How a Nuisance Character Survives in a Horror Game – Chapter 75

Author: lipzoldyck

“It’s so burdensome and irritating…”

Even before I could open the journal, the gazes of the demons surrounding me made me want to hide somewhere.

I’m not usually like that, but this pressure is so strong that it makes me feel so.

“Go ahead and read it!”

Celyr was threatening me to read the journal.

If I didn’t, his gaze would tear me apart instead of the paper, so I cautiously opened it.

Celyr met my gaze and glared fiercely.

“Don’t look at me, and read it!”

“Yes, yes!”

I’d read it even if you weren’t angry…

I was so worried that I’d make eye contact with Celyr again to the extent I practically buried my nose in the journal.

There were no dates written on it, other than the date of arrival, but it seemed like everything that happened at the hotel had been written down since that day.

Judging by the bloodstains here and there, I could sense Myers’ strong will to leave this behind, even though he was badly injured.

[I came here to ask for forgiveness.]

My eyes widened from the first line.

He truly came here on his own initiative to ask for forgiveness.

To resolve this matter, leaving the family to his brother.

It was written underneath that if, like me, he wanted his family destroyed, he would gladly do so. Myers was determined to liberate everything in this hotel.

More importantly, just before entering, he consulted with the heads of the families involved, yet they all accused him of being crazy and threatened with murder.

Myers’ stubbornness, insisting he wouldn’t die by their hands, stood out.

But something was strange.

There are quite a few family seals, though?

As I tilted my head, Celyr added from the side.

“Except for the first and second heads of the Rodrige family, all of them left the family to their siblings or children and came into the family voluntarily. They didn’t want to pass it on to future generations.”

“But it wasn’t like that in the past.”

The heads of the families that followed that bastard were all desperate to get rid of their sins.

“They lived long before you were born, how could you know the faces of your ancestors?”

“Ah…”

“The Rodrige family wasn’t there. If it wasn’t shown on purpose, they must have wanted to let you know that your family was involved and see how you would react.”

Celyr’s lips smirked as he said that.

“I don’t know who did it, but one thing is certain. None of this is a bad thing for us.”

It’s utterly absurd to me.

Strictly speaking, it’s not necessarily true… But I was supposed to live in a sense of victimization, so I decided to let it slide.

“So these seals are the remains of our ancestors?”

“Yes. Starting with Mellie, then Chevian. And then you came in.”

Chevian was my grandfather’s younger brother. I heard he’d gone on a whim, but turns out he came here too.

They sacrificed themselves for us, hoping to preserve their family lineage. At the same time, they sought forgiveness from the demons.

They all tried to reveal the island’s secrets and save the demons.

However, the heads of other families who had entered this place tried to kill the traitor, Rodrige, in the hotel, and they perished helplessly.

Furthermore, to the demons, Rodrige was just as bad, so there was no need to save us.

Everyone tried except for the first and second generations, and all failed until it passed to me.

That’s why the heads of those families were particularly unfriendly toward ours.

Since the heads of the families share secrets, even the current heads knew about it.

At least the Schneider family wasn’t hostile.

Was the young lord reflecting on his actions now?

But that doesn’t mean…

“That doesn’t mean forgiveness.”

The demons fell silent at my firm words.

Even though he’d tried so hard, to be honest, he had pushed his own family to the side, just like me.

He might have thought, “So your own families are precious, but others’ aren’t?”

Especially during my father’s time, he had no siblings.

Until we were this grown, no one had ever come into this hotel.

Perhaps he couldn’t bear to do that because of us.

But given his personality, that’s impossible.

He would have done this even if it meant leaving it to my mother.

‘Ah…! Maybe it’s something Grandfather never told him.’

I once happened to see Father crying in Mother’s arms, saying that Grandfather clearly wanted to tell him something but refused to say it, and that he wanted to hear his last words.

What if that was a secret about this island?

Then, as if breaking my musings, Celyr’s voice came through.

“Only Rodrige is different.”

Ectenron and Dilaph nodded in agreement. Suriel and Holloway seemed to disagree.

Of course, they can’t all agree.

“Because we were the only ones trying to uncover the secret here and save you?”

“…No. Because you saved that person.”

“Who was that person, though.”

I wasn’t told so.

Is it the boy I saw in the past?

I think I saw traces of someone in the drawings and notes I found, and it could be the ‘boy’ these demons speak of.

So, does that mean Rodrige once saved that precious boy?

The journal, to summarize, contained everything I knew about the island’s secrets.

I thought the system had something to do with this hotel…

‘Could the system actually be the ancestor of the Rodrige family?’

Even so, I don’t understand why they’re acting like that to me.

Even trying to kill Cynthia…

“Was it because the Imperial Palace didn’t take their side that they tried to kill them?”

If she died here, the magi might have influenced her, and she might have been losing her mind.

‘If that’s the case, then the system itself is more likely to be the Rodrige family.’

It makes sense that it came to me, not Moran, the only family not involved in this.

I closed the journal only after turning the pages.

I felt like I understood why I had come here.

‘They’re asking me to carry on the will of the Rodrige family.’

To free the demons they couldn’t achieve and fulfill their wishes.

If Grandfather hadn’t truly told my father, then perhaps it had bypassed him and come to me.

I’m not entirely sure why I was chosen over my brother, the heir to the family line.

In any case, now that I’m here, I have more things to do besides escape.

If our ancestors wanted to ask for forgiveness from these people, then I, too, should inherit that will.

I’m sorry for calling you damned bastards.

That only applies to those who haven’t reflected on their actions. You’re angels.

“The Rodrige family kept asking for forgiveness. Did they even apologize directly?”

“Not only that, but they tried tirelessly to save us with their weak bodies. Sadly, they all died.”

There’s nothing we can do in this situation.

There are so many monsters out there, trying to kill everything in this hotel. There’s no way we could survive.

Even if we continue to live as humans, we’ll all grow old and die. Even the demons wouldn’t know the escape gate, so they couldn’t help us escape.

According to the journal, it seemed like he had no intention of escaping until everything was over.

Unless that’s the case…

“Did you kill the entire Rodrige family by mistake? It would be hard to tell them apart.”

I said it was inevitable and told them to speak freely. Celyr shook her head.

“No. As written in the journal, the families involved sent people here to deliberately kill all the Rodrige.”

“Ah…”

“Even the person I loved.”

[You’ve completed ‘Rodrige’s Journal’!]

[Celyr’s favorability rating has increased!]

[Celyr, the ‘Demon of Hatred’s Heartᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ: If she’s the Rodrige family, I have to protect her.]

[Since you have completed ‘Rodrige’s Journal’ and Celyr’s favorability rating has increased, ‘Hidden Story (2)’ begins!]

I thought it was showing me the past again, yet it came from an unexpected source.

“You look so much like Myers. How dare I see a human being that resembles Myers, it pisses me off.”

…After all, Myers is a ‘human’ too.

“It was because I was his descendant.”

Celyr softened. That gentleness was different from the other demons.

She cupped my cheek, looking at me curiously.

“He was the first person I ever gave my heart to.”

At the completely unexpected words, my mind was lost and my expression was blank. Holloway poked my cheek.

“Aren’t you going to move your finger?”

I gripped his index finger tightly, telling him to stay still, and looked at her. I meant for her to continue.

“You liked each other?”

“Yes. But…”

She couldn’t bring herself to continue.

I was taken aback by the unexpected love story. I never thought she’d be so entangled with the Rodrige family…

Celyr’s face still held a fierce longing.

That affection had never wavered since that day, and even the mere thought of Myers radiated warmth from her eyes.

I saw the seal on her ring finger.

“I thought the descendants had abandoned us since we hadn’t heard from them since Chevian. Who would have thought you were a Rodrige?”

When she mentioned the Rodrige family, the demons’ gazes were filled with a hint of affection.

“I’m a descendant of the sinful Rodrige, but why do you think that?”

“Even if you’re being nice, he’s still that damned bastard.”

Speak more politely, Dilaph.

“After all he’s done, will you look kindly on me? Then you won’t kill me?”

I glanced at Holloway, yet he averted his gaze.

Hmm, not to the extent of not killing me, I guess.

They don’t exempt the Rodrige family from liability.

“I won’t kill you. You have his blood in you.”

It must have been an excuse for Celyr.

Honestly, she was the most dangerous, so I was grateful just for her saying she wouldn’t kill me.

I felt like bowing down to her.

“Thank you…”

I was so scared of you.

“…”

“I should give you a gift, since I’m so grateful.”

“We have photos in our mansion from when you were young, before you entered the hotel. Technology has advanced so much that we can now capture moments with magic.”

“P-Photos?”

“Besides the photos, the books you used to read, your diary, your clothes, and even your room are still intact.”

Celyr’s eyes shook violently. Tears pooled in her eyes, eventually streaming down her cheeks.

“I want to see…”

“I’ll let you see.”

“How can you?”

Suriel, don’t bother.

***

According to Celyr, she almost killed Myers at first.

So, it would be even harder to win Holloway’s heart, who was even more stubborn than Celyr.

Even if Rodrige tried to help, it might not be the same as mine.

Holloway had been betrayed by even his own father, so he might have a reflexive aversion to trusting others.