Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 111

Episode 111

Kassel, who had hounded me to answer him at once, was one thing, but Adam, who applied silent pressure by staring intently, was just as difficult to deal with.

'Agh. What excuse should I make for the artifact?'

I chewed my lip as I mulled it over.

From what I could tell, it seemed Kassel hadn't told Adam about me being instigated by someone else.

In other words, he didn't seem to know that I had put Kassel to sleep with a sleeping potion and bolted.

That, at least, was a huge relief.

'I'll just have to pin it all on that bastard Kassel.'

Having made up my mind, I retracted my stance of feigning that I'd lost it.

"N-now that I think about it, I think I might have been the one who activated the artifact before I left..."

Adam's brow furrowed slightly at the vague answer.

"...If you did it, you did it. What is this 'might have'?"

"Well... I was so scared and it was so urgent that I don't remember it clearly. But I think I thought I had to protect His Highness the Crown Prince, as a last shred of conscience."

"You... have a conscience?"

"Yes."

Adam acted as if he'd heard an unfamiliar word, but I answered confidently.

"Quite shameless."

After saying that, Adam seemed lost in thought for a moment before asking again.

"If that's the case, are you saying you're the one who created the barrier that protected the entire estate?"

"No. I don't have that kind of mana. How could a mere apothecary have that kind of ability?"

"Of course, that's true."

Unlike Kassel, Adam was quick to accept my words about being a 'mere apothecary'.

It was clearly a good thing, but I couldn't understand why I was getting annoyed.

"Then who are you saying amplified the artifact's effect?"

"As you know, Count, I ran away in the middle of it, so I wouldn't know about that."

Having reached the point of admitting with my own mouth that I ran away, I now felt almost enlightened.

Thanks to that, I was able to pin it on Kassel without batting an eye.

"But wouldn't it have been His Highness the Crown Prince? Since His Highness defeated the arch-monster all by himself."

Right after finishing the Hailey quest, I thought I'd die from the injustice of handing my achievements over to these bastards.

But looking at it now, I was a hundred, a thousand times right to claim to be a lowly NPC.

If I had revealed I was a hero midway, from the ability to craft potions that only apothecary NPCs can make, to the reason I hid that I could use magic.

I would have been relentlessly hounded by these paranoid freaks.

'On top of that, what if they found out I can't even participate in the upcoming tournament?'

How suspicious would they be of me?

Rather than that, it was more relaxing to just pass off all the credit and achievements and quietly speed-run the game.

'So please, just let me not run into them from now on...!'

While I was praying earnestly, Adam nodded and spoke.

"...Yes. Thankfully, His Highness eliminated the unsealed monster and revived the Hailey family heirloom."

"That's amazing."

"You must have seen it too. The old sword embedded at the top of the tower."

"Yes, well... I think I vaguely remember it."

I nodded along and just agreed vaguely.

If he continued to believe that Kassel was even responsible for the artifact, it would be a perfect ending.

However,

"But he seemed to have no idea about the defense artifact I gave you. He never even mentioned it."

Adam murmured coldly, his expression deliberately unreadable.

At the same time.

[Adam Hailey holds doubts about your words.]

[Adam Hailey's suspicion is increasing.]

He didn't believe my words at all.

As if to prove it, he narrowed his eyes at me and murmured.

"Seeing as you activated the chandelier when killing the Darkness-Eating Centipede, you clearly possessed mana above a certain level."

I was a little flustered by the unexpectedly sharp accusation, but I didn't let it show and replied.

"As I've already told you, I only have enough mana for alchemy. I don't have the ability to protect an entire estate with an artifact."

"Then are you saying someone else tampered with the artifact you activated?"

"Well, I wouldn't know that. But... is that important?"

The standoff, which had been proceeding tensely without budging an inch, lulled for a moment at my quick diversion of the topic.

"...What?"

"In any case, isn't the important thing that the Hailey estate is safe, without any trouble?"

"..."

Adam, who had been interrogating me fiercely, snapped his mouth shut at my words.

Because it was true.

I didn't know what answer he wanted to hear that he kept bringing it up, but it was already in the past anyway.

'It's not like it was a bad thing, so what's he going to do if he finds out who it was? Give them a reward?'

Then again, he did say earlier that he's not the type to live in debt, so that made sense.

If it was a real reward, it was tempting, but I wasn't stupid enough to dig my own grave again after the Giga-Centipede incident just now.

Because of that, I focused even more on changing the subject.

"And you too, Count."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm relieved that you seem to be getting along with His Highness the Crown Prince, better than I worried. It seems you've fully restored the Hailey family's tarnished honor."

It was a deliberate comment, recalling how he had become clearly displeased when I provoked him earlier about how he would handle the disrespect the Hailey family showed at the time of the Crown Prince's reinstatement.

As expected, the effect was immediate.

[Adam Hailey is displeased by your words and actions.]

"Insolent bastard."

I was just complimenting him on becoming a close aide despite how he treated Kassel when he was a sinner. No need to call me insolent.

'Right back at you.'

As I shrugged and muttered the childish words inwardly, Adam's cold expression had faded, and he spoke.

"I'll ask just one last thing."

"Count, I told you I don't know anything. And you said just one thing..."

"It's about that 'restored honor' you mentioned."

I grumbled in dissatisfaction, but the guy ignored me sharply and said what he had to say.

"His Highness seemed to have unusually little attachment to the revived sword. He handed it over to me on ridiculous terms."

Since it was a topic I'd brought up first, I could at least answer that much.

Congratulating myself on successfully changing the subject, I willingly opened my mouth.

"Isn't it because it's the Hailey family's heirloom? And just as you stood by His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness must have acted that way with the future in mind."

In other words, I was saying, wasn't it just an exchange of a sword for loyalty, based on their respective interests?

But Adam's calm reply was more than enough to shock me.

"However, I also believe I am not qualified to possess it, so I was thinking of putting it up for auction at the black market. His Highness was the one who suggested it."

"Wh-what did you say?!"

I stared at Adam, my mouth agape.

Come to think of it, there was no sword at the guy's waist.

I just assumed it was because one shouldn't carry weapons around inside the Temple, but...

I hurriedly looked around the room, but the bizarre-looking sword's form was nowhere to be found.

These crazy bastards don't even know the value of a weapon.

I was so dumbfounded that I just gaped endlessly, then muttered unconsciously, as if lamenting.

"No, how could they... after how much work it took to revive that sword...!"

Not missing that opening, Adam questioned me sharply.

"Did you see His Highness revive the sword?"

"Of course I didn't see it. But I heard from my grandfather that it was an incredible sword."

"How would your grandfather know that?"

"That's... something that's been passed down like a legend among the village apothecaries since the time of the maternal grandfather of a friend who lived next door to the brother of the mother of the teacher who taught my grandfather apothecary science..."

"Enough."

Adam stopped me with a fed-up look as I hurriedly blurted out whatever excuse came to mind.

It was a relief. My mind was in such a daze that I couldn't even tell if I had recited it the same way as last time.

"In any case, you don't seem to know the reason at all."

"Yes. I don't know anything. Except that the sword is extremely precious..."

As I answered weakly, I slipped in a question, filled with desperation.

"But... did you really sell that sword at auction?"

"No. The auctioneer wouldn't take it, saying the sword's appearance was highly suspicious."

'Phew...'

I barely suppressed the sigh of relief that almost burst out.

Of course, I also agree that the sword's appearance is bizarre.

I couldn't understand why those bastards were treating it so carelessly.

Wasn't it a whopping Lv.999 Mythical-grade weapon?

'Is it because they're not the ones who revived it? Or are they trying to say they're strong even without some stupid sword?'

If they were going to act all high and mighty like that, the words "Then give it back to me right now" rose all the way to my throat.

But I painstakingly suppressed it and appealed quite earnestly.

"...Even if it's just you, Count, please value it highly and use it for a good cause. It's still a family heirloom, isn't it?"

"I plan to."

The guy replied dryly. It didn't feel very sincere, but it was still a relief.

It was then. He suddenly asked, as if recalling something he had forgotten.

"Did you receive as much reward as you wanted?"

"Pardon? What..."

"You said whether or not the sinner paid you your reward depended on me."

"..."

"So, how was it? Did I contribute enough to the payment of your reward?"