Chapter 8
2. The Good Heroine in the Horror Game
“Sis, are your feet okay?”
“Ah.”
Only then did I realize I was barefoot.
Earlier, Friedel’s blood had splattered all over me, covering my entire body, including my feet.
Stepping on debris from the walls the monster had destroyed stung a little, but I didn’t show it.
More than the pain, the sticky discomfort of being soaked in blood was worse.
“I’m not hurt.”
It didn’t interfere with walking at all.
If it continued to hurt, I could have found slippers to wear.
Or better yet, a potion.
In the game, there were various systems to prevent humans from dying easily, and potions were one of them.
I wasn’t sure if it would work here, but with a system menu present, it couldn’t be absent.
So if I got injured, I could heal with a potion.
It was a small amount, but enough to treat the cuts on my soles.
If I couldn’t find any, the system would probably provide it. It had already given me medicine to cure my lingering fatigue, so it might offer other quests as well.
I had accompanied Halloway all the way to the third floor.
[Starting the 5th “You’re It” story.]
The sudden appearance of the story made me flinch. I tried to step down the stairs but ended up hitting my head on thin air and tumbling backward.
Halloway, watching me sprawled out like a bed on the corridor floor, asked,
“What are you doing?”
“….”
What do you think I’m doing?
Embarrassed, I got up and reached toward the stairs.
But my hand was blocked by something.
Looking closely, there was a semi-transparent barrier between the stairs and where I stood.
In other words, I couldn’t go anywhere.
Was it just me?
I pointed to the stairs and looked at Halloway.
“Halloway, can you go down the stairs?”
He seemed puzzled by my question and instead descended the stairs himself, then returned.
I, however, couldn’t go down even if I stuck my head through, kicked, or reached with my hand.
Halloway, watching my futile attempts, clapped in amazement.
“Wow, what’s that? You’re really good at pretending there’s a wall!”
“….”
Didn’t look like a desperate escape attempt, huh?
Just as I was resigned to not being able to go down, a window appeared before me.
[Objective: Reach the goal point before being caught by “It” and shout.]
[“Now I’m ‘It!’
If you shout this, you win.
If ‘It’ touches your body, you become ‘It.’]
[※Do not become ‘It.’]
[Clear reward: Revolver]
A revolver…? A handgun?!
I had only a brief moment of joy at receiving such a radical weapon.
The monsters track us by sound…
No, it’s okay. There’s also a devil. A gun is the best backup.
[Failure results in death.]
Damn it, these things are extreme!
I can’t refuse even if I want to!
The quest didn’t even give a choice.
At least if it took a finger when I failed, that would be acceptable—then I’d still have ten fingers, right?
My screams were swallowed inside.
And like in the game, the story began.
[Night falls.]
Even the faintly flickering candles were snuffed out.
Startled, I instinctively grabbed Halloway and held him tightly.
[At the end of the long corridor on the third floor stands “It.”]
…Which corridor end on the third floor?
[“It” begins wandering to find someone to play with. Slowly stand up to find the goal point.]
I’m getting up now!
I sprang to my feet.
Despite my bravado, I held Halloway’s hand and tiptoed down the corridor.
“Sis, your hand is sweaty.”
“So you don’t want to be caught?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I said this, gripping Halloway’s hand even tighter.
“I said I don’t want to be caught.”
“I want to hold your hand!”
“My hand?”
“Yes. I really want to hold it.”
“…Okay.”
The silence ahead was very unsettling.
I didn’t know if I was the only one trapped on the third floor or if the rest of the party was included.
Halloway, being the final boss, might be free to move as he pleased.
As we walked in silence, Halloway suddenly asked me,
“Sis, how did you end up here?”
“Caught in a typhoon during a ship party. You?”
“I was working on that ship and got swept in.”
Boldly lying, Halloway then started bombarding me with questions.
“So you came from the Valone Empire too?”
“Huh? Yeah. How did you know?”
“You said you were on the same ship as me.”
…Nope. I think this kid is fishing.
“So then, everyone must be nobles of the Valone Empire, right? You too must be a noble.”
Of course, everyone at a ship party would be nobles.
Even just by their clothing at first glance, you’d know. But he suspiciously kept pressing for answers.
I had never had this kind of conversation in the game, so I couldn’t predict his intentions.
I decided to lightly brush off the topic.
“Don’t I look like one?”
“No.”
Halloway said this with unwavering innocence, leaving me speechless.
“You… you’re really…”
Really bad…
“The nobles and emperor of the Valone Empire haven’t really changed, right?”
Halloway ruthlessly ignored my frustration and asked, and I recalled the game’s story.
He was suspicious.
As a child, Halloway approached players, alerting the demon to torment them when they let their guard down.
Even when living together, he never showed sympathy, compassion, or friendliness.
Not even a blink when killing.
That’s probably why I avoided talking much.
Above all, I hadn’t asked questions like this before…
Being the final boss, his identity was revealed late.
A silent child…
“Sis.”
[Halloway urges an answer. The longer you delay, the stronger his desire to kill you becomes.]
This damn demon has no patience?!
His murderous desire might get me killed.
“As far as I know? Since it’s a long-standing empire, the nobles and emperor who have been there since its founding continue their lineage.”
I considered lying, but seeing what a demon trapped on an island knows about the Valone Empire, he might have sources.
Being a demon, he likely had no way to deduce things, so I couldn’t guess anything.
“I see… Ah, but the guy who tried to kill us earlier, the Akrotic? They’re a count’s family, right?”
“….”
Sensing my suspicion, Halloway pretended to be overly cheerful.
“I’ve never seen that noble! I just happened to get a chance to be on the ship because they offered a lot of money.”
He babbled on without being asked.
But I couldn’t show any suspicion here.
Because…
[※Warning.※]
No. Don’t.
[If you are caught doubting Halloway, ‘Future Conqueror of this World,’ you will face ‘Bad Ending: Pain in Fire.’]
Such a deadly warning left me no choice.
I watched Halloway without doubting him even a little.
“Bad, can’t even get paid.”
“Not being able to go back is the real problem.”
[Danger gauge increased by 2.]
……
Damn it.
“It’s amazing to be around nobles. Then, sis and the others—what families are you from? Nobles are usually called by their family names, but here everyone uses first names!”
I hesitated to answer.
Before entering the hotel, Cynthia and Cletta instructed us to call by first names instead of family or title, in case of unexpected trouble.
Since only prominent people from the empire had landed on this island, Cynthia might have deliberately done this, so it was safer to hide one’s identity.
Even in <Child’s Secret>, we always used first names…
…Now that I think about it, one odd thing comes to mind.
In the game, if someone accidentally revealed that Cynthia was a princess, the demons would react violently, not just playfully.
Knowing that Cynthia was a princess, they killed ruthlessly.
So I hesitated to reveal anyone’s family name, including mine.
If I lied, and later Halloway said it and someone else noticed the discrepancy—“That’s not my family name”—I’d be dead.
Silence was the right choice.
“That’s a secret. But you’re curious, huh?”
Moreover, with the quest started, it was dangerous to explain everything; ‘It’ could arrive any moment.
“Yes. I’m curious! I admire nobles. I’m commoner, so I don’t have a family name. Being close to nobles like this is rare!”
“Really?”
“Yes. Won’t they take care of me if we leave?”
“I see…”
I stopped speaking, and Halloway tilted his head.
“You’re not going to tell me more?”
“Nope!”
I answered innocently, just like Halloway.
“You have to stay curious to spend more time together.”
