### Chapter 230 – Room 202, Cursed Room – ‘Mermaid Princess’ (8)
—
– Park Seungyub
I grabbed Rilinganor’s arm, which seemed ready to retreat as if she had already shared enough.
“Not so fast. The nightmare stories were interesting and all, but the real disaster is still on our hands.”
“…”
“Don’t act like you don’t know. The tsunami! We saved quite a few people, but how many lives were lost in this disaster? At least thousands, I bet! Damage to property must be uncalculable!”
“Isn’t it a natural disaster?”
“Are you kidding me? I saw it happen! It wasn’t just water coming from the sea; the ground split open and water erupted! Does that sound natural to you? Plus, you! You rode that guy—”
“Koong!”
“—Koong here to rescue people? You should have foreseen the tsunami in advance! The only evidence I pulled from this moment is just what I saw! If the Administration Bureau investigates it, all the truth will come to light, so just spill it!”
“…I’m not hiding anything. I simply don’t know. The early response was because I can communicate with sea creatures. There were already reactions in the ocean about 15 minutes before the tsunami.”
“Fine, but what’s your explanation for the ground splitting open and water rising?”
“Definitely not a natural phenomenon.”
“Then what is it?”
After a brief moment of silence as if she was choosing her words carefully, the girl muttered.
“If the merfolk are involved in this disaster, it’s probably not the whole race’s intention.”
That sounded more like a confession in my ears than an excuse. It seemed Rilinganor thought that the tsunami was beyond nature and related to a being or faction that could cause such supernatural disasters.
“If it’s not the intention of all merfolk, then whose intention is it?”
“Serenade sister has been doing incomprehensible things for a while now…”
Serenade. I recalled what Eunsol had said earlier. She was the saint of the deep sea, the leader of Sea God Island, right?
“She was already the eldest among us, and although she had the reputation for being calm and smart to fit the role of a saint, she wasn’t exactly narrow-minded. But two months ago, Elena sister suddenly disappeared, and the guardian brother who protested was exiled. Not long after, I even heard that he was dead. When I questioned this, they also chased me away to the mainland.”
“Guardian brother? The son of the lord of Cheongseong Group? Why did he protest that Elena had disappeared?”
“…It was originally a secret, but now that the brother is dead, there’s no point in keeping it a secret. Guardian brother and Elena sister were lovers.”
“Wait, what? That’s quite a twist!”
“Excuse me? Twist?”
“Oh, never mind. I’m just flustered. Keep going!”
So, Elena, the second daughter of the sea god, and Lee Sooho were lovers? Why hadn’t the Cheongseong Group spilled this important information? I quickly realized the answer.
Conflicts concerning ownership of the harbor were severe between Sea God Island and the Cheongseong Group. In such a situation, that the daughter of the sea god and the chairman’s son were lovers wouldn’t exactly be pleasant for either party. Maybe even Sooho himself had kept this a secret.
… Even though it’s a setup, dating an NPC? Elena would be shocked when she wakes up later. Or maybe she’d think of it as a performance since she used to be an actress?
“Anyway, the crux of my words is that Serenade sister started acting strange somewhere along the line. Although we’re not blood-related, she wouldn’t behave so harshly towards someone like family.”
The eldest daughter of the sea god, the leader of Sea God Island, the saint of the deep sea. Hearing about Serenade’s rampage sparked an idea in my mind.
Let’s take Rilinganor into Sea God Island!
Since I had never been, I didn’t know what my allies experienced on the island. Yet this scenario likely painted Serenade as the villain. Bringing Rilinganor, the victim of the villain, to the island might help!
“Rilinganor, let’s go to Sea God Island together.”
“Wait, did you not hear me? My sister drove me away!”
“That sister is being investigated by my allies on the island. She can’t act like a tyrant anymore.”
“… Are you saying I should help you guys and put my sister in danger?”
“Rilinganor! Look around!”
Busan is done for. This isn’t a metaphorical expression; it’s true. The streets are filled with floating cars and dead bodies. The buildings visible are packed with people waiting for rescue.
How many people have died? What about the property damage?
“If your merfolk really did this, the Administration Bureau will demand blood in payment. The non-aggression treaty is now nothing but waste paper.”
“…”
“I think you suspect your sister is the culprit too, don’t you?”
From a brief exchange, I could sense that Rilinganor believed her sister was either having a breakdown or engaging in some upheaval.
“I believe pushing your sister out is in the best interest of all the merfolk. If not, the entire race will bear the responsibility for this disaster!”
Whoa! Honestly, I was surprised to say that. Wasn’t that a pretty cool line?
“Hey! Don’t talk like that! Don’t just assume we did it.”
“So, are you going or what?”
“I’ll go. I guess it’s about time I saw her face again.”
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 100
Current Location: 2nd Floor, Room 202 – Cursed Room ‘Mermaid Princess’
Sage’s Advice: 0
– Han Kain
I was startled when Seungyub suddenly popped up in the chat window, and then even more surprised when my scenario got updated to report ‘Arrival of the Sea God’s Daughter, Rilinganor’. Thankfully, when I finally met Seungyub in person, he cleared up our doubts.
“… This is what happened. Now you all understand, right?”
After arriving on the island, Seungyub took a while to recount everything he experienced. In short, while attempting to escape, he met Rilinganor, the Sea God’s third daughter, and upon gathering information, boarded a giant marine worm together to reach the island.
Among the interesting elements in Seungyub’s story were three points.
First, the origin of everything: Lee Sooho was the lover of Elena, the second daughter of the sea god.
Second, a tsunami struck in Busan, causing tremendous damage, and the cause seemed to be linked to the Sea God Island.
Third, the merfolk were suffering from inexplicable nightmares.
“Seungyub, where’s Rilinganor right now?”
“She has her own hideout on the island. She’s trying to avoid Serenade’s gaze. I got the address.”
“Then let’s go right away. I need to ask her all sorts of things.”
On our way to the limousine, Eunsol asked Seungyub with a bit of concern.
“Hey Seungyub, wasn’t your main role to escape? Bringing Rilinganor along is great, but your presence here can jeopardize the escape plan.”
After a moment of hesitation, Seungyub replied.
“I acted due to luck, not on my own accord.”
“Luck?”
“I had this nagging feeling that something was amiss in Busan. After the tsunami hit, it turns out my instincts were spot on!”
“Well done.”
“So I booked a bus to change locations. But then, just at the moment I was about to board!”
“At that moment?”
“Out of nowhere, something completely bizarre happened, and I wasn’t able to board the bus. The next thing I knew, the tsunami hit and the bus was swept away.”
“Oh? Well, there’s nothing you can do about that. Thanks for your efforts!”
After about 30 minutes in the limousine, we arrived at the hideout. The sun was starting to set. Upon arriving, we conversed with Rilinganor and learned several new facts.
First off, even when all three daughters were active on the island, most power lay with Serenade. It seemed that Rilinganor, who I met, looked like she was only in her mid-teens and wasn’t suited for ruling the island.
At least Elena participated in various affairs and had some influence and support, according to the explanations.
With great focus, Ahri asked.
“If we find Elena, can we counter Serenade?”
“Do you know where Elena is?”
“Elena has more influence and a support base than I do. To the islanders, she could be an alternative to Serenade.”
“This flute. You mentioned it’s a divine artifact given by the sea god?”
“More accurately, it’s been passed down through generations—”
“Does another daughter of the sea god have the same item?”
“Yes.”
“Wait a sec. We need to have a word amongst ourselves.”
Stepping into the adjacent room, Ahri said.
“It seems this storyline is progressing fittingly. Although I still don’t know what secret Serenade holds, circumstantially, she seems close to being the antagonist. Also, she’s not just a figure wielding wicked power but is more akin to a political leader with authority based on state administration.”
Eunsol chimed in, “So we’ll bring Elena and destabilize Serenade’s position?”
“In the current situation, no matter how much we attack Serenade or criticize her faults, there are limits, you know? The inhabitants of Sea God Island only accept the daughter of the sea god as their leader. There’s no ‘alternative’ as Rilinganor is too young, and it’ll be difficult to view her as one. If we can bring Elena, who does have a support base, and reveal Serenade’s wrongdoings, we might shake her position.”
Grandpa too was in agreement.
“Seen from the internal room scenario, from the ‘hotel antagonist perspective,’ waking sealed participants is directly linked to resolving the scenario. Ahri’s guess seems to be accurate. In this room, Elena’s role is essentially to counter Serenade.”
Eunsol appeared to think likewise.
“It’s possible Elena possesses information about Serenade’s weaknesses or misdeeds that we’re unaware of. Perhaps Serenade realized that and took action to imprison Elena.”
As I gathered that up, Ahri finally decided.
“Now we have a way to locate Elena. Isn’t it said that all of the sea god’s daughters have the same flute? I’ll track Rilinganor’s flute. This should show two directions on a compass, and the path that isn’t towards Serenade should lead us to Elena.”
Plans began moving quickly. Ahri started tracking Rilinganor’s flute, and Rilinganor offered to join as she declared we’d rescue her sister, stepping into the limousine.
*
In the dark night, the limousine sped through the roads of Sea God Island.
Suddenly, a question struck me. Why was Elena sealed?
Targets for sealing aren’t random. The being with the most critical ability in the cursed room gets sealed. For instance, the primary reason I was sealed in Room 201 was that I was the only being capable of going in and out of the place holding the ‘zero-dimensional eye’ without penalties while being the one protected by the status window’s mental safeguards.
What could be the reason Elena got sealed? Justice? The fact that the opponent isn’t even human is uncertain. The ominous fantasies? Is there even a reason why ominous visions are the most crucial strength?
Making something coherent felt possible, but there wasn’t a definitive ‘this is it!’ moment. Plus, I still remembered Rilinganor’s talk about ‘nightmares.’ Surely, Elena, being a daughter of the sea god, would be exposed to them as well.
For a moment, I even mused whether awakening Elena might be a mistake, but I dismissed it. Such theorizing negates the very rules the hotel has set. The unsealing of participants directly correlates to the resolution of the room—a rule determined by no one else but the hotel constructing this scenario.
“Ah!”
Rilinganor’s voice cut through the silence. All eyes turned to her, and she muttered, looking startled.
“I think I know where we’re going. It seems familiar…”
“Where to?”
Her answer surprised everyone.
“To a mental hospital. I don’t go there often though.”
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