WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 537: Room 207, Gate Room - Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (23)

──────

- Mi-ro

I fell into a strange place!

I'm not joking.

It was really, really strange!

The walls wriggled like flesh, and sticky arms burst out, trying to grab me!

If I hadn't been wearing a Protective Suit, I might really have been dragged away somewhere.

“Aaaaah!”

Th-this time, a black hand burst out from the ceiling!

“Aaaaah, mmph!”

“Be quiet.”

A-ri, summoned through the Time Lender, killed a couple of monsters with a single sigh.

I felt a little safer when I pressed close against A-ri's back.

“Move away. You're crowding me.”

“No!”

“This doesn't make you any safer. Besides, you're incredibly heavy. You're wearing a Protective Suit right now.”

“...”

When I took a step back, A-ri spoke again.

“How much time has passed on the Time Lender?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Hmm... It'll be a problem if I use any more time.”

“Why?”

Instead of answering, A-ri reached out and touched the writhing wall.

“... Just as I thought.”

“Don't say things only you understand.”

“There's no point in continuing like this. The space is distorted.”

“Huh?”

“It means we won't find an exit even if we keep following the path. So...”

A-ri was about to explain further, but she soon shook her head.

“Listen to the rest from the present me.”

“What?”

For a moment, A-ri said nothing, as though she were focusing with all her might. Then she pressed both hands against the wall!

--- Craaack!

The wall of flesh split apart in an instant.

As though it were only natural, the entire mass of flesh twitched and tried to fuse back together.

Something invisible prevented the split flesh from reconnecting.

In other words, A-ri had split the wall open and made a new path!

“Run.”

“What?”

“I said run through that gap!”

I ran desperately through the writhing flesh closing in from every direction and the dark, murky space.

At the end of it was the ‘present A-ri.’

* * *

- ???

Mi-ro's first words after coming through the writhing gap were these.

“Ah! A-A-ri is here too!”

“I'm the real one. Send her back now.”

“How did you do that?”

“... I'll just say that we found each other through the Irregular Polyhedron's resonance, then opened the entrance from that side while holding the exit open from this side.”

There was no way to explain it in more detail.

Like all Inheritances, I used it by instinct. I didn't understand how it worked.

“Then! Let's use that method to go to Ga-in.”

“Can't.”

“What?”

“To get there safely, I need to be at both the entrance and the exit.”

“So it only works when A-ri and I reunite.”

“I know the way, so just follow me.”

“Huh? Summoned A-ri said there was no path-”

“There isn't a path, but there are places where we can make one.”

We moved forward, killing the monsters attacking from every direction.

At the same time, I recalled a thought that had occupied my mind for a very long time.

Mother's purpose, which would soon be revealed.

...

Whenever Midnight Mi-ro came up, there was something my companions found strange.

She had appeared in the latter half of Room 205's Absolute Master and left behind this note.

‘Save the midnight time. More than 30 minutes are needed in Room 207.’

She could only have written that if she knew about Room 207.

How had she learned it?

Were there sometimes events in the Hotel, like Revelation of Heavenly Secrets, that revealed information about rooms you hadn't entered?

I still couldn't understand it.

Midnight Mi-ro had participated in the Hotel of the Deep Sea.

Even if she had triggered Revelation of Heavenly Secrets in the past, she would have learned about Room 207 in the Hotel of the Deep Sea. How could she possibly have learned about Room 207 in a future Hotel?

The answer was in Room 207.

Room 207 turned the reality outside the Hotel into a scenario.

Considering that everyone could leave the Hotel once the second floor ended, that was a fairly meaningful detail.

It was like taking the final practice test before sitting for the College Scholastic Ability Test!

“A-ri? What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. Let's catch our breath for a moment.”

“Okay.”

I understood how Mother had learned information about a future Room 207.

She must have obtained it through Revelation of Heavenly Secrets or a similar event.

‘The Room 207 scenario is always a variation of outside reality.’

Reality was fixed, so Room 207s from different Hotels were bound to share common elements.

Then let's return to the first question.

What was Mother's purpose?

...

I think I understand.

“Here.”

“Huh?”

“I told you before, didn't I? There are places where we can make a path. We can make one here.”

“What?”

Mi-ro tilted her head.

As always, this child was so cute.

“You said A-ri had to be at both the entrance and exit. But there isn't an A-ri at the exit right now.”

“There was a condition before that. ‘To get there safely.’”

If Mi-ro could withstand the danger, I only needed to be on one side.

Mi-ro's eyes widened when she understood.

She's smart when it comes to things like this.

The problem was that she was impulsive because she was young and inexperienced.

“Then?”

“Use the midnight time. In that state, you'll be able to cross.”

“Okay...!”

--- Click!

The pocket watch's hands pointed to midnight.

Mother appeared once more.

“...”

“...”

The second reunion between mother and daughter was a little awkward, just like before.

Soon, I heard a voice that sounded both relieved and regretful.

“Thank you.”

“...”

“Without your help, it would have been difficult to reach this stage... You truly are my most perfect creation.”

This was probably the highest praise she could offer.

“Mi-ro. You told me something when we met before.”

What Mi-ro had told me during A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“You said the Management Bureau had to be rebuilt. You said we needed enormous power to do that.”

“Yes.”

“Is it because the leadership isn't human?”

“...”

For an instant, a very complicated expression crossed Mi-ro's face.

“That's an important reason, but it isn't everything.”

“... You don't intend to tell even me everything.”

“Secrets-”

“Only those who are qualified should know them. Do you think you're the only one qualified?”

“... There isn't much time. As you know, I have very little time left.”

“I'll open the path for you.”

Once more, I focused and drew out the Irregular Polyhedron's power.

--- Craaack!

The wall of flesh split apart.

Cosmic radiance shone through the gap.

Mother's purpose lay not in the Hotel, but outside, in reality.

To her, Room 207 was no more than a means to that end.

In other words, a place to obtain great power.

The instruction to save thirty minutes for Room 207 hadn't meant she would help resolve Room 207.

It was only preparation for obtaining something here.

“Go. What you desire should be there.”

Then Mi-ro suddenly turned around.

“I love you.”

“...”

“Sorry. I couldn't think of a cooler farewell.”

“Me too...”

“...”

“I love you. It's hard to maintain the passage, so hurry up and go.”

Soon, the pale silhouette vanished into the distance, leaving me alone in the gap between the writhing flesh.

In Room 207, everyone reached their own ending.

Those satisfied with that ending had no need to go any further.

Ga-in and Mother were doing their best to obtain endings they could accept.

Then what about me?

...

I had a wish too.

There was an ending I wanted, a happy ending.

And I had a move I'd held in reserve for it.

Just as Seung-yeop gained a bizarre power that twisted Luck when he became Fortuna...

I also possessed a power born from Secret being twisted.

「User: Kim?ri (Secret?)」

「‘Compass’ is activated.」

* * *

「User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 2,008,924

Current Location: Room 207, Gate Room - Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’」

- Han Ga-in

The Holy Mother's love for humanity was an instinct implanted by Yaldabaoth.

The Holy Mother had accepted that instinct and lived as humanity's guardian for thousands of years.

Now, that instinct whispered to Aedia.

‘Those’ were not human.

You had only turned ninety percent of humanity into monsters and cast the remaining ten percent of survivors into hell.

If she accepted that instinct, the Holy Mother's plan to save humanity was a miserable failure.

If she denied that instinct, she would deny her entire long life as humanity's guardian.

It was flawless logic.

Aedia didn't refute it.

In truth, she must have realized it herself before I pointed it out.

Soon, an appeal full of despair came from her.

“Then... Then what am I supposed to do?”

“...”

“I can't undo it! It's already, it's already all over...”

“Maybe not. You believed we had some miraculous way too, didn't you?”

That was why she had kept us as insurance.

“What would you do if I could turn back time?”

As expected, Aedia wasn't surprised.

“Turn back time and nullify the ‘Salvation’...”

“That's right.”

“... To what point do you intend to return?”

One More Chance would return us to the moment right after Grandfather woke up.

“About ten days ago? It was before the Salvation happened, so there should be time-”

“Ha!”

Her voice was full of despair.

Her next words were sharper. Her overwhelming despair seemed to have clouded her judgment.

“It's meaningless! That's nowhere near enough! By then, every preparation for the Salvation will already be complete!”

“...”

“Did you think ‘Salvation’ was some spell I cast alone? It's an absurd undertaking that places the entire Earth within the range of the Mirror's distortion!”

“...”

“This is something you couldn't possibly understand-”

“Enough. I understand what you mean.”

I understood the situation without needing to hear every detail.

In short, it would already be impossible to undo things at the point we returned to.

The preparations for ‘Light That Calls the End’ or ‘Salvation,’ whether personnel or materials, would all be complete ten days earlier.

Maybe it would be possible if we went back a hundred years, but just ten days wasn't enough to stop it.

“Even if I persuaded you, I couldn't stop it?”

“...”

Her complicated expression made the answer clear.

Attacking the Holy See wouldn't be enough, but it might be possible if I could persuade the Aedia of ten days ago.

But how could I persuade her?

Aedia had gone through with it even after being warned that her plan would fail.

If I told her I had seen the failed future and returned through time?

‘I'll try it once more. If it fails again, turn back time again.’

‘Maybe the next time will bring better results.’

She would probably say something like that.

For the Holy Mother, ‘Salvation’ was the conclusion she had reached after at least hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years of thought.

Her will could not be broken easily.

I had also felt it during our brief clash, but Possession and similar powers didn't work on Aedia.

...

It was checkmate.

Was this what Fortuna meant when he told me not to rely on One More Chance?

That turning back time would be meaningless?

That everything would already be over at the point we returned to?

“...”

My breath caught in my throat.

1. Endure Light That Calls the End once with the Hourglass.

2. Check what happens afterward, then turn back time with One More Chance.

3. Return to the past and stop it. Problem solved!

That had been my plan before entering Room 207. Once I realized it had been blocked, I had no idea what to do.

Was it because I felt so suffocated?

Without realizing it, I looked up.

It was a vast hall with an open ceiling, so I naturally saw outer space when I raised my head.

There was a Mirror outside.

“... You were right. That Mirror is both the cause of every problem and the answer.”

“What did you say?”

The Holy Mother's eyes were full of confusion.

“Turning back time wasn't the solution. It would only repeat the same situation. We solve this here and now.”

“What are you-”

I made my choice.

Room 207's boss wasn't Aedia.

There was no longer any reason to speak with her.

--- Boom!

When I emerged through the open ceiling, outside the Lunar Base, the enormous Mirror's mysterious form revealed itself once more.

The cursed vision that had bound me for so long flashed through my mind again.

A future of shattering into pieces and scattering across the entire planet!

I was afraid.

I was so afraid that I used Insight again and again, but no matter what I did, this future would not change.

I thought some unchanging factor was the cause.

I believed something within Room 207's scenario was responsible.

The Mirror that had fallen from space?

The alien god that would not waver even if history repeated a thousand times?

Ah.

I had overlooked one thing.

Was there not one factor that would remain unchanged even if the sky collapsed and the earth split apart?

That was me.

...

I looked at the Mirror.

I faced the Mirror directly.

The moment the image of me, a human, appeared in the enormous Mirror, light gathered at my fingertips.

“Ah! H-Horus! If you break the Mirror in its current state-”

I knew.

I knew what would happen.

That was why I did it.

--- Crash!

The moment the blue heat ray struck the Mirror, the Mirror split into hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, an uncountable number of pieces.

I saw myself reflected in every shard.

I, my pieces, my Fragments, fell toward Earth.

A utopia where everyone cherished and loved their own kind.

The Garden of Eden created by the Holy Mother.

That day, 342,800 humans ate the ‘Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’ that fell from the sky.

Footnotes:

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