Chapter 522 – Room 207, Gate Room – Fourth Trial: ‘Fallen King’ (8)
– Kim Minah
— Tap!
The sound of a vintage fountain pen tapping against a wooden table.
The middle-aged man showing obvious discomfort with a slight movement, Head of the Korean Inquisition Bureau, Kim Hak-yeon, spoke up.
“Hm… Given the ruckus you stirred up, the report seems rather lacking, doesn’t it?”
“I’m sorry. I thought there might be something in the sacred relic storage, but it turned out to be more like an art gallery.”
“That part was already discovered by an agent who infiltrated previously. I remember concluding that the genuinely valuable items are stored in the main diocese in the U.S….”
Kim Hak-yeon had reasonable grounds to reprimand me.
As he said, the sacred relic storage of the Horus sect had already been infiltrated before, and it was confirmed to be more of an art gallery than anything significant.
Therefore, my and Eun-ho’s infiltration of the storage room was unnecessary commotion from the perspective of the Inquisition Bureau.
I had no choice but to bow my head sincerely.
“I’m sorry. I guess I was a bit too eager. I thought my presence would make a difference.”
Well, having just shed the rookie label, isn’t it right to be a bit eager?
Let me push that point a bit.
“Hm… Well, I’m not scolding you. As you said, there might have been something. If I were to criticize you for not finding anything, how would we get any work done?”
“Right.”
The atmosphere was surprisingly easygoing.
Thinking of the Vatican’s principle of ‘not letting a single culprit slip away even if it means sacrificing ten innocents,’ it didn’t seem odd at all.
Agents tend to mess up quite a bit, after all.
“I heard you have a regular student with you.”
“Yes, I managed to coax him along quite well. He’s serving in a support role, so if it feels right, you can later hire him as a newcomer—”
“Or if it doesn’t, inject him with a level two or higher eraser?”
Eun-ho seemed worried that the Vatican might suspect our situation, but that was unfounded.
How could a handful of agents handle everything throughout the country all on their own?
It’s very common to manipulate civilians for various reasons.
While typical intelligence agencies tend to avoid involving civilians for security reasons, we had no such need.
Talentless people were simply hired as new agents, and if they didn’t fit, they’d just get the memory eraser later.
What?
Level two and above erasers could induce significant psychiatric conditions?
The Inquisition Bureau is not a group that worries about such trivial matters.
“Right. I think he does seem to have some agent potential.”
“Understood.”
Even so, it felt odd how he concluded with just “understood.”
If it were someone other than me, they might question whether it’s necessary to use an average high schooler like Cha Eun-ho when there are many capable civilians around.
…
Since my rookie days, I had vague suspicions.
The Vatican treated me a little differently than other agents.
“This report is good enough. Good job—”
“Director, I have a request.”
“Hm?”
“Could I get a tool that can detect lies? As you know, I’m currently posing as a disciple of the Horus sect, and I might come into contact with their believers—”
“We do have one, but…”
“Is it difficult?”
“No, that’s not the case. I can grant it. However, be careful; the detector isn’t entirely reliable. A crafty liar could very well fool it.”
“I’ll be cautious.”
As I turned to leave after finishing the report, Kim Hak-yeon tossed a question casually.
“Agent Kim Minah, have you had any strange experiences recently?”
“Huh?”
“For example, have you had someone contact you in your dreams or something?”
“… I suddenly don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“If you don’t, then it’s fine. Leave now.”
*
When I returned to the private area where Cha Eun-ho had been laid down, he had regained consciousness.
“You’re awake?”
“Thanks to you.”
“Did you check the painting?”
“Yeah. It must have been a struggle looking for it. Thank you.”
After exchanging a few polite words, I carefully activated the lie detector I had hidden in my inner pocket.
An invention born from the culmination of science and mysticism, and it was nice and compact.
There was a bit of disgust towards myself for calling him a ‘comrade’ while bringing it along, but there was no alternative.
Eun-ho could lie about my past, right?
I still couldn’t trust this guy completely.
“Okay, then… Have you used the painting?”
“Yeah. First, let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Han Kain. Cha Eun-ho is more of a temporary alias.”
“… Haha!”
“What’s so funny?”
“Sorry, it just sounds a bit feminine.”
“I hear that a lot.”
Han Kain.
The lie detector showed no response, but beyond that, it felt like this name was genuine.
Upon hearing his name, something resounded within me.
Kain continued with his explanation.
“I checked the Kingdom of Dreams. Right now, there are three living allies among the group.”
“Three?”
“Ari, Mooksung, and Miro.”
Hearing the name ‘Ari’ sent a strong jolt through me, just like before.
Thanks to that, I didn’t even need to ask which of the three names belonged to me.
“Ari is my name, right? And Mooksung and Miro are my comrades?”
Kain smiled as he answered.
“Ari, Mooksung, and Miro. All three are my allies.”
At that moment, the muddled thoughts that had gnawed at my sanity for countless years began to lift instantly.
A past I couldn’t remember.
A family that didn’t exist anywhere.
A job that hid so much from me.
This world was fundamentally filled with question marks, but the most baffling thing was none other than the ‘past of myself.’
Before my mind could find peace, Head of the Korean Bureau’s warning rang in my ears.
‘Lie detectors aren’t reliable tools.’
‘An adept liar could deceive them effortlessly.’
Huh! Not yet.
Just Kain’s words and the detector affirming they weren’t lies was not enough.
If I could just find something akin to solid evidence—
“Come here and touch it.”
“Huh?”
As if sensing my confused emotions, Kain smiled gently.
“You have to check the painting you found. It seems like it hasn’t been touched at all.”
“Seems like it could be a dangerous magic tool.”
“I’m right here with you.”
While ignoring Kain’s oddly cheesy line, I approached him.
Following his instructions, I touched the ‘Kingdom of Dreams,’ and the surface of the painting bizarrely rippled, drawing me in—
“Oof!”
Before I was pulled into the Kingdom of Dreams, Kain yanked me back to reality.
“See?”
“What was that even supposed to mean?”
“The painting reacted to you.”
“…”
“I told you, this painting can only be used by me and my comrades. That’s why the Horus sect just hung it on the wall, and the agents from the Inquisition Bureau couldn’t find anything unusual while infiltrating.”
“… That’s right.”
“The Kingdom of Dreams is responding to you.”
The mystical painting that only Kain’s comrades could use reacted to me.
This was undeniable proof.
“Ah…”
The tension drained as I slumped against the wall.
Soon, Kain began to share stories about ‘other comrades’ that I’d never discussed before.
“Using the Kingdom of Dreams, you can enter the dreams of your allies and wake up together, essentially teleporting.”
“I get it.”
“However, there’s a premise necessary for this. You have to be dreaming.”
It seems the other comrades aren’t currently dreaming.
“Does that mean we’ll have to wait until night to meet the others?”
“No, that’s not enough.”
He continued, sounding a bit disappointed.
“From the context, Miro is currently not in a typical sleep state. He’s in a deep sleep. His subconscious, the minimum required to trigger a dream, is asleep.”
“Sounds a little like he’s in cryogenic suspension.”
“Probably something like that, yes.”
“Mooksung?”
“He’s not as deeply asleep as Miro. He’s in a state where….”
“What’s that?”
“… It seems like he might dream for brief moments, but it’s a timing issue.”
While Kain pondered how to join with the other comrades, I asked him an important question.
“So, there’s still time until I meet the others?”
“Right.”
“Tell me about my past.”
“Hm….”
A heavy silence.
“…”
“…”
I couldn’t hold back and asked again.
“What’s wrong?”
“What should I call you from now on? Minah? Ari?”
“… Call me Ari. I need to get used to my name.”
“Okay. Ari, I know it might be a little unpleasant, but listen closely. I think your very existence is a trap by the Vatican to ‘hook’ me.”
“… What?”
“You’ve worked as an agent for the Vatican for so long that you don’t even realize it. Remember that photo from the ‘80s you showed me? The Inquisition Bureau likely—”
“At least three times, they’ve reset my memory.”
“Exactly. Multiple measures have been enacted on you. For instance, isn’t there a chance that the moment you regain your memory, the Inquisition Bureau might notice?”
Hearing Kain’s suspicion towards the Inquisition Bureau made me recall the strange question I heard from the Head earlier.
“Have you had any strange experiences recently?”
“Have you experienced someone contacting you in your dreams?”
“This can’t be!”
“What?”
“The Inquisition Bureau knows you can traverse dreams!”
“…”
“Earlier, the Head’s warning made no sense! They were checking if you had contact with me after retrieving the Kingdom of Dreams.”
“Hm… This is odd. The Kingdom of Dreams that was hanging in the sacred relic storage didn’t recognize it, but it knows you can enter dreams?”
“Yeah, right?”
Once I thought about it, it felt strange.
They didn’t recognize that the Kingdom of Dreams was a special painting, yet knew Kain could navigate the dreams of his comrades?
It’s like they recognized Arthur’s power but missed Excalibur’s existence entirely.
Sure, there was information, but it had too many gaps.
Either way, once I recalled my conversation with the Head, I couldn’t help but fully empathize with Kain’s words.
The other comrades, Miro and Mooksung, are currently in such a state that they aren’t even dreaming properly.
Thus, the one who could recognize the ‘past me’ and restore my memories was none other than ‘Han Kain.’
He might indeed be a trap laid out to catch me by the Vatican.
“Just wait a moment.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Horus sect. My powerful strength is hidden here. It’s probably the ‘Divine Sun.’ A power useful for expanding influence.”
“What difference does that make? If I regain my memories, the Inquisition Bureau will still be tracking me—”
“There’s a huge difference.”
“What?”
When I lifted my head, I saw a confident young man’s expression.
“You don’t need to fear the Inquisition Bureau tracking you after we find the Divine Sun. From that point on, it’ll be all-out war.”
The next goal is the Divine Sun.
…
Just before we parted ways, I noticed that Kain’s pant leg had some dirt on it.
He had been lying on the bed all this time—where could that dirt have come from?
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