Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 519
Only Krnovel
EP.519 Episode 519 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (5)
Episode 519 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (5)
– Han Ga-in
The trials of the hotel are said to be based on actual events that occurred somewhere in the universe.
What does this fact mean?
A boy who was bullied by his peers was hospitalized with mental illness.
But, it turns out that the hospital director was a demon who boasted cosmic powers.
A boy who gained power from the devil devoured the world.
A businessman lost everything due to the betrayal of his wife and business partner.
At the moment when he was about to give up on life, he received help from a mysterious helper and miraculously recovered.
However, it turns out that the helper was a priest of an evil spirit who died before he was born.
Eventually, the cosmic moths that hatched after devouring countless mortals devoured the Earth in one fell swoop.
This means that such absurd things can actually happen in real life.
The world was like a castle built of cards, and with a single wave of the hands of laughing madmen on the other side of the universe, it could crumble without a trace.
When I realized this, I accepted that my belief in the unshakable existence of the world was indeed childish.
…
Something like the above could have happened in room 207 as well.
Before entering Room 207, I was afraid that the stage would be ‘ruined’ before my turn.
Of course, there would have been at least a safety net in Room 207, as there was an ultimate manager called the ‘Hotel’.
For example, I think the hotel would have intervened to prevent a development as outrageous as the Earth itself being destroyed or humanity becoming extinct.
To put it another way, it was possible to have it be ‘moderately tasty’.
Also, considering our past experience, there was a slight difference between what the hotel thought was ‘appropriate’ and what we thought was ‘appropriate’.
For example, consider a situation where all of humanity has become slaves to snail aliens.
You may curse at how you can proceed with the ordeal in such a crazy situation, but the hotel can seriously advise, ‘From now on, save humanity.’
Wasn’t the very act of splitting us into four parties and dropping us into different time zones based on the premise that the actions of past parties could affect the future?
If the past party made a huge mistake and brought Room 207 to its knees, it’s your fault, even in a hotel, because of your incompetence.
So I wanted to give my colleagues a kind of baseline.
So to speak, these are the minimum guidelines to prevent the apocalypse.
*
— Knock knock! Knock knock!
I was typing on the keyboard and immersed in a sea of information.
The next objective is to gather information about the Cult of Horus.
“Is this the right place?”
Is the ‘cult’ mentioned in the note really the Cult of Horus?
There is no solid evidence, but it is suspicious when compared to memories related to ‘real reality’.
Things like Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam existed in reality, but I had never heard of something like the ‘Cult of Horus’.
Clearly, it is an aftereffect of the historical changes made by colleagues in the past.
As it is a ‘religious group’, it seems that there would be a sacred sun in the circumstances… .
“… Hmm.”
A headache that feels like sharp needles are pricking your head.
It’s because of what happened a few days ago while retrieving the grimoire.
At that time, the Vatican gathered all the students, teachers, and staff in the school and administered something called a “class 3 amnestic drug” and even performed hypnosis therapy.
It seemed like they were trying to control information related to the devil while erasing memories of ‘Agent Kim Min-ah’.
I thought about resisting, but after much thought I just accepted it.
It was a measure taken after the situation was over, and above all, it was a drug and therapy administered to young students, right?
The intensity will be weak, so I wonder if the current country can withstand it?
As expected, after about half a day, memories that I had forgotten naturally came back to me.
A bit of a headache came as a bonus, but let’s think of it as a badge of honor.
Bam!
I feel a little better after drinking a glass of ice water.
— Knock knock!
Although not comparable to the so-called four major religions, the Cult of Horus was also a global force in its own right.
The structure of the Cult of Horus was closer to Catholicism than to Protestantism.
That is, there is a general archdiocese in the United States and individual dioceses around the world.
There was also a leader of the religious order, the equivalent of the ‘Pope’ in Catholicism, called ‘Pope Sophia’.
“Missing?”
Interestingly, Pope Sophia went missing about seven years ago, making international news.
Could it have something to do with the ordeal?
The history part of the church was a bit ambiguous.
They claim that they have been around since ancient Egypt, but from the outside, their existence was virtually non-existent until around the 20th century.
The consensus in academic circles is that it appeared suddenly in the United States after the great disaster of the century, the Spanish Civil War, in late 1897 or early 1898.
“It appeared in America….”
It seems like it could be possible, but it’s also a bit strange.
Rooted in Egyptian traditional beliefs, but starting in America?
Of course, Christianity has its roots in Judaism in the Middle East, but its actual history began in the Roman Empire, so that could be the case.
The image of the church in Korea was not bad.
It was large in scale, did a lot of charity work, and seemed to have a mysterious, fresh feel that was unique to Egyptian mythology.
If we look at it from a different perspective, the long historical gap was actually an advantage in that it meant there was no history of conflicts such as witch hunts or holy wars.
“I guess I’ll have to start going tomorrow.”
You’ll eventually have to go in and get more detailed information.
*
“Oh, student! I haven’t seen you before. Are you new here?”
“Yes. Usually, when I go to the Horus Church.”
Should I speak a little irreverently?
“Yes, because there are a lot of pretty ones!”
“Haha! Aren’t you being too honest? So, what’s your name?”
“My name is Cha Eun-ho.”
“I wrote it down on the teacher’s roster. Take a seat.”
The Temple of Horus was quite beautiful.
This is because the temple was well decorated with elements that Koreans think of when they think of ‘ancient Egypt’.
Looking at the sphinxes and pyramid sculptures engraved here and there on the walls, I felt like I was in a museum.
Soon, a ‘priest’ wearing strange clothing that looked like something straight out of ancient Egypt appeared and began to preach.
…
I’m sorry to say this to Father Kim, but frankly, the sermon was boring.
Because of that, I was also a little disappointed in the Korean parish of the Horus Church.
Ahem!
Did I ever eat the Ichthus cult in real life during A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
In my view as an expert in the ‘religious business’, it is of course important to spend money to build beautiful and mysterious temples, but people are more important.
We need to hire a few ‘wealth transfer experts’ who can swallow up the assets of people who have lived diligently their entire lives with just one snout –
“Hey, move aside, please!”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
As I took a step back, several people started taking pictures of the surrounding sculptures and paintings.
It felt more like a tourist attraction than a church, but instead of trying to stop them, the priests smiled brightly and joined in.
Since it is a new religious sect that is gaining influence, is it trying to attract customers by creating a tourist-like atmosphere instead of maintaining a solemn atmosphere?
This strategy seems pretty good.
Looking around, I saw a plausible ‘Horus statue’ and ‘Pharaoh’s chair’ that were set up in the church just for taking pictures.
The Horus statue was subtly cute rather than the majestic appearance that one might have imagined at first glance, perhaps because the shape of its head had changed from a falcon to an owl –
owl?
“uh?”
Surely the symbol of Horus in real history was not a falcon? It was changed to an owl?
“…”
In the hotel, the owl is the symbol of my patron.
Could this change be a coincidence?
As I slowly moved my gaze down the statue, I saw the following sentence.
“Horus, the incarnation of the sun and the sky. He sees the present, the past, and the future, and is also the wisest man in the world.”
Horus is said to be able to see the present, past, and future, and is extremely wise.
“…”
As I approached, I saw a parrot sitting gently on Horus’ shoulder, which resembled an owl.
“Horus’ symbol is the wise owl. It is also said that when he gives revelations, a parrot conveys his meaning.”
“…”
Hey! This is too explicit!
If it’s a religion that originated in ancient Egypt, how can it be that its messengers are tropical parrots?
People back then probably didn’t even know what a parrot was!
“Horus, who will come one day, is said to be the most beautiful and noble form that humans can imagine -”
“Eww!”
“Huh? Student, what’s wrong?”
“no.”
Seriously!
Please consider Horus’s position when looking at this!
And when on earth did Pero ever convey my intentions?
“…”
You were acting like a cult leader in room 206 too, right?
Didn’t you feel ashamed back then as you do now?
Looking back, it was a time when the sacred sun half-swept my mind.
Seriously, it was okay because there was a time when I thought I was half a god!
The present where the sacred sun has disappeared.
The magnificent churches and statues dedicated to Horus are breathtaking.
“… it’s tough.”
I covered my face with both hands without realizing it.
No one would notice, but at this moment, I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to crawl into a hole.
Like this, I was spending a painful time alone.
“Please take a picture of me.”
“…”
“Can’t you hear me?”
A familiar voice was heard.
The moment I raised my head and made eye contact, I knew I had made a mistake.
A few days ago, the Vatican erased all memories of ‘Agent Kim Min-ah’ from students.
Of course, I shouldn’t be able to remember Kim Min-a’s voice either!
It’s because of this ‘Horus Statue’.
“Uh, um, who are you?”
“Stop talking nonsense and just take a picture.”
“… yes.”
For someone who asked to take a picture, he has a really cold expression.
— Click!
Soon, she and I engaged in a subtle war of nerves.
No matter how you look at it, this girl is either Ari herself or related to Ari.
Although their appearances were a bit different, they had a lot in common.
Not only are her facial features eerily beautiful, but her red eyes also glow mysteriously.
When I met you at school, your eye color was normal, but did you wear contact lenses?
My chest seems to have gotten a little smaller, but this is a very important but not essential part… .
If it’s Ari, why don’t you recognize me?
My appearance has changed now too?
Even if the appearance has changed somewhat, people have a certain aura.
Therefore, just as I recognized Ari, it is only natural that Ari should recognize me.
Ari’s origins are estimated to be around 100 to 150 years ago, during which time she lost her memories due to some kind of incident?
If this is all there is to it, it depends on the ‘change of soul’ that was confirmed in the grimoire.
“Ahem, Min-ah. Would you like to get some coffee?”
“… Okay. A quiet place nearby -”
At this point, it’s time to make an appointment to resolve your curiosity about each other.
Suddenly, an old man’s voice was heard from behind.
“Haha! Students, dating is good, but think about the person waiting for you.”
Oh, wasn’t this a good place to take pictures?
As Min-ah stood up from her seat with a slightly embarrassed expression, the old man approached her.
“I’m sorry. I was talking to a friend and-”
“It’s okay, it’s okay! When I was your age, I would get excited just by looking at girls’ faces. Everyone is that age now!”
The moment Mina, who was about to make an excuse, saw the old man’s face, she flinched and took a step back.
“Huh? Priest?”
“Huh? Do you know me?”
“… You’re on TV every day. I saw you on the news.”
“Oh my! This is why I shouldn’t grow old. Do I often forget that I’m quite a famous person?”
By this time, I had also realized the old man’s identity.
As Mina said, this person often pops up when searching for information related to the Horus Cult.
Hong Go-hak, the Korean parish priest of the Horus Church.
This was the old man’s identity.
“Are you both going to start dating today?”
“Uh, um, yes. My name is Cha Eun-ho, and I’m registered on the teacher roster.”
“Good! How about that cute girl over there?”
“I still -”
“My name is Kim Min-ah. You can write it down on the list.”
“Really? Kim Min-a? Great!”
When the old man smiled and gestured, the woman who was managing the list wrote down Kim Min-a’s name as if she knew.
Soon, Mina looked at me as if she was dumbfounded.
“I’m going to go to this church from now on.”
“…”
She soon shook her head and left.
The moment I was about to go out with them.
Again, the old man’s voice was heard.
“Your name is Cha In-ho?”
“This is Eunho.”
“Inho, I saw you looking at Horus’ statue earlier… What were you thinking?”
“… Hey, he’s cool? He’s handsome?”
“You say I’m handsome even though I have an owl face?”
“Ahem, that, that majestic appearance that can’t be hidden by the owl symbol -”
“Remember it well.”
“yes?”
“He will be back soon.”
“…”
I didn’t know how to answer.
However, I just felt a strange atmosphere from Hong Go-hak that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.