### Chapter 406 – Room 206, The Curse Room – ‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days’ (8)
—
– Kim Ahri
“We’re joining the fray!”
As soon as my decision was made, the followers surrounding me stood up with expressions of elation.
Before long, from the top brass of the cult to the common followers, everyone began grabbing weapons and joined the protesters.
Honestly, there was no other way to go about this.
Even though I sat in a high position as an Apostle, I couldn’t ignore the public sentiment within the cult.
For a long time, the cult had suffered under Kardirov’s oppressive rule.
For the believers, revolution was an irresistible temptation.
In that moment, as everyone shouted and marched into battle, I discreetly slipped away.
“Apostle?”
Someone caught on quickly.
“I’m just checking if Kardirov has any secret agents planted.”
“Y-Yeah! I believe in you!”
What are you even believing in? I’m just running away!
I dove underground to avoid the angry mob.
I had traveled this route several times already; I could sketch it out with my eyes closed—leading to outside Paradise.
Why go outside when there are plenty of other places to choose from?
I had my reasons for this.
— Squeak!
I pushed against the city walls and made my way out.
Fresh air and soft grass welcomed me—if I oversold it, you might think it was a national park somewhere.
“One, two!”
Counting, I lightly moved my feet to regulate my breathing.
“Phew… I hope I don’t crash this time.”
When we first got the wing boots, we thought, wouldn’t it be cool if the shoes propelled us upwards like an engine?
Soon, my comrades found that only their feet shot up into the air, spinning in the void.
To avoid that, I had to angle my feet diagonally—
…
I guess that’s enough about the theory; the important part is that it’s ridiculously hard.
As an Administration Bureau agent, I’m pretty skilled in using supernatural tools.
But even for me, using the wing boots proved far too tricky, and no one else succeeded in flying either.
— Thud!
As I kicked off the ground and activated the boots—
With a cheerful sound, both shoes began to generate intense thrust.
I gritted my teeth and twisted my feet this way and that to maintain balance.
— Whee!
Finally, my body sliced through the air with speed.
While the protesters and Kardirov’s regime were in total chaos in the city, I soared out and climbed to the top of Paradise with the wing boots.
Finally, I spotted the luxurious mansion where Leon Kardirov resided.
This is my plan!
While the mayor was grappling with protesters in the city, I was going to raid his mansion and see what secrets lay within.
Even in hindsight, it’s a brilliant plan.
“… Huh?”
When I arrived at the luxury mansion, I realized things weren’t going as expected.
I planned to search an empty house alone!
But inside the mansion were two people, and one was a very familiar comrade.
And then—a shocking event unfolded.
“…”
Looks like I’ve stumbled upon the biggest secret of Paradise.
*
– Yu Songee
“If you kill this man, I’ll take my own life too!”
The moment those unbelievable words flew from my mouth, the world came to a standstill.
Leon Kardirov, the informants around, and my older brother Han Kain—all of us were stunned!
“Eek!”
I cried out in surprise, and my brother whispered from behind me.
“C-Calm down! Calm down!”
How can I stay calm in this situation!?
After all, the moment we stepped underground, I heard, “I have a promise for the future with Songee!”
A moment later, the mayor covered his face with both hands and muttered.
“My child…”
“…”
“What on earth happened to you?”
“F-Fate?”
Ah! Embarrassing again!
“Fate, you say…”
I guess there’s no helping it.
In moments like these, you say you’re “riding a tiger,” don’t you?
Right now, whether it’s engagement or marriage—anything to save my brother!
“We’re engaged!”
For a long time, the mayor just stared at me, his mouth agape, before finally speaking.
“If this guy is well-kept for a Level 4, let me introduce him to several actors.”
…
Gah! For a moment there, I imagined a scene with handsome guys surrounding me.
“I-It’s not like that!”
So please, stop making embarrassing statements about me!
“Seeing the face of my beloved Songee, I’ll save him.”
Isn’t that hard to say?
The mayor mumbled with some kind of exhausted expression.
“You know, the heart of a person is incredibly unknowable. Yeah, emotions can’t be controlled at will.”
“…”
“Even as a father, I find it difficult to control where my daughter’s heart sways.”
Did I just manage to convince him?
At that moment, the ceiling shook, accompanied by a thunderous shout.
— Waaaah!
It was the sound of the citizens’ army.
Though the informants tried desperately to stop them, they failed miserably due to sheer numbers!
“…”
Suddenly, I felt something odd.
What’s the situation like right now? If the citizens broke in, it would be no surprise for Leon Kardirov to be torn apart alive.
Even in this critical moment, Leon didn’t seem particularly tense.
Instead, he said, looking tired, “Looks like we can’t drag this out any longer. We have work to do.”
“…Dad?”
“Songee, let’s just go home for now.”
“Where on Earth…?”
“I’ll let that guy live this once per your wish. But you’ll soon know the truth.”
What on earth was the mayor talking about?
“I’ll show you just how worthless that so-called ‘love’ you speak of is.”
The mayor ordered the informants to firmly bind Han Kain and toss him to the ground, then went up to the luxurious mansion at the top of Paradise with me.
*
From the mansion’s window, I looked down at the city.
Down below, countless people swarmed like ants.
They were burning the city down and searching for the mayor at this very moment.
“How laughable.”
“…”
“They really believe that if they kill me, all their suffering will vanish. What do you think?”
“…”
“Are you still going to avoid answering?”
“It’s not avoidance; I just don’t know what to say.”
“…”
The mayor strolled around the mansion, looking out the window.
The sight of the city ablaze is nothing more than a spectacle for him.
And then, the mayor muttered in a bitter voice.
“I wish it were truly that simple.”
“Pardon?”
“If my death could end the city’s pain, I’d gladly die.”
“…”
Those words were neither typical of Leon Kardirov nor should I ever utter them.
Perhaps Leon Kardirov was always this kind of person.
“The problem is, even if I die, nothing will genuinely change. The role will only be taken over by someone else.”
“What’s your role, anyway?”
The mayor’s gaze turned to me.
For the first time, he wore a complex expression I had never seen before.
“I’ll show you.”
And—
A small coin popped from his palm.
“A coin?”
“…”
“What’s that?”
“A treasure entrusted to the Kardirov family long ago.”
“…”
“A treasure equivalent to the Unyielding Reason hidden underground.”
A legacy, something equal in stature to the Unyielding Reason.
Another inheritance.
“I call this, ‘One More Chance.’”
— Ding!
The coin spun through the air.
“Grant us one more opportunity!”
The scenery around began to change at an astonishing speed.
Citizens scurried backward toward the factories.
Police cars drove back to the informant headquarters.
The once-roaring flames settled in an instant, and rubble from demolished buildings returned to their original spots.
Even the injured stood up, moving backward like it was all a dream, and even the corpses awkwardly rose as if lying.
Time itself for all of Paradise, except for the luxurious mansion, began to rewind.
Leon Kardirov was a time-traveler.
The owner of the treasure that could turn back time in Paradise.
In a shocking realization, my whole body trembled at the voice that called out to me.
“Child, do you understand now?”
“…”
“Do you see how meaningless that ‘love’ you spoke of is? The man you claim is engaged to you, he won’t even remember you anymore.”
“…”
“This is the burden of the city’s ruler; it is our given duty. So you too—”
At that moment, the spinning coin began to emit a strange light.
Leon Kardirov’s time also began moving back into the past.
“What? Why is the mansion excluded from the return zone?”
It seemed the mayor couldn’t understand why the legacy was behaving strangely, but I grasped it.
The legacy, ‘One More Chance,’ sensed an anomaly placed upon its owner.
“…”
Leon Kardirov’s time rewound.
The love he had for his daughter extinguished.
The warmth constructed from love returned to the ironclad will of the dictator.
It shattered.
The powerful force granted to me by the hotel, ‘Beloved One.’
The curse of love that had cracked the mayor’s soul was lifted.
“… So, that’s how it is.”
His tone drastically changed from before.
An extreme rationality, viewing every human, himself included, as mere cogs in a machine.
The mayor’s eyes turned toward me.
“I never thought you’d have this kind of power.”
“…”
I couldn’t move.
‘One More Chance’ was constantly controlling and protecting the mayor’s time.
“I won’t hold a grudge against you. Loving someone is not a bad experience.”
— Click!
As the false father raised a gun toward me.
I thought to myself.
I wasn’t really afraid of death, but I did wonder if the others could hold out after I was gone.
The mayor’s restraints had broken.
Much harsher times awaited.
— Bang!
As I was losing consciousness, I saw Ahri gazing in from beyond the window, mouth agape, staring in.
Somehow, that made me a bit at ease.
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 268 (+36)
Current Location: Room 206, The Curse Room – ‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days’
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
– Han Kain
— DING DING!
“Ugh… Is it already morning?”
“Didn’t I just fall asleep a second ago?”
“Damn! My sleep time is short, way too short—”
Level 4 citizen Paulo detected profanity.
…
I’m so tired I could die.
Last night I only slept for about four hours.
“Assembly! Assembly!”
With that, today’s hard labor education began.
Swinging pickaxes in the mines and processing the extracted gemstones.
When I was about to collapse from exhaustion, we got a bowl of watery corn porridge before going deeper into the mine.
I endured this hellish routine for an entire day.
…
After finishing the evening shift and returning, I started to think.
What the heck is this situation?
Why do I have to suffer as a half-slave in this horrible city?
The revelation of secrets provided the keywords for Room 206.
“Three-way struggle, a staple in creations, check the date often.”
How does this connect with this current hellish reality?
Who are the three, what is the staple, and the date—is it… the date?
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