I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 133

Theodora’s prophecy became so distant in our minds that we no longer thought about it. We had grown incredibly close to Orias.

We treated Orias like our real sibling, and he, too, genuinely approached us. I couldn’t believe that he would ever bring sorrow to me—to the young Haniel.

“El, El.”

“What are you doing?”

“I like the name. Thank you, Haniel.”

The method Zoro had taught me involved transferring a portion of my holy power to Orias by giving him part of my name.

A long time ago, when everyone possessed holy power, the Pope’s name had been extraordinarily long because of this practice.

Following Zoro’s suggestion, I passed the last part of my name to Orias, and as a result, he gained a small amount of holy power.

Perhaps due to this, his white hair changed to a golden color, similar to mine.

It seemed like he liked his new hair color, but what Orias cherished even more was his name.

From time to time, Orias would softly repeat his name in an overwhelmed tone. The sound of it lingering in his mouth was sweet.

Seeing him smile so innocently, even Theodora began to let go of her prophecy and put her worries aside.

My brother, Orias—who now temporarily held the name “El”—and I were always together. Aside from when we attended holy power lessons, we never left each other’s side.

Even the priests who initially dismissed Orias, since he was not a Pope candidate despite having holy power, gradually began to respect him after seeing how close we were. Orias had become someone that no one could ignore.

Time passed peacefully, without even the stir of a light breeze. Yet, even as I watched all of this unfold through Haniel’s eyes, I couldn’t suppress my growing unease.

From the very day I followed Zoro’s instructions and gave my name to Orias, I had been imagining the worst possible scenario.

He was slowly becoming more like the Orias I knew, but his eyes remained red, and that color made me anxious.

What if Orias wasn’t satisfied with what he had now and ended up desiring my brother’s name as well?

If that were the case, it would explain why he feared his nightmares. After all, he had taken something that was never his to begin with—so he must have feared having it taken away.

“El, you should start learning how to use holy power from today. You may not be a Pope candidate, but aside from Lord Orias and Lady Haniel, you’re the only one who possesses holy power. It will surely be of great help in the future.”

“Help…?”

“Yes. It won’t be difficult for you to become a High Priest.”

I watched Orias closely as he blinked his tear-filled eyes. I also saw him tighten his grip on my hand and nod cautiously.

“And… You don’t need to hold on to what I said when we first met.”

Theodora hesitated slightly as she looked at Orias, who was holding my hand, before adding those words.

Hearing her, Orias lowered his head deeply, looking flustered.

“Why are you trembling? Are you cold?” I grabbed his arm and asked.

Orias bit his lip and raised his head. His red eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He shook his head firmly.

Looking at his face, I forcibly pushed away the worst future I had imagined.

No, something like that would never happen.

If he was so happy just at the prospect of becoming a High Priest, why would he ever covet my brother’s position?

There must be another reason why Orias would come to possess my brother’s name.

That’s what I chose to believe.

***

Knowing that Orias would eventually take my brother’s name only made me cherish my brother more.

I didn’t know what exactly would happen, but at some point, my brother would either die or lose his holy power. And Orias would take his place.

Losing such a beloved family member would surely be devastating for Haniel.

During Theodora’s lessons, I found myself unable to concentrate. My eyes wandered aimlessly until they settled on my brother, who was deeply focused on his book.

I stared intently at the crown of his head, lost in thought.

If only this peaceful life could continue forever…

Still jotting down notes as he studied, he spoke without even lifting his head, “Haniel, focus.”

“I don’t want to be Pope. You do it.”

Even as I watched the past unfold through Haniel’s body, my desire to maintain this reality went unheard by anyone.

The Haniel I inhabited simply murmured the words she had spoken in the past.

Seeing me slump over my desk, my brother poked my head with his pen. “I don’t want to either. You do it. You have more holy power than I do. Even after giving some to El, your power is still greater than mine.”

“The Pope’s position isn’t determined by the amount of holy power alone.”

Theodora, who had been listening to our bickering, sighed in exasperation.

“Don’t speak so carelessly in front of the other priests. You must be mindful of your words and actions now. All eyes and ears are on you.”

“I know.”

“Yes, we know. We only act like this in front of you, Dora unnie. We’re careful in front of the other priests, aren’t we?”

“Mm. Of course.”

My brother and I responded without hesitation.

Our casual attitude made it clear how much we trusted and liked Theodora.

Theodora rolled her eyes at us playfully before turning back to her book.

“Fine, fine. I get it. But for now, concentrate. Once today’s lesson is over, I have someone to introduce to you. Let’s finish quickly and go meet them.”

“Who is it?”

“You’ll find out after the lesson.”

I blinked as I made eye contact with my brother.

Who was Theodora introducing us to?

My brother seemed just as curious as I was, struggling to focus on the lesson. In the end, Theodora finished the class earlier than usual.

“I will add today’s unfinished material to tomorrow’s lesson.”

Despite Theodora’s warning, my brother and I clung to her arms, pestering her.

“Who are we meeting?”

“Hurry, let’s go!”

Ever since entering the temple, we had only met priests, and we were getting restless. Other than Theodora, the priests were all obsessed with predicting which of us would become the Pope and scrambling to position themselves next to the likely candidate.

Zoro was the most greedy among them. We had no trouble seeing through their intentions.

The only people who were truly on our side in this place were Orias and Theodora.

“It’s a child I’ve been keeping an eye on.”

“A child? Someone our age?”

“Yes.”

Theodora answered calmly. She spoke as if it were nothing special, but my brother and I were thrilled.

It was already exciting enough to meet someone new, but to find out they were our age? There was nothing better.

“Hurry, hurry!”

“You must not run in the temple.”

“Ugh, but no one’s watching!”

“I am watching.”

Despite our excitement and the way we tugged at her arms, Theodora continued walking at her usual pace.

The place she led us to was the training ground for the Holy Knights.

As we arrived, the knights stopped their training and bowed their heads. Following Theodora across the training ground, we soon spotted a boy who stood out.

“Ardal.”

“Priest Theodora.”

Theodora called out a familiar name. But even before she said it, I had already recognized him.

Young Ardal looked like a smaller version of the adult him. His face bore the same stern, almost emotionless expression—one that seemed too severe for a child.

It didn’t quite suit his young face, yet at the same time, it somehow did.

Sweating from intense training, Ardal showed no sign of distress. He lowered his head politely toward Theodora before slowly shifting his gaze to us.

I watched the entire process without looking away for even a second.

While inhabiting Haniel’s body, I had always been able to control where I looked.

“Are you… the Pope candidates?”

But not this time.

All I could see was Ardal’s face, his moving lips, the beads of sweat trailing down his smooth forehead, and his dark eyes blinking slowly.

The way Haniel looked at Ardal was strangely bright.

I could see nothing else but Ardal in her gaze.

I had been observing Haniel’s actions closely, and now, I could feel the source of my growing unease creeping closer.

Haniel… she seemed far too focused on Ardal.

Anxiety gripped me as I maintained my gaze. Slowly, I watched Ardal bow his head toward me. Light seemed to pour down around him.

“My name is Ardal. I am training to become the future Pope’s escort.”

“The Pope’s escort?”

“Yes. Ardal is training to serve whoever becomes Pope. He will become the guardian of either Lady Haniel or Lord Orias.”

“An escort…”

My voice was brimming with excitement.

“Does a Pope really need an escort when they never leave the temple?”

“El, when did you get here?”

“Just now. But why does Haniel look so dazed…?”

It seemed that Orias had arrived. My brother sounded surprised as he called out to him.

I was still staring at Ardal.

Orias touched my arm, trying to get my attention, but his voice trailed off without finishing his sentence.

I stared at Ardal for a long while before finally managing to look away.

Then, I saw Orias’s expression. He was staring at me as if he had just been struck on the head.

I stammered, my words stumbling over themselves, “W-what?”

As I rubbed my flushed cheeks with the back of my hand, Orias’s expression grew even more devastated.

He looked at Ardal but said nothing. And I, in turn, did not speak to Orias.

My brother, noticing the strange atmosphere between us, extended his hand to Ardal.

“I’m Orias. I’ll be counting on you. I think Haniel has a higher chance of becoming the Pope than I do.”

“I will do my best, Lord Orias.”

“Haniel, you should greet him too.”

“…Nice to meet you, Ardal.”

The words that had been circling in my mouth finally came out, carrying a sweetness to them. Even though I hesitated, I clearly called Ardal’s name.

Ardal quietly gazed at me. Then, his sharp eyes softened, and he smiled faintly.

His smile caught my attention again. My heart pounded so loudly that my ears buzzed with the sound.

“Yes, Lady Haniel.”

As Ardal smiled and extended his hand to me, Orias suddenly grabbed my wrist with a harsh grip. My pulse throbbed beneath Orias’s fingers, pounding so hard that there was no way he wouldn’t notice.

<You have obtained Memory Fragment 3 of [Haniel].>

• [Haniel]’s first love, Ardal.

<Character [Orias]’s mandatory event, ‘Erased Memories,’ progress updated.>

• Current progress: 60%.

A system window appeared over Ardal’s face. The message should have been something heartwarming, yet my body froze as I read it.

Orias’s hand, gripping my wrist, trembled slightly.

A brief glance at Orias’s eyes revealed them burning with jealousy toward Ardal.

***

I was drawing closer and closer to the truth behind the nightmares haunting Orias in reality.