I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 17

Something had indeed happened.

“Commander, there’s an issue that requires your attention.”

“Wait outside. I’ll be out shortly to address it.”

“Understood.”

Ardal, who was helping me dress, answered the voice outside with a curt tone. His hands, which had been leisurely buttoning up the back of my intricate outfit, suddenly quickened.

“You know, you could ask someone else to help me with this.”

“No, Lady Haniel. I want to assist you myself.”

Feeling his previously unhurried hands move faster, I tilted my head toward Ardal and spoke. He shook his head with a gentle smile, though his hands worked efficiently. His expression remained calm and composed, contrasting the speed of his movements.

Clad in the luxurious attire by the Commander of the Holy Knights, I gently clutched the trailing hem of my robe. Calling Ardal just to help me dress made me feel somewhat guilty, even though I thought of him as a game character. The time he spent coming here felt like a clear waste.

“Commander!”

“Ardal, that’s enough. You should go.”

“…Alright. I’m sorry. I’ll handle this and return immediately.”

The knight waiting outside called out loudly for Ardal, his urgent tone prompting Ardal to let out a brief sigh.

“If it’s too much, ask someone else to help. Don’t overdo it, Ardal.”

“That’s…”

“Ardal?”

When I gently patted his rough hands and spoke, he furrowed his brows deeply. Squinting slightly with a dissatisfied expression, he shook his head and replied, “Managing both tasks isn’t difficult for me, Lady Haniel.”

This was the first time I’d seen someone refuse an offer to lessen their workload. Normally, people would happily delegate such tasks, but Ardal’s stubbornness was remarkable.

“It’s my responsibility to guard you.”

Ardal spoke firmly. Hearing the resolute tone of his voice, I nodded instinctively.

Oh, I see. It’s Ardal’s job to protect me.

“So please, don’t consider calling anyone else for the task.”

Ardal’s dark eyes flashed with an emotion that felt akin to jealousy or possessiveness. Faced with this rare glimpse into his feelings, I couldn’t help but nod until he seemed satisfied.

“Alright, Ardal. Please continue to guard me.”

“Thank you, Lady Haniel.”

Ardal smiled as though he existed solely for me, offering his gratitude with a look of contentment.

***

Although Ardal claimed he could manage both tasks, it was evident that his workload had significantly increased. He would stop by briefly to check on me after overseeing the knights’ preparations for the coronation, only to be summoned back almost immediately. The time he spent guarding me grew progressively shorter.

At the moment, Ardal was away dealing with a sudden change of plans, and I was en route to the Pope’s office with temporarily assigned escorts.

“Lady Haniel, are you visiting His Holiness?”

“Yes, but there’s no need to come during the training sessions.”

Ardal, who had rushed over upon noticing me heading to the Pope’s office, asked his question. He knew that escorts weren’t allowed to remain near the Pope’s office during my visits, and he answered with a simple acknowledgment before turning away. I found myself watching his retreating figure for a long moment before shaking off my thoughts and heading to see the Pope.

The brief encounter with Ardal left me deeply conflicted about whether to forcibly relieve him of his duty as my guard. Even after greeting the Pope in his office, Ardal’s weary face lingered in my mind.

All of Ardal’s actions revolved around me.

Although I hadn’t fully completed his route, his level of devotion was both intriguing and concerning. What would happen once I fully captured him? If this were real life, someone like Ardal would undoubtedly be used and discarded. Perhaps I should be grateful that he was merely a game character…

“Sister Haniel, this is the holy water I’m preparing.”

The Pope’s voice interrupted my thoughts as he spoke in a melodic tone. Hearing his words, I frowned slightly and turned to look at him.

Holy water he’s preparing?

Ah, no. The way his words sounded strange wasn’t because of me—it was this R-19 game. It wasn’t my mind that was rotten. Suppressing my discomfort, I turned to see what the Pope was gesturing at.

“Ah, is this how it’s made?”

Thankfully, the Pope wasn’t doing anything weird. He was literally preparing holy water, and it intrigued me. Pushing aside my needless worries about Ardal, I stood from my seat. As I approached, the Pope slid a golden Holy Grail toward me.

With graceful fingers, he traced the rim of the Holy Grail, his touch deliberate. Smiling, he explained, “After placing it in the Holy Grail and bestowing blessings over several days, it becomes holy water.”

“How is it different from ordinary water?”

“Holy water prepared by someone with strong holy power can grant extraordinary abilities to those who drink it. However, these effects only manifest in individuals who meet certain conditions.”

The Pope elaborated on the random abilities granted by holy water. The “conditions” he referred to were met by players inhabiting Haniel’s body. It seemed the developers had decided that this R-19 fantasy game needed unique player abilities, leading to such a feature.

“I see.”

According to the Pope, drinking holy water during the Saintess Coronation could bestow abilities. Last time, I received the “Arousal” ability. Sexual urges triggered by hormones—yes, that was it. An ability that was utterly useless. Worse still, it didn’t affect the capture targets; it applied solely to me.

The ability activated unpredictably, compelling me to throw myself at the nearest capture target every time I logged in. This left no time for emotional bonding, and the game’s outcomes were consistently disastrous. Not only did I fail to address the Empire’s theft of the Holy Kingdom’s secrets, but I also failed in all my character captures. Ultimately, I was dragged back to the Holy Kingdom in disgrace.

What followed was the Pope’s Confinement Ending—a twisted game of cat and mouse. This bad ending was a frequent conclusion across various routes. Any minor failure would lead to being imprisoned by the Pope. While these endings didn’t involve death, they were nonetheless unsettlingly entertaining. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why there were no endings where the Pope killed me.

“Sister Haniel, I feel you might meet the conditions this time.”

As I stared into the Holy Grail of holy water, lost in thought, the Pope made a decisive statement.

If it was another ability like “Arousal,” I’d rather not have it at all. Despite being an R-19 game, physical interactions alone couldn’t resolve everything. Reckless advances led only to rejections and bad endings. Besides, the Grand Duke was the only character who even partially responded to such attempts—and even then, only physically, with no emotional involvement.

In truth, I had never successfully captured a character through physical advances alone. For an R-19 game, it seemed oddly resistant to such methods.

The abilities granted by holy water during the Saintess Coronation were randomized. While certain items could increase the likelihood of specific abilities, they had to be purchased in reality. The in-game cash shop also required real money deposits.

Having planned to try three playthroughs before deciding whether to make purchases, I naturally had none of these items. Since I hadn’t spent any real money, I couldn’t even afford the cheapest stamina recovery potion. If I’d known I’d get trapped in this game, I would’ve invested some money!

I continued my thoughts, feeling a sense of frustration.

Among the abilities one could obtain, the best was undoubtedly related to “Healing.” As the most powerful ability, the odds of acquiring “Healing” were practically zero. Wasn’t the probability said to be 0.3 percent? It was a skill that wouldn’t appear even if you poured in hundreds of dollars.

While having the “Healing” ability made fulfilling the saintess’ role easier and allowed for smoother progress in capturing characters, it couldn’t resolve everything. According to the game’s description, obtaining this ability also unlocked a “Secret Attribute,” but no player had ever mentioned discovering what that secret was.

Or perhaps they hadn’t managed to find it? Considering no one had ever reported obtaining the “Healing” ability, it might truly be impossible to acquire, even with an exorbitant amount of money. If such a skill had appeared, surely someone would have bragged about it.

The lack of any claims suggested that the developers had likely manipulated the probability. After all, this was the same game that trapped me for a thousand days as compensation for a bug. Adjusting probabilities would’ve been an easy feat for them.

So, it’s not like I need an ability like that. It’s definitely not because I’ve resigned myself to not having the money to pour into this game. As long as it’s not something useless like “Arousal,” I’m fine with any ability.

While I was lost in these thoughts, my expression must have turned sour, prompting the Pope to ask curiously.

“Do you dislike the idea of gaining an ability?”

“Ah, it’s not that…”

“Even if you gain an ability, it won’t affect the abilities you already possess. You can rest assured.”

“Yes… Huh?”

I reflexively continued to reply but then realized something odd about what the Pope had said, and my eyes widened in surprise. The Pope was smiling coldly, studying me with an unreadable expression.

What was he talking about? Why would gaining an ability not affect any existing abilities I had?

What… what is this?

<Unexpected Event! ‘The Pope’s Investigation – Second Round’ Triggered>

• This is an event connected to the hidden route, ‘The Pope’s Abyss.’
• If the event concludes without any decrease in affection, multiple routes become accessible.

Holding my breath, I stared at the system window that had appeared in front of the Pope’s face. Wasn’t this event supposed to have ended with Ardal?

The incident that had occurred when I was with Ardal had resurfaced. When events like this chain together consecutively, they often lead to major incidents and are directly tied to the route’s ending or progression. How could such events be happening before I’ve even moved on to the Empire? I hadn’t expected pursuing the reverse harem route to be this exhausting from the very beginning.

And now, not Ardal, but the Pope, a character with a low difficulty rating, was causing such events to occur, making it even more tiring.

Should I abandon the reverse harem route and focus on just one character to reach an ending?

With Ardal’s affection level still at four hearts, there should be a chance…

I stared blankly at the system window, deep in thought.

At that moment, another system window appeared below.

• Entering the ‘Pope’s Investigation’ route will make individual endings inaccessible.
• Failure to avoid ‘The Pope’s Investigation’ will result in a Dead Ending. Please proceed with caution.

Haha, this is ridiculous.

I had to choose: either pursue the route or face death. Of course, since dying wasn’t an option, the only choice left to me was to “capture.”