CH 99

‘It must be a signal to head to a specific location…’

The reason it repeated twice, then three times, then four times, then three times, was because those four numbers were all I needed to know to find the location. The next moment, I took advantage of the moment the opponent paused and started knocking on the floor.

Twice, three times, then four times, and then three times once again.

As if they understood my intentions, the inexplicable knocking stopped and the room fell silent again.

…2343.

I quietly recited the numbers to myself. It was finally time to get out there and figure out what it meant.

But as soon as I opened the door, I ran into a major problem.

“Eve.”

Gabriel glanced down at me with a twinkle in his eye.

I swallowed dry saliva. Now, it seemed like I could recognize Gabriel no matter how he changed his appearance. It was because taking over someone else’s body wouldn’t take away his inherently evil nature.

And that smile that disguised meanness as kindness…

“Aren’t you bored?”

“I’m not bored.”

“I thought you might be lonely, so I came to see you.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Oh, you’re being cold-hearted.”

Gabriel took my hand and kissed it lightly.

I didn’t even think to pull my hand away. Otherwise, I had no idea what this madman was going to do.

“…Then, show me around. I’m afraid I’ll get lost trying to get around by myself.”

“Is there anything Eve is afraid of? That’s unexpected.”

“There’s a lot.”

…For example, you.

I swallowed the latter part. Still, he seemed to understand what I hadn’t said.

“That’s disappointing, I thought I was being nice to Eve…”

“If you’re just going to talk nonsense, can you please leave? You’re wasting my time.”

“Oh, right. Let’s look around.”

Gabriel tilted his head.

“Where do you want to see, Eve? I don’t think you’ve found the bathroom yet…”

“The hallway is very long, but I’ve only seen a few rooms. Where are the other rooms? What are the rooms for? Is it just bedrooms?”

I spoke to Gabriel without holding my breath. It was true that I actually wanted to know, but it was also my intention to cover up my true intention.

“Hmm… wouldn’t it be more fun for Eve to find out for herself?”

Gabriel, of course, wasn’t easy. He refused at once, fearing that information would be leaked unintentionally while providing guidance.

I glanced at him.

‘Now, what was this person thinking about me?’

“Then, I’m going to just be alone.”

“Do that.”

He let go of me easily.

“I’m sure Eve will need some time to adjust, too… I didn’t think much. We have an eternity, so let’s take it slowly.”

Soon, the door was closed, and I sank to the floor and gasped for breath.

‘…Will I be able to find it?’

2343.

There was not a single hint as to what those numbers meant. I could only vaguely guess that it might be a clue to where the person sending the signal was trapped. Besides, I was rejected by Gabriel, the only one who could give me information.

‘If anything, he might be more suspicious of me.’

I gritted my teeth.

Still, I had to do something like I’ve been kicking my feet all the way here. To be honest, it wasn’t as if I didn’t realize that even if I did run into someone who was sending me signals, it was unlikely to lead to an escape.

Nonetheless…

‘…I won’t be alone.’

I needed an ally, not an enemy… someone who shared the goal of bringing down Gabriel Vecchio!

I silently counted the minutes, waiting for Gabriel to leave completely. Even though he wasn’t constraining me from wandering around to my heart’s content, there was nothing wrong with being careful.

‘Is he gone now?’

I sneakily opened the door.

‘He’s not here…’

It was a good thing that Gabriel was busier than he looked. After all, it wasn’t every day that you had to organize a space that had been vacant for so long and prepare the necessities for two or three people.

I stepped into the chilly hallway.

Trying to find the significance of the numbers from the beginning right now would only confuse me. My first priority was to familiarize myself with the space.

˚ ･: * ✧ * :･ ˚

‘…I don’t know!’

I grabbed my head by the hair.

It had been a week since Gabriel and I were trapped in this underground space. Even though I could now see where everything was, the meaning of the numbers was still a mystery.

However, if there were one harvest, it would be…

‘I know the way out.’

It was a labyrinth with twists and turns, but if you looked closely, you could see the natural scratch marks caused by people coming and going. The daily necessities must have come in through this passage as well.

‘But, I think there might be a trap…’

It was because if it had been that easy to get out, he would have prevented me from entering in the first place.

I closed my eyes tightly. Perhaps it was because I’d been wandering around so much, my head was spinning. As I leaned against the wall in the hallway, which was a good distance from my room and Gabriel’s, I glanced up at the ceiling.

‘…Uh?’

The color of the ceiling was different. Unlike the other spaces, which were grayish-black or even muddy in color, there was something reddish…

Thinking so, I got on my tiptoes and stretched my hand upward as far as I could.

“….!”

When I knocked on it, it sounded hollow, unlike other spaces.

‘It’s obvious.’

Above this, there was a space. And if my calculations were correct…

‘…It must be right below where my room is located.’

I started to walk faster.

That was a clue.

I didn’t want to waste any time. After a while, I eventually arrived at the halfway point between my room and the spot where the ceiling had been red just a moment before.

‘…It’s here.’

Up until this point, I only thought of it as an ordinary hallway and passed by. That would be the case because, from the outside, it was no different from the other walls.

But let’s touch it with my hands…

‘….!’

I could feel the bumpy latches. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the latch was painted a grayish color to match the wall.

[ T/N: To make it easier to visualize, try to imagine a ㄱ-shaped metal bar for locking a door~! (* ´ ｰ`) ]

Dozens of them, too.

When I touched it closely, I wondered if there was a need for this many, as there were ten in each row, four in all.

‘Do I need to undo all of this…?’

Still, they were all loose, and even though I tried pushing on the wall, it wouldn’t budge. Unexpectedly, a number flashed through my mind the next moment.

2343.

I blinked.

‘It must have been the code to open this.’

Thinking that, I moved the second latches on the first row, the third latches on the second row, the fourth clasp on the third row, and before moving the third latches on the fourth row…

I swallowed dry saliva.

In any case, if Gabriel happened to walk by, it would all be in vain.

‘Still… I haven’t seen him since this morning.’

Even the meals were served all at once, and I had to bring them one by one.

Click.

When I undid the latches by the given order, I could hear a small friction sound as if the device was being activated.

Soon, the wall moved.

“….!”

I was wrong. It seemed that it wasn’t a type of wall that opened back and forth like a door but rather pushed to the side.

I hurriedly rushed into the dark space.

“…Crazy.”

A swear came out of my mouth without me realizing it. With a stinging scent penetrating throughout the area and a space that was darker than the rest, it wasn’t a pleasant place to be enough to make me want to run away.

‘…No way.’

I swallowed dry saliva.

Come to think of it, I haven’t heard a knocking sound in a while.

‘They aren’t dead, are they…?’

The mere thought that the person who had sent me the signal died made me feel sick to my stomach.

“Hello… is anybody here?”

No answer came back.

I moved little by little with my trembling legs like a crab crawling. And, what I found at the epicenter of the stench was…

It was a man with aqua-colored hair, tangled with filth, and green eyes, which were vivid even under faint light. He was skinny to the point where every bone in his body popped out.

The unfocused eyes stared at me.

‘…Gabriel.’

I caught my breath.

This man bore a striking resemblance to Gabriel Vecchio… no, Lucifer Bynell, the first time I saw him.

‘…No, he’s dead. Even if he switched souls, his body is already dead and buried in the Empire!’

The man opened his mouth, but no sound came out though I quickly figured out why. It was because the place where the tongue should have been was empty.

‘…His tongue was cut off.’

Fear and despair swept over me.

Who was this man, and why did Gabriel do such a thing to him?

Nevertheless, I couldn’t just stay still in shock like this. He was Gabriel’s victim who was difficult to find, and I needed all any help I could get.

“…Outside, do you know how to get out? If I can get out, I’ll call some people.”

At my question, the man shook his head before raising his hand with difficulty and pointing to the wall.

I shut my mouth.

The walls were covered with letters. More precisely, it was filled with words written in dried blood.

I could still vividly remember.

The writing on the wall began with a sentence I’d never forget.

⎡Please kill me. ⎦