I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 119

It had already been two weeks since the man arrived in the village. Unlike the men of the village who had spent their entire lives farming, he had a distinctly different physique.

Though he seemed to be trying to hide his identity, the compulsively neat attire and rigid, formal movements unmistakably belonged to a knight.

During his time in the village, he made efforts to avoid showing his face. Whenever he arrived, he always concealed himself entirely with a robe and hurried back to his lodgings.

Although he acted cautiously, it was impossible to completely hide from the villagers’ curiosity. Some who deliberately lingered near his dwelling caught a glimpse of his face and excitedly spread rumors.

Among the short-statured men of the village, his refined appearance stood out. For the past two weeks, the villagers had done nothing but gossip about him.

However, his appearance was not the only reason for their interest.

“But has anyone actually seen the woman that knight brought with him?”

Two weeks ago, when the man entered the village, there had been someone draped lifelessly over his back. Since long hair spilled from beneath the robe that completely covered the figure, they assumed it was a woman.

It was golden-brown hair of an unusual hue.

“She never even steps outside.”

Those who had seen the man’s face were also curious about the woman’s. If the man’s face was so striking, then surely the woman’s must be just as extraordinary.

“Should we go take a look today?”

“Forget it. If she’s a noblewoman who came with a knight, seeing her face might cause trouble later.”

“It’ll be fine if we just pretend we’re bringing food and take a quick peek. That guy didn’t say anything even when we saw his face.”

“You think so?”

The murmuring voices soon reached a consensus. Unable to suppress their curiosity, they prepared some food as an excuse in case the man caught them.

“When was the last time he came down?”

“Four days ago.”

“If the two of them have been living off what he took then, they wouldn’t have lasted more than two days.”

“Wait. Are we sure that woman is actually alive?”

“What?”

“Think about it. It’s been over ten days, and no one has seen even a strand of her hair. What if he came here to dispose of a corpse…?”

As they approached through the bushes, the two who had been chosen to investigate exchanged uneasy glances.

“Ugh, don’t say creepy stuff like that. No way…”

“Wait. Did you hear that?”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

The one who had brought up the corpse theory furrowed his brows and strained his ears. They had just arrived near the man’s house.

“Ugh…!”

“What, what was that? I definitely heard something just now…”

“Shh!”

A faint groan reached their ears, making them freeze in place. It was a woman’s voice. A stifled moan, accompanied by the sound of something creaking harshly.

Exchanging glances, they cautiously approached the house. Through a half-covered window, they caught a glimpse inside.

“Ah… Ardal…”

The woman’s voice wavered, almost breaking. The thin, trembling moan, filled with ecstasy, could only mean one thing.

Staring through the window, the two men were left slack-jawed.

The man had an ascetic appearance. His cold expression made it seem as if he had never experienced carnal desire. And yet, there he was, ravishing the woman beneath him like a wild beast.

What little they could see beyond the curtain was rough. The man, his large frame pressing the woman down, moved his hips relentlessly. The garments that had meticulously wrapped his body upon entering the village now lay crumpled beneath her.

“Ah… ngh, Ardal.”

The soft voice leaked through the door again. Ardal—so that was the man’s name.

The woman’s whimpering was accompanied by the wet sound of flesh meeting flesh. A filthy, obscene noise.

The two men stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene inside.

The woman’s legs wrapped around the man’s thighs in an undeniably seductive manner. With every movement, she clung to his shoulders as if afraid to be shaken off. As her fingers slipped, red scratches trailed down his back.

Even now, her face remained out of view. Only the man’s broad back, his tensed muscles, and the arms clinging to his shoulders swayed in their vision.

“Haa… Ardal. My back… hurts.”

At her whimpering complaint, the man paused mid-thrust and pulled her body closer. The woman was lifted with ease. Sitting her onto his lap, he stilled his movements for a moment.

“Is this… better?”

“Mm, it’s better now.”

Hearing her response, he resumed moving, this time more urgently. Seemingly more comfortable, she exhaled quick, uneven breaths, tilting her head slightly. As her forehead rested against his neck, her gaze drifted toward the window.

Their eyes met.

The woman widened her eyes in shock as she stared at them. Surprise was evident in her expression.

She hurriedly pounded on Ardal’s shoulder.

“Ardal, stop for a moment—ugh… Look.”

Hearing her voice, Ardal, who had been thrusting deeply, suddenly halted.

“Haah… Yes, Lady Haniel?”

“There are people outside… We need to check if Orias sent them…”

Ardal’s chest rose and fell heavily as he calmed his overheated body. As he listened to Haniel’s quiet whisper, he turned his head.

Two simple-looking men, their faces flushed bright red, were peeking into the room.

His brows instinctively furrowed. Scooping up his discarded clothes from the rumpled bedding, he hurriedly wrapped them around Haniel.

“Mmngh…”

As he pulled out of her, Haniel curled up on the bed with a soft whimper. Covering her with a sheet, Ardal turned toward the window.

“I’ll be back soon.”

***

I turned my gaze away from Ardal’s back as he covered me with the sheet and opened the window. I had told him to check, but since they seemed to be simple-looking people, I wasn’t too concerned.

Well, they were just villagers.

After Ardal left, I shifted my focus from the noise beyond the window to the system message occupying a corner of my vision.

<Warning! [Orias] status unstable!>

<Character [Orias] recommended for deletion.>

I let out a long sigh. The system window hadn’t changed at all since three months ago.

It’s still recommending deletion… I thought I was almost done, but not yet?

My head throbbed. Pressing my fingers against my brow, I accessed the system.

“Check progress of the third playthrough.”

<Third Playthrough – Progress 80%>

Eighty percent now. At this rate, one more login should be enough…

“Lady Haniel, I have completed the external check.” As I was sighing over the system, Ardal returned quickly and spoke.

I closed the system window and asked, “They don’t seem to be people sent by Orias. Who were they?”

“They claimed to be villagers bringing food.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

Ardal had returned quickly. He had left in such a hurry that he hadn’t even put on his shirt, and now he carried a small basket in his arms.

Lifting the cloth that covered it, he examined the contents before asking me, “There doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious. Lady Haniel, would you like to eat first?”

“No, I’m not particularly hungry right now. You eat first.”

“I am fine as well.”

“You’re hungry. Eat.”

This was already the third month of our time in hiding. Ardal was physically strong, but protecting me while I was unconscious and moving from place to place couldn’t have been easy.

“Lady Haniel, how is your condition…?”

“Ah, I’m fine. That’s enough contact for today.”

Although the unexpected intruders had interrupted us before we could finish, I had already secured the essential physical contact necessary for my survival. There was no further need for intimacy today.

I felt a little sorry if Ardal hadn’t been fully satisfied, but right now, eating seemed more important than sex.

Pulling the disheveled sheet over myself, I made space for Ardal and spoke, “Let’s go over the situation before I use the system again. Eat while you listen.”

“Understood.”

When I gestured for him to sit on the bed, Ardal nodded. He took a seat across from me, placed a piece of bread from the basket into his mouth, and watched me.

“We’re nearing the end of this. I’ve figured out why Orias wants to harm you all.”

As I spoke, I removed the clothing Ardal had draped over me and placed it over his shoulders instead. He furrowed his brows as if to refuse, but seeing that I had put on another outfit, he quietly accepted it.

Adjusting his collar with one hand, he muttered, “The reason… But you still haven’t found a way to stop His Holiness, have you?”

“That’s right. For now, the only option is to kill Orias.”

Ardal’s expression darkened. Although Orias sought to harm him, Ardal did not wish to harm Orias. He was a surprisingly upright person.

I placed my hand on Ardal’s thigh and reassured him. “It’s okay. I said ‘for now,’ didn’t I?”

At my touch, Ardal stiffened, then let out a slow breath, relaxing his expression.

“Yes, I trust you, Lady Haniel.”

I had chosen to fully immerse myself in the game and had once logged out, only to return. It was because Orias was disrupting the current balance and planning to harm others.

The system, having detected Orias’ instability first, had automatically activated and recommended his deletion to protect my mental state. But, of course, that wasn’t an option.

In this world, deletion meant death.

I didn’t want them to disappear, so I had chosen to enter the game.

Even if our relationship had become strained, there was no way I could simply delete a character just because the system recommended it.

Instead of deleting Orias, I tried to understand his state through the system. If I could grasp his thoughts, perhaps I could stop him from harming others.

However, despite my intentions, Orias and I only grew further apart. The moment he realized I was using the system, he completely lost his mind.

To stop Orias, I had started a new playthrough.

When I used the system to enter a new round, my body had temporarily fallen into a state of suspended animation. Orias had confined me during that time, but Ardal had rescued me, and we had fled.

And now, here we were.

I planned to keep avoiding Orias until I completed this third playthrough and used the information I had gained to stabilize him.

If I encountered him before he changed his mind, I might end up following the system’s guidance and erasing him completely.

A shiver ran down my arms as Orias’ obsessive gaze flashed through my mind. I rubbed my arm, and Ardal gave me a concerned look.

Diverting my attention, I glanced at the basket he had brought.

“Anyway, we should leave this place soon. Adrian was the one who told us about this location, right?”

“Yes. Next, we are scheduled to move to a residence prepared by Grand Duke Dietrich.”

“Should we leave before sunset?”

“No, it’s already late. It would be better to leave tomorrow.”

“Alright. Then I’ll log into the system again tomorrow morning.”

For the first time in a long while, I fell asleep normally alongside Ardal.

As I rested my head against Ardal’s chest and listened to his slow breathing, I recalled the day this escape began.

***

Through the haze of my drifting consciousness, I recalled something Orias had once said.

“I had a nightmare.”

Orias had told me he was having nightmares.

“It was a dream about a demon trying to steal my name.”

It was around the time he started talking about nightmares that Orias began to change.