How a Nuisance Character Survives a Horror Game Chapter 36

Suriel and Sellir sat on the sofa with deathly pale faces.

The murderous intent Holloway had sent toward them for that brief instant had been real.

Sellir, who had been sitting there blankly, muttered in disbelief,

“……How could this happen? Holloway, to me……”

“To be precise, it wasn’t aimed just at you. It was aimed at both you and Suriel.”

When Dilaf corrected her, Sellir’s eyes snapped sharply upward.

“Does this look like a joke to you?”

At Sellir’s vicious tone, Dilaf merely shrugged.

Apparently being threatened by Holloway had shocked her badly enough that tears had even gathered around her eyes.

It was understandable.

Something like this had never happened before.

And more importantly—

it had happened to them.

Being pushed aside for a mere human left a filthy taste in Sellir’s mouth.

She bit down hard on her lip.

Watching Sellir looking as though she might explode at any moment, Suriel finally spoke.

“Enough. I can always collect more.”

Rather than make an enemy of Holloway, it was better to give everything up.

Especially when Suriel remembered Evelyn triumphantly lifting child-form Holloway and practically daring him to shoot.

Goosebumps spread over his entire body, and Suriel shuddered.

“Dilaf was right. We shouldn’t touch that terrifying woman. Did you see her lift Holloway and shake him around, even if he looks like a child? She’s fucking insane.”

“Exactly! She’s fucking insan— I mean, crazy!”

Dilaf was so shocked that even his words tangled.

Even if Holloway looked like a child, no normal person would behave that way in that situation.

“Doesn’t that woman know everything? Why else would she suddenly pick Holloway up and shake him?”

Sellir still looked deeply suspicious.

But Dilaf and Suriel thought back over everything Evelyn had done so far.

Suddenly slapping someone across the face.

Appearing with nunchaku while shouting bizarre battle cries and mercilessly beating people……

Her behavior had already proven completely unpredictable.

So if it were Evelyn and no one else, suddenly lifting Holloway and shaking him didn’t actually seem strange at all.

Suriel calmly denied Sellir’s suspicion.

“Probably not.”

“She’s just like that. Boss doesn’t seem to find anything especially strange either.”

At Dilaf’s addition, Suriel and Extenron both nodded in agreement.

Sellir abruptly glared at Extenron.

He immediately curled in on himself and watched her nervously.

Dilaf clicked his tongue.

“Don’t take your anger out on Extenron.”

Having her behavior pointed out irritated Sellir.

“What’s it to you?”

She sharply turned away from Dilaf and asked Suriel,

“You’re not going back?”

“Holloway will kill her eventually anyway. I can collect her fingers and hair then.”

The longer humans remained in this place, the more they would inevitably be consumed by the negative energy of the demonic aura.

At the same time, the endless monsters would exhaust their bodies and minds.

Then conflict would arise even without the demons doing anything.

They would argue.

Lose trust in each other.

And eventually die.

That was what always happened.

“What if Holloway’s feelings change?”

Dilaf, Suriel, and Extenron all stared at Sellir as though she had said something absurd.

Only then did Sellir realize what she herself had just said.

She frowned irritably.

“Right. As if that would happen.”

It wouldn’t.

There had never been an exception in all those long years.

“Still, I can’t just watch.”

Sellir nervously bit her nails.

Even acting alone, she intended to eliminate Evelyn.

Without Holloway noticing.

Once she was dead, Sellir could simply claim it had been an accident.

Holloway probably wouldn’t care that much.

He was obviously angry because they had tried stealing prey he had marked for himself.

“That’s right. That must be it.”

That had to be the answer.

[Current Hotel Difficulty has risen to ‘You Should Probably Be a Little Careful.’]

The difficulty really did whatever it wanted.

Thanks to finding some potions, all our wounds had been completely healed.

We were currently standing in front of the infirmary.

‘There aren’t many bottles of potion, but at least they’re extremely effective.’

Even if someone suffered a serious injury, using all the stored potions at once should greatly reduce the risk of dying.

My butt had healed completely too.

Click.

Click-click.

Cletta twisted the doorknob and clicked his tongue.

“It’s locked.”

“I have a key.”

I took out the gold key labeled as the third-floor infirmary key.

Moran looked confused.

“Where did you get that?”

“From the pocket of that employee monster earlier. Something was shining, so I grabbed it just in case and it turned out to be a key. I didn’t know whether it was actually for the infirmary.”

[Holloway is studying you closely.]

[Because Affection has fallen sharply, Holloway is beginning to view you unfavorably.]

[If you fail to manage your expression even slightly, Holloway’s Danger Gauge toward you may suddenly rise above 50.]

[If the Danger Gauge reaches 50 or more: Your skin may be peeled off.]

If I fail to manage my expression……?

I steadied my trembling eyes and inserted the key.

Click.

“Oh? It opened.”

I acted as though I genuinely hadn’t expected it to be the right key.

But I couldn’t immediately open the door.

I merely stood there holding the handle.

“What are you doing, Miss Evelyn?”

“Big sis, aren’t you opening it?”

“Want me to?”

It’s not because I can’t open it.

I looked at the three of them and asked fearfully,

“Aren’t you scared? It’s an infirmary……. An infirmary in a place this terrifying.”

There might be dissected specimens everywhere.

There could be terrifying syringes or anatomical models.

And the quest had mentioned a patient.

I had absolutely no idea what kind of patient.

They are human, right?

Wait.

That’s a problem too if they are.

[Holloway watches you closely, then looks away.]

My acting skills are incredible.

At this rate, I might even conquer high society with my ability to control my expressions.

I slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

It was too dark to see properly.

When I cautiously entered, my foot struck something.

A lamp.

I picked it up.

[Obtained ‘Lamp’!]

[Lamp

Feature: Allows you to see where you’re going.]

Why not just say it lets me see in front of me?

The wording almost sounds like it’s insulting me and telling me to get my life together……

Feeling mildly offended, I returned to the corridor and used one of the candles to light the lamp.

Then I illuminated the infirmary.

Brown, dried blood had splattered across the walls.

Medical examination papers and shift schedules lay scattered everywhere.

Broken syringes covered the desk.

A doctor’s coat stained with filthy substances hung from a chair.

Moran, Cletta, and Holloway stuck close behind me as though I were some kind of squad leader.

The quest said there was a patient here……

The infirmary was fairly large.

As I slowly surveyed the room, I spotted a blood-soaked curtain surrounding something on one side.

Probably a medical bed.

Flutter.

The curtain, crusted with dried blood, swayed.

“Eek……!”

Moran recoiled at the blood and grabbed Cletta’s arm.

Cletta comforted her.

“It’s okay, Moran.”

“Big sis……”

“Come here.”

Pretty commanding, aren’t I?

I wrapped an arm around Holloway’s shoulders and approached the bed.

Moran asked tearfully,

“Do you really have to look there?”

“M-Maybe there’s some kind of clue……”

I don’t want to go either.

But I have to for the quest.

I had no weapons at all.

Finding anything would make me feel better.

“Moran, stay there with Cletta. I’ll quickly look and come back. Holloway, if you’re scared, you can stay with Moran too.”

“No. I want to stay with big sis.”

Holloway and I moved toward the curtain.

Cletta grabbed him.

“You stay with Moran. I’ll go with Evelyn. We don’t know what might jump out.”

I barely listened.

I simply dragged Holloway with me.

Standing before the curtain, I took a deep breath.

Then I said,

“Open the curtain for me.”

“…….”

“Just kidding.”

I was serious.

But I grabbed the curtain myself.

It shook wildly as though buffeted by wind.

Where is that wind coming from?

“Big sis, stop shaking the curtain.”

Oh.

It was my hand trembling.

“Hah.”

Holloway sighed and tugged my sleeve.

“Move. I’ll open it.”

I immediately stepped backward, folded my arms, and spoke sternly.

“I can’t make a child do it.”

[Holloway lets out a disbelieving laugh because your actions and words do not match.]

[You seem slightly adorable.]

[Affection increased by 0.2%.]

[Attachment increased by 0.5%.]

[Possessiveness increased by 2%.]

Those increases are seriously stingy……

Can we ever reach 20% like this?

This might take forever.

Without even warming up, Holloway decisively flung the curtain aside.

SHRRRK!

Moran screamed.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Her scream startled me.

Holloway snickered.

That little bastard……

There was nothing special behind the curtain.

I had expected a patient.

Instead, there was merely a bed drenched in blood.

Moran recoiled.

“B-Blood……!”

“Blood is practically normal around here now.”

I answered calmly and pointed toward the next curtain.

Open it.

“……Big sis, seriously.”

Is he angry?

[Holloway cannot understand why you keep doing such adorable things.]

A child thinks I’m adorable.

Then increase your damn Affection.

“Big sis, move farther back— You already did……”

“My body is precious.”

Holloway gave another incredulous laugh and opened the second curtain.

SHRRK!

Inside—

Werner lay perfectly straight on the medical bed like some sleeping prince.

I inspected him.

“Big sis, don’t get so close!”

Fine, fine.

What a terrible temper.

I’d expected something dramatic.

But it was just Werner.

All the tension drained from my body.

“It’s Sir Werner. Did he eat a poisoned apple……?”

“Th-Then that’s terrible!”

Moran went pale and approached, shaking my arm.

“It’s not that serious. He’ll wake up if someone he trusts and relies on kisses him.”

Normally, it would be someone he loved.

“Someone he trusts and relies on……”

Among those present, the only person Werner could really fit that description with was Cletta.

He trusted Moran too, but he didn’t exactly rely on her.

So Moran and I both looked toward Cletta.

Cletta, who had been quietly standing there, pointed at himself in disbelief.

“You want me to kiss him?”

“Kiss him, kiss him.”

“K-Kiss him! Sir Werner needs to wake up!”

Sometimes, Moran really……

Cletta placed a hand on top of Moran’s head and sighed.

“Evelyn is joking. Don’t fall for this. How would Evelyn even know something like that?”

My lie was exposed.

Holloway and Cletta both looked at me with pathetic disbelief.

[Holloway and Cletta are impressed by how smoothly you lie without even moistening your lips.]

Did that bastard system just call it a lie?

Moran, who had been earnestly chanting for Cletta to kiss Werner moments ago, turned bright red.

“Miss Evelyyyyn! You shouldn’t tell lies like that!”

“Why?”

Apparently she hadn’t expected me to ask back.

Moran stammered.

“Huh? B-Because people like me will believe you……”

“But I’m a heartless, empathy-zero egoist who doesn’t care whether people get fooled or not, so I can’t live without lying!”

[The three of them are rendered speechless by your shamelessness.]