Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Red Prince's Tragedy - 2
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[Long ago, a kingdom existed far from the center of the Earth.]
The moment the narration echoed, a chill ran down my spine. I instinctively knew something was wrong.
The audience filled the 300-seat small theater, yet they didn't seem to realize the gravity of the situation. But I was different.
Ever since the red velvet curtains parted to reveal the stage, I had a strange feeling. I came to see a modern play called [Boy A], but a massive sailing ship was sitting right there on the stage. Anyone could see this was a mistake.
"Wait a minute..."
Moon Jin-wook, sitting next to me, also sensed something was off and tried to stand. I calmly grabbed his arm and pulled him down. I clamped his mouth shut and forced him back into his seat.
-Stay still.
I whispered in a low voice right by Moon Jin-wook's ear. His eyes widened in confusion.
Judging by his reaction, he must have thought the best chance of survival was to leave the theater immediately. Unfortunately, the Tragedy of the Red Prince wasn't a ghost story you could simply walk away from, unlike others.
Thanks to the Ruminative Thought Enhancement Serum, information related to the ghost story naturally surfaced in my mind.
Ghost Story Investigation Record #42 : On-site Investigation Team 6, 66th to watch the play <■■■■>. Originally, <■■■■> was a Class F ghost story that caused minor stress and nightmares, but an abnormality occurred. A massive sailing ship appeared on stage out of nowhere. A completely different, fairytale-like play began, differing entirely from the previously performed content. At the start, all personnel deemed to be interfering with the play's progression and all those attempting to leave the theater had their heads [REDACTED].
Interfere with the play's progression, and you die.
Leave the theater, and you die.
Just two lines of text clearly showed the severity of our situation. The Foundation's ghost story investigation records were always like this. Concise and to the point, with the price being death.
Murmurs rose from the audience, unaware of this fact. The confused voices of people who didn't know what was happening filled the seats. The light filtering through the thick velvet curtains flickered uneasily.
"What the hell is..."
"Wait, this isn't the play we were supposed to see..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Leon's Keychain reacted immediately. The scene unfolding on stage was pixelated. A sound of something exploding was heard from the blurred screen, and red liquid splattered everywhere. Although the direct scene wasn't visible, I could feel my body's adrenaline分泌ing at more than twice the normal rate.
Screams filled the auditorium. The desperate wails of terrified people echoed off the ceiling.
"Help me!"
"We have to get out of here..."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Along with the接连的 dull sounds of explosions, red droplets splattered across the pixelated screen. It felt like a delusion, losing its sense of reality. It was like watching a censored video, but the acrid smell stinging my nose reminded me that this was all real.
My heart felt like it was going to burst. My mind went blank. Fear wrapped around my entire body. Cold sweat trickled down my back.
'Calm down... I have to calm down!'
With trembling hands, I opened my briefcase. I pulled out a green Emotion Spray and sprayed it into my mouth. It was my first time using the item, but now wasn't the time to hesitate.
The scent of green apple filled my mouth. The refreshing and sweet aroma stimulated my nose. At the same time, I felt my mind calm down. My scattered emotions slowly settled.
I looked over and saw Moon Jin-wook's face had turned deathly pale. His usual composure was gone, and only his terrified eyes were flickering uneasily. I sprayed the spray into his mouth as well.
"Hoo... Haa..."
Moon Jin-wook took a deep breath. He seemed to have calmed down a bit. At least enough to avoid falling into a panic.
[The King, the Queen, and the Prince left on an adventure to travel the world and learn of new cultures.]
A voice that felt somewhat familiar, yet incredibly alien. It sounded like a voice coming from an old radio.
A figure with a red crown and a white mask, wrapped in a cloth, appeared on stage. The Red Prince.
[One day, the ship they were on was caught in a storm...]
Flash—!
A sound effect of lightning striking the stage rang out. The lightning effect was so vivid that the surviving audience members flinched.
The moment the blue flash illuminated the seats, the puddles of blood on the floor became even more prominent.
[The Prince, the Queen, and the King ended up falling into the sea.]
Splash—
The sound of the actors on stage falling into the sea one by one was heard, and then they disappeared.
According to Foundation documents, most of the actors participating in the play also died or went missing during the performance, so it was highly likely that the actors who fell into the sea were dead. Perhaps their bodies would never even be found.
Luckily, thanks to the Emotion Spray, I didn't feel like I was going to vomit like before.
I thought about what I should do now. I needed a way to survive this situation.
'First... I must not watch the play until the end.'
But how?
If I tried to leave the theater or interfered with the play's progression, my head would explode. There was no way out using ordinary methods.
[The Prince, fortunately, was washed up on a remote island but was heavily injured.]
At some point, the sea and the sailing ship had vanished, and the stage had instantly transformed into a sandy beach. The background changed in an instant. The Red Prince's cloth was stained blood-red. It was impossible to tell if it was real blood or a prop for the play.
Moon Jin-wook mouthed a question.
-What... should we do?
-I'm thinking. For now, don't do anything and stay still.
I whispered, trying not to interfere with the play as much as possible. Since no solution to the situation was apparent, we had no choice but to sit quietly and wait for the next development.
[To heal his wounds, the Prince cast a deep sleep spell upon himself.]
Watching the Red Prince lying on the central altar on stage, memories flashed through my mind. Thanks to the Ruminative Thought Enhancement Serum, Foundation documents came to me one by one.
Records about the 'Tragedy of the Red Prince.' And the most prominent anomaly in those records.
[As time passed, the island's inhabitants, the Epigons, discovered the sleeping Prince.]
Actors appeared on stage. They also seemed confused about how the situation had unfolded. It was only natural, as a play with a completely different content from the script they had practiced was proceeding.
"This isn't the play we were supposed to..."
One actor opened his mouth.
Boom!
His head exploded, and the stage floor was stained red. Fortunately, the direct scene was pixelated and not visible, but it was just as grotesque.
The bloodstains spreading across the white stage floor looked like flower petals.
[The poor Epigons were always suffering from famine. So, when they were hungry, they would capture and eat their own kind.]
The moment the narrator's words ended, the actors on stage changed in an instant.
Frightful sounds were heard from the pixelated screen. The sound of flesh tearing, bones breaking, and something being greedily chewed. The moment I realized this was a real situation, a wave of nausea surged up.
Screams erupted from the auditorium. Some people were even vomiting.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
💥 CRITICAL HIT! 💥
-Head Explosion
Red liquid splatters everywhere
Along with the接连的 sounds, red droplets splattered across the pixelated screen. A domino-like chain of tragedies. The red liquid filled the space between the seats.
I was barely holding on thanks to the Emotion Spray, but I didn't know how long its effect would last.
I continued to recall information about the 'Tragedy of the Red Prince' through the serum's effect.
Personnel who watched the play to the end complained of 'Metaphysical Awareness Disorder (M.A.D)' and 98% of them were [REDACTED]. M.A.D is a mental illness that develops from seeing information that humans do not wish to know.
According to the Foundation's records, [Tragedy of the Red Prince] was a type of memetic virus.
This meant that the information itself was a contaminant that killed people.
As everyone knows, the way to not get infected by a virus is to not be exposed to it in the first place.
In other words, you could survive if you just didn't watch the entire play. But in this situation, where all attempts to interfere with the play or leave the theater were blocked, how...
'Ah.'
At that moment, one solution flashed through my mind.
A way to survive without interfering with the play or leaving the theater.
It was to fall asleep without watching the play. If I fell asleep, I wouldn't even know the content of the play!
But it wasn't an easy task.
Even with the spray that kept me calm, there was no way I could sleep in the middle of this horrific scene with the smell of blood filling the air.
The story of the Red Prince was still continuing on stage. The stage background changed in an instant and then returned to its original state. And with each change, new actors appeared and disappeared. They would probably die soon too.
At that moment, thanks to the serum, another fact I knew surfaced in my mind.
'That's right. They said if you take two Pain Killers a day, you fall into a state like a dead faint.'
I immediately pulled out the Pain Killers and a paper bag from my briefcase. The white pills inside the transparent bottle clattered.
There was no time. The more of the play's content I saw, the more dangerous it would become.
I handed the bottle to Moon Jin-wook.
-Take two pills. Just fall asleep.
Quick to grasp the situation, Moon Jin-wook swallowed the pills with water without hesitation. A moment later, his head slumped as if he had fainted.
I immediately put the pills in my mouth. The pills felt larger than usual as they went down my throat. My mouth was parched. I took another sip of water.
Then I took out the paper bag and put it on my head. It was to block any external attacks while I was asleep.
As I imagined the auditorium chair and wore the paper bag with the goblin characters engraved on it, a strange sensation washed over my entire body.
Screams and explosions were still coming from around me. But they were gradually fading. The effect of the medicine was starting to appear. My consciousness was becoming hazy.
'I'm sorry...'
A sense of guilt washed over me for not being able to save the other audience members. It was agonizing to have to just watch so many people die.
But for now, survival was the priority. I had to survive to buy the Reset Button, and only then could I turn everything back to normal.
'This is the best I can do.'
Soon, my consciousness was severed.