I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 160

Is it already sunset?

Letting out a sigh inside the greenhouse, I tilted my head in puzzlement as I looked up at the noticeably darkening sky.

It’s not time for the sun to set yet, is it?

Even if the time in the stage I entered, “Greenhouse of the Past,” was afternoon, the speed at which the sun was setting was abnormally fast. Trapped in the darkening greenhouse, I felt a sense of dread and opened the system.

“Check event.”

<-[Dion] Mansion Search (4/5)->

• Objective: Solve the problem occurring in the hidden stage and escape the greenhouse.
• Remaining Time: 55 minutes (As time decreases, restrictions on actions will occur.)

I should’ve checked the system the moment I entered!

Discovering the remaining time I hadn’t noticed earlier, I sprang to my feet, close to tears.

Wasting time blankly in shock from being left alone in a place like this had been a mistake. There was no time to lament that I had already wasted five minutes.

I had only 55 minutes left.

In this large greenhouse, I had to solve the problem and obtain the key to escape.

Do that all in 55 minutes? No, I could probably manage, but the note that “restrictions on actions will occur as time decreases” kept nagging at me.

From the looks of it, the greenhouse would continue to get darker, and if I encountered something scary while using the Eyes of the Wraith in a place like that…?

Still, I couldn’t just not use the ability. The fact that the Eyes of the Wraith were essential for capturing Dion meant I had to use the ability in events like this. Without using it, I wouldn’t be able to escape the greenhouse in 60 minutes—55 minutes if I excluded the time I already wasted.

“Ugh… Activate Eyes of the Wraith.”

I spoke with a voice full of trembling. I had mustered my courage, but it came out as a pitiful sob.

I cautiously opened the eyes I had tightly shut. The scenery seen through the narrow slit of my eyes had changed.

“What is this?”

There were no gruesome ghosts or grotesque bloodstains. It’s just that the once-beautiful greenhouse now felt excessively bleak.

This isn’t too bad, actually.

I rubbed my eyes and thought. My field of vision felt slightly narrower, but not enough to be bothersome.

“Am I really using the ability?”

<Ability ‘Eyes of the Wraith’ activated>

While rubbing my eyelids, I confirmed the ability was indeed in use and took a deep breath.

Alright, let’s get this over with and get out of here.

The first place I investigated was around the platform. I inspected it closely, thinking there might be something there, but nothing stood out.

The system was quiet too—so, maybe there’s nothing here?

I ran my fingers across the smooth surface of the platform and turned around. It was the moment the remaining time dropped to 50 minutes.

<You have remained in the hidden stage, “Greenhouse of the Past,” for over 10 minutes.>

• A certain amount of time has passed. Restrictions on actions will occur.
• Current Status: (1) Poisoned
• Status Effect ‘Poisoned’: Health decreases rapidly.

A system window appeared, and my entire body grew heavy. It wasn’t enough to make movement difficult, but it was irritating. I looked at the remaining time and thought.

So a new status effect gets added every 10 minutes?

If I used the full time, that would mean five status effects in total. I should definitely finish this quickly and get out of here.

I combed through every spot that drew my attention, from the benches to the flower beds. I didn’t even hesitate to press my ear to the ground if necessary. Then, I found a flowerbed that had been disturbed. Among the long-stemmed flowers, one had been uprooted and was wilting.

<You have discovered the problem in the greenhouse.>

That’s it?

Brushing the dirt from my hair, I knelt down.

Since it’s about resolving the problem, I suppose I just have to replant it.

<You have remained in the hidden stage, “Greenhouse of the Past,” for over 30 minutes.>

• Current Status: (1) Poisoned (2) Slowed (3) Confused
• Status Effect ‘Poisoned’: Health decreases rapidly.
• Status Effect ‘Slowed’: Movement speed is reduced.
• Status Effect ‘Confused’: Judgment is impaired.

Just as I was resting my chin and thinking it over, the system window popped up to inform me of the third status effect. I moved my hands immediately.

No time to think. Just act.

Even though it looked too wilted to be of use, I did what the system seemed to expect—I tidied the area.

I roughly planted the flower and patted down the soil when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. It was as if someone was deliberately making noise to let me know they were there. The countdown stopped, and my body began moving on its own.

<You have resolved the problem in the greenhouse! A special event will now follow based on your performance.>

<Special Event: “Reconciliation” will now proceed.>

I kept my hands on the ground, not turning to look at the person deliberately making noise. The person who had been watching me from behind spoke after a long pause.

“…You’re fixing it up now after making such a mess of it earlier.”

“Haven’t I told you multiple times? I wasn’t the one who did this.”

“If it wasn’t you, then who else would come into the greenhouse?”

“Someone with a key must have come in.”

The man behind me was the head of the family. He addressed me in a sharp tone that sounded like scolding, and I responded in a similarly tense voice.

The lord accused me with a tone full of certainty. At his accusation, I clenched the fingers resting on the dirt floor. There must have been a stone—I felt pain in my fingers.

On top of the injury I sustained trying to stop Dion, now I had seriously hurt my fingers. Looking down at my battered hands after just a few days, I thought to myself.

When I forcibly exited the game to obtain the Eyes of the Wraith, the pain I felt in my chest in the real world still bothered me. I wanted to finish the ending quickly and check if my real hand was okay.

While I was worrying about my hand, the lord came over and helped me up.

“The only people with the key are us, right? No, including the gardener, that makes three. Then is the gardener the culprit? Should we punish him?”

“He has nothing to do with this! Why would the one maintaining the greenhouse do something like this? You should think properly—maybe one of your many mistresses snuck out the key!” I shouted, fuming.

The head of the family, who had been frowning and interrogating me, now wore a dazed expression. He blinked and said, “I’ve never once given that any thought.”

“Are you trying to make fun of me right now?”

“That’s not what I meant… I…”

“If you were going to bring in mistresses and meet anyone you wanted the moment I got pregnant, then why did you insist on marrying me in the first place?!”

“I only brought in mistresses because you were struggling with the family matters… I thought I should bring in someone trustworthy to help you…”

As I pounded on his chest with my fists and shouted, he muttered blankly. Seeing the foolish expression on his face, fury surged inside me.

A man who brings in mistresses to help his wife with her duties—what a completely absurd line of thinking.

“Then am I allowed to get a lover to help with your responsibilities, too?”

“What? That’s nonsense…”

“What you did is the most nonsensical thing of all.”

“A head of household bringing in concubines to share responsibilities is a common thing.”

I was trapped in a body I couldn’t move at will, forced to watch someone else’s lovers’ quarrel.

Ugh, why do I even have to watch this?

Though I stayed focused on the conversation to glean information, truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to skip past it.

Their shouting match eventually died down. The lord was the first to lower his voice and ask a question.

“…So your resentment was because I brought in mistresses?”

I didn’t answer, but he seemed certain his guess was right. With a pleased expression, he approached and embraced me.

Is this reconciliation? Just like that?

Feeling myself returning the lord’s embrace, I was bewildered.

Seriously, they fight over nothing and make up just like that.

<Special Event “Reconciliation” has ended.>

“Ugh, what kind of lightning bolt was that…”

The moment the illusion of the head of the family disappeared and I regained control over my body, I dusted myself off and let out a sigh.

And it’s not like he was even using Dion’s body—what the heck was that hug about? I’d rather be struck by one of Lucius’s lightning bolts than be hugged by a man like that. As long as I didn’t die from it, of course.

While brushing off my arms, I checked the system.

<-[Dion] Mansion Search (4/5)->

• Objective: Solve the problem occurring in the hidden stage and escape the greenhouse.
•  Progress: 50% (1. Problem in the greenhouse solved.)
• Remaining Time: 27 minutes
• Current Status Effects: (1) Poisoned (2) Slowed (3) Confused

Though being hugged by the head of the family was unpleasant, now all I had to do was find the key and escape. Gathering strength in my sluggish body weighed down by status effects, I began searching for the key.

But one of the status effects—Confusion—made it difficult to act rationally. Even when I moved earnestly, I had to pause every few moments to check if I was even moving correctly.

When the remaining time dropped to 20 minutes, I gained a new status effect while I was in one of those pauses.

<You have remained in the hidden stage “Greenhouse of the Past” for over 40 minutes.>

• A certain amount of time has passed. Restrictions on actions will occur.
• (4) Blind: Vision becomes blurred.

As my vision grew hazy, an unavoidable fear swept over me. My already sluggish body stiffened with dread.

Looking at the darkening greenhouse, I clutched my face and collapsed to the ground.

***

“Saintess!”

Dion, who had reached the greenhouse, spotted the Saintess through the glass door. Through the glass, he saw the Saintess stumbling weakly as if drained of energy, searching for something. Blood dripped from her fingers as she dug into the earth, then stood there blankly.

He tugged at the door, but it wouldn’t budge—it was firmly locked. The Saintess didn’t seem to notice his pounding on the door.

He had no idea how much time passed. Suddenly, the Saintess clutched her face and dropped to the ground. The motion was full of fear.