Chapter 720 – Conclusion and Choice (7)
—
— Yu Songee
Finally, we reached the absolute conclusion of Room 301.
“Ah… so this is how it ends.”
In the final moment, the King of Is perished into dust without putting up any resistance against Duke A.
Perhaps he preferred to show some sort of dignity rather than make an ugly scene in front of his long-serving minister and heir.
Just before disappearing, he cast a gaze at my sister that was so chilling it was hard to put into words.
According to my sister afterward, that look was a warning not to forget A’s dangerous nature.
Naturally, that couldn’t have been said with the belief that my sister was a true heir or a beloved daughter.
The King of Is viewed Lee Eunsol as “someone who would eventually become himself,” hence the warning to not fall prey to A.
Inside my sister’s heart, the King’s clone still dwells.
This time it couldn’t awaken, but what about in the distant future?
Just as Han Kain oppa has to confront the madness of two legacies and the blessings he’d gained for his lifetime, my sister will also have to endure an endless tug-of-war with the demon sleeping within her heart.
It feels like it will be an extremely long battle.
…
In the spot where the King of Is vanished, there lay a piece, burning black like flames, which naturally ended up in my sister’s hands.
“Is this… a fragment of our mother? What do we do with this?”
A simply answered with clarity.
“I have no idea.”
“…”
“This is the last piece infused with the greatness of the late king. Compared to his grandeur, it’s merely a speck…”
“…”
“On the other hand, this is the remains of a great being. It’s a part of one who was born destined to traverse the cosmos from the chaos.”
“What do you mean?”
“It might just be the universe’s greatest elixir that fundamentally alters your status.”
“Oh joy…”
In this desolate underground ruin, a brief silence fell.
Soon, A spoke again.
“Your Highness.”
In that instant, my sister flinched awkwardly.
She was used to being called “Princess” several times, but “Your Highness” was just new and fresh.
“I have fended off the two Dukes threatening you. I also endured the former king, who tried to devour you. I’m not seeking compensation; I just wish for an honest answer to my next question.”
“… What a grand preamble. Just spit it out.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
What do I plan to do now?
Of course, I should return to the hotel.
If the word “hotel” is transformed into “heaven,” Duke A must have an inkling.
However, it seems he wants to turn that suspicion into conviction.
My sister answered honestly.
It wouldn’t work to lie because he’s not someone who would fall for it anyway.
“Once, the one who shed tears for the Three Thousand Worlds bestowed this calling upon me… I must fulfill that mission.”
“… We need you.”
Maybe the situation could lead to a volatile crisis.
Fortunately, my sister had a fitting excuse ready.
“The flow of time in heaven and earth is completely different. Even if I spend 100 years in heaven, that doesn’t mean 100 years will pass on earth.”
The timelines of the hotel and Room 301 are fundamentally different.
They only temporarily sync while the observatory telescope is observing Room 301.
Once we return to the third floor, the telescope will no longer gaze into Room 301.
“What do you mean?”
With a shrug that feigned calmness, my sister responded as if to say my worries were trivial.
“From my perspective, after spending a long time in heaven, I’ll return here, but for you, it’ll be like I blinked and a tremendously powerful Emperor returns. Understand?”
“I understand. Your Highness, I will await your return triumphant.”
The dark flames blooming within A slowly extinguished.
With the King of Is’s death, the anxiety A had during that moment vanished.
At least for now.
By the way, what’s with this Emperor title?
Sister, do you secretly want to be called an emperor instead of a king?
Just before parting, the newly elevated sister gifted me with two unexpected items.
*
Two days passed.
The end of party time is near, so we must return to the hotel tonight.
— Bark!
“Aah… shut up. Ryan, be quiet.”
A lot happened over the last two days.
Sister contacted the remnants of the Administration Bureau to tidy up Room 301, and ordered the evacuation of the Is species using royal authority.
It seems a few Dukes will remain on earth as humanity’s “guardians” — I feel a strange discomfort with that title.
Of course, the guise of “guardians” won’t fool the grotesque aliens.
They claimed, publicly, that they were conducting research to prevent the chaos that arose in Room 301.
In summary, it’s measures to restore Room 301 to a livable state amidst chaos.
While my sister seems still worried…
Me? I think this is enough.
The King of Is has vanished without a trace.
The aliens are scheduled to evacuate, and only a few of the strongest entities remain to calm the unrest.
If there’s any separate issue, it’s just to subtly check the vibe down below until it wakes up, I suppose?
I heard it would take hundreds of years until then.
“Really, this is sufficient.”
Someday, I might return to Room 301 after being freed from all the restraints of the third floor, right?
Because home is where one finds solace.
When that time comes, I’ll have to tackle the aforementioned issues seriously.
But that’s a matter for a distant future, not something I need to worry about now.
Now this loop is out of our hands.
*
A delightful family dinner time.
My parents naturally discussed the common people’s sentiments regarding the recent chaos.
“Wow! I thought the world was ending these days.”
“Did you suddenly hear of an apocalypse or something?”
“No, think about it! Monsters killing people in broad daylight in downtown Seoul, while the Administration Bureau is nowhere to be seen? I was so scared that I switched on the TV only to find the station half-destroyed and bizarre news coming up…”
“Honey, didn’t the news come out a little while ago? It seems like it’s starting to wrap up.”
“Hmm, they said there was a temporary disturbance at the Administration Bureau HQ… Is that really true? You can’t trust what those guys are saying! They…”
“Honey!”
“Oh, oh. Sorry about that.”
“…”
“Uh, Songi, I didn’t mean to say that in front of you—”
“Pfft! Dad, don’t worry about it.”
My parents think I’m an agent of the Administration Bureau.
But honestly, they’re not entirely wrong.
I had actually gained agent status in reality, and I’ll probably acquire agent status in the reconstruction of Administration Bureau v2 in Room 301.
Wait, isn’t “agent” a tad too low for my standing?
If I stay in Room 301, wouldn’t I turn into some silent observer-like entity?
So what should the most powerful person in humanity, Yu Songee, do— ugh, pointless thoughts!
“Well, we have you, so we feel safe.”
“Really… really… you have no idea how happy I am.”
Suddenly, my parents grabbed my hands with a teary-eyed expression.
“By the way, why are you two acting like this?”
Feeling some pride from my parents’ attitude mixed with considerable embarrassment.
On the other hand, the ‘petty fear of ordinary citizens’ felt bitter.
In a world where the Administration Bureau, which supported civilization, was half-crushed, it’s hard to find trustworthy entities like my family who’ve awakened as agents.
“By the way, it seems like the hospital has collapsed. What do we do about that…”
“You should feel grateful just to have your life! As for the hospital…”
“Don’t worry! Dad said it would be the top priority for recovery.”
“What? Not a normal hospital, but how can an animal hospital be top priority—”
It seems my dad was shocked by the ridiculous notion that an animal hospital would be given top priority when people’s hospitals were also busy with recovery.
Of course, Dad soon realized that his daughter is an agent after all.
“Ah, um. Hm. Umm! Uh, thanks.”
“Songi, are you okay? Even with that—”
“Ah! Hey, let’s finish our meal.”
… I genuinely mean it; I’ve never used any pressure on the Admin Bureau folks.
The staff just made “voluntary” decisions on their own, and I hardly need to cancel those decisions, do I?
“Haha! This stew is really delicious today.”
It was a happy day.
For me, and my parents.
— Bark!
“Shut up.”
“That guy, was it Ryan? He seems to have a lot of fearfulness in his actions.”
“He was rescued from a stray dog center; that’s why. Please take good care of him.”
“Don’t worry.”
*
Late at night.
— Swoosh…!
Touching the oddly wriggling piece instilled a weird sense of déjà vu in me.
It reminded me a bit of when I was caring for the golden egg before Pero was born.
Something was trying to awaken with a new identity.
However, it wasn’t happening yet.
— Growl!
The frightened howl of Ryan had me chuckling.
While I was in the presence of my parents, we had to observe each other, but now I didn’t have to.
“Why? Are you scared? Afraid you’ll become like this piece?”
— Growl!
“Don’t worry. You aren’t worth making into pieces.”
In my hand, the wriggling fragment lay there.
A white Samoyed, trembling in fear.
Both were gifts my sister gave me.
First, the clever wriggling piece.
A fragment of the Duke that shattered by the mirror.
At the time of its creation, my sister thought she could use it as a minion, but it didn’t play out that way.
The backstory is simple.
A few days ago, my sister realized I awakened the genuine power of varying perspectives — the logic of thresholds.
She also knew that I couldn’t properly use that power on my own.
Because a human named ‘Yu Songee’ isn’t born from the threshold.
This limitation couldn’t even be overcome by the authors of varying perspectives, the Athanasias.
Thus, I needed a helper to send me to the threshold.
Those who were born from the threshold — indeed, the Dukes of Is.
All other fragments were destroyed at the site, but one piece survived thanks to my sister’s kindness.
That “kindness” ended up binding the fragment with the sense of duty, giving it a chance at new life.
And the second gift, my beloved Samoyed.
My sister seemed unsure of whether this would be helpful or not…
But to me, it was just as joyous a gift as the first!
“Come here.”
— Purr…!
Trembling in fear, this white dog obeyed my command.
“Why are you so scared? Worried that I’ll kill you again?”
— Eek!
“Here, this is your food.”
*
Early morning.
Waking up from the crack of dawn, I stepped out of my room and found my parents in the living room.
“Songi, are you leaving for work already?”
“…”
“Today— No, you won’t be back until tomorrow, right?”
“…”
Both of them seem to guess I’m heading somewhere far today.
Even though I said nothing the previous day.
It seems a parent’s ability to predict their child’s actions doesn’t need any mind-reading powers.
Neither of us were children anymore, so they didn’t try to stop me.
My mother was shedding tears as she embraced me, while my dad just lowered his head.
“I love you; come back safely.”
A multitude of sentences swept through my mind.
Mom, Dad. Actually, I’m not just an agent; I’m something far more astonishing! Isn’t it cool?
With Room 301 purified, I might just be able to visit every party time!
Though I feel like it’ll take a long, long time before I can come back here.
For you, it might feel like I leave today and come back tomorrow, right? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure myself.
A swirling mess of thoughts.
Regrettably, most were pieces of information hard to convey to my parents.
After some thought, the words that came out were quite simple.
It’s something I would likely say every morning before coming to the hotel.
“I’ll be back.”
“Oh, Songi. You’re not taking Ryan with you?”
“Pfft! No, just… I have something to discuss outside for a bit.”
What an odd thing to say — that I have something to say to a dog.
It seemed my dad didn’t take my words seriously.
*
As soon as I stepped outside, I spotted a black car sent by the Daeyang Group from a distance.
I had told them I could return to Pioneer Building on my own and not to fuss, but it obviously concerned my sister.
Feeling the cold morning air, I naturally lowered my gaze.
— Eek!
The dog was still shivering in the corner, curling up tight.
Seems he’s really afraid of me.
“Why do you keep acting like this? If someone sees this, they’d think I’m abusing you.”
Even though I said that, I actually wanted to scare him a bit more by pulling out the fragment.
How does it feel to Ryan?
Am I a devil tearing the guardian of the clan into pieces and enslaving it?
I’m not exactly sure, but he really does seem terrified.
— Growl…!
Now he’s even drooling in fear!
“Wow! That’s so dog-like! Not trying to mock him; it’s just impressive how dog-like he’s acting.”
I knelt down to meet Ryan’s gaze.
“Honestly, I thought you were already gone. I was shocked when I heard from my sister that you were alive.”
— Eek!
“Later I realized I didn’t really see you fall apart like dust. I kinda ran out of time back then.”
— Eek…!
“I’m relieved you’re alive; it makes you happy and me happy, so everyone’s happy.”
The power of empathy whispers to me.
This dog— no, this chaos entity is terribly afraid of you.
That fear and despair delight me.
“You will serve my parents for a long time.”
— Grrr!
“Don’t worry. Both of them love animals, so you’ll get well-fed.”
— Bark!
“You don’t need to worry about the home security system either. I had the staff handle that. So… accept the life that suits you. You know? A dog is usually a friend of humans.”
Let’s not forget the last hope.
“Who knows? Someday the King may forgive you and lift your punishment.”
Of course, this dog probably doesn’t even understand why the new king would punish him.
Just then, the black car I saw approaching stopped right in front of me.
“Are you Miss Songi? Please get in.”
“Thank you.”
— Click!
As soon as I hopped into the car alone, the driver looked puzzled.
“Is it okay to leave the dog behind? I thought you’d come in together. If it’s about getting the car dirty, please don’t worry about that—”
“It’s fine. This dog is quite clever; he can get home by himself.”
It’s time to return to the hotel.
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