Chapter 9: Who can escape?
Several months after Yugi learned of his so-called friends' betrayal, he and Pa Li Ah had almost reached the end of their digging. However, their work was somewhat hindered due to Pa Li Ah's constant stomach aches and very sharp abdominal pains. Sometimes, the two would stop because the fifty-two year old man felt too weak to even move.
Although the other inhabitants and prison workers didn't realize it, Yugi would notice that his mentor didn't eat much, felt nauseated, and vomited at times, albeit in secret. For months, he hesitated to ask what was the problem, until one day...
"Are you all right, Father?"
"No, my son... I'm not all right, as I fear I might die soon from..."
"From what?" asked Yugi.
"... cancer. Stomach cancer, Yugi. It is the leading type of cancer in Korea... and I'm afraid that I've kept this from you for too long."
"If you're too weak, I can finish digging for you. A couple more days, I'll be able to finish the hole, and help you out to sea--"
"No. I would only be a hindrance to your escape, my son. For you see, since I'm in the very late stages of it, surgery would be almost impossible. If one of us was to escape this place, it'd be you, Yugi. Besides, you wouldn't be able to swim far whilst carrying me anyway. So go on, and escape! I give you my blessing."
"Then, I shall stay with you until the time of your death." said Yugi firmly.
Pa Li Ah saw the look in his friend's eyes, which showed sincerity, ardent determination, and selfless affection.
'Ah... perhaps he shall be rewarded for his trouble after all.' thought the dying man.
"Then I accept your dedication, Yugi. I thank you for it. But, hurry, cover the hole quickly before anyone suspects foul play here. And then, tomorrow night, I shall tell you something very important."
"All right, then. I shall wait until tomorrow evening. Good night, Father!" whispered the young man.
And with that, Yugi does as he's told, and waits a day later. The following day & night, Pa Li Ah informs the guards and other inmates the reason for his abstinence for food: 'religious fasting'; his condition has left him unable to properly digest foods without having problems.
After eating the prison dinner, Yugi goes back to his cell in order to find out what information the Korean minister has for him.
Surely, he isn't gonna talk about... the millions of money he has somewhere, is he?
Once inside the cell, Yugi sees that his friend is sitting on the bottom bunk this time... holding a worn out piece of paper.
"What's this paper for?" asked Yugi.
"Look at it carefully, my boy."
"All I see is a map of some small island and some scribbled lines... Monte Cristo, is it?"
Pa Li Ah quietly said, "Yes, yes. You see, that is the location of my treasure... and it is all yours, my son."
For years, Yugi restrained himself to talk of the origin of the supposed millions his friend offered to the warden for freedom. But now, he is a bit reluctant to speak to Pa Li Ah.
"No. I can't accept this. I'm not even related to you!"
"I see that you don't believe in my treasure, eh? Let me tell you where it came from. You remember that I became a minister after I retired from the life of an assassin, no? My fortune is an inheritance, a vast amount of money that was accumulated for decades. A secret founded by a group of free masons, if you will."
"A vast fortune built upon some secret organization?"
"Yes, Yugi. And how I came to learn of its existence is also intriguing. Many people consider Korean churches are like some sort of cult... well, that's partly true, as I soon saw. When I became second-in command, my superior told me that centuries ago, the cult's founders accumulated hordes of treasure(s) that originated from ancient Egypt and Rome. But due to strict regulations, no one in the cult could take/touch such things; it was considered forbidden to do so. Because I held a very high rank within The Cult, I managed to discover the treasure's location."
Confused, Yugi said, "But what does the island, Monte Cristo have to do with this?"
"Just be patient, my son. I eventually 'inherited' this treasure when my superior died, leaving me as the cult's new leader. Realizing that my predecessor and I were the only ones alive who learned of its existence, I disbanded the cult to find it for myself. That was... of course, after I committed adultery some months before."
"Wait, I get it... Monte Cristo means 'the mountain of Christ' in Italian... a fitting place for such a religious cult."
"Yes, it was. Centuries ago, Christianity in Korea was very rare to see, and as such very few learned of the treasure."
"And how much is this treasure worth?"
"I believe that it was about 1 trillion yen (roughly 11 billion USD). The treasure is comprised of gold bars, coins, silver, valuable stones and gems, jewels... all too much for anyone to have, as the founders probably thought."
"1 trillion yen?!" cried Yugi.
The minister smiled at his young friend's reaction. As he handed the piece of paper to Yugi, he said, "Although it is all yours, you must use it for good, and only for good. Now, in order to make sure that no one else finds out about the this secret, you must memorize the contents of this piece of paper and then I shall destroy it."
Reluctantly, Yugi receives the worn out parchment and quickly memorizes its contents, as to not upset his mentor. He memorizes:
To this day, on April 25, 1594, I... the nameless founder of The Cult... by the Supreme Being's holiness, forbid anyone in this Order from even touching the forbidden Pagan treasure. For those who want to experience a fate worse than death, the treasure is located in the caves of the isle of Monte Cristo, which... in my language... translates to 'the mountain of Christ'. Just remember: lift the twentieth one from the smallest source of water, and a second hole should do it.
"All right, I'm done Pa Li Ah," said Mutou. "A fate worse than death, this paper can't be serious."
"At the time, the people of the East considered the outside world as corrupt and amoral. Even thinking about it drove many insane--"
"Not to be rude, but it looks like lights are about to be out, so I suggest that the both of us get some sleep, Father."
"Very well, Yugi."
The following evening, when Yugi goes back to his cell after eating, but he notices something is amiss: Pa Li Ah's lack of movement & breathing. Before he could reach the lifeless body, he sees a burn mark on the old man's leg... made by some prison worker, probably ordered by another man; the warden, perhaps? Yugi quietly listened.
The worker asked, "This man was No. 27, right?"
His superior replied, "Yes, but according to the prison records, he was a priest or something. Name was Pa Li Ah... ah, now I remember... this was the insane Korean."
"Should we cremate the body, then?"
"No, no... because he was a religious figure, I think he deserves... the bag."
"Very well, then."
'It looks like they're trying to get something,' thought Yugi. Then, a janitor brings a human-sized bag toward the cell.
"Is it new?" asked the warden.
"Yes, sir. I made sure of it."
After placing Pa Li Ah inside the bag, the other worker said, "When do you want us to bury the body, Warden?"
"About an hour from now; it's time for our show, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot!" And with that, the two men run off to the worker's lounge. Meanwhile, the janitor decides to go back to where he came, as he's not strong enough to lift the dead body. Once all three were gone, Yugi hurried back to his cell.
"No! It can't be!" he cried. He touches the bag, and touches the man's head. Realizing that his friend is not with him anymore, Yugi begins to cry softly.
"You were right, Father, you were right all along. One of us would escape this place... but in the end, it was you, my friend..."
'Wait a minute...'
'Oh, my god, why haven't I thought of it before! If the living can't escape this wretched prison, surely the dead can...?'
'I have about an hour left... plenty of time, but still, I must act quickly! Perhaps I should make an alibi to avoid suspicion of my sudden disappearance? Perhaps, so.'
As soon as Yugi prepared several arrangements for his escape, he removed Pa Li Ah's body from the bag and placed it behind the cell wall. Once he was done, he made sure no one was around, grabbed a hidden blade (which, was stolen from shop), and went inside the bag himself.
'Good thing I'm about Pa Li Ah's weight and height... hopefully this'll work!'