Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 117
Only Krnovel
Episode 117 – No. 107, Gate Room – ‘Witch’s Forest’ (8)
– Han Ga-in
[User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: Day 40
Current location: Tier 1, Room 107 (Gateway Room)
Sage Advice: 3]
After the first ordeal, we were only given one hour of rest.
Of course, the break was too short for us who fought under extreme tension with the fakes.
Strangely enough, we began to recover during the second trial.
Due to the nature of Arima, which can only assume human form from midnight to just before sunrise, we had nothing specific to do from morning to midnight.
I had time to make plans and replenish my stamina by sleeping, which I couldn’t do at night.
My body feels like it has recovered quite a bit now, and Jincheol seems to be sleeping comfortably now.
‘Understanding the scenario’ hinted that Arima was realizing something today as well.
Isn’t it really time to make a decision?
Even if Jincheol couldn’t wake up, I thought I should give up on further treatment and kill Arima.
I expressed my opinion to my colleagues.
Grandfather Mukseong reacted indifferently.
“Wasn’t Ga-in the one who emphasized how important Jin-cheol was and asked us to wait longer just recently?”
“My thoughts about the importance of Jincheol remain unchanged. However, I think it will be dangerous if Arima becomes stronger and Elena cannot control him.”
“I have a hard time understanding your concerns. You and Ari made up some bullshit on the spot, and the witch came to a great enlightenment after hearing it? Does she think this makes sense?”
“…”
“My opinion is the same as yesterday. Basically, non-experts cannot distinguish between the plausible sounds of a scammer and the words of a true expert. “Even if Arima is a witch, she probably lacks knowledge in the field of possession, so didn’t she just make a mistake after hearing your bullshit?”
“To think that way is a bit of a warning in my understanding of the scenario.”
“I heard that sentence too, but… .”
Grandpa didn’t seem to understand. I understand. Jincheol’s treatment is coming to an end.
With just a little more treatment, the most physically strong and reliable companion among us will wake up, but now that he is suddenly telling us to give up, it may be difficult to understand.
Eunsol, who had been listening quietly, opened her mouth.
“I agree with you Cain. “And, I want to tell you about an ominous thought I’ve had since yesterday.”
“Sinister thoughts?”
Eunsol took a sip of her tea and opened her mouth.
“Isn’t it a mistake that you said ‘bullshit’ in the first place?”
“yes?”
“Gain, have you ever been to a temple?”
“Nothing at all. “I went to church briefly when I was very young.”
“Then how on earth did you know the words ‘it’s gratuitous’ and ‘it’s useless’?”
“uh… . It just occurred to me. “Did you learn that while studying national history?”
“My family all believes in Buddhism. So I can tell you. Impermanent performance, reformation of all things, selflessness, and nirvana. In Buddhism, this is called judicial man. It’s kind of a central tenet. There is no way this kind of knowledge is within the scope of the CSAT. Even, your and Ari’s lecture yesterday explained these concepts quite eloquently. “There were many different parts in detail, but even those other parts were not just made up haphazardly, but seemed to have a profound philosophy from a different perspective.”
… What does this mean? Ari and I looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
“Knowledge similar to Buddhist doctrine that is so profound that it is hard to believe that it was just made up. You don’t even know where you got this knowledge. I think I know. You and Ari, who lectured yesterday, have one thing in common. “You both have read grimoires.”
As the owner of the grimoire, I have read it several times, and Ahri opened the grimoire during her first attempt at the Mansion of Terror.
Ari opened his mouth in an anxious mood.
“Are you saying that knowledge from the grimoire was infiltrated into Ga-in and me without us even realizing it?”
Sister Eunsol nodded.
“I see it that way. I don’t have an inheritance, but everyone who has one has told me, right? It is said that when you acquire an inheritance, related knowledge naturally seeps into your head. A similar phenomenon happened to those of you who read the grimoire. Normally, only the owner can read it, so it is knowledge that only Cain should have acquired, but Ari, you read the grimoire with your own strength and survived for a while, so maybe some of the knowledge has seeped into you?”
Ari and I were confused.
Did the knowledge from the Grimoire enter our heads without our knowledge?
Ariya I only saw it once as a one-off, but I watched it continuously after that.
If that’s what I said, it’s clear that somewhere in my head, I’ve already filled a bookshelf with knowledge about grimoires.
A silent grandfather interrupted the confusing situation.
“You can worry about the grimoire later. After hearing Eunsol’s story just now, my thoughts have changed. If you really passed on some of the evil knowledge from the Grimoire to the witch, and the witch gained enlightenment from it, this is a serious situation. Elena?”
“Next time a witch comes in, shall we use our powers right away?”
“I think that would be good.”
Songi expressed a similar but slightly different opinion.
“How about just getting treatment by today? I really feel like Jincheol will wake up soon, so it’s such a pity. “Just ask for treatment instead of lecturing.”
Will that work?
“The witch is quite calculating, so if I just ask for treatment without lecturing her, will she give it to me?”
Songi looked at me with a subtle expression.
“It would have been like that on the first day. But, now… .”
“now?”
“Right now, if my brother says he’s a little tired today and asks for treatment, I’ll give it to him.”
What do you mean?
Surprisingly, Eunsol older sister also answered in agreement.
“I definitely think that if you just ask for treatment now, they will give it to you at least once. Let’s do that. “Just ask for treatment today, and after the treatment is over, go!”
The older sister made a swooshing gesture with her hand along with the word ‘swat’, and Elena nodded.
Midnight approached amid tension.
*
– Han Ga-in
Arima came in.
“Miss Arima. “Today, I feel like I have to give you an example.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think I need about a day to prepare for the lecture. “Miss Arima’s achievements are so rapid that I have to teach her more and more advanced teachings, so just thinking about it once a day is not enough.”
“oh! I completely understand. Since I have followed the path of visionary exploration, I have never met a person as wise as you. “If it is such high-level knowledge, the teacher will definitely need time to prepare.”
“but… .”
“Treatment for my colleague is an issue that cannot be postponed. “I’ll be happy to do it for you, so you don’t have to worry.”
Is it this easy?
I thought it was some kind of argument or a war of nerves, but I was surprised that Arima willingly accepted it.
What’s even more surprising is that several of my colleagues had already anticipated this trend.
I stood there blankly, feeling like a fool alone. Arima began to treat her Jincheol brother.
Leaning against the wall, he observed Arima and the people around him.
…
Is today the fifth time Arima has started coming?
I saw a lot of changes from the first day.
On the first day, Songi, who wanted to kill Arima, was playing with Arima with Pero.
When Pero imitated a word or two of Arima’s words or rubbed Arima’s cheek with his beak, Arima laughed like an ordinary girl.
Seung-yeop naturally played around by throwing cards, and Eun-sol would sit next to him and talk about various things with Arima.
Grandfather Mukseong and Ari also used to tell various stories about Jincheol’s treatment.
The only ones who seemed to maintain the same level of tension as the first day were me and Elena.
I felt that Arima’s tension was relaxed as much as ours was relaxed.
For example, after the first day, Arima no longer brought any escorts.
They may be confident that they can turn into monsters and overpower us, but more than that, they seem to have stopped worrying that we might harm them.
Also, there are no more witches who used to tear off the skin of slaves in front of us and enjoy the scenes we fear.
Arima would warn us in advance to turn around if blood splattered during treatment and he thought it would be cruel.
… Why did it change so quickly?
You can guess it.
Arima has been treating Jincheol for several days.
It is not easy to remain hostile toward someone who is treating a colleague.
Killing slaves for magical research? Jincheol is still being treated by sacrificing slaves.
At the point where we ourselves requested such cruel treatment, it became difficult to curse anymore.
Apart from being a villain, she also looks honestly pretty.
So I was confident.
We have to kill her before the ‘washing machine’ about that woman starts spinning in our heads any further.
After all, it is right to kill today. Killing it in the first place seems to be a condition of passing the ordeal.
While thinking about this and that, Arima spoke.
“We are now in the final stages of treatment, but things are a little cruel from now on. “How about everyone get out of the mansion?”
When Arima says it is ‘cruel,’ he is saying that it is a scene that the average person cannot see with a clear mind.
Has about 2 hours passed? She seemed to be doing something for a much longer time than usual.
“Come on in!”
As I entered, I gave a slight wave to Elena. Elena nodded her head as if she understood.
Let’s just check on Jincheol one last time and call it a day.
As soon as I entered, I approached Jincheol.
Even breathing. A shallow coughing sound. In addition, through various checks, it was confirmed that my brother’s recovery was almost complete.
I asked last.
“Do you think you’ll wake up soon?”
“I wake up within 2 to 3 hours at the latest.”
Is it because the treatment is over? Arima had a somewhat sentimental expression.
Now to Elena –
“teacher.”
“yes?”
“I have something to tell you, is it okay?”
“You can do it.”
“There is something I want to say just between the two of us. Just a moment is enough.”
… I was embarrassed for a moment. The chat window rang.
Kim Muk-seong: Don’t fucking kill me. Elena!
Elena: I’m not lying. I think I really have something to say.
Ari Kim: There might be some secret coming out. He said it wasn’t a lie, so let’s hide and watch.
In the end, we decided to go out and talk for a bit. She was not without some insecurities, but she decided to believe that Elena, who could fly in the sky and move at incredible speeds as soon as she spelled justice, was hiding and watching.
It feels like something unusual is coming out of Arima’s mouth.
— Tak!
I hear the door closing behind me.
In the end, as Arima suggested, the two came out to talk.
I wondered if there was a need to talk since they were going to kill me anyway, but I also wondered if some hidden truth might be revealed.
“Do you have something to say?”
Arima, who was silent for a moment, began a long story.
A story about how his parents sold him when he was young, a story about an evil wizard who bought him and used him and other children as assistants and experiment materials. A story about killing a wizard and robbing him of his research results, etc. due to a combination of luck and stories.
Did he call because he wanted to tell his story?
“You’ve had a tough time.”
“Do you know what I envied the most while treating your colleague?”
“What is?”
“Your students have a really good relationship with you. “It feels more like a friendship relationship than a priest relationship, but at the same time, I can feel the respect and love for each other.”
That’s because it’s not a priestly relationship.
“Is that so?”
“If only the wizard who bought me was that kind of person! Would I have lived a little differently? Could we live a life where we truly respect our teacher, explore the truth with each other, and talk all night long?”
I don’t know. I have never lived a life like that either.
“Maybe so.”
“I also want to have a teacher. “I want to learn your wisdom and let you know what knowledge I lack.”
“…”
The surroundings were filled with silence. Did this witch want to say she wanted to follow me?
In fact, I felt a little sorry because I had been worrying about when to kill the witch before the rumor would spread that I had killed it well.
… Pickled eyeballs. Human meat sausage.
Now that I think about it, I don’t really have anything to be sorry about.
It seemed like the conversation was coming to an end, so I asked what I had been curious about for a few days.
“Have you gained any insight from the recent teachings? “It seems like you’ve had some unusual achievements?”
Was he waiting for that question? The witch’s expression brightened in an instant.
“Of course. What I learned from you for 3 or 4 days was much more than what I learned over the past few years. Quite something! The human mind is an illusion. It’s like a flowing wave. “There is nothing constant about the self, it is just a collection of fluids that change and flow endlessly, so why have I been meaninglessly obsessed with something that has no substance?”
I don’t know either. I don’t even know how you understand what I’m saying or why you say things like this.
“As you may have already guessed, I have now given up my obsession with the immutable spirit. Continuity of memory and self is meaningless. Is there any need for obsession? We are almost ready for a new birth.”
What are you talking about alone? What do I guess? Born anew?
“But one thing remains. This may also be because I am greatly lacking compared to the teacher. “I wanted to live a little like a woman.”
Arima smiled somewhat shyly in front of me.
? There’s something wrong with this atmosphere –
…
Soft and warm.
In an instant, Arima approached me, and something soft touched my lips.
I was literally mesmerized.
The first kiss I experienced at the hotel smelled like a mixture of mint and rose scent.
“Ah, ah, Miss Arima?”
Arima smiled with an indifferent expression.
“sorry. “I thought I would have no regrets after kissing the most wonderful person I’ve ever met.”
I really can’t stand it anymore! What are you talking about earlier?
“What on earth are you talking about earlier? “Being born again, throwing away lingering attachments, what on earth do you mean?”
Arima did not respond, but smiled slightly, then placed his right hand on his head and used an incomprehensible force.
Arima’s head instantly melted in front of me.
10 seconds ago, the girl who left me a fragrant kiss turned into a headless corpse and rolled over in front of me.
See next episode