How a Nuisance Character Survives in a Horror Game Chapter 58

 

—W-What’s wrong with your expression?

 

[The evil spirit begins to feel unpleasant towards you.]

 

[Please hurry and cheer up the evil spirit.]

 

I narrowed my eyes and lightly touched her stomach with a worried expression.

 

“It seems to hurt so much…”

 

If you have empathy, you’ll get it.

 

Splat.

 

The moment my hand touched the evil spirit’s stomach, I could feel the sound and the raw texture.

 

The flesh inside my mouth was all torn off as I tried to suppress my nausea.

 

—Why… are you crying?

 

[The evil spirit looks at you crying and wonders if you are feeling disgusted. You have to calm down the evil spirit’s anger that is slowly rising.

 

▶ What should you say?

 

1. (Looking at the liver and feeling disgusted) Is this the colon?]

 

Not this one.

 

[2. (burying face in stomach) Mumble, mumble, mumble…]

 

Why are you doing this to me, really…

 

—…You’re crying more?

 

I’m sorry! I’m sorry for crying!

 

I’m just thinking sad thoughts! Please don’t mind me.

 

[3. (cutting inside stomach with saw in lab) What’s hidden here. Tell me.]

 

…Is there any correct answer?

 

Are you sure there is?

 

— Hey… You promised to check my stomach. Did you forget? Did you forget? Did you forget? Did you forget? Did you forget?

 

I’ll understand even if you say it once, Sister.

 

Check the inside of the stomach…

 

Then the correct answer is number 2.

 

But there must be someone who asks why I’m worrying instead of pressing it right now.

 

Think about it.

 

You have to bury your face in that bloody place where you can see internal organs and mumble…

 

Not only that, you have to open my eyes wide to see what is there.

 

I couldn’t stop crying because of the great ordeal that was about to come.

 

I was relatively strong against gore, but I was speechless at the vividness that was so different from what I saw in the game.

 

—…

 

[The evil spirit has reached the limit of her patience.]

 

[10 seconds before your throat is cut off.]

 

[9 seconds before.]

 

…I’ll say it again.

 

I have a considerable will to live!

 

“I’ll check it now.”

 

Then I pressed 2.

 

If I could only live…

 

In the basement where I knew nothing, that method might have been the most peaceful way.

 

Someone pressed the back of my head as I resisted, thinking I didn’t want to go, and slammed it into the evil spirit’s stomach.

 

“Ugh.”

 

—…

 

“Mumble, mumble mumble…”

 

Although I don’t know why the hell I was murmuring, I opened my eyes slightly. Then my eyes widened in surprise.

 

…Why is the night sky equipped inside her stomach?

 

A huge black hole-like black space unfolded before me as I put my face in and dug through the stomach’s internal organs.

 

I quickly turned my eyes. Even if it was a different dimension, I didn’t want to do something so absurd as to keep burying my face in it.

 

As I looked, something vaguely floated around.

 

What is it?

 

I hesitated for a moment, then squeezed my eyes shut, putting my hand inside the stomach’s internal organs. I slowly extended my bloody hand.

 

Ugh, I can’t reach it…

 

When I moved to insert my waist deeper, the soft internal organs that touched my shoulder squashed me. Every time that happened, the fluffy hairs on my body stood on end.

 

I bit my lips tightly as I cried, reaching out. Only after I was submerged up to my waist was I able to catch the thing.

 

“I got it!”

 

When my voice echoed in the stomach, I was suddenly afraid and quickly pulled my body back.

 

[Sub Quest <A Healing Hand for a Child with a Stomach Ache!> success!]

 

“Excuse me…”

 

—Aaah, now it doesn’t hurt anymore…

 

“In that stomach…”

 

—It doesn’t hurt.… Child, be careful…

 

The nice evil spirit who asks me how I’m doing…

 

—I might eat you next time. Gyahahahahaha!

 

Do you have a split personality?

 

Why the hell are you guys doing to this me.

 

I flicked my middle finger at the evil spirit that was moving away and sniffled before leaving the place for now.

 

So scary.

 

***

 

After getting a hammer as the quest success gift and wandering around, I came across an office and went straight inside.

 

This time, I didn’t forget to check the ceiling. Fortunately, the office was relatively cleaner than the lab I had first seen.

 

Though there were bloodstains here and there, there were no gruesome torture tools or surgical instruments.

 

I sat on the sofa and took a deep breath.

 

When I put down the hammer and lamp, my body trembled like an aspen tree. I felt something in my hands the moment I clasped my hands together.

 

“Ah, this…”

 

It was an object taken out of the evil spirit’s stomach. Only then could I see it in detail.

 

“Brooch…?”

 

The jewel in the middle…

 

This, taaffeite?

 

The brooch, decorated with a taaffeite in the middle, was extremely ornate.

 

There were snake shapes curling on both sides of the brooch.

 

And the top had a halo decoration reminiscent of the sun, with each grain made of expensive jewels.

 

“I’ve seen this before, though.”

 

Taaffeite was a precious gem representing the empire, so it was only used by the Imperial Family.

 

After the first emperor monopolized it, Taaffeite was only used by the Imperial Family of the Vallone Empire.

 

When I thought about that, my eyes opened wide.

 

“Right, it’s the Imperial emblem…!”

 

A brooch with the Imperial emblem. I wondered where I had seen it, but I saw it when that idiot prince bragged about it being the brooch he had received!

 

A brooch that only the Imperial bloodline can have… !

 

“Then… the one who really colluded with the dark mage was the emperor of the Vallone Empire?”

 

According to the history books, the First Emperor was a war maniac and was so greedy that he had to have everything to satisfy his desire.

 

Since he had that much wealth, ability, and power, there were many articles praising him for everything.

 

The first emperor was also the one who created the current Vallone Empire.

 

That nobleman we saw in The Secret of the Island…

 

A high-handed tone, natural threats.

 

A person who could buy an entire island and gather nobles without suspicion.

 

“…Emperor. It must be the Emperor.”

 

The First Emperor created this island!

 

The great emperor who founded Vallone.

 

He was certainly doing something like this behind the splendidly written history books.

 

Then the First Emperor joined hands with the dark mage and summoned the demons, and if my prediction is correct, wouldn’t it be related to Suriel trying to kill Cynthia?

 

In any case, it was unfair that they were suddenly sealed after being called, and since Cynthia, who was of Imperial blood, came in, their anger might have been directed towards her.

 

“I have to keep this brooch for now.”

 

The moment I put it in my pocket, a window popped up.

 

[‘Remaining Footprints (1)’ acquired!]

 

[Remaining Footprints (1)

 

Characteristic: Someone’s precious brooch. The owner of the lost brooch can roughly know the location of the person who picks this up if someone finds this. The owner would be really grateful if you could find them.]

 

Hmm… It’s not the Emperor’s brooch, but the Prince? Or Her Imperial Majesty the Empress? Or Cynthia?

 

But since they couldn’t have come here, we can exclude everyone except Cynthia.

 

That doesn’t mean the dead will come to me…

 

No, I can’t deny it here.

 

They might come looking for me in the form of a ghost. Since they said they were grateful to me, if I give them the item, they’ll probably pass on peacefully.

 

Or maybe it’s really Cynthia.

 

I pinned the brooch inside my cardigan so I wouldn’t lose it.

 

I didn’t want to show it to someone else, in case things might get messed up.

 

“I have to get out of here first.”

 

I can’t seem to find my way.

 

Maybe because I’ve been hanging out with Holloway all this time, his absence felt particularly big.

 

Though he was annoying, I guess I was relying on him without realizing it.

 

Ah, really…

 

When you get used to being with someone, your fear of being alone doubles.

 

I tried to somehow avoid that by being alone.

 

“Haa…”

 

I lowered my head for a moment and then lifted it again.

 

My worries didn’t last long.

 

There was nothing to worry about in this situation. The way to break through here was simple.

 

Escape from the basement!

 

It’s not easy, but what can I do.

 

I was told to do it.

 

I got up from my seat in annoyance. Unlike certain someone who had approached the door with great energy, I opened it slowly.

 

“…”

 

It was quiet outside.

 

I licked my dry lips and took a step outside.

 

If you could give me a hint to go up because there was a quest, I would be grateful.

 

[Main Quest occurs!]

 

…?

 

Main Quest? Suddenly?

 

[Main Quest <Don’t Be Sad>

 

Objective: Complete all the remaining hidden stories.

 

Clear reward: Hint for the escape gate. (You’ll get one hint each time you complete one.)

 

If you collect all the stories, you will get one more hint.

 

You fail to escape in case of failure.]

 

If you want to escape, you have to collect all the stories.

 

Hint for the escape gate. This was a must-do.

 

It was much better than just blindly searching.

 

I tried my best to rationalize it.

 

In a place where I had no idea where the escape gate was, the hints about escape were like the only light in the darkness.

 

[Story Collection (1/7)]

 

[It opens when you raise each demon’s favorability to ‘It Will Be Nice if Evelin lives?’

 

The story will be told more later.]

 

…Favorability, raising the demons’ favorability?

 

I have to look at the past, but I have to raise favorability too?

 

It might be the demons’ past, but there were six stories to collect.

 

Are you asking me to just raise favorability…

 

And how am I supposed to raise Celyr’s…!

 

Another window opened in front of me as I screamed.

 

[The Story of the Brooch Owner ‘???? ????’ can now be collected!]

 

[To see the past, avoid the evil spirits and head to ‘Laboratory 44’.]

 

I swallowed dry saliva. Will I be able to safely get to Laboratory 44 while avoiding the evil spirits?

 

Anyway, if I can’t get out of here, I’m dead.

 

Although my legs are dancing, I’m okay.

 

I’m really okay.

 

Tremble, tremble…

 

I calmed my trembling hands and barely opened the door and went out.

 

The laboratory number over there was 19, right?

 

What I need to find is 44…

 

That way is number f*cking 18…

 

(i’m not sure how to deliver this joke properly but f*ck is 시발 (shi-bal) and 18 is 십팔 (shib-pal) which sounds so similar to f*ck)

 

The numbers would naturally increase as I went deeper.

 

“…Let’s go.”

 

F**k, I’ll dig everything up.

 

The moment I took a step.

 

Clack, clack-clack-clack…

 

—Sniff, sniff-sniff… KRAAAHH…!

 

There must be a reason for this, mustn’t it.