### Chapter 131 – Room 107, The Gate Room – ‘Secret of the Esper Ship’ (22)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 46
Current Location: Level 1, Room 107 (The Gate Room)
Wise Advice: 1
—
Han Kain:
Aside from the legs that appeared, Harrison still struggled to hold himself together.
We supported him as we made our way back up to the surface. I half expected a brawl to break out, but when we stepped out of the “No Unauthorized Access” door, there was no one around.
As I scanned the area, my suspicion that someone might ambush us was interrupted by Harrison’s chuckle.
“You don’t need to be tense at this hour. Can’t you hear the music? The party has started. Those bound by contract with Markus must always offer ‘feasts’ along with sacrifices.”
I was just being cautious, after all.
Once we helped him up, we returned to the guest room. I let Harrison catch his breath, and then we stepped out of the room.
Just as we did, Ahri chimed in.
“Do you trust that guy?”
“Are you talking about Harrison himself or his plan to sink the ship?”
“Both.”
“I don’t trust the former at all, and maybe half of the latter.”
“Half? Seriously? That strikes me as odd. Don’t forget, if the ship sinks, we die too.”
“Let me lay out my potential solution. I believe we ultimately need to turn the Coliseum’s clock to three. The reactions from enemies and the mentions of scenarios have consistently emphasized that ‘contract clock,’ right?”
“I can agree that the clock is important.”
“Even though time blurred our memories, the status window records indicate that when the enemies were wiped out, the hands hit one, and time turned back. It made me think the clock’s hands might represent ‘time reversal instances.’”
“Now I get your intention. You think if the ship faces a sinking situation, the clock would turn again, right?”
“Exactly. In reality, if the ship simply sinks, we’d be wet and dead, and that’s a major issue. But if it looks like the ship is sinking, we might have a good chance of time reversing again, making the clock turn another tick.”
So, my plan was straightforward.
Somehow get the Coliseum’s clock to three.
If wiping out the enemies turned it from zero to one, maybe sinking the ship would cause it to tick again, taking away the worry of dying after the ship goes under.
Once I shared my thoughts, Ahri looked deep in thought for a moment before speaking again.
“Actually, I just thought of another possibility…”
I cut her off instantly.
“Let’s save that as a last resort.”
“Do you even know what I’m talking about?”
“It’s obvious. I got that idea from listening to the First Officer, so you know it’s not rocket science.”
I pointed at her with a grin.
Ahri chuckled at the gesture.
“Okay then. I’ll keep my ultimate plan, Plan Z, on standby. If it fails, I’m definitely dead.”
After a prolonged silence, Songee finally spoke up.
“What on earth have the two of you been talking about? What’s this last resort of yours?”
We shared a light laugh and headed toward the party hall where Elena should be.
Upon arriving at the party hall, I realized I had misjudged the situation.
Elena was in serious trouble.
*
– Han Kain
As we stepped into the party hall, a strangely dressed man in the center broke into a grin.
“Ladies and gentlemen! The party’s other protagonists have arrived! Give them a big round of applause!”
— Clap Clap Clap!
With the thunderous applause, sinister gazes from the crowd bore into us.
In the center of the party stood a bizarre pillar, and tied to it was Elena.
She hung her head low, suspended.
“Sis!”
Songee shouted in alarm, but before she could act, Ahri grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Calm down. She’s still alive. I thought during party time they wouldn’t hurt her, but tying her up is possible.”
“There was a record that if we tried to ruin the party, they’d whip out their guns. It seems like they’re ready to retaliate if we cross the line. Elena has already clearly crossed it by setting the hall on fire.”
So, we’ve been discovered. There’s a limit to all the clever schemes.
Setting the party hall ablaze and sneaking into the underground prison was bound to attract attention.
Ironically, it led to a clear conclusion for me.
The reason they haven’t attacked us outright despite clearly knowing our actions is now evident.
All this time, they’ve gazed at us without striking, and some even had to play music and dance!
For them, a party isn’t just for fun; it’s undoubtedly part of a necessary ritual!
Eventually, the party guests closed in on us.
With soft classical orchestra music, the crowd enveloped us, dancing as if we were at the center of their twisted festivities.
At this point, everyone knew what was happening. Ahri grinned and remarked.
“Looks like after the party ends, they plan to have a feast out of us, huh? They seem eager to chow down on us alive?”
Just as she jests, one of the attendees grinned wide.
“Oh, please! Eating someone alive? No, that’s too barbaric. You know you should cook them for flavor!”
I glanced up at the ceiling.
Definitely, I was uncertain if Elena had properly ignited things, but the state of the party hall wasn’t normal. Scorched marks were visible here and there.
I wondered about Elena’s well-being. From afar, it seemed she hadn’t faced anything too dire just yet.
I noticed Ahri tightening her grip on her gun, an utterly futile act.
In this party hall, dozens of folks strapped with firearms surrounded us; how could we hope to match them in a shootout?
Of course, we didn’t just rely on a single gun as we entered this place.
Songee’s parrot, perched decorously on her shoulder, suddenly took flight and rapidly transformed into a monstrous form.
Just then, the dancers who had been mocking us stopped in their tracks, unable to hide their shock.
— Kiiiaaaaak!
The spine-chilling scream pierced the hall, turning the party into a chaotic nightmare!
*
That power was from the first night Pero was born at the hotel.
The ear-piercing wail sent party attendees into madness as they began to tear at each other without hesitation.
Whoa, that seems like more power than before. Has Pero leveled up somewhere?
Songee yelled urgently, “Everyone, get out! I’ll catch up with Pero and my sister!”
Ahri and I rushed blindly out of the party hall. Where should we go now?
Should we reunite with Harrison?
As we sprinted toward our room, Elena and Songee caught up with us using Pero.
Elena still seemed out of it.
Ahri, incredulous, exclaimed, “What’s up with her? Now she can even carry you while jumping around?”
“Run right now! They’re coming!”
— Bang! — Bang!
Barely had her words left her mouth when the gunfire erupted, echoing from behind!
The party seemed to be over, and the attackers were ready to roll.
We ducked behind walls and obstacles, while Ahri kept firing back. Then weirdness hit us from the ship.
— Clank!
A tremendous sound reverberated throughout the vessel!
What the heck? What kind of change is this?
In that moment of confusion, the crew and partygoers who had been shooting at us began to scream.
“AAAAAH!”
“Damn you, you’re just here to get chopped up alive—!”
The fierce uproar clarified everything.
The clock’s hands have moved again!
Right then, Ahri spoke up, “What’s happening? It’s not like the enemies were wiped out or anything, so why is the clock—”
…
A realization struck me along with a thunder-like sensation.
The meaning of the clock. The reason it moved.
Simultaneously, both Ahri’s eyes widened in surprise and confirmed our new insight.
Plan Z could actually happen!
—
The ship began to tremble uncontrollably.
Suddenly, all the lights went out, and those lunging at us seemed to be magnetized, slamming against the hull.
In the blink of an eye, the chaos erupted.
An announcement rang through the ship.
“Well, what do you know? I’m thrilled we had to use this again. Everyone, please come my way.”
Harrison didn’t specify where to go, but I could sense the direction already.
Pero carried Elena on his back, as we all dashed forward.
We could hear the rage-filled curses of the crew and passengers still clinging to the floor as they realized our escape.
*
– Han Kain
— Click!
We burst through the door of the captain’s chamber.
… I suspected something was awry, but the spectacle before me surpassed my imagination.
Harrison had long since lost his human form.
As both Songee and I struggled to suppress our disgust and keep from throwing up, Ahri stepped forward nonchalantly.
“Whoa, this is something! Your head’s stuck to the ceiling while your hands control the ship? Can’t see your legs? Wow! You’re just one with the ship now, huh?”
“I’m glad to hear someone appreciates the aesthetics. Miss, your artistic sensibilities seem quite developed.”
“Oh, I have a bit of knowledge in modern art. You see, the stranger it is, the more artistic it becomes. So, what’s the reason you summoned us, Harrison ‘Captain’?”
The captain offered a metallic scrape of a laugh before answering.
“Ah, so you’ve figured out I’m the captain?”
“I only realized when I saw your current condition. So you’re the devil-worshiping captain! What happened down in the prison?”
“The fools aboard this ship lack the courage. Uniting with this immortal ship is the true path to everlasting life…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that ridiculousness. Seeing a devil-worshiping captain merged with a ship made it pretty clear why the crew revolted against him.
“So, this whole plan of sinking the ship was just blabber?”
“Sinking? Are you out of your mind? The 120,000-ton Esper is the best ship out there! How could you even consider something so absurd?”
“That’s unfortunate. We actually think sinking it might be a solid plan. Honestly, we still intend to try sinking this ship.”
“Ah, I see what your game is. How about we set aside that discussion for another time?”
—
The nauseating energy around me started to settle. It seemed I was growing stronger too.
“So, what exactly was your reason for summoning us?”
“Oh, nothing much. It’s simply an invitation to combine our strengths.”
“…”
“For now, I’ve managed to keep the crew and passengers at bay, but not for long. They too have roamed for decades aboard and learned quite a bit of deception. Soon they’ll be lashing out to kill you and try to imprison me again. Frankly, I’m not confident I can handle it alone.”
Songee interjected.
“Honestly, you don’t look like someone who can make such a ‘cooperation proposal.’”
“What’s wrong with my appearance?”
“…Considering the moment the crew and passengers were subdued, I have a strong feeling you’d want to kill us.”
“Haha! So you weren’t planning to kill me?”
Her words made me burst into laughter.
“Of course, we need to off you! You bastard.”
“Oh, my dear young friend, such harsh words! I merely mean we should set aside our disputes for now and unite against the impending foes. Haven’t you heard? The enemy of my enemy is my ally. Wait, I can feel the vibrations coming now.”
Now we all felt the trembling. A massive number of footsteps approached.
Behind us was the almost guaranteed backstabber, the devil-worshiping captain, and in front of us, demons preparing to tear us apart.
Dinner tonight is bound to be quite a thrilling affair.
The last night aboard the Esper had begun.
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