WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 481: Party Time - Dinner Party (6)
──────
- Kim Sang-hyeon
“Hyah! Yah! Come out!”
“... Seung-yeop, it’s hot. Let’s stay calm.”
After calming the excited boy, we continued along the river.
What was this process?
It was a hint the Hotel was giving us about Room 207.
“It looks like Room 207 won’t have all ten of us proceed together. We’ll be split up.”
Song-i, who was at least reasonable enough to talk things through with, replied at once.
“Looks that way. Do you think the groups will be the same as they are now?”
My eyes fell on the boy having a staring contest with a parrot because he could not wait another second, and the girl carelessly touching plants by the riverbank.
Looking from the two young companions to Song-i, I found her all the more dependable.
“If that’s the case, Teacher, I’ll be counting on you.”
From the way she spoke, it seemed this young lady had been thinking the same thing.
“Let’s keep following the river.”
We walked for nearly an hour through the hot, humid environment.
Anyone lacking stamina would have been gasping and groaning by now, but fortunately, even the younger companions behind us did not complain.
It seemed the experiences we had gone through at the Hotel had not been meaningless.
Before long, I noticed something interesting as well.
“I feel like I know what river this is, but I can’t quite place it.”
“Gasp! Huff!”
“Are you all right?”
“Y-Yes! What river is it?”
“... I’ll tell you when I’m certain.”
The terrain was familiar, right down to the species of plants and animals.
That meant this was not a planet in some Otherworld in the outer cosmos. It was Earth.
I’d seen this river before, too.
“Ah, is it the Amazon? It’s a total jungle!”
“...”
The boy must have thought of the Amazon River because it was a jungle, but if my judgment was correct, this was not it.
This place was...
“Argh! Another anaconda came out!”
“Seung-yeop, get back!”
I rushed over and threatened it with a stick.
Fortunately, it was smaller this time. Perhaps because our group looked large, it only flicked its tongue and hissed before disappearing.
“Are you all right?”
“Huff! Y-Yes! What kind of monster snake was that...”
“That snake wasn’t an anaconda.”
“What?”
It was not as if this boy were some reptile expert who could distinguish snake species.
Anacondas were probably the only large snakes he knew.
“Let’s go a little farther. I’ll tell you once I’m sure.”
After what felt like another fifteen minutes following the river, everything became clear.
I no longer needed to explain where we were or what river this was.
The most famous structure in the world, the pyramid, had revealed its majestic form.
“Argh! I saw that in a movie!”
“Me too! I saw it too! Song-i, you saw it too, right?”
“Why is that here? Teacher? Weren’t we in a jungle?”
“...”
Until moments ago, we had been in wetlands that brought jungles to mind. That suggested one important fact.
When modern people think of Egypt today, they picture a desert filled with sand and gravel. That was only because the Sahara had expanded over thousands of years.
Ancient Egypt was the greatest civilization among those built by earlier humanity.
In the distant era when Egyptian history began, its climate had been completely different from the present day.
It boasted rich vegetation inhabited not only by hippos and crocodiles, but lions and elephants as well.
In other words, this was Ancient Egypt before the Sahara Desert expanded.
Was this the Hotel’s hint?
Was the first setting Ancient Egypt?
--- Rumble!
... Soon, I lost consciousness.
* * *
- Lee Eun-sol
“Kill the heretics!”
The moment that murderous voice rang out, Jin-cheol reacted swiftly.
“Sis, behind me!”
He didn’t even suggest running away.
They were on horseback. How could we possibly shake them after losing our Blessings and Inheritances?
Soon, with a clattering sound, people who looked like the knights I had only seen in movies surrounded us.
A man who seemed to lead the group of knights approached, his vicious eyes gleaming.
“〿〿〿 〿〿, we received intelligence that you are hiding a witch! Do you have anything to say?”
“...”
It was the same phenomenon as before. I could not understand the first few words.
From the context, he seemed to have called my name or title...
Why was the Hotel censoring this information?
Even if he had casually called me something like Princess Blastoise or Lord Charizard, what meaning could that title itself possibly...
“...”
What a stupid thought.
It had censored it because it meant something.
I just could not know what it was yet.
“I don’t know what you’re saying.”
I really did not.
“Hah, your shameless excuses won’t last long! 〿〿〿〿〿 〿〿 will be arriving soon!”
“Who is coming?”
“Do you think we’ll let you off just because you’re pretending to be deaf?”
Sorry, but I truly could not hear it.
I needed to keep talking and learn more.
“A witch... Is it because of Jin-cheol’s and my skin color? If so, that’s a serious misunderstanding...”
The man before me widened his eyes as if I had to be joking.
“Skin color? Hah! 〿〿〿 〿〿, do you take us for ignorant farmers?”
“...”
“House 〿〿〿 was summoned by 〿〿〿〿〿 Grand Duke 170 years ago...”
As I listened to his lengthy speech, more than half of it filled with censoring noises, I thought calmly.
Early medieval Europe had long been called the Dark Ages.
After Roman civilization collapsed, nothing took its place, so it was seen as an age of barbarism and ignorance.
Modern historians had revealed that this was merely a prejudice created by Enlightenment thinkers during the Renaissance, but...
To skip the irrelevant details, a man with such an impressive title would at least know that people of different skin colors existed somewhere in the world.
“Then what was that about a witch?”
Just as I was about to ask for more details because I could not understand the situation...
--- Kyaaaah!
A resounding roar, as if it had boiled up from beyond the depths of hell, rang out!
“This is bad.”
Watching the knights draw their swords in extreme tension, I vaguely understood the situation.
From the context, this was somewhere in medieval Europe at least several centuries ago.
And this was a world where demons and witches truly existed!
--- Rumble!
My vision went dark.
* * *
- Kim Mook-seong
“Hey, make room.”
--- Jab!
“Eek! W-What do you think you’re doing?!”
“I told you to move.”
A moment ago, a potbellied old guest had openly leered at A-ri.
I’d wanted to pierce their belly with the cane in my hand, but I held myself back and only jabbed their leg.
“Don’t draw attention for no reason. Stay quiet.”
“Got it.”
A-ri, who had told me not to do pointless things, leaned quietly against the wall. She looked quite lovely standing there.
No wonder those pigs could not act their age and behaved so disgracefully.
“Ah, A-ri. Standing around like this brings back the old days...”
“Stop going on about ‘the old days.’ You sound like an old man.”
“...”
“The atmosphere is strange. It’s not the kind of party atmosphere people normally imagine. It feels more like some secret gathering.”
Without moving her lips much at all, she whispered just loudly enough for me to hear.
That was such a familiar habit for an agent.
Lately, we could simply use the Chat Window in situations like this.
Of course, I could do that too.
“The party invitation itself was strange. It didn’t explain what kind of party it was or why they were holding it...”
“Is this the modern era? Before World War I? After?”
“That much, I...”
“Look at that elderly guest wearing a monocle. Their hat is a style that was only fashionable before World War I. The issue is that they might simply be sticking to an outdated style.”
“...”
How was I supposed to know which hat styles had been popular before World War I?
“Come to think of it, the invitation we received...”
Just as A-ri was about to explain something, a dignified middle-aged host appeared.
They were carrying an unidentified object covered with expensive cloth.
“Ladies and gentlemen! I sincerely welcome all of you who have gathered today for the purity of humanity.”
The purity of humanity? That was the purpose of the party?
“Before that, I must deliver some unpleasant news. Rumor has it that the most despicable 〿〿〿 〿〿 has infiltrated us.”
What? There were words I could not understand just now.
Startled, I turned my gaze and saw A-ri looking toward me at the same time. I knew she had experienced the same thing.
“What is this...”
As the murmuring guests protested, asking what the host meant all of a sudden...
--- Flutter!
Before anyone could react, the middle-aged host pulled away the cloth.
“Ghhk!”
A bizarre radiance swept through the party hall in an instant. Every “person” screamed and rolled across the floor.
--- Riiip!
With the sound of something tearing, those who were not human rose to their feet.
W-What was going on all of a sudden?!
--- Rumble!
* * *
[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 933
Current Location: Level 2, Central Hall
Sage’s Advice: 3]
- Han Ga-in
When I came to, I was on the lavishly decorated second floor of the Hotel with the others.
Soon, everyone began blurting out whatever they remembered about their strange experiences.
“...”
Maybe they were afraid they would forget if they stopped talking even for a moment. For more than thirty minutes, everyone talked nonstop and scribbled frantically on the whiteboard.
When things finally quieted down, Eun-sol moved in front of the whiteboard.
“Everyone, pay attention for a moment! Let’s organize what we remember. First, the party compositions!”
Party 1: Kim Sang-hyeon, Yoo Song-i, Park Seung-yeop, Mi-ro
Party 2: Lee Eun-sol, Elena, Cha Jin-cheol
Party 3: Kim Mook-seong, Kim A-ri
Party 4: Han Ga-in
“This is right, isn’t it?”
It seemed correct.
“Will the actual Gate Room have the same party compositions?”
“...”
“...”
Nobody could answer that question.
It was up to the Hotel. Who could know?
“Let’s organize the settings too. Mr. Sang-hyeon’s group was in Egypt?”
“It was very different from today, but there was the Nile River and a pyramid, so I’m certain.”
“What era?”
“... It was probably ancient times.”
“Ancient times? Mr. Sang-hyeon, as you know, Egypt’s ‘ancient times’ cover an enormous period.”
“That is true. Pharaohs appeared as early as 5000 BC, after all.”
Pharaohs in 5000 BC?
Everywhere else was probably still busy going unga bunga and fighting mammoths.
“It’s difficult to estimate the exact period.”
“Then let’s just call it ancient times. Next was our group. We were, um, in a medieval European setting?”
Jin-cheol nodded and described the knights clad in iron armor.
“But I think witches and demons really exist there. That horrible sound we heard at the end... I’ve been through the Hotel for a long time now, so I have a sense for these things. That was absolutely not the cry of some animal.”
“Sis, one hundred percent. It was definitely a demon or some similar monster.”
With all their Hotel experience, everyone had become monster experts.
“Grandfather, you said your side was in Europe?”
“Well, I just assumed it was somewhere in the West, but according to A-ri...”
“Not Europe. America. Before World War I, and the setting was the late 1890s or early 1900s.”
“...”
She had even narrowed down the period.
“You went to a secret gathering?”
“Probably.”
“A strange Magical Artifact gave off light?”
“Yeah.”
“Then monsters jumped out everywhere?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm...”
At this point, I organized everything I had heard in my mind.
Party 1 had been dropped into Ancient Egypt and discovered a pyramid.
Party 2 had been dropped into medieval Europe, encountered an order of knights conducting a witch hunt, then heard the roar of a demon.
Party 3 had been dropped into turn-of-the-century America, invited to a gathering of a bizarre secret organization, where they encountered a Magical Artifact and monsters.
Then there was me, the solo party.
“For me, it was exactly as I said earlier. I walked outside the house, and a strange light descended from the sky.”
“Did you learn anything else?”
“No.”
That was when A-ri, who had been listening intently, muttered.
“They’re all on Earth.”
“...”
“Egypt, Europe, America, Seoul. Different places on Earth from different eras.”
Elena cautiously spoke up.
“But isn’t it all a little different from the Earth we know? Ancient Egypt... I don’t know about that, but demons in medieval Europe, or a Magical Artifact and monsters in turn-of-the-century America? I’ve never heard of anything like that...”
At her words, everyone fell silent.
To begin with, the Earth each of us knew was different. And how trustworthy was the common knowledge spread through ordinary society?
No doubt a certain organization that two of us belonged to had manipulated things here and there.
“...”
The “ordinary history” I knew and the “distorted history” we would see in Room 207.
There was no telling which was closer to the truth.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
