The Curtain Rises (7)
“The VIP is taking this very seriously, too.”
The man in the suit said with a serious expression. His hair was grey, and his voice was stuffy, as if he had caught a cold.
Kim Kyung-hwan thought while looking at the wrinkles engraved on his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth. His cheeks and forehead were firm, but he couldn’t fool his age. That old man must be an incredibly high-status person. That person was old enough to be considered among the agents he had seen since admission.
“This is the last thing to behave dangerously without following the controls. Also, if this kind of thing happens again, I won’t let it over. Be careful.”
Kim Kyung-hwan laughed inwardly. What if he didn’t let it over? He replied half-heartedly, thinking so.
“I will be careful.”
So, the last interview ended. He closed the door and went out into the hallway.
“Ah… I’m bored. It’s barely over now.”
Interviews that lasted several days were devoted most of their time to persistent questions about how he improved his magic without Kaifu’s help, rather than rebuking accidental behavior.
‘If this kind of thing happens again… he said?’
He repeated the words to himself. The man with grey hair referred to as ‘this kind of thing’ assumed that Kim Kyung-hwan didn’t obey the control. However, Kim Kyung-hwan was drawing a different situation.
What if another raid occurs in front of him again?
Of course, he had to come out like that day and lay it all down with magic!
‘Isn’t that the role of the main character?’
He had a sense of superiority that only he was chosen. Joy was like a drug. As the threshold rose, it coveted more stimulation. Kim Kyung-hwan wanted a stronger thrill.
Some more, a little, some more!
Deep emotions swirled and burned red. Kim Kyung-hwan thought.
‘Ah somehow… I hope more bad guys come in in earnest than this so that I can go wild as much as I want. No worries because Eraser will inform me in advance and teach me how to deal with it anyway. I don’t know if other monsters are aiming at wizards other than those Waterbirds. Are there any more guys aiming here?’
He couldn’t imagine himself going into a dangerous situation as long as he had Eraser. It felt like the goddess of luck was pushing him behind him back. Well, it wasn’t like a goddess, but an alien race with dozens of eyes.
-Wheeeeeng
The wind fluttered through the open window in the hallway with the scent of greenery mixed in it. It was the beginning of summer.
Kim Kyung-hwan imagined while blowing a whistle. A massive raid on a scale comparable to a few days ago could drive this base to the brink of destruction, and how he once again rescued the training camp from that crisis. The daydream continued.
‘So, don’t they at least reward me? Instead of talking like they’d like to let it get over this time?’
The thought follows one after another.
‘VIP is taking it seriously? Huh, if it’s not the president, so what? Even if the army managed to take care of the white giants of the Mapo Bridge, they would be helpless if the Waterbirds came in droves? They have no choice but to rely on me.’
He said sarcastically, recalling the agent’s words.
‘In the movie, the aliens blow up the White House first. In there, the president of the United States is a very extreme job. I don’t know why reality is so peaceful. If it were me, I’d break the Blue House as soon as I cross the Channel. Once they get confused, they’ll take the wizard more preciously, right? It’s an investment in the future.’
He kept complaining as he walked.
‘The alien races beyond 300 Channels need to work harder. What are they doing? Get to work. An alien race, let’s confide at the White House right now. That way, other countries know that they are scared and that wizards are valuable.’
The young man’s fantasies continued. In the picture in his head, the monsters were now invading the White House, not the Hun-neung training center and the Blue House. At the end of his actions, the other dimension’s invaders were annihilated. Then, the U.S.President praised himself up as a hero in front of the crowded reporters.
Kim Kyung-hwan laughed as he drew a scene where he and a middle-aged white man he saw on TV shook hands. He started to seriously think about whether to study English as soon as possible.
***
The sunset glowed red above the border of the entangled clouds. There was a garden filled with people. The words of the public affairs office staff echoed through the speaker.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the President of the United States of America, Benjamin Greenwood, with a round of applause.”
Participants seated at an outdoor table stood up at once. The sound of applause resonated in the rose garden. A brown-haired man, walking in the background of people’s welcome, stood in front of a podium on the lawn.
As he gave a light greeting, the attendees sat around a circular table covered with a white cloth. The president’s welcoming speech followed.
In a little while, it was time for the sun to go down, but no matter how much it was outdoors in early summer, Eugene D. Wright grumbled inside and looked at the senator sitting on the left. A heavy woman, who likely weighed twice as much as him, was wiping sweat flowing through her folded flesh with her stretched handkerchief.
Eugene turned his eyes, and he looked at the secretary sitting at his right this time. She was sitting upright in an ivory dress that contrasted her brown skin. This kind of party always gave Grace, who followed as a plus one, a sense that people around here won’t hear.
‘Who on earth did this placement?’
Grace replied with a soft answer.
‘It must’ve been done by the public office, well.’
Eugene slightly frowned. The two constantly exchanged telepathy while the president stood on the podium and continued.
‘Tell those stupid people to look at this intertwine if they have eyes. Senator Conway is big enough to eat three ordinary people. The table that seats that person needs to be taken out of two chairs to fit the space. Does it make sense to have six full seats like this right now?’
Eugene gritted his teeth while feeling the senator’s original smell that he wouldn’t be able to detect due to the strong smell of perfume like a normal human being.
‘As they arrange our seats, we get to sit tightly! The smell of her sweat is going to rot my nose, and I’m going crazy because she’s wearing perfume…’
‘If you don’t like the smell so much, kill her. Then at least you won’t encounter them at the next party.’
‘Don’t talk nonsense.’
Senator Conway and Eugene continued sitting next to each other. She was very favorable to the foundation run by Eugene.
The in-house lobbyist Eugene puts on Conway was using his specialty to attack her body and mind faithfully instead of the most persuasive and common means of money.
Anyway, Senator Conway was one of those useful tools. It was a waste to kill her just because her smell was terrible.
While Eugene complained a few more words to his beloved secretary, Suddenly Grace stopped his boss.
‘Ah, wait a minute. Eugene.’
‘Why?!’
‘I got a contact.’
‘Who?! What is it about? For what?!’
Grace’s willingness made the boss’s telepathy, which was mixed with irritation, stop at once.
‘The executives, from the real business, are reporting the progress.’
Eugene’s eyes sank seriously.
‘… What did they say?’
‘Russia, the cleanup is complete.’
‘Is it?’
Eugene’s face, which had hardened, was bright as if it had been. He grinned for a moment with a very satisfied look and soon gave a series of brief instructions.
‘Tell them to go back to the headquarters, get some rest and regroup to do their homework. There’s no need for all the executives to be involved in the information process, right? The top priorities are Germany, Mozambique, and Korea.’
‘The designated name?’
Eugene called the names of executives to be dispatched to Germany and Mozambique, respectively. And on the Korean turn, he hesitated for a while.
‘I’d like to bring the guest along while we’re on our way there. But, I don’t know if he’s still there.”
‘If he were there half a year ago and were seen there even a month ago, wouldn’t he be more likely to stay in Seoul right now?’
‘Yeah… I don’t know what kind of gold was buried in the neighborhood. Anyway, now that we’re out of breath, we should pay attention to that guest. I want to get the brainwashing ability even if it’s a bit too difficult.’
Grace nodded. According to the original organization’s policy, the priority response to the alien race was to investigate and defend. However, the individuals presumed to be in Seoul were outside the list. His boss still hadn’t completely given up on him.
Eugene looked at the president in front of the podium.
Since the world had changed, one person couldn’t move the country freely just by asking one of the nation’s rulers. Moreover, it wasn’t that simple to make an incumbent president anti-immortal.
Due to frequent media exposure, physical changes were immediately noticeable. The White House Medical Unit (WHMU) performed as the neighborhood’s priority once in a while, and the results of regular health check-ups were all in government records.
There were so many reasons why Eugene wouldn’t bite Benjamin Greenwood, other than the extremely close to personal preference that he didn’t want to push his teeth into the neck of a human male in his 60s.
But what if he could brainwash him in a way that didn’t involve physical changes? It was a fascinating scenario to manipulate his mind without touching his body. Moreover, what if he could brainwash not just the president but many key positions in the government and the parliamentary?
God Bless, America. How many people in this country could serve as food for Eraser? Anyway, if he did that, everything would be a hundred times easier now.
Grace told Eugene.
‘Then… it means that we will collect the Korean wizards and collect the guest as well.’
‘Right. The human wizard is the main dish in terms of back and after. Did you hear what happened recently?’
Grace sent her affirmation. Eugene scratched his chin for a moment, then said as if he had finally decided.
‘There are a lot of suspicious things, there are a lot of targets to be captured, and we need an inquiry. Let’s send Alice to Seoul because the number of people seems to be important. Her children will be of help.’
‘Apart from Alice? Are we sending only one executive?’
‘Of course not. Choose moderately among the remaining hands. Anyway, it’s not the ability to influence and receive influences no matter who you match, right?’
‘That’s true.’
Grace nodded. And this time, to make a plausible reason for what she should use for GIBW, the Global Initiative for a Better World, to enter Korea, she was deeply contemplated.
Meanwhile, Eugene’s gaze continued to stay toward the president. Having finished his greeting, he now sat down at the table. The president closed his eyes before eating and prayed with his hands together. His expression was very reverent, and his prayers lasted longer than anyone else sitting there.
***
The long-lasting prayer-like spell was almost completed. A high-dimensional terminal that didn’t know whether it was the will of God or an alter ego responded to my call.
I was on my knees in the clean, most magically stabilized chamber.
-Woooooong…
The air vibrated little by little.
The preparation was completed. I muttered only inside without making a sound out of my mouth. Even a handful of unauthorized sounds in this place might be considered irreverent and might ruin the ritual.
A powerful and magical white cohesion formed a magic circle in front of me. On top of it, a creature shining in a transparent blue color sat quietly.
Its body resembled a deer, its head resembled a cat, and its forehead had buffalo-like horns. It was a race called Lüer. A creature that just completed a contract and was invoked through the Channel on my chest.
I promised Lüer clean and pure Mana as the contract’s price, and I had already handed over the Mana cohesion to Lüer. The time had come to return it to its original dimension as the contract was made.
If it was a normal case as usual, yes.
I quietly opened my mind and measured the soul of the other person. It was possible to peek because there was a connection between the contractors’ souls.
Yes, this is fine.
-Wooooong!
I realized the time had come. I was careful not to let my emotions leak out and hardened my mind. I was about to unilaterally terminate this contract soon and bear all penalties for it.
I lifted the black dagger in my hand and looked down at the creatures of the higher dimension. The summoner looked up at me and made a noise.
“Kwoooong?”
The emotion I felt was curiosity. It’s flapping its nose. In its clear eyes, I could see myself raising a dagger. The face reflected in the pupil showed no emotion.
As I prepared to break my contract with the summoner, I continued the ceremony of establishing a relationship with God. The highlight of the prayer-like spell that continued for a long time. The most important sentence was spit out of my mouth.
“… Therefore, to the Great One…”
I vigorously cut down the sharply forged dagger.
