I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 168

Adrian, after hearing my scream, fell into deep thought for a while before speaking, “If you tell me about that person, you’ll be able to leave here with your limbs intact.”

His tone made it sound like he was offering an incredibly generous deal. I scoffed as I looked at the herbs Adrian was cultivating. Among those plants, there had to be some meant for disrupting mental functions.

Even if I kept my limbs, by the time Adrian let me leave this place, I wouldn’t be in a sound state of mind.

And for Adrian, it wouldn’t be difficult at all.

“So, I… uh.”

The moment I opened my mouth, Adrian let out a short sigh. It was because I kept coughing intermittently and couldn’t finish a sentence—likely due to the shock from when he had stomped on my throat.

He approached my limp body, grabbed my chin, and turned it side to side. Then he let out a sigh and stood.

“You’re in no condition to talk for long. I’ll return tomorrow.”

As soon as he confirmed he wouldn’t be getting any information today, he left without hesitation. He didn’t even seem to consider treating me.

I watched Adrian go and focused on listening carefully. After he closed the door, I could barely make out his fading footsteps. Though he had left without giving me another glance, I knew better than to use my equipment window until he had completely disappeared. His hearing was sharp, and he had a keen sense for anything suspicious.

When I was first locked in here, I had tried pulling at the chain right after he left—and he’d heard it and come right back, only to shorten the chain’s length.

If anything sounded the least bit suspicious, he would surely come back mid-step and tear me apart again.

I remained still long after Adrian had gone. At some point, I must have dozed off. When I opened my eyes, a system window popped up stating that a small amount of stamina had been recovered.

With my back against the wall, I slowly sat up. I took a stamina recovery potion from my inventory and drank it. Then, I carefully held the vial of drug in my hand.

<Certain Effect Aphrodisiac – Pending Use>

Unlike liquid potions that needed to be ingested, the inhalable type was different. With the help of the system, I could control the timing of its effect.

Even if I wasn’t holding it in my hand…

I gently rolled the vial across the floor, making sure it didn’t break. It came to a stop near the doorway. I would still be affected by the drug too, but at that distance, the effect would hit Adrian harder than me.

“Ugh…”

The vial had landed safely by the door, but it was still visible. All Adrian had to do was lower his head, and he’d spot it immediately.

The next time Adrian entered, I’d need something to draw his attention elsewhere.

“Should I… take off my clothes?”

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any attention-grabbing items on me.

All I had in my inventory were stamina recovery potions and Ardal’s summoning ticket—but the latter couldn’t be used in this area, making it useless.

There was no good way to draw Adrian’s attention, and I didn’t want to resort to undressing. I had only just managed to lower his alertness a little, and if he saw me in such a state, it would undoubtedly spike to uncontrollable levels.

But no matter how I scoured my inventory, there was nothing usable.

Seriously, what had I even been doing instead of collecting useful items during playthroughs?

Feeling sulky, I closed the equipment window and checked my physical condition.

My wrist and fingers were swollen from how many times Adrian had stepped on them. But at least the rest of my body was in decent shape.

The restraint was only around my neck, so moving wasn’t too difficult… If I wanted to draw Adrian’s attention, I’d just need to say something that piqued his interest.

With this setup, I could probably manage to deal with Adrian somehow.

“The real problem is what happens afterward. Am I even going to be able to see a happy ending?”

I was starting to worry that Adrian was treating me too harshly. Sure, the others had tormented me and disliked me too, but none of them had ever inflicted physical pain like this.

It was hard not to feel like I had gotten off on the wrong foot. At this rate, the best I could hope for was a “confinement ending.”

Even if I managed to escape from here, Adrian’s grudge meant I wouldn’t be able to move freely around the Imperial Palace. And without that freedom, it would be difficult to steal the secret documents from Lucius’s room.

I did know how to retrieve them easily—but if I was being watched, I wouldn’t be able to act.

No matter how I racked my brain for a way to reach the happy ending, it all led straight to a bad one.

The real Adrian had been looking forward to this quite a bit, and I wanted to bring back a good result for him. But clearly, this time, going straight for the dead ending after escaping was the smarter play.

Better to see a dead ending and start a new playthrough than to just let things drag on.

Okay, once I get to a place where I can log out—immediately, without hesitation…

“Ugh…”

Even though I had made up my mind, just imagining stabbing myself with a knife made me instinctively rub my chest. I groaned and curled into a ball.

Ugh, how many more times do I have to die in this game? Once I bring my brother back, I’m never logging into this hellish game again.

That was the vow I made to myself in this wretched world.

***

Adrian’s expression wasn’t good as he stepped out of the room where the Saintess was imprisoned.

She was clearly a different person, and yet, the voice and scream that lingered in his memory were too similar. If his eyes had been covered, he might really have believed she was the one.

That thought alone sent a chill down his spine.

Adrian had never told anyone about what he had gone through in the past. So how could the Saintess—how could the Pope who sent her to the Empire—have known?

He began to worry that the woman who had once saved him might have been tortured in the Holy Kingdom.

To Adrian, she was irreplaceable. He had come all the way here to meet her. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say his life had changed because of her.

Had it not been for the one who supported him through those harsh days, Adrian would have died back then. His life had been saved by her, and he had come all this way to dedicate it to her.

To preserve that feeling, he rejected everyone who approached him. Dion, Dietrich, even Lucius—none had a place at his side.

If that person was being held prisoner in the Holy Kingdom, he had no intention of letting it go.

Even if it meant taking the Saintess hostage, he would rescue her. He wasn’t afraid of ruining relations between the Holy Kingdom and the Empire. Adrian had never harbored deep loyalty to the Empire in the first place.

Only one thing mattered to him.

If anyone had harmed her, Adrian was ready to take revenge—no matter who it was.

***

The room where Adrian had locked me up was utterly silent. The stillness made the chill in my chest even worse.

There was nothing to soothe the fear I felt while imagining the dead ending.

It was so quiet that my thoughts kept turning negative.

What if I can’t get out of this room? What if Adrian kills me in here? Then I’d die while sensitivity is set to 100—wouldn’t that be unbearably painful? If Adrian kills me in the game, could I still smile at the real Adrian when I return?

Even though I knew it was all needless worry, I couldn’t stop the downward spiral of my thoughts.

“…Guess I should try to sleep.”

I curled up in the frigid room where I couldn’t let my guard down for even a second and tried to recover my stamina.

I couldn’t fall asleep, so it wasn’t much use.

In the end, I had to force my body to recover by drinking a stamina potion just before Adrian returned the next day.

Because of that, my maximum stamina was significantly reduced.

At this rate, if I had to have sex with Adrian a few times, I’d likely pass out from the drop in stamina.

“…This is not good.”

I looked at my stamina, which was only half of its normal max, and muttered anxiously.

If I had to go through with it, I’d have to find a way to drink a stamina potion mid-act without Adrian noticing.

“If you’re feeling uneasy staying here, all you need to do is tell me what I want to know. Once I get the answer I seek, I’ll send you back to the Holy Kingdom at any time.”

The cold voice came at the exact moment I checked my stamina window and muttered to myself. Adrian spoke as he entered without even opening the door, having heard my voice from outside.

His face, which still looked cold and unyielding—as if not a single drop of blood would come out if pricked—was even more worn than yesterday.

I forgot my own miserable state and asked, “You’re not sick, are you? Why do you look so pale? Are you getting any rest at all?”

<Adrian’s alertness level has slightly decreased.>

Adrian paused in front of the door and quietly watched me, then gave a brief shake of his head. It was a firm gesture, as if trying to shake off unnecessary thoughts.

<Adrian’s affection level has slightly increased.>

It didn’t seem to be very effective, but the system window reporting an increase in affection did appear.

As I watched his troubled face, I silently called out to the system in my mind.

‘Use aphrodisiac.’

<Use item: “Certain Effect Aphrodisiac – Inhalable”?>

I blinked briefly in place of an answer, and a faint smoke rose from the vial positioned behind Adrian.

Ack—if that much smoke’s visible, Adrian’s going to notice it right away!

I quickly shifted my gaze to something else and watched the state of the item from the corner of my eye.

Fortunately, the smoke quickly dissipated.

<Using: Certain Effect Aphrodisiac>

• Effect may vary depending on distance from target.
• The effect will activate after a certain amount is inhaled.
• If the location is changed before sufficient exposure, the effect will disappear.

There was nowhere further back to go, but I still pressed myself close to the wall.

I had to gain even the slightest advantage.

If I could reduce my own exposure to the aphrodisiac, I’d have a better chance of keeping my mind clear.

I also made an effort to breathe as softly and shallowly as possible.

Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.