I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 139

“Just come out.”

Orias, who had been about to get angry, sighed when he saw my expression. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the wardrobe.

“…Don’t touch me.”

“What?”

I twisted my wrist out of his grip as I spoke.

Who exactly had the right to sigh here?

The one who should be sighing was me, not Orias. After stealing someone’s place, how could he look at me and sigh?

“Haniel, what did you just say…?”

“I said let go.”

“You entered a restricted area, and this is your attitude? If you can’t explain why you’re here, you’ll be punished—even you.”

The way his golden eyes cooled in anger at my attitude was displeasing.

Even now, his dazzling face remained smooth and elegant. Though I had become a saint right after returning, I was well aware that if he merely said the word, I would be punished.

I couldn’t afford to act emotionally here. Getting angry wouldn’t do me any good. So for now, I should hold back…

“Of course, Ardal, who allowed this, will also be punished.”

No, I can’t hold back. He’s going to punish Ardal? I frowned as I listened to Orias’s next words.

A surge of anger boiled up at Orias, who still didn’t realize his own wrongdoing. It was one thing for me, but he was planning to punish Ardal, who had done nothing wrong? Did he really think I’d stand by and let that happen?

Ardal was the last person who had protected me. I didn’t want to see him suffer, not physically, not mentally, not in any way.

Orias grabbed my wrist again, but this time, I met his gaze and activated the system.

‘System activation, confirm clue.’

Until now, the system had only functioned using the holy power Theodora had left in my body. But now, things were different.

<[Haniel] has acquired memories and learned how to use holy power.>

What I was using now was the same holy power that resided in Orias’s body.

“How are you using holy power…?”

As the system activated, Orias’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at me.

His large golden eyes were quite the sight. Ignoring his face, I shifted my gaze back to the system window.

<Clue usage available.>

<Remaining uses: 4>

The system window flickered briefly, as if asking what clue I wanted to use.

I didn’t care what method it was—anything was fine as long as it made Orias realize his mistake.

Though this was different from how the system had worked until now, it still responded to my will.

<Clue used!>

• [Haniel]’s unique ability, Memory Manipulation (Lv.2), is available for use.
• You can transfer past memories to [Orias].

Through the wrist Orias was gripping, a portion of the holy power he had stolen from me returned to me. It wasn’t complete, but even the small amount I regained brought a sense of stability.

Orias, however, seemed to feel the opposite. He abruptly let go of my wrist and took a step back. Standing frozen like someone who had just been slapped, Orias stared at me with confused eyes.

“My holy power…”

“Your holy power?”

I repeated his words mockingly.

The system had suggested transferring past memories to Orias, but I had no intention of giving him everything at once.

Bit by bit, I planned to let him remember only what he could handle.

But was that even necessary?

As I rubbed the wrist Orias had grabbed, I thought to myself.

My brother had been stripped of all his holy power and died. Theodora, who had helped us, had been murdered by Zoro. Zoro had fabricated documents, erasing everything Theodora had accomplished.

Yet Orias, compared to them, had lost nothing.

Not only had he erased his own memories of working with Zoro to kill my brother, but by the time the game began, he had even forgotten about me.

Maybe it hadn’t been Orias’s will to forget me. Perhaps the system had deemed it the most effective way to progress the game.

“It’s time for you to remember.”

It wasn’t fair for me to be the only one who remembered my brother and Theodora. And seeing Orias treat my brother’s and my holy power as if it were his own was unbearably infuriating.

I stroked my reddened wrist and spoke.

<[Haniel]’s Unique Ability>

<Using Memory Manipulation (Lv.2).>

• Using ability on character [Orias].

I reached out without hesitation.

As I grabbed his wrist with both hands, Orias staggered, losing his balance.

His once-childish figure had grown large, but now, his towering frame leaned toward me. The golden strands of his hair brushed against my forehead as he lost his footing.

I watched as the part of his hair that touched me slowly began to fade in color.

The warmth of his skin seeped into my fingers, sticking uncomfortably. As my nails dug into his wrist, his skin turned red and swollen.

Suddenly, I started scratching at his arm. Alarmed by my unexpected action, Ardal, who had been standing by the door, rushed over.

“Lady Haniel, stop!”

Orias, whose wrist I was gripping, looked utterly dazed. Even though he could have easily pushed me away with a single swing of his arm, he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

He was too overwhelmed by the memories flooding into him.

Ardal, who had hurriedly approached, pulled me away from the staggering Orias.

“Calm yourself. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden…?”

Ardal, who was holding me firmly as I struggled, muttered in a confused tone before stopping when he saw Orias’s hair.

Seeing the noticeably faded golden color, Ardal quickly looked me over. It seemed he was checking if I was unharmed, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Orias, who had been swaying from the force of my push, must have regained his balance as he now stood upright. I had already used my ability.

Touching the red marks left by my nails on his wrist, Orias stared at me blankly.

I had given him all the memories I had seen in [The Past]. If my ability had worked properly, Orias would have remembered everything.

The moment his vacant gaze changed, I knew.

“Your Holiness, I will escort Lady Haniel back. Please, do not be angry…”

“Leave, Ardal.”

“Yes, I will escort her out.”

“No. Haniel stays. You leave alone.”

His golden eyes gleamed with an eerie light. As he released his fingers from his wrist, his voice turned chillingly quiet.

Ardal, who had been checking my condition, was so startled by his threatening gaze that he instinctively moved to shield me behind him.

Orias brushed against the scratches on his arm as he spoke and pushed against Ardal’s shoulder. Ardal, on the other hand, stubbornly remained in front of me.

For a brief moment, I thought the wound on Orias’s arm looked painful. But I had no time to worry about that.

Without giving me a chance to react, Orias turned his menacing gaze to Ardal.

The first thing he does after regaining his memories is feel jealous?

His expression was no different from the young Orias I remembered.

Letting out a deep sigh, I pushed Ardal aside.

“Do as Orias says, Ardal.”

“Lady Haniel…”

“Don’t come back in. Just wait outside.”

Ardal couldn’t go against my order. Though he clearly didn’t want to leave me alone in a room with Orias acting this way, he hesitated before ultimately closing the door behind him with an uneasy expression.

While Ardal, pushed out by me, was leaving, Orias remained eerily silent, staring at the scratches I had left on his arm.

The wounds from my nails on his firm forearm were unsightly. Orias, who had been staring at the blood beading on his arm, slowly lifted his head. His golden eyes wavered uneasily.

“…Haniel.”

His voice was neither elegant nor soft.

“Haniel.”

It was curt and rebellious—the way young Orias had often spoken.

I locked the door so Ardal couldn’t come back in and responded, “You remember now, don’t you?”

“Haniel.”

“Did you enjoy yourself all this time?”

<Warning! Character [Orias] is extremely unstable!>

A red system window appeared before my eyes. Ignoring the concerned-looking system window, I stepped closer to Orias.

“Was being Pope really worth it?”

“I…”

“Was it worth betraying us like that?”

“No, no… It wasn’t me, it was—it was all Zoro’s doing.”

Orias clutched my shoulders as he spoke. His hands trembled.

He was breaking down. The impact of regaining all his past memories at once must have been severe.

<Character [Orias] is unstable. Automatically using a clue.>

<Clue activated. Entering [Orias]’s ending branch.>

• A bad ending may occur.
• To avoid a bad ending, character [Orias] must make a rational decision.

“So I… I was trying to take revenge on Zoro…”

<Character [Orias] is extremely unstable.>

• Normal conversation is impossible.
• Character [Orias] is unable to make rational decisions.

<Logging out is recommended. Resume after character [Orias] has stabilized.>

I alternated between looking at Orias, who clung to me with trembling hands, and the system window flashing next to his pale face.

“That’s not the answer I wanted.”

I didn’t want excuses. I wanted an apology. But Orias was in no state to give me the answer I sought.

I gripped his chin and spoke, “If you don’t give me the answer I want, I won’t forgive you.”

“Forgiveness…?”

“…Log out.”

“Haniel!”

I stared into Orias’s golden eyes as I spoke.

The moment I said “log out,” strength drained from my entire body. The last thing I saw was Orias’s horrified expression as he caught me while I collapsed.

***

<Exiting the game.>

I blinked absentmindedly.

It took me a moment to fully regain my senses. Seeing the system window in front of me helped me return to reality.

Pressing my fingers against my forehead, I slowly sat up.

It seemed to be early morning. Looking around, I saw Ardal still fast asleep, unaware that I had woken up. His face was a mess—he must have struggled a lot while I was unconscious.

Careful not to wake him, I leaned my back against the bed frame.

My mind felt blank. I took a deep breath, staring at nothing for a long while.

The system window at the edge of my vision continued to flash persistently. The message urging me to delete Orias was still there.

Noticing my gaze, the system window grew larger and moved to the center of my vision.

<Character [Orias] deletion is recommended.>

“…Delete?”

<Would you like to delete character [Orias]?>

• Deleted characters cannot be restored.

As if possessed, my lips parted slightly.

Just then, a large hand covered the back of my hand. Lowering my gaze, I met Ardal’s eyes, filled with concern.

“Lady Haniel?”

“Ah, cancel.”

“Pardon?”

“Cancel, cancel. I won’t delete him.”

I quickly shook my head.

Seeing me frantically wave my hands as soon as I woke up, Ardal’s expression grew even more serious.