Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 497
Only Krnovel
EP.497 Episode 497 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Second Trial ‘The Witch’ (5)
Episode 497 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Second Trial ‘The Witch’ (5)
– Lee Eun-sol
The moment the Inquisitor burst into a spurt of blood and died, the entire courtroom stopped.
Because the people of Ernheim, as well as me and Elena, were momentarily speechless.
A moment of silence as a tremendous shock drowns out all noise.
Soon, time, which had stopped, began to flow.
“Whoa!”
“Ugh, uh-huh!”
“Your Honor!”
“It’s a witch! It’s a witch!”
People screaming in horror.
—Slap!
As if waiting, a red liquid wets the cheek.
When I turned my head to see what was happening, all the attendants who had tied me up with ropes had collapsed.
“… oh.”
The judge who sentenced me to death died spitting out blood.
The attendants who tried to tie me up with ropes died with their whole bodies squeezed together.
At this point, there was no one left with a sense of reason.
“Rain, get out of the way! Eww!”
— Crazy!
A person who runs away, struggling as if trying to swim.
“Please… . Please… ! Eunsol, just spare my life! My daughter… . My little daughter!”
A man who suddenly complained that he had a young daughter and asked to be spared.
It makes me laugh bitterly.
What should I say?
The flow itself was expected, but it was much more intense than I expected.
I knew that witches were cruel and impulsive, but I didn’t know it was this bad!
I didn’t know that they would kill everyone right in front of Elena, who was said to have received God’s grace.
At that moment, Elena’s sharp voice, who had come to her senses belatedly, was heard.
“Catch him!”
Catch me? Did you find the witch?
— Foodduck!
You found a familiar, not a witch!
Ferro flew in like lightning and snatched the cat from the window.
The next moment, the witch’s familiar, sensing a sense of crisis, turned into a monster with a “crash!” sound.
In an instant, it grew as large as a leopard, and its claws were extremely sharp.
Of course, it wouldn’t have mattered if that cat had grown as big as a tiger instead of a leopard!
As Pero elegantly somersaulted in the air, a giant monster bird with a beak the size of a human head appeared.
“meow?”
I burst out laughing when I saw the monster cat meowing in terror.
You didn’t know that a parrot could transform into a monster, even though you yourself transformed into a monster?
What happened next was literally a total mess!
In an instant, the makeshift courtroom was reduced to ashes, and a chaotic fight ensued, with wooden tables and chairs being crushed.
“Kwaaak!”
Most of the city’s population had long since fled, but a few slow-moving ones found themselves caught up in the monster melee.
Unfortunately, both the monster cat and the Pero were generous beings who did not care about ‘minor issues’ such as the safety of civilians.
…
As the fight was coming to a close, Elena and I naturally approached each other.
The familiar is panting on the floor, having returned to the size of a normal cat.
“It’s been a while.”
“…”
A cat that is tilting its head as if it doesn’t understand.
Could it be because Elena and I approached each other in a peaceful atmosphere?
“Are you okay? I have a few questions to ask you.”
“…”
“Can you tell me who the witch is?”
“Knowing this.”
“You never know, right?”
The name that came out of the cat’s mouth was, as expected, someone I knew.
“Sister, did you guess?”
“A little bit. Ah!”
“Why is that?”
“Valentina… is she at your mansion?”
“Maybe? I’m not sure.”
“…”
Valentina’s behavior so far was some kind of hint.
Even though she openly hated me for reasons related to my brother, she never suspected me of being a ‘witch’.
I thought it was because I had been interacting with Eun-sol for a long time in the settings and had developed a kind of ill-feeling for her.
That wasn’t it.
They simply knew or guessed the identity of the ‘real witch’.
— Squeak! Crack!
Elena, a peerless beauty sitting on a half-broken wooden chair, had a somewhat vain expression on her face.
“I thought it would be a problem if Thomas died.”
“so do i.”
“This guy was like some kind of ‘boss summon trigger’.”
Elena felt it too.
Just, if you look at it from a distance, Thomas’ very existence is strange.
He’s wielding a torch and making a fuss about burning me to death, but he himself is just an ordinary person.
When you first entered Room 101, you might have felt threatened.
But, right now I have a butterfly dream.
It means that even if 10 people like this come, they won’t be able to harm me.
Why did the hotel place these NPCs?
“Sister, since everyone else has already run away, I’ll just talk to you. Thomas is ultimately a puppet of the Vatican, and the Vatican is a pseudo-administrative state in this era. It seems like it’s only managing Europe.”
“…”
“How does the Holy See govern the world? It cannot be as detailed as the future administrative bureaucracy.”
“I don’t think my ability is that great. I lack the skills and resources.”
“The Inquisitors are like the canaries in the mine.”
Canary in the mine.
In the past, miners kept small birds like canaries and magpies inside mines and used them as a kind of ‘air gauge’.
It is a dangerous situation when canaries die, as they are much more sensitive to air quality than humans.
The role of the Inquisitor is similar to this.
Trained civilians are spread throughout Europe, reporting back periodically and allowing them to judge minor ‘corruptions’ themselves.
What if they die and regular reporting is not done?
It means that it is a dangerous situation.
“According to the setting, a temple knight was already dispatched to Ernheim.”
I’m talking about Cha Jin-cheol.
“What does it mean?”
“The story is that the Vatican was already suspicious of Ernheim.”
“That’s right. In that situation, Cha Jin-cheol died, and the heresy inquisitor who was dispatched afterward also died.”
“…”
All the canaries sent by the Vatican died.
So the ‘real thing’ is coming soon.
“You’re the boss, right?”
“maybe.”
“Then what about the witch? Is she also a type of boss summoning trigger?”
“well….”
He stood up from his seat and held Elena’s hand tightly.
Well, I guess I’m in a situation where I have to say something sorry.
What kind of colleague is Elena?
Cain, who uses the Holy Sun after charging, is the party’s best force, except for the Midnight Maze.
How monstrous is the boss of the trial that Elena is placed in?
“… That, Elena.”
It is difficult to guess the identity of the ‘judge’ that the Vatican will soon send, but one thing is certain.
I’d just be an obstacle in that fight with Elena.
“Go.”
“… sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? We each have our own roles. Sister, you should be in charge of the witch.”
“…”
“Sister, listen.”
“huh?”
What do you have to say?
“I told you about the letter I received from Gain on the first day, right?”
“Yeah. He said the two of us should do it together.”
“Thanks to that letter, I found out why Jincheol was eliminated.”
It must have been because of the incident at the Egyptian party.
Considering the characteristics of the time zone, the answer is clear.
“I thought about it after going through that….”
“What are you thinking?”
“Trains, trains just run along one rail.”
“…”
“Ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, modern America, modern Korea. They’re all on the same rail. It’s a structure where what happened before affects what happens after.”
“I’m guessing. It feels a bit like the butterfly effect.”
“Butterfly effect? That’s a good expression. Let’s think about that part together. Then, fighting!”
“go for it!”
— Click!
As I walked through Ernheim, which was in a state of confusion, I thought about the ‘butterfly effect’.
As soon as the negative butterfly effect in Egypt started, Cha Jin-cheol was killed.
Something similar could happen again.
Does it create a ‘negative butterfly effect’, such as us failing to kill the boss?
The aftermath will be hard on Ari and Grandfather Mukseong.
“…”
Conversely, could it not be possible to induce a positive butterfly effect?
If only I could sow the seeds for my fellows who will come hundreds of years from now, things will be easier for us in the future!
“… ah.”
The moment my thoughts reached this point, I vaguely knew what I had to do from now on.
*
When I got home, the first thing I noticed were bundles everywhere.
“Valentina.”
“You’re here! I couldn’t believe it, but you really are here! I’d like to congratulate you, but as you can see, there’s no time for that. Let’s pack quickly.”
A few household items, some gold left behind by her deceased husband, and some food.
“Are you preparing to evacuate?”
“Of course! The witch, um, killed the inquisitor. If we continue like this, we’ll be in danger too. Let’s get out of Ernheim right now -”
“Well, even if the witch kills everyone else, I don’t think she’ll kill you and me.”
Valentina was frozen in stone.
“The story isn’t about running away from the witch, but rather ‘taking’ the witch with you?”
“Lee Eun-sol.”
“Since when did you know?”
“… two years ago.”
“Okay, okay. I need to talk to Sophia first.”
I looked back on the witch’s actions over the past few days.
The act of sending a familiar out of nowhere and brutally killing Bruno.
Just looking at this made me feel like he was trying to trap me.
However, when I actually met the cat, I warned it to run away because someone else was coming.
Add to this the extremes seen today and the answer was clear.
As the familiar said, it was a question that didn’t need to be asked.
“mom!”
A cute girl coming out of her room, smiling brightly.
My daughter in the settings and the person I love most in the world.
Witch, Sophia.
“…”
I killed Bruno because he threatened me with an accusation.
When they tried to burn me at the stake, they killed the inquisitor and his attendants.
I bet you didn’t think about the aftermath of killing someone.
Because they are young, they don’t have the judgment to think about what will happen next.
“Mom~! Mom! Was it okay today?”
“…Sophia.”
The appearance of not feeling any remorse even after killing several people.
Clearly, he is different from ordinary humans.
I thought I knew why the Vatican was gritting its teeth and trying to kill the witch.
“Mom, I have one thing to apologize for today.”
“huh?”
Is there no human mind at all? That is not true.
I love my mom, and I love my aunt Valentina.
It means that you can feel the level of bond that is formed in a personal relationship.
However, there is no mercy for others who do not have such a relationship.
“It was Sophia’s cat. I killed it somehow.”
“Timmy? It’s okay! I can make a talking cat as much as I want -”
“…”
“… ah.”
I thought she was a child, so she confessed to being a witch in 5 seconds.
If I had suspected this kid from the beginning, I could have noticed it on the first day of the ordeal.
If I had known in advance, would the development have been different?
“Mom, uh, there’s that… .”
Embarrassment, surprise, and a little fear.
“Sophia, are you afraid that your mom will scold you?”
“…I was just protecting my mother.”
As I watched the girl speaking as if making excuses, I realized it naturally.
What does it mean to act in a way that makes you worry about getting in trouble with me?
It is clear that the girl lacks a lot of conscience, but it means that she knows that her actions are ‘evil in the eyes of others’.
therefore….
Sophia can never grow up to be a good person.
However, you can imitate good people.
“Sophia, come here.”
“huh!”
“…”
I thought as I hugged Sophia, a girl filled with pure love.
The most incomprehensible colleague among us all.
A person who plays Go alone in a way that no one can understand.
“…”
I decided to imitate Gain a little bit.
It cannot be compared to the skills of a great – or, rather, arrogant – Go player who tries to design the half-millennium history of the 207th game… .
Wouldn’t it be possible to do something for 200 or 300 years?
*
“… At least a level 2 chaos disaster occurred in Ernheim. Not only the Temple Knight Cha Jin-cheol, but also the Inquisitor Thomas Torquemada were affected.”
“Release Fortuna.”
“Fortuna? Then the Gray family -”
“I won’t tell you twice.”
*
– Elena
I’ve had no luck since morning.
The statues on the wall slid delicately as if trying to assassinate me.
The deliciously toasted, buttered bread rolled strangely, slippery, on the floor.
The corner of the table that I had never touched before ripped my clothes sharply today, and one of the legs of the chair I was sitting on to rest was suddenly rotten.
Such outrageous misfortunes have been so endless that it would be difficult to count them all.
At some point, even the family members felt an indescribable sense of foreboding, and became as quiet as mice.
Because of the raindrops that had been pouring down since morning, the area around the mansion was pitch dark even in broad daylight.
And then, through the raindrops, the shape of a cross appeared.
Finally, the Vatican sent someone.
At that time, the master of Ernheim, Duke Grey, displayed a calm attitude.
“I’ve been anxious for days, and now the Vatican has sent a punitive force!”
“…”
“I was anxious every night because they said the witch had run away from the courtroom. How fortunate I am.”
“…”
“Elena, let’s go and say hello together.”
“Let’s do that.”
There was certainly some basis to the peacock’s composure.
The evil witch just caused chaos in the city. What is the Gray family’s fault?
Even in the family there is a daughter who has received the Lord’s grace!
There may be some accountability for the neglect of urban management, but it’s not that big of a deal.
…
‘He’ appeared in the darkness.
The duke did not understand the situation until the moment the knight in pitch-black armor raised his crossbow.
— Whoosh!
The moment the arrow that flew in like lightning pierced the peacock’s head, he realized.
The Vatican has also ruled that the House of Grey is ‘corrupt’!
I really had no idea!
What do you mean by saying I’m a blessed daughter?
You attack the Lord’s daughter like this?
Or maybe –
—Shoot!
When I realized the next arrow was flying towards me –
“‘Self-defense’ is activated.”
A golden scale shining like a star flew towards the knight, crushing the arrow in an instant.
“uh?”
Did the knight stop the scales? Or avoid them?
no.
He just walks in a straight line… .
The scales passed him by.
As was the case all morning, I was out of luck this time too.
Or, the opponent was just incredibly lucky.