Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 19

Episode 19

"No, Sir! I told you to drink one per hour!"

"..."

"At this rate, you should have only had about two by now, but just because I gave you five, you scarfed them all down…!"

"Scarfed them all down?"

The bastard suddenly moved his lips and repeated.

"...Drank."

I immediately lowered my gaze and corrected my slip of the tongue.

I had gotten excited, and my voice had gotten too loud.

Then I suddenly realized I had gotten close enough for him to choke me if he just stood up.

'I really am an idiot.'

Pale, I scrambled back again, putting distance between us.

Standing right by the door again, I cried out pitifully, even to my own ears.

"A-Anyway! What am I supposed to do if you drink all the potions!"

Kassel, who had been silently staring at my ridiculous series of actions, finally opened his mouth.

"Didn't Adam Hailey order you to stop me from falling asleep, no matter what?"

"...Yes. Of course he did."

"One bottle an hour wasn't enough. Seeing as the effect was negligible, the quality of the potions you make must be quite low-grade."

The bastard spouted words that provoked the dormant Apothecary NPC pride within me.

'A potion is a potion, what "quality" is there?!'

There was nothing wrong with the potions. They're just things you craft instantly by getting the materials and paying an NPC a commission.

And it was even more infuriating because I was that NPC.

"Sierr. Therth nothin' wong wif da pothun."

"I'll have to tell the Count tomorrow. That the Apothecary wishes for the ruin of Hailey's domain."

"What?! Why would you make such a terrible accusation? I already proved to the Count that my mental state is clean."

"Then I suppose it's my problem."

The bastard cut me off sharply just as I was pounding my chest in a collaboration of frustration and injustice.

And he spat out in a voice so cold it could sever a thousand years of affection.

"You're loud, so hand over all the Insomnia Potions you have and get lost. If you don't want to die a dog's death."

"..."

I was speechless at the sight of the Male Lead bastard acting so arrogant.

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't find a reason why he would scarf down five potions and act like such a psycho.

I could guess at reasons like he didn't like me, or he was disgusted with this situation of being imprisoned.

But even so, the Male Lead's setting was that he struggles desperately to stop the disaster.

In fact, among the numerous scars on his bare body, many were from self-harm he'd inflicted to keep from falling asleep.

'Maybe... he's flustered and embarrassed that he developed a resistance earlier than expected, so he wants to hide it?'

The Kassel-fanatics who lived on the forums praised Kassel, saying he wasn't a cold-blooded character at all, but rather a Tsundere with a warm heart.

Because before a great danger, he would evacuate his colleagues and the people around him, claiming it was a hassle, just to fight it alone.

Seeing as he told me to get lost just now, I thought that might really be the reason.

"Perhaps... have you already developed a resistance?"

"How would I know? The bastard who made the low-grade potions would know better."

The Lord of Nightmares harbors some suspicion about your abilities.

That was a wild guess. Fucking psycho-fanatics.

"...Tonight, I will stay by your side and find out if you've developed a resistance, Sir."

There was no other way. I had to watch him myself to see if he'd really developed one.

Seeing his personality, where he'd rather harm himself than fall asleep, there was a high probability he'd just drunk all the potions out of an obsessive fear of sleep.

"For now, drink it when you feel like you're falling asleep."

I took one Insomnia Potion from my pocket.

The countdown window was gone, and the time-standard had disappeared because the bastard had indiscriminately scarfed down all five.

I had no choice but to conclude that I'd have to start timing again from the point he felt sleepy, and I crouched down on the spot.

Then, remembering the times I'd bet on bowling in my real life, I rolled the bottle with all my focus.

Rooooll... thud.

Thankfully, the bottle rolled accurately and stopped right at his foot.

'Nice!'

The moment I unknowingly clenched my fist, celebrating the strike.

"Ha."

The Lord of Nightmares feels displeasure at your actions.

Along with the system window, the bastard suddenly let out a dry laugh, raising one eyebrow crookedly.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"For my own safety, I will be using this method to distribute potions from now on."

"Why not just shoot it with the gun like before?"

"Oh, should I?"

Before I could reply that it was a good idea, the text in the system window changed.

The Lord of Nightmares feels a strong homicidal urge toward you.

"I-It was a joke! How could I dare do such a thing?"

"..."

"But earlier, I was just trying to check if you were unwell, and you tried to kill me…!"

I hurriedly made an excuse. Even so, I couldn't hide the injustice in my voice.

He's a psycho who tries to kill me if I get close and feels homicidal urges if I try to make contact.

'Besides this, how the hell am I supposed to offer it to him so he's satisfied...!'

I was full of resentment and anger toward this fussy bastard, but I gradually shriveled under his murderous gaze.

"I'm scared of being choked again..."

Just because it didn't hurt didn't mean it wasn't scary.

No matter if they died in one hit, facing a horde of disgusting-looking monsters was overwhelming every time.

Besides, if my throat was suddenly squeezed again and my voice wouldn't come out, I'd be scared and frantic.

Because I was a human, not an AI character.

After glaring at me for a while with a contemptuous gaze, the bastard finally turned his head away.

As I sat stuck right by the door in the quiet stillness, the bastard abruptly asked.

"Do you have any more Health Potions?"

"Yep."

I affirmed it sharply. With that, the conversation with him was over.

...Or so I thought.

Pop!

Until the bastard suddenly picked up the potion bottle that had stopped at his feet and uncorked it.

"No, why are you drinking that one now! Hey!"

Before I could stop him, Kassel downed the purple liquid in one gulp.

Afterward, he carelessly threw the empty bottle onto the floor and spoke brazenly, as if to ask what the problem was.

"You're the bastard who told me to drink it when I felt sleepy."

I felt like I'd let out a shriek if I opened my mouth, so I pressed my forehead and took a deep breath.

'So he scarfed down all five just like that.'

Obsessive thoughts or whatever, it seemed he'd just eat whatever was in front of him.

If he kept on like this, I couldn't properly check for resistance.

I calmed myself as much as possible and opened my mouth, feeling like I was reasoning with a problem child.

"...I mean you should drink it right before your eyes actually close. Only in a dire situation when you're really falling asleep."

"Just now, it was dire."

"I saw your eyes were wide open and just fine."

"Then, fuck, when my limbs are tied in magic chains, my strength is sealed, and I'm just sitting here, you think I won't get sleepy?"

"You could at least try to endure it a little…!"

Upset by the sudden profanity, I snapped back.

At that, the bastard immediately glared and shot back.

"What?"

"...sir, Sir!"

I added, holding back tears.

The Lord of Nightmares feels clear displeasure toward you.

To make matters worse, an ominous system window popped up, so I had no choice but to lower my gaze completely.

I had been acting up, trusting only in the fact that he couldn't reach me over here.

"...Anyway, I'll start timing again from now, so I would be grateful if you could endure it as long as you possibly can."

Provoking him further would only be my loss, so I spoke in a submissive voice.

"If you develop a resistance, it's a problem for me, but it could become even harder for you, Sir"

"If you're telling me we should all just die together nicely while I'm asleep, then just hand over your low-grade potions and get lost."

"..."

"I'll even put in a special word with the Count so you won't be tracked."

Even when I said something out of concern, all that came back was a hatefully sarcastic remark.

'I'm the one who wants to get lost right now.'

And not just get lost from here.

I was a person whose one wish was to please get lost from this game itself.

I desperately wanted to scream that back at him right now, but I had to endure.

My opponent was a personality-wreck who even kills users.

"...And I can't even punch that snout."

I thought to myself as I stared blankly into the air with my eyes lowered.

"What did you say?"

Oops. I definitely thought I said that in my head. My mistake.

As if he'd miraculously heard my quiet mumble, the bastard straightened his upper body, which had been leaning against the wall.

Clang!

He shook the chains on his handcuffs violently as if to threaten me and muttered.

"Why don't you try spouting that again?"

"I didn't say anything. You must be so sleepy you're hearing things."

Since it had come to this, I just insisted.

Not only could he not run over to me right now, but as long as he knew I had no intention of handing over the Insomnia Potions and leaving, he probably wouldn't try to kill me again.

The original setting was that he suppresses his hostility once he learns the user is a Hero who has come to stop the disaster.

However.

The Lord of Nightmares is thinking slightly violent thoughts about you.

Along with the ominous system window, the bastard spoke.

"Count Hailey must have finally lost his mind. Entrusting such an important matter to a scatter-brained bastard like you."

'Those developer bastards lost their minds a long time ago. Entrusting the main character role to a completely crazy bastard like you.'

I internally mimicked Kassel's line, predicting that my rapport-building with the Male Lead was now gone for good.