༺ Solace (1) ༻
1.
Despite Amelia’s repeated attempts to hold onto him, Siwoo still pushed her aside. He went back to the cabin, gathered his belongings as soon as he got inside, and returned to the academy.
Although there was quite a distance between the cabin and the academy, he arrived in less than a minute by using the teleportation magic formula stored in his mind.
Everything in the world seemed unfamiliar to him.
That was what he felt when he stepped into Amelia’s mansion.
This was the same mansion he had known when he was still a slave and where he spent his childhood with Amelia.
Despite that, the place still felt unfamiliar.
His mind felt murky just like muddy water.
“…”
He packed up the rest of his belongings wordlessly.
Since he had exhausted all his mana water during the battle with Ea, he only needed to pack up the suits that Amelia gave him and the trinkets and the music box the twins had given him as gifts.
He carelessly tossed everything onto the bedsheet and wrapped them together like a bundle.
At that moment, the image of Amelia, sitting on the floor, unable to hold onto him, flashed in his mind.
In response, he shook his head.
“Fuck, why won’t this knot tighten properly!”
As he had been trying to tie the knot of the bundle tightly and failed, he let out a curse.
His chest felt heavy.
Although all the blame lies on Amelia, for some reason, he felt guilty.
It made him wonder whether it’d be better if he were to vent his anger and go ballistic to release his pent-up frustration. Or maybe, he could go back and try to slap her.
Despite his best efforts to maintain his composure, his heart refused to calm down.
His priority was to escape from this mansion before she could catch up to him.
But, the mere thought of her caused a lump to form in his throat, making his heart become even more tangled in complex emotions. He really wished that he’d never have to see her ever again.
He hastily packed his belongings before removing his eyepatch and started concentrating.
“Bloom.”
His spell, ‘Dimension Shift’, the result of his previous research of dimensional transportation, had already been completed during his confrontation with Ea.
And unlike before, he no longer needed to rely on external sources to replenish his mana.
His left eye, which he had already covered with his eyepatch again by the time he let out his chant, emitted a radiant glow as it absorbed the surrounding mana with an immense force.
He could see the flow of mana and saw a mesmerizing sight of vibrant threads swirling as they were being drawn into a vortex.
Naturally, even with that kind of absorption, it didn’t change the fact that the amount of mana in the air was negligible.
However, that wasn’t a problem for the current Siwoo.
Since all he needed to do was to amplify the mana he absorbed.
The skill required to do this came naturally to him, like back when he first learned to manipulate shadows through the ‘Egg of Gnosis.’
Now that he had regained his memory, he could use the ‘Recurrent Amplification’ by instinct.
The mana that had been amplified three times was more than sufficient for Siwoo to execute a spatial teleportation.
He could feel the amplified mana being stored in his left eye, as if they were being sealed within a brand.
“Phew…”
As soon as he managed to clear his mind, a complex web of thoughts began to form.
This intricate web took the form of spatial coordinates.
They extended to every place he had ever set his foot on.
From various locations within the academy to the distant Grove of Oyster Trees, Tarot Town, Border Town and even Ars Magna Town.
As he carefully traced through the strands, he pinpointed the coordinates of a specific location.
The place where he could untangle his complicated emotions.
Once he decided on the coordinates, he had to complete his calculations.
He needed to calculate not only the distance to the coordinates from where he was, but also the weight, volume and shape of the objects he needed to bring with him.
Perhaps, due to his prior experience, he did the calculation effortlessly.
A radiant golden circle materialized beneath his feet.
Soon, he was engulfed by a surge of golden mana.
And just like that, he vanished from where he was standing.
2.
No matter how familiar a city was toward magic, the sight of a man using it would still attract people’s attention.
That was why Siwoo teleported to a dimly lit alleyway in Tarot Town, a place where prying eyes wouldn’t reach.
Emerging on a round, floating golden magic circle, Siwoo carried his belongings and headed towards a bar.
The White Whale Bar.
It was the first bar that came to his mind.
“Ah, today’s a holiday.”
When he approached the bar, he noticed that the streets were more crowded than usual. That was when he realized that today was a holiday.
Even though it was still daytime, the bar was brimming with people. The noise from inside spilled out onto the streets.
As he opened the door and entered, he was greeted by the familiar sight of various people enjoying their drinks in their own ways.
Fortunately for him, there was an unoccupied seat by the window, so he put down his belongings and approached the seemingly busy owner.
“I’d like to place an order.”
“Welcome! Go ahead!”
The owner, who was wearing a headband, letting out sweat profusely, put aside the beer mug he had been wiping with a towel and welcomed Siwoo with a hospitable smile.
If there was one way to overcome the turmoil and confusion in his mind, it would be this.
“Please give me a bottle of the strongest alcohol you have.”
“Sorry?”
“For snacks, give me the most expensive ones. Fill the table with them.”
The owner, who had been smiling, changed his expression subtly.
While Siwoo was wearing clothes that were personally made by Amelia, the clothes didn’t look particularly fancy.
Furthermore, in Gehenna, all Asians were regarded as slaves captured from the modern world.
Siwoo didn’t have the energy to start an argument, so he just put down two gold coins on the table.
“I will serve you the finest dish!”
“Give me the drink first.”
“Got it!”
The owner glanced at the gold coin and responded with a bright smile.
After all, what did it matter to the owner whether a slave carried around such a large sum of money or not?
Once Siwoo settled into his seat, it didn’t take long for the owner to appear with a large bottle in hand while looking at him with a warm look.
Right before Siwoo’s eyes, the owner personally uncorked the bottle and poured some ice from a bucket into a glass.
He also handed him a piece of chocolate wrapped in paper.
“This is our distillery’s whiskey. Like beer, it’s made with barley, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, haha! Alright, I’ll serve you the food right away!”
Then he returned to the counter while rubbing his palm.
Being treated like a king even though the other party thought that he was a slave made Siwoo think that the owner was similar to someone from a modern world.
However, that was the only impression he had about him.
At this point, his head felt numb and he wanted to numb it even more.
He swiftly filled his glass with alcohol and downed the whiskey in one gulp.
All to make himself drunk quickly.
To prevent himself from thinking about anything.
Like a man who was working overseas getting caught off guard by an unexpected divorce notice, Siwoo drowned his sorrows in alcohol.
By the time the owner served him the first dish, he had already finished an entire bottle of the whiskey.
Seeing this scene, the owner was startled.
“Y-Young Master, I don’t know what happened to you, but if you drink like that, you’ll end up dying!”
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
But Siwoo didn’t have the lenience to listen to his words.
He was already drunk at this point, then he took another gold coin from his pocket and handed it to the owner.
“Please give me another bottle.”
The owner clicked his tongue as he looked at Siwoo’s eyes, which were filled with drunkenness.
He could sense what might have caused this.
There were only two reasons why a young man like him would consume strong alcohol in broad daylight and spend his money recklessly.
Either he was dumped by his beautiful lover or he got rejected and heartbroken.
Whatever the reason was, the owner brought him another bottle of whiskey.
He had received more than enough payment. It was his duty as the bar owner to serve a paying customer.
“Young Master, if you feel like vomiting, please use the ice bucket. Please don’t inconvenience other customers, okay?”
“Yes, yes, I understand…”
Siwoo sloppily waved his hand and filled the ice glass with the newly arrived whiskey.
With each fiery sip of the alcohol coursing down his throat, it felt as though his insides were burning.
He felt like he might throw up.
At this point, his mind became increasingly foggy.
Both his complex and useless thoughts faded away, sinking into the waves of alcohol.
“Fuck…it all…”
He dropped his head heavily and the tears he had been holding back for so long streamed down his face.
3.
“Sis, I’m bored.”
Inside a villa in Tarot Town.
Specifically, in a certain outpost, a place where the twins tried to unravel various mysteries. They had been spending the seemingly meaningless holiday lazily. After hearing Odette’s complaint, Odile spoke up.
“Me too.”
Both of them were lying in a sprawled manner, occupying a corner of the bed.
If the Head Maid Galina had seen them, she’d have scolded them severely due to them whimpering in a posture devoid of any sense of discipline.
But, it wasn’t like they could be blamed for it.
After all, they were truly bored.
“We came out here because it’s a holiday, but there’s nothing to do…”
“It’s not fun without Mr. Assistant…”
Although going to this outpost on holidays had become a pretty much obligatory thing for them to do, at the moment, they felt bored to death.
In the past, just strolling around Tarot Town had been entertaining enough for them.
They’d spend hours watching a man playing flute at the fountain. There were also times when they aimlessly explored every nook and cranny of the town just for the sake of stepping on every street in it.
Watching street performances while munching on a red apple they had bought from the market, or simply observing people passing by outside the window had been enjoyable for them…
But nowadays, without Siwoo by their side, everything felt boring to them.
After stretching out on the bed, Odette clasped her hands together and asked,
“When will Mr. Assistant return?”
“I don’t know… He’s with the Associate Professor for his treatment…”
“Nevertheless! Even though she’s the Associate Professor, this is still an abuse of power! I also have the right to play with the cute Assistant!”
“You’re right!”
Odile nodded her head enthusiastically after hearing her sister’s words.
“Mr. Assistant was really cute back then.”
“I really wanted to rub his chubby cheeks.”
“It was really fun when we went to the public bath together…”
As they reminisced about the not-too-distant memories, they took a glance at the clock, only to realize that it was already past seven.
While they had only spent their day lazily on the bed after a short stroll, it didn’t change the fact that they had to go back home.
Odile swiftly sat up and tapped Odette’s thigh lightly.
“Come on! Get up, Odette! We need to go!”
“Ugh, I don’t wanna…”
Wasting such a precious holiday truly felt disheartening.
Odile proceeded to comfort Odette, who was sitting with slumped shoulders and went to get dressed.
The twins stood in front of the mirror, checking for any wrinkles in their dresses or disheveled hair before trudging down the stairs.
But, when they reached the base of the stairs, Odette suddenly halted in her tracks.
Seeing this, Odile casted an irritated look at her sister and pushed her back.
“Stop dawdling and move, Odette!”
“Um… Sis…?”
“What?”
“See that…”
In a trembling voice, Odette pointed to the first floor of the living room where the lights were off.
There was someone there.
Someone lying sprawled on the couch with their limbs twisted in an unsettling manner.
This started Odile, resulting in her holding breath.
“H-Hii!”
“D-Did you see it too, Sis? Is it a ghost?”
“L-Let me go! Don’t cling to me so tightly!”
Odette clung tightly to Odile and shivered uncontrollably.
“Wait here, there’s no way a ghost is lurking around here.”
“B-But, I didn’t hear the sound of the door opening…”
From Odette’s perspective, it was difficult to believe that the shadow was actually a human.
She tensed up as she waved her hand. At that moment, all the decorative lights in the living room suddenly lit up.
“Who’s there? Reveal yourself!”
With caution, Odile gathered her mana and approached the sofa.
She was ready to attack if it was necessary.
However, after confirming the intruder’s identity, Odile immediately withdrew her mana.
“Huh?”
“Zzzz…zz…”
On the couch, twisting his body skillfully like a yoga master, was Siwoo, peacefully sleeping.
And this wasn’t the young Siwoo, but the adult Siwoo.
“Mr. Assistant?”
“Huh? Is that really Mr. Assistant?”
Odette, who had been standing frozen on the stairs, suddenly lit up with joy and made her way to the living room.
They heard that he was with Associate Professor Amelia for his treatment, so it was a delightful surprise for them to see him here.
“Mr. Assistant!”
Odette, who was running towards Siwoo, abruptly stopped in the same place as Odile.
The reason was the overwhelming smell wafting through the air.
“Did he swim in a pool of alcohol or something?”
“Could be?”
The identity of the smell was undoubtedly alcohol.
It was strong enough to make the twins feel tipsy.
“Mr. Assistant, please wake up! If you sleep here, your mouth will become dry!”
“Mr. Assistant! Mr. Assistant!”
Despite their cautious approach and attempts to shake him, he remained motionless as he slept deeply.
This made the twins feel lost.
“What should we do?”
“We can’t just leave him here like this. Let’s move him to the bed.”
“But, should we just leave him here and go home?”
It was time for them to go home.
But, right in front of them was the Assistant whom they hadn’t seen in a month.
If they were to go home without at least greeting him, they’d undoubtedly feel regretful later.
“What should we do…?”
“Let’s just move him to the bed first. We can figure it out after.”
“Okay, Sis.”
With her telekinesis, Odile gently lifted Siwoo, who looked so disheveled because he was drunk, and carried him to the bedroom.
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