Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 527
Only Krnovel
EP.527 Episode 527 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (13)
Episode 527 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Fourth Trial ‘The Fallen King’ (13)
– Han Ga-in
The head of the Horus Cult, Pope Sophia.
As we headed to her hideout, Ari gave us a lot of information.
It is said that Sophia is the daughter of Eunsol, who fell during the Middle Ages.
Although we see her as nothing more than a role assigned by the hotel, Sophia believes that her older sister is her real mother.
In the past, Eunsol passed on information about ‘us’ to Sophia as if she had seen the future, and she believed in that prophecy and has been waiting for us.
“Sophia’s faith in us was truly amazing. It might be more of a faith in the dead Eunsol than a faith in us.”
“okay?”
“She was very extreme. She didn’t even blame me when I killed Lucas, Sophia’s fellow schoolmate. Of course, this was because Sophia also thought Lucas was crossing the line.”
Hearing that made me feel a little sad.
I was grateful to my older sister for preparing me for the future, and because Sophia felt like a bit of a colleague.
Then, I remembered what Ariga had said in the beginning.
‘Sophia and I’s relationship wasn’t one where we revealed all our secrets.’
‘It could have been that kind of relationship, but it got tangled up in the middle. I’ll explain it to you little by little.’
What on earth happened between them?
“How did that relationship get so twisted?”
“… 120 years is not a short period of time.”
Of course, 120 years is a time in which rivers and mountains change many times.
However, Sophia had trusted us for hundreds of years, so the passage of time alone was not enough to explain the rift between them.
“There were a lot of things going on. It wasn’t like things suddenly became murky and messy, but we gradually drifted apart over a long period of time. But don’t misunderstand.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“It’s not like we’re enemies or anything. It’s just like we’re going our separate ways.”
“…”
“That was an old story. Now that you’re back, it’s time to get on the same boat again. We’re almost there.”
*
The place where Sophia was hiding was a single-family home on the outskirts of Seoul.
You might wonder why a world-famous celebrity would be hiding in Korea, but it’s not that strange.
Because the ‘Republic of Korea’ must have been a sanctuary to the upper echelons of the religious order.
In Christian terms, it is no different from the land where it was predicted that Jesus would return someday.
The interior of the residence resembled a hospital.
There seemed to be a few doctors and a few servants living there all the time.
It was a secretive and tight security situation, and some of the employees even had guns on their waists, making it seem like the place was in Korea.
Fortunately, everyone recognized Ari, so there was no conflict.
“Your Majesty?”
“They are inside.”
“Are you awake?”
“You’ve been sleeping a lot lately.”
“Wake me up.”
“yes.”
After a while, I was guided into the bedroom by a bodyguard.
“hello?”
My first impression of Sophia was ‘Wow, she’s pretty!’
Age: approximately early 20s, overall appearance: typical Western beauty with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Just looking at her appearance, she seems more like ‘Elena’s daughter’ rather than ‘Eunsol’s older sister’s daughter.
Unfortunately, this is where the good explanation ends.
“…”
Skinny arms, pale face, short of breath.
It was somewhat bitter to see that he was seriously ill and living day to day.
This aspect was completely different from the lively Elena, and of course, Sophia would not have been like this when she was healthy either.
“excuse me….”
“I woke up.”
Soon, she slowly sat up, gasping for breath.
Then Ari took a step closer.
“It’s been a while, Sophia. How are you these days?”
“As you can see, we are moving towards the final milestone of our lives.”
“…I have good news.”
“Are you talking about the person next to you?”
“That’s right. This guy is -”
“Wait a minute. Can you please leave your seats?”
At Sophia’s gesture, all the surrounding security guards, including the doctor, left the mansion.
Soon Sophia asked bluntly.
“Is this Horus?”
“That’s right. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for a long time. Gain, come now.”
As I approached her, feeling somewhat awkward, Sophia stared at me intently.
She was a beautiful girl who was clearly reminiscent of Elena, but she was more oppressive than exciting like Elena.
It may be the power of experience that has been gained from supporting the Horus Cult for a long time.
“It’s a little different from the picture Ari drew before.”
Just as Eunsol drew Ari and her grandfather’s appearances, Ari must have drawn me.
“It’s not that I can’t recognize it. Well, it’s not really my place to make the judgment call.”
“verdict?”
At that moment, a warm feeling suddenly enveloped the surroundings.
“…!”
The blazing flame, the sun descending to earth.
The most powerful and versatile legacy I have, no, that I know of!
The ‘Divine Sun’ has once again revealed its brilliance.
As I reached out my hand without realizing it, the sacred sun naturally responded.
The sacred object that had been serving its master for a long time and had been lost to its master’s servant has finally returned to its master’s embrace.
— Doo doo doo doo…!
“As if expressing joy, a slight vibration reverberated throughout the mansion,” Sophia replied.
“Horus, welcome back to this land.”
*
The moment the sacred sun returned, a strange change occurred.
Suddenly, I felt a tickle all over my body and then my appearance changed.
My body once again turns from Cha In-ho to Han Ga-in.
Not only the facial features, but also the subtly changed body shape and even the feather tattoo for teleportation.
It was as if a seal was being released, and as if the hotel was speaking to me.
The initial consideration to keep the Vatican from recognizing you has ended, so now it’s time for an all-out war.
“Ugh…!”
Unlike me who was flustered, Sophia and Ari accepted it as it was.
“uh?”
“what’s the matter?”
“My body suddenly returned to normal.”
“Rather than saying you came back, that body was originally yours. It’s just that the illusion was lifted.”
“…”
Ari’s words seem to be correct.
Looking back, it is because even ‘Ga-in the clone’, who had reached a higher level than me, recognized this body as ‘Han Ga-in’.
The hotel was just a temporary illusion, but the body was mine from the beginning.
Then, what does it mean that the last power that has not yet been recovered, the ‘blessing of wisdom’, is hidden in ‘Han Ga-in’?
Deep down, I thought my real body was asleep somewhere in room 207, unconscious.
I predicted that if you get your body back, you will naturally get your blessings back.
This wasn’t it.
“How is the situation with the Holy Sun? Is it full?”
“Yeah. I’m ready to fight properly right now.”
The power of the sun was already sufficient, as Sophia had spread the ‘Horus cult’ widely together with the sacred sun.
The Horus Cult, being a religion of the Sun, could not possibly practice human sacrifice, but instead, its scale was incomparable to that of the religion I had established in Room 206.
Thanks to this, it seems that the qualitative shortcomings have been compensated for with quantity.
Soon, Sophia asked with a weak smile.
“Horus, what are your plans next?”
“I need to wake up my other colleagues. If possible, I need to retrieve some treasures as well.”
We need to wake up Grandpa Mukseong and Miro.
Also, if nothing else, you absolutely must find the ‘Hourglass’.
Ariga answered.
“Both Mukseong and Miro are in the US. I would have liked to keep them both in Korea, but it would be difficult to move them.”
I heard it vaguely on my way here.
The ‘stone coffin’ where Grandfather and Miro sleep is said to be in the large ‘hibernation labyrinth’ that Yumi created, so it would not have been possible to move it rashly.
Sophia answered.
“Then, you’ll have to stop by the Archdiocese of America for a bit?”
“that’s right.”
“Get the plane ready. Have it ready by tomorrow morning.”
“thank you.”
After a quick trip to the US, the last stage was definitely… .
“The last one is Europe, right? I heard Aidia is in Spain?”
“well….”
“I know you’ve all had a hard time so far, but from now on, let’s all be careful!”
At the point when Ari retrieved Minah’s fragments, the Vatican must have also noticed that something unusual had occurred.
Finally, when they were about to finalize their plan, Sophia spoke cautiously.
“Horus.”
“hmm?”
“Can we talk for a moment? I have… I have been waiting for you for a really long time. I would like to enjoy a sacred moment alone, even if it is just for a moment.”
The image of a priest who is extremely pure and faithful.
Ari nodded her head for a moment, then answered simply.
“3 minutes will do?”
“yes.”
“I’ll be out.”
Soon, only Sophia was left in the hospital room.
“… Ari went out.”
“That’s right.”
It was honestly awkward being left alone with just the two of us. Plus, Sophia’s acting a little while ago was a little obvious.
“The acting was awkward.”
“… Is that so? I’m pretty confident when it comes to putting on a show in front of others.”
“I’m confident too. More than anything, you are… .”
Somehow, I ended up acting like a cult leader several times, even though it wasn’t in my fortune.
Thanks to this, it has become easier to distinguish between true believers and non-believers.
Just as not everyone who goes to church is a devout believer, there was a difference between those who worshipped me as a true ‘god’ and those who regarded me as a ‘powerful wizard or monarch’.
It’s not something you should say to the head of a religious group, but Sophia is definitely the latter.
“I think he thinks of me more as a great magician than a god.”
“Is that so?”
“…”
“…”
“Ari will be here in two minutes.”
“It’s okay. It’s something I can say in 10 seconds.”
Sophia continues to look at me without saying anything.
“…”
“…”
It seems that the words, ‘I want to enjoy a sacred moment alone’ were not necessarily a lie.
“Horus.”
“say it.”
“Although we didn’t let it show in front of you, Ari and I’s relationship wasn’t exactly comfortable.”
It’s a story I’ve already heard from Ari.
“Can I ask why?”
“Ari….”
“…”
“It’s getting further and further away.”
“what?”
“I often thought that Ari was closer to ‘that side’ than to this side, like Fortuna who had completely crossed the line.”
“…”
Suddenly, this thought occurred to me.
Our Lady of Aedia is not on the side of the hotel party, but she is definitely on the side of humanity.
If so, wouldn’t there be an opposite existence?
…
That night, in a corner of the news filled with the Seoul tragedy, an article appeared saying, ‘The missing Pope Sophia has been found.’
*
The next morning.
I packed my bags and moved frantically to the place Sophia had told me to go.
Preparations for flight are almost complete.
The plane took off from the tiny runway with Sophia’s urgent instructions.
I had a moment of doubt as to whether this was ‘legally’ possible, and whether it was possible to get to the US on such a small plane… .
It’s funny to even be arguing about it now.
I have to trust that Sophia did well on her own.
If you think about it, Ari and I don’t even have passports.
It was only after the plane took off that Ari asked a question.
“Sophia, what was the article about yesterday?”
“huh?”
“There was an article suddenly saying that you were discovered?”
“It means that the Vatican has detected a disturbing atmosphere. Isn’t that why they are leaving so quickly? The longer it takes, the more uncertain they are about what the other party might do.”
At that point, I looked out the window, half-asleep.
“Horus, is this your first time on an airplane?”
“He originally pretended to know everything, but he was actually quite foolish -”
“Ariya… .”
“huh?”
“Look at that.”
Far above.
A location so far away that it cannot be discovered unless one has very good eyesight.
I saw a few tiny dots.
“ah.”
These are Vatican drones.
— Whoosh!
These are drones that shoot missiles!
“Oh my god.”
What the hell, this is the sky of the Republic of Korea. Are you allowed to fire missiles?
I was so surprised that I asked Sophia!
“Eww! What is this? Do you have a solution?”
Indeed, as expected of the leader of the Horus Cult, Sophia showed no fear.
Of course! Sophia!
After fighting the Vatican for decades and centuries, this is something to be expected –
“The great father who came down from heaven.”
“huh?”
“You are my solution.”