The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 145

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 145. A Careful Choice (5)

The fierce struggle, swinging back and forth with violence, soon escalated into a bitter battle of wills.
Seol Jihoo had earnestly tried to persuade her that there was no particular reason they had to visit the villa, that he’d be happy to take her to Sheherazade even today, but once Plone’s fire had been lit, she couldn’t easily calm her excitement.
And understandably so—everyone fantasizes at least once about wandering far and wide in an Ethereal Form, and with the tantalizing allure of forbidden exploration added to the mix, it was hardly surprising that Plone, starved for worldly experience, was beside herself with longing.
Seol Jihoo, who had held firm with a resolute “no” for some time, surrendered helplessly the moment Plone deployed her trump card: tears streaming down her face.
She insisted it wasn’t mere curiosity—her grandfather had doted on her so much as a child, and if he’d still been alive, he wouldn’t have been buried alive so unjustly, and though it was late, she wanted to retrieve his remains or at least find some trace of him, and so forth.
Unable to bear her unrelenting laments, he had no means of resistance.
In the end, he imposed several conditions guaranteeing minimal safety, obtained her promise to abide by them strictly, and only then reluctantly consented.
But when it came time to depart, obstacles piled up one after another.
‘We don’t even know where it is.’
All they knew was that it lay beyond the Nur Harbor and across the sea, but since Plone insisted the memories would surface as they traveled, that was settled for now.
Moreover, the place was mired in scandal, and drawing attention would only invite trouble, so asking colleagues for help was completely out of the question.
One misstep could entangle them in controversy and burden others needlessly.
So Seol Jihoo decided to offer a vague excuse about business and began preparations.
He’d never imagined it would come to this, and his worries hadn’t vanished, but watching Plone grin with unbridled joy, he changed his mind.
‘Consider it paying back old debts.’
Come to think of it, this was the first time the tree—always so generous in giving—had asked so desperately for something.
They say we grant even the wishes of the dead; how could he refuse something so modest?
With that resolve, Seol Jihoo boarded a carriage bound for Nur.

***

Thud-thud—footsteps echoed down the corridor in succession.
The interior of the villa, silent as a tomb, was so dark that one couldn’t see an inch ahead. And a bone-chilling cold permeated the air, enough to raise gooseflesh even while standing still.
The group pressed forward through an endless corridor, relying on wavering torches that flickered with precarious uncertainty.
But soon the leader stopped, having encountered a dead end.
Pisora, taking in the dust-covered wall that laid bare the passage of years, released a quiet sigh.
‘Again.’
Another blocked passage. Not just once or twice—she’d lost count.
Staring wearily at the wall for a moment, she turned and took inventory of the party.
‘One, two.’
Those who looked back at her all bore the same haggard, worn expression.
‘Three, four.’
In truth, the Expedition hadn’t even been able to track the passage of time since entering, let alone distinguish between day and night.
‘Five….’
The visible members numbered five. Including herself, six.
They’d started with eighteen. Twelve had vanished.
Yes—vanished. Not dead, but truly, completely gone. Since they’d entered the villa.
‘How did it…’
…come to this?
Pisora bit at her cracked lips.
The beginning had been promising. Entry into the villa was smooth, and exploring the 1st Floor had scarcely differed from a courage test through a decrepit mansion—something they’d done a few times during outings back at the Paradise.
When they were still gathering scattered gold, silver, and treasures and luxuries throughout the halls, she’d thought they’d struck the most spectacular fortune of her time at Paradise.
The trouble began after they climbed the stairs.
After systematically completing their survey of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Floors, they were about to return in relief—only to find the descending staircase nowhere to be seen. Despite retracing their exact path, it had simply vanished without a trace.
The Expedition, after wandering the villa for more than ten hours straight, exhausted to the breaking point, decided on an interior encampment. When they woke, the first watch—two members—had disappeared. Four others who’d set out to search the immediate vicinity never returned.
Furious, Pisora had combed through the villa meticulously, but the six were nowhere to be found.
The numbers kept dwindling. During expeditions, the rear guard would suddenly vanish, or a glance away and one or two members would be gone.
And so now six remained.
It was a total catastrophe.
What drove Pisora to the brink of madness most of all was
Drrr-rrrr.
A mysterious sound from no identifiable source.
Sometimes it sounded like a rusted door being forced open; other times, like fingernails scraping against warped floorboards.
The crucial thing was that it rang out just when you began to forget it, grating on the nerves. And each time it sounded, someone went missing.
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing echoed unnaturally loud.
“Sister….”
The girl in the formal robe’s eyes grew glossy with terror.
“Don’t lose your nerve.”
Pisora’s gaze sharpened.
“No whimpering. This bastard’s doing it on purpose. It’s enjoying our reaction, that’s all. It would’ve shown itself long ago if it had any real confidence. Since it can’t, it’s playing these petty games instead. Isn’t that right?”
“But….”
“But nothing. It’s worthless. If it had any backbone, it would’ve revealed itself by now. The fact that it hasn’t means it’s resorting to these cowardly tricks. That’s all there is to it.”
Creak, creak-creak-crack!
Then an ugly, contemptuous noise filled the corridor.
Pisora clenched her teeth and pushed forward.
“We’re calling off the search here—”
Whoosh.
The torch went out.
The moment Pisora’s eyes flew wide,
Screeeee!
All six of them felt it.
Screeeee-screeeee-screeeee!
Something unseen was hurtling down the opposite end of the corridor at terrible speed.
“Aaaaagh!”
“Noooo!”
Torn screams echoed down the hallway.

***

The moment dawn broke over Nur, Seol Jihoo made straight for the harbor.
After checking the isolated spot he’d scouted the afternoon before and confirming it was empty, he entrusted his body to Plone.
Seol Jihoo had chosen flight as his method of crossing the sea—exploiting Plone’s ability to exert Physical Force whenever she wished.
There were other options, like taking a boat, but the real question was whether he could even find a boatman.
Besides, a boat would draw attention from every eye around; for someone like Seol Jihoo, who dreamed of committing the perfect crime, being carried aloft by Plone was ideal.
‘Much faster, too.’
As he crossed the night sea with its gentle waves, Seol Jihoo felt his heart racing. There was something strangely thrilling about it—the peculiar guilt of a child doing something wrong.
How much time had passed?
Brushing his windblown bangs aside, Seol Jihoo made out a coastline gradually emerging from the darkness.
Where the sea met the land—and from that point on, strictly speaking, he would be entering Parasite Territory.
“How does it feel? Starting to remember?”
[Hard to say. It’s on the tip of my tongue….]
Plone, who had been flying in a straight line across the sea, gently curved her course. Seol Jihoo quietly activated his Nine Eyes.
‘Oh no.’
He sucked in a sharp breath. The entire coastal region was drenched in yellow.
‘Choice Caution.’
Conflict flickered across Seol Jihoo’s face. This was Parasite-occupied territory, sure, but he’d heard there was no permanent military garrison here. The color told a different story.
‘Maybe we should just turn back….’
[Huh?]
Just then, Plone—who had been following the shoreline for a while—suddenly let out an exclamation.
[Found it!]
Seol Jihoo, who had been glancing about, spotted a building in the distance emitting a different light from everything else.
“That’s the place?”
[Definitely. A villa on the cliff edge. Sacrificium.]
Just as Plone said, the building perched on the far end of the coastal cliff.
In the dead of night, the isolated villa looked all the more sinister.
The problem was that the villa appeared colorless.
‘Why?’
Based on what Plone had told him, he’d expected Crisis Detection to activate—it should be dangerous. Yet no matter how he looked at it, the villa bore no color at all.
Perhaps it was connected to the yellow that surrounded it.
There was no certainty, but one thing was clear: from this point forward, even the smallest choice could mean the difference between life and death. No—it would.
Plone brought the flight to a halt near the villa.
Seol Jihoo glanced at the Camouflage Cloak in his hand. It was disposable, but the performance was excellent—he’d paid a small fortune for it.
He’d originally bought it intending to send Plone in while he hid nearby and waited, but now that everything was bathed in yellow, he had to reconsider.
‘What do I do.’
Seeing all that yellow, the thought of sending Plone alone and staying behind bothered him. But going in together felt equally wrong.
In truth, ever since escaping the research facility, his honest wish was never to set foot in Parasite Territory again.
‘Should I just dive into the sea and be done with it?’
He’d entertained that thought more than once, but shook his head. Not all Parasite entities lacked the ability to fly, and if he were swept into the waves to drift across the black expanse of the ocean, there’d be no salvation.
Nor was there a single rock or island in sight to cling to.
‘Damned situation.’
[Hey. What are we doing?]
The impatient voice rang through his already turbulent mind.
“Do we really have to go?”
Detecting a faint note of irritation in Seol Jihoo’s voice, Plone lowered her head.
[I want to….]
“…….”
[I’m curious, yes, but… I want to find my grandfather. I need to see him and ask him something so badly….]
“But there’s no guarantee your grandfather is even there.”
[That’s not the point. There’s nowhere else to go.]
“?”
[I was only notified that an assassination had taken place. I never received his remains.]
Seol Jihoo’s brows narrowed as he lifted his gaze. He could see the spirit before him, staring at the villa with an intensity that was almost unbearable.
[I only realized this after I died.]
Plone continued.
[Thanks to you, I can wander as a free spirit, but usually when someone dies and their soul becomes a ghost, they often remain bound to a specific place.]
“And this specific place would be….”
[The place where they died.]
Plone spoke with emphasis.
[If he’s not at the villa, then he either departed as a wandering spirit or ascended to heaven. In that case, there’s no other way to search, so I can accept it cleanly and let go.]
Hearing her say so much, Seol Jihoo’s expression softened just a little.
“…What do you want to ask him?”
[This.]
The necklace clinked softly.
[I need to know why he left this with my mother. And why she placed it in my coffin while saying those words….]
At the poignancy of her plea, Seol Jihoo found himself chewing his lip.
‘Now that you mention it….’
[That necklace….]
[It’s a relic of the Seven Virtues. Where on earth did you get something like that?]
After a brief silence, he spoke.
“What does the villa look like to you?”
[Huh?]
“The villa.”
[Well, I don’t feel anything particularly unusual about it… except.]
“Except?”
[It’s strange. It’s almost as if it’s beckoning me to come in… I can’t quite put it into words any other way right now.]
Seol Jihoo crossed his arms and lowered his head.
‘I need to make the right choice here.’
Whether to go together or stay alone.
After looking back and forth between the colorless and yellow auras, Seol Jihoo finally decided.
“Let’s go.”
[Really? I can go?]
“Yes. But I’m coming with you.”
[Huh? Really? You’ll come too?]
“The necklace might help when you ask him.”
That was what he said, but the real reason he’d changed his decision was that he trusted the Nine Eyes.
Of course, the Nine Eyes were more fluid than expected, and even if they appeared colorless now, there was every possibility they’d shift the moment they entered or if he touched something wrong.
‘Still.’
Even accounting for that, going together felt like the better choice.
For some reason, his intuition was strong that staying with Plone was the option closer to life.
If something went wrong, he could respond immediately either way.
[Really? I can really go?]
“…Yes.”
Seol Jihoo let out a sigh as heavy as the ocean itself.
“But don’t forget the promise you made with me. Not ever.”
[Of course! Absolutely!]
Plone cried out in alarm.
A moment later.
The young man and the spirit disappeared around the cliff and into the villa.

Seol Jihoo and Plone were able to slip through the entrance without any trouble.
The interior was so dark that Seol Jihoo had to activate the Luminescent Stone he’d brought.
“Hm….”
From outside it had looked modest, but stepping in, he had to admit the interior was genuinely magnificent.
What struck him as odd was that while the villa bore traces of recent disturbance—the kind of upheaval you’d expect from age and neglect—there were surprisingly few ornaments or luxury goods worth pilfering. It was as if someone had already stripped the place clean.
‘They took everything….’
As Seol Jihoo muttered under his breath about leaving at least something behind, his thoughts drifted to Pisora.
If the Expedition had finished and left, or if she’d died, there’d be nothing to worry about. But if she was still here somewhere, he’d need to be careful not to run into her.
‘So this is what it was like….’
“Plone? This place seems pretty empty.”
‘Yeah. Let’s check somewhere else.’
“Don’t forget—we only have an hour.”
‘Right, right.’
Wondering where to go next, Plone climbed the spiral staircase. Seol Jihoo stayed so close to her side he was practically glued to it, terrified of losing sight of her for even a moment.
At first the villa had seemed bleak and eerie, genuinely unsettling, but as he and Plone wandered through chatting quietly, much of that unease had begun to fade.
Especially as the Black Smoke Plone trailed seemed to make the surroundings feel more and more familiar with each step.
While exploring the second floor, Plone shoved open one of the corridor doors. Though there were furnishings and a bed inside, it was far too lavish to be merely a sleeping chamber.
Seol Jihoo was admiring a framed portrait of a woman with a benevolent smile when his eyes suddenly sharpened at the sight of a small drawer directly beneath it.
The White Rose Expedition must have missed this room entirely—decorative items sat undisturbed on the drawer’s surface.
There was a crystal candelabra, and in a large jeweled cup sat Golden Beads piled high like plump grapes.
‘Just taking one….’
Since a single gold bead was worth 550 million won, he’d easily clear over a billion if he took even a few.
‘You can take them.’
Plone whispered, noticing his attention had wandered.
“Really? Are you sure?”
‘Yeah. There’s no owner.’
“But the Emperor….”
‘Don’t worry. That greedy emperor lost his head at the guillotine.’
In other words, he hadn’t died here.
If that was the case, Seol Jihoo saw no reason to hold back.
As if entranced, he approached and gazed rapturously at the Golden Beads nestled in the Jeweled Cup.
‘How many are there….’
They were packed so densely he could count easily more than ten.
‘Beautiful. Let’s take the cup too.’
Seol Jihoo was left speechless, gaping.
‘This is the real jackpot.’
And they’d only explored one room.
That’s when it happened.
In the middle of gathering the beads one by one, his mouth still agape, Seol Jihoo suddenly felt an odd gaze upon him.
Following his instincts, he looked up, and in that moment—
“!”
His body went rigid and his eyes flew wide.
The benevolent-looking woman in the portrait was grinning madly, her mouth stretched from ear to ear.
The moment his eyes met her twisted, downward-gazing stare, his breath caught in his throat. A scream tried to tear free but lodged instead in his windpipe, making him gulp convulsively.
‘What’s wrong?’
Seeing Seol Jihoo frozen like ice, Plone tilted her head up without a second thought.
The instant she caught sight of the cackling woman—
‘Mom!’
She let out a sharp cry and reflexively swung her arms in retaliation.
In that moment, finally coming to his senses, Seol Jihoo saw it clearly.
Plone’s hand, nails extended to razor points, tearing mercilessly through the portrait, and—
Whoosh!
The woman’s face, which had been laughing like a madwoman, suddenly twisting in agony.
‘You scared me!’
It didn’t take long for the portrait to shred into unrecognizable rags under her relentless assault.

(To be continued in the next part)

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————