I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 53

“Ah?”

“Hella.”

“How… how are you okay? I clearly heard sounds of fighting inside!”

When Dion forcefully opened the door and crossed into the herb chamber, Hella, who had been tidying the altar, gasped in surprise.

Hmm, those weren’t fighting sounds, though…

I quietly spoke to Dion, “See? Hella doesn’t know anything. You don’t have to kill her, right?”

“So she thinks we were fighting.”

Dion answered with an embarrassed look. It was understandable that Hella, who must have been confined to the herb chamber since childhood, misinterpreted the noises she heard. No one would have given her proper sex education while she was managing the herb chamber. It was easy to see how she could mistake those sounds for screams.

I spoke playfully, “Well, I can understand why she thought that. Earlier, you were being so rough with me—”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You were forcing yourself on me, Dion—”

“F-forcing myself on you?!”

Dion, who was still holding me protectively, raised his voice as if he had been wronged. Seeing him check my face and realize I was teasing, he let out a long sigh.

“…Please don’t joke like that.”

“Still, it’s true that you didn’t control your strength properly and hurt me.”

“I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Next time?”

When I asked in return, Dion furrowed his brows in annoyance. He added in a somewhat sharp tone.

“Did you think it would end with just once? You have to take responsibility until the end.”

“Wait, what?”

“If you don’t take responsibility, does that mean I have to live the rest of my life abstinent? You showed me something so good and now you’re saying I can’t ever have it again?!”

“Wait a minute, Dion. Hella can hear us.”

“If I’d never experienced it, that would be one thing. But now that I have, I’m not giving it up. Don’t worry, I won’t force marriage on you.”

Pushing Dion’s forehead as he leaned in to shout, I responded. Dion glared at me, visibly annoyed, while still keeping my unsteady body firmly supported.

“Why are you acting like I’m your only option?”

“Haniel, I don’t know how you were educated about relationships, but I was taught that they’re meant to be with one person.”

“That’s fine; you don’t have to follow that.”

“How can you, as a saintess, say something like that?”

When I replied nonchalantly, Dion spoke in frustration.

“My first experience had to be with such a shameless saintess…”

“Shameless? That’s a bit harsh.”

“Fine, we’ll talk more about this when we get back to the palace. For now, just focus on making the cure.”

Looking at me as if I were some kind of brute, Dion turned his head away with a huff. Yet, even as he protested with his whole body, he still supported my unsteady form with care. The disconnect between his words and actions made me nod awkwardly.

This Dion was so different from the one I experienced in previous playthroughs that it was bewildering. Still, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

There was no sense of distance with Dion; being around him felt comfortable, like spending time with an old friend. He embodied the kind of stable, ideal partner I’d always dreamed of in reality—a relationship where you could relax and be yourself. It wasn’t as thrilling as other romances, but Dion provided a strong sense of security.

As I leaned into Dion, smiling faintly at the thought, Hella’s scream brought me back to reality.

“Gasp! S-Saintess, you’re bleeding!”

“Oh, it’s fine…”

“It’s precious, so please, lie down here immediately.”

…What does she mean by ‘precious’?

As she screamed and grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the altar, my suspicions—which began when the village chief had looked at me so darkly—were confirmed. That bastard definitely tried to kill me.

“Was he trying to kill me?”

“N-no! He just… only wanted a little bit of blood… He said that if we used the Saintess’s blood to grow the herbs, the effects would be better.”

Hella stammered in response. Dion scowled fiercely and pried her hand off mine. When I saw Dion gripping her slender wrist too tightly, I pushed him away.

What’s he doing, taking a child so seriously? Hella, on the verge of tears, clutched her wrist, where red marks were clearly visible.

After pulling Dion away from her, I met Hella’s gaze.

“The village chief told you to do this, right?”

I gently patted her head as I spoke. Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded.

Hella wasn’t to blame. Like Adrian, she must have been deceived by the chief and made into the herb chamber’s caretaker.

“What exactly did the chief tell you?”

“He said that if I fed the herbs with the Saintess’s blood… he would let me leave this place.”

“I see.”

I recalled Adrian’s words from the video, where he revealed that the village chief’s promise to accept someone as part of the village in three years had been a lie. It was clear the chief had lied to Hella as well. Perhaps he even planned to kill us and pin the blame on her.

As I patted Hella’s trembling head, I checked the system window.

<Adrian’s Request>

• Adrian’s polite request.
• Investigate the cause of the epidemic in the village and cure the villagers.
• Essential capture event for target characters ‘Dion’ and ‘Adrian.’

[Trigger Conditions: Potion Crafting Level 7 or higher, acquisition of advanced potion crafting skills, completion of pre-event ‘The Herb Chamber’s Request.’]

Adrian’s request was about curing the villagers’ illness.

Studying the system window, I realized something and smiled brightly at Hella.

“You don’t have to do anything like that anymore. Come with me.”

“B-but…”

“It’s okay, Hella. What you did was wrong, but it’s not your fault.”

The real fault lay with the village chief who had manipulated her. I also understood how hard it was for someone uneducated and oppressed to stand up to their oppressor.

When I spoke softly, Dion, who had been watching, called me with a serious tone.

“Haniel.”

“Dion, I want to take care of Hella at the palace. Is that okay?”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll arrange a place for her to stay. I’ll sponsor her.”

“Great. Let’s go, then.”

When I extended my hand, the hesitant girl grabbed it tightly.

“I’m sorry, Saintess…”

“It’s okay.”

<The player’s actions have increased reputation.>

• Dion’s trust has increased.
• The number of people seeking the Saintess’s help has increased.
• Event occurrence probability has slightly increased.

<Character ‘Hella’ is now loyal to the player!>

• Acquired bound character!
• Bound characters faithfully carry out the player’s commands.
• Bound Character (1): You can check the character’s status.

Why would I need this? What am I supposed to command such a young child to do?

Feeling conflicted as I read the system window, I returned my focus to the event. This event offered more freedom than “The Herb Chamber’s Request.” That one had a rigidly fixed structure, but this one allowed flexibility in curing the villagers.

The village chief wasn’t sick. That meant he wasn’t included in the event goal of “curing the villagers.”

Even if I completed the event and somehow ensured the chief fell ill, it wouldn’t count as a failure.

Since the chief had tried to kill Adrian in the past video, I had no intention of letting him off lightly.

“Are you planning to forgive the chief as well?”

Unaware of my thoughts, Dion frowned and asked. Instead of answering, I smiled calmly and thought to myself:

Not a chance.

***

<You have acquired the materials for the plague cure!>

The materials for the cure were gathered immediately after leaving the herb chamber. Dion, who was vigilantly watching the surroundings by my side, spoke up.

“How do you know what materials are needed for the cure?”

“Ah… well.”

“Suddenly fainting, then appearing with a wound on your shoulder, and now claiming to make a cure for an unknown plague—it’s full of strange things, don’t you think?”

His words seemed less like a request for an explanation and more like a musing as he gazed out toward the village.

“You’re so careless that it’s worrying. Honestly, I feel bad for suspecting that the Pope sent someone as sloppy as you to spy on us.”

“Wait, Dion, were you suspecting me?”

Listening to his comments, I turned to ask Dion. Without a hint of hesitation, he replied with a calm face.

“Yes.”

As I meticulously packed the materials for the cure, I pouted at him in annoyance.

I had already suspected that he doubted me. Unlike the characters from the Holy Kingdom, those from the Empire were wary of me—it was only natural.

Still, hearing it said aloud felt unpleasant. Couldn’t he have just kept it to himself instead of saying it out loud and ruining my mood?

Seeing my dissatisfaction as I pouted, Dion spoke indifferently.

“Haniel.”

“What?”

“I know you don’t have any ill intentions.”

He continued speaking calmly, “But others won’t see it the same way. If something like this happens in the palace, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“What do you mean by ‘something like this’?”

“Fainting out of nowhere or claiming to make a cure. These are actions that defy common sense.”

Dion stopped scanning the village and looked directly at me. His piercing blue eyes seemed to see right through me.

“I’m saying don’t draw attention to yourself. Stay quiet and keep a low profile.”

He finished his warning concisely.

<You have collected all the materials for the cure.>

• The cure can now be crafted.
• The cure has a three-day shelf life.

Even though Dion warned me, my attention was drawn to the system window rather than his words.

Isn’t this system acting a little strange?

The fact that it mentioned the cure’s expiration period bothered me. It felt like the system knew I was planning to make the village chief fall ill. While I knew the system could process simple commands like tracking eye movement or interface navigation based on brain waves, this felt like it was going too far…

“Haniel?”

As I stared blankly at the system window, Dion approached me. Lowering himself to meet my gaze, he asked, “Are you okay? You’re not about to faint again after what I just said, are you?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine.”

Dion raised an eyebrow as he looked at me shaking my head, then extended his hand.

“If you’ve gathered all the materials, let’s go. Quickly craft the cure, and let’s return to the palace.”

Thanks to the system’s consideration, the cure was highly effective even in small quantities. Just three bottles were enough to treat the entire village.

Carrying the finished cure, we returned to the building where we had stayed the night. The moment the village chief saw us, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“H-how!”

The chief fell backward as he scrambled to rise from his chair, his face pale with fear.

On the desk where he had been sitting was a piece of paper, the same kind as the ones I’d seen in Adrian’s office. Stepping closer, I glanced at the document the chief had been writing.

“You were writing that the Saintess and her guard had died.”

“W-who died? The Saintess?”

“That would be us, wouldn’t it, Sir Dion?”

“How odd. Are we supposed to be ghosts, then?”

“Perhaps that’s why the chief looks so shocked.”

As Dion and I mocked him, the chief could only gasp for breath, unable to form a reply.

“Isn’t that right, Chief?”

I leaned forward, smiling sweetly as I addressed him. The chief’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed backward.

“What’s this? He fainted. The chief seems weaker than I thought.”

Clicking my tongue, I looked at Dion, who flipped the chief’s eyelids to check his condition.

“It seems so. What should we do?”

“I think we should take him to his favorite place.”

“Excuse me?” Dion asked, sounding incredulous.

Giving him the brightest smile I could muster, I replied, “The herb chamber, of course.”