Chapter 33: Ghost Story Hotel Escape (5)

Is there some kind of disease that prevents this damn urban legend from being resolved smoothly?

It was an emergency.

Even in a world full of Gifts, who would have thought there’d be one that amplifies urban legends?

“I told you! Didn’t I say this mansion was a real hotel where a serial killer lived?!”

“No way that’s actually true…”

“But the murder traps just activated, didn’t they?!”

“T-that’s…”

The two of them had finally realized the existence of the urban legend.

Until now, they had somehow brushed it off as a misunderstanding or an accident— like breaking a vase— but now that they’d been directly attacked, there was no way to play it off anymore.

“Professor. What exactly is going on here? From what I’ve heard, this seems to be related to Rosalia.”

“T-this wasn’t part of the plan…”

Elaine and Rone were just as bewildered by the situation.

“This is unexpected. Rosalia’s Gift is amplifying the urban legend.”

“…A Gift that amplifies urban legends?”

“Yes. Actually, Rosalia is an unknowing Gift holder— her ability emits several times more concentrated desire than others. That high-density desire is reacting to the urban legend of the murder mansion, strengthening it.”

“…I had no idea such a Gift existed. So what do we do? Things have already strayed too far from the plan. Should we regress?”

“If we need to regress, leave it to me.”

The two were already considering regression as an option.

I was thinking along the same lines.

There were already too many variables.

The situation was spiraling out of control.

“But if we regress now, we’ll just go back to the second day at the academy… Still, better than dying, I guess. Everyone! This is no time for a courage test— let’s just give up and head back—”

Just as I was reluctantly accepting this loop’s failure and preparing to retreat—

“We’re in big trouble now! We’re like butterflies caught in a spider’s web! The murder hotel won’t let its prey escape so easily!”

“Huh, wait—”

Clank!

The moment Rosalia’s cry ended, the sound of something activating echoed through the air.

Turning toward the source of the noise, what entered my vision was the ceiling of the mansion descending, sealing off the path behind us.

Then, iron bars shot up from the window frames.

In an instant, we were trapped inside the murder hotel.

“See?! My deduction was right! This is clearly meant to keep us from leaving the mansion!”

“No way!!”

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Who knew the power to amplify urban legends could be this overwhelming?

The moment I gained the ability to “regress,” the word “annihilation” began flickering before my eyes.

Had I known it would come to this, I should have assigned someone as the designated “regressor” from the start.

There’s an old saying about not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Who would’ve thought I’d only realize that now?

From the next horror scenario we tackle, it might be wise to assign at least one student as the regressor— assuming we survive this, that is.

“…There’s no other choice. For now, let’s keep moving forward.”

“Huh!? Are you serious? In a place this dangerous… Wouldn’t it be better to just wait for rescue and stay put?”

Aurora shouted.

But something tells me no matter how much time passes, no one will come to save us here.

And before that happens, the longer time drags on, the stronger the horror will become. Staying still and praying for time to pass is the worst possible strategy.

“No. Staying put doesn’t guarantee safety. If I were the killer, I’d definitely set up traps to target victims who freeze in fear. And there must be some device hidden in this hotel that can lift the lockdown.”

“…”

“I understand your fear, Aurora. But in a situation like this, cowering in place is exactly what the killer who built this hotel wants. Don’t worry. As your teacher, I’ll take responsibility and keep you all safe.”

“W-well, if you say it like that…”

“Alright. If it’s Mr. Allen, I believe you’ll protect us.”

Since turning back was impossible, we had no choice but to force ourselves forward, aiming to clear the horror scenario.

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.

.

It was around the time we had passed halfway down the second-floor corridor.

“Ah! Look at that! There’s something suspicious over there!”

What she pointed at with her finger was a mysterious pipe attached to the ceiling.

This, too, was a device we had investigated beforehand.

If this were following the usual cliché, toxic gas would probably spew out from that pipe.

I immediately turned around and instructed the students.

“There’s a chance poisonous gas might leak from the gaps in that pipe. Everyone, hold your breath and be careful not to inhale any gas while—”

“Poisonous gas? From the shower head?”

“Wha…!?”

Startled, I looked again and saw that the end of the pipe now had showerhead-like attachments that hadn’t been there the last time I came.

Almost like sprinklers…

Gulp.

Gloooog.

The sound of liquid flowing through the pipe.

In an instant, a sharp pain shot through my head, and cold sweat dripped down my back.

“Run!! Get out of here, now!!”

I immediately ordered the students, who had been following my earlier instruction to hold their breath, to sprint forward as I too rushed ahead in a panic.

Just as we cleared the corridor, the sprinklers activated with a razor-thin margin—

An intensely sharp, pungent odor, as if vinegar had been compressed hundreds of times over.

It was hydrochloric acid, spraying from the sprinklers!

Sssss—

By a hair’s breadth, we barely escaped the range of the sprinklers.

The corridor we had just passed through was now melting and corroding in spots from the highly acidic liquid.

“Damn it, that was definitely supposed to be a gas vent…”

To think the horror story was escalating in real time.

“I can’t believe it. Rosalia was right—this really is a murder hotel…”

“Phew. At least no one got hurt. It’s all thanks to me noticing the pipe and realizing something was off right before spotting the sprinklers! If I’d been even a little slower, we would’ve been in serious trouble.”

Did Rosalia even realize?

That she hadn’t discovered the sprinklers— she had created them.

I knew she didn’t have any ill intent, but it was still overwhelming.

“Mr. Allen. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. I’m fine. More importantly, we can’t stop now. We have to keep moving forward.”

But there was no time to stand around.

By now, the corridor was filling with toxic gas from the evaporating hydrochloric acid.

There was truly no turning back anymore.

With no time to even catch our breaths after the hydrochloric acid shower, we pressed forward without pause.

At this point, who cared about collecting symbols for some stupid courage test?

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.

.

Continuing to the last section of the 2nd-floor corridor before the stairs leading to the final 3rd floor.

If my memory serves me right, the next trap was one where iron bars would shoot up from the floor.

And the countermeasure for it was to place an iron plate over the holes where the bars would emerge.

But when I reached the area where the trap was supposed to be, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, haha. Unbelievable.”

What greeted my eyes were holes— now seemingly with no intention of hiding— filling every inch of the floor.

Naturally, each and every one of those holes was a deadly trap where iron bars would shoot up.

As if mocking the single iron plate I had placed in the corner of the hallway, the entire corridor itself had become one giant trap.

Soon after, the rest of the party noticed what I had seen and stared in stunned silence at the corridor filled with traps.

Behind us— acid gas.

Ahead— impalement by iron bars.

Was there really no way out?

There was no way we’d meet such an absurd, total-wipe ending here…

“This can’t be happening. After coming this far. How is it that only the worst traps I imagined are appearing? It’s almost as if they’re manifesting exactly what I fear the most!”

I agree.

I never imagined a Gift that could amplify urban legends in the worst possible way.

Was there really no way out?

No method to overcome this situation…

“Wait a second, take a look at this. I think I might have found something.”

Just then, Elaine called out to us after discovering something.

“Wait, Elaine. If you’ve found something, we should check it among ourselves first before telling those two—”

“Shh.”

“…?”

Instead of responding to my remark, Elaine raised a finger to her lips and gestured for silence.

What is she planning?

Meanwhile, Aurora and Rosalia gathered around her.

“Did you find a way to bypass the trap?”

She pointed at one of the lamp fixtures mounted along the corridor.

“No. Not a solution— I think I found another trap. Take a closer look at this lamp fixture.”

“…This is a trap? It looks completely ordinary to me.”

“I don’t see anything unusual either, like Aurora.”

“From what I can tell…”

Ah.

Something clicked in my mind.

Indeed. If we use that method, we might just be able to get past this trap.

Rosalia’s Gift doesn’t randomly amplify urban legends.

Since it feeds on her desires to strengthen the legends, it’s influenced by her ominous imagination.

In that case…

“No, it’s definitely the trap’s switch. At first glance, it’s cleverly disguised as a lamp fixture, but upon closer inspection, you can tell it’s a switch that activates some kind of trap mechanism. Isn’t that right, Rone?”

“Y-yes? W-well, it does seem that way, maybe…”

I immediately played along with Elaine’s intention and gave Rone a subtle hint.

Fortunately, though flustered, Rone managed to follow along.

“Huh? No matter how I look at it, that doesn’t seem…”

“Ahh!! It’s true! If you look closely, it’s not just a lamp stand—it’s the handle of something!”

“…Huh? Oh, you’re right. Until just now, it was definitely just a normal decoration.”

As we steered the conversation, Rosalia, who had been carefully examining the lamp stand, suddenly widened her eyes and exclaimed.

There, where the lamp stand had been, was now a trap switch that looked just like it.

Aurora stared at the trap switch in disbelief.

Her reaction was that of someone who had just witnessed an ordinary decoration suddenly transform into a trap switch before their eyes.

And in truth, that reaction was correct.

Because until just moments ago, that trap switch had indeed been nothing more than a simple decoration.

It was only the moment Rosalia believed it was a trap switch that it ceased to be just a decoration.

“Then where does this switch lead to?”

“Right there.”

In response to Rosalia’s question, I pointed to the ceiling directly above the iron bars.

“If you press this switch, the ceiling will collapse.”

“Huh? The ceiling?”

The three of them looked skeptical.

Except for one person.

“Ahh! That does seem possible!”

Only Rosalia purely believed my words.

And that belief soon reflected in reality.

Just as I expected.

Rosalia’s gift— amplifying ghost stories.

While amplifying ghost stories could be deadly, when used in reverse, it also allowed her to edit the stories themselves as she pleased.

‘Good judgment.’

Avoiding the gazes of Aurora and Rosalia, I secretly gave Elaine a thumbs-up.

And so, by guiding Rosalia’s thoughts, Elaine had created another trap to counter the mansion’s existing one.

“Iron bars shooting up from the floor, and a collapsing ceiling. If we combine these two traps, maybe we can make them destroy each other, don’t you think?”

When I pulled the trap switch, the ceiling of the hallway began to sink, just as I had predicted.

After confirming this, I immediately led the group back into the guest room.

By the time we stepped out again, the iron bars that had risen from the floor had been crushed by the descending ceiling.

“Now, let’s head to the third floor.”

I think I once had a thought like this before.

If you can’t hit the brakes, then step on the accelerator instead.

That was the strategy I had devised to conquer this murderous hotel.