Chapter 103

Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual

"Official alias: The Devil."

The Hanged Man continued.

"Former highest-ranking executive of The Foundation. Went missing five years ago during The Foundation's annihilation event. Four years ago, the GBC (Global Boundary Council) finalized the closure of his record. Reason: death."

"......"

"Real name, nationality, sex, and age are all unknown. A notable irregularity is that he was a Mechanical Puppet with no fixed biological body. Not a single person in the world has ever witnessed or knows his true form."

"......"

"A masterful puppeteer and exceptional blood mage, he exhibited behavioral patterns beyond human common sense. This allowed him to assimilate well with high-risk labyrinths and Recognition Species that reject ordinary humans."

He looked at the Director's expressionless face.

"This aberrant affinity applied not only to Recognition Species but to all living beings above a certain intelligence threshold. It is for these characteristics that he is still called the worst 'Devil' in recorded history."

"If that name's come up—"

The Director tilted her head.

"—you're saying this situation is connected to that bastard? Is that what our Tarot fellow is telling me?"

"I'm not certain."

"Shit, I fell for that setup."

She promptly flopped onto the sofa, practically lying down.

"Oh, my head, my bones."

"Energy on the scale of a Tarot Card holder doesn't appear or disappear out of nowhere."

"A person's dying right in front of you and you couldn't care less."

"A geometric mass of energy evaporated in Europe, and immediately afterward, energy of comparable mass emerged on the Korean Peninsula."

"That's exactly why I said I was duped."

She asked, idly stroking her chin against the backrest.

"When I checked through the Scales, there was no significant change on the balance between the five-year and recent markers—that's what I was told."

"Yes, that's correct."

The Hanged Man rolled his eyes once around, then continued.

"However, given the nature of the artifact 'Major Arcana Tarot Cards,' the holder's capacity can influence other holders."

"Right, I know that. That's why when that devil was alive, the Tarot fellow's Scales were all over the place. Stabilized from five years ago onward. And that played a part in finalizing The Devil's death ruling, didn't it?"

"A significant change has been observed on the 'Merit' side of the Scales."

"......"

The Director and Chief Secretary both cleaned out their ears.

"Come again?"

"This shift in the Scales' perspective is highly likely attributable to The Devil's influence, and—"

"You have zero intention of having a conversation with me, is that it?"

"Since a not-insignificant mass of virtuous karma has been additionally generated from the five-year mark—"

"You don't, I see."

"Two scenarios are hypothesized."

Only then did Master Nakdo, who had been standing behind him, cut in.

"First: a successor has emerged, operating in the opposite direction."

"Successor to Tarot Card Number 15?"

"That's right~ If you consider all the factors, it's also quite likely they had at least some prior acquaintance."

"What makes you think so?"

"Because no matter how much the same card is inherited, the karma doesn't transfer with it~?"

The Tarot Cards of Destiny sought out whichever living human on Earth best fit the card's fate. 'Successor' was the term, but in practice, they were complete strangers.

And yet the karma had been inherited too?

"That means they were overwritten."

"Overwritten...."

On that point, the Hanged Man added.

"It was one of The Foundation's projects."

"Simply put, it's like adding one plus one and getting three. It's a bit different from just transferring into another person's body. You're essentially creating an entirely new 'something.'"

"Everyone's done a file overwrite on a computer, right?" Master Nakdo said with a grin. The Director, looking thoroughly disgusted, asked with a scrunched face.

"It's not even about jumping to a younger body—what's the point?"

"From what I've heard, it was a process for creating 'talent befitting paradise'... In line with the purpose they'd publicly declared, it came out of their search for the conditions to enter heaven~."

"So in that 'overwrite' process, the evil karma The Devil had accumulated was converted to virtuous karma?"

"Based on the data, there's a possibility of that, roughly speaking?"

"What in the world...."

The Director recoiled.

"Isn't that a homunculus? They've committed every crime known to mankind."

"Evil karma being passed on as an equal weight of virtuous karma is the same logic. Whatever the project, the end result had to be something worthy of entering paradise."

"'A paradise even sinners can enter'—true to form. Still sounds like absolute garbage even now, but at least I can see the thought process behind the act."

"So does that help you understand?"

"Fine."

The Director nodded.

"How about our Tarot fellow's explanations continue through Master Nakdo?"

"Why, what an honor, ma'am~"

"Much easier to follow. I always think this, but that man talks too little—far too little. Turns perfectly normal people into idiots."

"Oh, I know exactly how you feel."

"If you ask me, that fellow doesn't understand the human heart."

"More ghost than man, I'd say~"

When the Chief Secretary murmured "You two seem to get along splendidly," the Hanged Man spoke up.

"A long-term field assignment to Gangwon Province has been scheduled."

"Mm, let me take it from here."

Master Nakdo leaned on the sofa back and continued.

"I've lost my nephew, see, and I've been looking for him."

"I was wondering why you two were joined at the hip. Oh my? A man who makes his living in assassination is raising a kid? Someone who's skinned over a hundred Artists has that kind of courage?"

"The kid's from the Surface but wanted to come over, so I grabbed him."

"Bragging, are we? And the nephew's disappearance site is this new labyrinth?"

"That's how it looks, so I've been asking around here and there."

He shrugged with an amiable smile.

"One: Baeksan is paying close attention to this labyrinth."

"I heard that much ages ago. And?"

"Two: Baeksan's chairman, Mr. Baek Mu-jin, has a niece he's rather fond of—that would be Director Lee Seon-hae."

"Director Lee Seon-hae... Lee Seon-hae...."

The Director looked at the Chief Secretary.

"Who's that?"

"A prominent film director active on the Surface."

"Lord, there was an Artist like that?"

"I'd understood her to be a civilian, but this surprises even me."

Master Nakdo waved his hand.

"Nah, she is a civilian."

"Huh?"

"So, three."

Raising a third finger, he continued.

"This lady's been in the middle of producing a horror film lately, and I happen to be well-connected. Through the grapevine, I heard there was an interesting behind-the-scenes story before the film went into production."

"What kind of behind-the-scenes."

"Being the diligent type, she apparently has a habit of scouting locations herself. And while searching for this film's location, she supposedly spent a few nights at some bizarre hotel."

"Hold on...."

The Director turned to the Chief Secretary again.

"If it's a hotel, isn't that connected to that bastard?"

"If you're referring to the previous Devil, recorded as deceased—yes. Hotels were his primary venue."

"I heard he played at being a manager or something."

"Correct. Because of that, many people initially mistook the previous Devil for a Dokk—no, a Recognition Species at his debut."

"Right, right—it was only confirmed he was human thanks to the Tarot Card."

Because Tarot Cards never chose labyrinths. They only divined the fates of 'humans.'

"So, considering the subject's primary venue at the time, the new labyrinth is likely hotel-shaped—is that it? But if she's a film director, the people who stayed at that hotel were Surface civilians too?"

"That's right, civilians~"

"If that hotel-thing really is a labyrinth connected to The Foundation, that shouldn't be possible. Is it the Dokk—I mean, Recognition Species playing tricks? Granted, there are ones who enjoy that sort of thing, but it'd take considerable effort...."

"No, no, no."

Master Nakdo waved his hand.

"What did we say earlier?"

"Hmm... overwriting?"

"If that level of overwriting was possible, the synchronization rate with the previous Devil would've had to be high—so they were probably a top disciple or a test subject."

"But you said they were good."

"Which is why the test-subject probability seems higher, don't you think~?"

The Director's face crumpled.

"That makes even less sense."

Didn't it?

"I know what those Foundation bastards did too. Even sworn enemies between parent and child wouldn't be treated like that. After going through all that, they became a labyrinth—and they're letting Surface civilians who wandered in go free?"

She rarely believed anyone was born innately good. Human goodness generally came from having enough. A person who'd lost everything, down to their own body—if they weren't consumed with rage, that would be the strange thing.

"Well, the thing is...."

"Virtuous karma of an aberrant magnitude."

"—...I suppose it could be."

At the Hanged Man's addendum, the Director's face, deep in thought, sagged with exhaustion.

"Never thought I'd live to hear about a kind labyrinth."

Master Nakdo smiled awkwardly.

"Well, I'm only half-convinced myself~."

"But."

"If my nephew really got caught up in it, I'd prefer believing it's a labyrinth with mild tendencies."

"That, I can understand."

Even beasts cared for their young.

"Fine, let's say it's a kind labyrinth. At minimum, one with enough compassion to release clueless civilians alive. Then is it really connected to that Devil bastard?"

"Seeing the Dokkaebi all congregating toward the Korean Peninsula, the Inspector—our dear friend—says it mirrors the pattern from when that bastard was alive. He's 'The Hanged Man,' after all. Let's take his word for it."

"Oh, I trust our Tarot fellow's judgment. I do. It's just that the moment The Foundation's name comes up, my PTSD flares. Korea's some distance from Europe, but back then, the chaos here was beyond anything...."

She looked like she might be carsick.

"So the long-term assignment to Gangwon Province came up because of that? The behind-the-scenes hotel is in Gangwon, and—"

"I've only got a rough idea of the general area. Don't know the exact location of that damned hotel—that's what I need to find out from here. Easier to get cooperation from a regional bureau, too."

"Regional bureaus really are everyone's punching bag. Anyway, so—to get a proper read on the situation and then rescue the nephew, you'll need time? And that's why it's called a long-term assignment?"

"Something like that~?"

"Wait."

The Director asked.

"So what's the second scenario?"

"Hmm?"

"You said 'two scenarios are hypothesized' earlier, didn't you?"

The Hanged Man answered.

"The case where the previous Devil was a good person."

"Do I have to keep listening to this?"

Her gaze grew hazy. She was starting to tire.

"I now fully understand why he kept his mouth shut this whole time."

"It'd certainly be hard to bring up something like this without convincing testimony or evidence~...."

"Fine, fine, I get it. I understand. Either someone truly pitiful has emerged, or someone was secretly pitiful all along. Am I right? Say I'm right, you young people."

"Why yes, you're absolutely right, ma'am."

"And what if it's not?"

The Director straightened up.

"The only thing I've got to brag about is the years I've eaten, so don't think I don't know what kind of bastard The Devil was. That thing could pull off every outlandish feat imaginable. Disgustingly smart, that bastard. Even better at execution."

There were still many instances of his past schemes that defied analysis. Some people had gone insane or died just trying to decode them.

"There's never been a reported successor to Card Number 15 since him—so yes, you lot might be right. But what if it's not what you expected? Hm?"

"......"

"What if he pulled off some unimaginable scheme and managed to... successfully turn the headquarters into a labyrinth? And the master of that living hell is still 'The Devil' himself?"

Across the weathered, wrinkled face of a veteran who'd been through every hell—a deep revulsion and a physiological chill flickered, as though old, indelible scars were throbbing.

"Then what?"

The Director's voice had gone bone-dry.

"A labyrinth is structurally harmful to humans by nature—that's independent of the master's temperament."

"I know."

"Getting old, the only thing that grows is fear. Everyone I know keeps dying off, and the loneliness is unbearable. The Foundation's share of that was monumental, and the depravity was beyond limit."

"Did you get attached?"

"I've bought our Tarot fellow meals how many times now? Of course I got attached."

The Director cackled.

"Told you. PTSD."

She had been among the forces deployed to the annihilation operation.

If there was a word for it, this was post-war syndrome. In that operation, she'd lost her predecessor, her successors, her colleagues—and all she'd gained was the Gangwon Province directorship. She hadn't even wanted it.

For close to five years, she had not slept soundly.

Not a single night.

"These goddamn bastards—no matter how long you explain, I still can't bring myself to believe."

"Oh my, what a fine person our Director is~"

"You need this level of character to run a bureau, old man. Stating the obvious."

A wry smile soon followed.

"It's not that the argument's completely baseless. It's just too convenient a story for these old ears to accept. And if our Tarot fellow's right, that's its own problem."

The former was pitiful; the latter would cause turmoil.

"I'll talk to headquarters and give you plenty of time. Just come back in one piece."

"What about me? Is the Director worried about me too?"

"Get the hell out before I twist your leg screws. How dare a man who makes his living killing walk into a conversation between people on a government paycheck?"

"The Sensitivity Bureau really is tight-knit~ So envious~...."

Master Nakdo grinned affably and tapped the Inspector's shoulder.

"Must be nice."

"Yes."

He nodded.

"It is."

He had never once said otherwise.

Laying a faint semblance of respect upon his wisp of a personality, he bowed and left the room.