I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 127

After that day, Orias could no longer bring himself to touch me. He would reach out but then withdraw his hand with a conflicted expression, simply staring at me in silence.

For me, this was fortunate.

Because I had been using the system the entire time.

From the moment he imprisoned me, I had continuously utilized the system.

<Communication Magic Orb>

• Active status.
• Character [Lucius] is tracking the magic orb’s location.
• Estimated time until tracking completion: 3 hours 20 minutes.

At first, I had thought the place I was confined in might be the “restricted area” Hella had mentioned.

But Ardal hadn’t come to find me. Hella had informed him of my location, and more than enough time had passed for him to track me down.

To execute the escape plan, I needed to inform others of my exact location.

With most of the preparations complete, all that remained was pinpointing my whereabouts—then, I could escape.

“Haniel, do you need anything?”

For the first time in a while, Orias, who had been silently watching my face, spoke.

“I don’t. Orias, stop this and let me go now. If you do it now, everything can return to the way it was.”

“You might get bored alone. I should bring you a few books.”

Muttering to himself as if making a decision, Orias stood up, avoiding my gaze.

“I’ll bring them tomorrow.”

Despite imprisoning me out of a desire to have me all to himself, his behavior was strikingly avoidant.

His face was full of guilt, yet he refused to let me go. I couldn’t understand why.

Orias left the room as if fleeing.

“Check Orias’s status.”

Watching the closed door, I let out a sigh and opened the system.

<Warning! Orias’s status is extremely unstable.>

<Character deletion is recommended.>

“Can I check his status in more detail?”

<Access to this information is restricted.>

• Available after confirming Orias’s single route.

The system’s behavior was annoyingly inconsistent.

If it was going to provide information, why not just reveal everything? Why was it requiring me to verify the route first?

It allowed character deletion, yet wouldn’t grant access to simple information.

Frustrated, I closed the system and lay down on the bed. The plush bedding enveloped me, but the weight of the shackles around my ankles remained painfully apparent.

As I absently moved my feet, the sound of metal clinking echoed in the room. Pushing aside the creeping anxiety, I closed my eyes.

Before Orias became even more unstable, I needed to progress the third playthrough and figure out the reason behind his change.

***

“Is this how it works?”

Following the system’s guidance, I attempted an item enhancement. Since I had to avoid Orias and couldn’t meet with anyone, this was a necessary measure.

<Would you like to enhance the item ‘Bracelet Imbued with Holy Power’?>

• After enhancement, the item will change from a permanent item to a consumable item.
• The item’s usage duration will be limited to 100 days.
• After the duration ends, there will be no way to maintain stability.
• If stability is not maintained, the player will die.
• Enhancement is not recommended.

“Enhance.”

<Enhancement is not recommended.>

• Would you still like to proceed with enhancement?

The system tried to stop me, but I had no other choice.

“Yes.”

<Enhancing item.>

<You have acquired ‘Bracelet Imbued with Holy Power (Enhanced).’>

• You can now designate a character to assist in maintaining stability.
• Available characters: [Ardal] [Orias] [Dion] [Dietrich] [Lucius] [Adrian]
• Once a character is chosen, the item’s duration will begin to deplete.
• Remaining duration: 100 days (Item will be destroyed after this period.)

If the item was destroyed after 100 days, that would be dangerous. But as long as I found a way to maintain stability before then, it wouldn’t matter.

Allowing Orias to spiral out of control was the greater risk.

—”Saintess, we’ve confirmed your location.”

“That’s good news. I’ve just finished my preparations as well.”

—”…Do we really have to do this? Couldn’t we just protect you instead?”

“And what do you plan to do about Orias?”

—”That…”

Right after I finished enhancing the item, Lucius contacted me.

He still wasn’t satisfied with the plan I had given him and was trying to persuade me otherwise.

“I won’t let anyone get hurt. Not Orias, not you, Lucius.”

—”Aren’t you taking this too lightly? If you can’t persuade him, what will you do then?”

“Then I’ll take responsibility for my decision.”

Lucius gazed at me with a somber expression. Seeing that I wasn’t backing down, he furrowed his brow and rubbed his temple as if dealing with a headache.

—”Fine, but don’t try to bear this alone.”

“No, this is my choice, so I should—”

—”If it’s not the answer I want to hear, I won’t help you. Answer properly.”

“…Alright.”

Lucius’s sharp voice made it clear that he wouldn’t back down this time. Avoiding his gaze, I reluctantly gave in.

No matter what, Lucius always went easy on me.

The thought that an emperor was taking responsibility for the Holy Kingdom’s saintess felt absurd, but I decided not to bring it up. My throat felt tight, so I cleared it before continuing, “When are we executing the plan?”

—”Tonight.”

“Isn’t that a bit too soon? What about the preparations?”

—”Everything is in place. Don’t worry. No one will get hurt.”

Perhaps worried that there might be casualties, I hesitated. But Lucius spoke with firm certainty.

—”The operation will start at 11 p.m. Your commander will come to get you then. Be ready. The escape route is…”

I focused entirely on Lucius’s words, determined not to miss a single detail.

***

The moment the time Lucius had warned about arrived, an ear-splitting explosion shook the temple.

“Lady Haniel. Are you alright?”

I heard the sound of an explosion outside, and within minutes, I was greeted by Ardal’s face. He was not wearing his usual white knight’s uniform but dark clothing that blended into the shadows.

Ardal’s eyes quickly found the shackles on my ankles. Rushing forward, he swiftly dismantled the restraints.

“His Holiness is being held back by others. Sir Dion and Sir Tricia have secured the escape route, so you need to make your way there.”

He spoke while working on the restraints, and in no time, the shackles were undone. I pushed his hands away and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

“Your shoes…”

It seemed he hadn’t expected me to be barefoot, as Ardal frowned while glancing down at my feet.

There was no time to leisurely search for shoes.

“I’ll find some once we’re outside. We need to move now. Lucius won’t be able to hold Orias off for long.”

The two of them were evenly matched in power. If Lucius fought with the intent to kill, he could gain the upper hand since he had brought reinforcements, but I had made him swear not to harm Orias.

Ardal seemed to agree with me, as he didn’t insist on finding shoes.

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Just as we were about to leave the room, I placed a note I had written in advance on the bed, making sure it was easily visible.

If he saw it, at least for a while, he wouldn’t try to harm anyone else.

“That is…”

Ardal trailed off, glancing back at me. He must have read the contents of the note.

“It’s fine. Let’s go.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but we both knew there was no time for that.

Together with Ardal, I left the room where I had been confined for days.

The temple corridors, which I hadn’t seen in a while, were in complete chaos, filled with frightened priests.

Boom! Boom!

The sound of explosions was not from bombs—it was lightning.

Lightning was striking down into the temple gardens.

“What on earth is happening?”

“The altar has been destroyed, but we can’t get close! What should we do about this…!”

While the priests who couldn’t escape stomped their feet in panic, Ardal led me through an unnoticed path.

Since we already knew where the lightning would strike, we safely exited the temple.

And there, waiting for us—not for Ardal, but specifically for me—were the others.

“Haniel!”

“Tricia! Dietrich!”

Tricia, fully armed, and Dietrich, carrying a bag, approached me. Behind them, several knights lay unconscious on the ground.

If these two were here, then Orias must have been dealing with Lucius and Dion.

“Haniel, where are your shoes?”

“I didn’t have time to find them.”

Tricia frowned as she glanced down at my dirt-covered feet.

“My boots might be a little uncomfortable, but they should fit. Wear mine.”

She knelt down and removed her boots, slipping them onto my feet one at a time.

“Thank you…”

It wasn’t a situation where I could refuse. Holding onto Tricia’s shoulder for balance, I murmured my gratitude in a small voice.

I was already grateful enough that she had agreed to participate in such a dangerous plan.

Tricia simply finished putting on my boots and stood up without a word. The military-style boots tightened snugly around my ankles.

After rising, Tricia gave me a brief hug before pushing me toward Dietrich.

“Hella and Dahlia are worried. Don’t get hurt, and come back safely.”

“Saintess, Sir Tricia, save the goodbyes for later and come this way.”

“Dietrich.”

“I packed a few essential supplies in the bag. Since mobility is our priority, I didn’t bring too much—”

“I’ll carry it,” said Ardal.

“As you should. Your job is to escort the Saintess and ensure her safety. Keep that in mind.”

Dietrich spoke sharply as he handed the bag to Ardal, then pressed a deep kiss to the back of my hand.

“Saintess, this time, I’ll be waiting here, so return quickly.”

He lingered in the kiss for a long moment before lifting his head and schooling his expression.

The once-stiff lines of his face softened into a smile as he helped me onto the horse, adopting a playfully lighthearted tone.

“You’re good at riding now, so you should be fine.”

“I didn’t learn it for the sake of escaping, but I suppose it’s useful now.”

“No, the first time you learned it was for the hunting festival—to escape properly. It’s good that your skills are serving their intended purpose.”

I answered with a forced smile. Dietrich, too, kept his tone deliberately casual as he spoke to me.

Handing me the reins, Dietrich gripped my hand tightly before nodding toward Ardal.

“We only prepared one horse. Ride together with the Saintess.”

Ardal secured the supplies to the saddle, then climbed up behind me.

“As soon as we confirm the Saintess has escaped, Lucius will teleport to her location. The designated meeting point is here—head there first.”

“Alright. Understood.”

Dietrich pointed to the map as he spoke.

Ardal, already familiar with the temple’s geography, gave it a quick glance and nodded.

With a light nudge to the horse’s flank, Ardal set off.

Swaying in the saddle, I turned to look at the temple, now illuminated by flashes of lightning.

Tricia and Dietrich, watching our departure, were moving the unconscious knights to safety.

Beyond them, the temple in the late night was shrouded in darkness, filled with an ominous and heavy air.