Chapter 12:
When I stepped outside, I saw Sansi coming quickly toward me, holding a water bottle. He tilted his head curiously, probably wondering why I was just coming out of the office.
“Leaving already? Without seeing the Minister?”
“I just met him. Thanks for guiding me.”
“Oh, you did meet him… Still, wouldn’t it be better to have lunch before you go?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m busy. I’ll be going now.”
I smiled vaguely and hurried my steps. Even though I had only stolen a single key, my small-mindedness made me feel unnecessarily rushed to escape.
The sound of my footsteps echoed unusually loudly in the hallway. I got into the carriage I had kept ready and headed straight back to the mansion. My heart thumped as I wondered if Seniel had seen me.
To calm my nerves, I pressed my fingertips against my forehead.
‘Even if he did see, there’s nothing he could do about it.’
For a moment, I questioned what the hell I was doing. Life’s already hard enough without this.
By the time I reached the mansion, it was almost 3 PM.
When you fast for too long, there comes a point when you don’t even feel hungry—and that was exactly how I felt. A faint hunger came and went, but it was bearable. Collecting the evidence came first.
I put the recording orb I had hidden in my room into my pocket.
Just in case, I also brought along the spiritual shock device and self-defense tools. I knew Kid wouldn’t suddenly appear at the mansion, but without these, I didn’t think I could bring myself to go.
As I moved forward, a sting hit my nose, making it feel like tears were about to fall.
I hadn’t even reached the first floor yet, but my eyes were already wet.
‘What if a corpse jumps out of that secret room?’
It felt like I had boldly bought a horror game, only to want to quit the moment the opening screen appeared. I just wanted to give up.
But I shook my head and pulled myself together. This might be my last chance to survive. I couldn’t waste it without even trying.
I carefully went down to the first floor. The servants didn’t pay much attention to me, so moving around was easy.
Because I was told to avoid the first floor, no one was walking the halls. The corridor was long, and I had to turn a corner. Unless someone approached, no one would know I was here.
‘Better not be seen by anyone. Move carefully.’
I took out the key from my pocket and inserted the rose-patterned key into the keyhole of the last room. Click—the door opened with a cheerful sound.
I carefully opened the door and closed it as quietly as possible.
‘It’s dark.’
Even though it was daytime, the blackout curtains made the room dim. I took a deep breath.
Thinking that the murder tools might be here made my heart pound. My fingertips tingled with tension. This fear was nothing like when I found the key.
I felt as if Kid might suddenly burst in. I jumped at every little noise and kept glancing behind me.
After a while, my eyes adjusted, and I could roughly make out the objects.
The red carpet on the floor looked heavy. On the left wall, measured from the entrance, a ceiling-high bookshelf stood, while blackout curtains covered the right wall. In the center, two sofas faced each other across a tea table, and behind them on the wall hung a large frame.
‘Pretty ordinary, actually. Looks like the other rooms.’
There were lots of books and the smell of old dust, but nothing particularly unusual. Perhaps it was because I hadn’t entered the secret space yet.
I stopped exploring and approached the large frame on the wall ahead.
‘Oh my God.’
I had pretended not to be worried, but every creak of the wooden floor as I walked made my heart squeeze. The floor looked worn from neglect.
As I drew near the frame, the image became clear.
‘Ugh, what is this?’
An angel wept blood from its eyes, arms spread wide, laughing with ecstasy.
In the original story, it only mentioned the existence of the frame—it didn’t say anything about this painting.
The grotesque image made me scowl, and I touched the edge of the frame. I felt a recessed groove hidden behind the bookshelf. Gripping it, I slid the frame like a sliding door, and it moved smoothly.
A small room without windows appeared. It was so dark I could barely see.
I took out the recording orb from my pouch. Since I had spent a lot on it, it had a built-in light. I could have turned it on the moment I entered, but keeping it on too long would prevent proper recording, and it would die in under five minutes. So I saved it until now.
‘How the hell does Kid get in here?’
At first glance, there were no traces of a candle or anything. The story said Kid had good night vision, but even that alone wouldn’t be enough to see. He’d need the vision of a tiger or cat to see clearly.
I quickly scanned the stuffy room and took a hesitant step forward. A thick iron-like door appeared.
Using the key I had taken from Seniel’s office, I carefully unlocked it. The lock clanged loudly as it disengaged.
“Mom….”
I stomped my foot. My hand rested on the doorknob, but I couldn’t bring myself to open it. I just stared at it, my body tense like a cat with raised fur.
What if a corpse jumped out? In the original story, the murder tools were vaguely described, so I had no idea how gruesome this could be.
‘I can’t do this.’
I repeated gripping and letting go of the doorknob, crying silently. The cold metal made my fingertips curl every time.
Finally, I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
The heavy door swung wide with a loud clang, almost throwing me off balance.
Opening the door alone had drained me. I panted and shivered.
Before I could even take in my surroundings, a damp, metallic smell hit me sharply. I instinctively hunched my neck and froze.
I finally summoned courage and illuminated the room with the orb. Through squinted eyes, I scanned the space.
“What… is this?”
I thought it would look like the previous room, but the floor was different. Polished stone, walls plain white.
Four long tables stretched ahead, resembling desks from a science lab. Along the walls were glass display cases and drawers filled with vials and strange experimental tools.
‘Looks like a laboratory.’
An iron cage sat oddly in the corner. It seemed something had been kept here.
‘This room looks like where Seniel was experimented on.’
The original story didn’t specify exactly where the experiments took place, so I wasn’t entirely sure if this was the place.
“Ughhh.”
Among the tables, I noticed glinting blades. My legs weakened, tears welling up.
I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. My instincts told me this was the evidence I was looking for, and I had to check it.
‘I can do this. I can do this.’
Muttering like a mantra, I finally moved. Each careful step made my heavy breathing audible.
I bit my lips to hold back the tears. As I approached the table, the items became clearer.
‘I knew it! I knew it!’
The table displayed weapons, strange documents, and clothes, arranged neatly as if part of an exhibit.
This was the murder evidence I was searching for.
‘I can’t do this! I can’t!’
I clenched my teeth, but began recording everything with the orb.
While recording, I noticed a small white paper in front of some items. It listed who, when, and what had happened, like titles for the “works.”
Imperial Year 320, April 5th. Father, Alcohol lamp.
‘…This is Kid’s first murder…’
Burned clothing and remnants of a cigarette were there.
Right after Kid’s personality split, he dismembered his father and set him on fire with alcohol. So these burnt fabric scraps were from Seniel’s father’s clothes.
Goosebumps ran down my spine, and I groaned.
‘Wait, April 5th?’
I suddenly noticed the date. Yesterday was April 2nd, so today was April 3rd.
Only two days left until the former Marquess’s death anniversary.
‘There’s no hope. Might as well die…’
In the original story, Kid went berserk every year on his father’s death anniversary. He was already crazy; now he’d be even worse… I couldn’t even see the hellish scene that would unfold.
Even while recording carefully, I kept checking the entrance. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Kid suddenly appeared.
I prayed silently to my parents in heaven, moving sideways to continue. The further I went, the more documents I saw. The handwriting was messy but legible.
Marlin Steuber, alcohol enthusiast. Every Friday visits the Abinen Salon, enjoys literary debates as a guise for affairs with owner Emil Abinen, exits through the back alley at 10 PM…
The documents detailed meticulous murder plans. Kid wasn’t just a reckless murderer; he planned everything carefully.
‘The original story did mention he focused on planning the murders.’
I walked faster to prevent the recording orb from shutting off, my palms sweaty.
I spotted the last piece of evidence. Next to it was just an empty sheet with a note.
Year 326, July, Saelun, onboard party wine.
It was Imperial Year 326, April 3rd today. The July note indicated a murder being planned in real time. My breath caught seeing these works being filled in as I watched.
Thankful that July wasn’t here yet, I still felt unnerved. I shivered and turned away.
‘This should be enough. Let’s go.’
There was more than enough evidence. I stopped recording but kept the light on, moving carefully. Walking in the dark felt impossible otherwise.
It felt like something was watching me from behind. I kept one hand on my back as I walked, checking to make sure I left no traces, and headed for the entrance.
‘…What’s this?’
Around the entrance, I noticed papers stuck densely to the walls that I hadn’t seen before. Ignoring them was difficult—they seemed like major clues left by Kid.
But I didn’t want to stay longer, so I read only the first parts quickly.
Year 314, broke a finger but observed self-regeneration, amputated all joints to confirm regeneration possible. Suitable as a perfect vessel of God.
Year 315, limbs broken and severed, regeneration confirmed. Even after inserting foreign objects post-surgery, full recovery confirmed. Pain experienced, but minimal effect on abilities.
Year 316, subject resisted experimenters. Changed strategy from threats to kindness. Pretended to give choices, engaged in conversation and play, weekly outings for rapport. Smiled at certain individuals to reduce their worries…
‘…What is this?’
My stomach churned. “Crazy” was all I could mutter. I had already spent much mental energy just getting here; reading these summaries made me nauseous.
It was obvious who the “subject” was. Next to the text were grotesque illustrations, impossible to look at sober.
I stopped halfway; it was unbearable. My eyes fell on a small table with glass jars containing body parts. The models got bigger from right to left, showing the passage of time. I knew whose they were.
Damn.
I bolted out of the room. This place was insane.
Even in my frantic escape, I made sure to erase any trace of myself.
“Ughhh.”
I reached my room and ran to the bathroom, gagging. Kid’s crimes, the insane experiment reports, the jars with body parts…
‘Even the original story didn’t go into this much detail.’
What I had seen replayed in my mind like a chaotic montage. I was terrified, and even my brain felt against me. I collapsed on the bathroom floor, gasping.
‘Compared to those body parts and experiments, Kid’s exhibits seem almost angelic.’
Suddenly, I felt pity for Kid.
After reevaluating him for a moment, I shook my head.
‘Compared to that, Kid is better, and kind of pitiful, but he’s still a murderer threatening me. Get a grip.’
No time to sympathize. Even after sneaking in and out, my legs were weak, but I couldn’t collapse yet.
First, I had to return the rose key to its place.
‘…Mom, Dad, up in heaven, please save me.’
I had always prided myself on my mental strength, but today was an exception. I wiped my tears and stood up.
