Chapter 119
Ella froze.
She remained motionless, facing the Grand Witch with an expression of incomprehension. She looked as if someone had stopped time, or like someone overly immersed in a game of freeze tag.
"Wake up, sister."
Tap.
If Anastasiya hadn't lightly tapped Ella from the side, she might have stayed like that all day.
"Uh, uh..."
Ella, coming to her senses, stared blankly at the Grand Witch.
The Grand Witch was fidgeting awkwardly, and her face showed an expression of extreme reluctance along with a deep blush that even her thick makeup couldn't hide. No, not just a blush, but her entire neck had turned bright red.
"Um, yes. Th-thank you...?"
Ella managed to squeeze out words by racking her brain and barely calming her madly racing heart and lungs that seemed on the verge of hyperventilation.
But even so, the Grand Witch's attitude, which was difficult to accept and perhaps even undesirable, struck Ella's mind hard, and Ella closed her eyes and took a deep breath for a moment to escape this terrible reality that was tormenting her.
However, the Grand Witch, whether aware of Ella's shock or not, just glanced at Jinseong with her bright red face. It looked as if she was seeking confirmation, asking if she had done it right, if she had done well.
When Jinseong nodded as if to say she had done well, Odilia quickly left the room.
As if she was too embarrassed to stay in this place, she moved swiftly to get away from this location as quickly as possible.
But the impact of her words remained, not leaving with her.
Everyone in the room could only look at Jinseong, or at the door through which the Grand Witch had left, at a loss for words.
After a long silence, Lee Arin was the first to speak.
"Brother... What did you do...?"
Her voice was filled with all sorts of emotions.
The way Lee Arin looked at Jinseong was like looking at a good-for-nothing who seduces women on the streets. No, perhaps she thought it was even worse than that.
She had seen him seduce Ella with a completely different tone from the one he used at home, she had seen him manipulate the Grand Witch over the phone by changing to an old person's tone, and now she had seen him completely dominate the Grand Witch in just a short time.
And Lee Serin, standing next to Lee Arin, was also looking at him with similar eyes. The only difference from Lee Arin was that in Lee Serin's eyes, there was also curiosity about 'when, where, and how he learned such speech skills'.
If it hadn't been Jinseong, she would surely have tried to use her ability to steal his secrets.
Jinseong slightly shook his head at their gazes and approached Agnes.
He approached Agnes, who had become 'in a state of doubting herself due to significantly decreased mental strength after witnessing something unbelievable' like Ella, and gently took one of her hands. Then, when she turned her gaze towards him, he smiled brightly and said.
"Hello, Frau Reich."
"Oh, yes. Yes...? Yes. N-nice to meet you, Herr Park. I've heard about you..."
Agnes reflexively returned his greeting even in her dazed state. And from that point, her eyes began to show clarity as if her mental strength was gradually returning, and she slightly cleared her throat as if embarrassed by her unseemly behavior, then smiled benevolently.
"Herr Park, I've heard you're like a flower blooming in barren land. They say you have tremendous skills even in a place where sorcery has been lost, and that you're a powerful sorcerer beyond your years?"
"You flatter me."
"Moreover, I've heard that you have a disposition befitting your power. When young people gain power, they often have bad thoughts or tend to fulfill their desires in twisted ways. But I've heard that you resist such temptations and use your power for good. And you used that good influence to save my disciple's life and save another child's life..."
Agnes looked at Jinseong with an expression full of goodwill.
"Saving my disciple's life by fighting against an evil sorcerer performing human sacrifice, how can I ever repay you... It's such a great favor that I don't know how to repay it. However."
She stood up and faced Jinseong. Then she bowed deeply to express her gratitude.
"I've heard this is how they express gratitude in the East. Thank you so much for saving my disciple's life."
"I only did what needed to be done. Please get up."
Jinseong raised Agnes, who was bowing, and sat her back in the chair.
But Agnes, as if that wasn't enough, expressed her gratitude to Jinseong several times. Then she promised the maximum compensation she could offer.
"She's like a daughter to me. You saved the life of such a child so I owe you a debt I can never repay. If there's anything you want, I'll do anything within my power."
A blank check.
She had just promised Jinseong a blank check.
But Jinseong shook his head once as if troubled by those words.
"It's alright. Ah, I'm not doubting your ability. If it's Frau Reich..."
"Agnes."
Agnes interrupted Jinseong's words and said to him.
"Please call me Agnes. You saved my daughter, gave another daughter a body, and you're the older brother of my daughters' irreplaceable friend. To call me so formally... It doesn't seem right. Don't you think?"
"I understand."
Jinseong nodded at her words and continued.
"I'm not doubting your ability, Agnes. I can feel that you have strong power. But you see."
He glanced towards the door and said.
"One shouldn't receive payment twice for the same deed. The Grand Witch has agreed to pay for what I've done."
"Oh my, the Master...?"
That can't be...
Agnes muttered very quietly.
The Grand Witch willingly agreeing to pay for something related to Ella, not even related to Agnes?
It was hard to imagine.
"So you don't need to pay. Rather, if you really want to give me something in return, I'd like you to pay by showering Anastasiya with love and attention."
"Oh my."
Agnes looked at Jinseong as if moved.
"To think there's such a kind young man..."
"You're too kind."
"You don't need to ask for such a thing, I was already planning to love that child. If she's Ella's sister, she's my disciple too, no different from a daughter. Moreover, I was planning to give her plenty of love to make up for the warmth she hasn't received."
Having heard Agnes's words, Anastasiya ran towards her upon hearing the talk about her, tightly gripping Ella's hand who was still not fully back to her senses. Then she quietly looked at Agnes, smiled brightly, and jumped onto Agnes's lap, snuggling into her arms.
"Master?"
"Oh my. A-sha."
Agnes's expression melted at the sight of her acting cute with an appearance exactly like Ella's when she was young.
Anastasiya seemed to like that expression and smiled brightly, then gestured towards Ella who was standing still. Ella hesitated to approach, fidgeting, but when Anastasiya urged her to come quickly, saying it was her older sister's order, she walked awkwardly.
"Hiyup."
When Ella came close, Anastasiya grabbed her clothes and pulled her sharply towards Agnes, and Ella, losing her balance, fell into Agnes's arms.
Agnes.
Ella.
Anastasiya.
The sight of the three of them together looked like a harmonious family.
Especially with Anastasiya nestled between Ella in front and Agnes behind, it looked like the youngest child embraced by her mother and older sister.
Anastasiya, embraced by both of them, smiled and asked Jinseong.
"Jinseong Park. Does the same go for my payment?"
"No."
Jinseong answered firmly to that question.
"That's separate."
"Tch. I understand~"
Anastasiya, who had tried to subtly pass her debt onto the Grand Witch, pouted as if disappointed. But soon she smiled brightly and said to Jinseong.
"Well. I'll be able to see you often because of the payment, so that's good in its own way~"
Jinseong recalled the past at Anastasiya's words.
The image of Marten before the regression, who brought him sorcery every time it was discovered.
Each time, Jinseong would thank her and give her cursed objects or perform rituals to strengthen or heal her body.
Although the future had changed from before the regression, he might be able to see that aspect of Marten this time too.
If that happened, he might be able to obtain sorcery that he couldn't get even in the past.
Jinseong slightly nodded at Anastasiya's words.
"Then I'll be going now."
"Oh my, already? I wanted to talk more..."
"I'm afraid I can't, as there's someone waiting for me."
Creak-
Jinseong exchanged light farewells and disappeared using teleportation.
* * *
"Huh, how did you know to come when I hadn't even contacted you yet?"
Viktor couldn't hide his surprise at seeing Jinseong suddenly appear at the dining table.
He had been thinking of contacting Jinseong soon to have dinner and talk, but he appeared like a ghost, as if he had read his mind.
But then he remembered that he was a sorcerer great enough to look into his fate of becoming a monarch.
"The stars whispered to me."
"Stars? Stars..."
Viktor looked out the window.
In the daytime sky, there were no stars, not even anything resembling a star.
"Well, sure. You certainly have skills... It's just a simple restaurant, not a military base, and I didn't bring any guards... You could easily come in."
A simple restaurant.
No guards.
And the fact that he was going to contact Jinseong for a private meeting.
All of these things were saying one thing.
"Yes, Jinseong Park. Or should I say Park Jinseong?"
Viktor said.
"Let's talk more about me becoming 'President', just the two of us."