First Hypnosis

Learning the ‘Hypnosis Magic’ left behind by Bingalsa began with cultivating the power of words.

― Words (言) have power. Therefore, language also has power. However, languages are diverse and change with the times. Therefore, the most crucial aspect of learning hypnosis magic is to cultivate the power of words by repeating meaningless sounds as if grinding ice with a millstone, imbuing the tongue with that power. I dedicated my life to finding the sounds that cultivate the power of words. I call these sounds Yeon-eon (鍊言).

Bingalsa repeatedly instructed to continuously read ‘Yeon-eon,’ which were sounds without any meaning or rhythm in language. Some were long, and some were short. Sometimes, he demanded that the sounds be recited while taking strange postures or hand seals.

Thus, unless Serina recited them as accurately and as endlessly as Bingalsa demanded, he would not reveal the next step. The palace people whispered as they watched Serina chanting Yeon-eon, but he was unaware of what was being said about him. He was simply struggling to get through each day.

It was absurdly simple to call it learning magic, but that’s why it was easy to quit halfway. Passing a stage didn’t grant even a trivial ability to use magic. It merely revealed the next step.

However, Serina was rather relieved just by having something ‘to do’ besides her duties as a court lady. When something made him want to cry, he would go to a corner and pass the time reciting the sounds Bingalsa had ordered, and even after returning to his room, he would repeat them until he fell asleep.

Six months passed like that, the year changed, and it became Serina’s third year in the palace. One day, as Serina opened a book, a sentence he had never seen before finally appeared.

― You have now completed all 10 stages of Yeon-eon. Congratulations. You have now learned half of the ‘Hypnosis Magic’ I created. You can now sufficiently treat insomnia. It is enough to simply go to the person you want to put to sleep and slowly and quietly repeat the words “You are getting sleepy, you are getting sleepy.”

― Hypnosis magic is greatly affected by the target’s state of mind. It is most effective on people who like and deeply trust you. It has neither a particularly good nor bad effect on people who have no feelings for you. It is less effective on people who ignore you. And if the person distrusts, is wary of, and hates you, hypnosis will not work even if the sky splits in two. Unless they are intoxicated or have suffered a major shock…

Bingalsa continued to explain in the book how to use hypnosis magic, the target, and the points to be aware of. He could lead the opponent into a ‘seemingly asleep’ state with the power of words, but the effectiveness varied greatly depending on how the opponent thought of the caster. Furthermore, even if he led them into a hypnotic state, if he forcibly issued commands, they would wake up from the hypnotic state, and in this situation, they would never be hypnotized again.

,I can see why he boasted it was a dangerous masterpiece while also disparaging it as a trivial magic. There are too many restrictions and limitations.”

If it were magic that could hypnotize anyone and issue any command, Bingalsa would have already ruled this country 70 years ago. Even he himself hid his real name and was careful lest he be subjected to posthumous dismemberment if something went wrong, so it seemed practically impossible to do anything big with hypnosis magic.

Serina quietly sighed after reading Bingalsa’s precautions. He had diligently recited Yeon-eon as instructed for half a year, but what he had gained was too crude.

****************

Ironically, thanks to hypnosis magic, Serina gradually gained a reputation within the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) as someone who listened to the court ladies’ complaints. It happened while talking to Alika, a court lady of the same age who liked a low-ranking civil official of the Ministry of Revenue (Hobu) who frequented the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) for work.

,Every night, that person comes to my mind, but I’m too afraid of being rejected to even talk to him. The Sang-gung-nim’s glare is also scary. I can’t tell anyone else for fear of rumors.”

Alika was a court lady, and Serina was a maid, so Alika used respectful speech towards him. However, he only used respectful speech, and his attitude was almost like a friend. Because they were of similar age and got along well, Serina also thought, ‘What’s the point of flaunting my status as a fallen noble?’ and treated Alika comfortably when they were alone.

,Can I tell you?”

Alika widened his eyes and tilted his head.

,Do you know what kind of reputation Serina-nim has among the palace people these days?”

,Um, a pitiful maid tormented by the Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim?”

,Serina-nim isn’t the only maid, you know. The rumor that you were flogged a few days after entering the palace has been circulating for a while. These days, they say that the fluids in your body are flowing wrong.”

In Awimika’s medicine, it is explained that there are four types of fluids in the human body-hot, cold, dry, and wet-and that illness occurs when the balance of these fluids is broken. Serina was embarrassed by his words.

,The fluids are flowing wrong? Me? Where in my body?”

Alika smirked mischievously and tapped his head with his right index finger.

,Here, you see.”

Serina touched his ankle with a gesture mixed with annoyance. Alika pretended to be in pain without making a sound, feigning exaggeration.

,Anyway, Serina-nim’s impression isn’t very good in the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) right now. Because you mumble strange prayers. Even if I spread my story to other people, they wouldn’t believe it easily, right? So, I can talk with peace of mind.”

Serina was grateful that he spoke to him so naturally, even though he was a fallen noble with a difference in status. If it weren’t for him, he wouldn’t have anyone to talk to properly in the palace.

However, hearing this story to his face made him a little annoyed on the one hand. The urge to try hypnosis magic suddenly surged in his chest. So, for the first time, he subtly unleashed the power he had learned on someone else.

,With the spirit you have to talk to me like this… how about… talking to that person…?”

He spoke slowly and quietly, putting the power of Yeon-eon into his words.

,To that person? But…”

,It’s okay, it’s not like you have anything to lose anyway… You’ve been thinking about it all along… Every time you have time to think alone at night…”

Alika’s eyes seemed to be a little blurry, but Serina couldn’t be sure if the hypnosis magic was working.

,Remember… the feeling at that time…”

The moment he said this, Alika jumped up from his seat. Then, he confessed to him on the spur of the moment as he was returning to the main building of the Ministry of Revenue (Hobu), and they actually started dating.

According to Awimika’s customary law, court ladies and maids serving unmarried Princesses (Hwangnyeo) must also be virgins to prevent unnecessary rumors from spreading. Maids had to be virgins, and other palace people were strongly encouraged to be unmarried. If they wanted to marry, they had to leave the palace.

Sang-gung Mullaba was greatly angered by the sight of Alika confessing on the main street in front of the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung). However, because the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) had few workers, he was allowed to live in the palace until he officially got married. It was fortunate that it was only a confession and not a proposal. Of course, Alika was also prepared for the aftermath of being assigned difficult tasks as a palace person of the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) for a while as compensation.

At this time, Alika was already under hypnosis magic. The desire to date and confess was already full, so it was only a slight push, but the magic certainly worked on his mind. The problem was that Serina couldn’t tell whether it was really because of hypnosis magic or just because he had listened to his words and gained courage.

,Damn it, I can’t even tell if the hypnosis magic worked.”

Serina regretted that he had been deceived by Bingalsa’s words and had recited meaningless sounds with all his heart for six months. However, since there was no doubt that his book was made using magical methods, he tried to calm his mind by believing in that alone.

Regardless of Serina’s worries, the reputation among the palace people of the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) gradually improved. Thanks to Alika telling good stories about Serina, the rumor that ‘he had gone crazy’ gradually subsided, and more palace people began to share their worries. Serina didn’t do anything for them right away, but just listening to them made them feel much better.

It was only after Ariman, a low-ranking court lady suffering from insomnia, came to visit that Serina was barely able to confirm that hypnosis magic actually worked. Ariman was ten years younger than Serina, so he was chubby and cute.

,Look at my face.”

,My face?”

As Ariman tilted his head and looked at him, Serina put as much power as he could into his words and cast hypnosis magic.

,Breathe in slowly… and out…”

Ariman’s clothes slowly rose and fell as he breathed as Serina instructed, which was noticeable.

,If you haven’t been able to sleep properly, you must be very tired. You’re tired. So, slowly entrust your body to the sleep that comes comfortably… your eyes are closing…”

Ariman’s eyes gradually lost their light, and his eyelids slowly closed. Serina was now finally able to confirm that his magic had worked.

,And you’re sleeping. I’ll wake you up in a little while…”

Ariman slumped and fell asleep while sitting on a bench in a corner of the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung)’s courtyard (a garden-like space in the middle of the building). It was ridiculous how he had been complaining about insomnia until just a moment ago.

A white butterfly gently landed on the red summer flower buds blooming in the courtyard, and a deep floral scent spread. As silence suddenly fell, Serina sighed softly so that no one else could hear. A breeze blew, fluttering the clothes of the two people, and the strands of hair hanging down swayed gently, but the sleeping court lady did not wake up.

At this moment, Serina became a small resting place for Ariman, but there was no one else who could be a resting place for him. Life in the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) was a dull gray. Serina suddenly felt a little envious of this young court lady’s good-natured personality and situation, who was relying on him.

He wanted to let him sleep soundly, but it was still daytime, and he didn’t know what kind of disaster would befall him if a palace person openly slept in the courtyard. Serina reached out and gently touched Ariman’s still youthful cheek.

,Wake up, you’ll get in trouble if you sleep like this.”

Ariman slowly opened his eyes. At first, he looked at Serina with blurry eyes, then he startled and stood up.

,How much time has passed?”

,Don’t worry. Not even one hourglass has completely run out yet.”

Ariman sighed and stroked his chest with his small hand. Looking at him, Serina suddenly thought he was cute. Ariman skipped back to work. Although it passed in vain, Serina was finally able to confirm that he had really learned ‘Hypnosis Magic’ after putting the low-ranking court lady to sleep.

Even after Ariman took a nap thanks to hypnosis, the rumor that Serina was a master of insomnia treatment didn’t exactly spread. It only made the evaluation of Serina better.

Then one day, as Serina was about to go to sleep in his room, he heard a knock on the door.

,Who is it?”

When he asked towards the door, a thick male voice that was hard to hear in the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) returned.

,This is Abitus, a knight guarding the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung). Princess (Hwangnyeo) Mirabilis is looking for you now.”

,Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim?”

Serina was really surprised. Since entering the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung), Mirabilis had never looked for him at night. Serina hurriedly put on his maid’s uniform and left the room. He was so rushed to put on his clothes that he dropped the clothes, which he had probably worn literally a thousand times, on the ground and was in a hurry.

,Do you know why the Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim is looking for me?”

Serina opened his mouth as he went to Princess (Hwangnyeo) Mirabilis’s Main Chamber (Jushil) with Knight Abitus. Those who did not have clear duties or who had not received permission from the owner of the palace could not freely walk around the palace after a certain time.

Since the owner of the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) was Mirabilis, those who had no duties at night had to receive permission from Mirabilis to walk around the palace with dignity. It had already been three years since Serina entered the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung), but this was the first time he had walked down the hallway of the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung) in a maid’s uniform at this time.

,I don’t know the reason either. But the Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim’s voice when she ordered me wasn’t very annoying. So, she’s probably not calling you to scold you, so don’t worry too much.”

Abitus answered quietly. The man’s voice, which he had heard in a long time, sounded sweet to Serina. The sound of footsteps walking ttogak ttogak bounced off the stone walls of the hallway here and there and disappeared into the darkness, dragging its tail. A heavy wooden door appeared in front of Serina’s eyes.

A splendid door with lions and flower decorations engraved in relief. Even if rioters tried to break it, the door was made of solid and thick wood with strong hinges to increase its strength absurdly so that it could withstand it for a while. So, the sound from inside didn’t flow out well, but the sound from outside wasn’t heard well either. It was a luxury that could only be afforded because it was the private chamber (sasil) of a direct descendant of the imperial family staying in the palace.

As Abitus looked at Serina and nodded silently, Serina knocked on the door hard enough for the sound to be heard from inside.

,Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim, Serina has come to receive your orders. Please allow me to enter.”

,Come in.”

Serina grabbed the handle and twisted it counterclockwise. The texture of the heavy wood was conveyed directly to Serina’s wrist. The door opened with a creaking sound. Inside the door, Mirabilis was sitting in a chair with beeswax candles lit all around.

Because it was night and not day, the Princess (Hwangnyeo) was wearing a comfortable dark gray robe instead of the white dress he wore during the day, and he was sitting in a chair holding a glass with his slender fingers. As Serina strode in, he could smell the sweet beeswax scent melting from the candles.

,Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim, have you had some royal wine (eoju)?”

‘Eoju’ is a palace term for alcohol. As the saying goes, ‘If a dog stays in a village school for three years, it will recite poetry,’ Serina had been living in the palace for more than three years, so he had no problem speaking in the palace dialect.

As Mirabilis raised his head, the Princess (Hwangnyeo)’s bright hair flowed down like silk beyond the curtain of golden candlelight. As if a full moon was shining brightly in the dark night, Princess (Hwangnyeo) Mirabilis’s white skin and golden hair sparkled as if they were not real in the darkness of the palace.

,Do you smell royal wine (eoju) from me now?”

Serina shook his head. He couldn’t smell the alcohol at all because of the beeswax candles that were lit so much.

,The Main Chamber (Jushil) is full of the smell of honey, so I can’t smell anything at all. Did you do this because you called me, perhaps?”

Mirabilis lightly tapped the table with his left hand. The dull sound of wood and fingers touching was low, but Serina flinched as if he had heard a metallic sound.

,How could that be? Know your place.”

,Please forgive my frivolous words.”

Serina bowed his head and closed his mouth. Mirabilis didn’t open his mouth either, so silence lingered in the sweet scent. After a while, Serina opened his mouth first.

,Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim, I would like to know what is going on since you called me.”

Mirabilis did not answer right away. He raised the glass with his slender fingers to his lips, took a sip of alcohol, and then slowly placed it back on the wooden table. The glass touched the table. The sound of wind was faintly heard from outside the window, and the sound of crickets crying seeped in like fog.

,I heard from Ariman. I heard you have a talent for putting people to sleep well?”

,Did you hear it from him? Ariman was tired because he was suffering from insomnia, so he just happened to fall asleep. It’s not like I put him to sleep with any trick.”

Mirabilis shook his head. The Princess (Hwangnyeo)’s figure, illuminated by the candlelight in the darkness, was enchanting. Serina’s heart was pounding in harmony with the honey scent.

,If it’s as you say, there’s no problem. I haven’t been sleeping well these days either, so I’m tired… I’m drinking royal wine (eoju) in the middle of the night to sleep better. So, do it for me too.”

,I will follow your orders.”

Serina bowed his head.

,Then, are you feeling tipsy from drinking royal wine (eoju) now, Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim?”

,That’s right. Is it not allowed to drink it, perhaps?”

,That’s not true. There’s no problem.”

Mirabilis got up from the chair and laid his slender body on the bed draped with silk cloth. It was impossible to compare it to the beds used by ordinary maids, which were mixed with incense and straw. Serina took out a chair, moved it close to the bed, and sat on it. Then, he spoke slowly in a low voice.

,Then, Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim, please listen to the sounds from outside and my voice. Don’t think about anything else. Your arms and legs are getting tired… As water seeps into dry straw, drowsiness seeps into your tired body… Slowly immerse yourself…”

Serina put as much power of hypnosis magic into his voice as he could. Mirabilis’s eyes blinked little by little. Serina was pleased that hypnosis magic was also working on the Princess (Hwangnyeo) and put strength into each word.

,Don’t think… The more you think, the more strength drains from your body… Fatigue slowly… makes your eyelids heavy… Comfortably… Comfortably… One, two, three.”

Mirabilis completely closed his eyes. When Serina closed his mouth and listened slowly, he could hear the sound of his gentle breathing.

,Sleep peacefully.”

Serina smiled and got up from his seat. He slowly put the chair back in its place without making a sound, turned off all the candles in the Main Chamber (Jushil), and then carefully went outside and closed the door so that it wouldn’t make a sound. Knight Abitus was still standing outside the door.

,Has the Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim fallen asleep?”

,Yes.”

Serina answered in a low voice. The cry of a cuckoo twisting its neck was carving the dark body of the Rose Palace (Jangmi-gung), which was covered in the middle of the night, like a chisel here and there.