### Chapter 501 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Third Trial ‘Miskatonic University’ (3)
—
– Kim Ahri
Late at night, I leaned against the window, pondering the information gathered so far.
First, the associates from Miskatonic University’s Department of Mysticism are opposing forces against the Vatican.
From this perspective, it seemed like Miskatonic University had a villain vibe as Mooksung said earlier…
But the argument in “Introduction to Demonology” justifying the existence of chaotic beings was flimsy at best.
Each chaotic being’s origin and nature are different, so it’s unfair to lump them all together and suppress them.
Sure, most of them can be a threat to humans, which is why they just exterminated them without a second thought!
I could imagine that werewolf professor claiming he’d killed at least a handful of humans in his lifetime—
“… Huh.”
Taking a deep breath, I suppressed thoughts of defending the Vatican and criticizing Miskatonic University.
The Vatican isn’t the Management Bureau, and this isn’t the reality we live in.
So there’s no need to unnecessarily empathize and identify with it.
Secondly, what’s up with the taxidermy of Perro?
Judging by the context, he was already dead and stuffed before the trial even began.
Meaning, Perro is included in “the trial before the third trial.”
Since Perro usually starts with Songee, he might have kicked off during that ancient Egyptian party…
But I can’t say for sure.
There’s no rule that says Perro’s starting point is next to Songee, and he’s started in unrelated places like Room 206 before.
More importantly, who is that old man who seemed to know a lot about Perro? The Chancellor?
If Perro helped him, does that mean we’re on the same side?
Or is that comment about Perro protecting him itself a lie?
Is it possible he actually killed Perro and turned him into a trophy?
Thirdly, what about this letter with the symbol of Horus?
Out of nowhere, what’s with Horus?
What does “Father, why have you abandoned us?” mean?
No, more importantly…
Who sent this letter to my room?
“… ”
The old man I met earlier, who could be the Chancellor.
I acted as if I recognized Perro in front of him.
I made excuses about wanting to pet him because he was cute, but I know that was a ridiculous excuse myself.
Did my actions make him realize I was a special being, prompting him to send me this letter?
So does that mean that old dude is the son of an Egyptian god?
I could say, “What do you mean, ‘son of a god’?” but the Chancellor is an incredible being who has faced the Vatican for hundreds of years.
By that point, it wouldn’t be shocking if it turned out the Chancellor is actually the son of a god!
In fact, it would be weirder if he was just a regular human.
“… ”
I can’t be sure about this either.
Calling a divine being “Father” is something even the faithful do.
Even churchgoers call out “Father God” all the time, right?
So the Chancellor could be a believer, not Horus’ son.
“… Oh my.”
So, there was a chaotic being powerful enough to be regarded as a father or god, just like the Chancellor who stood against the Vatican alone.
What in the world is Horus?
To summarize my thoughts in three lines:
Concern 1: Should I side with Miskatonic University or the Vatican?
Concern 2: What’s the relationship between Perro and the old man? Is he the Chancellor?
Concern 3: What is the Chancellor’s true identity? Is he Horus’ son or just a believer? If so, who or what is Horus?
I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion about anything, but I did know where to go tomorrow.
*
I sought out Mooksung early in the morning.
“You want to head to the library?”
“Yeah.”
“Hm, so you’re thinking of rummaging through various materials there?”
“Miskatonic University, the history of Ancient Egypt, especially about Horus.”
“What?”
“That’s the keyword we need to look for, so keep it in mind. Also, if there’s time, let’s check out the medieval Europe stuff too. There might be something about Elena and Eunsol.”
“Uh, um, sounds like you’ve figured something out, but I found something too.”
“Spill it.”
After pondering for a moment, the “youth” finally spoke.
“I found that taxidermy of Perro and got curious, so I did some digging around. Miskatonic University is overflowing with bizarre items, it seems.”
Miskatonic University is a force combining chaotic beings and mysticism researchers.
If there was a future Management Bureau, they’d probably isolate the bizarre items on sight.
“There’s a place accessible only to the professors. Something is definitely hidden there.”
“…”
“Well, let’s hit the library first. It should be easier.”
*
Mooksung and I soon found ourselves buried among musty old books that smelled awful.
There were countless books worth checking out in this university library.
—Clunk!
“Whoa~! The Pharaoh took his daughter as his wife, but this has nothing to do with our party, right?”
—Thud!
“It’s just a book about civil wars among late Egyptian pharaohs. I thought there’d be a hotel party mentioned, but I guess not.”
—Clunk!
“Here’s a book featuring famous beauties from medieval France. This lady looks oddly like Elena, doesn’t she?”
“Well, apart from being blonde, I don’t see the similarities…”
“Look! This maid here has a nose just like Eunsol’s.”
“The age difference is too vast, though. An oldie in their 70s might think someone in their 30s or 40s looks the same, but—”
“Ari, did you just say that to me?”
During this rather uneventful timeframe, I sensed a presence from across the room.
It was the beautiful girl, Emily, who had insisted yesterday in class that I show her “the power of a vampire.”
—Grab!
“Ariyaang!”
Suddenly, she hugged me from behind, startling me!
What is this? A scene straight out of a rom-com?
We just met yesterday!
“… I think that’s a bit rude.”
“Sorry! But Ari, why were you absent today?”
“… ”
Come to think of it, Mooksung and I are technically college students in the setup.
Since it wasn’t exactly vacation time, there were definitely classes.
But we hadn’t paid any attention to such trivialities and just came to the library.
“I came to study.”
“Mm, that’s admirable! But wouldn’t it be good to attend classes too?”
“… I’ll be there starting tomorrow.”
“There’s still a lecture in the afternoon, you know?”
“I’ll attend that one.”
If we miss classes too often, professors or classmates might start to raise eyebrows.
“Oh, and you must be Mooksung, right? Hello!”
“Umm, hello?”
She’s at it again!
Does she still think he’s in his 70s?
I dropped a hint.
“… Good day to you, Emily.”
“You two studying together? Oh no! Is that—”
“… ”
“… ”
“Since you’re both freshmen, are you already dating?”
“Emily, I’m a married man with kids back home.”
In the 1897 setting, it wouldn’t be unheard of for a college student to be married.
“Oh my! I’m so sorry for my rudeness!”
“It’s fine. I just happened to meet Ari in the library, so I hope there’s no strange gossip about this.”
It’s true that Mooksung has been married for a long time and has kids.
He’s even seen his grandchildren, and hidden within that truth lies a somber reality—they all died for some reason.
Anyway, time to send her off.
“Emily, I’m studying right now, so can we chat later?”
“What are you studying? Oh, seeing all these Egyptian history books, I get it. You’re studying the roots of Miskatonic University?”
“… ”
Oh wow, the roots of Miskatonic University…
Hearing Emily say that reminded me of what the werewolf professor said yesterday.
“According to old records, our origins trace all the way back to Ancient Egypt…”
He doesn’t seem to believe that himself, but there must have been a reason for those rumors.
“Uh? But it seems you’re looking at the wrong book.”
“… Thanks.”
That was a genuine reply.
“Emily, can you tell me which books I ought to read?”
“Sure!”
Soon, Emily skipped around the library and brought back a few very old books.
“Just so you know, these are hard to find outside Miskatonic University.”
“Really?”
“Those studying the university’s roots usually focus on ‘the replacement of faith.’”
“Replacement of faith?”
That’s a new concept for me.
“You don’t know? Long ago, in the lengthy history of Ancient Egypt, during its early stages? The Egyptians worshiped strange gods.”
“Strange gods?”
“They were entities governing death and the afterlife, symbolized by skulls, I think…”
“Think?”
“Their names have been forgotten.”
Apparently, the ancient Egyptians worshiped a bizarre god that governed death and the afterlife, symbolized by skulls.
“One day, the Egyptians suddenly replaced their faith. The nameless ancient god was completely forgotten, and all temples were destroyed. During this process, there was quite a significant civil war in the capital—Memphis.”
“Hmm…”
“After that, the faith that took root was the Egyptian mythology we’re familiar with. The worship centered around Horus, the god of the sun, sky, protection, and revenge.”
The ideological shift that occurred in Ancient Egypt.
The followers of Horus wiped out this once-popular traditional worship that is now nameless.
While it’s interesting, such epochs of faith have happened countless times throughout history.
Didn’t local beliefs always crumble as Christianity spread?
“I understand. But how does the replacement of Egyptian faith connect to Miskatonic University?”
With a somewhat mysterious expression, Emily murmured her answer.
“Over time, the Christian forces that rose in Europe attacked Egypt.”
“That was during the Roman period, right?”
“It’s said that similar things happened repeatedly. This time, the priests of Horus were driven out. And…”
“And?”
“There’s a saying that those priests of Horus are the origin of Miskatonic University.”
“… ”
During the Roman period, the current European powers were rising.
They were the group calling chaotic entities “demons” and burning them, and in their rise, they expelled the Horus cult from Egypt.
“After this, it’s best to examine books rather than asking me the rest.”
“Thanks.”
*
After Emily left, Mooksung and I dived headfirst into the books concerning Egypt and the period of ‘faith replacement.’
Stories of past royal family members suddenly transforming into bizarre monsters.
The rebellion of the Egyptians suffering under the tyrannies of these monsters.
At the center of it all were the priests of Horus.
“… ”
Everywhere there were descriptions mentioning “Horus.”
Unlike the usual myths that depict gods in vague and abstract ways, Horus had specific records concerning his deeds and appearance.
As if he weren’t just a figure in mythology but a “historical figure!”
“A young man in his late teens or early twenties….”
“Plus, they mentioned that his ethnicity differed from that of the Egyptians. Doesn’t that seem bizarre? The Egyptians at this time probably didn’t know of ‘Asians,’ and yet the descriptions fit perfectly.”
The one who orchestrates destiny.
The one who brings all to their knees.
One who can assume various forms and takes all those forms as their own.
The liberator who overthrew fallen royals and saved the suffering Egyptians.
Most importantly, the being with a bird as their symbol.
“Hey, Ari, this… could it be?”
“… ”
“Doesn’t that remind you way too much of someone we know? Could it be a coincidence?”
“No way.”
In Ancient Egypt, there existed “Miro,” who held the legacy of the “Time Borrower.”
“It’s Cain. No doubt about it.”
Horus is Cain!
As I realized this, the information that had muddled my mind so far began to unravel smoothly.
It was as if I discovered a thread to string together the beads of confusion about where to go next.
“The priests of Horus were the first party.”
Kim Sanghyun, Yu Songee, Park Seungyub, Miro, and maybe even Yumi—they are the priests of Horus.
“The fallen royal was probably the boss of that trial.”
“And what about the forgotten god?”
“Maybe he was the boss too. Either way, both were dealt with by the first party.”
What comes next is the crux of the matter.
“Do you remember what we talked about before entering the third trial on the train?”
Mooksung nodded.
“The four trials are actually one enormous trial. In the past, the curse room started spatially separate, while this time it began temporally separate. This is what I’m referring to.”
“I realized that before coming in. Not everyone else got it, but! ”
“After entering the trial, they must have figured it out too! I mean, Seungyub is sharp enough that he’d catch on.”
It’s possible he either realized it himself or Miro’s summoned Cain clued him in.
“Some must have made it out after taking down the boss. And those allies…”
“… spread the belief in Horus!”
So the identity of the force centralizing around Miskatonic University is the descendants of the “Han Kain worshippers” seeded by the first party!
Just then, Mooksung cautiously muttered.
“By the way, what do you think this phrase means?”
At the end of the records regarding the replacement of faith, the following phrase was written:
“The great Horus bestowed mercy upon the survivors of the fallen royals, allowing them to depart Egypt alive.”
“From the content, it feels like Cain let, um, the enemies go, leaving potential repercussions.”
“… ”
“That’s noted here with an annotation claiming it implies the infinite mercy of the omnipotent Horus.”
That can’t be right.
This portion feels like some researcher from later generations arbitrarily added their interpretations.
It’d make sense coming from Eunsol or Jinchul, but Cain showing mercy? What mercy?
“I don’t know.”
I could not grasp the meaning of this line.
Was there another reason that necessitated letting the enemies live?
—Thud!
At this point, Mooksung stood up.
“Alright, we’ve done some sufficient research on the past. Now let’s head to the place I found. There’s bound to be something there too.”
“Okay.”
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