Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 106

Episode 106

"Oh, oppa... has a friend?"

At the words "Nise's best friend," Liv made a blank expression.

If anything, my mind went blank for a moment at the word 'oppa'.

'He was really a man. The Female Lead is a man...'

A dizzying shock washed over me, but I didn't let it show and continued speaking in a cold voice.

"Have you ever wondered why Nise doesn't have an allergic reaction like you do?"

"Th-that's..."

"Because I rescued and treated that twin you abandoned."

At those words, Liv's eyes shook violently.

Perhaps because Nise's divine power had drained away so much, Liv's eyes had already lost their mysterious silver light and turned a murky brown.

"You think of your own body and chug down all the high-grade health potions and healing potions, but for your only twin, even a low-grade potion is fine..."

"..."

"Isn't that too selfish?"

"N-no!"

At my muttered taunt, Liv suddenly screamed.

"I didn't use them! All the health potions I've had until now, I used them all on oppa! I, I did my best for oppa too!"

"That's my point."

I shot back her words icily.

"What use would your brother, cooped up in the Old Temple, have for health potions or healing potions?"

"Ugh..."

Hit by my direct words, she seethed for a moment before ducking her head.

It made sense she had nothing to say.

She couldn't possibly bring herself to confess that her oppa was being abused and that she had allowed it to happen.

"Get a grip, Liv."

I approached her again, murmuring as if whispering.

"If you keep doing as the Pope says, do you think you'll be safe? Who do you think you have to thank for being alive and revered as the Saintess right now?"

"Heuk, I, I..."

Liv trembled pitifully and sobbed.

As if to announce that her body was dying by the moment, jet-black tears streamed down her cheeks.

As if she was so wronged, she glared at me with eyes full of resentment and opened her mouth.

"...I never asked to be saved."

"..."

"The one who saved me without asking, brought me to the Temple without asking, and made me live as the Saintess without asking was Nise."

"..."

"I was scared too! They suddenly told me to give my blood for other people... When the time comes, my body keeps giving off a rotting smell..."

Liv wept sorrowfully, like a child who had only grown in body.

But she couldn't just keep throwing a tantrum forever, solely for the reason that she never wanted this.

Because of his guilt over Liv, Nise had committed too many murders, and now his own life was in danger.

I gently reached out and touched Liv's cheek.

"Heuu..."

At the sudden contact, she flinched, trembled, and tried to pull her face back.

But I paid it no mind and wiped the child's face, which had turned black and was giving off a foul stench.

"I know, Liv. It must have been hard for you too, living a life you didn't want, pretending to be brave as the Saintess."

Her words that she did her best were probably true.

Through my conversation with Liv, I became certain that her mental age had stopped at the moment she was revived.

As a mere 12-year-old child, she must have been desperate to protect herself and Nise from the cruel and cunning Pope.

"But it's time to stop acting like a child and choose your own future."

However, sometimes even a child throwing a tantrum, not wanting to escape from their fantasy, needs someone to make them face reality.

I spoke in a firm voice.

"Whether you'll let the Pope kill your oppa and rot to death yourself, or."

"..."

"Whether you'll return everything to its natural order."

It was time to end this sluggish doll play.

At my words, Liv held her breath for a moment, then hesitantly asked in a small voice.

"Returning everything to its natural order... how do I do that?"

"It's simple. Just tell me where Nise is and what the Pope is plotting to do."

Then I can just kill them all and rescue Nise.

It was an incredibly easy method, but I didn't bother adding that to Liv, who was already shocked enough.

"...Then what about me?"

For a while after my words, Liv's eyes wandered aimlessly, losing where to look, before she finally, painstakingly, opened her mouth.

"If things go back to how they were, then I..."

"..."

"Do I die?"

She muttered blankly, as if she had completely forgotten that just a moment ago she was angrily shouting she didn't want to live.

It was cruel, but I roused her, still living in her own delusion, with a low voice.

"You're already dead, Liv."

"...Heueup."

"Think carefully about whether your oppa is still the one arbitrarily keeping you alive right now."

Finally, I wiped the nasty black tears from my hand, pulled something from my pocket, and pressed it into hers.

[S-Grade Healing Potion]

Liv, who had been staring blankly at what was pressed into her hand, suddenly distorted her face and glared at me fiercely.

"Get out."

Thwack!

Whether she thought she was being mocked, she threw the healing potion I gave her onto the floor and shrieked.

"I don't need it, so get out of my room right now! Aaaaah!"

Fortunately, my potions were all made of tempered glass, so they didn't break.

"Heuk, heuk..."

I left the sobbing Liv behind and exited her room.

With this, I had confirmed that the young Liv's soul was still in that body, but I didn't feel at ease at all.

The reason I'd pushed and provoked her to the limit was to confirm two things.

To find a clue to Nise's location, and to check if Liv's ego still remained in her body, which was a mix of all kinds of souls, be they monster or human.

Although she had long ignored Nise's abuse, and at times even contributed to it, she was still the only family member Nise had sacrificed everything to revive.

That's why I wanted to resolve the Temple Main Quest in as peaceful a way as possible, without harming her with my own hands.

To be honest, I was afraid that if I killed his sister with my own hands, the sunfish-like Female Lead would be so shocked he'd die along with her.

'That's right. I can't even call him the Female Lead anymore.'

"Sigh."

I let out a deep sigh and slowly walked down the corridor of the West Wing.

As expected of the name Grand Temple, this place had countless doors and spaces.

'How in the world am I supposed to find him here?'

The Eyeball Monster showed me the scene of Nise being dragged away by the Pope, but it didn't show me where he was actually taken.

Because of that, there were two methods.

Either search this entire place, or hope that Liv would please come to her senses, even now, and ask me to save her brother...

Now that he knew the 'Fake Disaster' had ended in failure, the Pope would prepare his next move.

That next move would be to use the Eyeball Monster, which couldn't be killed by ordinary attacks, to damage the Crown Prince's dignity and reawaken his notoriety as the Lord of Nightmares among the crowd.

In that process, the Saintess's sacrifice would be used to incite a strong backlash against the Crown Prince who summoned the monster, while simultaneously elevating the Temple's prestige.

According to the original scenario, the Temple takes the stance of having opposed the tournament to select heroes to fight the monsters from the very beginning.

As if the heavens themselves are siding with the Temple, right after the tournament, at the selection ceremony where the entire crowd has gathered, a monster appears that the heroes' attacks don't work on.

On top of that, the Saintess sacrifices her life to defeat the monster and dies, so what a lamentable event it would be.

But now that the entire schedule has been moved up.

The time when the Eyeball Monster, the final boss of the Temple Quest, appears won't be the selection ceremony.

'The tournament opening ceremony.'

It would still be when the largest crowd gathered, so the Pope, with his feet to the fire, would move immediately.

In other words, there were only four days left until the Pope's scheme.

'I have to find Nise quickly by then...'

Having reached the end of the corridor at some point, I discovered a door that was somehow smaller and older than the others.

It seemed to be used as a storage room, standing alone in the farthest corner, so I almost missed it.

But a cornered, gloomy place like this is perfect for locking someone up.

Because of that, on the off-chance, I gently knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

"...Nise, are you in here?"

"..."

"It's me, your accomplice. I came because I need help."

Worried that someone other than Nise might be inside, I spoke vaguely.

But beyond the door, it was just silent.

'Is this not it?'

I tilted my head, then pressed my ear to the door.

It was to check one last time if it was just an empty storage room.

Rattle...

But then, I suddenly heard a faint metallic sound.

But it was so quiet that it almost felt like the sound of the wind.

The moment I focused even harder and listened closely.

"Apothecary! What are you doing there?"

Someone called out to me.

Startled, I quickly pulled my ear from the door and turned around.

[Novice Priest Semon]

'Agh, that bastard again?'

A face that was now quite familiar appeared.

I suppressed my rising irritation and answered calmly.

"Ah, I thought I heard a sound coming from in here."

"That is a prayer room used only by the High Priests. And outsiders are not allowed to come this far!"

Afraid he'd get in trouble if a superior caught him, the guy turned pale and glanced around.

Just then, a nearby door opened, and priests, who seemed to have finished a service, came pouring out.

If I pushed it any further, I might attract suspicion, so unfortunately, I decided to retreat for now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to be here."

"I'm sure I warned you yesterday..."

"Well then, I'll be returning to my room. I've memorized the way now, so I don't need an escort. Don't trouble yourself by following me, please go about your business."

I mumbled vaguely, gave a quick bow, and then started walking ahead.

"H-hey, Apothecary...!"

"Ah, Priest Semon! There you are. Could you come here for a moment?"

The flustered priest-guy tried to follow me immediately.

But thankfully, he was held back by one of the priests, so I was able to leave the area unburdened.

'Ugh! What a useless, leech-like guy.'

Why does this game have so many troll-like bastards blocking my path?

Sighing heavily, I quickly left the West Wing.

In any case, now was the time to go back to my room and hound the developers.

Just as I entered the corridor of the East Wing, where my quarters were, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Because I saw two tall men walking this way.

Crown Prince Kassel Ludwig

[Count Adam Hailey]

Dressed in armor, they were walking and talking with serious faces.

Thanks to the considerable distance, they didn't seem to have spotted me yet.

'Why is that guy here?!'

Dealing with Kassel alone was driving me crazy, and now Adam was joining in.

Even if I'd somehow managed to brush off the Crown Prince...

In any case, from Adam's perspective, the apothecary he hired had abandoned a patient and bolted, so he must be beyond baffled.

On top of that, when I remembered all the lies I'd spun going back and forth between Kassel and Adam to get them to befriend each other, my vision dimmed.

'Crap, what if they suggest a three-way confrontation?!'

Of course, given those two personalities, they probably wouldn't have had a trivial conversation about a past event, like, 'That thing back then, did you order that?'...

But there was always a 'what if'.

Seeing the two of them walking shoulder-to-shoulder, looking like they'd gotten quite close in that time, made my heart pound.

'First, I run.'

I had to get away before those guys recognized me.

As I was slowly back-stepping with that thought.

Suddenly, Adam, who had been looking at Kassel, whipped his head around.

Our eyes met.

"...You."

The moment those blue eyes, which had been uncertain, gradually widened.

"Ah, there she comes. You know her well, don't you, Count? To think I'd meet the apothecary you hired at your estate again here."

The big mouth from hell, who had spotted me as well, just couldn't stay quiet.