I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 50
Fascinated by the invisible yet tangible hand he could now hold, Adrian continued to fidget with my hand and asked, “When can you touch me again?”
[When your condition improves.]
“I should be better in a week… but that doesn’t leave much time to figure things out.”
What does he want to figure out about me?
Hearing Adrian mutter quietly, I shuddered. Even though his words came from a child, they felt strangely ominous. It was as if he could strip away all my secrets if he wanted to.
“Can you only touch me when I’m unwell?”
[Not necessarily. This is a special case. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to touch you again, even if you fall ill later.]
“If that’s true, then deliberately getting sick would be pointless.”
Adrian clicked his tongue in disapproval and mumbled again about not having enough time. Wobbling slightly, he stood up.
“I’ll need to gather as much information as I can before I recover.”
Gripping my hand, Adrian staggered to his feet, then smiled faintly and asked, “You’ll help me, won’t you?”
[Of course.]
Adrian began to investigate the extent of my physical capabilities.
“You can move my hand, but you can’t pick things up, right?”
[That seems to be the case.]
“So you can only make direct contact with me. Is it just living beings you can interact with?”
I wasn’t sure why this research was necessary, but since Adrian wanted it, I cooperated. I thought he’d ask about the herbs or the Crown Prince, but instead, his attention was focused solely on me.
“Can you try grabbing that?”
[The herbs?]
“Yes.”
Following his words, I reached out for the herbs, but my hand passed right through them. I immediately turned to Adrian and wrote,
[It doesn’t work.]
“Hmm, so plants are impossible. Then, what about animals?”
[No.]
“What?”
Adrian pointed at the bear lying on the altar, and I flinched in horror.
Is he seriously asking me to touch a dead bear?
[It’s dead. That’s scary.]
“Well… I suppose that’s understandable.”
Adrian, who initially looked perplexed, quickly composed his expression and nodded.
“The door should open tomorrow. When someone comes, would you try touching them?”
Adrian spoke in a mature tone, as if comforting me. Feeling embarrassed, I replied hesitantly.
[Sure.]
“Then try it tomorrow. I’ll let you know when someone arrives.”
A child acting more mature than me.
[How can you be sure someone will come?]
Villagers often visited the herb chamber, but their visits weren’t regular. Sometimes they came every three or four days, while other times, a week or more could pass without anyone showing up. Observing the irregular pattern through video acceleration, I tilted my head in confusion.
Adrian glanced at the writing and replied casually, “I can hear it. The sound of them hunting animals to bring to the chamber. They have to circle around this chamber to go hunting. Since they passed by today, they’ll likely bring an animal tomorrow.”
[I didn’t hear anything.]
“I have sharp ears. It’s how I’ve survived this long. I overheard the chief talking about the chamber, which is why I volunteered to manage it.”
Adrian’s voice, which started off lighthearted, gradually lowered.
Pressing his forehead as if recalling unpleasant memories, he added, “I also know it’s a lie that they’d accept me as a villager after three years. That’s not true… So I have to escape before the three years are up…”
As Adrian curled up and spoke, I pulled him closer. Placing his head on my lap as I sat on the floor, Adrian blinked innocently, offering no resistance.
[It’s okay. Just sleep for now; you must be tired.]
“But…”
[I can’t hear footsteps, but I can tell the time. I’ll wake you up tomorrow morning, so don’t worry and get some rest.]
The herb chamber barely let in any sunlight, making it difficult to gauge time, but I had the system. Opening the system window to display the time, I wrote the words.
Adrian raised the corners of his mouth in a faint smile and nodded. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep almost instantly. Watching his chest rise and fall evenly, I gently stroked his head.
I never expected to be taking care of a child in an R-19 game.
Though it was unexpected, I didn’t find it unpleasant. Having already satisfied my desires with Dion before entering this video, I found it amusing to compare Adrian’s present and past selves.
Deciding to approach this time with patience, I stroked Adrian’s head gently. As I replayed his words in my mind, I frowned.
Three years… That duration felt oddly familiar. The time I had left in this game was also approximately three years. Of course, I planned to log out before then, but… Adrian had said he knew it was a lie that he’d be freed after three years.
Mulling over Adrian’s unsettling remark, I murmured quietly.
“Log out.”
- Logging out is not possible.
The system window displayed the same grim message as always. I let out a long sigh, Adrian’s voice echoing unpleasantly in my mind.
‘So I have to escape before the three years are up…’
***
Checking the system window’s time, I poked Adrian’s cheek.
“Time to wake up.”
After several pokes, Adrian, who had been lying still with his eyes closed, furrowed his brows and opened his eyes.
“What is it now…?”
[Time to wake up.]
When I moved his hand to write, Adrian sat up abruptly, eyes wide. As he examined his body, he blinked repeatedly, his face still showing signs of confusion. Watching his unsettled expression, I moved his hand to write again.
[You slept deeply.]
“Yes, I did.”
[How are you feeling?]
“I feel good. My head doesn’t hurt as much as yesterday. I slept so deeply that I couldn’t hear any noise.”
[That’s great.]
Seeing Adrian’s improved complexion, I stroked his head. He awkwardly accepted the gesture before smiling and responding.
“Still, not hearing anything makes me uneasy. It feels like there’s no one else here.”
[Really?]
“Yes. Oh, wait—people are coming.”
Adrian, suppressing his nervousness, stood up. He hid the journal we had been using to communicate among the pile of herbs, then walked toward the entrance.
“When someone comes in, try touching them.”
I replied that I would, though Adrian obviously couldn’t hear me.
“If you understand, touch the back of my hand.”
I briefly brushed the back of his hand, and Adrian smirked as though satisfied. Watching his faint smile, I tried to understand his intentions. Why was he so intent on testing the extent of my physical influence? I couldn’t figure out his reasoning.
When the herb chamber door opened, the village chief entered, accompanied by three men carrying a live animal. Bowing slightly, Adrian greeted them.
“You’ve been taking good care of things.”
The chief smiled warmly as he looked at the vibrant herbs, then patted Adrian’s head absentmindedly. Adrian’s expression twisted slightly at the touch, betraying his discomfort.
Seeing Adrian’s face contort so miserably after maintaining a calm demeanor for so long, I quickly moved my hand. Letting the village chief catch him with such an expression would do no good. Now was the time to suppress emotions as much as possible and figure out a way to escape.
I couldn’t give the village chief any excuse to grow more suspicious of Adrian.
“Ugh!”
“Chief.”
“W-what the—!”
I crept up behind the village chief, clenched my fist, and struck him on the head. A solid thud resonated through my hand.
Oh, it worked!
I rubbed my tingling fist with my other hand. Adrian, watching the village chief clutch his head and collapse to the ground, quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
His eyes, however, betrayed a hint of concern as he directed a question toward the village chief.
“Chief, are you all right? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Chief?”
“Something just hit me on the head…”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. We’ll leave for now.”
Grumbling to himself as he looked around, the village chief stood up with the help of a man supporting him.
Would he have passed out if I’d aimed for his temple?
Watching the village chief being guided out of the herb chamber by the men, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Adrian, meanwhile, kept his hand over his mouth, maintaining a worried expression until the door closed.
Even after the door shut, Adrian held his breath for a while before suddenly bursting into loud laughter.
“You’re stronger than I expected.”
Chuckling softly, Adrian walked over to the spot where he had hidden his journal, retrieved it along with a pen, and casually extended his hand. Covering the back of his hand with mine, I wrote:
[I hit him as hard as I could. Did I do well?]
“Yes. I feel so much better now.”
[That’s good.]
“Haha… That startled expression of his.”
Adrian, entrusting his hand to me, laughed continuously. As he did, a system window appeared before him
<Adrian’s current disposition has changed from ‘Evil’ to ‘Neutral’!>
Adrian laughed so hard that tears welled in his eyes, and eventually, he clutched his stomach and collapsed to the ground, still laughing.
“It’s been a long time since I laughed this much. Thank you.”
[It’s nothing. I’m glad you liked it. Next time I’ll try hitting him again.]
“…Sure.”
Adrian, who had been laughing moments ago, read the words in the journal and spoke quietly. He stared at the page for a long time, almost as if dissecting each letter, before finally speaking again.
“I see… So it’s possible for you to touch others as well, not just me. In that case…”
[Yeah?]
Adrian paused briefly before continuing.
“It should also be possible to use the hands of one of the villagers to stab the chief when they least expect it, right?”
[What?]
“Just like how you’re using my hand to write now.”
Adrian spoke in a cold, detached tone, his earlier laughter seeming like a lie. His words were chilling.
“I don’t know why you’re helping me, but if you’re going to help, then do it properly.”
The icy expression on young Adrian’s face sent chills down my spine. As I tried to pull my hand away from his, he grabbed it tightly.
“When the next group of people comes in, I’ll make sure one of them is holding a dagger. You’ll use that person’s hand to stab the chief.”
At his eerie voice, I shuddered and trembled in fear, our joined hands shaking.
Wait, didn’t his disposition just change from ‘Evil’ to ‘Neutral’? How is this something a neutral character would plan?!
Watching Adrian speak with such determination, I quickly withdrew my earlier thoughts about enjoying this unexpected side of him.
Unexpected, my foot—this was the same Adrian who had been just as intimidating when he threatened me to enter this village.
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Fancyfancie
What if later when she met Adrian again in the real timeline, Adrian could match her handwriting with this? Angsty story would make this impossible, but this one seems manageable