Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Corpse Sorcerer
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Thud. Thud.
The sound of Deius's footsteps, as he conversed with Mule, gradually faded away, soon followed by the noise of the dining hall door closing.
Creak.
At the same moment, a woman emerged from her room. Long stitch marks ran across her body in various places, and her hollow eyes darted around the surroundings.
She was the one Jortu had beaten mercilessly. Her injuries were severe enough that it wouldn't have been surprising if her entire body had been shattered, yet somehow her upper body had already returned to its original state.
However, perhaps due to insufficient time, her lower body remained grotesquely twisted.
Because of that, the woman quickly crawled across the floor toward the first-floor entrance.
Puddles of congealed blood on the floor.
The white robe he had been wearing was already soaked in crimson red, and his handsome face was drenched in blood.
"Huh."
The Corpse Sorceress couldn't help but grin at the sight of the corpse.
A clean body, aside from the stake embedded in its neck. It was a bit slender, but that was fine since it was tall.
"Hee hee hee."
The woman bit down on his collar with her teeth and began crawling back to her room, number 108.
"Hee hee hee hee."
The laughter spilling from her was utterly eerie.
* * *
Upon arriving at the dining hall, the three of them abruptly stopped their conversation. It seemed the Black Necromancer and Han So had been asking Lua Nes something, with him at the center, but it must have been trivial chatter.
"What about that guy?"
The Black Necromancer asked indifferently, and I answered without hiding anything.
"He's dead."
"Did you kill him?"
Han So asked with a rather complicated expression, but I naturally shook my head in denial.
"He took his own life. He asked to talk outside."
With that, I explained the new rules I had seen through Mule's death.
-11. The higher the room number, the later in the timeline the guest arrived from.
-15. There is no daytime in the Dream Demon Pavilion.
"Hmm, we knew it wasn't an ordinary place, but it's bizarre."
"I'm in 101, so I must be from the farthest past."
"No daytime?"
Han So, Lua Nes, and the Black Necromancer each showed different reactions. In particular, I watched Lua Nes closely; despite his young age, he was remarkably cautious and composed.
"Hmm, there seem to be some oddballs among the guests who came with us. What do you think? Should we band together and try to escape?"
Han So suggested, stroking his chin, and Lua Nes was the first to respond.
"C-Can I join too?"
Han So patted the head of the kind-hearted boy, who worried about being a burden, and replied.
"Of course. Didn't we already survive once thanks to you?"
He subtly glanced at me and the Black Necromancer, gauging if it was okay.
The Black Necromancer had been interested in Lua Nes's black magic from the start, so she accepted, and I had no intention of abandoning the boy, knowing his future.
And so began the sharing of rules.
The rules we had uncovered so far were as follows.
- Dream Demon Pavilion Rules -
-1. A private room will be provided. Your room is 110.
-2. Refrain from going out at night. If you do go out, you are responsible for any consequences.
-3. The master of this manor is Archdemon Learic. Always keep that in mind.
-4. Guests are permitted up to the third floor.
-5. The stay at the Dream Demon Pavilion is limited to five days total. Exceeding that will result in forced eviction.
-6. Combat within the Dream Demon Pavilion is not recommended.
-7. The clock is located in the center of the first floor. Do not ask other guests for the time and steal their time.
-8. If you are evicted from the Dream Demon Pavilion after five days, you will lose all memories of what happened here.
-9. Rules for the Dream Demon Pavilion are written throughout the manor. Find them for prizes.
-10. Among the guests—
-11. The higher the room number, the later in the timeline the guest arrived from.
-13. Do not explain to other guests how you arrived at the Dream Demon Pavilion.
-14. You may carry only two items obtained as rewards. (Provided by Han So)
-15. There is no daytime in the Dream Demon Pavilion.
-17. Cleaning is performed daily. (Provided by Lua Nes)
-20. Even if you don't know the rules of the Dream Demon Pavilion, they still apply.
-21. Meals are replenished daily. Please eat as much as you like without worry.
-22. Deceased guests leave behind the rules they know.
-23. Items of deceased guests remain in the manor without an owner.
-24. When a guest dies, their room unlocks. Until then, entry is prohibited even with the room owner's permission.
-27. Guest rooms go up to 110. There is no 111. If you find 111 and someone is staying there, kill them immediately. They are an uninvited intruder.
-28. There are no servants in the Dream Demon Pavilion.
-29. There is no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Pavilion.
Adding the rules known by Han So and Lua Nes, we had already uncovered quite a few.
"Rule 10 was cut off from the start, right?"
"Yeah."
It was already missing when I first arrived.
Lua Nes, who had arrived first in 101, answered, and Han So nodded in agreement, feeling uneasy.
The missing part of rule 10 had bothered me from the beginning.
The fact that it was deliberately severed meant there was a reason.
"Rule 27 scares me a bit."
"Hmm, we've checked all the room numbers. No 111."
I half-listened to Lua Nes and Han So discussing the rules while staring blankly at the list, when the Black Necromancer next to me suddenly asked.
"How is it?"
There was a strange sense of expectation in her gaze as she brushed back her fallen hair.
"Looking at them, some rules contradict each other."
Listing out the Dream Demon Pavilion rules made it clear that Archdemon Learic had quite the malicious sense of humor.
"For example, rule 2 says to refrain from going out at night."
My finger slid along the numbers and pointed to 15.
"But rule 15 says there is no daytime in the Dream Demon Pavilion."
In other words, it meant never leave the Dream Demon Pavilion.
"Also, rule 4 says guests are permitted up to the third floor."
I slowly lifted my hand and turned my eyes to the rule at the very end.
"But rule 29 says there is no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Pavilion."
The key feature in both was presenting the nonexistent as if it existed.
There is no daytime, no fourth floor.
Yet each rule cleverly implied their existence when viewed in isolation.
"Fitting for the Archdemon of Deception."
At my words, the Black Necromancer let out a deep sigh and plopped down into a dining hall chair.
With that, we discussed the Dream Demon Pavilion and headed to room 109, assigned to Mule, and Jortu's 107, retrieving the rules they had found and their prizes.
Jortu, who knew three rules, had a ring, necklace, and bracelet as prizes.
I wondered if they had magic enchanted on them, but no—they were just ordinary accessories of no greater value than their material worth.
In contrast, the items Mule, who knew four rules, had obtained were all dazzling treasures.
A staff made of black lantern wood that made me delusionally think it was prepared just for me.
A robe with a red magic circle on a black base that granted absolute defensive magic, albeit with a 10-minute limit.
Other treasures poured out as well: a white dagger infused with various spells, a thick round shield emblazoned with a golden lion.
I gave the dagger to Lua Nes for self-defense, and the shield to Han So, the only one who could wield it.
I took the staff and robe for myself.
The Black Necromancer looked envious, but since I was the one who indirectly caused Mule's death, the ownership fell to me for now.
Time passed like that.
"Yawn."
Lua Nes, the youngest, let out a yawn from fatigue, so he returned to his room first with Han So.
I slowly stood to head back to my room as well, but my eyes fell on the Black Necromancer sipping her coffee.
She showed no sign of getting up, just staring blankly at the rules we had written down.
She seemed to want to be alone, so I didn't speak to her and turned to leave the dining hall.
"Hey."
Her trembling voice stopped me.
I slowly closed the dining hall door I had opened and looked at her. The Black Necromancer wore a complicated expression, then shook her head.
"No, it's nothing."
Her words lingered in the air.
If it had been anyone else, I would have ignored it and left, but because she was the Black Necromancer, I didn't move.
"You seem to have something on your mind."
"Huh?"
She seemed surprised that I would continue the conversation, so I slowly walked back into the dining hall.
I sat in a spot not too far from her. I considered getting some coffee but instead just rested my hands on the table and crossed my fingers.
"Have you grown attached to your comrades?"
"Me? To you all?"
The Black Necromancer shrugged as if it were absurd at my question.
"The you I know was a woman full of affection."
As I casually said that, her body stiffened, and her eyes locked onto me.
"...You said you didn't know me well."
She pointed out what I'd said at our first meeting, but I didn't bother responding.
She was sharp enough to realize I had deliberately withheld information without me explaining.
"What was our relationship?"
To her question, I answered without hesitation.
"You were my master."
"...Huh?"
A completely unexpected reply.
Her mouth agape, eyes wide as she stared at me, she dragged her chair closer as if demanding more explanation.
But instead of explaining, I pressed on with a question.
"Which brings me to one thing I'm curious about."
There was a question I had wanted to ask the Black Necromancer if the chance arose.
A question I had tried to voice several times but ultimately held back on.
I posed it to her past self, somewhat slyly.
"Why do you seek the pinnacle of necromancy?"
"......"
It had always puzzled me.
The reason the Black Necromancer ultimately traveled with me was to master all aspects of necromancy.
Yet during the battle with Magan, she had left me with those meaningful words: she didn't want me to become like her.
If the Black Necromancer from my timeline learned of this, she might call it unfair.
Still, I needed to know.
As someone traveling with her.
At my question, the Black Necromancer slowly closed her mouth. But it didn't seem like she was struggling to answer; more like she was organizing her thoughts.
A brief wait.
Not particularly anxious, I glanced around the dining hall while waiting, and she gave me an honest response.
"...What was it again?"
* * *
Clunk.
Entering room 101, Lua Nes rarely felt his expression softening, a sense of elation welling up within him.
'Comrades.'
From Han So to the Black Necromancer and Deius Verdi. Becoming comrades with these three impressive people felt like a fantasy to the young boy.
Born as the king's illegitimate son, treated nearly as an exile and chased from the capital Graypond.
The occasional letters from his father were his only solace and connection to others.
But now, sharing the responsibility of each other's lives in this equal camaraderie made Lua Nes feel like he could float away.
"I can't be a burden."
Though tired, he didn't lie down immediately. Instead, he swung the gifted white dagger through the air.
He couldn't unleash the magic inside within the room, so he intended to practice basic self-defense at least.
He was, after all, a prince whose very existence was disallowed.
Well-versed in many fields, he pulled memories of dagger self-defense techniques he had learned in the past.
Thud thud!
Then, a rough knocking at the door startled him, and he asked.
"Who is it?"
Thud thud!
He thought he had hidden his trembling voice well, but whatever was outside showed no sign of stopping the knocks.
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
It felt less like knocking with a hand and more like something heavy pounding.
The clever Lua Nes quickly realized the intruder was headbutting the door.
It couldn't be his comrades.
There was no reason to open the door for anyone else.
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
Thud thud!
The incessant noise.
At this point, wouldn't others notice?
Should he go out and fight?
He considered it but soon shook his head.
He knew black magic, but his proficiency wasn't enough for combat.
Just as he thought to cover himself with the blanket and pretend to sleep.
The noise stopped.
Thinking it was over, he peeked out from under the blanket and checked the door.
But mocking the boy's hope, a thin thread slipped through the gap. It multiplied exponentially, soon forming the shape of a human hand.
"Huh?"
Lua Nes, who had already lain back down ignoring it, couldn't react.
Click.
The hand of thread unlocked the mechanism and turned the doorknob.
The boy's room opened all too smoothly, welcoming the uninvited guest.
Lua Nes grabbed his dagger and jumped up.
Despite his young age, the boy's mind raced with exceptional sharpness.
'If it's another guest like me, they can't enter this room.'
-24. When a guest dies, their room unlocks. Until then, entry is prohibited even with the room owner's permission.
Even if Lua Nes allowed it, they couldn't enter arbitrarily.
But.
"Huh?"
Standing before the boy's door was Mule, wearing an iron mask and a blood-soaked robe.
The man who had just committed suicide moments ago. Lua Nes thought the body had been cleared away by the Dream Demon Pavilion since it vanished.
"Hee, hee hee."
The chilling laughter of the Corpse Sorceress woman echoed from behind Mule's corpse.
"You were raised preciously, huh? It shows."
"......"
From beyond the threshold, the woman continued chattering excitedly about something.
"The corpse of a child who could be high nobility or even royalty... My first time touching one!"
"You'll regret entering my room!"
It was Lua Nes's warning and his only form of resistance.
"I'm not the one entering."
Her words implied she already knew rule 24.
At the same time, the footsteps of the corpse, Mule, thudded toward Lua Nes.
Moments later, the Corpse Sorceress crossed the threshold into the room via the corpse.
The door to room 101 closed.
-24. When a guest dies, their room unlocks. Until then, entry is prohibited even with the room owner's permission.