Trapped in a Cursed Game, But Now with NPCs

 

 

  Of course, I had a hunch ever since Adam called for me, but I didn’t expect him to go straight to the point without even a greeting.

 

  But what surprised me even more was the system window that popped up.

 

  Fortunately, the hood played its role well.

 

  “I kept watch over the sinner all night.”

 

  “…”

 

  “Did you have any reason to call for me in the middle of the night?”

 

  When I replied casually, Adam fell silent for a moment.

 

  Then, he moved on to the next inquiry right away.

 

  “Why did you lie about selling the sleeping potion to the head maid?”

 

  I was a bit taken aback by the follow-up question.

 

  ‘He’s really persistent.’

 

  From what I had seen through highlight videos and player posts, Adam appeared to be the epitome of a polite high-ranking noble.

 

  Some even said that they would date Cassel, but marry Adam.

 

  But was that just a privilege for players who held the title of ‘Hero?’

 

    「 [Adam Hailey] is feeling slightly disappointed and skeptical about you. 」

 

  He was really ruthless to a humble apothecary like me.

 

  “It’s not a lie, Count.”

 

  I knew that Head Maid Lena couldn’t explain the first place, so I repeated the same words like a parrot.

 

  “If it’s the first time someone has taken it, there could be side effects like memory loss…”

 

  “The sleeping potion may have side effects like nausea or dizziness, but not memory loss.”

 

  However, Adam abruptly cut off my babbling.

 

  “I even asked the reluctant apothecary who prepared it for me, and they didn’t know about it.”

 

  I widened my eyes in surprise.

 

  ‘Adam was taking sleeping potions?’

 

  Even though I didn’t see the quest notification, I knew the content well.

 

    「 New Quest~ Find an Apothecary~ 」

 

  「 [Count Hailey] is secretly searching for an herbalist who can craft [Sleeping Potion]. 」

 

  「 Find an apothecary in the village and bring them to [Count Hailey]. 」

 

  But I didn’t think much of it and didn’t pay it any attention.

 

  I thought it was just a small trick to confuse the players.

 

  I had no idea there was such a detailed backstory.

 

  Thank goodness I was wearing a hood. Otherwise, the panic on my face would have been obvious.

 

  As I took a moment to collect my thoughts, Adam stared at me with a cold expression.

 

  “Your response is slower today compared to yesterday.”

 

  “…”

 

  “What did you do to the servants in the dining hall? Depending on your explanation, I will decide whether to summon the knights.”

 

  It was a threat that told me that I would end up in jail immediately if I messed up.

 

  He already seemed convinced that I had lied, so I couldn’t smoothly pass it off as I had planned.

 

  At least he was giving me a chance to explain.

 

  ‘I’m sure Jinu will mock me again for this.’

 

  I had been planning to reveal the truth about the monster parasites to Adam, but only after capturing and killing all of them. 

 

  That way, it would be more trustworthy.

 

  However, I couldn’t escape the pressure he was putting on me, so I ended up confessing the truth.

 

  “I was capturing parasitic monsters attached to the employees and collecting the Essence of Darkness.”

 

  “…Essence of Darkness?”

 

  Adam’s eyes turned sharp.

 

  ‘He must have already known.’

 

  According to the original scenario, Adam would only find out after the player captured a monster and informed him of the situation.

 

  At this point, most players couldn’t collect even 99 Essence of Darkness, let alone the boss, eventually leading to his intervention.

 

  ‘Is it because I’m not playing the role of a hero like the other players?’

 

  Overall, the situation seemed to be progressing a bit differently.

 

  “When I asked if you had defeated the mid-grade monsters that appeared in Dover Village a while ago, you said you hadn’t.”

 

  But I didn’t even have a chance to think about the game due to Adam’s relentless questioning.

 

  “I’ll ask again.”

 

  “…”

 

  “Are you a Hero?”

 

  “…”

 

  “Or are you a witch who has come to harm the manor, as my aide claims?”

 

   「 [Adam Hailey] is showing a very high level of interest in your identity. 」

 

  It seemed like this was some kind of qualification test that had changed to fit my situation. 

 

  After all, players do prove their worth by discovering the Dark-Eater Centipedes.

 

  Adam also probably knew about them because I wasn’t a ‘Hero.’

 

  ‘Aside from the bugs that occur on fictional days, it’s a real masterpiece.’

 

  The situation had changed slightly, but it still followed the same context as the original story, so it wasn’t too confusing.

 

  “I’m…”

 

  However, when faced with a situation that required my direct involvement rather than just watching videos, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

 

  “…neither of them.”

 

  “What?”

 

  “I’m just a simple apothecary.”

 

  Adam’s expression subtly twisted. It was clearly not the answer he had been hoping for.

 

  “Are you saying that you’re just a simple apothecary who single-handedly defeated over a dozen employees?”

 

  “I didn’t ‘defeat’ them.”

 

  I felt unfairly accused. 

 

  While I had knocked out two of them earlier, I had used a humane method yesterday instead of violence.

 

  ‘I gently subdued them in a non-violent way, even when they had knives.’

 

  I stated the facts as they were.

 

  “I modified a monster tranquilizer gun and used it to disperse a potion.”

 

  Of course, I left out the part about using my skills.

 

  My words seemed to baffle Adam.

 

  “…A potion?”

 

  “Yes. I used a light attribute potion as an experiment and the monster died, so I’ve been using it regularly since then.”

 

  “Why is a simple apothecary collecting the Essence of Darkness?”

 

  “I didn’t do it voluntarily.”

 

  “Then who told you to do it… or is there someone else with you?”

 

  “No.”

 

  As I answered, the same situation as last night unfolded once again.

 

   「 [Adam Hailey] strongly doubts your words. 」

 

   「 [Adam Hailey] finds your words suspicious. 」

 

  ‘He’s not angry anymore.’

 

  I had to admit it. Whether it was because of the game’s settings or something else, these characters all seemed to hate me.

 

  “The sinner entrusted to me by the Count instructed me.”

 

  “…What?”

 

  It must have been an unexpected statement, as Adam’s eyes widened significantly.

 

  He probably knew Cassel’s true identity better than anyone else.

 

  Seeing a change in expression on his doll-like face for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel strange.

 

  “Why did he…?”

 

  “I don’t really know the reason. He just told me it was to revive the greatsword in the prison and asked me not to tell the Count.”

 

  “Do you know what that meant and accepted it willingly?”

 

  It was quite an insightful question. I nodded.

 

  “Yes. They’re the Dark-Eater Centipedes. Although this is the first time I’ve actually fought them, I’ve seen them in the monster encyclopedia before.”

 

  “Surely you know that he’s a sinner. I don’t understand why you would help someone like that.”

 

  “It’s not helping; I just do as I’m told in exchange for a reward. It’s not like it’s going to do me any harm, Count…”

 

  “…”

 

  “Hunting lowest-grade monsters is something I’ve done all my life. I get most of my potion ingredients from them.”

 

  Adam’s mouth closed in a straight line, just like Cassel’s did yesterday.

 

  ‘He probably has nothing more to say.’

 

  My answers were so perfect that there was no point in further suspicion.

 

  ‘Now, think of each other and bite yourselves!’

 

  It might be a bit earlier than expected, but I smiled satisfactorily as the big picture unfolded smoothly according to my plan. 

 

  If someone heard this, or if the developers saw it, I know how they’d react.

 

  ‘They’ll probably mock me for passing my achievements to a game character.’

 

  But these guys were just watching my game progress as if it were a sideshow.

 

  Once it became their situation, no one would mock me.

 

  I never cared about accumulating achievements in the first place.

 

  What I wanted was the endgame and the ending.

 

  There were numerous quests to complete on the way to the ending, but fundamentally, it was simple.

 

  ‘Persuade the main characters to become comrades, form a party to defeat the final boss, and prevent the protagonist’s fall into darkness just before the ending.’

 

  But in that journey, I didn’t need to be included as a ‘comrade.’

 

  That was why I cleanly gave up on building intimacy.

 

  ‘I’ll just have to get them to stick together somehow and drag them by the hair to the ending.’

 

  The main obstacle was the protagonist’s fall into darkness, but even that had a simple solution when I thought about it.

 

  As I stared at one of the figures I was about to drag by the hair to the ending…

 

  Creak—

 

  “You, come with me.”

 

  Adam suddenly stood up from his seat.

 

  Approaching me without any explanation, he passed me by.

 

  “Uh, wait…”

 

  It was when I turned around in confusion.

 

  Adam, who had approached the huge bookshelf that occupied the entire opposite side of the study, suddenly opened a door.

 

  ‘What the? A secret room?!’

 

  Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a wall at all, but a working door.

 

  It was so naturally positioned between the oak-colored bookshelves that I almost didn’t notice it.

 

  “What are you doing?”

 

  Adam looked back at me, his hand still on the doorknob.

 

  “Oh, nothing. I’m coming.”

 

  Feeling awkward, I quickly followed him.

 

  While doing so, I couldn’t help but tilt my head at the unexpected development.

 

  ‘Did the Count’s study have a space like this?’

 

  A hidden route.

 

  I briefly stiffened at the thought.

 

  ‘Oh well. It’s probably nothing.’

 

  Even if it wasn’t part of the game progression, it wasn’t unusual for a noble’s study to have an adjacent room like this…

 

  However, the room I entered wasn’t an adjacent room; it was a spacious and luxurious bedroom.

 

  But unlike the study across the door, here, the scent of herbs and the pungent aroma typical of potions were strongly present.

 

  “Count, where are we?”

 

  Instead of answering, Adam quickly walked over to the large bed in the room.

 

  Removing the light blue drapery from the canopy, he hesitated momentarily before sitting down next to the bed and whispering softly.

 

  His face softened, like snowflakes melting on a spring day.

 

  Adam’s human-like expression was something I had never seen before since I met him.

 

  “…Serena, your brother is here.”

 

  Taking advantage of the moment, I quickly peeked inside the canopy.

 

  On the bed lay a blond girl with reddish burns all over her body.

 

  My foreboding never seemed to be wrong.

 

  [ Serena Hailey, the Young Lady of Hailey ]

 

  It was an unheard-of hidden route.

        

    

 

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