Second Round of the Family Hierarch Evaluation, part 7 (after battle)
... There's a suspicious looking door to the side. Should we check out what's inside?
<Hmm... Yeah, what should we do?>
Your choice, self-appointed class president.
Heathcliff replied nonchalantly.
Well, alright...
Let's head right in, then.
…….
…….
<…….>
Y-yeah, smooth moves, Ishy. Let's just pretend none of that happened, turn around, and keep walking.
What happened?!
I-I don't - I just didn't expect that, you know...?
<So... does that mean that we can move on like nothing happened? Or is it a case of no-backsies - >
That's when the host's voice, after a long silence, suddenly began buzzing again.
My, oh my... a certain candidate and his clan elected to bravely open a mysterious door... only to immediately slam it shut in fear! Right, so... I won't name names, on account of it being a rather embarrassing display of spinelessness, but hey. I'll give you guys a chance to rectify that!
Heeugh! M-Manager Esquire! We must open the door once again, posthaste! An agile craven we shall be made, should we not act swiftly!
Don Quixote ran up to the door and began bouncing up and down with genuine panic.
<We did see something pretty ugly-looking in there, but...>
<It wasn't an Abnormality or a Distortion. I didn't feel anything like it around here, either.>
I dunno, that almost makes it worse...
... It might seem like the host is there just to make some goofy commentary on us, but everything she's said so far has had at least one grain of truth to it.
Sigh... let's check out what's inside. We won't know what's waiting for us in there unless we actually face it.
Ishmael, now motivated to make up for her earlier blunder, confidently opened the door.
The same type of coin we received at the beginning of the game is hanging from the entity's neck.
Another demonstration of Meursault's impeccable observation skills.
H-huh, you're right! Why is it wearing a coin...?
Well, given the circumstances, we can probably gain that coin by kicking this monster to the curb, right?
We...
We... desire only to repent... An eternal repentance... We desire only to repent... An eternal repentance...
The thing endlessly repeats an unknowable mantra.
It sounded at once desperate and hopeless.
They're certainly not abnormal beings.
...? Yeah, that's what Dante just said.
Hong Lu began as though he recognized them.
They're... people.
Hongyuan's condemned.
…….
The condemned howled madly as they charged us.