How a Nuisance Character Survives a Horror Game Chapter 79

Fortunately, Holloway didn’t actually leave.

He slipped his hands under my arms and easily pulled me upright.

What had caught on my foot was—

a glass bottle containing paper cranes.

Paper cranes……

Apparently people here also believed folding a thousand cranes granted a wish.

There were nowhere near a thousand.

The bottle wasn’t that large.

Maybe ten?

[Remaining Footprint (5)

Feature: Someone’s precious paper cranes. The owner of the lost paper cranes can roughly sense the location of the person who picked them up. Return the item to its owner and they will be extremely grateful.]

Suriel’s.

Easy deduction.

Suriel had a collecting obsession.

Maybe he had been gentle as a child and collected paper cranes he folded.

I placed the bottle into the bag beside the wooden sword.

Having a bag really was convenient.

“You’re taking another one.”

“Things don’t suddenly appear without a reason.”

I brushed it off.

Then continued wandering in search of the Emperor.

I hoped I could meet him before Suriel or Dilaf appeared.

They probably had bad memories involving the Emperor.

There was no reason to deliberately make them see him.

The same applied to Holloway……

But no matter what I did, he refused to leave.

Should I simply tell him honestly to fuck off somewhere else?

None of my excuses worked.

Honesty might be better.

And if we were going to meet the Emperor anyway—

warning Holloway in advance was probably safer.

If I stayed silent, then while I tried handling the Emperor myself—

Holloway might lose patience and destroy him.

Then the Emperor would revive.

And I’d have to travel across the basement searching for the bastard all over again.

“Holloway. I need to tell you something. It’s really sensitive.”

“Tell me.”

“I’m going to say it carefully.”

He gestured for me to continue.

“It’s really difficult to say……”

“If your goal is to irritate me, it’s working.”

“No……”

Do you have no patience?

“Guess who I’m going to meet.”

“The founding Emperor.”

“Ding dong……. Huh?”

My eyes widened.

Holloway pinched my cheek lightly.

“How did you know?”

“You made it obvious.”

“When? Where? How?”

“The blood. To kill the Emperor, you need the blood of a human whose hands are unstained.”

“You knew?”

“Yes. There was never anyone like that among those who entered, so I left him alone.”

Even the House Lodriz descendants had received personal combat training.

And they killed assassins the perpetrator faction sent after them.

So their blood wouldn’t work either.

“Did you deliberately make the Emperor that way?”

“He evolved on his own underground. Even after becoming that, apparently he still desperately wanted to survive.”

You talk like this happened to someone else.

Even though there’s no way that wound ever healed.

“That’s why I couldn’t kill him. I smashed his head apart tens of thousands of times. He always came back.”

“Ah……”

When I looked nervously at him, Holloway smiled faintly.

“Why are you watching my mood? Big sis didn’t do anything.”

Instead of answering—

I asked something else.

“You’re still following me?”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t move even one finger.”

“Big sis’s fingers might fly off.”

“Is the Emperor strong?”

“Stronger than you.”

“Is there anything here weaker than me?”

“Probably not.”

Then there’s basically no difference.

I proudly squared my shoulders.

“I’ve always enjoyed hitting rocks with eggs.”

“So you enjoy losing.”

“Do you know how thrilling it is when everyone says a fight is impossible and you win anyway?”

“I’ll watch this time.”

“Watch. I’ll show you how dependable I am. I’ll make sure you never see that damned Emperor again.”

For a thousand years—

simply knowing the man Holloway couldn’t permanently kill remained alive must have been enormous stress.

If I erased him completely—

maybe Holloway would at least feel like one rotten tooth had finally been pulled.

I hoped so.

“Never again?”

“Never.”

“Is that necessary?”

“Would you rather he stayed alive?”

“Not exactly……”

Apparently the thought of permanently killing him still produced complicated feelings.

I told Holloway bluntly,

“Keeping something like that around only preserves regret and hatred. If something eats away at you merely by existing, sometimes it’s better to erase it completely. Once it’s gone from your sight, time passes. Little by little, you forget.”

“Is forgetting good?”

“Obviously. Especially bad memories. If they only keep hurting you, forget them and keep the good ones.”

That wouldn’t be easy inside this hotel.

Holloway considered my words.

Then asked,

“What if there are no good memories?”

“Then you make good memories and cover the bad ones. The people who caused this already forgot everything. It isn’t right that only you keep carrying it forever.”

“Is that how it works?”

“That’s how it works.”

Maybe if we eliminated these causes one by one—

I could eventually discover how to free the demons.

And once they escaped—

supporting their future lives was also our responsibility.

If they wanted to destroy the world, I’d have to desperately stop them.

But still.

“So that’s how it is.”

I watched Holloway, who seemed deep in thought.

Thought windows never appear when I actually want them.

They only appear for useless things like—

‘He is suppressing laughter.’

I looked away and continued forward.

Holloway suddenly hugged me from behind.

He placed his chin on top of my head.

I jolted.

He didn’t release me.

Instead, his lips moved beside my ear.

“Then teach me a lot, big sis.”

“……Teach what?”

“Things like this. I was never taught anything.”

My lips moved.

No words came out.

His strong arms surrounding me were impossible to ignore.

So was his breath.

“Okay?”

“I understand, so move away.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Extremely.”

“Then let’s stay like this.”

“It’s difficult to walk.”

He seemed to think while resting his chin on my head.

Then abruptly lifted me.

“This is easier?”

“Uncomfortable. Let’s stop doing this.”

When I flirted with him, he made that straight face and humiliated me.

I’ll do the same.

“Uncomfortable……. Isn’t it actually comfortable?”

Yes.

It is.

Extremely comfortable.

If I stay like this, Holloway can deal with every vengeful spirit himself.

Even though he can’t kill them, he can help us escape easily.

His legs are long.

He runs faster than me.

But I needed to hide my ugly desire.

“Uncomfortable.”

“Okay.”

He said that.

Then didn’t put me down.

Does my refusal somehow sound like consent to him?

***

The place Holloway finally put me down was—

directly in front of the Emperor’s face.

“Too close.”

Uncomfortably close.

He was called an Emperor.

But his form had become too distorted to recognize.

The once-luxurious red clothing embroidered in gold was shredded.

A royal brooch sat over his chest.

Its design differed slightly from Holloway’s.

His dark-red face continuously melted.

The stench from his body was overwhelming.

The Emperor slowly opened and closed his mouth.

He sniffed my scent.

Then stepped backward.

Why?

He looks afraid.

“My scent is on big sis. I killed him so many times that he recognizes me by smell.”

Holloway sounded far too indifferent.

Maybe a thousand years simply passed.

‘Or maybe he’s pretending.’

Neither possibility was particularly comforting……

Pity rose.

I ignored it deliberately.

“Is he different from ordinary vengeful spirits?”

“Yes. My restrictions don’t apply to the Emperor.”

At first, the Emperor had attacked Holloway ferociously.

But after repeatedly being tortured and killed—

at some point, he became terrified enough to flee merely from Holloway’s scent.

“I should finish this before he runs again.”

“Want me to tell you where his heart is?”

“Isn’t it where a heart normally is?”

“His head. You told me not to help, so I’ll stay still.”

I removed the bag.

Then handed it to Holloway.

After telling him to guard it carefully, I adjusted my grip on the halberd.

“Is he strong?”

Instead of answering—

Holloway hugged me tightly from behind.

“No touching.”

“Really? My scent needs to transfer to big sis if you want him weakened.”

“Hug me!”

I caught Holloway as he moved away.

Then threw myself against him.

I rubbed my face violently against his chest.

He laughed above me.

Holloway hugged me tightly too.

Then rubbed his face against my shoulder.

Once enough of his scent had transferred—

we separated.

The Emperor clearly smelled Holloway on me.

He backed away.

“If you waste too much time, he’ll run. He already knows he’ll eventually be caught even if he escapes, so that rotten brain of his is calculating what to do.”

Apparently the pattern was always the same.

Before charging—

I warned Holloway.

“Even if I’m about to die, do not save me. Don’t help.”

If I failed to kill the Emperor entirely with my own strength—

the quest would kill me anyway.

“Even if your head is about to fly off?”

“Even then.”

Holloway seemed to think.

Then nodded.

“All right.”

I didn’t hesitate.

I lifted the halberd high to the left.

Then aimed directly at the Emperor’s neck.

He barely dodged.

Using that incredible speed, he appeared directly in front of me.

His hand whipped sideways.

Whoosh!

I failed to avoid it.

The impact sent me rolling.

My back slammed into the wall.

THUD―!

“Ugh!”

Pain vibrated through my spine.

My body trembled automatically.

―Grrrk!

The Emperor gave me no time to recover.

He charged.

I desperately rolled aside.

CRACK!

His fist buried itself into the wall.

Cracks spread outward like spiderwebs.

“If that hit me……”

“You’d have a very large hole in your body.”

You shut up.

I glanced coldly toward Holloway.

He snickered behind me.

You seem to be enjoying yourself.

I adjusted my grip.

Then targeted the Emperor’s leg.

First—

destroy his mobility.

The halberd pierced directly through his ankle.

CRACK!

He writhed.

―KRAAAAAAGH!

While screaming—

the Emperor grabbed my head and lifted me.

His strength raised my entire body into the air.

Then he threw me as hard as possible.

WHOOSH!

“Aaaaaagh!”

“Want me to catch you?”

“No……!”

“I’m bored. I’ll catch you anyway.”

Holloway effortlessly caught me.

Then placed me directly in front of the Emperor again.

“Go on. Fight.”

“…….”

Fuck.

Is this right?

“Make it hurt as much as possible while you’re at it.”

“…….”

My anger disappeared beneath a sudden wave of pity.

You.

You really……

“Leave it to me. I’ll repay everything twice over.”

I sounded cool.

But the Emperor was genuinely strong.

Of course he was.

He had been enduring Holloway’s attacks for a thousand years.

Maybe Holloway’s scent had faded.

The Emperor’s movements stopped hesitating.

His melting flesh touched my feet.

Before I could move—

it wrapped around my ankle.

The Emperor launched himself forward.

His teeth tore into my waist.

CRUNCH!

“Aagh!”

Before he could rip the flesh away—

I grabbed his hair.

Then pulled out the dagger and stabbed one eye.

STAB!

―SKREEEE!

The Emperor opened his jaw to scream.

He staggered backward.

Blood surged from the place where his teeth had sunk into me.

“Isn’t this quest completely unreasonable?!”

I gritted my teeth.

Then charged while the Emperor staggered.

This was my chance.

I had rushed forward confidently.

But the agony in my waist destroyed my balance.

Strength vanished from my legs.

Just before I fell—

the halberd’s option corrected my posture.

I immediately lunged.

The weapon pierced the Emperor’s abdomen.

STAB.

―Urgh……. Ghh……

His stomach convulsed.

Then began absorbing the halberd.

Dark-red flesh crawled around the weapon.

Then reached my arm.

“Want help?”

“No! I told you not to!”

I desperately wanted to beg him.

But I couldn’t accept assistance.

Also—

after sounding so cool earlier, what kind of person would I become if I suddenly cried for help?

The quest itself ordered me to handle this alone.

I had to escape somehow.

“Just asking.”

A quiet laugh reached me from behind.

His personality is fucking awful.

I drew the dagger from my waist.

Then slashed through the Emperor’s flesh.

Slash!

―SKREEE!

The flesh around my arm lost strength and dropped away.

I cut through the mass holding the halberd too.

Once the Emperor weakened, I yanked the weapon free.

Black liquid poured from the hole in his abdomen.