Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 73

Episode 73

Seeing the system window pop up yet again, I swallowed a sigh.

'This is why I was trying to bolt.'

I'd been caught by him before, and on top of that, the Holy Water had delayed the penalty, so I had no way to avoid his suspicion.

Kassel had seen Elaine for the first time today, so I couldn't lie like before and say 'Adam ordered it' or something similar.

Besides, he was employing Elaine without even knowing it, so if I got them tangled up incorrectly here, I could shatter the game's lore.

'Hah... I wish I could just be auto-summoned right now.'

I glared at the HP window, which showed no signs of dropping, and carefully considered my answer.

At that, Kassel tilted his head.

"Is 'why did you free the slaves' really a question that requires such long deliberation?"

The Lord of Nightmares' suspicion is increasing.

The system window, also demanding an answer, made me feel rushed.

I burst out shouting.

"H-He's my friend!"

"...Friend?"

"Yes. The green-haired one and I are close friends. He helped me when I was having a hard time, too. So he asked me to join his plan to save his brethren, and it just... ended up this way."

That had never happened.

If anything, that bastard had only ever done things to make my life harder...

'Friend, my ass.'

Even after saying it, I felt very uncomfortable.

It sounded like such an absurdly humanitarian reason.

I should have thought of a colder, more practical reason that he would actually buy.

However.

[The Lord of Nightmares temporarily withdraws his suspicion of you.]

For some reason, Kassel bought it.

I thought it was the most ridiculous excuse that would never work on him.

"Fine. We'll go with that for now."

He nodded, as if accepting it.

'If that's what it is, then that's what it is. What does he mean, 'we'll go with that for now'?'

As I was grumbling in dissatisfaction, my gaze landed on the outer garment he was wearing.

The black tailcoat we had tossed back and forth earlier was now heavily wrinkled and covered in dust.

Seeing it, I remembered something I had forgotten.

"...But are you okay?"

The moment I said it, I regretted it. I should have just ignored it.

His bright red gaze was already fixed on me, as if asking what I meant.

I had no choice but to speak.

"You were hit by the poison gas earlier."

Of course, it was probably nothing to the invincible Male Lead, but he must still have some minor health drain.

But I hadn't seen him drink any potions.

'It's because of the Holy Water.'

I felt a little troubled and dropped my gaze from his.

I mean, he should have just ignored me and used it on himself.

Making me feel indebted for no reason.

Kassel, who had been silent, finally spat out.

"Are you worried?"

"No."

I denied it immediately.

"I was just asking if you had any more Holy Water."

At that, he suddenly held a hand out to me.

'What, what does he want?'

Not understanding, I looked back and forth between his large palm and his face.

At that, his brow furrowed slightly.

"If you have an antidote potion or something, hand it over."

He was shaking me down out of nowhere.

'Does he just do this all the time, regardless of who it is?'

What was this, if not a cyber-bully?

It was so ridiculous that a sharp, empty laugh burst out of me.

"Ha! I don't have any. Did you check your potions with me?"

"Shameless, aren't you. You already received the Holy Water, so now you're just going to wipe your mouth clean?"

"I'm grateful for that. But I saved you earlier, too, so let's call it even."

"When?"

'This bastard, does he have dementia?'

His voice was so unfamiliar, as if he'd never heard it before. I shouted in indignation.

"Just now! When you needlessly stepped in and cut off that bastard Ballakk's arm...!"

"If you don't have one, forget it."

But before I could even finish venting my anger, he cleanly pulled his hand back.

It was a completely different attitude from before, when he'd called me a quack and thrown a fit, telling me to get lost.

As I glanced sideways at his withdrawn hand, struck by this change, Kassel suddenly asked.

"Are you going to the Temple now?"

That was the original game scenario, and there was no way to break a strong curse other than visiting the Saintess.

It wasn't true at all, but I mumbled vaguely.

"Yes, well. Probably..."

At that, he suddenly looked me up and down and dissed me.

"I'm sure you'll do a great job begging for Holy Water in that beggar's outfit."

"I-It's not that bad!"

I snapped back, flustered, but it wasn't exactly wrong, so I gloomily looked down at my appearance.

I had thrown off my shoes long ago while catching that damn Cheondung.

My hair was a mess, and the slit of my skirt was torn and ragged from the rough movement.

'I look just like a beggar.'

Just a little while ago, he was the one locked in prison looking even more like a beggar than me.

What kind of sudden role reversal was this?

It was then. Thud.

A large piece of cloth was suddenly placed on my head, and my vision went dark.

Having seen Kassel take off his outer garment and throw it at me moments ago, I lifted one arm, slightly annoyed, and pulled it down.

"Ah, what are you doing? I told you...!"

"Wear it properly."

Just as I was about to refuse, a rough hand pulled the cloth down before I could.

As my vision cleared, I was surprised to see Kassel draping his own outer garment over my shoulders.

But it was so big that it kept slipping off to one side.

At that, he glared at me with a very annoyed look.

'I'm annoyed too! I told you I didn't want it!'

I was holding the egg, so it was hard to even gather the slipping garment.

It seemed like it would just fall to the floor anyway, so I left it alone.

But Kassel suddenly, and irritably, pulled something from his pants pocket.

What came out was a small, luxurious velvet box.

He opened it, took out the contents, and immediately tossed the box behind him, so I couldn't see what it was.

Then, he took a long stride and stood right in front of me.

"Wh-What are you..."

His height was so intimidating that I instinctively stepped back, but only for a moment.

He grabbed his garment, which had half-slipped off, and draped it over my shoulders again.

As if that weren't enough, he began to fasten it tightly around my neck.

"Ugh, I can't breathe."

"Endure it."

I protested meekly, but only received a cold reply.

I couldn't shove him away forcefully because of the egg.

I flinched, wondering if he was trying to choke me, but it didn't feel like anything more than the cloth being pulled tight.

It didn't seem like he was trying to kill me, so I relaxed and endured his strange behavior.

"As I thought, it's far too much."

Fortunately, Kassel soon pulled away with a low mutter.

I immediately looked down to see what "far too much" thing he had done to me.

Something shiny was pinned to the ridiculously crumpled and fastened collar.

'A brooch...?'

A round blue sapphire was set in an ornate, gold-crafted design. It looked quite expensive.

But it wasn't a rare item or anything, just a normal accessory.

A flash of memory of him buying it during the auction crossed my mind.

'At the time, I just thought he was buying up anything that looked expensive and nice...'

The delicately shaped brooch held the overlapping fabric, which Kassel had roughly fastened, securely in place.

Thanks to it, the large garment no longer slipped and completely enveloped my body.

I looked like I was wearing a weird cape. I asked, nonplussed.

"...What is this?"

"Can't you tell by looking? It's a brooch."

He rebuked me as if I were pathetic.

That wasn't what I was asking, but I didn't know what else to ask, so I just shut my mouth.

At that, he scanned my bundled-up form with a rather satisfied look.

"This should be enough to keep you from getting kicked out of the Temple. Though I doubt they'll give you any Holy Water."

His tone was still crooked, but it was clearly his version of a favor.

It seemed to mean that since I had covered up my rag-like appearance and added an expensive jewel, I wouldn't be thrown out of the Temple.

A favor from the Male Lead.

This was the same bastard who, right before falling asleep, had suspected me, his helper, of being an assassin and tried to dig up my background.

I couldn't believe it, and it was so creepy I couldn't guess his motive, but I didn't let it show and said politely.

"...Thank you."

If I threw it off, saying I didn't need it, it would only earn me his animosity and suspicion.

Kassel seemed to think I was heading to the Temple without Elaine's-noona knowledge.

Just as an awkward silence fell between us.

"Dammit, not here either!"

"The boss! Find the boss first!"

Suddenly, it grew noisy behind Kassel.

I glanced over his shoulder and saw a few surviving small-fry running out of the leftmost passage.

We were in a remote corner, so they hadn't spotted us yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Time for them to die, of course.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'll have to clean this place up."

Kassel, who for some reason answered my question obediently, took something from the holster belt strapped to his torso.

[S-grade Flame Time Bomb]