The ugly scars on your body are like those of an alpha male who has defeated challengers, so the frame of your face is like a lion's. The shape of your mind appearing on your face taking the form of an animal is that of an ambitious young lion. The fact that you have ambition despite being a leader means you can only be aiming for the throne! How can this not be someone destined to reign over others?"

"A lion, huh."

"Also, your hair is stiff but strong, resembling flames, which means you illuminate yourself by burning your surroundings. Fire devours, shines light, emits heat to attract people, and those who gather add more firewood to increase its gestures. This also means expanding influence and catching the eyes of all people, which also signifies a king."

The lion picture drawn with sparks in the air blurred and became the shape of flames. But the burning flames scattered again and became like a cluster of stars.

"Look. This is the constellation that protects you, the cluster of stars that shone brightly when you were born. This is what signifies an emperor in astrology. It takes the form of a reclining lion, so it's called Leo. Although it's known that you were born on December 18th, if we consider that you were actually born on August 19th, it can be said to be the form of a hidden lion. However, the appearance of disguising as Sagittarius is similar to Hercules wearing a lion's skin. This too can be said to show the qualities of one destined to stand above others."

"What?"

Viktor's eyes widened when Jinseong mentioned his real birthday.

"How did you know?"

"The question of how I knew is meaningless. I'm reading your fortune, so how should I answer when you ask how I knew?"

The constellation scattered again, leaving only one star.

"Look. This is Regulus, the star that speaks of ambition and status."

The remaining star shone brilliantly.

As if gathering all the floating sparks and burning its lifespan to emit light.

"However, this star also foretells the blind faith in power and the resulting downfall. It also speaks of those who gained honor in the military falling from grace, and positions built through oppression and violence crumbling. Isn't this a star that fits you perfectly, who has been promoted rapidly for your age?"

Viktor looked at Jinseong. His face was brightly illuminated by the Regulus-shaped flame burning brightly in front of him and the light created by the Ferris wheel, but the shadows cast on his face by the flames changing shape also changed their form, repeatedly hiding and revealing his face.

That appearance resembled a clown wearing a mask to seduce him, and also resembled the shape of an old tree dancing in the moonlight on a dark night, and sometimes looked like the changing moon had taken human form and was sitting in front of him.

He thought.

He pondered with reason and found his way with instinct.

And finally.

"You don't seem to be a complete con artist."

Instead of tearing at Jinseong's neck with his right hand, he picked up a large torn leg and brought it to his mouth.

Then he took a big bite.

"Huh, this is delicious."

He started eating.

The well-cooked capybara barbecue from the fire had crispy skin and was full of juices inside. It was a bit dry, but when he felt like his throat was about to get blocked, he solved it by taking out the vodka he had put in his back pocket and gulping it down.

The taste felt with each bite was similar to pork. Whatever was in the seasoning, it had an intense taste that suited Russian palates along with a slight spiciness that made him keep swallowing the meat.

Moreover, the salty and spicy seasoning went so well with the vodka.

He quickly devoured one leg and picked up a finely shredded piece of meat.

"Hmm?"

The finely shredded meat had a mild taste.

"It tastes similar to what I ate in Vladivostok."

However it was cooked, the finely shredded pieces showed a soft texture. But he seemed to prefer the leg he had torn earlier, so he picked up another leg and put the finely shredded pieces on top of it, taking a big bite.

"This is better like this."

"I'm glad you like it."

Jinseong seemed to like the way Viktor was eating heartily, so he floated a bottle of vodka and a glass from far away. Then he opened the lid, poured vodka into the glass, and put a spark in it.

Whoosh.

The vodka with the spark in it blazed up like a lit Molotov cocktail.

Viktor smiled at the sight as if he liked it.

"You seem to know your stuff."