Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 257.1

I looked around the wedding hall, which now resembled a crime scene.

My mind was in a state of confusion.

‘How many people died?’

There were still, unfortunately, ‘experiential trainees’ seated in the guest area. People who had been caught up in this insane Groom Lesson ghost story.

Every one of them wore a blank, hollow expression, as if their minds had snapped. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

…I counted the empty seats.

Out of fifteen, eleven were dead.

Not even a third remained.

‘A thirty-percent survival rate…’

Well, it’s still better than being vaporized by the ‘Sacred Fire’ bombardment of alien reptiles.

In any case, I had already judged it impossible to save everyone. And I had expected there would be casualties no matter what I did… but being killed as part just to set the tone of a TV show?

……

[Apologies for responding late, Friend. It seems you’re still basking in the afterglow of the live broadcast!]

At the same time, I fully realized this.

‘There’s no point asking Braun something like, ‘Was that really necessary?’…’

If you hand over control to a ghost story talk-show host, someone who will do anything at all for a successful broadcast, you should have expected this outcome.

Especially after receiving a warning just moments before.

‘…At least it wasn’t total annihilation. The fact that a few survived is, in the end, a good thing.’

But, the bitter part about this?

I’m no longer that shocked when I see people die.

Not because I’ve grown used to it.

But because my mind is being held together only by a little bell, barely maintaining sanity while trapped in an amorphous body.

Under such circumstances, the fact that I can still feel even mild bitterness over the dead is something to be grateful for.

……

‘Focus on making sure the survivors get out safely.’

And.

– Braun.

[Hmm.]

To Braun’s question of ‘What do you think?’, this was the right response.

– As expected from a legendary host.

[…!]

– I knew you’d wreck the wedding, but I didn’t expect you to tear it apart and rebuild it even more successfully.

– Thanks to you, even the bride seemed satisfied.

From what had happened moments ago, I understood.

‘If we simply sabotaged the ceremony and ran, who knows what might have happened.’

The situation had resolved more smoothly and peacefully than expected because the being called the ‘bride’ was satisfied.

However…

– You’re not… thinking of making this into a whole series, are you?

The fact that Braun was so pleased with the live broadcast ratings.

I couldn’t stop worrying about it.

What if he tries to incorporate this into Late-Night Talk Show as a new recurring series? If the Groom Lesson ghost story mutates into something even higher-grade because of that…

[Mr. Roe Deer.]

Braun’s cheerful voice spoke kindly.

[You’re being overly cautious about something completely obvious!]

…!!

[Of course I’m considering producing a next season, as long as the conditions permit it. A producer must never miss the timing when the audience reacts well. The fact that you caught that, oh indeed, my friend truly has such a keen sense for broadcasting.]

– Braun.

[What is it, Friend?]

– But you know the Late-Night Talk Show is far more fun, right?

A brief silence.

[Oh, of course. You state the obvious, Mr. Roe Deer!]

[You needn’t worry that I’ll neglect the Late-Night Talk Show. I only meant the possibility is open, should the conditions align.]

[For now, we’ll wrap things up by airing the epilogue.]

Phew.

[All right, the crew will begin striking the set.]

Clap, clap.

At the sound that echoed through empty air, the cameras, lighting rigs, and band equipment installed in the wedding hall were dismantled swiftly and neatly by faceless staff.

Even without features, a few of them somehow looked familiar… No, don’t think about it.

‘If I go too deep, I might get dragged in again.’

Just mentioning it had already made me feel uncomfortably close to the edge.

As I avoided focusing on the staff, my gaze naturally drifted to something that caught at the edge of our shared vision.

The destination at the very end of the long white-velvet carpet.

The place where the wedding vows would be made.

The altar.

‘……’

It was shattered to a grotesque degree, with only burst-apart fragments of stone scattered everywhere.

Scars gouged into the floor.

A torn stretch of carpet.

And beneath where the platform had stood…

A black hole.

A depth.

Darkness so deep that nothing could be seen below.

‘……’

Moments ago.

The ‘bride’ had come out from there.

Even though my perception had been censored through Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s vision, the sensations had been a mangled blur. Something that had been sleeping down there, something barely constrained and interpreted through the frame of a ‘wedding’…

“Mr. Roe Deer.”

……

“Mr. Roe Deer. Do not attempt to turn your gaze.”

……!

I snapped back to my senses.

…Before I realized it, I seemed to be trying to seize control of Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s body in order to turn his gaze away.

– …Thank you.

“Yes.”

After remaining silent throughout the entire broadcast, Section Chief Lee Jaheon now regained control of his body the moment the live show ended.

And he was calmly surveying the wedding hall’s current state.

I was grateful that he had quietly watched, without protest, the insane spectacle of his own body winking at cameras and hosting a live program. As expected of a veteran of the Field Exploration Team, his judgment was impeccable.

Even now, he didn’t interrupt Braun, instead quietly waiting until everything got wrapped up…

“Mr. Roe Deer. Do you require advice?”

……

– …If I were to say I did, what advice would you give me?

“Yes. Remove the talk-show ghost called Braun from your mental system.”

Aaagh!

[Oh, if it weren’t for the live broadcast, this lowly blade grunt sure speaks without any shame, even though he surely would’ve ended up as a wedding-cake decoration.]

N-Now, wait a minute.

– Section Chief. At least it’s certain that, thanks to this situation, we can now escape without the Sacred Fire bombardment. Isn’t that right?

“Yes.”

Phew.

[And who do you think made this ‘situation’ possible! Why, the host of the Late-Night Talk Show, an entertainer capable of putting together a live broadcast program in a single day. Anyone with half a brain would be offering their gratitude.]

“That is true. Thank you.”

[……]

“Now remove it.”

For the first time, I witnessed the ghost story talk-show host momentarily lose the ability to speak…

Salt Goblin

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