I couldn’t endure the way everyone silently stared at me.
So instead, I decided to wake Werner.
That was when I noticed the syringe embedded in his arm.
“Oh? There’s a syringe in him.”
“Big sis, come here.”
When I leaned closer to inspect Werner, Holloway grabbed me and pulled me backward.
“Why?”
“I’d rather you didn’t ask.”
Fine.
But I still need to ‘look at the patient.’
“Big sis.”
“I’ll only look for a second.”
“I warned you.”
“…….”
Why is this bastard making me nervous?
Does approaching Werner mean I’m in danger or something?
But I need my superstar.
My Morning Star.
Deciding to look only briefly, I kept my guard up and shoved my face directly near Werner.
I don’t know what exactly ‘look at the patient’ means.
“What are you doing, Evelyn?”
“No, just……”
“You’re not thinking about hitting him, are you?”
“Why would I?”
“Sir Werner dragged you into this hotel against your will, so you have a grudge against him.”
“I have one against you too. Don’t let your guard down.”
“…….”
What?
Is this not how I’m supposed to ‘look’ at him?
“Big sis, that’s enough.”
Thank goodness.
He wasn’t going to keep stopping me.
This time, I listened to Holloway and lifted my face away from Werner.
[Sub Quest Complete!]
[The Morning Star is located inside the box beneath the infirmary desk.]
My Morning Star.
So that’s where you’re waiting patiently.
Stay there for now.
If I immediately went and retrieved the weapon, I might look suspicious.
My plan was to wake Werner, pretend to search the infirmary, and then open the box naturally.
The one thing that worried me was the Morning Star’s weight.
It should be pretty heavy……
Can I really carry it around?
[♡〜٩( ˃́▿˂̀ )۶〜♡
CRITICAL!
♡〜٩( ˃́▿˂̀ )۶〜♡]
[You performed the quest perfectly! Story fragments were collected with a 12% chance!]
[Collected fragment: ‘Mars Island.’]
[Collected fragment: ‘Resort.’]
[Two fragments from ‘????’s ????’ have been collected.]
New fragments slid into the empty hexagonal shape.
The ‘Mars Island’ fragment showed an island.
The ‘Resort’ fragment showed the hotel.
Apparently every fragment contained a different picture.
Above the fragment collection was written ‘????’s ????’.
Clearly it still had no intention of revealing what story this was.
But isn’t this obviously something about the island……?
The words themselves are ‘Mars Island’ and ‘Resort.’
Obviously they refer to the island we’re on.
The pictures literally show the island and hotel.
And I’m investigating the mystery of an abandoned hotel.
There’s no way they refer to something else.
Still, with only three fragments, there wasn’t much more I could infer.
When I pressed the minus sign on the collected fragment list, it became a plus sign and collapsed.
Then another unfamiliar window appeared below it.
[◈Story List◈
- +????’s ????
- +🔒
- +🔒
- +🔒
- +🔒
- +🔒
- +🔒]
What?
There are more stories?
If those three fragments belong to the island’s story……
Then what are the others?
“Big sis. Move farther back.”
Holloway kept tugging me away and broke me out of my thoughts.
I closed the window.
No matter how long I thought about it, there wasn’t enough information to deduce anything.
Especially because this kind of story list hadn’t existed in the horror game <The Child’s Secret>.
At that moment, Cletta shook Werner.
“Sir! Sir!”
“Sir Werner!”
Moran joined him.
As she shook him, the syringe embedded in Werner’s arm slipped out.
Tiny beads of blood formed where it had been.
Someone should press cotton against that.
I thought about it absentmindedly while also being delighted that I would soon obtain my Morning Star.
I swung the hand I was holding with Holloway back and forth.
After Moran and Cletta shook Werner several more times, his eyes slowly opened.
“Sir Werner, are you awake?”
“Sir, are you all right?”
Werner stared blankly at the ceiling without blinking.
Something about it felt wrong.
My gaze unconsciously dropped to the syringe on the floor.
This……
What was this in the game again?
There was definitely something.
A syringe.
An infirmary……
And……
“Sir Werner, why are you drooling……”
Drool……
Drool.
Drool!
A scene suddenly flashed through my memory.
I urgently released Holloway’s hand.
Then I threw the lamp toward Werner and yanked Cletta and Moran backward by their sleeves.
“Evelyn, what are you—”
Both lost their balance and fell toward me.
At the same moment, the sharp tip of a sword swept horizontally right in front of us.
A faint breeze from the passing blade brushed my face.
I shouted at the two stunned people,
“Get up! Now!”
I hadn’t connected the dots because this scene hadn’t originally taken place in the infirmary.
The syringe.
The unfocused eyes.
The drooling.
There was only one explanation.
That syringe!
It contained a drug that forced the victim to attack any living thing in front of them.
Just as I expected, Werner staggered off the bed holding a sword.
“Sir Werner, come to your senses!”
That won’t make him come to his senses!
Werner swung his sword.
Cletta drew his own and blocked.
“You can’t kill him!”
Moran shouted.
Cletta hesitated.
“Let’s get out first and think, big sis!”
“Yes! Like Holloway said, let’s leave first!”
Werner kept swinging.
Cletta dodged while quickly escorting Moran out of the infirmary.
Holloway grabbed my hand and tried pulling me through the doorway.
TING!
“Mmph!”
Unlike Holloway, who slipped straight through, my face smashed against empty air and compressed.
The rebound sent me falling backward.
My hand slipped free of Holloway’s.
“Pfft! Ah, s-sorry, Miss Evelyn!”
Did everyone just see my squashed face……?
Moran desperately apologized after laughing.
Holloway and Cletta didn’t even open their mouths because they were too busy suppressing laughter.
Drip.
Drip-drip.
Blood ran down over my philtrum.
“Ah……. My nose is bleeding. Go ahead. Laugh. Try it.”
At my murderous warning, all three immediately shut their mouths.
“But what did you hit?”
“If I knew, would I be sitting here like this?”
When I snapped, Cletta tried soothing me.
“Fine, fine.”
“Big sis, try coming out ag—”
Holloway stretched out his hand.
Then—
BANG!
The door slammed shut.
[Because you are currently performing a quest, you cannot leave this area.]
……Don’t joke around.
This isn’t funny.
“Th-The door won’t open! Evelyn!”
“Miss Evelyn!”
“Big sis, are you okay?”
Holloway, you can get in here!
Step.
Step.
Werner approached me and brought his sword down from above.
WHOOSH!
“Agh!”
At my short scream, everyone outside began pounding furiously on the door.
I quickly scrambled beneath the desk and pulled out my star.
[Obtained ‘Morning Star’!]
[Morning Star
Feature: An iron mace covered in iron spikes. Its weight cannot be felt.]
Before I could even adjust my grip, Werner swung again.
Werner wasn’t dead.
To return him to normal, there was only one solution.
Destroy his weapon.
Then he would regain consciousness.
“Evelyn!”
“I’m alive!”
I answered irritably and swung the Morning Star.
Just as the description promised, it felt almost weightless.
Won’t swinging this way too easily make everyone suspicious……?
The system warns me not to look suspicious, yet everything it makes me do is suspicious as hell.
No.
It never said I alone had this effect.
Maybe everyone would experience the same thing.
WHOOSH—CLANG!
Sword and Morning Star collided with a deafening noise.
“W-What the hell……”
Why is that sword so hard?
I hit it dead-on and it still didn’t break.
Ding!
[Current Sword Durability: 80%.]
……So I have to hit it a fucking lot.
“Big sis!”
[Holloway is irritated.]
“What?!”
“Are you okay?!”
“No!”
The moment I answered, the doorknob outside began rattling violently.
“H-Holloway, stop! You’ll hurt yourself!”
As soon as Moran finished trying to stop him, the handle flew off.
I could see it fall from inside.
BANG!
BANG!
“That kid……! Stop it, it’s dangerous!”
I had no idea what was happening outside.
[Holloway is kicking the door in an attempt to enter.]
[He cannot reveal his identity, so he cannot use his strength.]
So I still wasn’t important enough for him to reveal himself just to save me.
Still, this was already such an improvement that I almost felt moved.
“Thanks, Holloway……. You’re the only one who worries about me.”
Raising you was worth it.
Werner swung again.
I gritted my teeth and struck his sword harder with the Morning Star.
CLANG!
Fortunately, the drug only forced him to indiscriminately attack moving living beings.
It didn’t make him faster or stronger.
It was basically like a child holding a toy sword and swinging randomly at a target.
So blocking him wasn’t particularly difficult.
‘I should’ve just asked Cletta to restrain him from the beginning.’
CLANG—! CLANG! CLANG!
Sword and Morning Star collided repeatedly.
[Sword Durability has reached 0% and the weapon will now disappear.]
Rustle……
The sword crumbled.
Werner’s body froze.
His unfocused eyes slowly closed.
Then he collapsed toward me.
Thud.
“Heavy……”
First I’ll get him off me.
Then I’ll unlock that infirmary drawer.
The silver key never specified which floor’s infirmary drawer it belonged to, so I didn’t know whether this was the right one.
But I planned to check before Holloway got inside.
I shoved Werner off my body and stood.
[=͟͟͞͞=͟͟͞͞ﾍ( ´Д`)ﾉ DANGER!!]
[=͟͟͞͞=͟͟͞͞ﾍ( ´Д`)ﾉ DANGER!!]
What’s dangerous……?
[???? is targeting your life!]
THUD.
Before I could even think, someone struck the back of my neck hard.
……Hey.
You’re supposed to tell me that earlier.
My vision blurred.
Then I lost consciousness.
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