I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 130

When I logged back into the game, it was nighttime.

Fortunately, Ardal was on escort duty, making it relatively easy to slip out.

<Find the room of Priest [????] and collect information.>

After checking the system, I told Ardal that there was a place I was curious about. Remembering the excuse I had used with Orias, Ardal immediately cut me off.

“It’s dangerous.”

His response was firm, leaving no room for reconsideration, and I momentarily lost my words.

He was someone who usually granted my requests without hesitation…

It seemed that, just as Orias had insisted, Ardal had also judged my ability to be dangerous.

He was resolute in refusing to let me go anywhere risky and calmly tried to persuade me instead.

“If you tell me the location, I will check it first thing tomorrow. There is no need for you to move yourself, Lady Haniel.”

What he was saying was logical, but I shook my head and crossed the room.

When I placed my hand on the doorknob and looked at him, he flinched and hurried toward me.

“Lady Haniel.”

“I’m going myself.”

Ardal had said it was dangerous, but he never explicitly told me not to go. Besides, he had no way of refusing my request in the first place.

<‘Ardal’s Oath’ has been activated.>

• No matter what request is made, Ardal cannot refuse ‘Haniel’s’ requests.

Checking the system window that appeared beside Ardal’s face, I spoke.

As long as that condition remained in effect, even if I asked Ardal to kill the Pope, he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Let alone a simple request to visit a place I was curious about.

Ardal clenched his fists and released them repeatedly in frustration. Though he clearly wanted to remove my hand from the doorknob, he couldn’t bring himself to touch me.

Deliberately making a show of it, I opened the door and tilted my head.

“You can come with me if you want.”

“Lady Haniel…”

“Or I can go alone.”

Ardal let out a deep sigh, clearly resigned, and reluctantly followed after me.

“I could never allow you to go alone. That would be unacceptable.”

***

<You have discovered a hidden location: ‘Restricted Area’!>

• Obtaining information on the restricted area.
• A location designated as off-limits by character [Orias].
• The room of Priest [????] exists within this area.
• If a person without holy power enters the restricted area, an alarm will be triggered.

“Stop for a moment.”

After checking the system window, I halted Ardal.

I would be fine, but Ardal was the problem. He clearly had no holy power.

“From here on, I’ll go alone.”

“That’s…”

“I’ll just take a quick look inside and come right out. There won’t be any problems. It’s right there in front of us.”

I pointed at the door, which was less than ten steps away. Other than Ardal and me, there was no sign of movement, nor were there any apparent dangers in the vicinity.

Since I was stubbornly insisting on going alone, Ardal, looking extremely reluctant, took a step back.

“Understood.”

“I’ll be out quickly, so don’t worry too much.”

Even as he stepped back, his eyes lingered on me persistently. Feeling somewhat guilty, I muttered awkwardly.

Though I had spoken quietly, he must have heard me, yet he didn’t respond—just continued watching me with unwavering focus.

<You have discovered the room of Priest [????]!>

• The event ‘The Priest’s Secret – Part Two’ has been completed.
• Clue collection is now available.

Even as I opened the door and stepped inside, his watchful gaze followed me.

“Lady Haniel, at least leave the door op—”

Before Ardal could finish his overly proper sentence, I promptly shut the door.

Finding the room was one thing, but letting him witness me rummaging through it wouldn’t do any good.

With the door closed, I scanned the priest’s room.

The system window that popped up was familiar. I remember seeing a similar notification when I went to Adrian’s village with Dion.

Back then, I had found a small scrap of paper under the bed.

Recalling that experience, I immediately inspected the bed first.

I checked all four bedposts, but nothing caught my eye.

“A clue, a clue…”

What kind of information would I uncover? Even after entering the priest’s room, the name field in the system was still blank.

Maybe I would find something about the relationship between Orias and the owner of this room…

“Where is it?”

Muttering to myself as I searched under the bed, I suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu and straightened my back.

Something was off.

The room seemed oddly familiar.

If I focused only on the bed, it was undoubtedly a place I had never seen before. But when I took in the entire room, something about it unsettled me.

Frowning, I slowly examined my surroundings.

A modest bed, a bookshelf, a framed picture on the wall, a wardrobe…

Wait.

As I took stock of the furniture one by one, I realized what was causing my discomfort.

“The wardrobe… isn’t that the same as the one in Haniel’s House?”

Among the basic furnishings in Haniel’s House, there had been a wardrobe identical to this one.

Drawn in as if hypnotized, I approached it.

The moment I touched the wardrobe, the system window sprang up, as if it had been waiting.

<You have discovered a clue: ‘Familiar Wardrobe’!>

• A wardrobe identical to the one in ‘Haniel’s House.’
• You may experience something special through this wardrobe.

It really was the same wardrobe.

I stared blankly at the system window for a moment before opening the wardrobe doors. Inside, it was completely empty.

Was this supposed to be a clue?

Annoyed by how unhelpful the system’s clues always were, I sighed and opened the system window again.

• You may experience something special through this wardrobe.

Simply realizing that the wardrobe was identical to the one in Haniel’s House didn’t seem to be the end of it.

I stuck my head into the empty wardrobe and felt around inside. As my fingers searched through the darkness, something rough brushed against them.

It felt like a surface that had been deeply scratched. I bent down to examine it more closely.

[???]

“Is this… writing?”

It looked like markings scratched in with a sharp object. I tilted my head this way and that, trying to decipher the letters, but ultimately failed.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t read it.

Before I knew it, I had practically shoved my entire body into the wardrobe.

<You have discovered a ‘Hidden Mechanism’!>

• Usage condition: ‘Haniel’s Access’ has been met.
• Since the condition has been met, the ‘Hidden Mechanism’ will activate.

Before I could even react, the wardrobe doors slammed shut with a loud bang.

The space around me was suddenly engulfed in darkness.

“Ahh!”

What the hell?!

Terrified by the unexpected situation, I clasped my hands together tightly.

Oh, please. I hate scary things.

The only thing visible to me inside the wardrobe was the system window, but of course, that was no help in easing my fear.

I squeezed my eyes shut and curled up.

Forget the hidden mechanism—I just wanted this thing to open right now.

Through my closed eyelids, I could see the flashing light of the system window in the darkness. I wanted to check what it was saying, but opening my eyes in this pitch-black space felt impossible.

Ugh, I felt like something was going to appear any second.

I decided to just wait until the mechanism stopped on its own.

***

“Haniel!”

At the sound of a door swinging open, someone called out loudly. It was a young voice.

Peeking through barely opened eyes, I saw that the wardrobe doors had been flung wide open.

Relieved, I slowly lifted my head.

The system window, which had been flickering in the darkness, flew directly in front of my face.

<You have met the entry conditions for the Orias Route mandatory event, ‘Erased Memories’!>

<(Mandatory) Event! ‘Erased Memories’>

• An event where you can obtain information about [Orias].
• Success Reward: Fragment of [???]’s Memory + Obtain [????].
• Failure Penalty: All routes of character [Orias] will be destroyed.
• Entry Condition: Use the ‘Hidden Mechanism’ in the room of Priest [????].

<You have obtained Memory Fragment 1 of [Haniel].>

• Entering the Hidden Stage, [The Past].
• Players cannot interfere in events during the Hidden Stage.

After skimming the system notifications quickly, I blinked at the final message.

Haniel’s memory…?

That was my memory.

The previously blank section in the system window was now clearly displaying the name “Haniel.”

While I was still confused, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

A firm grip tightened around my wrist, pulling me out of the wardrobe.

“If you keep sleeping in the wardrobe, what am I supposed to do?! You didn’t even use a blanket! I told you so many times that you don’t have to hide anymore!”

“I was scared…”

“If you’re scared, just sleep next to me.”

The one pulling me out was a boy with a soft, gentle expression.

With golden hair and golden eyes, he looked so similar to Orias that for a moment, I mistook him for him.

“Come on, get up! Go wash your face right now!”

The boy urged me, pushing against my back.

I rubbed my eyes as I was half-dragged outside by him.

We headed toward a water pump, where the boy grabbed the handle and pumped up and down.

As water gushed out, he grabbed me and started scrubbing my face roughly. The icy cold water sent shivers down my spine.

It was the first time I had received such treatment since arriving here. Well, it wasn’t exactly mistreatment, but it was certainly harsh care.

My body instinctively tried to shrink away, but the boy held me firmly in place, making sure to clean my face thoroughly.

In the end, a whiny voice slipped out of my mouth.

“It’s cold…”

“Is it too cold?”

“It’s not that cold, but…”

“I’ll warm it up for you tomorrow. Just endure it for today.”

I hadn’t said those words.

It was Haniel’s body speaking on its own.

Since the system had stated that I obtained a memory fragment, it seemed I was directly experiencing Haniel’s past.

Only able to move my eyes, I rolled them around to observe my surroundings.

I saw the rundown house the boy and I had just exited.

When I looked through the open doorway, I saw a single small room inside. It was barely enough to be called a house.

Through the gap in the door, I spotted the wardrobe I had been trapped in.

It was the exact same wardrobe I had seen in the priest’s room.

So young Haniel had a habit of sleeping in the wardrobe.

It seemed like the system had used that connection to transfer me from the wardrobe in the priest’s room to this moment in Haniel’s past.

I wanted to explore the house a little more, but before I could, the boy grabbed my head. He pulled me forward as he spoke, “Come here. You still need to wipe your face.”

“Mm.”

The boy rubbed my face with a coarse cloth and tidied my hair. His hands moved with practiced ease, as if he had done this countless times before.

But more than anything—his hair color really was confusing. At a glance, it was easy to mistake him for Orias.

However, unlike Orias’s refined and arrogant demeanor, this boy had a gentle and fragile impression.

And if I looked closely, his coloring was actually different.

His hair and eyes were lighter and softer. If the two were standing side by side, anyone would immediately notice that his colors were far more vibrant and beautiful.

…Who was this boy?

“Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

As I was dragged along by his hand, I pondered.

Who was he, and why was he with me?