I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 134

Someone once said that the greatest forces driving people to act are negative emotions like jealousy and anger.

I didn’t agree with that before, but now I could no longer deny it.

“You want to become the Pope candidate?”

“Priest Zoro said that if my holy power increases, I could become Pope.”

It was because I had witnessed the conversation between Zoro and Orias.

Ever since I met Ardal, I had spent every single day with him without fail, and naturally, the time I spent with Orias and my brother had decreased.

Today, after finishing Theodora’s lesson, I was on my way to see Ardal when I saw Zoro in the hallway and instinctively hid.

I disliked Zoro. His greedy eyes constantly evaluating my brother and me made me uncomfortable. He was always assessing which of us was more likely to become Pope and deciding whom he should support.

Since we avoided him, Orias naturally disliked him as well. And yet, at this very moment, Orias was engaged in a serious conversation with Zoro.

“There’s a way, but I don’t think you’d be capable of doing it.”

“That’s for me to decide after I hear it. So tell me.”

Orias pressed urgently, and Zoro covered his mouth with his hand, glancing around cautiously. I flattened myself against the wall to avoid his gaze.

“This isn’t something we should discuss here. Let’s move somewhere else.”

Failing to notice me, Zoro placed a hand on Orias’s shoulder and started walking. Orias immediately slapped his hand away but still followed him.

I watched their backs disappear beyond the hallway.

<Information acquired.>

• Zoro’s Scheme 2
• The player cannot interfere in this situation.

As I stared at the system window that appeared behind them, I tried to move my body, willing it to act on my own will.

I wanted to stop Orias. I wanted to prevent him from going with Zoro.

“What was that?”

But instead, Haniel’s puzzled voice slipped out of my mouth. Frowning slightly, she tilted her head, not even considering calling out to Orias.

“I’ll ask him later.”

Even though she found it strange that Orias was with Zoro, her mind was entirely preoccupied with Ardal.

She quickly forgot their conversation and walked lightly toward where Ardal was.

“Ardal!”

Ardal, who had been swinging his sword, turned toward me. Upon seeing me running toward him, he hurriedly sheathed his sword with an anxious expression.

“It’s dangerous if you run toward me. I’ll come to see you after my training, so you don’t have to keep coming like this.”

“But I want to see you sooner… Do I have to wait from now on?”

“That’s, uh… No. Not at all.”

I pouted at Ardal’s words, clearly showing my disappointment. Seeing this, Ardal flusteredly waved his hands in denial.

He seemed so taken aback that he even went as far as shaking his head.

“It would be disrespectful to keep you waiting. From now on, I’ll change my training schedule to the afternoon and visit you in the morning.”

“But that means you’ll have less time to rest.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, I’ll just keep coming.”

As I made a move to sit on the ground, Ardal hurriedly grabbed my arm again.

“The ground is dusty.”

“It’s fine…”

I trailed off, staring at my wrist where Ardal was holding me. I was more conscious of his touch than the fact that he had stopped me from sitting on the ground.

“You should go inside.”

“Okay.”

I smiled at him as I looked at our joined hands, and Ardal hastily let go. His ears, peeking through his short hair, were red.

“…I apologize for touching you without permission.”

Judging by his reaction, it seemed Ardal wasn’t completely indifferent toward Haniel either.

The more Haniel and Ardal showed their budding feelings for each other, the more anxious I became.

I could already guess what Zoro’s scheme was. With the information I had gathered so far, it wasn’t difficult to deduce.

Zoro was provoking Orias into stealing my brother’s name.

I just didn’t want to believe it. Because if I learned for certain that Orias had really harmed my brother… I didn’t know how my feelings would change.

I had returned to this game to save Orias in reality, yet all I was doing was uncovering more reasons to justify killing him.

So it had to be untrue.

Because if Orias truly harmed my brother, then…

As those thoughts ran through my mind, Ardal and I walked into the building while maintaining an awkward distance between us.

***

After keeping an awkward distance, we talked for a while. Then that night, Haniel eagerly recounted to Orias and her brother how she had held hands with Ardal.

“Haniel, let me sleep. We have to wake up early in the morning…”

“And Ardal said he wants to visit the place where I used to live. Oppa, let’s go together, okay?”

“Fine, fine, just let me…”

Listening to my brother’s drowsy voice pleading for sleep, I turned toward where Orias was lying.

Orias had his back turned to me, lying still. Even without seeing his face, it was obvious that he was upset. But Haniel, too excited, failed to notice his mood.

“El. You’ll come too, right?”

“…I’m trying to sleep, so don’t talk to me.”

When I asked in an excited voice, Orias snapped irritably.

“Haniel, stop bothering El and go to sleep.”

“Mm, okay.”

It was only after hearing Orias’s voice that I realized he was upset, so I finally closed my mouth.

As I stared at Orias’s back, I blinked slowly before eventually drifting off to sleep.

And once again, the system accelerated time.

***

It was not just a matter of viewing past settings. I was watching the past through Haniel’s body, experiencing all of Haniel’s senses.

The memory fragment of Haniel that the system had provided was imprinted in my mind as if it were my own.

Because of these memories and my current experiences, I could no longer distinguish between myself and Haniel. My past and Haniel’s past were blending together in confusion.

Right now, I was becoming overly immersed in Haniel’s experiences. This was not a good sign.

I needed to make an effort to separate myself from Haniel.

I had to maintain a proper distance. So that no matter what Orias did in the future, I could still forgive him.

“Lady Haniel, I have obtained permission for an outing.”

Today was the day we had planned to visit the place Haniel had lived before entering the temple. Theodora was to accompany the guards, while Orias and my brother were to remain at the temple.

“Oppa and El can’t come with us?”

“No, Lord Orias and El have other engagements today.”

“But they said they would come…”

Pouting, I kicked at the floor with the tip of my shoe. Theodora smiled as she patted my head.

“Lord Orias wanted to go with you as well.”

“But he’s not coming.”

“The Pope selection ceremony is coming up, so he is very busy. Since you adamantly refuse to become Pope, Lord Orias is making the effort in your place. You should understand.” Theodora comforted me as she spoke.

As she said, my brother was working hard to become Pope in my stead. Since he had less holy power than I did, he focused on gaining recognition in other areas, diligently attending classes and prayer ceremonies.

Because of that, most of the priests had come to the consensus that my brother was the next Pope.

“Lady Haniel, do you truly not wish to become Pope?”

“They say the Pope can’t get married. I don’t like that.”

“…You don’t want to be Pope because you want to get married?”

“Yes.”

Theodora furrowed her brows as if she couldn’t comprehend my reasoning. I answered naturally, then turned to wave at Ardal in the distance.

“Ardal!”

“Is there someone you want to marry? Already?”

Still frowning, Theodora grabbed my shoulders with a serious expression.

“Who is it? Hm? The only people you’ve met at the temple are old priests—who on earth could it be?!”

“Ardal isn’t old.”

“Ardal?”

“You called for me?”

As I waved my hand, Ardal quickly ran over, tilting his head.

Theodora looked back and forth between me and Ardal before letting out a small gasp.

“Ah.”

It seemed she had finally realized my feelings, despite how obvious I had been.

“Never mind. Are you ready to leave?”

“I am.”

Still staring at Ardal, Theodora reached out her hand toward me.

“Let’s go before it gets too late. Well… I suppose if it’s Ardal, it’s fine…”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. That wasn’t meant for you.”

Theodora mumbled while rubbing her chin with one hand, the other holding mine.

Hearing her muttering, Ardal glanced up at her, but she merely shook her head slightly.

As Theodora walked behind us, she leaned in closer and asked in a quiet voice, “If you become Pope, Ardal will be your escort. You’ll be able to stay together.”

“But he’d just be my escort. That’s not enough.”

My tone was a bit greedy.

Surprised by my firm response, Theodora blinked a few times before smiling kindly.

“You’ve grown a lot, Lady Haniel. Before you entered the temple, you were content just holding a piece of bread in your hands.”

“If it’s food, that’s still enough for me. The meals at the temple are more than I deserve.”

“Then there’s only one thing you’re greedy for, huh?”

“Yes.”

Theodora chuckled playfully at my immediate nod.

“If Lord Orias knew, he’d be heartbroken.”

“Ah, this is a secret. Only you can know, Priest Theodora!”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry. But Lady Haniel, have you considered Ardal’s opinion?”

She gestured toward Ardal, who was following quietly behind us, and lowered her voice even more.

Face flushing bright red, I shook my head and mumbled, “…No.”

“You do know that marriage requires mutual agreement, right?”

“Of course. I’ll ask him. Later…”

“If you truly end up getting married, let me officiate your wedding. You mustn’t let anyone else take that role.”

“Priest Theodora, are you teasing me right now?”

“Oh, did you catch that?”

At Theodora’s mischievous reply, I shot her a glare, pulled my hand from hers, and marched toward Ardal.

Ardal, looking puzzled, extended his hand toward me.

Behind us, Theodora laughed playfully.

Blushing furiously, I glanced at her expression before grabbing Ardal’s hand.

Throughout the entire outing, I felt flustered under Theodora’s gaze, but I never let go of Ardal’s hand.

Excited about being outside after so long, I spent the day energetically exploring and fell asleep earlier than usual.

Carried back to the temple by the escort knights, I failed to notice that three beds, which usually sat side by side, were empty.

The two empty spaces remained unfilled the entire night as Haniel slept.

***

The next morning, I was greeted by a system window I never wanted to see.

<You have obtained Memory Fragment 4 of [Haniel].>

• ‘Orias’s’ Death.

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

• Current progress: 80%.