Trapped in a Cursed Game, But Now with NPCs

 

  “I asked what you were doing in front of me.”

 

  Clank!

 

  The sound of chains chillingly echoed as he pushed himself up against the wall.

 

  That sound jolted me back to my senses.

 

  Cassel’s face was positioned dangerously close to mine, close enough that our lips would touch with just a slight movement.

 

  We had just kissed a moment ago, so it was only natural. But to put it differently, it was the perfect opportunity for him to strangle me with those chains.

 

  ‘Oh no—!’

 

  I immediately snapped out of my reverie and rolled backward, distancing myself from him.

 

  “Ugh!”

 

  However, my mind was already heading for the prison door, and I didn’t make it far before I stumbled over something.

 

  Turning around, I saw the knights I had knocked down sprawled on the floor. I had tripped over them.

 

  ‘Ugh, these useless bastards!’

 

  “Ugh…”

 

  I wanted to kick the one groaning softly at my feet, but I resisted the urge.

 

  “Ha.”

 

  「 [The Lord of Nightmares] finds your actions highly offensive. 」

 

  I snorted and quickly turned my attention to the system window, which was as ominous as an omen of disaster.

 

  Cassel, who had his arms folded, was tilting his head as he watched my one-woman show.

 

  He was still within reach to strangle me if he decided to.

 

  “I didn’t do anything.”

 

  I decided to deny it first.

 

  “You didn’t do anything wrong?”

 

  “Yes.”

 

  “That’s funny. You were way closer compared to the distance you usually kept.”

 

  “…”

 

  “What? Are you curious how long you can last this time?”

 

  His lips twisted into a smirk.

 

  Then, 

 

  Clang!

 

  As if threatening me, he intentionally tugged on the chains, creating that unsettling sound.

 

  ‘Devil.’

 

  I wanted to put some distance between us either by trampling or kicking the fallen knights and quickly retreating.

 

  However, too much denial and overreaction could arouse suspicion.

 

  “…It seemed like you were about to fall asleep, so I was trying to give you an awakening potion.”

 

  I calmly denied the kiss from earlier.

 

  Yeah, like I’d be some pervert who’d have my first kiss in a game. No way.

 

  At my explanation, Cassel’s brow furrowed slightly.

 

  “…You’re saying I was about to fall asleep?”

 

  “Yes. Your eyes were open, but you seemed to be in a half-asleep state. And these guys were stabbing you with a knife.”

 

  The completion of my lie involved quickly diverting the topic.

 

  I got up from the floor and pointed to the unconscious guys. 

 

  ‘Rather than strangling me, strangle them.’

 

  Despite my desperate wish, Cassel remained composed and looked at the fallen men.

 

  “Did you do this?”

 

  “Yes, well…”

 

  「 [The Lord of Nightmares] is highly suspicious of you. 」

 

  The system window appeared immediately.

 

  I thought he would punish the knights immediately, but he suspected me first.

 

  But I guess the fact that a mere herbalist, and a small woman at that, knocked out two burly men was enough to arouse suspicion.

 

  “I’m used to fighting a bit.”

 

  I shrugged and replied. His frown deepened in response. 

 

  “…”

 

  「 [The Lord of Nightmares] feels disgusted by your poor joke. 」

 

  「 [The Lord of Nightmares] is highly suspicious of your identity. 」

 

  「 [The Lord of Nightmares] feels curious about your background story. 」

 

  Although he kept his mouth shut, his escalating emotions were clearly visible through the system window.

 

  Of course, I didn’t expect him to easily believe that I learned self-defense to protect myself, but this felt a bit too much.

 

  ‘Even if the situation has changed, isn’t he asking for too much? I’m just an apothecary NPC, after all…’

 

  I grumbled and had no choice but to come up with an explanation that was completely different from the truth.

 

  “…It was just a joke. I knocked them out by sneaking up on them.”

 

  “A surprise attack…?”

 

  “Yeah. I just hit them with a stone, and they passed out.”

 

  Due to Cassel’s wall-breaking rampage, there were quite a few rocks on the prison floor.

 

  I pointed to one of the larger pieces among them, and he chuckled.

 

  “You’re crazy.”

 

  ‘Crazy? Help me out, for heaven’s sake.’

 

  Feeling annoyed, I turned my head away from him.

 

  Then, he added. 

 

  “They are the Count’s knights. If they regain consciousness and report your actions to the Count, it won’t end well for you.”

 

  “It’s fine. The Count seems to trust me quite a bit.”

 

  “So, Adam Hailey was the crazy one for trusting someone like you.”

 

  “I’ll take care of my own business, so worry about fixing your own appearance.”

 

  Though he was spewing annoying remarks, seeing him drenched in an unknown liquid and bleeding from the shoulder was not a pleasant sight.

 

  At my comment, he seemed to feel the pain for the first time and looked down at his wounds with a slightly puzzled expression.

 

  In the meantime, I stripped the fallen guys of their clothes.

 

  It seemed like breaking rules was their norm as they weren’t wearing formal armor,  making it easy to strip them.

 

  There was no need to remove their pants, but I decided to do it out of spite and quickly stripped them naked.

 

  I rummaged through their pants pockets and retrieved the prison keys. Then, I tossed their pants out of the window.

 

  “I know this is unpleasant, but use these to clean yourself up.”

 

  I handed Cassel the remaining tops.

 

  The guy, who had been quietly watching my actions, suddenly frowned.

 

  “Are you telling me to clean myself with these?”

 

  “Yes. We don’t have anything else to use at the moment.”

 

  I doubt there would be clean towels in a place where meals weren’t even delivered properly.

 

  Cassel stared at the clothes I handed him with a murderous glare, then snatched it roughly as if he had no choice.

 

  He then started wiping the dirt and blood off his head, frowning in disgust.

 

  Despite his disheveled appearance and scars, his actions were so refined like those of a pampered young master that I found it absurd.

 

  “…There’s an unpleasant odor coming from somewhere.”

 

  He muttered to himself as he finished wiping off the dirt.

 

  Even though I had showered thoroughly, his comment made me feel a twinge of embarrassment.

 

  Normally, I would have ignored it, but I hurriedly made an excuse without realizing it.

 

  “Maybe it’s because of the soup that got spilled. Or perhaps those guys didn’t wash properly, and the smell got onto their clothes…”

 

  Before I could finish, his expression turned so ferocious that I immediately closed my mouth.

 

  ‘I bet he’d want to kill me on the spot if he knew I’d kissed him after rolling around in the mud pits all day.’

 

  Despite not being particularly clean himself, he kept making fun of me.

 

  I have to keep my secret safe.

 

  I thought that as I spoke to him.

 

  “I’ll stop by the mansion later and bring you some clean towels and clothes.”

 

  “…”

 

  Even though I offered him a favor, he only stared at me without responding.

 

  “Do you need anything else?”

 

  I asked, puzzled. Then, he said something utterly absurd.

 

  “Don’t people usually offer their robes when they see someone who needs it?”

 

  “What? Why would I…?”

 

  “From what I’ve seen, most people would do that, given my looks. It doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman.”

 

  “Huh.”

 

  I couldn’t help but let out a disbelieving laugh.

 

  “Are you actually bragging about being a decadently sexy and handsome man?”

 

  “Isn’t that the case?”

 

  “…”

 

  I had no comeback. Objectively, Cassel was a decadently sexy and handsome guy.

 

  But as they say, the more beautiful, the more evil it is.

 

  Knowing his destructive personality better than anyone, I would never fall for his looks and end up like those crazy fans, offering everything I had.

 

  “Objectively speaking, you’re handsome, but you’re not my type.”

 

  “For someone not your type, you sure do provoke me a lot.”

 

  “What, how?”

 

  “I’m just saying.”

 

  He replied briefly and suddenly raised the back of his hand to roughly wipe his lips.

 

  ‘Does he… know everything?’

 

  My heart sank.

 

  I stared at Cassel nervously, but he remained so expressionless that I couldn’t decipher his thoughts.

 

  “Ahem! Well, I’m glad you’re awake! I felt so shocked after thinking you’d fallen asleep.”

 

  In the end, I chose a quick change of topic.

 

  Cassel, who had finished wiping himself down and was now looking quite fresh-faced, frowned and irritably muttered as he threw the shirt he was holding to the ground.

 

  “The duration of the awakening potion has been reduced.”

 

  “What?!”

 

  I exclaimed in shock, my mouth agape. If it was reduced from 25 minutes, how short was it now?

 

  “H-how shorter was it?”

 

  “About 10 minutes.”

 

  ‘This is crazy.’

 

  I had given Cassel 30 potions in the morning.

 

  Considering it had been roughly five hours since I left the tower, it had been dangerously close.

 

  Rumble―!

 

  Suddenly, ominous dark clouds filled the sky, accompanied by a deafening roar.

 

  Recalling the signs of disaster from earlier, I cursed my terrible luck.

 

  Now, I had to admit it.

 

  The easy path of preventing disaster was no longer an option; I was entering the route with the hardest difficulty level.

 

 

Like my translations?
Give me a tip!