Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 676
Only Krnovel
EP.676 Episode 676 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘The Origin of Species’ (20)
Episode 676 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘The Origin of the Species’ (20)
– Lee Seok-hwan
Shocking words from the monster that took over the driver’s body.
‘The king has disappeared. The dukes have even brought forth the unbelievable story of his disappearance.’
Even though I am not an agent or employee of the Administration, I am not so foolish as to not understand who the king the monster is talking about now.
Didn’t the king reveal his identity to me in the first place?
Even now, many years later, my memories of that time are still vivid.
‘I am the king. The king of the faithful beyond the galaxy, the king of those who will be born on this earth. And I am your king.’
A disconcerting story of the disappearance of a being that had reigned as an eternal fear in my heart.
I was so surprised by that that I asked back.
“Who, who said that it was destroyed?”
“I see you don’t know the details of the situation either.”
“That, that -”
“All right. I will find out myself. As it happens, the Duke has lent me the appropriate power to do so… .”
Immediately afterwards, a white fog appeared from the opponent’s body and covered my body.
What happened after that was unbearably disgusting.
If I had to describe it, it was a time of pain as if my brain was being squeezed by constantly writhing tentacles.
I cried like a child countless times, and the other person didn’t even notice my reaction.
Of course, no one came to rescue me after hearing my screams.
‘The Count’ seemed to go back in time from my recent memories.
Also, I asked questions about parts I felt I didn’t remember.
In other words, I’ve been looking at the things I’ve done over the past few years where I’ve cooperated with the Administration – or someone who’s wearing the guise of the Administration.
The response came quickly.
“Oh!”
Actually, having done the work, I don’t even know what I did.
However, the Count, having looked into my past, seemed to understand what I had done.
“The king is preparing to bestow his grace!”
“Uh, grace?”
“Haha! Yes, that’s right! That’s right! How could this small land have the power to destroy the king? He was only preparing a favor.”
At that moment of confusion, the other person suddenly smiled brightly and said.
“I see that you are a servant chosen by the king. I apologize if I have been harsh. I assure you that your loyalty will also be rewarded.”
I still don’t know what it was, but it seemed like what I did was of great help to their species.
To be honest, I wasn’t happy.
Because it didn’t seem like something that would make the aliens who were toying with the human body happy would make the humans happy either.
“…”
It’s as if I became a traitor to humanity in order to survive.
A feeling of guilt worse than anything I’ve ever felt in my life came over my soul.
Throughout history, there have been countless people who sold out their country or sold out their families… .
Am I the first one to sell out humanity?
Beyond being a traitor, he is a slave to his own people!
Is it because you read my feelings?
The other person, who seemed to think of me as a ‘servant of the king’, spoke to me in a considerate manner.
“I know what you are thinking, but don’t be upset.”
“…”
“You don’t know much about ‘grace’! I assure you, grace is never harmful to you either.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. The King is truly a great and compassionate being. He blesses even you who remain in the realm of infants.”
Looking at the other person’s attitude, I felt that the expression ‘god’ seemed more appropriate than ‘king’.
Perhaps, in the process of translating the alien’s speech into human language, an expression somewhere between king and god was translated as king.
…
Seeing that I was lost in such thoughts, I was a little relaxed at this point.
This is because the attitude of the other person who recognized me as the king’s servant seemed overly lenient.
At least it wasn’t in the mood to kill or abuse me.
It is a situation that is easy to understand even when applied to human affairs.
Even if an arrogant nobleman meets a lowly servant, wouldn’t he be careful about his actions if that servant were the servant of a great emperor?
So, in return, I asked the other person a question.
It was to solve a question that had been on my mind for a very long time.
I realized this while interacting with the management.
There are countless secrets in the world that I cannot handle, and curiosity about them leads directly to a miserable death.
But, no matter what, can I as a parent endure doubts about my child?
A story I heard a long time ago flashed through my mind.
‘Someone born from you, small and small, will attain a great destiny. The one who cries for the three thousand worlds has taken possession of one of your children.’
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead. If it’s a question I can answer, I’ll tell you in detail.”
“Who cries for the three thousand worlds?”
“…What do you mean?”
Looking back, I may have stopped when I saw the other person’s expression.
“The king once said, ‘The one who cries for the three thousand worlds has taken possession of one of my children.’”
“what?”
“I said something weird -”
— Phew!
Before I could react, a sharp force pierced my head again.
This time it was much more painful than before, and I thought it was because of the shock the Count had received.
“Ugh!”
After the time of suffering was over, I looked at the count’s face, panting madly.
He had been twisting his face and his entire body wildly since a while ago.
It was as if he was so shocked that his control over his human body wavered.
“No, that won’t work….”
“yes?”
The next words were beyond my understanding.
“Your Majesty, no! No! Even you, there are areas that you must not touch recklessly!”
With those words, the count in the driver’s seat suddenly slumped down.
“… Ship, Count?”
“…”
“Count?”
After shaking it a couple of times, the other person opened his eyes blankly.
“Oh my, the chairman is here?”
“…”
The opponent was no longer the count, but the original owner of the body, my chauffeur.
“Oh my, I must have fallen asleep without thinking. I’m sorry.”
“No. Go home.”
“yes!”
After saying those words, the Count disappeared without a trace.
*
‘One important secret has been revealed. The King of Iss is not really dead.’
‘Judging by the Count’s words, it seems he is preparing a favor.’
‘While preparing for grace, does the body disappear?’
‘So the higher ranks also thought the king was dead. But, Cain, what on earth is grace?’
‘I don’t know. It seems to be something connected to the evolution of humanity that the Bureau mentioned.’
A moment of tranquil silence filled the observatory.
Soon, Sang-Hyeon asked Ga-In, who had stopped observing for a while to recover her stamina.
‘There is another question. It seems that the king did not reveal his plans to the Iss race, including the duke.’
‘So everyone on Earth is going to be in chaos.’
‘Why didn’t you reveal it?’
‘… The Count’s last attitude seems to be the answer.’
‘yes?’
‘If I reveal my plan, the Iss race will oppose me.’
Gain quickly wrote down what the Count had said on the whiteboard.
“Even if you are, there are areas that you cannot touch rashly.”
‘The King’s plan is extremely dangerous even to the race of Is.’
‘Hmm… .’
‘I have this thought. The King of Ys is alive before the end. It was the Ys race’s delusion that he might have been annihilated. But!’
‘Maybe it really was destroyed after the apocalypse?’
‘If even the race of Iss tried something that was absurdly dangerous and failed.’
At that moment, Seungyeop, who had been listening blankly, raised his hand.
‘Brother Gain, I have a question after listening to you.’
‘say it.’
‘What in the world is there that a prisoner would risk his life for?’
‘…’
*
– Lee Seok-hwan
Nothing happened until I got home.
The story is that the driver turned into a count again and didn’t pressure me or anything.
In the end, I had to return home with many unresolved questions in my mind.
— Ding!
“Dad~! You’re here?”
As always, the dark clouds in my heart cleared when I saw my children welcoming me.
Jeong-ho, the proud eldest son who never fails to be at the top of his class even at prestigious schools.
Jinwook, the second son, who resembles someone else and boasts a tall and muscular appearance.
Here is the youngest member, Heeyoon, who is still young and smiles brightly with a cute voice!
I couldn’t help but laugh and started lightly stroking my hair starting with Heeyoon.
Then the youngest daughter, who had a deep mind, made a puzzled expression.
“Dad? What happened?”
“…”
“Dad? I don’t smell any alcohol.”
“Haha! No! What’s the matter!”
While we were talking, I realized that Eunsol was out of sight.
“Heeyoon, where is Eunsol?”
Then Jinwook kicked and laughed.
“Is Eunsol lying in bed upset right now?”
“why?”
“I got scolded so much by my mom earlier!”
“Hehe, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know!”
They say they’re all the same kids, but there are some who are a little more sore.
To his wife, Eunsol was that kind of person.
A relationship where he is especially closer to his other children, but is also a bit more harsh.
Although he often expressed his doubts, he never really tried to stop me.
If you want to focus on your work, shouldn’t you leave the housework to your wife?
“Okay, okay. Dad is going to get some rest, so you guys should go to sleep too.”
“yes!”
Soon, I was sitting alone on the terrace, having a light glass of wine.
As I meet the Count, I feel my tense body and mind slowly relax.
It’s time to look back on today’s events again.
— Ting!
The door opened and a familiar sound was felt.
“Huh? Oh, it’s you.”
She was a loving wife.
It looks like the kids heard, ‘Look what happened to Dad today!’
“…”
“Haha, don’t worry. Nothing much happened. I was just a little tired from work -”
“You disappoint me again this time.”
I came to my senses in a flash, as if struck by lightning!
“Huh, huh, what is this -”
I realized this as I looked into the eyes of the smiling woman.
Now, the ‘King’ is asking me if I broke my promise again!
“No! Hey, I didn’t break my promise!”
“…”
“H-check! I didn’t break my promise on my own. That, uh, Count, uh, some unknown, force, forced me to -”
“That’s only a half-true excuse.”
“Yes, yes?”
“It wasn’t your intention that information about Grace was leaked. But….”
Soon, the other person smiled brightly and took a step closer to me.
“Then didn’t you create trouble by asking questions yourself?”
That’s right! That’s right!
I, I asked the Count a question.
I couldn’t help but wonder what it meant when it said, ‘He who cries for the three thousand worlds has taken possession of one of your children.’
When I realized this, an unbearable fear gripped me.
‘Be silent, forget, obey.’
I remember the first time I broke that promise.
I remember the disgusting sight of ten innocent people being manipulated by the devil to pull out their own tongues!
Isn’t this even my home?
I thought I was going crazy when I imagined my children pulling out their own tongues as if they were possessed by a ghost.
“Please… please… please, just pull out my tongue.”
“…”
“Children are innocent! They don’t know anything…! Pull out my tongue and -”
At that moment, the woman smiled brightly and took a handkerchief out of her bosom.
She slowly wiped my sweaty face and helped me up from where I was already kneeling.
“Wow, Your Majesty?”
Are you really going to forgive me this time?
Come to think of it, didn’t the Count consider me a loyal servant of the King?
After serving the king for so many years, perhaps he will forgive me this time.
When this hope slowly filled my heart.
The king opened his mouth.
“Hey kid.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Who do you think I am?”
“Wow, didn’t you say he was the king? Great -”
“Other than that, I’m talking about this body.”
“… My, my wife’s body. Your Majesty has come to my wife for a moment -”
“You were in your wife’s body for a moment?”
“yes?”
Soon, she said with a big smile.
“So, child, what is your wife’s name?”
“what -”
At that moment, I realized something truly ridiculous!
“Didn’t you ask your wife’s name?”
My wife, with whom I have been together for decades and with whom I have had four children.
I don’t know her name.
“I ask you again. Child, do you know what your wife looks like?”
I also don’t know what my wife looks like.
Even though she is right in front of me… .
I couldn’t recognize what my wife looked like.
Beautiful, ugly, young, old – you couldn’t even tell if they were human or a tentacle-like monster.
“…”
I feel like my brain is melting.
I can’t handle the memories of today.
I swore that I would do whatever it took to forget all these memories forever.
*
– Lee Eun-sol
— Hwaaaat!
In the midst of great shock, Butterfly returned to ‘Lee Eun-sol’.
At this moment, I was so shocked that my mouth fell open!
“W, what the hell is this!”
The moment I was about to lose my wits and stagger, I felt a presence behind me.
“Eunsol-ah.”
It was a very… familiar yet nostalgic voice.
Also, at that moment, it was the voice of the most fearsome being in the universe!