I lifted my head, feeling irritated at the annoying title.
“Hand over the potion.”
Fortunately, it seemed he had somewhat dropped his suspicions about my identity.
Despite his incredibly arrogant command, I didn’t show anger this time. I simply retrieved the awakening potion unlike earlier.
The reason was simple.
I had been closely observing Cassel from the moment I decided to check if he had developed immunity.
Compared to when we had a heated argument earlier, it was easy to notice that his eyes were strangely calmer now.
Roll, clink―.
Just like before, I rolled the bottle towards him.
My bowling skills hadn’t rusted, so the potion bottle rolled and stopped at Cassel’s feet again.
His forehead twitched uncomfortably, but he drank it quietly this time.
As soon as the potion’s effects began to take hold and his lethargy faded away, he suddenly asked:
“How much time has passed?”
“About 25 minutes.”
I replied promptly, and he raised an eyebrow as if surprised.
“You’re not as stupid as I thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a compliment.”
‘Shut up.’
I glared at him with disdain.
Does he really think I’m some kind of useless wretch who couldn’t even do what I was supposed to while I was observing him?
‘Ridiculous!’
There’s no way things will go his way all night long.
“I’ll ask you again in 25 minutes if you need another potion.”
I declared with a determined voice, my eyes flashing.
He turned his head without saying anything, as if ignoring me.
I continued to watch him and checked the remaining quantity of potions.
[Insomnia-Inducing Awakening Potion] x990
Approximately 48 hours until the catastrophe happens.
Even at the rate of two an hour, there were more than enough potions left.
‘But why did the effect suddenly become shorter?’
It was still too early for him to develop immunity.
Typically, the immunity route activates around midnight on the second day after the player enters the Count’s estate.
And from the moment it occurred, it required a large quantity of potions due to the abrupt loss of effectiveness.
‘I haven’t heard of it progressing slowly…’
It was strangely realistic.
Of course, this buggy game was known for being meticulously accurate in strange aspects.
“It’s better to take one every 25 minutes.”
I nagged him, feeling unnecessarily anxious.
It meant not to devour them like he did earlier, but he exploded again.
“Then give me 30 and get the fuck out.”
“No.”
There was no need to hear more. I firmly refused.
We had just finished a bloody debate about me staying up all night to give it to him myself.
Does the protagonist have memory loss characteristics that I don’t know about?
“Why should I leave?”
I wanted to ignore him but I was too frustrated, so I shot back.
Then, to my surprise, an unexpected answer came.
“To keep making potions, you should go and rest.”
“…”
“If you give me a time-measuring tool, I’ll consume it properly this time.”
Surprisingly, it was the first normal thing I’d heard him say since I’d met him.
I stared at Cassel with a puzzled look and hurriedly spoke as he furrowed his brow.
“I don’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
“Well…”
To be precise, I couldn’t sleep.
Even though it wouldn’t show under my hood, I spoke in a somewhat bitter tone, mixing self-pity with my voice, and managed to produce a wry smile.
“Apothecary’s mission or something like that.”
“…”
I have to admit that I sounded pretty cool just now.
It was a line you’d expect to hear in a popular video on the community channel.
But for some reason, he just stared at me with a strange expression.
And then,
「 [The Lord of Nightmares] is questioning your mental health. 」
「 [The Lord of Nightmares] feels a slight regret upon seeing you. 」
‘What’s there to regret?’
I felt bad. But how could a character in a game like this understand such a sorrowful and majestic situation?
I brushed it off as if nothing had happened and coldly addressed the situation.
“Anyway, I’ll be the one giving you the potions since I’ll also be checking the duration. So, please don’t make any more demands.”
“You complain like a beggar, but you’re diligent in useless matters.”
“Right back at you.”
“What did you just say?”
“It’s short for ‘I’ll definitely fulfill the apothecary’s mission.'”
“You’re insane.”
With a final click of his tongue, the conversation came to an end.
And throughout the night, the only sound between us was the rolling of the bottle.
– ̗̀ ˚ ·* ༊*·˚ ˊˎ–
I woke up in the morning with tired eyes.
Fortunately, the duration of the awakening potion hadn’t decreased from 25 minutes.
‘965 left.’
After checking the remaining potions, I tidied up and got up.
Even though it was just a virtual body, sitting in a rigid posture for over eight hours made me feel oddly stiff all over.
‘Ugh…’
Stretching like I would after a long day at work, I yawned instinctively and then quickly straightened myself.
I suddenly realized I wasn’t alone in this prison.
“Well… Fortunately, it seems like you haven’t developed immunity yet.”
Maybe it was because we hadn’t talked for so long, but the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Cassel’s gaze, which had been absentmindedly floating in the air, slowly shifted towards me.
I approached him hesitantly.
We had spent the night together, and we were now close enough that I could grab him if I reached out, but he didn’t show any signs of attacking.
[Time-Measuring Tool]
[Insomnia-Inducing Awakening Potion] x30
I quickly gave him the items and distanced myself before speaking.
“I’ll go back to my quarters for a while to run some errands, I’ll leave the time-measuring tool and potions behind, so make sure you consume them in time.”
“…”
I would be back soon, but I decided to leave plenty of potions just in case.
The duration had shortened, but I felt relieved knowing that he hadn’t entered the immunity route.
I headed towards the prison door.
But until then, Cassel just continued to stare at me in silence.
Moreover, he didn’t seem to be in a good condition, just like when I first saw him.
‘…Well, he didn’t take any health potions, and the little strength he had left was probably being absorbed by the shackles.’
Originally, in this scenario, Cassel was mostly in this state.
His body was depleted of both health and mana, and the awakening potion merely awakened his mind, leaving him in a ‘semi-abnormal’ state.
I wanted to kill him when he was rampaging around and taunting me with that hell-like mouth, but I felt heavy-hearted now that I saw him like this.
No matter how much it was part of his character design, he was still the ‘protagonist’ of the game.
As I was struggling with this internal conflict, I reluctantly searched my pockets again.
‘Sigh, this is because of my conscience.’
Standing before Cassel’s feet, I took out a red potion and handed it to him.
“It’s an advanced health potion.”
“…”
“Drink it when I’ve left. Got it?”
The guy had been acting as if he didn’t hear my previous requests, but he suddenly looked at me with icy eyes.
And then, flash!
He didn’t just grab the potion bottle like a bolt of lightning. He swiftly opened the lid and drank the contents, not looking at all like someone in a ‘semi-abnormal’ state.
“I-I told you to drink it when I leave!”
I was afraid that the guy, now full of energy, might grab my throat again.
I shouted pitifully and rushed toward the door.
‘Did I just dig my own grave?’
Judging by the way he was moving, he seemed perfectly fine. This guy’s audacity…!
I reached the exit in no time, opened the door without a moment’s pause, and was about to leave the prison.
Then, there was a low chuckle from behind.
“…You run away quite skillfully, like a little rat.”
‘What?’
Thinking I might have heard things, I turned around with a creak.
「 [The Lord of Nightmares] feels a slight liking towards you. 」
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