Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 134

Episode 134

I barely held onto my fading consciousness at the words 'Imperial Palace' and opened my mouth.

"Green Mask. Have you ever leaked our plans to anyone?"

[Nope? What do you take me for!]

[Elves are known for being tight-lipped, enough to be called the locks of the non-human world!]

At my suspicion, Elaine naturally jumped up.

Considering his slick behavior, I didn't entirely trust him.

However, it was unlikely that Elaine, who despised humans—especially Imperials who captured non-humans—would go around blabbing about tournament strategies.

'That bastard Kassel. What on earth was he thinking, assigning Elaine to the Imperial Palace alone?'

I rubbed my temples and sank deep into thought.

Like all RPG games, every major setting had monster fields.

And the Imperial Palace was no exception.

However, the dungeon in the Imperial Palace was connected to the main quest called 'The Mad Emperor'.

Of course, its difficulty was higher than the temple main quest, so a user couldn't clear it alone.

Besides, according to the original scenario, the Mad Emperor quest appeared only after clearing the tournament, the black market, and the temple quests entirely.

So there was no way it could start already...

Why then? Why did this ominous feeling keep creeping up on me?

'Don't tell me... following the temple, this is out of order too?!'

If that were the case, those developers would have no excuse if I sued them right after escaping this game.

Of course, just being trapped in the game was more than enough reason to sue.

'Or maybe, that bastard... did it on purpose?'

"You'll have to come with me to the Imperial Palace for an investigation into the former Pope's criminal acts and your collusive relationship with the new Pope, Princess."

"This is an order."

I recalled Kassel before we parted, persistently trying to make me stay at the Imperial Palace by any means necessary.

I'd rather believe this possibility.

'But what does Kassel know?'

I'd managed to gloss things over, but there was no conclusive evidence for him to confirm that my true form and the Apothecary were the same person.

Given his thorough personality, he probably suspected to some extent, but since he hadn't actually seen anything decisive, it wouldn't be easy to connect the dots.

'What if he was trying to make me stay at the Imperial Palace deliberately to confirm that...?'

I shook my head violently, as if having a fit, at the anxious thoughts that followed one after another.

"N-no! There's no way!"

[Ack! What is it!]

Elaine shrieked, as if I'd blurted out my thoughts.

Why are you suddenly shouting like that, noona.

I thought my eardrums would burst.

"...Sorry."

After spitting out an apology, I tried to calm my chaotic thoughts.

There had been many close calls, but I had played quite perfectly so far.

Hadn't I escaped well until now without leaving a single clue?

I didn't know why that bastard Kassel was so obsessed with me, but...

I would never face him in my true form again, so this trembling fear of being caught was over.

"Anyway, I'll go back tomorrow, so rest well today, Green Mask."

Having concluded my thoughts, I hurried to end the communication.

My thoughts about the 'Imperial Palace' had left me feeling abruptly fatigued.

[Ah, right. You were pretty cool yesterday, noona! Hehe.]

[After you left, people kept talking about nothing but you.]

But Elaine suddenly reminded me of something I'd forgotten.

"Come to think of it... how did you recognize me?"

[I recognized you by your hair color, what else.]

[And besides, you're probably the only human who unleashes attacks on other humans that crazily.]

'As expected.'

I let Elaine's latter words flow past me and nodded, convinced.

It was just as I thought.

'My beauty is so outstanding it's impossible not to notice.'

That's why Elaine recognized me instantly, wasn't it?

Just as I was resolving to be even more diligent about covering myself with the robe in the future.

Elaine suddenly said something that shattered my thoughts.

[Ah! It was too chaotic, so I didn't see your face. Don't grind your teeth so scarily again!]

"...What?"

It was so hard writing on the onion after borrowing a light from the guy next to me...

Elaine murmured, as if whining, genuinely seeming to have struggled.

I wanted to say I hadn't ground my teeth, but my reaction to his previous words came first.

"Then... you didn't recognize me by my face?"

[I told you, I recognized you by your hair color and the way you were blasting magic attacks at people.]

[Honestly, I was half-doubting until I threw the onion and you ran towards the Pope.]

"..."

[But we're the Green Pink Tournament Assassination Squad!]

[We should be able to recognize disguised comrades at a glance, ahem.]

Elaine spoke, puffing up his chest, quite proud of having recognized me.

A wave of belated anticlimax and embarrassment washed over me.

As I stammered, my face flushed, Elaine suddenly shouted, his voice even more excited than when he announced he'd gotten ninth place.

[I did pretty well, right, noona!]

[Wasn't I totally cool yesterday?]

"...Yeah."

It was embarrassing that I'd jumped to conclusions and made a fuss, but.

I readily admitted it.

"Thanks for helping, Elaine."

In that desperate moment, without Elaine's help, I wouldn't have been able to create the time to get Liv out and let her share a final goodbye with Nise.

"Thanks to you, I was able to resolve things well. You did something commendable for once."

[So, am I a pretty reliable comrade to you now?]

It was an unexpected question. I was taken aback for a moment, then answered.

"Well... for now, I guess."

[What do you mean, "for now"? If you say yes, just say yes.]

[Anyway, you're weird.]

At my lukewarm reply, Elaine grumbled discontentedly.

In any case, since he hadn't managed to get into Adam's party, we had to work together to ensure he ranked reasonably well in the tournament.

Only then could he ultimately be selected for the monster subjugation squad.

Just then, Elaine suddenly exclaimed in an excited voice.

Anyway, since you admitted it too, let's shout our slogan once before hanging up.

For the number one spot of the Green Pink Tournament Assassination Squad!

Click.

Without hearing any more, I tapped the crystal a couple of times and ended the communication.

Really, I just couldn't get used to his terrible naming sense.

"Wait, but he shouldn't become my comrade."

I suddenly realized why I'd felt lukewarm during our conversation earlier.

The reliable comrades he would struggle alongside in the future weren't me, but Kassel and the rest of the main characters.

But whenever I talked to Elaine, for some reason...

He seemed to view Kassel and Adam rather unfavorably.

Adam aside, he needed to get close to Kassel quickly.

'...It'll probably get better over time.'

The tournament hadn't even started yet.

Thinking about it now would only give me a headache, so I let go of my impatience and closed my eyes.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The next day.

Before leaving for the capital again, I stopped by the barn being used as Cheondung's shelter, just to check.

However.

"What. Him... Why is he like this?"

"Kkueeeek!"

That bastard Cheondung, who was sprawled on the straw pile, munching chomp, chomp on chunks of meat, recognized me and cried out as if happy to see me.

But despite his greeting, I was just dumbfounded.

Because the creature, which had been only the size of a small dog, had grown to the size of a calf overnight.

"Jeondung! Eat thith too!"

Lucy fearlessly tapped the head of the monster, much larger than her, with the bamboo leaf she was holding.

It seemed she meant he shouldn't just eat meat.

"Kkueeeek!"

But Cheondung shook its head like a baby, flutter, and just chomp chomp-ed on the meat chunks beside it.

"What on earth... happened in just one day?"

As I looked back and forth between the baby elf and the... pig-bird... that could hardly be called a baby, lost in confusion.

"That fellow eats an incredible amount."

Suddenly, a voice came from a distance.

"It grows almost every hour."

Elena, who was arriving with other elves, pushing a cart piled high with meat and greens, greeted me cheerfully.

"Are you leaving now, Shari?"

"Yes. I wanted to check on its condition before going, but..."

It was then.

Vwooooooom.

Suddenly, with a loud vibrating sound, a great light burst forth from Cheondung's calf-sized body.

"Ugh!"

Everyone in the barn, including me, reflexively covered their eyes with their hands.

It wasn't blue like a laser beam, so I didn't assume an attack stance.

Fortunately, the white light enveloping Cheondung soon faded.

And.

Flutter, flutter!

Now a size larger than before, suddenly as big as a bull, Cheondung was flapping its wings majestically.

"Kkueeeek!"

Perhaps its voice had grown along with its size, as it let out a magnificent roar.

I reflexively covered my ears and looked at it with anxious eyes.

It had only been a day since it hatched.

Cheondung, having devoured an enormous amount of food, now vaguely resembled its former huge size.

'Isn't it going to get even bigger than before at this rate?!'

It was then.

Congratulations! Your pet, having received your love and affection, has evolved to repay your kindness!

A newly evolved pet is in an incomplete state.

It must go through several more stages of emergence to become complete.

Until then, please care for your pet with continuous love and affection so it does not become anxious!

System windows suddenly popped up, and the letters floating above Cheondung's head changed.

[Lv.300 Incomplete Thunder Elephant Bird]

'300?!'

My jaw dropped at Cheondung's level, which had jumped twofold from 150.

Meanwhile, it saw the food the elves brought and poured out, and let out a cry of joy.

"Kkuek, Kkueeeek!"

Chomp, chomp.

Watching Cheondung start to devour the food excitedly again, I was filled with mixed feelings.

Of course, I was also happy to see the leveled-up Cheondung.

150 felt a little ambiguous, but now I could rest easier about the upcoming quests...

However, seeing its appetite, which looked like it could eat the house's pillars, I couldn't be entirely happy.

"...Is 'love and affection' just food?"

"Kkuek, Kkwek! Chomp, chomp!"

Watching my only pet greedily tearing at the meat...

I resolved to extort even more gold coins from the developers.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Returning to the hotel in the capital, I took Elaine and teleported to an alley near the Imperial Palace.

The starting day of the tournament.

The Heroes who passed the first test would be busy moving to their assigned dungeons across the land.

It was the same for Elaine.

"Let's go."

After exchanging a tragic gaze, we left the alley and headed toward the Imperial Palace entrance.

Elaine's figure, walking ahead toward the place packed with guards, looked quite dignified today.

'Money well spent.'

It was because I had decked him out with high-grade armor and weapons, spending a fortune.

According to the original scenario, he would have looked like a beggar.

'Is this really the main character?'

I was struck by a strange feeling, recalling the screenshots of Elaine encountered in the tournament that users often posted on the community forums.

The current Elaine, looking respectable like a noble's son, didn't match at all with the dirty appearance, dressed in rags, having suffered all sorts of humiliation.

As I followed him with a restless heart.

At the nearby entrance, I saw a young man standing with a couple of black-armored knights.

[Crown Prince's Direct Adjutant Rosher Albert]

As the Imperial Palace was sensitive about security, the Crown Prince's side was responsible for guiding participants to the dungeons.

The man called the Direct Adjutant looked Elaine up and down with a stern face.

"Are you the Hero assigned to the Imperial Palace?"

"Yes. Green Mask."

The Adjutant nodded, as if he already knew the alias.

Just as I was thinking how he could use such an embarrassing alias.

The man's sharp gaze suddenly shifted past Elaine to me.

"However... who is this?"

"She is my personal healer."

Elaine handled it well, just as we practiced.

There were, of course, a few rules for entering the tournament dungeons. You couldn't be accompanied by anyone who could affect the rankings, like a healer character or a mercenary.

However, 'Apothecary NPC' was not included in that list.

I was sure, having checked with those developer bastards multiple times.

He surely knew, but.

Perhaps taking after his master, the Adjutant pressed meticulously.

"A healer...? I trust you know the Imperial Palace has its own physicians."

"I only trust my own money."

'That's right! Good job, good job!'

At Elaine's rather nouveau riche-like answer, the Adjutant made a fed-up face.

"...Even if you hired her yourself, the Imperial Palace dungeon is a top-secret area, so she cannot accompany you inside the dungeon."

"She will wait outside the dungeon."

At Elaine's watertight answer, the Adjutant reluctantly nodded.

After a simple check to ensure we weren't carrying dangerous substances like poison, we were finally allowed inside the Imperial Palace.

As we walked for a long time, following the Adjutant and knights.

I realized the path we were taking was different from the path to the Imperial Palace dungeon that I remembered.

No sooner had I realized this than, instead of a dungeon, dazzlingly ornate buildings and gardens appeared before my eyes.

Flustered, I looked around and inadvertently opened my mouth to ask.

"Excuse me... but where are we going?"

At that, the Adjutant walking ahead frowned deeply and turned back to me.

He seemed greatly displeased that a lowly commoner dared to question him.

But at his reply, I didn't even have a chance to get angry.

"Before going to the dungeon, His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to speak privately with the Hero."

"...Wh-what did you say?!"

Then right now... we're on our way to see that bastard Kassel?!