Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 353
Only Krnovel
Episode 353 – Room 205, Room of the Curse – ‘□□□□’ (2)
– Park Seung-yeop
Around evening, older sister Elena entered the imperial palace.
She was wearing a pure white nun’s uniform with many blue patterns engraved on it, and I was impressed by its beauty without realizing it, but the reactions of the subjects around me were not positive.
“A follower of a cult has set foot in the imperial palace!”
One of the subjects could not hold back and vented his anger.
My older sister, who was watching this, seemed to have been waiting and asked me to leave the people around me.
*
“It’s quite an amazing experience. “It looks like you’re looking at someone who’s guilty of high treason, right?”
Eunsol responded to Elena, who spoke with a bright smile.
“be careful. There will be many people who view you as an enemy. And the way you speak!”
“yes.”
The Gwangmyeong Empire was on the verge of destruction due to Baehwagyo’s offensive.
In this situation, when an envoy from the West comes, it is normal to ask if they can help in any way, but why are there so many subjects who treat them as if they were enemies?
This was due to the relationship between the Church of Avester, the organization to which Elena belonged, and the Church of Baehwa.
Eunsol and Elena started talking about the two denominations.
“Jo Won-hong, the leader of Baehwa Cult, has this saying among the modifiers given to him. A religious leader who leads more people than any other king. “What does this mean?”
“It means that Baehwagyo’s religious affiliation is not limited to the empire.”
“According to the data, Baehwagyo has tremendous power not only in the Gwangmyeong Empire but also in the Western world.”
“that’s right.”
“This is where it gets interesting. The Avester Church that Elena belongs to is also said to be originally Baehwa Bridge.”
“To elaborate, in fact, these names are all just given by the people of the Light Empire at will. Avester is the name of a scripture, and fire is not an object of worship but a symbol of God.”
“that’s right. Comparing it to other religions, in the process of spreading Christianity, after observing Christian believers from the outside, some people call it a ‘Bible religion’ and others call it a ‘Cross religion.’”
When I first heard about this, I had doubts.
It’s the same Baehwa Church anyway, so why is it that only Elena’s side is called the ‘Avester Church’?
This means that there is a need for distinction.
The answer to this came from Elena.
“Eight years ago, a great schism occurred in the church. The reason is because of the interpretation of the aftermath of the ‘Ascension Ritual’ that Cho Won-hong is currently practicing.”
Ascension Ritual.
Given the circumstances, it is assumed that this is the ‘curse’ of No. 205.
“What kind of ceremony is this?”
“Your Majesty, you are no longer a teenage boy.”
When I was respectful, the doctor who was listening immediately pointed it out.
“Hmm, first apostle. “Tell me what you know about the Ascension Ceremony.”
“Your Highness, if we had fully known the outcome of the ritual, the Order would not have split. At least for Cho Won-hong, the Ascension Ceremony is a land where all believers are free from any pain or sorrow. I believe it is a task that leads to paradise, a land flowing with milk and honey. Conquering an empire is merely a process for ascension.”
This means that the Church of Avester, to which Elena belongs, thinks differently.
“What about you?”
“It is believed that the ritual itself is a trick of evil spirits, and that the cult leader, Wonhong Cho, is corrupt.”
“An evil spirit.”
At this point, the story about the relationship between Baehwagyo and Avesterianism and the ascension ceremony was summarized.
Next, there was a story about ‘absolute expert’.
“From what I can see, there are three key people in this room. Baehwa Cult leader Jo Won-hong, World Sword Lee Ja-seong, and Phantom Demon Han Ga-in. “The three of them together are said to be the three greatest masters of all time or modern times, or absolute masters.”
Jo Won-hong, Baehwa cult leader.
He is said to be the leader of Baehwagyo, the greatest power in the world, and one of the three strongest superhumans in human history.
His age, estimated by the Empire, is 210 to 230 years old, but just looking at this, it is already difficult to consider him human.
Among the three absolute masters, he is considered the highest in terms of versatility.
This is because he is the one chosen by God, one of the greatest magicians in the world, and a powerful warrior.
Sword of the World Lee Ja-seong.
If you count only the martial arts forces, he is the leader of the Cheonui Alliance, the largest force in Gangho.
He is currently 77 years old, making him the youngest among absolute experts.
In terms of competency, he is a pure warrior and is said to have no interest in techniques or anything else.
Also, he is the teacher of Kim Sang-hyeon, a doctor with the status of a doctor.
As soon as this was said, the teacher intervened.
“Based on the memories that come to mind, Lee Ja-seong’s lack of interest in magic means that he has no intention of using it himself.”
My sister answered.
“You don’t intend to use it yourself, but you are aware of how to respond, right?”
“Exactly. And this part is the judgment of ‘Iron Soul Shinchang’ rather than the judgment of ‘Kim Sang-hyeon’… .”
“That makes me have more faith.”
“It is said that in a pure 1-1 duel, he is one step ahead of Cho Won-hong.”
“Hey! No, Lee Ja-seong is much younger, has never learned any magic, and is not an apostle of God? But are you one step ahead of Cho Won-hong?”
“Again, since this is a ‘disciple’s evaluation of his teacher,’ objectivity cannot be guaranteed.”
“Still, that’s amazing. What on earth are you doing? Well, the principles of the world do not originally become that much better if you live longer… .”
At that time, Elena muttered, waving a half-baked piece of paper written about phantom demons.
“So, they’re both close to second-in-command.”
“…”
The phantom demon Han Ga-in.
It is said that among the three great masters of all time and modern times, if one were to choose the most unidentified being, everyone would pick the Hwanma.
If Jo Won-hong or Lee Ja-seong were born as humans and entered the lineage of anti-good spirits, it is questionable whether the phantom demon was born as a human in the first place.
Since he has lived in human bodies for at least hundreds of years, possibly over 1,000 years, discussing age is meaningless, and to him, the body is nothing more than a doll.
Could such a being understand human suffering?
Reportedly, he truly viewed the world as a ‘playground’.
He considered it his hobby to rule over the kings of two countries at the same time, causing an unreasonable war, or manipulating different families from behind to create bloodshed.
In addition, the evil deeds of the Hwanma were endless, no matter how many rolls of paper were passed over.
Sister Eunsol opened her mouth.
“In fact, there was a bigger problem than this evil act. “The phantom demon was an immortal being.”
This was the biggest problem.
The Hwanma was an immortal being in the true sense, and this was its own power that neither Won-Hong Cho nor Lee Ja-Seong could possess.
No matter how strong a person is, if his body is destroyed, he must die.
It is said that as Lee Ja-seong gets older, his cough increases and he sometimes suffers from illness.
Cho Won-hong, who lived for over 200 years, also has a record of running away without hesitation when he thought he would be beheaded.
Although the limit of lifespan was surpassed, the limitations of those bound to the body remained.
However, since the phantom demon was a being that exceeded even this limit, even the other two absolute masters could not help but be afraid of the phantom demon.
“So 30 years ago, two absolute experts joined hands. “Cheon Ui-maeng and Bae Hwa-gyo joined forces to subdue the Hwanma.”
Elena nodded.
“They say it was a very brutal process. “The entire specific area where the presence of the phantom demon was confirmed was surrounded by a human curtain, and all humans inside were killed without exception, from children to the elderly.”
Surprisingly, even after doing such a great thing, he was unable to kill the phantom demon, and in the end, it is said that the ‘young man’s body’ itself, which resided at the end, was sealed somewhere forever.
This seems to be the setting for Ga-in’s sealing, but after looking at this process, we had some doubts.
“Isn’t something strange? “The Ga-in we know is not this immortal.”
Elena answered Eunsol’s question.
“Possession itself has a slight delay, and more than anything, if the body it resides in dies, you also die.”
“According to what we know of Ga-in’s abilities, the subjugation army won when the phantom demon’s body was secured. There is no need to seal it, because if you kill his body, Cain will also disappear.”
After a moment of silence, the doctor muttered.
“It’s just a hypothesis… .”
“Tell me.”
“The lead researcher in Room 201 was able to manipulate scalene polyhedra. The second daughter of the Sea God in Room 202 was able to use the Flute of Rest.”
“The captain of 203 was able to use the final flash.”
“Under the circumstances, a ‘real phantom demon’ is a being that can survive even if its body disappears, but this is impossible for Mr. Gain.”
“Does the phantom demon have a special treasure?”
“That’s it. “There is an object that allows us to achieve true immortality, surpassing even the limits of possession and grimoires as we know them.”
“I guess that’s one of the legacies of this room.”
Sister Elena muttered carefully.
“I’m worried about something a little different.”
“First Apostle, tell me.”
“When the seal is lifted, not only the person who was sealed will wake up. The original character also wakes up. “Just as in Room 201, the head researcher woke up, and in Room 202, I was sometimes swept away by the memories of the Sea God’s second daughter.”
“…”
When Gain wakes up, the phantom demon also wakes up.
“Removing the seal is not necessary to break the room. This is a problem that can be resolved without waking Ga-in. also.”
Eunsol continued speaking with a subtle expression on her face.
“I think Ga-in’s level won’t be much lacking, so it might be a surprisingly good match.”
“…”
At that time, the doctor lightly tapped the table and started talking about something else.
“Let’s come back to Baehwa Bridge. “The enemy we face is not a phantom demon that is not even able to awaken somewhere, but Baehwagyo.”
“Yes.”
“As everyone would have agreed, the scenario of Room 205 is simple and clear. It is clear that the source of the curse is the Ascension Ritual, and the solution is to stop this. You can also guess the escape conditions. “It would be enough to delay the ascension ceremony significantly.”
“In the end, we can fight against Baehwagyo and win. Even in the secrets of heaven, it was said that pure power is needed, rather than thinking about flukes.”
“However, there is a big problem in dealing with this Baehwagyo.”
Eunsol’s older sister answered.
“These bastards -”
“Johwamunju… .”
“These good friends of Cheon Ui-maeng are not cooperating even though the country is in ruin.”
“Whoa… . How could we not do it on our own? “Although Baehwagyo has great influence, the majority of its believers are just ordinary people.”
Eunsol’s sister smiled bitterly.
“I checked the numbers earlier, and below Jo Won-hong, who is an absolute expert, there are 13 commanders who are called peak experts, and just counting the number of warriors who are said to be the best in the world, there are over 3,000.”
“…”
“It is difficult to gauge the skills of Cho Won-hong and the 13th Commandant until they work together, but the quantity is so unanswerable… . Moreover, since the enemy also has his own justification, it seems difficult to use Elena’s justice freely.”
“Honestly, yes.”
“Why would there be a blindness in the first place? I think it was put there to try to get them involved somehow. Sang-hyeon, you are Ja-seong Lee’s student, right? “Do you have any idea why we are waiting and watching even though the country appears to be in ruin?”
“It reminds me so much.”
“for example?”
“Lee Ja-seong gave his daughter in marriage to the emperor in the past.”
“oh?”
“The daughter was suddenly found dead one day.”
“…”
“Two of the Lord’s disciples were purged by the imperial family.”
“…”
“There is more to it than this. This is because the empire has kept the Heavenly Alliance in check for a long time.”
At this point, as the son of the previous emperor and a leading candidate for the empire’s last emperor, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Now that the phantom demon has fallen, there are only two absolute experts under the sky.
One of them is rushing to destroy the Empire, and the other is suffering from Empirephobia.
…
Isn’t it just time for the country to fail? Isn’t it natural for things to fail at this level?
“Well, we’ll still have to attract Cheonyimeng somehow!”