I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 78

Tricia hurriedly snatched the box away. Clutching it with a pale face, she said, “N-no, that wasn’t my intention at all…! It was meant as a warning to be cautious because there are people targeting you. I swear, Saintess, it didn’t have the meaning Sir Lucius suggested.”

Yes, I figured as much.

Judging by their flustered expressions, it was clear Tricia and Dahlia hadn’t given me the gift with such a sinister intention. Dahlia had even mentioned that Hella helped choose the gift, which reassured me further.

Hella, a character bound to me, wouldn’t try to harm me. Even without their explanation, I wouldn’t have misunderstood.

I smiled as I pulled the dagger from the box Tricia held in her hands.

“I know.”

“Really, it’s not… Pardon?”

“You’re referring to Gillian as the one targeting me, aren’t you?”

“How did you…?”

When I responded with a smile, Tricia blinked in surprise and stammered.

Still smiling, I turned to Dahlia and said, “Dahlia once mentioned that Lady Tricia was seeing someone. Don’t worry, I’ve never told anyone else. Well, except for Dietrich, since he overheard Dahlia talking.”

“Sir Lucius heard as well, Saintess.”

“That’s fine. Sir Lucius probably knew even before I did, right?”

Lucius nodded, affirming my words. Tricia glared at Lucius suspiciously, her expression hardly appropriate for someone addressing the First Prince. Lucius, seemingly used to such looks, appeared entirely indifferent.

After staring at Lucius for a while, Tricia let out a deep sigh and looked at the dagger in my hand. She placed the box in front of me and said, “Even if it wasn’t intended, I’m sorry, Saintess. Please put the dagger back in the box. I’ll bring a different gift after verifying its meaning more carefully.”

“Oh, you’re taking it back?”

I asked in a disappointed tone. Tricia hadn’t meant any harm, so wouldn’t it be fine to just keep it?

Noticing my wistful gaze toward the dagger, Dahlia hesitated before handing me another box.

“What’s this, Dahlia?”

“It’s a sheath.”

“No, Dahlia. Didn’t you hear what Sir Lucius just said? We need to give her a different gift.”

The box Dahlia handed over contained a sheath perfectly suited for the dagger I was holding. Decorated in gold and blue to match my eyes and hair, it was quite ornate.

While Tricia tried to dissuade her, I took the sheath in my hands. The dagger slid smoothly into the sheath as if it were being drawn into it.

Placing the sheathed dagger on my lap, I said, “I like this. Thank you, Dahlia. And you too, Lady Tricia.”

“Saintess.”

“I’ll interpret the gift’s meaning in the way the Empire would. I’ll take it as the protective intention you originally meant. Oh, and please thank Hella for me as well. I haven’t seen her around lately.”

“Yes! I’ll let her know, Saintess!”

When I accepted the gift, Dahlia beamed with joy. Meanwhile, Lucius, who had been pretending to watch Oliver’s training from nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly, and Tricia hung her head in embarrassment.

“But the meaning…”

Tricia mumbled softly, her voice tinged with shame. To comfort her, I spoke in the gentlest tone I could muster.

“I wasn’t even aware of the meaning before, so it’s fine. Nothing will happen.”

<Warning! You have acquired a ‘Gift with Meaning.’>

• The probability of events related to ‘Sacrifice’ has increased.

As Tricia’s face glimmered with what seemed like relief, a system window appeared beside her. Glancing between the warning message and Tricia’s glowing expression, I closed the system window and thought to myself.

Contrary to my belief that nothing would happen, this game seemed to place enormous importance on the meanings behind gifts.

***

As he watched the training, Lucius eventually stood up, looking like he’d had enough.

“I can’t bear to watch any longer. Do you think I have time to waste?”

Although Tricia and Dahlia had left a while ago, Lucius and I had continued observing Oliver’s training. While I found Oliver’s efforts—his persistence despite retching and collapsing repeatedly—admirable, Lucius apparently did not share my sentiments.

He turned his gaze away from Oliver, who was pitifully rolling and standing over and over, and spoke to me, “I’m heading back now. From here on, I’ll leave watching over you to another guard.”

“Are you bored?”

“Who said I was bored…”

As Lucius responded curtly, I rummaged through my inventory. I thought I’d put a book in here before.

“Ah, found it.”

It was still there—the item I had taken from ‘Haniel’s House.’ Retrieving the ‘Guide for Smooth Gameplay’ from my inventory, I handed it to Lucius.

Frowning, he accepted the book. “Can holy power even create things like this? It’s more useful than magic.”

Muttering in a low voice, Lucius quickly skimmed through the book before sitting back down.

“What kind of book is this?”

“If you’re bored, you can doodle in it. Here, I’ll give you a pen too.”

It was a manual I wasn’t going to read anyway. I already knew everything in it, so it was useless to me. Even if Lucius looked at it, all he would see was blank pages, so there was no harm in handing it over.

Since Ardal, another capture target, had been the same way, Lucius would be no different.

Lucius, who had accepted the book and pen I handed over with apparent disinterest, began examining the book closely. After briefly holding the pen, he set it aside and fully immersed himself in the book. Flipping through the pages, he eventually closed it and ran his hand over the spine. After studying the book for a while, Lucius spoke quietly.

“This is strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“Were the words written using holy power?”

“…What?”

What words?

I frowned, staring at him. Lucius’s gaze remained fixed on the book as if he were deciphering invisible letters.

Furrowing his brows, he spoke slowly, “‘Guide… for Smooth… Gameplay.’ Who went to such trouble to make something so tedious?”

Wait… Why can he see that?

Reading the title, Lucius turned the page and said, “Is this for training holy power? It seems to outline a method for focusing holy power on specific areas during training. I heard similar techniques were used for magic back when magic-users were more common.”

“W-wait a moment. How are you reading that?”

“This is the table of contents…”

“Lucius!” Springing to my feet, I snatched the book from his hands.

Tossing it back into my inventory, I caught my breath as Lucius wiggled his fingers and said, “Why? Give it back. It was getting interesting.”

“No, just go back to your room and rest if you’re bored.”

For the first time in a while, my heart was racing—thanks to the drop in affection levels, I hadn’t experienced this in ages. Having a character read something tied to the game system was utterly absurd.

Suppressing the erratic thumping in my chest, I looked at Lucius. His golden eyes gleamed with curiosity as he stared at me.

“You’re flustered. Did you give it to me thinking I wouldn’t be able to read it?”

Lucius was analyzing my reaction. Gone was his usual disinterest—his intense gaze, like that of a predator, made him look almost unnerving.

Smiling awkwardly, I shook my head. “No, not at all.”

“Am I not supposed to read it?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then take it back out.”

Fortunately, Lucius seemed able to read the book but couldn’t interfere with my inventory.

Shaking my head lightly, I replied, “My ability has its limits. I can’t bring it out again today.”

“What’s holding you back? The game? The guidebook?”

“It’s neither.”

“It’s both.”

This guy…

Watching Lucius ignore my words and make assumptions, I sighed and turned away. The best way to deal with him was to simply not engage.

“A game guidebook. What kind of game is it? Is it related to holy power or the Holy Kingdom?”

Ignoring Lucius, who leaned in close to ask me a question, I kept my attention on Oliver, who was still rolling on the ground. After vomiting five or six times today, he was dry-heaving again, struggling to keep up with the training.

Even the knights were watching Oliver with exasperated expressions. Finally, the knight instructing him declared him excluded.”

“Get out.”

“Ugh… Ah… I-I can keep going…”

“I won’t say it twice. Get out.”

As I watched Oliver, tears streaming down his face as he left the training grounds, Lucius leaned in closer and asked, “Are you even listening to me?”

I avoided him, stood up, and said, “Looks like Oliver has been dismissed. I’ll go talk to him.”

“Where do you think you’re going? If you’re leaving, take the book out first.”

“I can’t take it out.”

Shrugging off Lucius’s persistence, I headed toward Oliver.

“Oliver.”

“S-Saintess… Blerrgh!”

Before he could respond, Oliver grabbed a wooden post and vomited noisily.

“…Let’s talk after you rest a bit.”

Turning away to avoid the sight, I spoke. Lucius, who had followed me while questioning me about the book, watched Oliver with disdain.

“For someone who wanted to shorten the training schedule, he’s pathetic.”

“It’s only natural for an attendant to struggle with knightly training. The fact that he’s lasted this long is impressive.”

“At this rate, will he even get to meet Lucinda on time?”

Clicking his tongue, Lucius criticized Oliver, who couldn’t even respond to his words and continued to sob.

“I was planning to talk about that. Oliver, how about meeting Lucinda today?”

“B-but… I can’t enter the eastern building…”

“Then we’ll call her over. I’ll summon her. Just meet with her.”

Glancing coldly at Lucius, I turned back to Oliver and asked. Although his face was filthy from training, Oliver didn’t seem to notice my reluctance to look at him.

Overcome with emotion, he replied, “T-thank you, Saintess. I’ll get ready right away!”

“Clean yourself up first.”

“I-I just want to see Lucinda as soon as…”

“No. Go clean yourself up first.”

If he met her looking like this, any affection she had for him would vanish.

His current state was dreadful. Unable to bear the sight, I turned my eyes away from Oliver and toward Lucius, using his face to steady my nerves.

Regardless of his personality, Lucius’s face had an oddly calming effect.

Meeting my gaze, Lucius silently mouthed, ‘Give me the book.’

Smiling serenely, I thought to myself,

Not a chance.