Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 94

Episode 94

"Why are the mercenaries……"

I frowned, watching the traces of the ones who'd disappeared.

'Anyway, it's that way.'

Thanks to them, I found the way easily without needing to search my difficult memories.

After waiting a bit, I quietly moved in the direction the High Priest and mercenaries had vanished.

Pushing through the bushes, a path appeared that looked like no one used it anymore.

The broken and dug-up stone floor and the pillars on either side matched the scene I vaguely recalled.

Watching the group of dots already receding far into the distance, I walked along the path.

'They're on their way to Nise, I bet.'

If my memory was correct, at the end of this path, there should be an old, former temple building.

With the Crown Prince right there in the temple, I wasn't trying to do anything right away.

I was just following to secretly confirm if what I was thinking was right, and what was inside the sacks the mercenaries had brought.

As expected, the group of mercenaries disappeared into a building that was no different from a ruin shrouded in darkness.

I hurried my steps to follow them inside.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, just before the old temple building, I slammed hard into a transparent wall and staggered.

And.

[This area is currently inaccessible. Please complete the quest.]

I clutched my nose from the stinging pain, and at the system window that suddenly popped up, I seethed.

"Ugh…… Tell me in advance!"

Thud! Thud!

Grinding my teeth, I pounded on the transparent wall a couple of times as if to break it.

The mercenaries who had disappeared inside the building wouldn't be able to see this wall anyway, so they wouldn't hear the sound either.

In any case, I had confirmed that the situation was roughly what I'd guessed, so I turned back without any lingering regrets.

And I started to walk back along the path.

This path.

The path to the old temple opens in the middle of progressing the 'Uncovering the Temple's Vile Secret' quest.

This temple quest opens with the 'Saintess's Procession' sub-quest, before the tournament.

The user, who defeats the heretics who attacked the Saintess's party and comes to the Grand Temple to treat the injuries sustained in the process, coincidentally sees Nise being abused by the Pope and returning to the old temple.

From there, the temple's main quest opens, and a kind of test begins to determine who will be the final companion.

This was the reason I'd gone so far as to volunteer for the role of a heretic and stubbornly forced my way into the temple.

'No, I already knew Nise was the main character, so I thought I'd just pass.'

I was hit by a wave of embarrassment and scratched the back of my head for no reason.

It was a relief no one saw me flailing after running into the transparent wall.

"Ah, crap. Right, the developer bastards."

Not even one second after thinking that, I could almost see the words of those bastards, who would be mocking me to their hearts' content in the chat.

Anyway, I had confirmed that I couldn't go looking for Nise from my end until the scenario had progressed to a certain point.

But.

'Why is the main quest already progressing?!'

Right after the Saintess's Procession, the Hero Selection Tournament begins.

And in terms of timing, the temple main quest progresses after the tournament is over.

But the mercenaries, who are closely related to the temple quest, were already visiting Nise with dead monsters.

'Is it because of Kassel, that bastard?'

With about a week left until the start of the advanced tournament, why would he suddenly say he's staying at the temple?

No matter how much of a variable he was, I just couldn't understand his sudden change in behavior, so different from the original scenario.

"……Ah."

Lost in thought, I'd already returned to the start of the path.

When I pushed through the overgrown bushes and arrived at the temple's back garden again, the dim sky had become completely dark.

'This won't do. I have to get back to the room and grill those developer bastards.'

I hurriedly went in through the back door and started to retrace my steps.

Enough time had passed, so Kassel must have left for the banquet with the Pope by now.

Because of that, I was entering the east wing with rather light steps.

"……Huh?"

The door to my quarters, located the third from the entrance of the corridor, fairly close, was wide open.

On top of that, two or three priests were coming out of it, holding my decoy bag and clothes that I had brought to pretend to be an ordinary apothecary.

[Novice Priest Semon]

'That XX bastard.'

One of them, coming out last, looked familiar.

I ran toward the bastard like a shot and asked.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Ah, Apothecary! You must have been out looking around the temple!"

I was about to ban him immediately to get revenge for earlier, but my resolve weakened when I saw his handsome face greeting me with a bright smile.

'Someone like me, so very gentle.'

I decided to postpone the ban for a moment and grasp the situation first.

"Why are you moving my things……"

"Ah, that…… Your quarters, Apothecary, have been assigned to a different room."

"A different room?"

It made no sense. As I tilted my head, the novice priest gave an awkward smile.

"Yes. The Apothecary is a precious guest of our temple, so it is only right that we escort you to a better room! Shall we go to the new quarters together?"

"Yes, well……"

I mumbled, glancing inside the room that was originally assigned to me.

Having seen Kassel's luxurious room, this tiny, louse-infested room with just a shabby bed and a single clothes hanger certainly didn't appeal to me.

I didn't know the reason for the sudden change, but if they were giving me a better room, I was grateful.

I followed the priests who were moving my luggage.

They started walking straight down the connected corridor.

I was too distracted earlier to see, but the long corridor had dozens of rooms for receiving guests.

Seeing as Kassel's room, the Crown Prince, was located at the very end, the rooms must get better the deeper in you go.

'Just because I'm a commoner apothecary, they assigned me the third room from the entrance. Those filthy bastards.'

I was grumbling with some dissatisfaction when I suddenly realized the priests' steps weren't stopping.

I thought it would be a room a bit further in from the third, at best, but they were going surprisingly deep.

'And why are we getting closer to the end of the corridor……?'

A sense of ominous foreboding rose up.

I stopped dead in my tracks when we had almost reached the end of the corridor, near the corner.

"Excuse me, why do you keep going?"

"Ah, we haven't arrived at the room yet…… We're almost there."

"Wait."

But before I could even stop them, the priests were already disappearing around the corner.

'No way.'

I hurriedly chased them around the corner.

I witnessed the door right next to the Male Lead bastard's room, positioned at a right angle, wide open.

The priests were moving my luggage into it, one by one.

Gaping, I stammered and hurriedly followed them into the room, grabbing onto Semon or Salmon or whatever his name was.

"E-Excuse me! Why are you putting my things in here?"

"Ah, this is the room where the Apothecary will be staying."

"Why?!"

"Haha…… I-I am just a lowly subordinate acting as instructed by my superiors……"

The priest added, with that same awkward smile.

"This place is used to receive royalty and high-ranking nobles. By chance, is it not to your liking?"

Of course, the room was spacious and nice.

To the point where it could easily compare to Kassel's room I saw earlier.

But 'like' it or not, why did it have to be right next to his room?

"This, the Crown Prince ordered this, didn't he. Right!"

"I-I don't know anything. I-I have to go deliver a meal……"

The priest slyly avoided me and tried to slip out of the room.

I quickly grabbed my belongings they had set down and tried to follow.

"I'll just use the original room!"

"Gasp, His Highness the Crown Prince……!"

But suddenly, Semon pointed behind me, a look of shock on his face.

I reflexively spun around, a chill running down the back of my neck.

Of course, behind me, there was nothing but an empty sofa.

"H-His Highness said, he was going to make you look after him by sharing a room like before due to his worsening illness, but he was showing you consideration, so you should be grateful! Th-Then I'll be going!"

In the brief moment I faltered, the damn priests spat out the words as if they were rapping and quickly fled the room.

Slam!

With the harsh slam of the door, I was suddenly left all alone in the empty room.

"Crazy……"

Belatedly, a wave of shame washed over me.

To think I'd fall for such a clumsy act and crawl into the tiger's den of my own free will.

"I should have just banned him……"

I glared at the door, grinding my teeth at the priests who had fled so quickly. Then I threw down all the useless luggage and plopped down onto the sofa.

Even if I resisted and went to another room, that bastard Kassel wouldn't leave me alone.

Maybe the priest was right. Maybe he'd lock me in one room and torment me all day, just like in the prison in the Tower.

Now that he was free from his prisoner status, he had the power and authority to do so.

'That persistent bastard.'

I understood why he was so obsessed with me.

He must be extremely curious. He fell asleep, and when he woke up, the disaster was over and the unsealed monster was dead.

"Ugh, I didn't know I'd run into him this fast. What do I do now?"

My head was pounding. I rubbed my temples and sank into thought.

Honestly, it was true I'd been a bit complacent.

I figured I'd put Elaine at the forefront for the tournament and take care of the quests from the shadows without facing Kassel directly, and everything would be resolved easily.

"Hah…… If I meet him again and he interrogates me, what excuse am I supposed to make now."

I leaned my head back on the sofa in frustration, letting out a deep sigh. Suddenly, I remembered what I'd forgotten and flashed open the chat window.

Me: Why has the temple main quest already started?!

GM Ari: Shari-nim! Is your nose okay?

GM Sera: Oh-ho, the ★Hero Who Fights the Intangible Wall★ has arrived.

GM Jinu: You got a double nosebleed, didn't you?

As expected, replies from the bastards, mocking me like ghosts, came back.

Me: No, I didn't. -_-

And here I was, refuting them again......