Ch.206206. Escape

“That’s quite an expression.”

Looking at Learic’s twisted mouth, a chuckle escaped me.

At the same time, I threw off the robe draped over my shoulders.

“The Aegis Robe.”

Learic muttered the robe’s name as if chewing on it.

It had a time limit of 10 minutes, but during that time, it could block any kind of damage.

It was one of the false treasures of the Mongma Palace that he had created.

“You’ve been to the fourth floor.”

Despite his effort to suppress his rising emotions, I responded calmly.

“Yes.”

The trick I used was a simple wordplay.

-4. Guests are only permitted up to the third floor.

“At first I was puzzled. I thought there would be penalties for going up to the fourth floor since only the third floor was permitted.”

But there were no penalties.

There was no explicit prohibition.

-2. Refrain from going out at night. If you do go out, you are responsible for the consequences.

Like rule number 2, it was essentially a warning not to go above the third floor.

“I found it strange. But after discovering the rule on the fourth floor, I understood.”

-29. There is no fourth floor in the Mongma Palace.

“The fact that there’s no fourth floor in the Mongma Palace means that the fourth floor we went to isn’t part of the Mongma Palace.”

“……”

“On the fourth floor, which can be considered outside the Mongma Palace, the strict rules of this place don’t apply.”

The rules didn’t apply to the fourth floor because it wasn’t part of the Mongma Palace.

Learic took a deep breath, calmed his emotions once more, and smiled.

“The stroke of midnight on the fifth day when you should have been expelled. You went up to the fourth floor to escape the Mongma Palace, and used the Aegis Robe to survive the dangerous fourth floor?”

“Yes.”

“You’re quite resourceful.”

Though he said that, Learic’s smile was frozen.

By my estimation, losing one’s memories upon being expelled was probably the most important part of copying a person.

But since I wasn’t expelled and didn’t lose my memories, it meant the copying had failed.

“Ha, haha.”

Perhaps he had been excited at the thought of uncovering the continent’s secrets until just now, but Learic’s expression struggled to maintain composure.

Like a child who had received a gift only to have it taken away.

When he realized he had failed, a deep anger seemed to rise throughout his body.

His hands twitched as if he wanted to snap my neck right then and there.

His tongue flicked out as if he felt the urge to drench himself in my blood.

But he wouldn’t do it.

The moment he killed me, he would move further away from the continental secrets he so desperately sought.

“Yes. I admit I was outwitted. You found the gap I missed.”

Having reached that conclusion, Learic calmly acknowledged it, but…

“So what now?”

He displayed a twisted sneer.

“The time at the Mongma Palace has ended, but I never said you could escape from here.”

“……”

“Yes, it’s unfortunate. Not getting your memories is very disappointing. But there are plenty of other opportunities, in different ways.”

“……”

“I don’t see any reason why I should let you leave here.”

Learic smiled faintly, regaining his composure.

The Dark Spiritmaster and Han So on either side of me frowned but didn’t intervene.

This was the reaction I had expected.

“There’s still something that bothers me the most.”

Looking at Learic’s twisted smile filled with faint satisfaction, I pointed out something puzzling.

“What is it?”

Perhaps because he asked out of anxiety without realizing it, Learic covered his mouth with his hand.

“Why did you create the fourth floor?”

The moment he heard my question, Learic’s body stiffened instantly, and our eyes met.

I wonder what he felt at that moment.

As if the inner workings of himself, the demon of deception, were completely exposed.

As if his very existence seemed worthless.

Though Learic refrained from speaking, perhaps fearing that anything he said would reveal the truth…

Unfortunately for him, I walked toward the truth, piercing even the shield of silence.

“No matter how I think about it, the fourth floor itself is strange. It ignores all the rules of the Mongma Palace.”

It’s a place where rules don’t apply in the first place.

It also acts contrary to many of the Mongma Palace’s regulations.

-17. Cleaning is done daily.

Despite the cleaning being done, it still tried to devour Jortu’s corpse.

-28. There are no servants in the Mongma Palace.

It even pretended to be servants that shouldn’t exist in the Mongma Palace.

-29. There is no fourth floor in the Mongma Palace.

The Mongma Palace itself denies it.

“The existence of the fourth floor has created too many holes in the Mongma Palace.”

Even the way I broke through the final five days was an easy method using the fourth floor.

“I added it as a fun element in my own way.”

Learic answered with a slight smile, but…

“For a demon of deception…”

I snorted in return and rebuked him.

“You should lie better.”

“……”

Why?

Clearly.

The demon before me could kill me at any moment.

He could cruelly behead me, drink my blood, and skin my corpse to hang as a decoration in his shop.

But strangely…

I felt as if he was in the palm of my hand, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“It was good that you put rules on the fourth floor. Thanks to that, you made it seem like part of the Mongma Palace.”

He deliberately wrote rules 27 and 29 on the fourth floor to disguise it.

“And your excuse is that it’s just a fun element? That’s so ridiculous it’s not even worth laughing at.”

Learic’s pointless excuse and attempt to continue the conversation awkwardly only gave me more confidence.

“In my opinion.”

I slowly revealed the truth. The truth that the creator of the Mongma Palace wanted to hide the most.

Also, the reason why the Mongma Palace, which had been operating for a long time, could no longer function properly.

“You didn’t create the fourth floor.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a fourth floor but a living entity.

It looked like something magnificent and enormous waiting with its mouth wide open for prey.

Conversely, from a more distant perspective…

It also looked like it was devouring the Mongma Palace.

“Romuleus.”

Kuuuung!

As if responding to its name, or perhaps noticing that the master of the mansion had returned…

The Mongma Palace began to vibrate.

Similarly, Learic’s face twisted grotesquely.

“Room 109. The fanatic Muel said this when looking at the fourth floor.”

– How dare you depict God? You are truly blasphemous. The demon Learic will surely die.

At first, I thought he was simply talking about a sculpture.

But there was no such thing on the fourth floor to begin with.

So the answer was clear.

“That must be the identity of the god they speak of.”

Kwaaaang!

As if it had been waiting for this moment, Romuleus began to violently devour the Mongma Palace.

The third floor had already disappeared, and Romuleus’s human-shaped tentacles began to descend down the stairs.

“Disgustingly coming!”

“We’ll hold them back.”

Bang! Bang!

Han So and the Dark Spiritmaster simultaneously blocked the stairs to buy time.

But without even glancing at them, Learic continued to stare at me.

“Did Muel say that monster was fake?”

“Yes.”

“How amusing. How can someone who doesn’t even recognize their own god when it comes claim to be a prophet?”

Learic let out a sneer filled with rare disgust. He sighed deeply and nodded.

“Since the previous Room 110, that fanatic Muel, was accepted into the Mongma Palace, that monster has been sinking its teeth into this place.”

“……”

“Like a conqueror. If only I hadn’t accepted that damned fanatic, the Mongma Palace could have lasted forever.”

The human-shaped tentacles pouring down began to destroy the Mongma Palace.

The second floor was already half-consumed.

The gaping maw of the hideous god replaced the collapsed ceiling.

“I wondered why it stopped its activities. That damned god was waiting for me.”

The Mongma Palace was disappearing pathetically, true to its name.

Learic, its master, clicked his tongue, saying it was ridiculous.

Then he pondered the current situation.

“In the end, I failed to discover your secret, and I’m also losing the Mongma Palace I created with such care.”

“You could call it karma.”

“Do demons have karma too?”

Originally, he could have kept me trapped in the Mongma Palace, but if left like this, I would be eaten by the god.

“If you were a little less attractive, a little less mysterious. I would have given up right away.”

The demon’s eyes looked at me as if gazing at a tempting fruit, even while expressing regret.

I was familiar with this, having experienced it once with Magan.

And finally…

Creeeeak.

Behind his back…

“Congratulations, Deus Verdi.”

A purple door opened.

“You’re the only human to escape the Mongma Palace on your own.”

Learic honestly admitted defeat. There was no point in keeping me any longer.

Overpowering and crushing me didn’t suit Learic’s temperament.

“I will repay today’s humiliating defeat the next time we meet.”

Saying that, Learic stepped aside slightly to make way.

Kuguuuung!

As if realizing we were trying to escape, Romuleus began to devour the Mongma Palace more violently.

Despite the increasingly urgent situation, I turned to look at the two people fighting on the stairs.

With perfect timing…

Han So and the Dark Spiritmaster were also looking in my direction.

“To entrust what comes next to you, who recognized me as a living being, as Han So… I can only feel pride.”

Han So smiled brightly as he swung Maengcheonmubong. Despite death being right before him, a brilliant smile hung on his lips.

“I think I can only either really like you or really hate you as a person.”

On the opposite side, the Dark Spiritmaster handling magic revealed her honest feelings.

Though our time together was short, we had many conversations.

Still, it would be a lie to say there were no regrets.

“I had long abandoned relationships with people. I hate you for making me feel sad about parting.”

“……”

“And I envy the me who will be with you from now on.”

Woooong!

The Dark Spiritmaster’s mana surged.

The purple mana tore apart all the tentacles flying toward me, protecting me.

“When you meet me next, I’m so annoyed that I want to give you a good hit, okay?”

A sudden and light statement.

But what followed was not light at all.

“Jenny.”

Though embarrassed, her eyes didn’t waver, trying to take in as much of me as possible.

“That’s my name.”

“Jenny?”

“Yeah, a spirit master named Jenny. It’s light and doesn’t suit me, right?”

“What a ridiculous reason.”

I never expected to hear her real name this way, nor did I expect such a reason for hiding it.

But Jenny answered with a smile.

“Go and give me a good hit.”

“If that’s what you want.”

Nodding, I turned around.

The Mongma Palace was collapsing.

The expected farewell was heavier than I thought, making it difficult to step away.

But their backs, grateful that I would remember them, urged me to leave.

So I gained a little strength and stepped out through the door.

“Well done, Necromancer of Norsweden.”

“Goodbye, my wonderful disciple.”

Thud.

The door closed.

And suddenly, I was standing back in the research lab at Robern Academy.