I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 142

What exactly did he mean by “you’ll see”?

I agonized over the game guidebook that Orias had taken.

The Orias in the third playthrough had also said, “I’ll set everything right.” Did he mean that literally?

Perhaps he simply meant returning the keepsake to its original place.

Maybe he intended to bring it back to where my brother’s real grave was—inside the temple.

“There’s nothing different about it… What the hell is this?”

Even when I examined the guidebook using holy power, nothing changed. Every time I used holy power, system windows popped up repeatedly before disappearing.

<This information will be accessible after the third playthrough.>

This was a clear reminder that I didn’t have complete control over the system yet. There were still things I wasn’t allowed to see.

“So I have to finish the third playthrough first, huh?”

Why is information still restricted in a game I created?

Grumbling, I closed the system window. I flipped through the guidebook several more times, but after finding nothing, I gave up and stored it in my inventory.

“Did you learn anything about the book?”

Shortly after I stashed the book away, I heard the creaking of hinges. Ardal had returned from the village.

I had told him not to worry about Orias and to take a break, but he must have only picked up the necessary supplies and come straight back.

“I wish I had… But no. There’s nothing I can figure out.”

I replied gloomily as I removed my robe in response to Ardal’s question.

“I can always use the system to check, so it’s not a big deal, but…”

The strange smile Orias had given me before I logged out kept bothering me.

Unable to finish my sentence, I let out a long sigh.

***

<The Saint Is a Spy – Third Playthrough>

<Welcome to the game.>

When I opened my eyes this time, I was alone.

My hands felt oddly empty. I clenched and unclenched my cold fingers repeatedly before checking the system.

<The event ‘The Pope’s Disappearance’ is in progress.>

At first, I was about to dismiss the system window announcing my login, as usual—until I read the next line.

An event was already underway.

“The Pope’s Disappearance…?”

Muttering the words written on the system window, I rushed out the door.

“Something must have happened to His Holiness!”

“Could it be that the Empire threatened His Holiness…?”

The moment I stepped out, my ears were bombarded with frantic voices.

It seemed Orias’s disappearance was real.

A few priests spotted me and quickly approached, bombarding me with questions.

“Saintess, did His Holiness leave any message for you?”

“He has never disappeared like this before.”

“Something must have happened to him.”

“His Holiness…”

Still struggling to grasp the situation, I leaned against the wall and blinked at their relentless questions.

I have no idea what’s going on either—what exactly is happening?

“Stand back.”

Just as I felt cornered by the priests, Ardal stepped in front of me. With his large frame shielding me, I was finally able to breathe properly.

Staring at Ardal’s back, I opened the system window.

‘Check event details.’

<Event: ‘The Pope’s Disappearance’>

• The Pope has vanished.
• If character [Orias] is not found within the time limit, the game may enter a bad ending.

It hadn’t even been two days since I logged out.

Holding my forehead, I thought about Orias, who had seemingly vanished after that bizarre conversation.

You just can’t stop making me worry, can you? You still won’t give me the apology I’m waiting for, but you’re perfectly capable of causing unexpected problems.

“Please stop questioning the Saintess. She is overwhelmed.”

Ardal, standing firm, defended me against the priests’ barrage of questions and sent them away.

“Lady Haniel, did His Holiness leave any message for you? Even something insignificant could be important.”

After dismissing the priests, Ardal cautiously asked. When I shook my head, he let out a brief sigh.

“He left without saying anything to me as well… Where could he have gone?”

“He didn’t say anything to you either?”

“No. This has never happened before.”

“Was anything about his behavior strange?”

“After returning from the outing with you, he did act a bit differently. He was holding a book and wouldn’t put it down…”

Ardal began explaining at length.

He mentioned how Orias had seemed preoccupied with the book, how his changed hair color had caused a stir among the priests, and how the last place he was seen was the chamber where past Popes and candidates’ bodies were enshrined.

“Do you know why he went there?” I frowned as I asked.

“I wasn’t allowed to accompany him inside.”

Listening to Ardal’s answer, I tried to shake off the unease creeping up my spine.

A keepsake book and a morgue—it was an unsettling combination.

***

Orias’s disappearance had completely paralyzed the temple’s operations.

All available personnel were deployed to search every possible place he might have gone, but we couldn’t find even a trace of him.

Even the house he had lived in before joining the temple—one of the likeliest locations—showed no signs of anyone having entered.

“If he’s not here, then where the hell did he go?”

As I searched the small, unassuming room that felt so unlike Orias, Ardal finally spoke, “Lady Haniel, this place has no connection to His Holiness.”

His words were careful, as if he was unsure whether to say them.

I had no counterargument.

I had no intention of transferring my memories to him.

With a halfhearted nod, I exited the house.

Even when I tried using the system to locate Orias, it remained unresponsive. As if it was telling me that I had to find him myself.

Maybe the system didn’t want me to find Orias at all.

“There’s nowhere left to search.”

“The temple’s operations are in disarray. There are too many urgent matters that can no longer be delayed.”

As I pressed my fingers against my furrowed brow and muttered, Ardal responded with a troubled expression.

With the Pope having vanished without a word, the temple couldn’t function properly.

The Orias I knew personally handled most of the temple’s affairs. Unlike Lucius, who delegated tasks to Adrian and Dietrich, Orias refused to allow a single priest to enter the temple unless he personally oversaw the matter.

Even Ardal, who was his closest aide, was only entrusted with major events like the coronation preparations—and even then, everything still required Orias’s final approval.

In short, Orias trusted no one in the temple. Not even Ardal, whom he treated relatively favorably.

For someone like that to be absent from the temple for so long was beyond strange—it was worrisome.

The priests were already whispering that Orias might be dead. The fact that his hair had turned white right before he disappeared only fueled their suspicions.

It was becoming a serious headache. Pressing my temples, I spoke to Ardal, “I’ll take care of the most urgent tasks. I have a rough idea of what Orias was handling.”

After all, in reality, I had frequently helped Orias with temple affairs.

Most of the time, it had been a scheme of his to spend more time with me, but whenever I had the chance, I would lessen his workload.

Since this hadn’t happened in the third playthrough, Ardal hesitated at my words, his expression uncertain. He seemed unsure whether it was acceptable to entrust Orias’s responsibilities to me in his absence.

“If I manage the tasks Orias was handling, I might be able to figure out where he went.”

After some deliberation, Ardal slowly nodded.

I tracked Orias’s activities while handling the tasks he had left behind. I retraced his steps, trying to understand his thoughts, but it was fruitless.

All that remained were documents related to temple affairs—there was nothing personal, nothing about Orias himself. It was as if he had deliberately erased every trace of his existence.

“Haah…”

I hadn’t even logged out as I tirelessly searched for Orias’s whereabouts. The strain had heightened my sensitivity, and I closed my eyes, trying to calm my nerves.

Ever since Orias disappeared, the system hadn’t functioned properly. Even when I used the available clues, instead of finding Orias’s location, I was shown strange and completely useless information.

“Rather than searching for traces, it might be faster to ask him directly.”

The person who knew Orias best was, of course, Orias himself.

If I logged out, I wouldn’t be met with the Orias who had vanished without a word—I would meet the Orias who was actively pursuing me.

Having made up my mind, I muttered, “Log out.”

***

I had logged out intending to confront Orias, but a more urgent matter awaited me.

To stabilize my dangerously fluctuating condition, I had to be with Ardal the moment I logged out. And then, just as I was catching my breath, I met a pair of eyes watching us.

Wrapping the sheet Ardal had covered me with around my body, I opened the system.

“Check third playthrough progress.”

<Third Playthrough – Progress 80%>

80% now. At this rate, I could likely finish the third playthrough with just one more login.

“Lady Haniel, I’ve finished checking outside.”

Ardal had gone out to investigate the presence that had been watching us and had just returned.

Checking the progress, I turned to Ardal and asked, “It doesn’t seem like it was someone sent by Orias. Who was it?”

“It was just villagers delivering food.”

“Ah… Is that so?”

What a shame. If it had been someone from Orias, I might have been able to extract some useful information.

Just as Ardal said, a small basket was in his hands. I urged Ardal to eat and shared only the necessary information with him.

“We’re nearing the end of this. I’ve figured out why Orias wants to harm you all.”

More than just the reason—I now knew everything about Orias and my past.

I took off the robe Ardal had draped over me and placed it on his shoulders. Ardal gave a small nod, adjusting the collar with one hand.

“The reason… But you still haven’t found a way to stop His Holiness, have you?”

“That’s right. For now, the only option is to kill Orias.”

Ardal’s expression darkened at my blunt words.

Watching him, I reassured him calmly. “It’s okay. I said ‘for now,’ didn’t I?”

If Orias apologized to me even once, I was prepared to forgive him and take care of everything myself.

That was something I couldn’t tell Ardal, so I left it at that.

Ardal had initially tensed, but after hearing my words, he nodded without the slightest doubt.

“Yes. I trust you, Lady Haniel.”

Hearing his unwavering voice, I let out a quiet, breathy laugh.

With Ardal like this, I really couldn’t bring myself to delete Orias.

He had complete faith that I would find a solution. I didn’t want to disappoint someone who believed in me this much.

That night, as I fell asleep beside Ardal, I recalled the day this escape had begun.

“I had a nightmare.”

The moment when Orias had started acting strangely—I wanted to believe that day was when his guilt had begun.

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I sensed a familiar flow of holy power outside.

Orias is out there.

Certain of it, I stepped through the door.