Chapter 530 – Room 207, Gate Room – Fourth Trial ‘Fallen King’ (16)
– Han Kain
After retrieving my doppelganger, it was time to catch up with my crew after a long while.
The topic of our meeting? Our plans moving forward.
“We’ve gathered enough strength, so now we should head to Spain and take down that Virgin thing! Looks like the final boss is clearly the Virgin, right?”
“Grandpa has a point.”
Let’s not waste any more time and just head to Spain, as suggested by Grandpa.
“I don’t know how much time we have, but I still feel uneasy… Kain hasn’t regained his blessing, and there are items we haven’t found.”
“Ari’s got a point.”
Ari chimed in, suggesting we should restore more power.
“Hmm. Is the Virgin really in Spain? Horus, what do you think?”
Sofia raised a fundamental question about whether the Virgin is indeed in Spain.
“You’ve just pointed out something good, Sofia.”
It’s true that the Holy See, especially the headquarters of the Inquisition, is in Spain.
But as we just confirmed, Aedia can send her doppelgangers hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away, so she can control the Holy See from outside Spain.
“I think she’s near the mirror.”
Grandpa spoke up again.
“Kain, that mirror was underground in Spain.”
Ari quickly countered.
“That was the case until 120 years ago. Who knows now?”
It seemed like Ari was being more cautious since we’d had a run-in with the Virgin of Spain before.
The longer we dawdled, the more bizarre things she’d pull, so we should strike as soon as the owners of “Time Duel” and “One More Chance” join in.
On the other hand, there was an argument for waiting to restore our powers fully before taking action.
Both viewpoints made sense.
“Protective suits, a gun powered by blood, Ari’s thermos, my pen, and a sandglass – is that about it for the treasures we haven’t found?”
“Kain, how are we supposed to find all those scattered tools in this vast world? We’ll have to give up on some!”
“That’s true.”
“Except for the sandglass. We need that one,” Ari added.
“That’s right.”
At this point, Miro, who had just been munching on potato chips, interjected in disbelief.
“What’s with you right now, Kain? You sound like a parrot, just repeating ‘right’ ‘right!’”
“What are you talking about? A parrot doesn’t just say that; it bites down hard!”
“…I mean, that’s what I’m saying.”
While we were struggling during this meeting, Sofia, who had been squinting for a bit, muttered.
“Could that sandglass have… something weird inside other than sand?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Sofia.
“Um, instead of sand, maybe it’s like some bubbling strange air – oh, that’s right. Please don’t stare too hard; it’s a bit overwhelming.”
In that moment, our next plan was decided. We may not need other tools, but we needed to find that sandglass.
*
About ten years ago, a mysterious sandglass was put up for auction.
It’s rare for magical tools infused with the power of chaos to show up at an auction, but it does happen from time to time.
If it’s genuine, it usually ends up in the hands of mystical organizations like the Holy See or the Horus Cult, but there’re also plenty of cases where it doesn’t find a master.
It seems like a special item, but we have no idea what its usage is.
“I think something inside it is a mysterious substance, but that’s all I know. I flipped it around and nothing happened. They were asking for $2 million for such an item…”
If it had really unleashed some mystical power, the Holy See or similar organizations would’ve reclaimed it by any means necessary—even at the cost of a owner’s life.
But the sandglass is an item provided by the hotel.
From the perspective of the NPC in this trial, it’s just a $2 million sandglass with luminous gas inside it, worth about 2.5 billion won.
While it was sudden that we found out the location of the sandglass, there was a minor issue.
It was in Texas.
“Texas? We’re in Massachusetts! The distance to Texas is… let’s see—”
“Approximately 3,000 km,” Sofia answered.
Ari’s jaw dropped slightly.
“Wha—so far!”
“We can charter a plane right away—”
“No, we don’t need to do that.”
I casually replied as I stood up.
“Horus?”
“I’m done with flying. There’s a better way this time.”
I pulled out ‘the picture’ from my pocket and handed it to Ari, who had a look of disbelief.
“Are you saying you’ll go alone? And we’ll join you in the Dream Kingdom?”
“Smart of you.”
When I came to the U.S., I rode a plane to conserve energy, but I realized it was a waste to fight Holy See drones mid-air to protect my comrades.
Grandpa looked a little flustered.
“That’s one thing, but what about this young lady? Will Sofia join the Dream Kingdom—oh my!”
—Rumblin’!
By evening, we had arrived in Texas.
*
“Ekw! Urrgh!”
As soon as we hit land, Sofia started throwing up.
In the meantime, I checked the news on my smartphone and saw chaos erupting all over the world.
“Whoa…! How’s it that the Holy See drones aren’t attacking, but the whole of America is in uproar?”
“Ekw! Gasp!”
“Oh wow? What’s this Kraken that’s attacking Beijing? And wait? There’s a red devil wielding a whip appearing in Korea?”
“Quack!”
“Oh, that last sound kinda sounded like a duck. Regardless, it’s clear that the world is going down the drain.”
“Phew…”
“Are you okay now?”
“…Yeah.”
Sofia let out a big sigh and murmured while leaning against a tree.
“The Holy See has started to lift the veil.”
“The veil? I keep hearing that term ‘veil’ but what does it really mean? Even Ari doesn’t seem to know.”
I know that lifting the veil means that the area transforms into a hell swarming with demons.
“It’s a complex concept. It refers to all the means by which the Holy See protects the world.”
“Ah?”
“For instance, let’s say there’s a urban legend that gains power through rumors. To stop this urban legend, they need to control public opinion and hush up the bad rumors. In this case, controlling public opinion is a part of the veil.”
“I get it.”
I thought the veil was just some sort of protective shield set up by the Holy See, but it was actually a term referring to all the means the Holy See uses to protect the world.
“Then, the reason the world is starting to go crazy is that the Holy See is no longer protecting it?”
“Exactly.”
The Virgin Aedia said she would ‘take a step forward.’
It must be a colossal plan that will turn the world upside down, so they’ll have to use up resources they were using to protect the world until now.
“Time’s ticking. We need to move to Spain as soon as we find that sandglass. Should I have the comrades join after that?”
“…”
“By the way, you have $2 million, right? I’d rather talk it out than have to steal.”
“They’d hand over not just $2 million but even $20 million if we asked.”
Come to think of it, we’re now nearing the end of chapter 207.
At this point, what does money even mean?
…
I didn’t even need $2 million, not even $2.
It just so happens that the old couple in Texas who found the sandglass had a completely different wish.
*
“Please! Horus! Our wish is but one!”
I was a bit thrown off guard.
It made sense that the elderly couple going through the twilight of their lives recognized me. Up until last night, not many could recognize my face, but I was quickly becoming the most famous person in the world.
You see, a video of me guiding 8,000 faithful followers in the forest garnered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube.
While some called it the devil’s temptation, others believed it was a scene of Horus guiding believers to ‘Heaven.’
The old couple fell into the latter camp.
“We, we didn’t attend the Horus Church. S-sorry!”
“No need to apologize—”
“We pride ourselves in living more righteously than anyone else. We graduated from Austin Polytechnic at twenty-five—”
Out of nowhere, the old man began rattling off his and his wife’s life story.
He was busy explaining why they ‘should go to Heaven.’
“…”
This was dizzying.
Who would’ve thought I’d find myself in a situation where ordinary folks bowed their heads and prayed to me to take them to Heaven!
I couldn’t have imagined such a scenario.
Sofia merely smiled awkwardly, unable to say a word. No, she couldn’t.
“Huh…”
When I thought about it from the perspective of the general public, it vaguely made sense.
Suddenly, demons started to swarm everywhere across the world.
Isn’t this the moment of apocalypse?
But then, at this critical juncture, the Holy See—who they had believed and depended upon—vanished into thin air while Jesus and God were nowhere to be found.
Instead, the ‘Horus’ they thought was a heretic appeared to save the believers.
When this realization dawned on them, the Texas old man swiftly came to a conclusion.
His lifelong belief in Christianity was wrong, and there was a ‘real’ God somewhere else!
“Holy King! Can I, can I get baptized right now? Just say the word, and I’ll jump into the icy water if I have to—”
“…That’s more of an Orthodox baptism. We don’t have such procedures.”
The old couple was despairingly desperate.
Forget about money and whatever else, they just needed to get to Heaven!
“What about the sandglass—”
“Here it is! Please don’t abandon me and my wife, Amy—”
Eventually, I forced a wry smile and said, “David, Amy.”
“Yes!”
“You’ve discovered a sacred artifact of the church and by offering it to me without asking anything in return, you’ve made great merit.”
“…!”
“Rest assured. I am preparing a paradise for you two… Enjoy your remaining time peacefully.”
“Ah… Oh my!”
*
After retrieving the sandglass, I found a place to take a short nap to let my comrades join in the Dream Kingdom.
While I was looking for a suitable car, Sofia, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up.
“Horus.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t have much time left.”
“…”
Ari and I had taken Sofia to a hospital.
Right now, her ability to move around normally was surely due to magic.
It wouldn’t last long.
“I’m okay. I’ve lived enough; it wouldn’t be a shame to die anytime. However, I have a question.”
“…Ask away.”
“Horus and the comrades often speak of things I can’t grasp.”
Talking about plans often brought up topics related to the ‘hotel.’
Every time, people would glance at Sofia in alarm, and yet she never once asked a question.
“It feels like you all are from outside the world. Am I wrong?”
“…”
“Is it the heavenly realm? A magnificent land where Gods reside?”
“… Something similar.”
Heavenly realm, a magnificent land where Gods live.
Not entirely incorrect, surprisingly enough.
A thought that would probably come up if one were the head of a religious group.
“Then, Horus, does that mean my mother also resides there?”
In that moment, I was left speechless.
Isn’t Sophia asking if my sister Eunsol is alive in ‘Heaven’?
“U-uh…”
“Is it difficult to answer?”
“No, she—uh, Eunsol is surely there too.”
As soon as I said that, Sofia let out a smile so bright it seemed almost painted.
“I’m so relieved. My mother’s demise at the hands of that monster, the dark knight, was a lifelong sadness for me… But thank goodness you saved her soul.”
I was completely at a loss for words.
Should I correct her that it wasn’t me who saved Eunsol’s soul?
And the dark knight was actually Eunsol’s ally?
With questions pure as can be, Sofia managed to leave me flustered.
Just as I started to feel uneasy in the flow of our conversation, she finally shot the most concerning question I had dreaded.
“Horus, does that mean I can join your Heaven after I die too?”
“….”
Aedia, what are you doing right now?
Being alone with Sofia is way too daunting!
Hurry up and do whatever you need to unleash the end of the world!
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