Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 522

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 521: Room 207, Gate Room - Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (7)

──────

- Han Ga-in

According to what the Holy See had learned while monitoring the Church of Horus, the Kingdom of Dreams was stored in the holy relic repository within the Korean diocese.

“They call them holy relics, but as far as I know, they’re just artworks. The truly mysterious objects with real miracles are probably kept in the American Archdiocese.”

Min-a still seemed doubtful that the Kingdom of Dreams was truly a mysterious object.

If it really held a miracle, there was no way it would be kept in the Korean diocese.

Tools bought from the Hotel could not be used by NPCs who were not part of the Hotel Party.

So the Church of Horus had probably regarded the Kingdom of Dreams as nothing more than a valuable painting, like the Mona Lisa or Sunflowers.

Soon, Min-a shared several “infiltration tools” issued by the Holy See with me.

“What’s this?”

“Think of it as an Identity Disguise Mask. Try it on.”

I put on what looked like a leather mask and stood before a mirror. A completely different person stared back at me.

It was a man in his thirties, different from both my true identity, Han Ga-in, and Cha Eun-ho, my appearance within Room 207.

“This is amazing.”

“Don’t rely on it too much. A powerful Chaos Entity can see through it easily, and it’ll break the moment it’s hit by a bullet. It’s only meant to fool ordinary people.”

“Is that so?”

“Now, I’ll explain the infiltration plan-”

“Wait.”

I made one final request.

“What?”

“Can’t you get one?”

“No... I could get one, but it’s so out of nowhere. And I think it’ll get in the way during the infiltration.”

“I’ve taken that into account.”

“... Fine.”

* * *

It was early dawn, and a round full moon filled the night sky.

I set out, strangely moved that this world had a perfectly normal moon.

Infiltrating the building housing the holy relic repository wasn’t difficult.

I’d grown used to doing things a Secret Agent might do while progressing through the Hotel, and the Holy See had already gathered plenty of information.

‘Stop for six seconds. Take five steps to the right. Move forward again.’

Following instructions like that, I soon arrived in a quiet space.

Rather than a warehouse for storing treasures, the place resembled an art gallery. Sculptures and paintings were displayed throughout.

Maybe they occasionally held exhibitions for influential people from every field?

--- Clatter!

Something shifted in the bag I was carrying. Min-a immediately frowned and looked at me.

I could tell what Min-a wanted to say just from that expression.

‘I knew this would happen the moment you made that weird request! It’s getting in the way of the infiltration.’

Fortunately, the thing in the bag hadn’t gotten us caught, so I gave Min-a an awkward smile and brushed it off.

After setting the bag down in a suitable spot, I cautiously searched the room.

Before long, Min-a found the Kingdom of Dreams hanging on a wall.

Min-a glanced at me as if asking, ‘This is it, right?’ I nodded and carefully examined the frame.

Should I carry it out with the frame?

It was too heavy, but breaking or tearing apart the frame would make noise-

Then.

“...!”

A powerful stench, sharp enough to bore into my nose, hit me.

It was the extremely sensitive sense that occasionally manifested after reaching the second floor!

A-ri and Grandpa had said it was one of the powers I’d gained after my Soul Rank rose.

The important thing was that someone, definitely something not human, was approaching.

Anything coming toward us in a place like this couldn’t be an ally.

About three seconds later, Min-a’s expression hardened, and she slipped a hand into her clothes.

Was Min-a planning to pull out a gun and start a firefight?

There were valuable artworks everywhere, so the other side would want to avoid a battle involving firearms if possible.

Taking that into account, we might be able to escape without bloodshed-

“...”

No.

I had a card prepared for exactly this kind of situation.

“Min-a. Kneel beside me and wait.”

“...?”

“Just say it out loud. What’s the point of staying quiet?”

The enemy had already detected the intrusion. There was no reason to remain silent.

“Eun-ho, what are you-”

“It won’t work after all. The frame’s too heavy. I only need the painting. And you, I said kneel.”

--- Bang!

The door to the holy relic repository flew open. Armed guards rushed in, looking completely out of place in twenty-first-century Korea.

I acted confidently before them all.

--- Crash!

I slammed the frame against the wall and shattered it.

“You bastards!”

Perhaps they had been ordered not to damage the artworks. The guard at the front, the one giving off that grotesque stench, twisted his face.

“You’re ignorant enough not to know what art is?”

“Lower your guns.”

I spoke in the deepest, most resonant voice I could manage, putting on an unnecessarily weighty air.

“What the hell are you saying? You crazy bastard!”

Of course, that alone wasn’t enough.

I naturally stretched out my hand, and the Grimoire appeared above it.

The guards were startled by the obvious miracle, but only briefly. The guard who reeked like a beast widened his eyes.

“They aren’t ordinary people! Make sure the artworks aren’t damaged-”

This was the card I’d prepared for this very moment.

The bag I had quietly left in the corner of the repository opened, and it flew out.

--- Flap!

Glossy white feathers.

Fine white powder scattering softly in every direction.

A parrot with the beauty of a fairy landed on my shoulder.

An ordinary person might have only thought, ‘Why is there suddenly a parrot?’

But where were we?

This was a secret location belonging to a Cult that regarded parrots as messengers of God.

So I spoke confidently.

“Do you know who I am?”

The guards began to panic.

Several guards looked as though they all shared the same thought.

‘Could it be?’

I added one more line in a whisper.

“Did Hong Go-hak, the faithful one you serve, not tell you? The time has come.”

That old man, Hong Go-hak, had made a huge fuss about Horus returning soon even when he first met me.

Naturally, he must have told the people around him dozens of times too.

Perhaps sensing something strange, several guards darted their eyes around and looked to the large man reeking of stench.

I’d suspected it from the start, but that inhuman-looking giant seemed to be their leader.

If I brought him to his knees, the rest would follow naturally.

--- Grrr...

A low sound came from the holy bird’s beak.

The parrot raised its head and looked at the guard, almost like a person.

“Why do you still reveal such foul intent?”

Parrots could imitate human speech, but had these people ever seen a parrot speaking like this?

It was grotesque.

But it was also divine.

In this world, evil and mystery were not separate things. Grotesqueness itself was a symbol of God.

The giant broke out in a cold sweat as he carefully replied.

“M-my name is Park Seong-jin. I am responsible for security matters in the Korean diocese, and-”

“And?”

“I-I received a report th-that thieves had broken in-”

“Where do you see any thieves here?”

I straightened my back and stood proudly before the flustered guards.

The key to this kind of act was to do everything with confidence.

This time, the parrot and I spoke in turns, as though we were having a conversation.

“Everything beneath the heavens rests in His hand. This temple belongs to the honored one.”

“I have descended to carry out His will.”

“So, Seong-jin, is there anywhere here I may not go?”

By then, Park Seong-jin was already kneeling.

The other guards behind him also awkwardly lowered themselves.

“Nowhere!”

“Then is there anything here that I may not take?”

“Nothing!”

Once again, I lifted the frame and struck it against the wall.

--- Crash!

No one stopped me as I confidently removed the Kingdom of Dreams from its frame in full view of everyone.

“Hmm...”

Without the frame, it was only a light sheet of paper fluttering in my hands.

Since I’d already set the mood, I might as well act even more mysteriously.

I rolled up the painting, tied it with string, and fastened it to the parrot’s leg.

“Seong-jin, it is dark. Open a window.”

“A window... Do you mean the ventilation shaft over there?”

“A window, a ventilation shaft, whatever it is.”

“Ah, understood.”

Soon, I sent the Kingdom of Dreams and the parrot out through the ventilation shaft.

“... Ugh.”

A wave of dizziness hit me.

It was only for a moment, but using the Power of the Avatar without the Status Window was still taxing.

I could only use it this much because I had accepted The Second Sentence.

It was about time to leave.

I made a small gesture, and Min-a, perceptive about this sort of thing, respectfully rose to her feet.

Now we just had to walk confidently out of the holy relic repository, get rid of the Holy See’s special Identity Disguise Mask, and the perfect crime would be complete!

Ha ha, bringing the parrot had been the right choice after all.

There had been a reason I asked Min-a to find the most mysterious and beautiful-looking parrot possible.

Since I’d named the bird New Pero, I should get its “help” from time to time in the future.

I’d been ready for a fight if it came down to it, but things had gone easily and peacefully-

No.

Whenever I thought something like, ‘That was easier than expected,’ something weird always happened.

So I shouldn’t think that.

I should stop thinking about not thinking it.

I should empty my mind of the decision to stop.

I shouldn’t become attached to the decision to empty my mind.

I should stop worrying about not becoming attached.

I should let go of the worry about stopping.

I should forget even the worry about letting go.

I should cast off the burden of forgetting-

--- Beeeeeeeep!

An indescribably unpleasant sensation.

The endless train of thoughts chasing one another came to a stop.

In an instant, within my endlessly expanded field of awareness, I “felt” an old man.

He possessed hideous magical power.

He was a mage who could twist the human mind.

He was Hong Go-hak, the bishop overseeing the Korean diocese.

I saw the old man.

The old man saw me.

We were still several kilometers apart, too far away to see or hear each other physically.

Yet the old man did not doubt this incomprehensible Communication.

He was someone who believed without question in the existence of miracles.

Within that soundless conversation, the priest felt me, and I felt the priest.

I sensed the distortion within the faith of one who had once been faithful.

‘You have arrived too late.’

--- Crackle!

“... No. I’m not too late.”

“Ugh! Wh-what did you say?”

When I turned my head, Min-a was covering both ears with her hands.

“My head hurts! What was that just now? Look, all the guards have collapsed too-”

“Let’s get out first.”

* * *

The moment we returned to our lodgings, Min-a spoke in an excited voice.

“Wow! Wh-what was that? It wasn’t even comparable to Ji-eun! It was on a completely different level. Is it because it was originally yours? I-I’m seriously curious, so!”

“...”

“I’m just asking in case. Y-you aren’t really God or something like that, are you? I mean-”

“Min-a. I’m exhausted right now. Let me rest for a moment.”

“Huh?”

My head hurt.

I couldn’t bear it any longer, so I spat out the blood that had been pooling in my mouth.

“Ah! Why are you bleeding?”

“...”

My proficiency with the Book of the Avatar had improved after I accepted The Second Sentence, but there were limits.

I had used the Power of the Avatar extensively at Hotel High without the Status Window’s protection, and I had done so again now. There was no way there wouldn’t be a backlash.

“... I’m going to sleep for a bit.”

My body gave out in an instant. Min-a asked urgently.

“The parrot! Where’s the parrot? We need to find the painting!”

“... I don’t know. Look for it. It’s a bird, so maybe it’s sitting in a tree somewhere.”

“What?”

I felt bad for Min-a, but I’d lost control of New Pero because of the standoff with Hong Go-hak.

It had probably returned to being an ordinary parrot long ago and was chirping fearfully somewhere.

If it was unlucky, perhaps a crow or a kestrel had already carried it off and killed it...

Well, as long as the painting was intact, that was all that mattered.

“Make sure you find the painting. I’m going to sleep now.”

“Hey! Hey! At least give me a rough location-”

That was how I lost consciousness.