WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 624: The Oldest Wish (5)
──────
- Elena
--- Swish! Slash!
A sword strike shot out with chilling force, splitting a pillar of the Moon Church in one blow and tearing off the Holy Mother’s left arm.
Naturally, the Holy Mother simply reattached it as if nothing had happened, clasped her hands together, and cried out.
“Taeguk Diagram, Banishment.”
“Urgh...!”
An irresistible force instantly pushed Fortuna back. Then a golden hammer came hurtling at me in a violet flash.
--- Crunch!
I frantically dodged and sent the golden Scales flying!
Once again, the Holy Mother lost her legs and staggered for a moment, but they regenerated as though it were nothing.
For an instant, the three of us met each other’s eyes.
After a prolonged exchange, we had all realized the same thing.
This would not be an easy fight for any of us.
The balance of the Holy Mother’s abilities had been thrown off.
The blessing of Justice, which served as her sword, had been weakened by half because of my presence.
On the other hand, the Qliphoth Crystal, which served as her shield, had grown immensely powerful through a massive offering of souls.
Her sword had been blunted, so she could not easily defeat Fortuna and me.
Her shield was strong, so Fortuna and I could not defeat her either.
There would be no quick end to this fight.
What if it dragged on?
Obviously, the Holy Mother would eventually win, since there were souls for her to devour everywhere.
Did that mean the Holy Mother held the advantage?
Not necessarily.
When you thought about it, the fight taking place in the Moon Church was not the heart of the battle.
Our other companions had already boarded the elevator and left this battlefield.
The Holy Mother must have wanted to end this fight at once and chase after the elevator.
--- Clank!
Fortuna reappeared with a mocking tone.
“Elena, let’s just stall for time. The ‘Researcher’ said he’d take care of what comes next.”
Normally, Fortuna would have called him Ga-in hyung, but intentionally used the word “Researcher.”
The Researcher was also deeply significant to the Holy Mother.
The Researcher.
The one who had betrayed the Management Bureau and released the Prince, whom the Holy Mother worshipped as a god.
No one, not even the Moon, knew the Researcher’s exact purpose or intentions.
The unknown was fear and awe.
Even the Moon believed the Researcher might find answers to questions it could not answer itself.
Why would the Holy Mother be any different?
She must have believed that the Researcher could threaten the Prince.
“You...!”
It was an obvious ploy, but the Holy Mother’s eyes wavered.
Deep down, she agreed with Fortuna’s words.
A question came to mind again.
Seung-yeop, why can’t you show off this incredible psychological warfare in computer games?
Are you really a different person?
--- Whoosh!
The next moment, streams of light emerging from the Holy Mother’s hands began gathering in the air.
At first, I thought it was an ordinary attack!
“One who pursues justice cannot refuse the Trial of Justice.”
The moment those words left her mouth, even my power was sucked in!
What was this?
“...!”
The blessings of Justice that had been divided between the Holy Mother and me both drained away, gathered at a single point, and formed the Scales.
At that moment, the power gathered in the Scales surpassed what either the Holy Mother or I had possessed individually.
At the same time, a declaration came from the Scales.
「Trial of Justice begins.」
Trial of Justice?
As I stood there in shock, a clear voice rang across the battlefield.
“Listen! I stand here to save the endless souls abandoned by fate.”
“...”
“Speak. What is your ‘justice’?”
What did she just say?
What was my justice?
Just as I was about to ignore the question, wondering why we were playing word games in the middle of a life-or-death battle...
“Are you avoiding the answer?”
The Scales tilted toward the Holy Mother’s side.
The blessing power that had been split evenly between us began flowing slightly more toward the Holy Mother!
“W-What is... huh?”
I could speak?
Fortuna noticed the change and frowned.
“It feels like Elena just got weaker, and that side got stronger.”
“I feel it too!”
The reply came as if she had been waiting.
“You avoid an answer because you have no confidence. You know it deep down. You are wrong, while my path with the Prince is right!”
Fortuna replied in disbelief.
“Is this your ability, Holy Mother? We’re fighting for our lives, and you’re playing some strange game...”
As Fortuna drew a sword to attack the Holy Mother, the enormous Scales at the center moved toward Fortuna.
Only then did I understand the Holy Mother’s ability!
“N-No! If you draw your sword now...”
“... I understand.”
The Holy Mother’s ability had created this situation.
The answer lay in the phrase that appeared when it began.
Trial of Justice.
A trial determined who was right and who was wrong.
The issue was which of us, the Holy Mother or me, was more just!
If Fortuna carelessly drew a sword in this situation, the Scales would make Fortuna a Judgment Target.
This was not the Middle Ages, when trial by combat was common. No modern nation determines what is just through a duel.
Fortuna sheathed the sword, then politely nodded at the Scales.
“Honorable judge, I am a knight, and my sword is my honor. I did not draw it to commit disrespect. I only meant to show proper respect to this court.”
It was a ridiculous excuse, but the Scales returned to their original place.
Watching the sharp gleam in the Holy Mother’s eyes, I thought.
Trial of Justice seemed to be the ability she had gained by enhancing Justice.
What kind of power was it exactly?
Did the more just side grow stronger? Or was the less just side judged?
Either way, after the Trial of Justice began, no one here could act as they pleased.
Only now did I understand why the Holy Mother had used such a strange power.
First, it effectively removed Fortuna from the fight.
Second, she was certain that she was right!
Fortuna whispered.
“Elena, your power keeps getting weaker.”
“I know.”
“You probably need to answer first...”
What had the Holy Mother asked at the beginning?
What was my justice?
“A state where individual rights are guaranteed fairly. I believe that is justice.”
Only after I answered did the power flowing away finally stop.
The Holy Mother immediately countered.
“Individual rights? What is the most important right a human has?”
“Uh, um...”
“Are you planning to avoid an answer?”
Oh, come on!
Until a moment ago, we had been trying to cut each other to pieces. What was this all of a sudden?
I was no good at verbal sparring like this!
“N-No.”
At the same time, another thought came to mind.
Crushing an opponent with the physical force provided by a blessing was not justice in the first place.
This was justice.
You put right and wrong against each other, and the one who was more right won.
In that sense, Trial of Justice, the ability the Holy Mother had gained after enhancing her blessing, touched on the essence of justice.
“Um... wouldn’t it be the right to life?”
“The right to life! That means the right to live in this world, does it not?”
“...”
It was not wrong, but I felt like I was being led into a trap.
What was the Holy Mother trying to say?
“Y-Yes.”
“Then you should immediately lay down your weapons and cooperate with me. The Prince’s victory is the path that protects the greatest number of lives!”
“What?”
“Am I wrong?”
So this was what the Holy Mother meant?
Even if you combined the souls on the Management Bureau’s side and the Pillagers’ side, they numbered fewer than the souls belonging to the Moon.
Therefore, the Moon’s victory was the path by which the greatest number of souls would survive.
“W-Wait! That premise is ridiculous from the start!”
「Warning: Participant Elena, maintain proper decorum in court.」
What decorum at a time like this!
... Still, I should follow it.
“How is it ridiculous?”
“The Moon itself is the reason it has the most souls!”
“The reason?”
“Because the Moon threatened the world first, various Management Bureaus and similar organizations abandoned the world and escaped. The Moon devoured the souls left behind in that process.”
“If we are considering the order of events, the Moon was the first Ark to be born.”
“So because it was born first, it is naturally the owner of the world?”
“That is obvious...”
Figures for someone from prehistoric times!
“Even inheritances are no longer passed wholly to the eldest child. Siblings divide them fairly. Being born first does not give you the right to consume the world.”
“I am not saying it is the owner because it was born first. I am saying that the Arks born afterward stole the world that should have belonged to the Moon.”
“It was not theft. It was an independence movement!”
“Do you have proof it was an independence movement?”
“Do you have proof it was theft?”
At that point, the Holy Mother clapped once and changed the subject.
“Let us leave the ancient story there. Neither side has evidence. What matters is not the past, but the present!”
“The present?”
“So who possesses the greatest number of souls now?”
Back to the beginning.
The Moon had the greatest number of souls, so the Moon claiming the world was justice.
It was a utilitarian view, one that also touched upon the Management Bureau’s philosophy of accepting the sacrifice of a few for the many.
Thinking about how the Holy Mother of Room 207 had founded an organization similar to the Management Bureau, Aedia seemed to have always been this kind of person.
“There is no rule saying that being more numerous means you should claim the world!”
“Then should the smaller side claim it? The sacrifice of the few for the many is certainly tragic, but the sacrifice of the many for the few is an even greater tragedy.”
For a moment, I was speechless.
How was I supposed to refute that?
As I panicked, I heard a sharp sound beside me, as though Fortuna sensed that the battle was turning against us.
“I would like to speak as well. The two of you have been talking the whole time. Is that not unfair too?”
Interestingly, the Scales watched Fortuna and seemed to believe that the point itself had merit.
Aedia frowned and nodded.
“... Speak.”
“I mean the part you passed over earlier because there was no evidence.”
“Yes.”
“Can we not call witnesses? Let the Prince and the Researcher come here and explain it themselves.”
“Do not say something so absurd!”
Aagh!
I thought Fortuna was smarter than Seung-yeop, but what was this?
It was my mistake to trust that person!
“Fortuna, how can you call that a suggestion?”
The Holy Mother and I both made it clear that Fortuna should stop saying nonsense, and the Scales moved as if threatening Fortuna.
“Stop talking nonsense and...”
“This is a trial. Why can’t I call witnesses?”
“No, neither of them can come here...”
Fortuna muttered with a dark expression.
“... I think it would have worked if Elena had agreed with me.”
“What did you say?”
As though she did not want to waste time, the Holy Mother called out.
“Elena, are you not going to answer?”
My power weakened again.
Apparently, I was being judged as avoiding an answer.
I sighed and focused. As I did, the thoughts tangled amid the chaotic changes began to fall into place.
A rebuttal to the Holy Mother’s words came to mind naturally.
“Holy Mother, you said the Moon’s victory was the victory of the many, correct?”
“That is right.”
“Then your side should withdraw instead. Because...”
Could I say this?
We had come this far. What did it matter?
“We are seeking victory for both the Moon and the Pillagers!”
The Holy Mother replied as though it was absurd.
“Is that what the Researcher told you? How can you trust it?”
“So we are making it a question of trust? Then how am I supposed to trust the Moon’s words?”
“What...”
“The Moon’s promise to create heaven in the world after every battle is over is only the Moon’s promise. Is there any guarantee it will keep it?”
According to Mi-ro, the real future where the Moon had won was the exact opposite.
Far from heaven, it was a bleak future of utter emptiness, with not a single living being left.
The situation had reversed. Now I was the one questioning the Holy Mother.
The next moment, the Scales turned toward the Holy Mother.
When she realized it and stared wide-eyed in shock, the power of Justice began returning to me.
A thought came to mind as I watched the Holy Mother panic.
I guessed that Trial of Justice was not originally an ability where both sides exchanged arguments like this.
It was probably a power that allowed the Holy Mother to interrogate and judge a “Sinner” unilaterally.
Why could I question the Holy Mother in return now?
Because my power was part of the Trial of Justice as well!
The trial had begun after our two blessings combined, so I could question the Holy Mother too.
Could I use this phenomenon somehow?
The Holy Mother, who seemed to have reached a similar thought, frowned.
“... It seems that we cannot persuade one another.”
A realm where persuasion was impossible.
If you followed the logic, the final question came down to this.
Who did you trust, the Moon or Ga-in?
We trusted Ga-in, while the Holy Mother trusted the Moon.
There was no way to bridge that gap, and no way to persuade each other with words.
That was why Ga-in had once thought recruiting the Holy Mother was impossible.
The Summoned Entity Holy Mother had changed her mind only after truly experiencing Hell of Eternity, not through a debate.
“I wish to end the Trial of Justice.”
Sure enough, when the Scales began threatening even the Holy Mother, she chose to end the ability.
As expected, this power was originally meant for the Holy Mother to interrogate and judge others, not to corner herself like this.
Because the two blessings of Justice had become entangled, it had manifested in a form different from what she expected.
The Holy Mother had noticed that, which was why she was trying to end it.
At the word “end,” the Scales began to fade.
Was the Trial of Justice over?
Back to a primal fight where the strong won...
At that moment!
--- Clap!
Fortuna rose boldly.
“Who gave you permission to end it? The two of you have spoken enough. Should I not have a chance to state my opinion as well?”
The fading Scales became clear once more and looked at Fortuna.
Even Aedia, who had used the ability, did not seem able to control the Scales as she pleased.
Considering how neither Mi-ro of the Deep-Sea Hotel nor I had been able to freely use the blessing of Justice, perhaps this was an unavoidable limitation of blessings themselves.
Aedia frowned.
“... Speak.”
“I’m a martial artist.”
“Earlier, you said you were a knight.”
“I’m also a martial artist.”
“What’s a martial artist?”
“I don’t really know either, but there’s an old saying in the Martial World.”
“An old saying?”
“Government-Martial Noninterference.”
“What?”
“Government must not interfere in the affairs of the Martial World. Gods must not interfere in human affairs.”
“What have you been talking about this whole time...”
“Honorable judge, I believe that from now on, ‘you’ should step aside. Leave the affairs of the Martial World to the Martial World, and the affairs of the earth to people.”
Only then did Aedia and I understand what Fortuna was trying to say.
Fortuna was trying to remove the blessing of Justice itself from this fight!
What was the point if we both lost our blessings?
No.
Only Aedia and I would lose our blessings. Fortuna’s Luck would remain intact!
I understood the goal, but was it possible?
That was ridiculous...
“...”
Think calmly.
Why had Trial of Justice, which should have manifested in a way overwhelmingly favorable to the Holy Mother, manifested “fairly” instead?
Because both the Holy Mother’s opinion and mine were reflected in this power.
It was a result even the Holy Mother had not anticipated.
Though not as much as ours, Fortuna’s opinion was being reflected as well.
To put it crudely, it was something like Holy Mother 1, Elena 1, Fortuna 0.3.
Remember this.
There was no righteous judge here.
A blessing was determined by its user’s mindset.
Why was Trial of Justice proceeding in the form of a courtroom?
Because the Holy Mother and I believed this form was desirable.
So...
I closed my eyes and thought.
To persuade no one but myself.
...
The forms the End Times had taken at Hotel Pioneer.
The terrible fight taking place in reality.
The weak suffering beneath the struggles for supremacy of the Great Ones.
I truly believed it.
Government-Martial Noninterference.
No.
Divine-Human Noninterference.
“Honorable judge, I agree with Fortuna as well. Leave the affairs of the earth to people. From now on, the blessing of Justice is no longer needed.”
The Scales disappeared.
The blessing of Justice that had filled the Holy Mother’s soul and mine faded away!
The result of the Trial of Justice.
Until this fight ended, neither the Holy Mother nor I could use the blessing of Justice.
The Holy Mother’s sword broke.
She cried out with a pale face.
“Government-Martial Noninterference? W-What kind of nonsense is this? What kind of ignorant justice is this? We are not gangsters!”
--- Swish!
Fortuna, sensing victory, answered with a cold smile.
“Holy Mother, you still do not know something important.”
“What...”
“I’m only an elementary school graduate.”
Footnotes:
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