I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 18

Perhaps aiming for the reverse harem ending in just the second playthrough was an arrogant mistake. Maybe I should have listened to Ardal back then when he tried to share the Pope’s secret and entered the Pope’s exclusive route instead?

As I faced the Pope’s elegant yet distrustful expression, I regretted, for the first time, destroying the Pope’s exclusive route so thoughtlessly.

In the previous playthrough, he had seemed easygoing, but now he exuded a commanding presence.

“Sister Haniel.”

The Pope approached me, cutting through my silence. Wearing his usual smile, he gently took my hand in his.

Holding both of my hands tenderly, he asked, “Is there something you’re hiding from me?”

“……”

<The Pope’s Investigation -Second Round->

The system window floating before him blocked my response.

As someone who detested spoilers, I made it a point to avoid guides as much as possible. Other than basic information, I knew little about the Pope.

Here’s what I did know:

First, Ardal’s warning: Never use magic in front of the Pope.

Second, unlike in the first playthrough, the Pope had introduced himself by name this time.

Lastly, the Pope possessed the ability to manipulate others’ memories—though this power did not work on Haniel, the player. The reason why it didn’t work on the player wasn’t explained, but I had assumed it was simply because she was the protagonist.

With these scant details, I had to navigate the Pope’s Investigation carefully.

But… none of this information was helpful right now.

While I mulled over my options, the Pope stared down at me with an authoritative gaze, clearly waiting for an answer.

“Orias.”

“Yes, Haniel?”

Buying time, I addressed him by name and met his eyes. His gaze softened slightly as he responded.

‘Check Orias’s affection level.’

<Character Affection Levels>

Orias: ♥♥♥♡♡

Event in progress: <The Pope’s Investigation>

His affection level was over halfway. As long as I avoided a major mistake, it was unlikely to drop.

‘Close affection level window’

In such cases, evasion was the best course of action.

Lacking any useful clues, I decided to deflect for now. Composing myself, I spoke in a serious tone.

“There is something I’m hiding. But it’s difficult to explain right now.”

“……”

“However, Orias, I can promise you this: I will never disappoint you. Can you trust me?”

Would that suffice? I stared intently at the Pope’s lips, anxiously awaiting his response. Surely, the system window would react to whatever he said.

After a brief silence, the Pope finally opened his mouth.

“Haniel.”

<The Pope’s Investigation -Second Round->

As his lips moved, a progress bar appeared in the system window.

10%…

20%…

The gauge filled slowly before stopping at the one-third mark.

<30%>

Through the system window, Orias said, “Never disappoint me.”

“You trust me?”

“…For now. Since you’ve admitted to hiding something, it’s clear you’re not trying to deceive me completely. Based on how you’ve acted so far, I believe you’re someone I can trust. You’ll answer me someday, won’t you?”

“Yes, of course!”

The moment he finished speaking, I eagerly replied. Holding his hands firmly, I nodded with enthusiasm. The Pope sighed softly and smiled faintly, almost as if in resignation.

<The Pope’s Investigation -Second Round->

• Evasion Rate: 30%
• You have partially evaded the Pope’s investigation.
• Time Limit: 10 days (1/10) – The evasion rate must reach 100% before the 10th day.

<Incomplete Evasion>

• The Pope’s affection has slightly increased.
• During the event, the Pope will monitor you closely.

Although my actions were now somewhat restricted, I had bought myself time to fully evade the investigation.

As this event concluded, a voice called out from outside. Letting go of the Pope’s hands, I took a step back, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“Your Holiness, the envoys from the Empire have arrived for the coronation.”

The coronation was fast approaching, and events were piling up.

The Pope glanced at his now-empty hands before shifting to his usual composed expression. Turning toward the door, he spoke, “Come in and report.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

At his command, the office door opened slowly. A knight entered, nodding politely toward me before kneeling before the Pope.

“Should I step out?”

“It’s fine. Sister Haniel, you may hear this as well.”

Seeing the knight hesitate, I asked the question, but the Pope answered by gently taking my hand. Guiding me to a chair, he poured me tea and gestured for the knight to proceed.

At the Pope’s signal, the knight lowered his eyes and began his report.

“Grand Duke Dietrich has arrived.”

“Only the Grand Duke?”

“He is accompanied by a single noble knight…”

“So, none of the princes?”

“…Yes.”

The knight bowed his head deeply, seemingly apologetic.

Despite the upcoming coronation of the Saintess, none of the Empire’s heirs to the throne had attended. Even though it had been announced that the Saintess would be sent to the Empire immediately after the ceremony, their lack of interest was evident.

Sending the Grand Duke alone was the bare minimum courtesy.

Barely courteous, at that.

“Where is the Grand Duke now?”

In contrast to the knight’s awkward demeanor, the Pope asked this without much interest.

“He mentioned wanting to see the prayer room and is currently touring the temple.”

“Who is guiding him?”

“Only female believers.”

“The Grand Duke hasn’t changed his habits, I see.”

The Pope sneered sharply at this response. Pouring more tea into his empty cup, he spoke playfully, “Very well. Assign only male knights to the Grand Duke’s side. Tell Ardal to send five knights to guard him.”

“Five knights just to guard the Grand Duke?”

“That many should suffice to keep him from approaching any other believers.”

For the Grand Duke, this was an unfortunate order.

Among the capture targets, he was the only playboy. While other characters were busy with work or uninterested in women, the Grand Duke had a quirk: he supposedly couldn’t sleep without a woman by his side.

Of course, this wasn’t literal. It was just the eccentricity of a playboy.

In the last playthrough, he had begun seducing me as soon as we traveled to the Empire. Thanks to the “Arousal” ability I had acquired in the previous playthrough, I had frequently succumbed to his advances.

Recalling those memories, I glanced at the tea the Pope had poured for me and swallowed hard.

Ah, that’s why he ended up completely controlling the dynamic between us.

Letting out a small groan, I clutched the teacup. The knight, having glanced at me briefly, continued speaking to the Pope.

“Your Holiness…”

“What is it?”

“The Grand Duke also expressed his desire to meet the Saintess in the prayer room.”

Suddenly drawn into the conversation, I stopped mid-sip and stared at the knight. He avoided my gaze, bowing his head.

Hearing the report, the Pope frowned slightly before turning to me.

“Sister Haniel?”

His tone was laden with displeasure. Furrowing my brows alongside him, I mulled over the situation.

Ugh. Is this that event? The one where I meet the Grand Duke in the prayer room?

<The Grand Duke’s Curiosity>

• The Grand Duke is curious about the Saintess and wishes to meet her in the prayer room.

• If your charm stat is lower than the Grand Duke’s, ‘The Grand Duke’s Allure’ will activate.

The event window I remembered from the previous playthrough popped into my mind.

As expected of the playboy character, the Grand Duke possessed a charm skill. In the “The Grand Duke’s Curiosity” event, the player’s charm stat could never surpass his. Early in the game, with low charm, resisting his allure was nearly impossible without charm-boosting items.

I had no charm-boosting items on hand. The only thing I possessed was a title earned from the last event, which was far from sufficient to resist the Grand Duke’s allure.

To match the Grand Duke’s charm, I would first need to successfully capture both Ardal and the Pope to gain their bonus charm stats.

Therefore, avoiding the Grand Duke for now was the best option. If I wanted to trigger a bad ending, meeting him and indulging wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Just as I finished that thought, the Pope turned to me and asked, “Sister Haniel, would you like to meet the Grand Duke before the coronation?”

“No.”

I hastily replied as soon as he finished his question. I had no intention of letting the Grand Duke take control of this playthrough as well.

The Pope smiled in satisfaction at my quick refusal.

<Event – ‘The Grand Duke’s Curiosity’ Has Been Destroyed!>

• The Grand Duke’s affection has slightly decreased
• The Grand Duke’s curiosity has significantly increased.
• The Pope (Orias)’s affection has increased.

<Affection Levels Updated>

Orias: ♥♥♥♥♡

I had declined because of past mistakes in previous playthroughs, but it seemed my response had pleased the Pope. His affection level had instantly increased by one.

Still, my refusal had been a bit too abrupt. I added a brief explanation to soften it.

“I’m planning to meet with Ardal later, so I probably won’t have time to meet the Grand Duke.”

“I see. You can meet the Grand Duke on the day of the coronation instead.”

As soon as I confirmed the affection level increase, I closed the affection window.

I remembered the unsettling ‘Anomalous Sensation’ event from before. Being unable to log out because of that would be unacceptable.

Although I couldn’t predict what the ‘Anomalous Sensation’ event might lead to, I resolved to be extra cautious around the Pope.

Since I had closed the affection level window within ten seconds, the Pope didn’t seem to sense anything.

“Inform the Grand Duke that he will have an audience with the Saintess after the coronation.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

At the Pope’s command, the knight exited the office to relay the message.

After the knight departed, I shared a short tea break with the Pope. During this time, I asked him a question.

“Orias, do you know where Ardal is right now?”

“He’s likely at the obelisk, reviewing changes to the rehearsal for the procession.”

“Then I’ll head there.”

I envisioned the towering obelisk standing at the temple entrance as I spoke. Hearing my words, the Pope’s face briefly showed a hint of regret, but he quickly composed himself, offering a dignified smile and nodding.

“Very well. I should return to preparing for the coronation as well.”