### Chapter 409 – Room 206, The Curse Room – ‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days’ (11)
—
— Elena
— Raaaaah!
As soon as I took a deep breath, the security system protecting the wealthy mansion collapsed in an instant.
In the Curse Room, there are beings that can engage in a showdown with me using Justice.
At least Leon Kardirov is not one of them.
He just kept backing away with a dazed expression.
“…”
Even as I approached, half demolishing the mansion, the mayor didn’t utter a single word.
According to Ahri, he has the power to rewind time, yet he summoned no coins or anything.
It seems using the “One More Chance” ability requires quite a long recharge after it’s activated.
Thank goodness for that.
But it’s a bit disappointing.
I wanted to catch him and interrogate him about the secrets he’s hiding, but Justice didn’t grant me that autonomy.
My only option was to slow down the trial a little.
“Why not leave a farewell message? If you’re going, at least do it without leaving me frustrated.”
And maybe spill some secrets too!
The mayor muttered with a defeated expression.
“Who on earth… I apologize. You can’t be from the Demon King cult. Where did you come from?”
“Is that all?”
“I just hope this isn’t the end of everything.”
— Crack!
In the end, I killed him without learning anything useful.
As the trial concluded, the limitless power that filled my body fizzled out like a sandcastle collapsing.
Maybe it had been a while since I used the power of Justice?
I teetered, feeling a wave of fatigue crash over me.
Is that it? There’s no way!
I’m not a genius, but I know this much.
Nothing substantial about the room’s secrets was revealed, so if it suddenly got resolved, that would be weird.
It was even uncertain whether killing Leon was the right call to begin with.
This round, he was out to kill us, so it couldn’t be helped.
“What should we do now?”
Just as I was mumbling in confusion, a familiar voice called out to me.
“Over here!”
“Huh?”
Kain appeared at the mansion window wearing ‘Wing Boots’!
— Clang!
“Mr. Kain! You know how to use Wing Boots?”
“I worked hard to learn from Ahri. Thanks to that, I can move up and down. We need to leave right now! I don’t know about you, but the city’s in chaos!”
*
Three days passed.
…And, unbelievably, nothing happened at all.
The assassination of the mayor by an unknown assassin shocked the city, but that was it.
Leon’s cruel fake identity system ended up stabilizing society during this time.
Citizens of grade 2 gathered to form a makeshift assembly, and rumors flew about electing a new mayor soon.
Apparently, only citizens of grade 3 and above were granted voting rights.
On the day the mayor was assassinated, everyone from the mayor’s inner circle knew I had been dining with him, so I underwent several investigations.
Fortunately, nothing serious came of it.
“I didn’t expect it to be this easy to clear my name.”
“Isn’t that obvious? The evidence like cameras were all smashed while you were in the state of Justice. Plus, publicly, you’re just an actress, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Logically, why would a successful celebrity suddenly kill the mayor? There’s no reason or ability to do so.”
The person sitting across from me, Kain, spoke casually, sipping his drink.
“We’re just casting our nets to catch the Demon King worshipers.”
“For them, that makes sense.”
We were dining at a famous restaurant in Paradise.
With the mayor dead, the hunt for Kain also ended.
After all, for those who remained oblivious to the rewind, there was no reason to pursue Kain.
“It’s oddly frustrating. There’s so much we don’t know.”
“Right.”
“Where’s Miro? And Pero?”
“Indeed.”
While the fact that Miro had been sealed became evident as we pinpointed the location of our fellow comrades, that was as far as we got.
We still had no idea where Miro was.
“Pero usually stays close to one of us. It was usually Songyi, but not this time.”
It seems Pero was also near Miro.
It was practically on the level of being sealed together, something we had experienced in Room 201.
Kain muttered, looking somewhat frustrated.
“It feels like I wasted three days in the void.”
“…”
“I haven’t learned a single thing. To be honest, it seems like we’re the only survivors, excluding Miro.”
That wasn’t untrue.
While I was being interrogated by the informants, Kain, having gained his freedom, wandered through the city eagerly but came up empty-handed with additional info.
It was a realistic problem; the mayor’s death made the informants super vigilant, and Kain was a grade 4 citizen.
“Ugh… Should I have started a revolution this time too?!”
“This time it’s impossible. With the mayor dead, the revolution’s very goal becomes ambiguous. More likely, people think that since the oppressor is dead, life might get a little better now.”
“Huh…”
“Don’t worry. Things might change from here.”
“What’s going to change? The vigilance is still on high alert!”
“Because I’m wealthy.”
Kain’s straightforward admission made him slap his knee.
“Oh, I totally forgot that!”
“This restaurant, do you even know how much a meal costs? Kain, you couldn’t even make a reservation with your monthly salary.”
“Wow! That’s seriously harsh? I should definitely start a revolution!”
Why does Kain keep thinking about revolting?!
Who starts revolutions twice? Lenin didn’t even go for a second round!
Just then, the waiter appeared with a plate in hand.
In front of Kain was a luxurious lamb chop steak, and in front of me was a half-steamed, half-fried sea bass dish.
Kain’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Wh-What in the world?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Seeing this makes me remember the corn porridge I had yesterday. That feels like dog food now!”
“Haha! Enjoy your meal—”
“A grade 4 citizen is munching on pieces of meat while those up top are having this lavish party? This is definitely explosive—that’s just wrong without a revolution—”
— Tick!
I hit Kain’s plate with my fork.
“Just shut up and eat.”
“… Yes.”
The sea bass dish was truly delicious.
The crisp skin and the melting flesh combined in an ideal harmony, and the flavor of the lemon essence sauce was exquisite.
Kain, who was tearing into the mint jelly-coated lamb chops in front of him, was wowed.
“This is amazing! Is this what you call crispy on the outside and tender on the inside? That green jelly didn’t make me wonder at first, but paired with the lamb chop, it gives off this minty aroma—it’s astonishing!”
“Right?”
“But how on earth did they get lamb and sea bass in a city-state where ordinary people can’t even step out?”
Instead of answering, I pointed at the price tag with my fork.
“…”
“See? With your monthly salary, you can’t even buy a single lamb leg, right?”
“…”
“The price says it all.”
As I was halfway through my plate, Kain suddenly chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just had a random thought.”
“Yeah?”
“What if a girl with lots of money has a revolution? Why would she do that if she can just bring me here easily?”
“…”
“…”
A brief silence fell.
Then, Kain awkwardly added.
“I meant, um… in terms of appearance, you kinda seem like a girlfriend, you know?”
“You mean, like a lucky young man who ended up with a rich girlfriend just because he’s handsome?”
His sudden flustered reaction made him turn away, feeling bashful.
Is it really that weird to be shy about this stuff now?
I don’t mind being told I’m pretty! It’s just the truth, isn’t it?
Kain smiled awkwardly and switched the topic.
“Thinking about it, tomorrow the media might go wild.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because the most famous actress in the city is dining out with a grade 4 mining worker out of the blue. This is definitely a juicy story!”
Well, that’s true.
It seemed there weren’t any reporters lurking around due to the high price of the restaurant, but gossip like this is impossible to hide.
“I don’t care. Should we surprise people even more?”
“Surprise them more…?”
“Hehe!”
Kain said it was a waste of three days, but that didn’t feel right to me.
At least not today.
Because it was a thoroughly enjoyable moment.
Admittedly, it was somewhat eerie that we were the only living souls left.
So…
“Kain, I have something to say.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a continuation of what I mentioned back in the hotel.”
“E-Elena!”
“This is an important moment, so don’t cut me off with weird comments—”
“Elena! My powers are returning!”
“…”
The moment I heard that, it was like someone poured cold water over me, snapping me back to reality.
It’s back.
The Blessing of Justice and the power of ominous imaginings awakened.
“Wh-What is this?!”
This restaurant isn’t in the wealthy mansion or outside Paradise.
It’s a place where the indomitable reason suppresses our powers!
But suddenly, the power has returned?
Kain and I looked at each other, dazed.
“Indomitable reason!”
“It stopped. Ah, wait? Why did it stop? Why all of a sudden—no, no, this isn’t the time for those thoughts!”
Kain hastily touched the air, checking the script.
“Huh? Huh?”
“What does it say? What does the script say?”
“It’s because the mayor died that nobody supplied fuel to the indomitable reason!”
That was something Ahri told me.
The indomitable reason is similar to the “soul furnace” the Administration Bureau attempted to create but failed, requiring constant human lives for both its creation and maintenance.
In fact, before the rewind, the mayor sacrificed many of his comrades to fuel the indomitable reason.
“So what happens now?”
Kain sprang up, looking like a man possessed.
“Kain?”
“Ha, ha! What is this…”
— Wheeeng! Wheeeng!
Suddenly, a loud alarm echoed through the place.
“Attention, citizens! This is an emergency broadcast. Anyone inside buildings like restaurants, apartments, or libraries must immediately move to an open space.”
People began to chatter all around.
“What’s going on?”
“What’s with this sudden broadcast?”
“They’re telling us to get out!”
“It must be an earthquake! There’s no doubt it’s an earthquake alert!”
As soon as the fat guy uttered the word ‘earthquake,’ everyone panicked and rushed toward the door.
“Once again, I’ll remind you. Everyone inside must make an immediate evacuation.”
“Kain! We should head outside—”
At that moment, Kain grabbed my hand with an apathetic look.
“Kain?”
“Just stay put.”
“Huh?”
“Just stay still.”
While everyone else dashed toward the entrance, we stood there like two dummies.
And then—
— Crunch!
“Gyaaah!”
“Monsters!”
A familiar sound broke out from outside.
The noise we made while eating just earlier.
The sound of something cracking open and devouring the flesh inside.
The sound of bones being slowly picked clean.
With vacant expressions, we looked out the restaurant window, and everything finally came into focus.
The cargo truck rolled by on its own, crushing dozens of people beneath it.
Some houses stood up like living organisms and started devouring people from the streets.
A snake-like monster’s head appeared from a billboard and lunged its tongue in every direction.
It’s hell.
In the blink of an eye, Paradise transformed into a hellscape.
It wasn’t just something lurking outside the restaurant; an unidentified malevolence was attacking the entire city.
— Tick!
The lights went out, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
“What the hell! What is this?!”
Just as I was about to fall over from shock at the sudden appearance of red letters in the air, Kain caught me.
“Ha! I don’t know who the hell is doing this, but chill out!”
I saw the smile, or rather heard it.
An overwhelming force that could shatter concrete buildings with a single blow.
— Crash!
She appeared with the thunder.
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 272 (+40)
Current Location: Room 206, The Curse Room – ‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days’
Sage’s Advice: 1]
— Han Kain
It seems we’re totally screwed.
That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after much deliberation.
The last sentence of the script I checked after a long while pierced my eyes painfully.
“Script: The Curse Room – ‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days’
Three days have passed since Leon Kardirov, the backbone of the city, was assassinated.
Over the last three days, no one has provided fuel for the indomitable reason.
Consequently, the flame of reason supporting Paradise has crumbled.”
“Do your best.
I hope this isn’t the end of the journey.
The Demon King is about to revive.”
“Damn it! It said he’d revive after 100 days! Not yet!”
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