Chapter 718 – Conclusion and Choice (5)
—
— Lee Eunsol
When Nitochris’s mirror shattered, the Duke also fragmented into countless pieces.
In that instant, I felt a shocking emotion that bordered on awe at the phenomenal power of the mirror.
What kind of existence is the Duke of Is?
None of the adversaries across the first and second floors could hold a candle to even one Duke.
Even an entire hotel party charging head-on wouldn’t guarantee victory against such a demi-god-level entity.
According to Songee’s experience with the boundary realm, the Dukes are the ultimate beings born from a domain that transcends reality.
And yet, by using Nitochris’s mirror, it was a literal one-shot deal.
“Wow… mirrors really are something else,” I said.
“Right?”
Maybe she felt the same, as Songee stared blankly at the sparkling shards scattered on the floor.
“If only we could use this trick in every room each time,” she mused.
“That seems unlikely.”
It wouldn’t be common to bypass obstacles in other rooms using a mirror. After all, the Administration Bureau tightly monopolizes the Nitochris mirror, thinking of it as humanity’s last hope.
This time, the bureau had fled, and the remaining aliens were clueless about what the mirror even was, which made the possibility possible.
“This one’s pretty big, though.”
As I picked up a sizable shard, still containing the Duke’s remnants, Songee quirked her head.
“What are you planning to do with that?”
“I have an idea. Not sure if it’ll work, though.”
“Hmm…”
Songee continued with a weary expression.
“By the way, is it really almost over? A will hold off one Duke, right?”
“… Mother.”
“Hmm?”
Something felt off. The mother’s specter had yet to show up, even at this point.
While my mother might have weakened compared to the Duke, considering the Duke’s demi-god status, even a weakened version of her should possess enough power to alter the situation.
“Why isn’t she showing up?”
“True that.”
With Duke B down, only Duke C remained available for my mother.
Until just recently, A had been struggling due to B and C’s combined attacks; C alone could not block A.
Soon enough, the victorious A in the Duke’s bloodbath would likely attempt to kill my mother.
And if that happened, no one would be able to protect her.
“The King of Is is on the brink of defeat. While Room 301 is done for, the act of dying is a whole different issue.”
“Yet she still hasn’t shown up. What could she be doing?”
I began to question my mother’s peculiar choice.
— Goo…!
A sound I never expected to hear echoed through the air!
“What? This sound—”
“W-what the—!”
“No way! Mother shouldn’t have the power to issue blessings!”
She lacked the ability to invoke blessings—this wasn’t mere speculation but a solid fact. So then…!
— Chooorrr…!
I heard the sound of the strongest egg cracking.
That egg was none other than myself, meaning the cracking signified my own identity, Lee Eunsol, disintegrating.
… As familiar gazes enveloped me within that relentless crack.
My consciousness plummeted into the distant realm of dreams.
— Splash!
*
I snapped back to awareness.
The brisk wind brushed against me, and I felt the soft earth and green, lush forest.
It was indeed a strikingly beautiful mountainous view, but I couldn’t pinpoint where it was.
“Did you wake up?”
“…”
A familiar voice, a familiar face, a familiar person.
Actually, not really any of those things.
I had never heard her true voice nor seen her real face, and she wasn’t even a familiar ‘person’ to begin with either.
“Don’t you hear me?”
“Mother…”
Reuniting with my mother after such a long time felt bittersweet.
“Hey, shall we go hiking?”
Having just felt my consciousness beginning to crumble, I was in a state of extreme tension.
Did she sense that mood of mine?
Mother spoke calmly.
“Take it easy.”
“… I’m about to die, you know? Because of you?”
“A long time ago, a human who became synonymous with genius unveiled one of the universal principles: the flow of time is relative.”
The flow of time is indeed relative. So, take it easy.
Given the circumstances, I easily understood what she meant.
The reality of me was on the verge of annihilation, as my identity was collapsing.
Yet, in this illusory space crafted by my mother, I felt somewhat at ease.
“I see you’ve understood my words. By the way, didn’t you use a time trick to overcome me before?”
“I understand now.”
For a brief moment, we walked the earthen path in silence.
After what felt like ten minutes, my mother broke the silence.
“I think I’ve given you enough time to ponder. Right?”
“I thought you’d lost nearly all your strength, yet you still seem to have some ease.”
“Well, these simple dialogues are possible only in this illusion at the point of being dead. Thanks to you all.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
Truth be told, there wasn’t much love lost between my mother and me.
She twisted father’s life into a broken puppet show and mercilessly killed my younger siblings.
What’s more, she sparked the invasion of Is, leading to the deaths of many humans.
Songee’s family was a prime example, and there were certainly many more cases like that.
It was the same even from another perspective.
My comrades and I had broken down the goals my mother had pursued for eons, almost killing her with a time-trick.
We were worse than foes. A relationship where a simple eye contact could ignite a knife clash…
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’d probably be furious thinking about what you’ve done to me.”
“And now?”
“Maybe after being stabbed once, I feel alright? Seems manageable.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Meeting her in person, despite a slight sardonic tone, there was an absence of a tense atmosphere.
Could someone who can show composure even in front of their killer be considered great?
With a smile that seemed to gleam, my mother spoke again.
“Seems we both might be in trouble.”
“…”
“Let’s take stock of the situation. Firstly, I’m in big trouble since you’ve dragged my poor third child into this mess.”
By “poor third,” she must’ve meant A.
“A must be the third Duke you created, I take it. He seems to have shaky loyalty toward you.”
“That child was born that way. Sometimes, I hoped someone would point out aspects I might overlook.”
“Born as a devil’s representative… so, the weak loyalty was part of the plan.”
“Yes, but at the time I never expected it would come to this.”
A creature born as a devil’s advocate who could sometimes correct divine mistakes.
Currently, that very creature had led my mother to a crisis.
“Thanks to that, I’ve fallen into a trap that’s hard to escape. The twelfth child has met their fate at your hands, and the sixteenth child cannot handle the third alone.”
Despite remaining casual, it was highly likely my mother might not survive the day.
After all, she no longer had means to defend herself against A’s killing intent.
How about in my case?
“On the other hand, you’re in trouble too.”
“…”
“My dear, your ego is in the process of collapsing. I’m sure you’re aware.”
The shocking truth I discovered while progressing in Room 301.
Though I didn’t want to accept it due to fear, I had to—the reality was unavoidable.
Deep inside my heart and soul, there lay a mental replica instilled by the King of Is from the moment of my birth.
This replica couldn’t be erased even by the Flute of Rest or the hotel itself.
Why? Because it was a bomb that had existed since my birth.
Even if the hotel tried to restore me, I had never possessed a “normal point” to begin with.
Now, that replica was attempting to crack this egg known as Lee Eunsol.
…
My mother smiled knowingly.
“You’ve succumbed, haven’t you? Right?”
At that moment, I could barely contain my anger and disgust toward her.
If I could, I would’ve loved to tear her apart and feed her body to the fishes right then!
“Your feelings are visible. You seem rather angry. Are you alright?”
“You…”
“The more dire the situation, the calmer you must remain. Anger rarely helps.”
“Ha! You were quite emotional after ascending to the heavens too! Sitting there like a dazed person—”
“Daughter, the existence of my flaws does not justify your own.”
“…!”
In that instant, my blood pressure skyrocketed, and the world around me tilted.
It felt like someone had stabbed me and then chuckled, “Why so careless?”
But the endurance I developed in the hotel whispered to me.
Stay calm; you must cool down amid this excitement.
“Eunsol, why did it come to this?”
“… If I walk through what happened earlier step by step…”
“Right, why don’t you do that?”
“When the blessing began, a sound rang out. I was greatly startled because I knew you couldn’t possibly muster the power to grant blessings.”
“True, I can no longer try for blessings.”
“It wasn’t an attempt at a blessing; you awakened the replica of yourself that lay dormant in my heart.”
“Is that so? But why did you fall so easily? You knew there was a bomb in your heart.”
“… I thought it couldn’t explode.”
“Why?”
“I mistook the awakening of the replica as part of the blessing ritual. But you’ve lost the power to bring about the blessing.”
She had mistaken the awakening of the replica as part of the blessing process.
Thus, when she thought the blessing couldn’t resume, she figured her identity wouldn’t collapse either.
“You didn’t accurately know the structure of the blessing ritual, did you? The awakening of the replica and the blessing are two separate enchantments.”
“…”
“During previous iterations, the two spells always occurred together. So, you assumed those two spells were one and the same. You believed if you couldn’t invoke blessings, the replica couldn’t awaken either. In reality, they were independent spells.”
“… True enough.”
It was an accurate observation.
I wasn’t the only one to be misled; my comrades, including Han Kain, also shared the same misunderstanding.
“In the end, this is the conclusion you and I reached. I am about to die at the hands of the third, while you are vanishing as your identity crumbles.”
… I pondered, nearly gasping at the dizzying realization.
“Is this you declaring victory? Both you and I will die, but since your replica is awakening within my body, it’s a victory for you?”
Just then, my mother calmly shook her head.
“My daughter, you’ve overlooked one thing. Stay calm.”
In that moment, my mother’s expression felt slightly ‘strict.’
It was as if she were reproving me for overlooking something simple.
It didn’t take long to recognize what I had missed.
“… If you awaken within me and A figures it out—”
“Then the third will seek to kill you.”
A had betrayed even the King he had served for eons.
Betraying me would be far easier.
“A wise person recognizes ten insights once they grasp one. I believe in your cleverness. Now tell me, what did you realize from my words?”
What she said was indeed right.
As suspicion over A had begun to bloom, my mind raced with thoughts.
“The reason I was caught off guard by you, was that I didn’t realize the awakening of the replica was separate from the blessing ritual.”
“Exactly.”
“Meaning I couldn’t decode your magic. Neither I nor my comrades could.”
“And?”
“… But the Dukes can interpret your magic.”
“Of course, the third can interpret my magic too.”
We cannot decipher the King’s magic.
But a Duke can.
Naturally, A could decipher the King’s magic.
“The trap I’ve fallen into isn’t something my comrades and I could foresee, but A definitely did.”
“And yet, that child sent you here.”
In the silence, my mother spoke calmly again.
“I saw you recently displaying keen insight.”
“… Insight?”
“My lovely twelfth child, you gathered a shard after injuring me.”
“…”
“Shall I guess your thoughts? You wanted to take a servant on your celestial journey.”
“…”
“Initially, that candidate would be the third, as he betrayed me and stood by your side, right? But as time passed, you realized.”
“…”
“The third is too powerful, too crafty. Difficult to control. You wished for one who, even if weaker, would be easier to command and loyal.”
“…”
“That candidate would be the shard of the twelfth child. A Duke fragmented from memories and identity. One who no longer distinguishes between you and I, thinking you are the King and serving you.”
In an instant, I started to doubt whether this being before me truly had lost its strength.
Because she perfectly penetrated a thought I had never shared with anyone, even Songee.
Even if she had faded and transformed into a dim specter…
My mother remained a mighty being.
“Not a bad judgment. What I like best is that you too have started to doubt the third.”
Struggling with the breathless tension, I spoke.
“But you said the Is people need a King. A is trying to kill you, yet if he takes me out too—”
The moment I thought that, a shocking realization silenced me.
Just as my mother had a substitute, I too had a substitute.
“Fortunately, the third still has one brother left.”
“…”
“Whether that’s fortunate for you, I can’t say.”
A whirlwind of thoughts swirled through my mind.
Why was A considering betraying me?
Once I started doubting, the reason quickly surfaced.
A’s foremost priority is the safety of his clan.
Just as he believed the King was a threat and sought to eliminate him, so did I feel I was better than the previous ruler, yet still flawed.
Why? Because I was involved with incomprehensible celestial beings.
Since becoming the King, he was more likely to gather strength and leave for the heavens rather than fight for Is.
Thus, A hadn’t warned me about the awakening of the replica.
As long as I could stave off my mother’s interference, he’d continue to serve my cause.
Should I fail to defend against her influence, he’d get rid of me and position my brother in my place.
My brother lacks the extraordinary abilities I possess—as far as qualifications go, he’d be vastly inadequate.
Yet in comparison to the existing King, both my brother and I fall short.
To A, the most critical condition is that “the container for the King is born,” while other aspects can be filled with time and resources.
“My daughter.”
“…”
“If you had one last chance, what would you do?”
“…”
“The answers to your many questions lie in history. The problems you’re currently facing are no different.”
“…”
“There must be only one deserving of the throne. If multiple possess that right, the subordinates tend to harbor strange thoughts.”
“…”
“If just one person were killed, it seems all problems could be resolved.”
—
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.