Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris.
A swarm of reporters flocked at the news of the homecoming.
As soon as I got out of the car, the flashing lights were already a familiar sight.
A man approached with a gait that straddled the line between formal and casual, coming from the entrance.
“Hello, High Wizard. I am Ahn Ho-kyun.”
The 27th President of the Republic of Korea, Ahn Ho-kyun, approached with a gentle smile, extending his hand for a handshake.
There was no need to be prickly on our first meeting.
“Good day, Mr. President. It’s an honor to have you come all this way.”
“Ah, it’s nothing really. I should have visited you sooner. Congratulations on winning the National Exchange Tournament, and thank you for bringing such joy to our people. Especially, the final match against Katsuhata was a visual delight!”
“I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it.”
Did the President bring along his family for this trip to France?
I shook hands with the president’s family one by one as we moved to the departure lounge.
“Mr. NoName Wizard, Air Force One is more spacious than I expected. Since the area is separated, I don’t think it’ll be uncomfortable for you to travel together.”
“But Mr. President, how can I use the VIP section when you’re present?”
“Huh?”
“I appreciate the consideration, but we’d be just fine on Air Force Two. It’s a long flight, and I think it would be better if we could travel comfortably together. You’d prefer that too, wouldn’t you?”
“Ah… Yes, yes! I understand that feeling.”
Ahn Ho-kyun hesitated, looking slightly flustered.
So you want me to sit in the regular seat?
Anyway, the presidential office did go to the trouble of sending Air Force Two into the sky just to bring me back.
It’s commendable that they’re trying to persuade me till the very end, but they couldn’t leave any room to suggest I negotiated with anyone.
“Well then, wishing you a comfortable trip home, and I’ll take my leave here. In this government, please know that we will fully support all your research and projects, Mr. NoName. I hope you always recognize that there’s a steadfast sponsor by your side.”
“Yes, please take care on your way back.”
Air Force Two, though smaller than One, was still spacious enough for our family of three.
After a light greeting with the captain and crew, I received permission to use the bedroom.
I stayed alert until the plane took off and crossed over the French border.
Only when the two Republic of Korea fighter jets followed along did I feel a sense of relief.
Fwoosh-
I lay on the bed and softly closed my eyes.
Phew… The week I was most worried about passed safely.
How long had it been since I spent a full 24 hours with my family?
Of course, Professor Cheon always scolded me for using the capsule too much, but those little conflicts are just part of a parent-child relationship.
In that sense, choosing the Romanée-Conti villa was a stroke of genius.
Most importantly, I could dissect the situations where erosion had manifested.
The most severe manifestation was lust, Astarte.
She wielded such powerful influence that she nearly pushed my ego completely aside.
Of course, her existence was too weak to keep a hold of my body, so I returned to normal after a few days.
At that time, I thought it was simply the metal pin that separated my Aura Heart becoming loose.
Since the massive surgery, the erosions had been stabilizing my long-term memory and ego.
However, the moment my mind became tainted wasn’t limited to just Astarte.
Hahaha! You can’t even make a bomb properly, you loser! Come and find me if you want; I’ll gladly face you! Scared?
It was the same when I provoked Valpurgis and ran away from home.
Hey, anyone who touches something hot will get burned. And burns hurt. Your sisters didn’t know that when they did that to So-hye, did they? It’s okay; ignorance is not a crime. I’ll gradually teach you from now on.
And when I retaliated with violence against those who committed school bullying.
At the time, I felt no oddity at all.
Because I made that decision with rational judgment, and if it were my past life self, I would have acted similarly.
But I realized I had been thinking incorrectly from the start.
It was something that mimicked Estasha’s line of thinking.
Not my decision.
Fundamentally, this life’s ‘me’ is a child with a lot of inherent fears.
I’m so scared… I mean… Huh… Those horrible seniors… sneakily using forbidden magic on me…! And trying to weasel out… Aura Heart… I can’t let the pin I painstakingly embedded break…! I need to extract mana quickly… But the blood wouldn’t stop flowing from my arm…! It hurt so much… Huh…
Of course, it’s normal for an average 8-year-old to be frightened by such a situation or behavior.
Only when compared to my past life.
I have no major regrets regarding my actions.
But I wonder if I truly would have acted like that if I went back to that time.
Then what led me to such extremes?
I could hear the answer from a dog that appeared one day.
Hunger, Erichiton.
*
Three days ago, it was a completely ordinary morning at the villa.
Yawn- Mew!
In truth, it was far from ordinary.
My sleepiness evaporated instantly, and I jumped straight up from bed.
First, I checked if my hands or face had turned into a furball.
Casting: Diagnosis
I was so shocked I cast a spell along with it.
Naturally, there was not even a trace of oddity.
“What on earth was that? A dream?”
If it was a dream, it had to be a ridiculous one.
I calmed my racing heart and took deep breaths.
Since I was already up early, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
Click-click-click-click-
The light in the bathroom flickered.
Just listening to the snickering laughter, it wasn’t hard to guess the culprit.
“Cree-ree… Don’t do it while I’m being nice, okay?”
The second sense of unease.
Was it the mouthwash? I spat out the white foam and flung the door open.
“Bonjour! You’re up early, sis!”
“What are you doing up at this hour? It’s not even 6 AM yet.”
“Yawn. Do I still look like I’m up early? No, no.”
“Huh?”
It was Cheon Saetbyeol, stretching her flexible body.
“It’s about time to sleep, huh! Ugh, I’m so tired. I’ll go visit Dreamland and catch you at lunch.”
“Whoa… Did you pull an all-nighter?”
From here on, I realized there was a critical strangeness to my body.
“Huh? Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
I muttered something vague to Saetbyeol when she rubbed her eyes.
I entered my room and began a cognitive test.
Even when I looked at a number theory book I loved, particularly a German textbook by Landau, there was no issue at all.
“What’s the problem? Come on-!”
No, it wasn’t just any problem; it was a serious one.
The symptoms appeared to be similar to a tic disorder.
An intense premonition of a sensory impulse coursed through me, and I couldn’t help but let out a bark at the end of my sentences.
I could suppress it if needed, but it felt like my heart was being squeezed tightly.
However, I concluded that this wasn’t a tic disorder.
Suddenly, I felt an instinct to hide beneath the dark bed.
I flattened myself and rolled on the floor, slipping under the bed.
“…Oh, this feels nice? What’s so nice?”
I didn’t let out any weird dog sounds, but soon I felt embarrassed about myself.
What on earth am I doing?
Just then, Professor Cheon entered the room with two knocks, ready to prepare breakfast.
“Na-me, breakfast will be toast with eggs and bacon like yesterday… Na-me? What are you doing in there?”
“I’m just… uh… roughing it out. Ugh!”
I desperately suppressed the urge to bark.
I guess I should consider myself lucky that the barking sounds didn’t come out.
I quickly wrote a response on a post-it and showed it to him.
“I’d like to eat warm truffle soup today since my throat hurts. But could you wait a bit while I go to the mart?”
Nodding vigorously-
That was the plan.
Once I flashed him an OK sign, Professor Cheon hurriedly prepared to leave.
Sorry, Dad.
Professor Cheon went to the mart, and Cheon Saetbyeol remained blissfully unaware, still asleep.
The villa was my world.
“You’re done for today, you dirty dog! Woof-woof!”
There was no doubt in my mind; it was Erichiton’s doing.
I had no idea what she had done to my body, but the solution was extremely simple.
Creeeak- Clang-!
I inserted the silver key found in the last drawer, unlocking the door to the basement.
The villa’s wine cellar unfolded before me.
Slurp… Ahh!
The air that felt slightly cold at 14 degrees filled my lungs.
I activated my aura in search of my favorite vintage wine.
Woof! This is it, woof!
Romanée-Conti 2017.
In general, 2017 boasted stable weather with consistent climate from spring to autumn, producing a large yield of wine that maintained perfect acidity and flavor.
I headed back to the kitchen to prepare the decanter.
Using a corkscrew? That’s such a noob move.
I heated a pair of tongs and grabbed the neck of the wine bottle.
After some time passed, I wrapped the bottle neck in a cold towel and snapped it cleanly off.
I aimed to enjoy the wine without any cork pieces floating in it.
Decanting would usually be done for 30 minutes, but I decided to settle for 15 this time.
Slosh-
Pouring it into the wine glass, I filled it up only halfway to savor the taste and aroma.
It had a dazzling hue.
Gulp-
“Ahh…!”
Enjoying the appropriate acidity and smooth tannins across my tongue.
The lingering taste of grapes remained long after.
It would be a shame to gulp down such a noble drink like a barbarian, but I thought of it purely for medicinal purposes.
“Bon appétit! Woof…”
Chug-chug-chug-chug-
Holding the decanter with both hands, I poured the wine directly into my mouth.
Ugh- Ugh-! Ahh, I’m full…
I probably downed about 375mL in a single gulp, equivalent to half a bottle since each bottle holds 750mL.
It felt like the alcohol might send me into shock, as my head began to spin.
“Are you finally conscious now, Erichiton?”
You’re bad! Erichiton hates alcohol! Ugh, yuck! Tastes awful! Ughhhhh!
The ringing echoes of hallucinations pulsated in my head.
“Why are you popping out again? I sealed you properly!”
You opened the door! Erichiton didn’t do anything wrong!
“When did I ever?”
You’ve always needed our strength! The power had to go somewhere!
“No way…?”
When Schadenfreude, Barithia, Astarte, and Sekhmet left, why am I the only one stuck here? Arghhhh!
It was a moment when I was hit with an unforeseen causal relationship.
Using one form of erosion opens the pathway for another.
The hunger “Erichiton” I used while arm wrestling with Ban So-wool previously ignited the greed “Barithia,” provoking Valpurgis.
The jealousy “Schadenfreude” I employed in the Academy Competition awakened the lust “Astarte,” contributing to seizing my body.
When I used the arrogance “Hibris” against the drunken troublemaker threatening Saetbyeol and me, the anger “Sekhmet” manifested, amplifying my impulsivity.
“So the reason you popped out now was that I used sloth ‘Medusa’ in this National Exchange Tournament…”
I’ve already endured twice, even when you broke the Inherited Sword and during Sports Day!
Erichiton unleashed a torrent of intense grievance.
However, I wasn’t the type to show that much leniency to the trashed erosions.
Urrrrgh!
Fueled by alcohol, the remnants of the erosions plunged back into the deep abyss.
Ding-dong-!
“…!”
I dashed to the bathroom, holding the wine bottle and decanter.
Casting: Ventus Flora
Even while completely hammered, my situational judgment remained intact, and I magically wiped away the scent of the wine.
“But how do I deal with the wine?”
With my current amount of aura, it was impossible to detoxify more than half a bottle.
Slosh-
With tears in my eyes, I had no choice but to let half a bottle of wine worth 5 million won go down the toilet.
