Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Epilogue
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Seoul was packed with hotels. It was only natural for the capital region. As a city drawing dozens, if not hundreds, of tourists every day, it boasted a substantial number of them. The quality wasn't always top-tier, but there were plenty of decent spots.
An odd industry where the highs were sky-high, but the lows weren't all that bad. It was a natural outcome in a country where reviews held real power, more so than in many others.
I had no idea what the hotel staff thought about it, but from a consumer's perspective, it was nothing but good. Foreigners especially loved it.
"Oh, so this is the land of Chaebols?"
"Korean penguins wearing puffer jackets even in spring. So cool."
Most foreigners visiting Korea were tourists, and tourists usually wanted to stay in nice hotels. Even if it cost a bit more, they'd rather pay up than risk a bad experience on vacation.
Thanks to that, high-end hotels raking in the cash often had dedicated foreign guest departments. Basic English was no issue for most front-desk staff, but languages like Spanish, French, or German required specialized interpreters.
That was the case at the Grand Fiolaine Hotel, smack in the heart of downtown Seoul, where they employed a range of multilingual talent.
One of them, a French interpreter, was currently handling a guest fresh off the plane from France.
"I'll check your reservation, ma'am. Your name?"
"Mariang."
The woman who introduced herself as Mariang had quite a refined look about her.
A sharp face more cat than puppy. Her blue eyes and light brown hair blended into a harmony that made her beautiful from any angle.
But... the outfit she wore was viciously devouring that stunning appearance.
A dress commonly called a goshori. She wore it with a straight face, the kind modern folks wouldn't touch unless cosplaying. The parasol in her hand was patterned with black roses, and the hem of her ankle-length skirt bore faint stains from brushing against her shoe heels.
"Top-floor suite."
She murmured it while stroking the parasol with her gloved hand. The staffer swallowed the urge to ask, Where the hell did you get that outfit, and why are you wearing something so ridiculous? and professionally pulled up her reservation.
"Yes, confirmed. Long-term stay, two weeks."
"Yes."
"Shall we handle your luggage? Must be a lot for such a long stay."
"No, I'll manage. Just the key, please?"
Mariang extended her gloved hand with a graceful sweep. Her slender, elongated fingers somehow felt faintly sensual. Guess even crap like that outfit and gloves couldn't kill the vibe of a true beauty.
"Here you are. Elevator's that way."
"Thanks."
She took the keycard between thumb and forefinger, flashing a sweet smile. The staffer blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Of course. Thank you for choosing our hotel. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything."
"Got it. Mind if I ask something now?"
"...? Sure, go ahead."
The staffer smiled politely, and Mariang stared at the keycard as she replied.
"Has anyone named Eddie stayed here? British guy."
"...W-We can't share other guests' information. Sorry."
"Can't make an exception?"
Mariang flicked her eyes toward him. In that instant, the staffer's pupils dilated, his shoulders slumping as tension drained away.
"Please."
"...Ah... O-One... m-moment... p-please. I'll... ch-check... the... r-rooms."
He mumbled unnaturally, hammering the keyboard like he was entranced.
Moments later, blood trickled from her nose as she looked up at Mariang.
"N-No... No one named... E-Eddie... has stayed... here."
"Tch. Already wiped the records. Management Bureau must've gotten involved."
Mariang turned on her heel without a second thought and headed for the elevator.
Thud!
Sounds of someone collapsing and screams erupted behind her, but she ignored it all, twirling her parasol as she summoned the elevator.
It arrived empty moments later. She stepped in, hit the suite floor, and closed her eyes.
The doors slid open smoothly. She stepped into the hall, the parasol's tip scraping the floor.
Her anomaly use had left one eye painfully dry, but she endured it by keeping it shut. A full vial of eyedrops later would fix it—no big deal.
This is the room Eddie last stayed in.
Mariang scanned the hall for the room number on her keycard until she found the suite.
From the outside, it looked utterly ordinary. Just a door in view, nothing suspicious.
At least on the surface.
"......"
She paused as she went to tap the card on the sensor, catching a bizarre noise from the door handle gap.
A rustling scritch-scratch, like something crawling. Antennae quivering, multiple legs scraping the floor as it retreated.
Unmistakably insect sounds. But no ordinary bug.
No bug small enough to fit through that gap could make such noise, nor would it linger like it was scouting, then flee inside at the sight of a person.
Bugs were bugs. No matter how smart, they couldn't transcend their nature.
Unless it was a grotesque insect.
Grotesque insects.
The term for bugs born from anomalies. Hostile to humans by nature, some even devoured people alive. Most folks never knew they existed, but specialized companies hunted and cleaned them up.
And there was a school of magic from Germany that handled them.
"...Tch."
Mariang clicked her tongue and raised her parasol.
Grotesque insects showing up wasn't odd. They were drawn to places where mages had died, no matter the cause.
But this felt off for natural spawn. Too few of them.
Usually, they swarmed in dozens or hundreds. If that one in the door wasn't controlled, there should be a horde. But it was clearly just one.
A mistake?
With her hypnotic eye transplant and auditory anomaly grafted straight in, a mistake?
Ridiculous. She gripped the parasol like a spear and stabbed it into the door.
Boom!
The sharp tip pierced clean through.
Blood sprayed. A tiny bug impaled on the end tore apart, scattering. Mariang reached through the hole, ripping the entire door off. Lizard-like scales erupted on her arm.
"Whoa, ripping the door off? Bold."
Beyond the forced-open door.
A suited man stood in the living room, face hidden by a tokusatsu-style mask resembling a toad. Mariang fixed him with cold eyes and stepped inside.
"This is my reserved room. Who the hell are you?"
"What? French? I only speak English and Korean. English, please."
He snapped his fingers nonchalantly. From ceiling cracks, cockroach-like things emerged, saw blades whirring where wings should be. Mariang grimaced.
"Disgusting little shit..."
"Hey, I'm fine, thank you."
"Grotesque insect sorcerer. Did you kill Eddie? What's your business here? How'd you get in?"
"English at last. I'll answer."
Scriitch-scratch.
The toad mask's lower jaw trembled. A maggot-like larva wriggled from his ear.
"One, I didn't kill Eddie. Two, here for bug supplies. Three, no clue how I got in. Amnesia, I guess."
Mariang's face twisted at the blatant mockery.
"...You wanna die?"
"That's you. Mariang, right? Goshori, blonde ringlets, blue eyes. Spear-parasol. Features so famous it's harder not to recognize you."
"......"
"Your reason for being here is obvious. So let's skip that—"
He chuckled, pulling a butterfly from his sleeve.
"How'd your parents taste?"
"...Tch."
Mariang didn't reply. Instead, she snapped open the parasol and slammed her scaled arm into the wall.
The man backpedaled, snapping his fingers. The ceiling roaches spun their blades and dive-bombed her.
Scriiitch-scratch, boom!!
A massive crash echoed from the hotel's upper floors.
The morning after the rookie mage who picked up a grimoire showed up.
Ian lay in bed, scrolling his phone.
Ian watched the real-time post and comment frenzy, then slipped in his own reply.
Couldn't resist a little newbie-baiting, no matter what.