WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 228: Room 202, Curse Room - ‘The Little Mermaid’ (6)
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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 100
Current Location: Level 2, Room 202, Curse Room ‘The Little Mermaid’
Sage’s Advice: 1]
- Han Ga-in
After following A-ri through the Provincial Government Building, searching every room, I was reminded countless times just how fortunate it was that we were Management Bureau agents.
Objectively speaking, there were six of us even after excluding Seung-yeop, who was outside the island, the Doctor, who had split off to observe the Merfolk, and Elena, who was under Sealing. A group of six moving together was bound to draw attention, and the girl in front was even wearing a bizarre outfit that looked like some kind of spacesuit.
A group like this would turn into an instant photo spot just by walking down the street. Wouldn't people take pictures and upload them all over social media? We were the worst possible group for sneaking around.
But we were Management Bureau agents, and this world was a stage where the Control Faction's Management Bureau operated openly. As long as we had badges that were practically imperial warrants, there was no need to hide in most situations.
We openly flashed our badges, drove the Provincial Government Building employees aside, and headed underground. Since we had the pretext of investigating casualties from Cheongseong Group, the Merfolk employees had no way to stop us.
Eun-sol seemed uneasy, perhaps because we were being too conspicuous.
“Grandfather, shouldn't we hide at least a little?”
“Us? Do you think that's possible, Eun-sol? More importantly, do you think that Protective Suit can be hidden?”
“... I suppose not.”
“The whole island is already watching us. Where would we even hide? In a situation like this, we need to throw our authority around and push forward. Do police officers and detectives always sneak around?”
Song-i spoke up as well.
“Even if we can handle the employees, what if Serenade appears? The Saintess seems to have some kind of unidentified supernatural power too.”
A-ri answered as though it were nothing.
“The governor should be praying on the outskirts of the island right now.”
“Praying?”
“I asked earlier. They said that when Kadarudah is having a Nightmare, the Saintess prays to soothe the god's pain. It's treated as a very important and sacred ritual on the island.”
After that conversation, we reached the first basement floor of the Provincial Government Building and lost our way for a moment.
“A-ri?”
“... The Compass says we need to go lower.”
“There isn't a door leading down. The floor plan doesn't show anything below the first basement level either. I don't think it's the underground parking lot, considering the location.”
A-ri's Compass was clearly directing us farther down, but there was no route to a lower floor. After wasting time wandering in circles, we finally made a decision.
“You there, come here.”
“...”
“Do I need to drag you over myself?”
Grandfather picked out someone who looked high-ranking among the Merfolk employees lingering nearby, unable to hide their unease.
“Come clean. Where's the way down?”
“I-I think there has been a misunderstanding. The Provincial Government Building only goes down to the first basement floor-”
“Hey! Do you think we won't find out if we search the place? We came here knowing there's more below, so open your mouth right now!”
The employee seemed to have some backbone, resisting A-ri and Grandfather's threats. Then Song-i made a gesture, and the employee's mouth fell open.
“Ah! Ah! Ah...!”
“Song-i, what did you show them?”
“An illusion of the floor collapsing. I was showing them that we'd break our way through if we had to.”
I didn't know whether the employee had yielded to that resolve or to the pressure of the supernatural power Song-i had displayed. With an expression of complete resignation, the employee led us somewhere.
“When the Saintess returns, she will never let this pass!”
“We'll handle that. You just do as you're told.”
Strangely enough, the route to the second basement floor and below connected to the second floor. No wonder we couldn't find a passage lower down no matter how thoroughly we searched the first basement level.
After following the stairs through the dim passage for some time, the employee stepped back with a fearful expression.
“... I've told you everything, haven't I? I'll be leaving now.”
“Go.”
After the employee left, Jin-cheol asked, “Was it all right to let them go?”
“What else would we do with them? The key to this sort of coercive investigation is knowing where to draw the line. Honestly, we've already crossed it a little. We could only act this way because the Saintess isn't here.”
“Is that so?”
Ever since we began invoking the Management Bureau's authority, everyone had to follow Grandfather and A-ri's judgment. The rest of us had no sense of how far agents were permitted to go.
The door leading to the second basement floor, or perhaps even lower, opened.
At the same time, everyone fell silent.
* * *
--- Splash! Splash!
“How could a place like this exist beneath the Provincial Government Building?”
--- Slosh!
The stone floor was soaked through, and every time we lifted our feet, water sloshed beneath us. Having tracked the clothes worn by the Daughter of the Sea God into the basement, we found ourselves facing an unexpected underground cave.
“It should be the other way around. There isn't a cave beneath the Provincial Government Building. The Provincial Government Building was built over the cave.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means this cave is probably the important thing, not the Provincial Government Building.”
--- Squelch!
The cave had a chilling atmosphere and was thick with moisture. Moss covered every surface, and snail-like creatures wriggled here and there. It wasn't good for anyone's mental health. At least I hadn't come down alone, so I could bear it. The headlamp mounted on A-ri's Protective Suit lit the way ahead.
After walking for a while, A-ri finally spoke.
“I think we're almost there... According to the Compass, it's right around here.”
“What is that smell?”
Jin-cheol's sudden words made me stop and focus on my sense of smell. Then I began to detect an overpowering stench I couldn't possibly describe. Soon, the others caught it too and started looking unsettled.
“W-what is that? Is it fishy?”
“It smells like a homeless person who hasn't washed for a very long time.”
“Doesn't it smell like rotten meat?”
To me, it seemed like every smell the others mentioned had been mixed together. Fishy stench, the reek of someone who hadn't washed in ages, rotten meat, even the smell of excrement. It was a hellish assault on the senses!
It was so bad that it almost felt less like an ordinary smell and more like a mental attack. Everyone staggered in place, unable to take another step.
[Advice: 1 -> 0]
[Duck immediately!]
Before I could even come to my senses, I had already ducked. At the same time, a sharp scream came from behind me.
“Aah! Kuaaaagh!”
Everyone turned in shock.
Blood sprayed from Jin-cheol's wrist!
His hand! Where had Jin-cheol's hand gone?
“Everyone, get behind me!”
At A-ri's sharp shout, everyone finally came to their senses and frantically hid behind the Protective Suit.
--- Ting!
A loud impact rang out from the Protective Suit. Only then did I understand the nature of the attack. Something invisible and incredibly sharp had flown at us from the darkness deeper in the cave!
At the same time, horrible cries rang out from every direction.
--- Uooooh! Kiriririk!
Countless things moved beyond the reach of the headlamp's beam. Dull noises stabbed at my ears. Something sticky crawled across the floor. Hundreds of legs climbed the cave walls. Images of horrible creatures, enough to make my head feel heavy just imagining them, formed in my mind as the tension rose.
While everyone prepared for battle, a thought occurred to me.
How was I sensing the movements of things I couldn't even see?
Was it a kind of heightened sense I had first experienced in Mi-ro’s Hell?
“The ceiling! Something huge is coming from the ceiling!”
At Eun-sol's shout, after she sensed movement in the darkness, A-ri swung her arm. A sharp force tore through the air and sliced apart whatever had been approaching from above.
Sticky liquid poured down, and everyone stepped back.
What was I supposed to do? Should I try Possession on those monsters? But I still couldn't see their forms. The truth was, I didn't even know what sense I was using to feel their movements.
Something shot out from beside us!
Who was it targeting? Without seeing it, I sensed that it was aiming for Song-i. In that split second, my navel seemed to yank inward, and Song-i and I tumbled across the floor together.
“Eek! G-Ga-in? Was that Teleportation all of a sudden?”
Instead of answering, I glared at the empty air where the opaque tentacle had flown.
“Dóminus técum. óra pro nóbis peccatóribus.”
An unfamiliar song drifted faintly from behind us. A voice that tickled my ears filled the cave, where the tension of battle had hung in the air. At first, I thought it was singing. Then, was it a flute?
As the mysterious music filled the cave, the monsters that had been threatening us scattered in every direction like obedient pets.
Once the chaos began to settle, words I could understand came from behind us for the first time.
“You really are impossible. And the employee who actually guided you here just because you asked has a serious problem too.”
It was Serenade.
Grandfather answered, sounding somewhat embarrassed.
“Governor, I was a little forceful with them. Please spare the employee.”
“How generous of you.”
“But it seems we have quite a bit to discuss. What are these monsters?”
“Come over here first. Ah, was it Agent Cha Jin-cheol? Pick up your severed hand quickly-”
Before Serenade could finish, Jin-cheol picked up the hand that had fallen to the floor and casually pressed it back against the wound. Not only Serenade, but even we stared at his arm as if wondering whether it would really reattach.
Of course, it reattached naturally. It took less than thirty seconds for Jin-cheol to move his hand as if nothing had happened.
“What? Why is everyone so surprised? Is this your first time seeing my Regeneration?”
Serenade's reaction made it impossible to tell whether she was impressed or horrified.
“Wow! You really are extraordinary people. Please stop causing trouble and come this way.”
I felt like a child caught making a mess by their parents. Grandfather and A-ri had confidently thrown their weight around with the Provincial Government Building employees, but they were noticeably more cautious around Serenade. Was that the line they had to observe no matter how much authority Management Bureau agents possessed?
As I thought about it, I felt like a junior agent learning from more experienced agents.
“Governor, I admit we were rude. But I'd like an explanation about the monsters you've hidden beneath the Provincial Government Building.”
Serenade looked over our gathered group, seeming to consider something for a moment.
“What will you do if I take you outside?”
“...”
“You'll obviously do something similar again. The moment I leave the building, you'll threaten the employees. Ah, maybe you don't even need to threaten them anymore? You've already learned the way to this cave.”
“You know us well.”
Serenade sighed, looking dumbfounded by A-ri's shameless response.
“I'll tell you what this place is. The people confined here aren't simply monsters. They are... our unfortunate possibilities, our kin who failed to develop as they should have.”
Unfortunate possibilities. Kin who failed to develop as they should have.
What did that mean?
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Grandfather asked, “Governor, I'd appreciate it if you could explain that in a little more detail.”
Serenade tilted her head.
“Even after hearing that much, you don't understand? They're people who failed to Awaken as Merfolk. There are three or four of them across the island every year. They've accumulated because we've been sending them underground for so long.”
What was she talking about?
Why had the words “Awakening as Merfolk” suddenly come up? What kind of Awakening did a human need to grow into a human? And why would failing that Awakening turn someone into such a miserable monster?
Could it be that Merfolk weren't Merfolk from birth?
Thinking about it, I remembered something the Doctor had said.
“Though they have lost most of their intelligence, they are still our kin. You can see the proof in how they continue to obey my control.”
“They obey your control?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, Eun-sol's sharp voice rang out.
“More precisely, aren't they obeying the Daughter of the Sea God rather than your control? Seeing what's in that box gives me a lot to think about.”
“... What box are you talking-”
“Don't pretend you don't know when I can see it clearly. That box attached to the cave wall. What's inside it? The things sticking out look like clothes.”
“...”
“Let me make a guess. These monsters, no, these ‘kin’ instinctively obey the Daughters of the Sea God, right? Do they smell them? Or do your bodies give off some kind of pheromone? Either way, it looks like you put belongings from your sisters in that box to keep these kin confined in the cave.”
“You have excellent eyesight. In any case, you understand the situation now.”
Serenade turned away without explaining further. As we followed her out of the cave, I realized why she had been kind enough to explain the situation there.
The Saintess was offering the Management Bureau an excuse, claiming she wasn't using those monsters for evil purposes.
Footnotes:
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