Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 522
Only Krnovel
EP.522 Episode 522 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (8)
Episode 522 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (8)
– Kim Min-ah
— Warm!
The sound of an antique fountain pen tapping on a wooden table.
Kim Hak-yeon, the head of the Korean branch of the Heresy Inquisition, said, “A middle-aged man who expressed his discomfort with a simple gesture.
“Hmm… The report is lacking considering the loud activities you’ve been doing?”
“I’m sorry. I thought there might be something in the reliquary area, but it turned out to be more like a simple art gallery.”
“That part was already discovered by the agent who had previously infiltrated. I remember that they even concluded that the truly valuable items were being stored in the American General Headquarters…”
There is a good reason why the Korean branch manager is reprimanding me.
As he said, another agent has already infiltrated the Horus Cult Korea branch’s relic storage facility, and it has also been revealed that the location is more like a simple art gallery.
Therefore, Eunho and I infiltrating the relic storage facility was seen by the Inquisition as an unnecessary disturbance.
I had no choice but to lower my head.
“I’m sorry. I guess I was too enthusiastic. I thought things would be different if I went.”
Now that you’ve just taken off your training badge, aren’t you feeling overflowing with motivation?
Let’s try to persuade them with this feeling.
“Hmm… Well, I’m not blaming you. There might have been something like you said. If you keep nagging at each and every one of them because you couldn’t find it, how are you going to get things done?”
“Yes.”
It’s an atmosphere that gets easier than you think.
Considering the Vatican’s motto of ‘killing ten innocent people but not letting a single criminal escape’, this seems to be the case.
The job of an agent usually involves a lot of fumbling.
“I heard that he takes a regular student with him.”
“He’s quite resourceful, so I’ve been using him for a while. I’m using him in a supporting role, so if you think he’s okay, you can hire him as a new employee later -”
“If you don’t like it, administer a level 2 or higher amnestic drug?”
Eunho is worried that the Vatican might be suspicious of our situation together, but he is worried because he doesn’t know much about it.
How can a handful of agents do all the work across the country, all by themselves?
It is all too common for ordinary people to be manipulated and manipulated for one reason or another.
Traditional intelligence agencies tend to refrain from involving civilians in their work for security reasons, but we don’t have to.
We can attract qualified people by hiring them as new employees, and if they are not qualified, we can just administer memory-erasing drugs later on.
what?
Are Class 2 or higher amnestics significantly more likely to cause mental illness?
The Inquisition is not a group that cares about such trivial matters.
“Yes. I think he has some qualities as an agent.”
“Okay.”
Even so, it’s strange to end it with just ‘Okay, I understand’.
If it were any other agent other than me, I would have been asked something like, ‘There are many other capable civilians, so is there a need to use a mere high school student, Cha Eun-ho?’
…
I’ve had a vague feeling about it since I was a trainee.
The Vatican treats me somewhat differently from other agents.
“That’s enough for the report. Thanks for your hard work -”
“Sir, I have a request.”
“hmm?”
“Is it possible to obtain a tool that can ‘detect lies’? As you know, I am disguised as a member of the Horus Cult, and when I come into contact with the believers -”
“There is, but, hmm.”
“Is it difficult?”
“No. I will not allow it. However, be careful, the detector is not a reliable tool. A deep-minded conman can easily fool you.”
“I will be careful.”
The moment I was about to turn around after finishing my report, Branch Manager Kim Hak-yeon blurted out a question.
“Agent Kim Min-ah. Have you had any strange experiences recently?”
“yes?”
“For example, have you ever had an experience where someone contacted you in a dream?”
“… I suddenly don’t know what you are talking about.”
“If you don’t know, then don’t worry. Go out and see.”
*
When I returned to the house where Eun-ho Cha had been lying unconscious, he had regained consciousness.
“You’re awake?”
“Thanks to you.”
“Did you check the picture?”
“Yeah. You must have had a hard time finding it. Thanks.”
While exchanging brief remarks, he carefully activated the lie detector he had hidden in his pocket.
It is said to be a tool that combines the achievements of both scientific and occult research, and I liked that it was small.
I feel a little disillusioned with myself for bringing a lie detector while calling him my ‘colleague’, but there’s nothing I can do.
Eunho could be lying about my past, right?
I still couldn’t completely trust this man.
“Okay, then… . Have you tried drawing?”
“Yeah. First, let’s start with our full names again. My name is Han Ga-in. Cha Eun-ho is, um, a temporary alias.”
“… Foot!”
“what’s the matter?”
“Sorry. It sounds like a girl’s name.”
“I hear that a lot.”
Han Ga-in.
The lie detector didn’t respond, but regardless, I think the name is real.
As soon as I heard the name, something clicked.
Gain continued speaking.
“I checked in the Dream Kingdom. Currently, there are three people alive among my colleagues.”
“Three people?”
“Ari, silence, maze.”
The moment I heard the name ‘Ari’, I felt a sad echo just like before.
Thanks to that, there was no need to ask which of the three names was mine.
“Isn’t ‘Ari’ my name? Mukseong and Miro my colleagues?”
Gain answered with a smile.
“Ari, Mukseong, Miro. All three are my colleagues.”
The moment I heard those words, the confusion that had been eating away at my mind for so many years began to disappear.
A past that cannot be remembered.
A family that is nowhere to be found.
A workplace that hides a lot from me.
This world was originally a place full of ?, but the most unknown of them all was none other than ‘my own past’.
Just before my mind found peace, the warning the Korean branch manager had given flashed through my mind.
‘The lie detector is not a very reliable tool.’
‘A deep-minded conman can fool you easily.’
Ugh! Not yet.
It is not enough to just rely on Gain’s words and the detector’s judgment that those words are not lies.
If there is anything, something like solid evidence –
“Come here and touch it.”
“huh?”
As if reading my confused mind, Gain smiled and said.
“It’s the painting you found, but I should take a look at it. It looks like it hasn’t been touched at all.”
“I thought it might be a dangerous magic tool.”
“I’m right here with you.”
I approached her, letting Ga-in’s words, which sounded like subtle, cheap work comments, go unnoticed.
As I touched the ‘Kingdom of Dreams’ as instructed by him, the surface of the painting strangely rippled and drew me in –
“Tch!”
Before I was dragged into the dream kingdom, Cain pulled me back to reality.
“Did you see it?”
“What, what did you see?”
“The picture responded to you.”
“…”
“I told you, this painting is for my and my colleagues’ use only? That’s why the Horus Cult simply hung it on the wall, and the Inquisition agents who infiltrated the reliquary didn’t find anything unusual.”
“… yes.”
“The kingdom of dreams is responding to you.”
A mysterious painting that only Han Ga-in’s colleagues can use reacts to me.
This is truly undeniable evidence.
“ah….”
The tension suddenly released and I collapsed against the wall.
Soon, Gain began to talk about her ‘other colleagues’, something she would not have done in the past.
“The Dream Realm allows you to teleport into the dreams of your companions and wake up with them.”
“I understand.”
“However, there is one prerequisite for this. You must be dreaming.”
It seems like my other colleagues aren’t dreaming right now.
“Do I have to wait until night to meet my other colleagues?”
“No, that’s not enough.”
He continued speaking with some regret.
“In the circumstances, Miro is not in a state of normal sleep. He is in a state of very, very deep sleep. Even the minimal unconsciousness that can cause dreams is asleep.”
“It feels like I’m in some kind of cryogenic sleep state.”
“It will actually be similar.”
“… Silence?”
“It’s not like I’m sleeping that deeply. This side is something….”
“What?”
“… If you wait, you might dream for a little while, but it’s a matter of timing.”
An important question was asked to Gain, who was contemplating how to join her fellow colleagues.
“Then, I guess I’ll have time to meet my other colleagues.”
“yes.”
“Tell me. About my past.”
“Hmm… .”
Quiet silence.
“…”
“…”
Unable to hold back any longer, I asked again.
“what’s the matter?”
“What should I call you from now on? Mina? Ari?”
“…Call me Ari. You need to get used to my name.”
“Okay. Arya, this might be a little uncomfortable, but listen carefully. I think your very existence is a trap set by the Vatican to ‘fish me.’”
“…”
“You’ve been working as an agent of the Holy See for a long time without even knowing it. Think back to the 80s photo you showed me. The Inquisition probably-”
“At least three times. My memory was reset.”
“Yes. There are many measures taken against you that you are not aware of. For example, is there a possibility that the Inquisition will notice the moment you regain your memories?”
The moment I heard Cain’s opinion on suspecting the Inquisition, the strange question I had heard from the Korean branch manager earlier came to mind.
‘Have you had any strange experiences recently?’
‘Have you ever had an experience where someone contacted you in your dreams?’
“This can’t be happening!”
“what’s the matter?”
“The Inquisition knows that you can enter and exit dreams!”
“…”
“I wonder what the branch manager meant by the warning he gave earlier! I was checking to see if you, who had regained the Kingdom of Dreams, had contacted me.”
“Hmm… This is a strange situation. You didn’t recognize the dream kingdom that was hanging in the relic vault, but you only knew that I could enter and exit dreams?”
“Oh, really?”
It sounds strange when you hear it.
You don’t know that the Dream Kingdom is a special painting, but you only know that Gain can enter the dreams of her colleagues?
Something feels like we recognize King Arthur’s power, but don’t recognize Excalibur.
There’s information, but it’s full of holes?
Anyway, thinking back to the conversation I had with the branch manager, I couldn’t help but completely agree with Ga-in’s words.
Other colleagues, such as Miro and Mukseong, are currently in a situation where they cannot even dream properly.
Therefore, the only person who can recognize the ‘past me’ and restore my memories is ‘Han Ga-in’.
As he said, I might be a trap set to catch Cain.
“Just wait a moment.”
“What does it mean?”
“The Horus Cult. My powerful power is hidden here. It is probably the ‘Holy Sun.’ It is a power that is useful for expanding the cult.”
“What difference does it make if I find it? When I think back to the past, the Inquisition is still tracking it -”
“There is not much difference.”
“what?”
When I looked up, I saw a young man with a confident expression.
“After finding the Holy Sun, there is no need to fear the pursuit of the Inquisition. It will be all-out war from that point on anyway.”
The next target is the sacred sun.
…
Just before we broke up, I saw some dirt on the bottom of Gain’s pants.
I must have been lying in bed the whole time, so where did I get it?