Episode 18
“It must be really cold for you. You can keep the outer coat if you’d like…”
He clearly thought I was insane now.
As if he couldn’t wait to get rid of me, he gently pushed me toward the slightly open door, gesturing.
“You should really head back in…”
“……”
As I was being ushered toward the door by his touch, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
“Wait a second.”
“…?”
“How can I trust you and just go?”
“What?”
Hans’ orange eyes widened in shock at my sharp gaze.
“You could tell the others that the young lady escaped from the room. Then my punishment would double, and my one-month confinement would turn into two.”
His lips trembled as he tried to respond to my admittedly reasonable suspicion.
“I would never…”
Before he could finish, I clamped his mouth shut with both hands and whispered.
“Come with me.”
“……”
As he bowed his head, mumbling that it wasn’t allowed, I took both his hands and smiled.
“I need you.”
“M-Me?”
I twirled my hair around my finger and beamed.
“Yup. You.”
‘As bait for getting into the underground prison, that is.’
{System: ‘Hans Damon’s favorability has increased by +1.}
{Current favorability: –3.}
Unaware of my sinister intentions, Hans’ ears turned embarrassingly red.
“If you’re okay with it, my lady…”
“Hehe…”
“…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“……”
“Thank you.”
He looked puzzled by my sly expression, then slumped his shoulders and replied weakly.
“…Yes, my lady.”
Despite his large frame, Hans blushed like a shy puppy as he looked at me.
“My lady?”
Ugh. Hold on. My heart can’t take this.
And now that Hans is looking up at me from below, he really does resemble a huge dog.
His sweat-dampened hair looked soft and fluffy, and his droopy eyes were perfect for making someone feel weak in the knees…
While I was off imagining wicked thoughts, a large, firm hand suddenly reached out in front of me.
“Huh?”
“Let’s go.”
Snapping out of my daze, I replied awkwardly.
“Ah, r-right.”
That’s right. We were going to the underground prison.
Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I gently took his offered hand.
“Okay.”
With a short response, I followed him. I could admire his handsome face after finding Noah.
“Is this really the right decision?”
He mumbled from behind the wall, wiping sweat from his brow. He was clearly nervous.
“And here I thought it was an honor to help the young lady…”
Mocking his earlier tone, I pouted and smirked.
“That was practically under duress…”
“Shh, come here.”
I brought a finger to his lips and whispered.
He flinched and jumped back when I got close, biting his lip.
“M-My lady…!”
“Shh. Quiet. We’re almost there, so let’s not get caught.”
‘But still…’
As Hans tried to speak, I narrowed my eyes and gripped his arm tightly.
“……”
He went silent at my serious expression and gulped loudly.
On the other side of the wall, a guard stood watch at the prison entrance, eyes wide and alert.
“…Will this really work?”
“It’s fine. Just do what I told you.”
Hans looked pale and defeated, like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
“O-Okay.”
Seeing how anxious he was, I gently brushed his red hair with my hand.
“If it works, you’ll get 20 gold.”
{System: ‘Hans Damon’s favorability has increased by +1.}
“…Got it.”
A faint orange favorability window appeared above his head.
Money always wins.
For context, that guard over there—he swings that way.
In other words, he’s gay.
How do I know? Easy. In the game, every character has relationship stats. Among the many encounters I remembered, I recalled that that guard over there liked men.
Good job, Yuria.
Praising myself, I turned serious again and fixed my eyes on the guard.
This operation was called: “Oops, I’m Lost!” Mission.
Let’s ignore the cheesy name. Given the urgency, it was honestly the best I could do.
The plan was simple.
Hans, shirtless, would pretend to be lost and ask the guard for directions.
While the guard got distracted by Hans’ impressive physique, I’d sneak into the underground prison through a crawlspace, covering my face as best I could.
Thankfully, there were lots of heavy planters left here that no one had moved due to the soil being unsuitable.
Perfect for hiding behind while running.
Sorry in advance, Hans. You’re the bait.
Hans took a deep breath and gave me a signal.
“My lady.”
His warm hand touched my shoulder. I nodded and gave him a big thumbs-up.
“Let’s do this.”
Naturally, the operation was a great success.
Who do you think planned it?
Hans might be stuck chatting with that guard for hours, but life’s bitter like that.
And when money’s involved, it’s even worse.
20 gold for a few hours of uncomfortable small talk?
Sure, the guy isn’t into girls, and that might make Hans uncomfortable, but hey—it’s still a decent trade.
Wiping sweat from my brow, I sighed.
“Move over a little.”
Kim Sword ignored my request and muttered.
「Master, something’s not right here.」
“……”
「There are spiders and maggots, and this wall is moldy all over. Clearly, this place hasn’t been maintained.」
I clamped a hand over his constantly yammering mouth and reached into a crevice in the wall.
“Well, we are near the underground prison.”
My fingers brushed a sunken spot in the wall.
Is this it?
My eyes sparkled like a kid who’d found a secret base.
「I told you I could teleport you once my mana recovers.」
He grumbled as he grabbed my arm.
“How can I trust you?”
Shrugging off his hand, I gestured toward him.
“We were lucky to land in the stables this time. What if next time we end up in some remote forest on the edge of the duchy?”
「That’s…」
He flinched at my reasonable point.
“I’d rather not end up bear food.”
He frowned as he slumped onto the grass, yawning.
Black rats scurried through the green bricks.
One particularly short and chubby rat tried to climb a railing but slipped and landed limply on someone’s shoulder.
Kim Sword calmly remarked.
「Master, you have a rat on your shoulder.」
“Yes, there’s a rat on my—”
I answered absentmindedly until I felt a squirming weight on my neck and shot up, shivering.
“KYAAH! A rat!”
“You scared all the others away.”
‘It was cute, too… what a shame,’ he muttered. I glared and resumed my crawl toward the crawlspace.
How did I know there was a hole here?
{System: You have 100 cash remaining.}
Heh.
I may have spent some money.
When I noticed a tiny shop icon in the corner of my system window, I clicked it.
Lo and behold—
It was full of useful tools for gameplay.
From tools to raise male leads’ favorability, to massive books that could cave in heads, to the classic strange red and blue potions whose effects were entirely unclear!
But seriously, you should at least give a description…
Anyway, I spent my cash to buy a secret map of the Berenestra estate.
2,900 cash for a piece of paper?!
I regretted spending the virtual currency I’d slowly gathered through quests, but I was in too deep now.
Might as well get my money’s worth.
If I’d known this existed earlier, I would’ve bought it right away…
Wedged like a sandwich between narrow bricks, I sighed.
How did I end up like this?
I had no idea how many times I’d sighed today.
“Do you think I can get in today?”
He didn’t respond. He’d turned his back and was now playing pat-a-cake with the rats.
I seriously considered smacking him upside the head.
…Patience, Yuria.
They say count to three and even murder can be avoided.
Clenching my fists, I took a deep breath and reached forward again.
Suddenly—
Thud.
A soft, warm, heavy black lump landed on my face.
「Oh. That must be the rat king. It’s huge.」
“……”
「Must’ve eaten well.」
I blinked dumbly.
To remind me of my current situation, the mouse wriggled its butt on my nose.
Squeak!
“A rat…?”
Its long tail smacked my cheek, snapping me out of it.
“AAAH! GET OFF ME, YOU DAMN RAT!”
Panicked, I bolted upright—slamming my head into the ceiling with a loud thunk, and before I could feel the pain—
My body fell straight through a hole.
A moment later, I landed hard on my butt with a dull thump.
“…Ugh.”
Somehow, I’d made it into the underground prison.
Seriously, should I be happy or not?
“Oww… my back…”
「You okay, Master?」
At least Kim Sword had the decency to look concerned and helped me up.
“I’m fine, fortunately…”
「Too bad, that rat was cute.」
“…What?”
I asked, thinking I must have misheard.
「Never mind.」
He changed the subject.
Maybe I did mishear… no way he’d prioritize a rat over me.
Rubbing my aching back, I surveyed the prison.
Dark, damp, reeking of mold and sewage. Exactly what I expected.
At least it wasn’t nightfall yet.
A sliver of twilight peeked through a small hole in the wall.
Without it, I would’ve been totally lost in this darkness.
It served as a kind of makeshift window, crude but necessary.
As I felt my way along the walls, I reached a cell.
There was a crude candlestick flickering with weak yellow light.
It looked like it could go out at any moment.
No one else should be imprisoned here besides Noah…
Peeking in, I saw a familiar figure sprawled on the cold floor.
「Is that the one you were looking for?」
Kim Sword asked quietly.
Noah was wearing shackles thicker than my arm, yet his face looked serene—as if he were napping.
Surprisingly neat for someone imprisoned for a week.
Clean enough for someone about to be executed.
His recovery is faster than before.
But how was that possible?
Even if he’s a genetically exceptional half-elf, there had to be a limit.
“……”
While scanning the cell, I spotted something in the corner.
That’s…
A brown, cloudy glass vial.
One of the narcotic painkillers from the original game.
The question was—why was it here?
「What’s wrong with his ears?」
Kim Sword jabbed my side, frowning.
I grabbed his wrist.
“I’ll explain later.”
It was my way of saying shut up and stay still.
Thankfully, he understood.
“Noah Iosif.”
So many questions.
Like—who gave him that drug?
Narcotic painkillers weren’t available to civilians.
Not just because of their cost, but because they caused hallucinations similar to illegal drugs.
While under hallucinations, patients felt no pain.
Hence the name.
They were usually reserved for war zones or for amputees.
But the real problem was the addiction.
Once it began, reason would fade, and eventually, one would forget even what they were doing.
Dangerous stuff.
But at this moment, it was the very thing he needed most.
“Noah.”
His ears twitched.
“It’s me.”
“……”
“Yuria.”
Flash.
His eyes snapped open.
Groggy and unfocused, he looked at me like he’d just woken from a nap.
His drooping eyes seemed drunk with sleep.
Don’t tell me… he’s already addicted?
I hadn’t expected him to look at me directly so suddenly.
“Why did you come?”
His voice, dry and cracked like rusty iron, echoed through the cell.
“I had just barely started sorting things out in my heart… why did you come now?”
He mumbled like a man lost in thought.
“More importantly, that thing on the floor—”
“Did you know?”
He cut me off.
His gaze—once blank—lifted to meet mine.
In his dull, pitch-black eyes, a hazy silhouette of a woman appeared.
As if trying not to look directly at me, his eyelids fluttered weakly.
“In my world, you’re already dead.”
Then came the coldest words, stabbing straight into my chest.
