Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 91

Episode 91

"Then let's go to my room."

Kassel, his bloodshot eyes gleaming, finally approached me, one step at a time.

I anxiously glanced back and forth between the bastard and the system window floating above his head. When his demon-like face suddenly loomed close, I instinctively shouted.

"W-Wait!"

"What is it?"

"I-I just remembered, I haven't finished the Saintess's treatment yet. I need to go back for a moment……"

Spouting a pathetic excuse that even I knew was absurd, I hurriedly tried to push past Kassel and go back the way I came.

"Where do you think you're going."

Snatch.

But it wasn't easy, as the bastard snatched the back of my hood like lightning.

"Ugh!"

Others can't remove my hood, so I had no choice but to stop, stumbling pathetically as if I'd been grabbed by the hair.

My neck ached from the hood being pulled taut from behind.

I clutched desperately at the hem of my robe and offered a weak protest.

"Wh-Why are you doing this……!"

"Because I'm in a bit of a hurry right now."

"B-But I'm the apothecary hired exclusively for the Saintess, I must always prioritize the Saintess……!"

"Um……"

I was desperately spouting whatever nonsense I could think of to escape the situation.

Just then, the novice priest standing next to the Pope, his eyes wide, cautiously interjected.

"Didn't you just finish all the treatment and leave the Saintess's room? I understand the Saintess has a mass scheduled from now on……"

"P-Priest!"

'Just shut up, please!'

I tried to shut the priest's mouth, but it was already too late.

"Hmph."

A short scoff escaped from above my head.

And at the same time.

[Crown Prince Kassel Ludwig holds a strong interest in you.]

A system window popped up that said 'interest', but it didn't feel welcome at all.

"Do you need more time to chat?"

Kassel glared at the Pope and the novice priest, his eyes flashing.

"N-No! Uh, Apothecary. Your lodgings are the third room in the west wing!"

The Pope, unable to understand the situation, simply remained silent. Only the clueless priest offered a cheerful farewell.

"We've already unpacked your belongings, so you'll see when you go in! Haha, may the Goddess's blessing be with you both."

"May the Goddess's blessing be with you."

Following the novice priest, even the Pope made the sign of the cross and bid farewell, but Kassel didn't even bother to reply, simply turning his back and walking away.

Naturally, I was dragged along, still held by the scruff of my hood.

'Please, someone save me……!'

I looked back at the Pope and the priest with a desperate plea, but they soon turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

They say those devoted to the gods always help people suffering injustice. What a load of crap.

A murder is about to happen right in the middle of the temple, and these people can't even notice! How the hell can they make prophecies!

As my last remaining sliver of hope vanished, anger began to fill its place.

'Semon or Salmon or whatever. I'm definitely banning him.'

Grinding my teeth, I started to rack my brain furiously, trying to figure out how to escape this situation.

Kassel dragged me, and in an instant, we arrived at the temple's west wing.

"Y-You can let go, I'll follow!"

I earnestly pleaded that I wouldn't run away, blaming my awkward gait, but it was completely useless.

Kassel walked past the third room, presumably my lodgings, and continued down the long corridor until he finally stopped at the very end.

At the end of the hallway, in the deepest corner, stood a single door.

Without hesitation, Kassel opened the door and roughly threw me inside.

"Ugh!"

Because of that, I nearly fell flat on my face.

By the time I barely managed to steady my staggering body, Kassel had followed me in.

Click.

The sudden sound of the door locking sent a chill creeping up the back of my neck.

'Am I going to be killed just like this, with no escape……?'

This was absurd. After all the hell I'd been through to get here!

Dammit. The temple was set up so that no magic tools worked, meaning I couldn't even use a Teleport Scroll.

I was fumbling with the monster tranquilizer dart in my pocket, thinking that if worse came to worst, I'd use it on him and bolt, just like I'd planned before.

To my surprise, contradicting all my tension, Kassel walked right past me and sat down on the sofa.

"Sit."

He jutted his chin toward the seat in front of him.

'Huh......'

Only then did I realize he wasn't trying to kill me right away, but wanted to talk.

As I just stared at him dumbfounded, he suddenly frowned.

"What are you fiddling with in your pocket?"

[Crown Prince Kassel Ludwig holds a sliver of suspicion toward you.]

"……I-It's nothing."

I quickly pulled my hand out of my pocket and cautiously approached, sitting down in front of him.

Then I quickly scanned the room.

I was looking for an escape route.

The room was fairly simple, containing only basic furniture like a bed, a sofa, and a table.

However, the decorations were all luxurious, as if the room was used to receive royalty or high-ranking nobles.

Dammit. There was no obvious escape route.

There was one large window, but it was behind the sofa where Kassel was sitting.

'Dammit......'

The reddish glow of the setting sun poured through the window, backlighting Kassel.

Perhaps because of it, he looked even more sinister.

"I can hear your eyeballs rolling from here."

The bastard suddenly muttered darkly, raising one eyebrow.

Marveling at the Male Lead's amazing hearing, I quickly lowered my gaze.

"Um…… you said you needed a potion……"

Unable to bear the encroaching silence, I spoke first.

At that, he smirked, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"Before that. Don't we have something to discuss?"

"No. I don't."

"You don't?"

"Yes……"

I denied it desperately.

Then the bastard's smiling face vanished, replaced by a chillingly blank, serious expression.

"Shari Azrael."

"……"

"I'm pretty sure I said I'd kill you when I woke up."

It had finally come.

Hearing the Male Lead mutter in a low, heavy voice, I squeezed my eyes shut.

How could I forget?

The vow, the threat, that the bastard had darkly repeated as he struggled against sleep until the very last second……

It was enough to sometimes appear in my nightmares and wake me up.

Of course, I don't sleep, so I don't dream, but anyway.

"I-I am……!"

With my eyes squeezed shut, my life hanging in the balance, I forced open my lips, which refused to move, to escape this situation.

"I-I am not that person."

"What……?"

Kassel's brow twitched at my answer.

The method I'd squeezed out to escape this situation was this:

'First, deny it insistently.'

It was absurd, but right now, I had no other choice.

Anyway, he couldn't read the name written above my head like users could, and most NPCs wore shabby robes like me.

So if I just stubbornly denied it, what the hell could he do?

I'm saying it's not me.

"I am not the person you mentioned, that Shari Azrael."

"……You're not?"

"Yes. I am not."

Gaining a bit of courage, I answered in a voice full of conviction.

At that, the furrows on his brow deepened. And then.

[Crown Prince Kassel Ludwig holds deep murderous intent toward you.]

[Warning! If hostility increases, trust in you will drop, and you will be classified as an assassination target.]

[Dispel this character's suspicion and increase their favorability!]

A system window of an extremely dangerous level popped up, seems he got seriously pissed off by my firm denial.

'An assassination target? No way……!'

I'm doing this precisely to avoid being killed by him. It would be terrible if this backfired.

I quickly ditched the confident attitude and switched to groveling mode, begging.

"Y-You must be mistaken, Your Highness! I am a humble apothecary who has been working in Berun Village this whole time. Today is the first time I have ever laid eyes on someone so noble."

"Mistaken……"

At my words, Kassel raised a hand to stroke his chin, then suddenly asked in a cold voice.

"Then what is your name, you bastard?"

The surprise question was agonizing.

Naturally, I hadn't thought that far ahead, so I replied, sweating bullets.

"H-How could a noble person like you deign to let a lowly commoner's name enter your ears! Y-You can just call me 'that apothecary bastard'."

"It's a good thing you've learned to know your place."

I guess my groveling and bootlicking had some effect.

He seemed to be in a slightly better mood as he let out a short laugh and spoke.

Phrases like 'someone like you' or 'know your place', which the bastard used to spout every chance he got back in Hailey, echoed in my ears, making me grit my teeth. But I held it back.

'Is he starting to believe me……?'

I was inwardly sighing in relief while studying Kassel's expression.

"Fine. Then I'll call you whatever I want."

He suddenly nodded and declared breezily.

"Shari Azrael."

"……"

"Stop with the bullshit and hand over the Sleep-Inducing Potion."

'He's insane……'

Back to square one.

The bastard who had just declared he would call me 'Shari Azrael' as he pleased confidently held out his hand to me.

I was at a complete loss, faced with his insistence on calling me someone else's name even when I denied it.

Please, someone stop that crazy bastard.