Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 105

Episode 105

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'……Liv is sick?'

I searched my memory to see if such a case existed in the original scenario. Of course, it didn't. Because the user doesn't play the role of an apothecary.

But perhaps because I had just seen Nise's past through the eyeball monster. For some reason, I felt like I knew why Liv was sick.

"What are you doing, Apothecary! Aren't you coming!"

Lost in thought, I was urged on by the priest and had no choice but to retrace my steps. I wanted to go back to my room and turn on the chat immediately, but I still needed to faithfully play the part of the apothecary for now.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming……"

Besides, I had something to confirm with Liv anyway, so I answered half-heartedly and followed the priest.

'Is that bastard scared I'll get revenge for shoving me into the room next to the Crown Prince?'

I suddenly thought, glaring at the back of the bastard's head as he walked half a step ahead of me. Of course, I wouldn't forget my revenge. Once the temple main quest is over, I'll ban all the damn priests.

"……Where and how is the Saintess sick?"

For now, I held it in and asked.

"Th-That is…… I don't know the details. She just urgently asked me to bring the apothecary……"

The priest, glancing at me, finally slowed his pace.

"However, her complexion was extremely pale, so she seemed very unwell."

"I see. I'm worried, so let's hurry."

After my soulless reply, we walked quickly without speaking. By the time we quickly reached the beginning of the west wing corridor, opposite the central hall.

"……Were you out for a walk so early in the morning?"

The priest suddenly asked. He seemed quite puzzled that I had left my room at the crack of dawn.

"Yes, well……"

As I vaguely answered, another question came.

"Um…… Is His Highness the Crown Prince alright?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Your room was moved so you could attend to His Highness, wasn't it. His Holiness seemed greatly concerned about His Highness's insomnia……"

I wondered why he was suddenly bringing up Kassel. It seemed an order had come down to probe the Crown Prince's movements through me.

The moment I realized that, I suddenly remembered what he had said before we parted at dawn.

"If you're really grateful, and anyone asks if you prescribed me sleep potions, tell them the truth: that you didn't."

It felt incredibly strange. As if Kassel had predicted this entire situation. At the same time, another of his voices flashed through my mind.

"When you come here a few hundred times, you can't help but find out."

'No way, does "a few hundred times" mean……'

For a moment, my heart sank with an unidentifiable sense of strangeness and bizarreness. I tried not to think deeply about it, but it was a very unsettling thing to say.

'I must remember to check with the developers.'

While I was thinking that.

"……Apothecary?"

Finding my lack of response strange, the priest slowed down and called me. I looked back at his smooth face and answered indifferently.

"Well, His Highness seems to be alright."

"Haha. It must be because the Apothecary's sleep potion is so effective……"

"I didn't prescribe him a sleep-inducing potion, though?"

"……Pardon?"

When I cut the priest off and said that, he made a dumbfounded expression. I thought I knew why Kassel had looked so cheerful when he mentioned messing with the Pope. Seeing the stupid face of the priest bastard, who had unknowingly messed with me, felt incredibly refreshing.

"The only thing I gave His Highness was a health potion. He said he didn't need a sleep potion."

"B-But…… Th-Then does that mean His Highness couldn't sleep last night?"

"How would I know that? How would I, in the room next door, know if His Highness slept last night or not?"

"Uh……"

I shrugged, and the priest bastard just gaped, unable to retort. Feeling a little mischievous, I muttered as if to myself.

"But when I last saw him yesterday evening, he looked extremely tired, as if he would fall asleep any second……"

"I-Is that so?"

"Hmm, maybe not? He seemed fine, too……"

"Ah……"

The change in the priest's expression, from brightening up to immediately becoming crestfallen, was quite amusing.

Seeing him reveal his thoughts so openly, it seemed this bastard wasn't deeply involved in the 'Fake Disaster'.

Therefore, just as he had shown his hand to me, there was a high probability he would relay my words exactly to the Pope.

'Go ahead and rack your brain, wondering where it all went wrong.'

I hid my smirking face under my hood and thoroughly mocked the Pope, whose mental state must be in tatters by now.

"Ah, we've already arrived."

In that time, we had reached the front of the Saintess's room.

"I'll be going in then."

"Y-Yes…… Please take good care of her."

I turned my back mercilessly on the still-dazed priest. And I knocked on the Saintess's door.

Knock knock.

"Saintess, it's the apothecary."

"……Come in."

From beyond the door, a strangely weak permission came back. I immediately opened the door and went inside.

'Ugh. What's that smell.'

Unlike yesterday, a nauseating smell wafted from the Saintess's room. For a moment, I almost gagged, but I barely managed not to show it and walked on. She had called someone at the crack of dawn, saying she was sick, but Liv was sitting surprisingly upright at the edge of her bed.

"I heard you were sick. Are you alright?"

"I coughed quite a bit during the night. I-I couldn't breathe. Um…… because of the allergy reaction."

"Ah, I see."

I nodded and immediately approached her, holding out a potion.

[Mushroom Allergy Remedy]

In any case, thanks to the Crown Prince, I now had a reason to continue staying at the temple.

Therefore, I gave her the original remedy I had given Nise, not the diluted one.

Anyway, the allergy was probably the least of Liv's worries right now.

Gulp.

Liv drank the remedy I offered without a word.

"How is it? Do you feel a bit better?"

I asked as she set the bottle down. An ambiguous answer came back with an awkward smile.

"W-Well. I think I feel a bit better…… I'm not sure."

"How is the skin rash? Should I apply the ointment to your body like yesterday?"

"The rash is fine! Really!"

Liv waved her hands frantically, stopping me, as if some other change had occurred to her body besides the rash.

Then, she finally glanced at me cautiously and got to the point.

"Um…… I've been feeling low on energy in various ways lately. Could I perhaps get some health potions?"

"Health potions?"

"Yes. I usually carry a few just in case, but I didn't know it was an allergy and ended up using them all……"

She smiled sheepishly, her face identical to Nise's.

Now I was starting to understand.

The health potions the Saintess supposedly carried because she couldn't use her healing power on herself weren't solely for her own use.

I looked at Liv and recited a lie nonchalantly.

"I apologize, but I am a lowly apothecary from the outskirts. I do not possess high-grade potions suitable for esteemed individuals like the Saintess."

"I-It doesn't have to be high-grade! Mid-grade…… no, even low-grade! Just enough to heal wounds is fine."

At my words, Liv's eyes widened, and she shook her head, speaking urgently. She seemed quite desperate.

At that, I theatrically stepped closer to her and asked.

"Heal wounds, you say? Are you injured somewhere, Saintess?"

"No! I'm not injured anywhere. Just in case…… D-Don't come closer!"

Liv scrambled back as if I were a monster, suddenly leaning in to examine her. A strong rotten stench wafted from her as she retreated completely onto the bed.

'Uugh! Damn game, why did you make the stink so realistic!'

This time, it was hard to hold back the gag reflex. I tried my best to breathe through my mouth and spoke quickly.

"I need to examine the injured area closely to prescribe a suitable potion."

"I-I told you I'm not injured! I'm fine. Really!"

Seeing Liv pull the blanket over herself with a very flustered face, I finally took a few steps back from the bed. I couldn't stand it much longer either.

"If you're not going to use them yourself, Saintess, why do you need health potions? You can just use holy water."

"That is…… just for emergency purposes……"

As I continued to press her, the flustered Liv just rambled incoherently. It would have been better to just insist she needed them for herself, but she didn't seem to have the presence of mind for that.

I stopped the leading questions and asked directly.

"Why. Is it because your healing power doesn't work anymore?"

"Wh-What…… Gasp!"

Naturally, the color drained from Liv's face. She gaped repeatedly, as if unable to believe that I, a mere apothecary, knew that secret. I looked at her and snapped coldly.

"You enjoyed playing Saintess all this time, using someone else's power?"

"Y-You! Who are you……? How do you know that……!"

"Me?"

I considered how to answer Liv, who asked again with a breathless expression, and replied.

"Nise's best friend."

Well, he did kiss my hand, so we must be at least best friends.