A marble statue shone brightly in the center of a sacristy, illuminated by sunlight from an open window. The statue was of a woman with curly hair, a benevolent smile, and nine pairs of wings on her back. It was an angel statue.

“Yes, Archangel Raphaela. Lee Kang-San has finally lost his mind,” said a man on his knees before the angel statue.

It was Lazarus, the leader of Clan Vatican. The angel statue remained shining for a while, and then the light disappeared. Lazarus did not break the silence in the darkness for a bit, then stood up.

He mumbled, “Orbis cannot take action. Lee Kang-San, you shrewd bastard... You sure chose the perfect time!”

He couldn’t believe Kang-San had declared such an absurd plan.

“Underground... It’s suicide! The only way for us humans to survive is to become a believer in the God of Heaven!”

His green eyes shone with pure madness. He created the dependence faction in the Union and did his best to leave humanity’s destiny to Orbis. He believed that for a small fish to survive in a place like the Mirror World, where rough currents were the norm, they would have to stick to a giant whale.

Lazarus built up Clan Vatican to secure his right to speak within the Union. To do that, he had recruited supporters with healing skills to Clan Vatican and eagerly participated in relief missions. The clan’s fame grew with every passing day, and so did the number of people who trusted in the clan.

However, all the fame he had accumulated until now had vanished before the Tortoise Emperor, Lee Kang-San. A single word from him shook the Capital, and everyone in it followed him unconditionally. Lazarus couldn’t believe the level of command Kang-San possessed.

“We will be eradicated at this rate. There is only one method remaining!” Lazarus’s green eyes shook dangerously. “I must find the humans’ Race Stone and offer it to the God of Heaven!”

He was certain that although suffering would be unavoidable, humans would be guaranteed their survival if they became the angels’ subordinate race.

“Show yourself, Fourth Fiend... If you truly care about the human race!”

An incomprehensible soliloquy filled the sacristy.

***

Uniformed hotel guards languidly watched Kang-San and Seong-Hwi entering the hotel. They walked into the hotel over the red carpet and noticed around a hundred Dark Humans chatting in the lobby, naturally about the contents of the Ranker meeting.

“Gehehe! I knew Lee Kang-San was a lunatic, but Underground?!”

“Forget that, I’m more interested in the Subterra ticket. Cheon Seong-Hwi, huh? I heard he’s one of us.”

“Just fudge the report. Who knows? Maybe he’ll pick us.”

I can smell the stench of blood from here, Seong-Hwi thought as he noticed the scent filling the entire hotel. I’m sure the carpet is red to make it hard to tell if it’s stained with blood.

He wondered why the hotel was filled with such a scent if killing was prohibited on hotel grounds. He was sure that the hotel would glow like the Milky Way if it were doused with luminol.

Seong-Hwi approached the front desk with Kang-San. The stench of blood vanished once they approached the front desk, replaced by a refreshing scent of nature. It was because of the man standing across from them.

“Welcome to the Cecil Hotel. How may I help you?” said the male elf with grey skin, long ears, and leafy green eyes.

“Yo, it’s been a while,” Kang-San said as he slightly lifted the hood of the robe that was concealing his face.

“You—” The elf’s eyes widened intensely once he confirmed Kang-San’s identity. He immediately grabbed a silver bell and rang it. He shouted, “We ask everyone to vacate the lobby immediately! It is cleaning time.”

“Ehh?! Already, Front Manager?”

“Isn’t it earlier than usual?”

“Get the hell up already! You don’t want to see the Front Manager angry.”

The Dark Humans resting in the lobby sluggishly returned to their rooms. The lobby was empty aside from the male elf, Kang-San, and Seong-Hwi.

The elf said to break the silence, “Are you insane? You shouldn’t be here!”

Kang-San answered with a smile, “Aren’t you happy to see me, Radix? Elves sure are cold-blooded.”

“Enough jokes. Don’t you know that your relationship with us is top secret?”

The relationship between Lee Kang-San and the Cecil Hotel? Seong-Hwi wondered, tilting his head as he listened to their conversation.

The elf named Radix turned to Seong-Hwi and asked Kang-San, “Who is this human? Shall I kill him?”

“Hahah! It’s fine. He’s my junior. Besides, he won’t let you kill him that easily,” Kang-San remarked.

“Of course not,” Seong-Hwi answered as he examined the male elf with the intent to kill if necessary. However, he couldn’t see an opening to take advantage of.

A person this strong is a hotel front manager? I’d expect nothing less from the Cecil Hotel.

The cogs in Seong-Hwi’s brain rapidly turned to understand the situation. Kang-San had abruptly visited him to take him somewhere, and it turned out to be the Cecil Hotel. Not only that, but Kang-San seemed to have some sort of relationship with the Cecil Hotel.

“Where’s GM?” Kang-San asked.

“She’s not here,” Radix answered.

“She’s still absorbed in searching for her little brother, I see.”

“Now that you know, please leave and refrain from these kinds of visits next time.”

“Oh, I’m not here to see GM. I’m here to see you, Radix.”

“What?” Radix said as his flawless forehead wrinkled.

Kang-San made a firm expression and continued, “Take me to Elvenheim, Radix.”

Radix’s expression stiffened, and he replied, “You visited me simply to joke around? How unpleasant. I considered you an old comrade...”

“I’m not joking, Radix. I know your circumstances and what Elvenheim means to you, but this is important. It might lead to... the elves’ eradication.”

Radix’s lips sloped askew as he remained silent. His voice then changed to a rough and dreary tone, unlike the courteous tone he used as the front manager.

“Let that fucking race be eradicated.”

“Radix!” Kang-San shouted.

Seeing that it might lead to a commotion, Seong-Hwi quickly stepped in to say, “I don’t know what kind of relationship you two have, but it doesn’t look like there will be an end to this.” He pointed at the lobby couches and continued, “Why don’t we take a seat first?”

***

Radix sat on the couch with his arms crossed, his body language expressing complete denial.

“What in the world is going on? Please explain,” Seong-Hwi asked Kang-San.

Kang-San, who had been staring at Radix, turned to Seong-Hwi and said, “Not just anyone can enter Elvenheim, especially the depths where the World Tree is. Elves are highly reclusive.”

“I get you need that elf’s help for that purpose, but what is your relationship with the Cecil Hotel?”

Kang-San replied nonchalantly, “I’m one of the founders of the Cecil Hotel.”

“What... did you say?” Seong-Hwi asked, unable to understand.

The Cecil Hotel was a den of Dark Humans, a gathering place of heinous criminals.

How could Lee Kang-San, the Tortoise Emperor, the leader of the pioneering faction, be one of its founders? Seong-Hwi wondered.

Radix scoffed and said, “Founders, my ass. You were never interested in it from the beginning. It was all GM’s and Remy’s idea.”

“Oh! You’ve finally dropped your pretentious attitude, Radix. Are you ready to talk now?”

Radix returned to being silent.

Kang-San shook his head and said to Seong-Hwi, “Well, Radix is right. I didn’t do much. GM and Remy planned it all.”

“Planned what?” Seong-Hwi asked.

“What kind of place do you think the Cecil Hotel is?”

Seong-Hwi blurted out everything he knew about the Cecil Hotel. “A den of criminals. A nest of Dark Humans. The only sanctuary for those who stand against the Union...”

“Good. That means our plan succeeded. Our objective was to create such a place.” Kang-San smiled and continued, “The Capital was a total mess as early as ten years ago. Hundreds of crimes like rape, theft, and murder filled every street, every day.”

This was what the first-generation humans went through.

He continued, “GM and Remy wanted them to have a gathering place so we could manage them better. That’s when we came up with a ploy, also known as the Cecil Hotel.”

“Hah!” Seong-Hwi laughed.

He had never even thought of there being such a secret to the Cecil Hotel, despite having spent over a decade in the Mirror World.

So... the Union is the light, and the Cecil Hotel is the darkness, but it turns out that they were the same.

The emergence of the Cecil Hotel turned South Earth into a lawless slum. However, one could also say that everywhere except for South Earth became relatively safer.

“GM took on that role. After all, she’s as strong as I am,” Kang-San remarked.

“As strong as you, Tortoise Emperor?” Seong-Hwi asked in shock.

That would mean she was as powerful as a World Ranker.

He continued, “If that’s true, why doesn’t GM, second in the human ranking, never show herself? Her existence alone would raise the humans’ status severalfold.”

“She didn’t want that. Even while we worked together... She always said there was something she had to do.”

“And what is that?”

“Something about... finding her little brother.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Me neither. In any case, she didn’t want to come out into the light, and I couldn’t force her to.” Kang-San shrugged and continued, “Anyway, things became much simpler once the notion that the Cecil Hotel would protect the Dark Humans was established. The Dark Humans rushed to the hotel by themselves, making it much easier to track and assassinate them.”

“That’s... amazing.”

“Do you know what the finale of the Cecil Hotel plan is? Kang-San asked. Once Seong-Hwi shook his head, Kang-San smiled chillingly and continued, “We call it spring cleaning. We discern which Dark Humans are evil, stuff as many of them inside the Cecil Hotel as possible, and kill them all.”

Seong-Hwi was so impressed that he wanted to applaud. Kang-San and his comrades had done so much for humanity.

But in my past life, Tutobure killed Remy Martin, and Curiositas killed Lee Kang-San. GM couldn’t carry out the spring cleaning by herself, Seong-Hwi thought as he nodded.

After Kang-San’s death, GM became number one in the human ranking. The humans feared that the Dark Humans would tear apart the entire Capital. However, GM didn’t take any action.

As Seong-Hwi was nodding in understanding, a certain plan flashed inside his head. He thought, Wait a second! This might be...

Seong-Hwi’s expression became serious, and he began to assess the chances that his plan, inspired by the truth of the Cecil Hotel, would succeed. All that remained were the fine adjustments.

As Seong-Hwi remained deep in thought, Radix slowly opened his eyes to stare at him and said, “Are you sure we can trust him with the truth, Kang-San? What if the decade’s worth of work goes down the drain?”

“Haha, it’s fine to tell him,” Kang-San replied.

“How can you be so sure?”

“If I’m the First Son of humanity, he has what it takes to become the Second Son.”

Radix stared at Kang-San and remarked, “I don’t know why humans trust others so easily. Even GM... trusted me.”

“She’s kind, after all.”

“Yes, unlike you.”

“Kahaha! The facts sure hurt,” Kang-San snickered, then he instantly became expressionless as if his emotions had been a lie. He continued seriously, “I need your help, Radix. I must enter Elvenheim before it’s too late. They will block off all entry soon.”

“What? Why?”

“Soon... Sefirot will run rampant.”

“W-what?!” Radix reflexively slammed his fist on the couch armrest, smashing it into smithereens. “The World Tree... The Mother Tree will run rampant?”

“There are already signs of it. Several cities around Forestis have collapsed.”

“I thought that was because of Dry Tree, the new Named Hispar-rank Chaos.”

“That’s what has been told to us, but you know about Elvenheim’s reclusive tendencies better than I,” Kang-San remarked.

Radix remained silent, thinking, Sefirot will rampage?

Sefirot was everything to the elves, which was why the elves also named their society Sefirot. The tree had many names—the World Tree, the Mother Tree, the Origin of Life, the Root of Nature, and more. It was their benevolent mother who gave birth to and raised them.

“The high elves, especially the ten Sefirah, are likely aware of the situation already,” Kang-San said.

“The Sefirah!” Radix mumbled resentfully.

He thought, They’ve caused trouble yet again!

The World Tree’s rampage meant that it would likely leave a permanent scar on the Mirror World, and that the elves would become a natural enemy of all races. The elves’ inability to give up on the World Tree would spark war, and anyone could guess that the whirlpool of war would engulf the Mirror World whole.

If the World Tree is destroyed, no more young elves will be born, and the elves will naturally be eradicated.

Radix raised his head and stared at Kang-San. Although Kang-San was a playful man, he would never joke about something like this.

“How much time... do we have left?” Radix asked.

“It could happen at any moment, from what I’ve heard,” Kang-San answered.

“Is your source trustworthy?”

Kang-San peeked at Seong-Hwi, who was deep in thought, and nodded. “It is.”

Radix bit his lip and thought, Leaving the Sefirah aside, the fellow elves who will be sacrificed while knowing nothing are innocent!

He had left Elvenheim, declaring his separation from Sefirot, because he couldn’t bear to witness the tragedies toward his people any longer. Hence, he averted his gaze and ignored the tragedies like a kitten who thought it was hidden simply because its head was.

“Radix. If you still have the courage, give me a clear answer. If you refuse, I will look for another elf to help me,” Kang-San said firmly as if telling Radix this was his last chance.

The ticking of the wall clock echoed within the silence. It felt as if the silence were stabbing Radix with the hands of the clock as spears.

“Give me some time,” Radix finally said.

Kang-San shook his head and said, “There is no time. We’re racing against the clock.”

Radix smirked and remarked, “I mean, give me some time to write a leave request. I’m sure you can wait five minutes.”

***

Radix was writing a leave request with a pen resembling an owl’s feather at the front desk. Although he mentioned it was a leave request, it was closer to a letter to GM about his circumstances. Just then, he heard footsteps approaching the front desk, and a shadow loomed over him.

“What is it?” Radix asked.

“I’d like to make a request,” Seong-Hwi said.

“I refuse.” Radix did not even lift his head.

Seong-Hwi smiled and continued, “Doesn’t the front desk exist for the guests’ convenience?”

“You aren’t a guest. If you want to stay at the Cecil Hotel, you need a key—”

“Like this?” Seong-Hwi interrupted as he placed a green card on the front desk.

Radix looked up at last and stared at Seong-Hwi.

“A Green Key?” he mumbled.

“Can I be treated like a guest now?”

Radix grabbed the Green Key and examined it.

“It’s genuine,” he said.

“It is,” Seong-Hwi replied.

He had gotten the Green Key from Thumper when he noticed Thumper stubbornly persisting at the Fence Hotel lobby’s patissier to give him ice cream as he extended a card toward them. Seong-Hwi immediately noticed that the card was a key that allowed its holder to stay at the Cecil Hotel.

And a Green Key, no less. It gives its holder the privilege to either borrow a suite room or ask a favor of the Cecil Hotel, Seong-Hwi thought.

He asked Thumper where he got the key from, and was given an odd answer.

“You’re asking me where I got this? Mmm... I just found it lying around the street!”

“A Green Key was lying around the street?”

“Green Key? What’s that?”

As Seong-Hwi stared at Thumper dumbfoundedly, Thumper’s ears began to collapse.

“Friend Seong-Hwi... Is this not an ice cream coupon? What about my free ice cream...?”

“I’ll buy you ice cream, so give me that card.”

“Really? Wow! You’re the best, Friend Seong-Hwi! Then, two scoops of vanilla ice cream! No, three!”

In the end, Seong-Hwi managed to obtain a priceless Green Key for merely three scoops of vanilla ice cream from Thumper, ears twitching with joy.

“What’s your request?” Radix asked with a sour face.

Seong-Hwi smiled and explained, “I would like to hire someone with a D Weapon that allows them to conceal themselves and others. Do you have such a human... under your employment?”

Radix’s expression changed subtly.

Seong-Hwi thought, Of course, you do.