---

“Um?”

Anastasia, having her piece of raw meat snatched away by Ella, tilted her head in confusion as her empty hands hung by her sides. She then looked up at Ella, who was huffing in front of her, and tilted her head again.

Her expression clearly showed that she couldn’t understand why her meat was taken away.

She reached out one hand towards Ella, who was tightly clutching the meat.

But Ella shook her head stubbornly, showing no intention of returning it, making Anastasia extend her other hand as well.

She brought both hands together in a polite gesture, offering them towards Ella.

Yet, no matter how politely and respectfully she asked, it was impossible to get the raw meat back.

Ella hid the raw meat behind her back, adopting a firm expression as she said, “You shouldn’t eat stuff like this! Only barbarians eat raw meat! As a lady, you should be eating elegantly, cleanly, and delicious food!”

“Little sister, calling someone a barbarian is too harsh,” Anastasia replied.

“No! It’s not harsh! I could say even stronger things to you than this!”

“No, that’s not it…”

Anastasia pointed with her finger towards Jinseong.

Ella turned her head, following her finger, and finally noticed Jinseong tearing into his meat on top of a mushroom.

She hadn’t seen Jinseong because she had rushed over in shock when she saw Anastasia putting the dripping raw meat in her mouth.

And then…

“Uh…?”

Not having seen Jinseong, Ella had essentially just insulted him right in front of him.

“Th, th, th, that!”

Ella felt her mind going blank as she stared at Jinseong, who was munching on his raw meat. Her head turned white, and in her panic, she couldn’t even think straight, struggling to form words.

“Ah! My sister’s broken!”

Ella’s face turned bright red from shock.

Jinseong, watching quietly, said in a calming tone, “Frau Winter, please calm down.”

“Eh? Yes. Calm down, yes.”

“I know you weren’t trying to insult me,” he added.

As Jinseong spoke in a calm voice, Ella slowly began to collect herself. But the aftermath of her embarrassment still lingered as her face flushed deeply, and she anxiously fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

“Hair Park, what I said wasn’t that…”

“Right. I understand. And I’m not eating this because I enjoy it either.”

Jinseong accepted Ella’s excuse with a smile.

“But surprisingly, it’s quite edible. If you think of it as Blue Rare steak, it’s more palatable than you might expect. Would you like to try some?”

“Eh? Ehh? Yes….”

Ella instinctively nodded at Jinseong’s offer.

Then she realized she had accidentally agreed and felt regret, but resolved to prove that her barbarian remark was merely a mistake by enjoying the raw meat.

She lifted the piece of raw meat in her hand and, with trembling fingers, slowly brought it to her mouth…

“Ugh.”

The raw meat, warm yet chilling to the touch, made Ella gulp involuntarily. She closed her eyes tightly and began to chew on the meat, the blood seeping out and the texture of the raw flesh lingering in her mouth.

Surprisingly, it had a nutty taste, and aside from the lingering fishy taste and slight odor at the end, it was quite edible.

Ella was astonished by this surprising revelation and looked at Jinseong with wide eyes, her mouth slightly agape, resembling a startled rabbit. Her round, red eyes glimmered in the sunlight, reflecting stunningly like the finest rubies.

Jinseong smiled at those bright eyes.

“Surprised that it’s actually edible, huh?”

“Yes…”

“Hahaha. That’s because it’s top-quality beef. But…yeah, it would have been much tastier if this top-quality meat were cooked over a flame. The texture would also be much better if it were prepared. And if you were going to eat it raw, it would be better made as ‘Yukhoe,’ a Korean dish.”

“Then why…?”

Jinseong pointed to the mushrooms he was lying on.

“It’s for the magic I’m using. There was no choice.”

“Magic… is it? I see.”

Ella nodded, seemingly understanding what Jinseong meant.

Magic.

The reason shamanists engage in bizarre antics and the skills that make people perceive them as unusual.

Shamanists would casually perform actions that ordinary people would never even dream of, from bathing in purification rituals to covering themselves in animal blood, wearing animal dung, dancing, jumping off cliffs, and hanging in midair with fishing hooks stuck all over their bodies.

Certainly, it was all to use magic, but no matter how noble the goal, the actions themselves appeared bizarre, which is why shamans were considered oddities.

Jinseong chewing on raw meat also seemed like one of those shamanistic preparations for magic.

“I apologize for intruding during your busy time. Hair Park, could you forgive my rudeness?”

“Hahaha. Of course.”

“Then I’ll take my leave now.”

Ella made an exit gesture, trying to pull Anastasia along with her. But Anastasia, refusing to be led, dashed over to Jinseong.

“Excuse me, benefactor?”

“Yes, Frau Lentz.”

“Can you tell me what kind of magic it is~?”

Curiosity filled Anastasia’s eyes.

Jinseong warmly said, seemingly enjoying Anastasia’s attitude, “It’s a secret.”

Anastasia, looking disappointed, pouted.

“Benefactor! Then!”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Can I watch you perform magic?”

Jinseong smiled at Anastasia, who was using her cuteness like a weapon.

“No, you cannot.”

“Hmph.”

After hearing a second rejection, Anastasia silently stepped back, took Ella’s hand, and was led away toward the mansion.

With peace returning to the corner of the garden, Jinseong began to chew and swallow the meat he had left on the hat. His fangs tore into the raw meat, and his molars ground it down as he swallowed it.

Then, a strange occurrence began.

A white, wriggling form emerged in the vacant space, growing rapidly, transforming into the exact shape of the mushrooms supporting him. It slithered and slipped between the mushrooms.

And this strange event continued to unfold.

Once.

Twice.

And three times.

When there were fifteen mushrooms, Jinseong finally stopped chewing on the raw meat and climbed down from the now human-sized mushrooms, heading back to his room. As soon as he returned, he started rummaging through his wardrobe.

However, no matter how much he rummaged, he couldn’t find what he wanted and sighed as he stepped into the hallway, politely requesting a servant.

“I need leather pants and a leather jacket. The jacket should be made of real animal leather, not synthetic leather. Also, I need boots and shoelaces, all made from animal leather, please.”

“Understood.”

The servant accepted the request, as if familiar with the odd orders.

“Would black be okay for the color?”

“Please find something in a dark shade.”

“Understood.”

The servant nodded slightly and disappeared from Jinseong’s sight. Jinseong turned to find materials for magic.

First, he collected all the necessary items from his room, then he wandered through the mansion’s storage space.

The storage, which should typically be filled with appropriate quantities, was cluttered with items tossed in during the Great Witch’s recent renovations, and there was a jumbled mess of things inside that even the person who organized them wouldn’t remember what was placed where.

Jinseong searched through it all, looking for items made of leather or bone. If a bone item was small enough, he took it with him; if a leather item seemed to be in good condition and made from the animal he wanted, he kept it, otherwise, he put it back. After a while, he exited from the storage with a bundle of items that he poured out in front of the mushrooms.

He ripped apart the leather goods, tearing them into pieces, and started shaping them into the form of a doll. Instead of cotton, he filled the doll with raw meat, collecting the blood flowing through the seams into a bowl.

With the sound of drops falling like bells, he closed his eyes for a while, and then opened them wide, returning to his room.

When he got back to his room, the servant had brought the clothes.

A shiny black leather jacket.

Leather pants that were less glossy than the jacket.

Shiny black boots and remarkably opulent dark brown shoelaces.

Jinseong changed into them and returned to the area with the mushrooms.

He then made a fist and gently dug into the ground, creating space for himself, covering himself with weeds like blankets.

In that state, Jinseong sought sleep.

As time passed and the sun began to set, painting the twilight sky red, Jinseong suddenly opened his eyes and approached the mushrooms.

He carefully made a cross-shaped mark just above where the mushroom’s mouth was located and repeated this process twelve times. Then he began special work on two other mushrooms.

He took sandpaper and rubbed the small mushrooms’ surfaces to make them rough. On the larger mushroom, he painted a pattern reminiscent of a snail instead of a cross.

After treating each mushroom, Jinseong began drawing an unknown pattern on the ground. It resembled a maze at a glance but also looked like a tree from a different perspective.

Finally, when all the patterns were drawn—

He started walking slowly around the mushrooms.

Once.

Twice.

Three times…

And on his seventh round, he spoke.

“Who knows one?”

 

---