‘Can I turn off the visual protection filter?’
Despite this being an adults-only game, the developers had gone out of their way to censor it.
That could only mean there was nothing good to be gained from seeing it.
But somehow, I felt like I had to.
As I stared at the translucent message window, another prompt appeared.
[Would you like to disable the Visual Protection Filter?]
Yes.
I nodded to myself.
As if it had been waiting for my answer, my vision became crystal clear.
“Ah…”
What I saw after removing the filter could only be described as horrifying.
Her upper body was grotesquely swollen, likely from severe edema, and her face, like everyone else’s, was marred by a hollow void where features should have been.
Her arms were attached at unnatural angles, as though they’d been crudely stitched back on.
The most eye-catching part, however, was the countless rough seams covering her body.
‘I… I think I’m going to throw up.’
It wasn’t that Carol herself disgusted me.
It was simply… unbearable to look at.
A blanket covered her lower body, but beneath her thighs there was… nothing.
Carol really didn’t have any legs.
‘…He really was planning to sew mine onto her.’
The image of my own legs crudely stitched onto Carol’s body sent a violent chill racing down my spine.
Ugh…
‘Wait.’
The next thought that struck me completely overwhelmed even that horrifying image.
The villagers I’d seen earlier…
The people each missing a limb or some other body part.
The way everyone became tense whenever Luden Trading Company was mentioned.
That little boy.
What if…
Every single one of them had come here…
…and had pieces of their bodies taken from them?
1. All transactions are conducted through bartering only.
However, due to the lack of goods in Monter Village, parts of your body may, in certain circumstances, be considered valid items for trade. Please keep this in mind.
Maybe…
Maybe that rule existed because of Mr. Scrooge.
‘I’m almost certain of it. Based on what Mr. Scrooge has done…’
Ugh.
I didn’t have the strongest stomach to begin with, and the more horrifying possibilities I imagined, the more nauseous I became.
But…
Even so…
I turned back toward the bed.
“Does it hurt?”
As expected, Carol remained silent.
Instead, one of her fingers—the only part of her that looked even remotely intact, though poorly stitched together—twitched weakly toward me.
Maybe…
Maybe she wanted to speak, but simply couldn’t.
I couldn’t even tell where her face actually was.
Where her mouth was.
Whether she was even breathing properly.
It was impossible to tell with the naked eye.
After hesitating for a moment, I reached out toward her as though grasping at the last straw.
‘Blessing of Purification.’
A gentle golden light enveloped Carol’s body.
I hoped for some miraculous change…
But unfortunately…
Nothing happened.
I’d wondered if she’d been cursed somehow, but even after the light faded completely, Carol remained exactly as she was.
‘Then this means…’
A strange certainty settled over me.
If it wasn’t a curse…
Then this was the result of someone’s overwhelming determination.
Something like…
Desperation.
“…sorry…”
Just then, a faint voice brushed against my ears.
I leaned closer so I could hear better.
“What did you say?”
“I’m… sorry… I’m sorry…”
Her fragile voice was filled with sorrow.
As if desperately trying to tell me something, Carol weakly squirmed before pointing behind me with her trembling fingers.
‘…Behind me?’
As I turned my head, her fading voice whispered one final word.
“Run.”
The words “Why?” died in my throat.
The instant I turned around, a massive club slammed into the back of my head.
Everything went black.
“Ugh…”
When I opened my eyes, my head throbbed violently, and the room spun around me.
What…
What happened?
The last thing I’d seen was that terrifying club—one that looked capable of killing someone with a single hit.
‘Holy… did I seriously get knocked out from behind?’
I tried to steady myself and stand up.
It didn’t take long to realize both my arms and legs were tightly bound.
Well…
The one silver lining—if it could even be called that—was that my legs were still attached.
“This is driving me crazy…”
[00:00:08]
I checked the remaining time.
My eyes widened in horror.
When had so much time passed?
That meant I’d been unconscious for over seven hours.
Meanwhile, the timer continued ticking down…
Until it finally reached zero.
[00:00:00]
[The passage to ‘Belmond Duke’s Castle’ has been sealed. Time remaining until it reopens…]
[07:59:59]
So…
The timer hadn’t been the quest deadline after all?
Which meant…
Even if I escaped now, I couldn’t go back.
As panic began to set in, I sensed someone approaching.
“You’re awake, Miss Windsor.”
It was Mr. Scrooge.
But unlike before, there wasn’t a trace of friendliness in his voice.
“I apologize for my haste. It’s simply been so long since we’ve had a guest visit this place that I…”
Liar.
He’d done it because he thought I’d refuse and run away.
But my heart had shrunk to the size of a bean.
Instead of arguing, I looked at him pleadingly.
“C-Could you at least untie me first?”
If I wanted to touch the crow keychain hanging from my belt, I needed my hands free.
Unfortunately, this crazy old man had tied them up just as tightly as everything else.
“Oh, certainly.”
Only then did I notice the large cleaver in his hand.
He wasn’t…
He wasn’t planning to use that to chop off my legs…
…Right?
Please don’t let that be it.
Bending down, he grasped the rope around my wrists before speaking politely.
“The terms of our deal remain unchanged, Miss Windsor.”
“…”
“For the sake of my poor Carol… please make your decision.”
In other words…
If I wanted to be untied, I had to give him my legs.
Cornered with no way forward or back, a quest window suddenly appeared before me.
[A Hidden Quest has appeared.]
▶ What Carol Truly Wants
The owner of Luden Trading Company, Scrooge, has been collecting healthy body parts for his daughter Carol, who lost her limbs to a devastating illness.
However, Carol does not want the body parts Scrooge keeps bringing her.
As the future mistress of House Belmond, discover what Carol truly wants!
—Reward
• 100,000 Diamonds
“Ah.”
One hundred thousand.
A full one hundred thousand Diamonds.
The moment I saw the reward gleaming in the quest window, the fear creeping into my heart began to fade.
Come to think of it…
In every game, quests naturally led to more quests.
What if the quest involving Luden Trading Company had been nothing more than the setup for this hidden storyline all along?
Besides, the reward alone was on an entirely different scale from an ordinary quest.
That only strengthened my conviction.
“Miss Windsor… why have you gone silent?”
“Just a moment.”
Having regained my composure, I immediately opened the cash shop.
A moment later…
‘There it is!’
Perfect.
The price was reasonable too.
Still…
The first priority was convincing Mr. Scrooge, who seemed utterly determined to take my legs.
“Mr. Scrooge.”
“Yes?”
“No matter how I think about it, taking my legs isn’t going to help Miss Carol very much.”
“That is not for you to decide, Miss Windsor.”
“I merely proposed the terms of the trade.”
“A trade?”
I openly frowned.
“And what if… I refuse your offer?”
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