I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 162

I opened my eyes along with the system window.

<Status Effect: Sleep has been lifted.>

<Status Effect: Slowed has been lifted.>

<Status Effect: Confused has been lifted.>

Though I had slept deeply, I didn’t wake feeling refreshed.

<Current status>

• (1) Poisoned (2) Blind

It was because of the remaining status effects lingering in my body. I blinked my still-blind eyes a few times and tried to sit up. But someone gently laid me back down again.

“…Dion?”

The hand that wrapped around my back and lowered me again softly brushed my eyes. It was the kind of action someone would do only if they knew I couldn’t see properly.

When Dion laid me down without saying anything, I tilted my head in confusion.

No affection increase window, either—what is this?

“Dion, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Even as I asked, he kept his mouth tightly shut and only continued to stroke under my eyes. The moment the soft fingers brushed the tender skin beneath my eyes, I realized the person beside me wasn’t Dion.

Dion’s fingers weren’t this gentle. Among the people I knew, the only one with hands like these was Dietrich. The way the hand moved so tenderly, pretending to be kind, was all too familiar.

Is he pretending to be Dion? Then where is Dion?

Realizing it wasn’t Dion beside me, confusion set in. I was in the middle of progressing Dion’s route—why was Dietrich suddenly showing up?

What’s worse, Dietrich currently had low affection and couldn’t be captured. Judging by the lack of presence nearby, it seemed the two of us were alone in this room. Which meant if Dietrich decided to poison me right now, no one would be able to save me.

Dietrich wasn’t someone you could even jokingly say had a good personality—at least not toward those he didn’t accept as his own.

“Y-you’re not Sir Dion. W-where is Dion?”

I slapped away Dietrich’s hand and asked. I could tell it was him, but if I admitted that this early in the round, I’d raise suspicion. I spoke with a trembling voice, pretending not to know who was in front of me.

Dietrich replied in a surprised tone, “You realized right away that I wasn’t Dion. You haven’t even spent many days together—how curious.”

“G-Grand Duke?”

“Yes, that’s right. You refused to let me accompany you, and now you’ve ended up like this.”

“Dion… where is Dion…?”

His surprised tone lasted only a moment. When I asked in a frightened voice where Dion was, Dietrich replied with a soft sneer.

“He brought you back in this state twice now. Naturally, he’s been stripped of his position.”

“I’m fine. It wasn’t Dion’s fault. If it’s about my condition, I’m okay with him remaining as my escort…”

“I’ve already notified the Holy Kingdom. I told them that due to your severe injuries, it would be difficult to continue your schedule in the Empire.”

“…What did you say?”

<A special event, ‘Forced Return,’ has occurred!>

• Due to injury-related activity restrictions exceeding a certain threshold, you will be forcibly returned to the Holy Kingdom.
• You must complete the capture of [Dion] before his guilt surpasses his affection.
• If the capture target’s guilt exceeds their affection, the [Dion] bad ending <The Unworthy Pilgrim> will trigger.
• Time remaining until forced return: 32 hours

Dietrich added with a chuckle, “Someone from the Holy Kingdom will be arriving soon. Just return with them. They’ve offered to send high-ranking priests in your place, so don’t worry and go home.”

“Wait…”

“There won’t be any diplomatic fallout between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom because of this. Just return and recuperate in peace.”

His voice was cheerful. Dietrich sounded genuinely pleased that I was going back to the Holy Kingdom. It was an unusually bright tone for someone whose affection score was in the negatives.

I sat up in alarm, gripping the edge of the bed. I was this close to completing Dion’s route—what was this sudden disaster?

Dietrich tried to lay me back down, but I irritably shoved his hand away and said, “I’m not staying in bed. Tell me where Dion is.”

“Even if I told you, would you be able to find him? You probably can’t even make it out of this room with those eyes.”

Dietrich’s voice was dramatically concerned, but there was mocking laughter laced at the end. As he finished speaking, a low chuckle brushed past my ear.

This man is seriously…

It had been a long time since I felt this level of irritation. Come to think of it, after finishing Lucius and Dietrich’s routes, did I get the chance to punch them in the back of the head? No, I don’t think I did. When I return to reality, I’ll have to tell them to offer up their heads for me.

Swallowing my rising anger, I gritted my teeth and demanded, “Tell me where he is.”

“Dion is reflecting at his own estate. I ordered him not to come to the palace until you’ve returned home.”

“Then… this isn’t Dion’s estate…”

“No. It’s the Imperial Palace.”

I clenched my teeth, then dumbly opened my mouth.

The Imperial Palace? While I was sleeping, he dumped me here and returned to his estate?

I had planned to finish Dion’s capture before being returned to the Holy Kingdom, but now I just dropped my arms in despair. The strength drained from my upright body. I sighed and pressed my fingers against my forehead.

What am I supposed to do now?

Dietrich kept scratching at my nerves with that smiling face, my vision was still impaired, and my physical condition was a mess.

Dion’s estate wasn’t far from the palace by carriage, but judging by Dietrich’s attitude, it seemed unlikely that I’d be provided one from the Imperial Palace.

They’d probably keep me from moving under the excuse of having me rest until it was time to return to the Holy Kingdom.

“Please rest comfortably, and when the time comes, return to the Holy Kingdom. Now that you’re awake, I’ll take my leave. So then… goodbye.”

“Grand Duke!”

“Oh, and I heard your eyesight will return to normal once your condition stabilizes. Until someone from the Holy Kingdom comes to fetch you, do try to rest and remain still.”

Dietrich finished his explanation and left the room without a second thought. The sound of the door closing echoed unusually loudly.

From Dietrich’s behavior, I became certain my suspicion was correct. The Empire would keep me here until someone from the Holy Kingdom came to fetch me.

I clenched my fists and thought,

It’s almost over, and you think I’m going to just sit around?

If they wouldn’t give me a carriage, I’d just ride a horse.

How do you think Dietrich taught me horseback riding? He was constantly groping my waist, my legs, and that wasn’t even the worst of it—he’d do things on horseback that no sane person would even imagine. The moment we were alone, he’d get all excited and—

I shook my head, cutting off the memory of what I’d done with Dietrich. Just thinking about it was embarrassing, but the outcome of those harsh training sessions had been impressive.

I’d become someone who could maintain balance even while having intercourse on horseback. Even Tricia acknowledged my riding skills.

I might not be able to see well right now, but my hands and feet still worked. My condition wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad enough to keep me bedridden.

Even in this state, I was confident I could ride a galloping horse without falling.

What bothered me was that I didn’t know where Dion’s estate was—but I had a reliable fallback.

I hadn’t yet checked the confidential document I secretly took from the Holy Kingdom.

‘Check document.’

The secret documents contained information that helped with capture or the current situation. In the second round, it had included information about logging out.

What I needed now was a way to get to Dion’s estate. If my guess was correct, there would be a way to confirm his location in the document.

The document I had stored in the equipment tab appeared as a system window.

<Available Information>

• Info 1. For rapid recovery, locate the “herb chamber” in the Imperial Palace and consume a “recovery potion.”
• Info 2. Confirm the location of the capture target [Dion]. (Guides a path from the player’s current position.)

I pulled up the corners of my mouth as I read the system window.

Good. Now I just have to go get Dion back.

***

“Saintess?”

“What brings you here, Saintess?”

I was familiar with the layout of the Imperial Palace. After leaving the room, I groped along the wall and made my way toward the herb chamber. When I pushed open the door, a familiar voice greeted me. The researchers approached and guided me to a seat.

“I came because I need a recovery potion.”

“Pardon? We already delivered the recovery potion through a physician. Why did you come all the way…”

“Can I receive another one?”

“That’s not difficult. We have a large surplus of recovery potions.”

What? There’s a surplus?

I nearly snapped at the researcher but barely managed to smile and nod. I wanted to demand why they’d been so harsh with me in the second playthrough if there were so many in stock—but it wasn’t like they’d remember any of that.

Relaxing my tense shoulders, I spoke to the researcher who was pulling out a chair for me.

“Then, I’d appreciate it.”

“Right away.”

Yeah, it’s not their fault. They’re just moving as the system instructs them.

If I’m going to blame someone, I should blame the system—but, to be fair, it wasn’t really the system’s fault either. Thanks to the system, I had a chance to grow closer to Dion and find a reason to visit Adrian’s village.

“Here’s your recovery potion, Saintess.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“If you drink too much at once, the effect weakens. It’s best to take it in intervals.”

“Okay.”

I nodded at the researcher, who was explaining the dosage I already knew, and drank the potion.

<Status Effect: Poisoned has been removed.>

<Current status>

• (1) Blind

Now, only blindness remained. Its effects had lessened enough that I could move around without feeling the walls. I thanked the researchers who handed me a few extra potions and left the herb chamber.

Now it was time to steal—or rather, borrow—a horse.