08.
* * *
The stone wall closed with a heavy sound, ssllrruung.
When she exited, the spot where she had entered was pressed firmly, and the door opened. It was a location that nobody could know unless they were pressing the blocked wall one by one, unless they were a human who would go to such lengths.
Fortunately, the corridor was quiet. Luda put the key back into her inventory and thought for a moment.
“There’s no need to stay in the room for now.”
She could relax a bit later.
Luda observed the darkened corridor. There were windows scattered along the corridor, but they only allowed in the moonlight, which was of little use.
Still, thanks to the “Lantern of the Dead,” she found it much easier to look around her surroundings.
“But did the skill name change to match Hell Mode?”
Thinking about it again made her feel uneasy. She recalled that it used to be something like “Cat’s Eyes.”
Nevertheless, even though the contents of Normal Mode were somewhat similar, they were proving to be helpful. Things like Theo’s location and such.
I don’t know how things will change in the future, but I had no choice but to confront them.
“Let’s go check the reception room for now.”
If there were other people inside, I could have a conversation, and if not, I could investigate alone. There might still be clues scattered around.
As I crossed the corridor like that, I encountered Kaiden in front of the reception room. Kaiden looked at me with a somewhat grim expression and then spoke up.
“Have you been to the labyrinth garden?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The labyrinth garden is not a place you should enter alone. The labyrinth pathways can change on their own. You could end up going in a direction you can’t get out of.”
“Two of us went in.”
“I see.”
Kaiden seemed like he wanted to say more but held back.
Now that I thought about it, he often scolded me when we bumped into each other, playing the role of a butler. I would usually quickly move past his lectures, as I didn’t enjoy hearing them.
“Please try not to go alone as much as possible. It would be troublesome if Lady Luda were to die.”
“Why so sudden?”
“It’s not sudden. I’ve been wanting to tell you since yesterday. Oh, and lunch is ready, so you can go to the dining hall now.”
Kaiden casually gestured in the direction of the dining hall.
‘Is he insane? What if someone overhears?’ (TL Note: Luda here meant that the way he told could make anyone suspicious of her identity as a sacrifice.)
Luda quickly glanced around. Fortunately, there were no prying ears nearby, which was a relief. Did he want rumors to spread that badly?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“What are you saying all of a sudden?”
I laughed it off and shrugged. Kaiden nodded without much expression.
“Well, then, I’ll be going.”
He turned around and started walking away with determined steps. However, something suddenly came to my mind, and I hurriedly caught up to him.
“Wait a moment, Butler.”
Kaiden stopped in his tracks, and I quickly reached him.
“How do you distinguish between night and day? Morning is dark like night too.”
[System Message: Butler Kaiden’s Favorability has decreased.]
[Butler Kaiden]
[Favorability: -1 (1▼)]
As soon as I asked the question, the system window appeared, showing a decrease in Kaiden’s favorability.
Kaiden responded with an annoyed expression, unable to hide his irritation.
“Take out the sundial that was provided.”
I turned slightly and opened my inventory, retrieving the sundial. Then I showed it to the butler.
“In the afternoon, this part turns red.”
Kaiden pointed to the area around 12 o’clock on the sundial with his hand. Just below the number 12, there was indeed a small, round red mark.
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“I was planning to tell you during dinner.”
With that, Kaiden quickly walked away, even faster than before.
It suddenly occurred to me that Kaiden particularly disliked being asked questions. More precisely, he seemed to dislike answering questions more than his assigned duties.
Of course, I couldn’t really understand why.
“But isn’t his main job to provide information?”
Lost in thought, I found myself walking to the dining room as the empty corridor stretched out before me.
* * *
In the end, I left with just a few freshly baked bread rolls, as no one else was in the dining room.
Perhaps because this place was a game, I didn’t feel particularly hungry. It felt like I could follow the rules and gather for dinner once a day.
I hadn’t brought the bread with the intention of eating it; it was for Theo.
Thinking about him trapped in the pitch-black darkness, I felt a bit guilty. I planned to bring it to him when I had the time.
“Oh I have found a little rat here.”
It was then that I heard a sarcastic voice. Luda knew who it was without even having to turn around to check.
‘Why are you picking a fight?’
I continued walking, but then changed my mind and quickly turned around. Esteban was looking at me with a displeased expression. His eyes were as red as blood, which didn’t make me feel comfortable at all.
“Why do you care whether I’m a rat or a bird?”
“It’s suspicious that you’re carrying something around.”
“Why does it matter to you. I didn’t take it from your dining room? I don’t want to run into you.”
[System Message: Esteban’s Favorability has decreased.]
[Esteban (Capturable)]
[Favorability: -10 (10▼)]
‘Wow, can it really drop this much in one go?’
The drop in favorability was quite significant. After the labyrinth garden, we hadn’t crossed paths much, so there weren’t many chances for conversation.
I once again realized that my choice was the right one.
‘Before my favorability drops any further, I should just leave.’
As I ignored Esteban and tried to leave, the system window suddenly blocked my view.
[Subquest Activated! (Importance: ★★★)]
[Spending More Than 30 Minutes with Esteban]
[Time Limit: 1 Hour]
[Reward: None]
[Warning! If you do not accept or fail, Esteban’s Threat Level will increase significantly.]
[Accept?]
[Yes / No]
‘Oh, please.’
I suddenly felt a headache. Why was this challenge, no, quest appearing now?
It felt like the system read my thoughts and then reflected them into a quest. It couldn’t be anything but a cunning system.
If it were Yulian, I would have managed to say something or keep going somehow. But spending 30 minutes with Esteban was impossible. What more could I say to a person who called me a rat just because I brought some bread?
‘Hmm, should I just give up on the danger level as well since favorability has already dropped so much?’
So, I was contemplating giving up on Esteban’s route altogether and proceeding like before. However, the problem was what would happen afterward.
Once the protection period was over, Esteban would become the most threatening existence.
‘Wouldn’t he go completely crazy by then?’
I sighed softly. It wasn’t a pleasant thought.
“I don’t particularly like running into you either.”
“We share the same sentiment.”
“Saying we share the same sentiment is quite unpleasant.”
Esteban lowered his head to meet my gaze with a sullen expression. His bright red eyes were almost as vivid as blood. What he said next was equally unpleasant.
[If you do not make a choice within 5 seconds, a random choice will be made.]
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
Meanwhile, the system window kindly provided a countdown.
‘Alright, I’ll accept it.’
Then, a sandglass appeared at the edge of my field of vision. It flipped over once and started counting down.
I checked the situation. Just by standing here like this, time was still passing. Simply holding on gave me a chance.
‘But why does he keep using informal language?’
She thought as she glanced at Esteban next to her. And that led to the question of why she kept using the honorific.
Upon careful consideration, it did seem strange. It had been unfair. Esteban had a bad personality, picked fights, and even used informal language, yet Luda had consistently used honorifics with him.
In the end, Luda decided that letting himself speak casually would be faster than waiting for Esteban to change his speech. He didn’t want to continue with the awkwardness of speaking formally while he was casual.
“But why did you come to the dining room?”
“…What?”
“You didn’t come because of me, right? You were probably a bit hungry too, right? Want a piece of bread?”
[System Message: Esteban’s Favorability has increased.]
[Esteban (Capturable)]
[Favorability: -9.9 (0.1▲)]
Luda, who had deliberately teased him, was taken aback by the unexpected result. His favorability, which he expected to drop steadily, had risen.
It was only by 0.1 not 1,that was the problem.
‘Does he like bread?’
Luda took one of the bread rolls from his pocket and handed it to Esteban. In response, Esteban pushed the bread away with a disgusted look on his face.
[System Message: Esteban’s Favorability has decreased.]
[Esteban (Capturable)]
[Favorability: -19.9 (10▼)]
“Did you just take a bite out of your words?”
“I took it out because it seemed cumbersome.”
“…You’re quite a strange one.”
He muttered without even loosening his stern expression. Still, Luda felt like she had found an opening in a person who didn’t seem like a needle could even enter.
A gap of 0.1.
* * *
