I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 149

<Event Triggered! – Character [Dion] Mansion Investigation – (1/5)>

• Content: Complete all 5 parts of the mansion investigation with character [Dion].
• Reward: Significant increase in [Dion]’s affection and trust. Progress in Dion’s single route increased.

As the carriage passed through the large gate, a system window appeared. I opened the window, but the mansion was still out of sight. The carriage was running along a long forest path.

Dim light filtered through the densely packed trees. The trees, nearly identical and lined up on either side, made it difficult to distinguish surroundings, and the straight road stretching between them gave me an odd thought as I sat in the carriage.

This really feels like the beginning of a horror movie.

You know, those horror movies where the protagonists ride up winding mountain roads and arrive at some bizarre mansion. And they always enter such dangerous places of their own accord.

Now I was doing something I had never understood.

The sound of birds fluttering up from the forest echoed. The sudden noise from the flapping birds shattered the stillness of the woods.

Tense and rigid, I blankly stared into the dark forest.

<By using the skill ‘Eyes of the Wraith,’ you can gain helpful information for the investigation.>

<You may observe the forest with ‘Eyes of the Wraith.’>

A system window popped up abruptly between the eerily swaying trees. In any other route, I would have followed the system’s prompt and used the skill, but this time, I firmly slammed the window shut.

Hahaha… Using the Eyes of the Wraith to look into that forest? Are you kidding me? What exactly am I supposed to see that would be “helpful”…?

I pressed my forehead and sighed helplessly.

Why did I choose to go after Dion first?

Since I had already entered Dion’s single route, it was now impossible to pursue anyone else.

Whether I’d live to pass through this forest again or end up buried forever in the mansion like one of those countless horror movie victims all depended on my actions.

I couldn’t help but make a miserable face.

If this were a dead ending, I could just adjust sensitivity settings to deal with it, but mental trauma wasn’t affected by those at all. I didn’t have access to change the sensitivity rate anyway; the system hadn’t granted me that control, so even if I tried to lower the value, it still sat stubbornly at 100%.

If only I could dull my emotions by lowering sensitivity.

I rifled through the system, searching for some useful function, but gave up after failing to find anything to reduce fear.

The best course of action seemed to be completing the route as quickly as possible and getting out.

So instead of fiddling with the system unnecessarily, it was time to extract as much information as I could from Dion about the mansion.

With that decision made, I turned to Dion and opened my mouth.

“Sir Dion.”

“Saintess.”

We called each other at the same time. He furrowed his brows and gave a slight nod of his chin, signaling me to speak first.

I didn’t hesitate and nodded in response. “Is there something you’d like to tell me before we enter the mansion?”

Dion hesitated, then admitted that there was. It seemed that was the reason he had called out to me just now. After a brief pause, he explained.

“The reason I invited you to the mansion is because you were able to see this wound.”

“I thought that wound looked a little strange, too.”

I didn’t recall ever hearing about that wound from the real Dion.

Maybe he hadn’t mentioned it because he didn’t want to worry me, but that only made it more shocking when I first used the Eyes.

“It didn’t seem like Duke Dietrich could see it… Or rather, no one else could see it either, right?”

“Correct. You were the first person to recognize it.”

“And that’s why you invited me to the mansion.”

He probably hoped I’d uncover the cause of that wound.

I wasn’t confident I could carry out this investigation successfully, but I smiled and said, “If there’s anything I can do, I’ll help.”

My lips trembled from forcing words I didn’t mean. Barely managing to keep up a smile, I continued capturing Dion.

<Dion’s affection has slightly increased!>

***

“Where is my sister?”

“Her Ladyship is away.”

The foremost among the servants waiting for us bowed his head and answered Dion’s question.

“Did she say when she’ll return?”

“Yes, she mentioned… three months from now…”

Standing next to Dion, I scanned the mansion. Though the road leading here had been eerie, the interior was surprisingly tidy.

I looked at the doorknobs and floors—there weren’t any of the usual marks you’d expect in a horror film.

It was a flawless noble estate, without a single flaw.

“Good. Then until she returns, have the Saintess stay in the main building. In the meantime, prohibit the servants from entering the main building.”

“Pardon? But…”

Dion was giving the butler some sort of instruction. The butler hesitated, but Dion pressed on. He ordered that only the minimum number of staff remain in the main building.

He specifically told them to stay away from the area around our rooms and to make sure no one came near at night. The butler’s eyes darted in visible confusion at Dion’s firm orders.

Noticing the butler’s gaze drifting toward me, I nervously fidgeted with my fingers.

Does Dion not realize how suspicious that sounds?

Telling them not to approach the room at night sounded like he was practically announcing a secret nightly rendezvous.

He was the only one oblivious; not just the butler but also the other servants were sneaking glances at me and Dion. If Dietrich had said something like that, the scandal would’ve spread behind my back in an instant.

“Do as I said.”

“…Understood.”

After the suspiciously gazing servants all withdrew, Dion personally guided me to the room. From the main entrance, we went up the central staircase, turned left, then climbed a narrow staircase to reach the room.

The large staircase at the center was wide enough for five people to walk side by side, but this one was barely wide enough for a single person.

The corridor we entered after climbing the stairs had a dim and eerie atmosphere, as if it belonged to an entirely different building. Other than the narrow staircase, there seemed to be no other way to access this corridor.

There weren’t any paths leading elsewhere either. At the end of the corridor, two rooms faced each other. Though it looked gloomy, the corridor was spotless without even a speck of dust, indicating it was well maintained.

In a display cabinet along the hall stood a vase with a single large fresh flower. It was a somewhat out-of-place decoration. As I looked around the corridor, Dion opened the door and entered the room ahead of me.

Holding my luggage, which the servants had been carrying, in one hand, Dion placed it next to the door and gestured to me. I stopped surveying the hallway and approached him.

The room Dion showed me was clean and spacious, but perhaps due to the lack of windows, it had a faint musty odor.

I wrinkled my nose as I entered the room.

Without a light, I wouldn’t be able to see anything… Even though it was daytime, the room was dark.

“This is where you’ll be staying. If anything bothers you while you’re here, please let me know at any time.”

…If anything bothers me? Hold on—doesn’t that mean there will be things that bother me if I stay here?

What kind of room is this?!

As I carefully looked around the room, alarmed, I turned my head. Dion hadn’t seen my startled expression and was about to leave.

<Event! – Character [Dion] Mansion Investigation (1) – has been completed.>

<You have received the first reward.>

<Dion’s affection has increased.>

I grabbed his wrist just as he was about to leave after setting down the luggage.

“Sir Dion, where are you staying?”

“My room is the one across from yours.”

He replied as if it were obvious. Then, staring pointedly at the hand holding his wrist, he silently urged me to let go. I quietly released his arm.

“I’ll show you around the mansion tomorrow, so for today just rest comfortably… Saintess?”

“Sir Dion, whose room is this…?”

“Are you seeing something?”

Dion didn’t answer and instead asked with an expectant look in his eyes.

Even without using the ability, I could sense something off. A room with no windows in a noble mansion like this—it was easy to guess this wasn’t a guest room but a place meant to confine someone.

I was certain I’d gain useful information if I used my ability. Still, despite that rational thought, I couldn’t bring myself to activate it.

“What is it?”

“…I’m not sure yet. I think I need to check the room you’re staying in first.”

I had a feeling that if I saw even a blurry figure through the ability, I would definitely give up on the capture and log out—fleeing back to reality.

“Would you like to see it now?”

“Yes, please.”

I nodded hastily. If Dion’s room had a window, I planned to take it from him.

The room Dion then showed me, unlike the one before, had a large terrace and carried a gentle floral fragrance rather than a musty odor.

In contrast to my dark room, this one had a refreshing atmosphere, and I firmly declared, “I’ll take this room.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m getting a feeling from this room.”

“Not the other one?”

“No, this one.”

I could feel that this room would let me rest comfortably.

“I was sure that other room was the source… But it seems the Saintess perceives something different.”

<Dion’s affection has greatly increased!>

<Dion’s trust has greatly increased!>

Unaware that I was stealing his room, Dion’s affection and trust both rose significantly. It seemed my decisive attitude had earned his trust. I thought shamelessly.

Anyway, the Dion in reality said he wasn’t scared of anything anymore. He had suffered so much as a kid that now he was just sick of it.

Rather than me lying awake in fear over there, it would be better for both of us if I slept peacefully here!

“I’ll stay in this room.”

“As you wish.”

Dion moved my luggage to the room I chose and stepped out. As if uncomfortable with the room across the hall, he lingered outside for a moment. Watching him pace, I opened the terrace.

Below the terrace was a garden. The refreshing scent in the room seemed to be coming from the garden.

Leaning on the terrace railing that reached about waist-height, I looked down and locked eyes with a gardener tending to the greenery.

The terrace wasn’t as high as I thought, so I could clearly see the gardener’s expression. He blinked in surprise at the sight of me. I smiled and nodded in greeting, but he just kept blinking.

Feeling awkward, I tilted my head and went back into the room. Even as I closed the terrace door, I could feel his gaze from below.

***

And that night, I paid the price for stealing Dion’s room and not checking the other one with my ability.

The price, of course, came in a distinctly R-rated game fashion.