I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 74

Lucius, whose affection had slightly increased, returned to his room with a softened expression, and I also returned to mine. Turning my gaze away from the still-open violin case I had hurriedly left behind earlier, I sat on a chair and gathered my thoughts.

The most likely candidate for the next emperor was the First Prince, Lucius. Though Lucius himself had no desire to become emperor, his unique status as the sole possessor of magic ensured his firm position as the First Prince.

Naturally, Lucius was also the person the emperor trusted most… Or so I thought. I had forgotten something important.

The Second Prince was poisoning the emperor to manipulate him—something I had momentarily overlooked. While I was progressing through other characters’ routes, it seemed the emperor’s illness had worsened, and he had fallen significantly under the Second Prince’s sway.

“If I had agreed to help the Second Prince, the route might have gone awry…”

I had refused the emperor’s proposal simply because I didn’t want to face the villain’s smug face, but in hindsight, it seemed to have been a decent choice. Resting my chin in my hand, I muttered to myself, contemplating the conditions for entering Lucius’s route. He might have an entry condition similar to Dietrich’s.

Could I view only Lucius’s relevant information?

As I pondered this while checking the system, Lucius’s information appeared.

<Exploring related information about the capture target ‘Lucius.’>

• Generating viewable information.

<Collecting ‘Lucius’s Past Fragments’ (In Progress)>

• Current progress: 2/5
• Past Fragments (1, 2) are available for viewing.

Past Fragments. I had seen similar information several times while capturing other characters. Clicking on the viewable sections, detailed descriptions appeared.

<Lucius’s Past Fragment 1>

• Lucius’s illness is related to his magic.

<Lucius’s Past Fragment 2>

• Lucius is the provider of the binding seal’s magic, which Gillian owns.

Is this all there is to Lucius’s information?

The content was so sparse that it didn’t take long to read. Given that I’d barely encountered Lucius, it made sense that the information was limited.

<Lucius’s Past Fragments>

• Collecting all past fragments will trigger an affection-increasing event.
• Your understanding of Lucius will increase.
• Once your understanding reaches a certain level, Lucius’s route will become accessible.

So collecting past fragments is a prerequisite for entering Lucius’s route.

To proceed with his route, I’d need to gather information. As expected, he’s a challenging character.

Capturing Ardal and Orias had been much easier…

Remembering the relatively straightforward captures in the Holy Kingdom, I closed the system window. Sitting idly and reminiscing wouldn’t yield anything. I’d be better off going out to gather information.

Since I was already in Lucius’s palace, it wouldn’t be too difficult to investigate his past.

Lucius wouldn’t voluntarily share his past with me, so I decided to start by talking to his attendants and guards. If I was lucky, I might be able to collect some past fragments.

***

Yes, that’s right.

I was lucky—unbelievably lucky.

<Your high charm stat has significantly increased basic affection levels.>

<The likelihood of triggering events during conversations has increased.>

“…So, Saintess, there’s something I’d like your help with.”

<Event! (Lucius’s Palace) ‘An Attendant’s Request’>

• An event that allows you to gain internal information about Lucius’s palace.
• Completing the event will link to one where you can obtain a ‘Lucius’s Past Fragment.’

All I did was casually strike up a conversation with an attendant cleaning the hallway, and they triggered an event. It seemed my charm and allure stat, which hadn’t helped at all during captures, were finally proving useful.

Only now, after capturing four characters, were my charm stats showing their effects.

“Sure, what is it you need?”

“I’d like you to deliver this to Lucinda in the eastern building. I don’t have permission to enter that area.”

“Lucinda?”

“She’s the general manager of this palace.”

The male attendant handed me a crumpled letter. It looked like it had been carried around for a long time. Blushing, he shyly held it out to me.

<Objective: Deliver the letter to ‘Lucinda’ in the eastern building within 20 minutes.>

“I’ll make sure it gets delivered.”

“Thank you, Saintess.”

Judging by his embarrassed expression, I didn’t need to ask about the contents of the letter to know. Holding the letter, I turned toward the eastern palace. Although only Lucius lived there, it was quite spacious, so I’d need to hurry to deliver it on time…

“Um, Saintess…”

As I moved quickly, the attendant called out to stop me.

<Time Remaining: 19 minutes, 34 seconds>

“Yes?”

“Um, if…”

As I watched time slipping away, the attendant stammered while speaking to me.

“Well, if Lucinda has something to say… could you tell her that I’d come myself if she just grants me entry permission?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll let her know.”

It was a rather unnecessary remark given the time constraints. Smiling, I responded and headed toward the eastern building. The system didn’t provide directions. Because I took a few wrong turns, I only had about five minutes left by the time I reached the eastern building.

“Aren’t you the Saintess?”

“Yes, I’m here to see Lucinda. Where is she?”

“Oh, I’ll guide you.”

Recognizing me wandering around alone, an attendant approached and offered to help. Following the attendant, who moved quickly, I soon found Lucinda.

“Lucinda, the Saintess has come to see you.”

“Me? Why would the Saintess…?”

Lucinda, as she was called, looked back at me with a surprised expression.

“Saintess, what brings you here?”

Lucinda, who had briefly looked startled, approached and asked.

Handing her the letter, I explained, “I came because someone asked me to deliver this to you. Could you take a look?”

“Yes, I’ll check it now.”

As Lucinda began to read the letter carefully, a system notification appeared.

<You have completed the event ‘An Attendant’s Request’ (Lucius’s Palace).>

“This is…”

“The person who asked me to deliver it said he’d come directly if you just grant him entry permission.”

“He’s trying to come back to spout nonsense again.”

As Lucinda read the letter, she frowned and crumpled it tightly.

Nonsense?

Tilting my head in confusion, Lucinda explained apologetically, “Since I’m the general manager of this palace, many attendants approach me like this. This person has visited me several times hoping for a promotion.”

“Is that so? I thought it was a love letter…”

“People who claim to love me often just want to take advantage of me.”

“Really? He seemed genuinely embarrassed, though.”

Stuffing the crumpled letter into her apron, Lucinda’s expression was one of deep annoyance.

“Once he gets promoted, his attitude will completely change.”

“I see…”

Lucinda’s cold tone and sullen face left me feeling awkward.

“If I weren’t the manager, this person probably wouldn’t even…”

“Lucinda?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Saintess.”

Mumbling in a subdued tone, Lucinda stiffened and apologized. After some thought, she asked me to wait before pulling out a sheet of paper and writing something.

[Recommendation Letter]

Writing swiftly, Lucinda folded the paper in half and handed it to me.

“Um, Saintess,”

Lucinda, who had been hesitant unlike her usual demeanor while writing, continued, “Could you deliver this to a knight in the western building?”

<Linked Event! (Lucius’s Palace) ‘Lucinda’s Request’>

…It seemed this event involved a lot of running around. Though it was a dull task, refusing would break the chain of connected events.

Looking at the letter, I asked, “What is this?”

“A recommendation letter. If he’s serious about meeting me, he should try training first. I want to see if he’ll stick with it.”

“Lucinda, isn’t it far too disrespectful to assign such a task to the Saintess? I’ll deliver it instead.”

“It’s fine, I’ll do it,” I replied.

As I briefly gazed at the letter of recommendation, the attendant extended their hand and spoke. Taking back the letter from the attendant’s grasp, I accepted the request.

<Objective: Deliver the recommendation letter to the ‘knight’ in the western building within 20 minutes.>

As I fiddled with the recommendation letter, I wondered about the meaning behind this event. What significance could there be in simply delivering letters? Perhaps I’d find out after completing this task.

Pondering the event’s purpose, I hurried toward the western building. With the distance increased, I had to move even faster.

“Saintess, where are you going?”

The quickest path to the western building passed by Lucius’s room. Hurrying along, I encountered Lucius and frowned. With only 20 minutes to deliver the recommendation letter, I didn’t have time for a conversation.

“I’m heading to the western building. If you’ll excuse me…”

“The western building houses the training grounds. Why are you going there?”

As I tried to pass, Lucius grabbed my wrist. Judging by his expression, he didn’t appreciate me wandering around his domain.

“Lucinda asked me for a favor. May I go now?”

“What kind of favor?”

The questions didn’t seem like they’d stop anytime soon. Time didn’t pause during conversations with Lucius. Grabbing the hand holding my wrist, I yanked it free and pulled him along.

“If you want to hear about it, let’s talk as we go.”

***

<You have completed the event ‘Lucinda’s Request’ (Lucius’s Palace).>

“Yes, I’ve confirmed it. We’ll start the training immediately. To proceed, we’ll need to find this attendant…”

<Linked Event! (Lucius’s Palace) ‘Finding the Attendant Mentioned in the Recommendation Letter’>

Watching the system endlessly generate events, I clenched my teeth and responded. I’d been too lucky, and now it seemed like one task kept leading to another.

“I’ll find him.”

<Objective: Locate the attendant mentioned in the recommendation letter and deliver the training schedule.>

Lucius, who had followed me, asked in a puzzled tone, “You’ve spent days cooped up in your room. Why are you suddenly wasting time running errands? Wouldn’t it be better to go to the herb chamber instead?”

“If I go to the herb chamber, I might run into Gillian. Will you accompany me there, Sir Lucius?”

“My job is to protect you only while you’re within this palace. Whatever happens outside isn’t my concern.”

Dragging along the ever-sarcastic Lucius, I headed back to where I had first met the attendant.

“By the way, who is the attendant mentioned in this recommendation letter?”

“Isn’t the name written there?”

“It’s not.”

Glancing over the recommendation letter, Lucius handed it to me and said, “Where exactly do you see a name written?”