I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 89

<The system has been activated.>

Before I opened my eyes to confirm, I thought only a short time had passed since the system had been shut down. Contrary to my expectations, multiple system windows quickly appeared.

<The system has been reset.>

<Binding Seal removed.>

<Sensitivity control has been terminated.>

• Current sensitivity level: 100%.

<Adrian Capture Event (Special): ‘Suspicion’ has been completed.>

• Reward for Outcome 1 (Certainty) obtained.

<Adrian’s affection has increased.>

<Adrian Capture Event (Special): ‘Reunion’ is now accessible.>

• Entry Condition: Adrian must confirm the player’s wounds.
• Additional Entry Condition: Player ‘Haniel’ must be conscious.

<Character ‘Gillian’s death has been confirmed.>

<If the player does not contact capture characters ‘Orias’ and ‘Ardal’ within 24 hours, the item ‘Ardal’s Summoning Ticket’ will be automatically used.>

<Lucius’s capture has been completed!>

As I closed the system windows filling my view to the point of obscuring the ceiling, my gaze froze on the final message.

Was I seeing things incorrectly?

<Lucius’s capture has been completed!>

I rubbed my eyes and checked the system window again, but the text remained unchanged. The clear words seemed strange to me.

Lucius’s route was complete? When did that happen?

“…You’ve woken up.”

Someone grabbed my hand, pulling it away from my eyes as I rubbed them. It was a familiar voice. Turning my head, I saw Lucius looking at me with a haggard face.

Curious about his bandaged hand, I asked, “What happened to your hand, Lucius?”

His pale face and injured hand, coupled with his indifference to his own condition as he touched me, all felt off. It was hard to believe this gentle, concerned Lucius was the same arrogant and apathetic man I knew.

I wondered if the person before me was someone else wearing Lucius’s skin and questioned him. Lucius glanced at his hand before replying.

“It happened while I was doing what I could.”

Speaking with a self-deprecating tone, Lucius smiled at me warmly. Despite his bitter words, his expression was one of satisfaction.

“I stitched your breath back together, so I’m satisfied with the result.”

Lucius’s overt affection, which he hadn’t shown until I fainted, was startling. It was easy to tell when someone expressed liking or disliking me, and Lucius was openly revealing his fondness for me now.

I couldn’t understand what had happened while the system was shut down to cause this drastic change in him. Watching his overwhelming shift in attitude, I asked hesitantly.

“You stitched my breath back together? I just fainted…”

“A fainted person breathes and has a beating heart. You had neither.”

Hearing Lucius’s explanation, I realized the temporary shutdown reported by the system equated to death.

“How long was I in that state?”

“About three days.”

Lucius replied shortly, lifting his unbandaged hand to touch my neck. His rough, calloused fingertips brushed along my jawline before he checked my pulse. Grasping my neck lightly, he murmured while meeting my eyes.

“Three days, that’s how long.”

It was something I couldn’t comprehend. Three days? Could that even happen?

Had they assumed I was dead and sent my body back to the Holy Kingdom, I wouldn’t have had any grounds to complain. Lucius’s words left me muttering in confusion.

“Wouldn’t that mean I was dead?”

“Who said you were dead?”

Lucius tightened his grip slightly and added, “Don’t even think about dying on your own.”

“I’m not planning to, so ease up on your grip.”

In a stern voice, Lucius warned me not to die, and after hearing my answer, he slowly released his hand. The way he said not to die sounded more like a threat to kill me.

Rubbing my neck, I asked, “What happened to Gillian?”

Understanding the situation was my priority, given that three days had passed.

“The Second Prince knew about the Binding Seal. He likely also knew that killing Gillian would kill you.”

“So he killed Gillian to kill me.”

It seemed I had provoked him too much last time. I didn’t think he’d target me before the Emperor. Ultimately, dealing with Gillian and removing the Binding Seal turned out well, but the Second Prince still remained.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“You come back from the dead, and that’s what you’re asking?”

I shrugged lightly and got out of bed. It was just that the system had been shut down. I didn’t feel anything like having narrowly escaped death. Honestly, even if the system had completely shut down and ended with a dead ending, it wouldn’t have been so bad.

If I died here, I’d simply log out and return to reality.

What bothered me more was the outcome I had unknowingly achieved: ‘Lucius capture complete.’

I hadn’t even completed the Emperor’s cure or dealt with Beatrice, yet the route was supposedly finished? It made no sense. The Saintess Is a Spy! was not a game where things resolved so easily. There was no way his route could have been cleared this quickly.

This was an R-19 game. Completing a route without any relationship progress? Ridiculous. Suspicious of the system, I hauled my heavy body upright.

Lucius, who looked at me getting out of bed with an incredulous expression, stood up as well and said, “You should rest.”

“Let’s start by making medicine for your hand. What did you do to end up with your fingers in this state? They’re all blistered. And why haven’t you treated this hand?”

One hand was wrapped in bandages, but the other was left entirely untreated. I grabbed Lucius’s wrist to examine the severe wounds and frowned deeply.

“Did you get any prescribed medicine?”

“No.”

“I really don’t understand. Do you enjoy being in pain or something?”

When I bluntly questioned him, Lucius twisted his lips as if I’d said something amusing. He brushed his fingers over his mouth, suppressing a laugh, and then leaned in closer to me.

“If I bandage it, I can’t properly feel a pulse or channel magic into you, so I left it alone for now. By the way, Saintess…”

Already standing close, Lucius stepped even nearer, so much so that if I tilted my head, my cheek would brush against his chest. When I tried to step back, he grabbed me and spoke slowly.

“I want to hold you.”

Startled by his suggestive remark, I gripped Lucius’s injured hand tightly. His face twitched slightly from the pain, but even as he winced, he showed no intention of letting go. Instead, he clasped my hand with his uninjured one and asked:

“Can I hold you?”

Has he lost his mind?

The Lucius I knew wasn’t someone who would ask such outrageous questions. This only deepened my suspicion about the ‘Lucius’s capture complete’ notification.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Has the situation gotten so bad that you’ve gone mad?”

I’m the one supposed to be completing routes, not you. If it were someone like Dietrich, I’d understand, but why was Lucius suddenly acting like this?

When I backed away in alarm, Lucius reluctantly released my hand, expressing his disappointment through subtle gestures. He stepped back slightly and watched me with calm eyes.

As I regarded him with wary suspicion, he muttered in a composed tone, “You’re right, this isn’t the time for this.”

I nodded slightly in agreement. Exactly, now was not the time for this.

“If you’re not planning to rest, then let’s head out together. The Emperor wants to see you.”

***

Though I’d visited the Emperor several times to perform alongside the Third Prince, it was the first time I’d seen his face. When the curtains were drawn back, revealing him seated, I sighed inwardly.

The Emperor’s gaunt face, with veins and bluish discoloration clearly visible beneath his skin, didn’t look like that of a living person. His shriveled skin seemed barely clinging to his bones, resembling a corpse.

Seated like a mummy, the Emperor dismissed his attendants with a weak wave, leaving only Lucius and me in the room.

<The linked event ‘Cause of the Emperor’s Illness’ has been destroyed.>

<Due to time constraints, curing the Emperor is no longer possible.>

<Lucius Capture Complete!>

Oh, so it was a time-sensitive event.

I had started working on curing the Emperor after completing Dion and Dietrich’s routes. Had I pursued Lucius’s solo route, I’d have triggered this event immediately, but I must have entered too late, resulting in its destruction.

Ignoring the notification about Lucius’s route completion, I heard the Emperor speak in a gravelly voice.

“The performance with the Third Prince was excellent. I’m sorry for thanking you so late.”

Struggling to string words together, the Emperor slowly expressed his gratitude. After the brief acknowledgment, he went straight to the main topic.

“I hope you’ll leave the matter of holding the Second Prince accountable to me.”

Hearing the Emperor’s words, I instinctively glanced at Lucius, who stood beside me. My reaction was due to the Emperor’s blatant favoritism toward the Second Prince. Lucius, as if expecting it, blinked indifferently and continued watching the Emperor with a detached air.

Noticing my gaze, Lucius met my eyes and silently conveyed that he was leaving the decision to me.