I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 3

The handprints lingering on my thighs, the wrecked state of the room, the chunk of flesh lying on the floor, and the clearly identifiable toys scattered around—all of it, along with the thief writhing on the floor clutching his groin. It was no wonder Ardal arrived at such a conclusion.

“I-I didn’t do anything! It was that b… she’s the one who…”

“Silence.”

Holding me in one arm, Ardal rose to his feet. My cheek brushed against his shoulder while my forehead touched the part where his neck met his shoulder. Seeing him lift me as if I were a lightweight doll left me in awe.

While I marveled, Ardal unceremoniously drove his sword into the body of the man rolling on the floor, then surveyed the room with a heavy sigh.

“My apologies for being late, Lady Haniel.”

Speaking softly to my unconscious body, he draped my outerwear over me, taken from my wardrobe. Ensuring I was covered, he stepped out of the house.

“Commander, what happened inside?”

“Take care of what’s inside. Clean everything up as if nothing happened. Lady Haniel must not remember any of this when she returns.”

The holy knights waiting outside briefly glanced at me before questioning Ardal. Hugging me tighter, Ardal gave his orders firmly. Once he spoke, he walked away from the garden, leaving the other knights to enter my house.

So now it’s fine for anyone to barge into what is supposed to be a private, player-exclusive space, Haniel’s House? Watching the group of knights enter, I couldn’t help but smirk bitterly. This didn’t feel like an ordinary bug.

At that moment, a system window appeared before me.

<Tutorial Completed>

Hearing the notification, I contemplated logging out. Completing the tutorial was one thing, but my irritation at this severe bug had reached its peak. I came here to interact with the capture targets, not to be assaulted by random extras.

<You have completed the Second playthrough tutorial. The Blessing Ring is now available. Would you like to equip it?>

As I fumed silently, another system window popped up.

<Yes> <No>

Ah, the reason I decided to redo the tutorial was to get this. Should I equip it now? The glowing window seemed to tempt me to press “Yes” immediately.

But staring at the flickering light, I glanced at the real-world time. It was already 3 AM.

‘I’m too tired. Let’s just stop here for today.’

I decided to log out. First, I’d file a complaint. Given that my character was unconscious, I’d likely wake up in a safe zone where Ardal had moved me during my next login. Watching Ardal’s steady strides, I searched for the logout button.

<Log Out>

As soon as I pressed the glowing gray button, the game world began to dim and dissolve.

“……”

Just as my consciousness began detaching, Ardal stopped walking and turned to gaze into the air. It felt as though our eyes met.

No way. Can he see me? Am I imagining this?

Although puzzled, I dismissed it as a coincidence. The logout process continued, and I exited the game.

<Exiting the game.>

***

“What is this nonsense?!”

I threw aside the booklet containing the descriptions of capture targets that came with the game. There were six capture targets in total, yet none of the materials mentioned anything about incidents like this occurring during the tutorial.

While I usually disliked relying on guides, I flipped through it for any relevant information. By the time I had read every page until 5 AM, frustration consumed me. What had happened was undoubtedly a bug. Though early morning, I prepared for work while planning to file a formal complaint on my way.

I would demand compensation for the invasion of Haniel’s House and the bizarre events that took place.

Ardal, the thieves, and the group of knights entering my house after I fainted—the entire idea of this being a rest zone for players was completely disregarded. This was unacceptable. After a quick shower and completing my routine, I grabbed my phone and left the house.

I drafted my grievance and submitted it as a bug report. Not long after, I received a response from the game’s support team.

– This is the management team for The Saintess Is a Spy! We will review the reported issues and provide compensation accordingly. –

“Well, that was simple.”

Scoffing at the curt response, I slipped my phone into my pocket. As long as they resolved it before the holidays, I’d tolerate it.

With that, I put my irritation aside and entered the office. But no sooner had I sat down than my boss’s sharp voice cut through the air.

In hindsight, most of my frustrations stemmed from work.

“Assistant Manager Lee! Did you leave yesterday without finishing this?”

“What is it? I’ll take care of it and send it over.”

“If you want to leave early, you should finish all your work first! You never think about working, just about getting off on time.”

Sighing, I glanced at the stack of documents my boss slammed onto my desk.

‘These weren’t even here when I left yesterday.’

As I watched the team leader walk away after dumping the paperwork on me, I sighed and sat down at my desk. From the corner of my eye, I caught the sight of a woman smirking at me.

She was the new hire who had joined recently—and also the person my boyfriend had cheated on me with. Having joined the company without even graduating college, she was still naive in many ways.

Honestly, my ex wasn’t much to boast about. Indecisive and, though somewhat good-looking, he lacked the qualities to match someone as young and pretty as the new hire.

‘I was already considering breaking up with him anyway. What did she even see in him?’

Other than his looks, his only notable trait was that he had been promoted faster than me. Still, I could vaguely guess why the new hire had fallen for him. A supervisor close in age treating her kindly and approaching her would naturally make a good impression. It’s only natural to feel drawn to someone who shows care during an unstable time in your life.

Unlike her, a rookie in the workforce, he had already established himself to some degree, so he probably appeared financially stable as well… And perhaps, they even found a thrill in secretly continuing their relationship while deceiving someone from the same department—me.

“Good morning, Team Leader!”

Interrupting my thoughts, my ex walked in cheerfully, greeting the boss enthusiastically before exchanging subtle signals with the new hire.

Bold, aren’t they?

Watching him glance at me to gauge my reaction, I pretended not to notice and focused on the documents. Fortunately, our relationship had been kept private, sparing me from office gossip.

‘Another long day ahead.’

Sighing as the new hire smirked at me with a smug expression, I silently wished she’d stop.

I don’t care, so stop looking at me like that…

***

Dragged into forced overtime by my boss, I finally returned home completely drained. Pulling an all-nighter, then working late into the evening…

“How many hours have I been awake?”

Though a compensation email had arrived during work, I hadn’t had a chance to check it. Irritated and on edge all day, I collapsed onto my bed, grabbing my phone.

“It’s already 1 AM…”

I’ll check the compensation tomorrow…

Muttering to myself, I let my phone slip. As my finger accidentally tapped the email notification, bright light erupted from the screen.

Despite the intensity, I didn’t bother opening my eyes and let sleep take over.

***

The Saintess Is a Spy! Compensation Details:

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the recent issue. The error stemmed from server stabilization problems. As part of our commitment to enhancing user experience, we are providing the following rewards:

<Rewards Received:>

<Blessing Ring – Upgraded>

• Can be equipped upon completing the second playthrough tutorial without skipping.
• A ring blessed by time and space.
• Allows extended playtime within the game.

<Certain Effect Aphrodisiac>

• An aphrodisiac identical in appearance to stamina recovery potions, making it difficult to distinguish between the two.
• Usable on capture targets.
• Can be gifted to capture targets.

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<Enjoy *(>

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<Would you like to connect?>

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<Yes>

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<The Saintess Is a Spy! – #th Playthrough->

<Welcome back! We hope you enjoy your gameplay.>

***

“Lady Haniel.”

“…Huh?”

I woke up to the sensation of warmth enveloping my hand, as though someone was holding it tightly.

A low and reassuring voice followed, calling out the name of the player character within the game.

Was it Ardal?

Rolling my eyes toward the voice, I saw Ardal’s usually cold expression soften with visible relief when he met my gaze.

“You’ve been unconscious for a long time. Are you feeling pain anywhere?”

Hearing his concerned voice, I frowned slightly.

‘Did I log into the game?’

Without answering Ardal’s question, I blinked at him blankly. He carefully released my hand, and the warmth that had been enveloping it faded, replaced by a slight chill.

I don’t remember logging in…

“I haven’t introduced myself properly. My apologies, Lady Haniel. I am Ardal, Commander of the Holy Knights.”

“Sir Ardal?”

“Just Ardal is fine. Please dispense with formalities.”

Did I log in after all? If so, I might as well save here before reaching the section involving the Pope.

Listening to Ardal, I asked cautiously, “Um, Ardal… where are we?”

“We’re at the temple. Ideally, I would have asked for your permission beforehand, but given the circumstances…”

“Ah…”

His somber tone carried a hint of guilt. Gripping the blanket tightly, I noticed my pale hands, prompting Ardal’s expression to mirror my concern.

Thinking he had said something wrong, his lips parted hesitantly.

“Lady Haniel.”

Shaking my head, I interrupted. “It’s fine. Come to think of it, I haven’t thanked you for saving me. Thank you, Ardal.”

“I do not deserve your gratitude, Lady Haniel…”

Avoiding my gaze, his voice sounded pained.

Oh, this feels promising.

In the previous playthrough, Ardal had strictly performed his duty as my escort. As a capture target with the “Knight” attribute, progressing with him had been exceptionally difficult. Last time, I hadn’t even managed to remove his uniform. My interactions were mostly with the Pope before moving on to the Empire.

Ardal’s responses were limited to “Yes” or “No.” It wasn’t until I checked the guide after my first playthrough that I realized he was a capture target. I never would’ve imagined that such a stoic, impenetrable character could even be capturable. His difficulty was on a completely different level compared to the Pope, who practically captured himself.

But this time, I could feel it. His usually expressionless face was twisted in discomfort, and his eyes were slightly red. I don’t usually like reading guides, but I had skimmed through his preferences beforehand.

Carefully, I reached out and cupped Ardal’s bowed face.