I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 128

Ardal arrived at the designated location without hesitation. The horse, having rushed there at full speed, snorted roughly.

Dismounting first, Ardal stroked the horse’s neck to calm it. Following him, I dismounted as well and turned my gaze toward the temple in the distance. Amid the flashing lightning, three figures stood unharmed.

Each time the lightning illuminated the surroundings, Orias’s golden hair stood out vividly.

Orias was blocking Dion’s sword while simultaneously suppressing Lucius’s magic. Likely because he was engaged in combat with Dion, he appeared to be in a precarious situation.

Between the bursts of holy power and magic, I felt as though my eyes met Orias’s.

Not long after, Dion halted his attack and retreated slightly to stand beside Lucius. A tense standoff followed. As soon as Dion stopped his assault, Orias fixed his gaze intently in my direction.

It seemed it wasn’t just my imagination that our eyes had met.

Though the distance was too great to make out his expression, an eerie sensation washed over me. Orias raised his hand and pointed toward me. He appeared to be saying something, but at this distance, there was no way to hear him.

“Lady Haniel, this way.”

As soon as Orias gestured toward me, Ardal stepped in front of me, shielding me with his body.

Whatever Orias had said, it must have been shocking, as both Lucius and Dion, who were closer to him, looked enraged.

But after regaining his composure, Lucius seized Dion by the scruff of the neck and cast a spell.

The two of them, who had been restraining Orias, disappeared.

Lucius had teleported to where Ardal and I were. Even as they vanished, Orias’s eyes never left me.

As the lightning ceased, priests began to gather around Orias. However, he paid no heed to their concerns and continued to stare at me.

“Lady Haniel, you must hide for now.”

Ardal spoke in a resolute voice as he guided us away.

Before the priests could spot us, we concealed ourselves among the trees. Despite having moved, I still felt as though Orias was watching me.

Dion, still fuming even after the teleportation, muttered in a rough voice, “I should’ve cut off his wrist at the very least…”

Whatever Orias had said, it must have been enough to make Dion this furious.

As Dion seethed, Lucius stepped forward.

“Saintess.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

“Orias?”

As soon as I asked, Dion, still gritting his teeth behind us, interjected sharply, “Why should we care if the Pope is injured? Honestly, I want to kill him.”

“You mustn’t. Do not harm him. I will take care of it.”

“You say that, but weren’t you the one who was locked up?”

Dion’s gaze landed on the thin nightgown peeking out from under the outer cloak Ardal had given me. His tone was laced with irritation.

Even if I explained that Orias hadn’t laid a hand on me after imprisoning me, Dion wouldn’t believe it.

Instead of making excuses, I simply adjusted my collar.

“Dion, I agree with you, but now isn’t the time for this argument.”

“My apologies.”

Lucius cut off Dion’s sarcastic remark and held up a small magic orb.

“This contains teleportation magic. It can be used twice. Since you barely gave us any time to prepare, this is the best we could do—so don’t complain.”

“I won’t.”

“You said three months, right?”

“Yes.”

The time I had requested to persuade Orias was three months.

I wanted to ask for more time, but this was the limit.

From the moment I planned my escape, I had ignored the system window that refused to disappear.

<If character [Orias] is not stabilized within three months, all capture characters except [Orias] will suffer permanent physical harm.>

The system had given me a clear warning.

If I didn’t eliminate Orias within three months, the others would be in danger.

Now I fully understood why the system had been relentlessly urging me to delete Orias. The real issue was that Orias was contemplating harming others.

“I will take care of this within three months and return.”

“Even if you don’t succeed, we’ll find another way—just don’t get hurt.”

“Mm, thank you for worrying, Dion.”

I answered firmly, and Dion responded gruffly. As I pulled him into a tight embrace, he hugged me back briefly before letting go.

“Lucius.”

“Take care.”

I reached out my hand, and Lucius placed the teleportation orb in my palm.

“Yes. I’ll be back.”

I mounted the horse with Ardal and activated the teleportation magic.

***

“Would cutting off her feet have been enough to stop her from leaving?”

Orias murmured quietly as he watched Haniel disappear into the distance.

Hearing his words, Dion immediately raised his sword and threatened him.

“Just who the hell do you think you’re talking about when you say things like that…!”

Dion, seething with fury, lunged at Orias. But Orias simply continued to stare at Haniel.

Noticing his gaze, Ardal positioned himself in front of Haniel, shielding her with his body.

“Dion, retreat.”

“Sir Lucius!”

Lucius, regaining his composure first, grabbed Dion by the nape and pulled him back. The two of them vanished from sight and reappeared in front of Haniel.

The lightning Lucius had summoned ceased, and soon, everything returned to silence.

Priests bustled about, claiming the altar needed to be restored, that divine punishment had been delivered, but Orias ignored them, lost in thought.

“Your Holiness! Where are you going?”

Only after Haniel and Ardal’s presence had completely disappeared did Orias return to the room where he had confined Haniel.

Stepping into the now-empty space, his gaze locked onto the bed.

A single sheet of paper lay there.

[If you retaliate against the Empire for what happened today, you will never see me again. Remember this, Orias. When I say ‘never see me again,’ it could mean I will no longer exist in this world.]

“I know there’s nowhere left for you to return to, so where exactly do you plan on going?”

[I will come back, so wait patiently.]

The words written below were no different from something one would leave behind for a housebound dog.

Reading the note, Orias collapsed onto the cold bed in exhaustion.

***

<The Saintess Is a Spy – Third Playthrough>

<Welcome to the game.>

“You must have been really tired.”

“Ah…”

“You fell asleep just like that in my office yesterday. Do you remember?”

“No.”

“So I moved you to the nearest room.”

A low chuckle greeted me. Orias was getting dressed, turning to look at me.

His expression was no longer the dark one I had last seen. After carefully straightening his clothes, Orias approached me as I lay on his bed.

“The Grand Duke and the knight have returned. I sent three high-ranking priests with them, so there won’t be any resistance.”

“Then, I…”

“Yes, it means you can stay in the Holy Kingdom.”

Orias spoke gently and placed a brief kiss on my forehead.

“If you’re still tired, you can rest a little longer.”

“Would that be alright?”

“Of course. I have to attend the morning assembly, so I’ll be heading out first.”

With that, he left the room, leaving me behind.

As soon as Orias exited, I closed my eyes and listened carefully for any signs of movement. The moment I was sure he was gone, I quickly sat up and activated the system.

“Check event status.”

<Event! ‘The Priest’s Secret’ – First Part>

• Find the priest connected to [Orias] and collect fragments of [???]’s memory.
• Currently collected fragments of [???]’s memory: (0/3).
• Obtain information before the priest (Zoro) dies.
• Time remaining until the priest (Zoro) dies: 65 hours.

Time was running out. As I scanned the system window, I absentmindedly rubbed my fingers together.

A priest connected to Orias.

I had just finished questioning Ardal about this in reality.

Checking whether the information I had gathered was accurate, I saw that the name previously marked with question marks had now been filled in as Zoro.

“Zoro.”

“The one who poisoned me?”

“Yes. That man has ties to His Holiness. Zoro was the only priest among the papal selection candidates who supported His Holiness.”

“Candidate?”

“Yes, there were candidates.”

“How many?”

“I’m sorry. That, I do not know.”

That was all the information Ardal had given me about the papal selection process, but it was invaluable.

If he hadn’t told me, I might have wasted precious time searching for an elderly priest simply because of the time limit.

If I had done that, I could have failed this playthrough.

Grateful for Ardal, who was likely protecting me in reality, I stepped out of Orias’s room.

“Ardal, do you know where Zoro was when I left for the Empire?”

“That would be…”

“It’s important. Please tell me.”

“…He was in the torture chamber.”

I hadn’t known the temple had a torture chamber.

Ardal avoided my gaze as he explained its location and how to enter. The expression on his face as he spoke was as if he were revealing a shameful secret.

Following the instructions Ardal had given me, I made my way there.

Since the morning assembly was taking place, the temple was relatively empty.

The torture chamber was close to Orias’s room, so finding it wasn’t difficult. After confirming there were no guards, I slipped inside.

The moment I entered, a rancid stench hit my nose. Unlike the temple’s grandeur, this space was dark and oppressive.

“Hrk…”

“Priest Zoro?”

A groan reached my ears. It was a rough, guttural sound, as if blood were boiling in his throat. A coughing fit followed, then a pained moan. The voice trembled violently at the sound of my voice.

“You… You’re…!”

It was Zoro. His appearance was wretched, completely different from when he had once trained me.

The moment he saw me, his bloodshot eyes widened in horror, and he screamed in a raspy voice.

“How… how are you here…? Khak!”

His entire body convulsed as if he had seen a ghost.

I narrowed my eyes, examining his condition. There wasn’t a single part of him that seemed unscathed. Perhaps he had already lost his mind from the pain.

“You… you died…! I—I offered you as a sacrifice to the Pope… without a doubt…! Hrk…”

His bloodshot eyes fixated on me as his body convulsed. He was bound to a chair, but he thrashed so violently that he fell to the floor. Lying in his own blood and excrement, he twisted in agony, his voice rising in desperation.

“P-please… forgive me… Have mercy… Mercy…”

With those words, Zoro’s eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

I stared blankly at his collapsed form. His state was so pitiful that I had no thoughts of interrogating him about the poison.

<Event ‘The Priest’s Secret’ – First Part – Completed.>

• Acquired information: ‘Sacrifice.’

<Event! ‘The Priest’s Secret’ – Second Part>

• Find the priest connected to [Orias] and collect fragments of [???]’s memory.
• Currently collected fragments of [???]’s memory: (0/3).
• Search the room of Priest [????] and gather information.

A system window blocked my view, unlike the usual translucent displays. It was as if it was trying to prevent me from looking at Zoro’s miserable state.

I dismissed the system window and approached his unconscious body.

“Khak… Kk… S-saint…”

He barely managed to choke out fragmented syllables.

I repositioned his fallen body to a more upright position before quickly leaving the torture chamber.

<Search the room of Priest [????] and gather information.>

Although my mood had soured, the system didn’t give me time to dwell on it.

“A priest’s room… Alright, I’ll go.”

I started moving, searching for the unknown priest’s room.

I couldn’t understand what Zoro had been projecting onto me when he said those things.