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Jamie stuck close to my side as she led the way, striking up a conversation with an innocent air.
“You’re a priest, right? I heard someone from the Order of Ralphican had arrived!”
That would be Kalat, but explaining was a chore, so I just gave a vague nod.
“When will the Countess be rescued?”
“I’m not sure. I expect it’ll take about five days.”
-Looks more like she’ll be arrested than rescued.
-Do these guys not know the Countess is sketchy?
-How would the regular servants know?
“Where will we stay in the meantime?”
“You’re going to wait for us?”
“Of course! Sir, aren’t you worried about the others too?”
“Well, I mean, I am worried…”
These people weren’t just your average servants. First off, Jamie—the woman currently trying to fret over the Countess like she was a child—was the Countess’s personal maid. She was a top confidante, trusted enough to handle diamond trades directly.
‘She’s also one of the few people who knows the Countess’s true objective, beyond superficial reasons like money.’
Liam was the librarian in charge of the archives where the ledgers were kept.
‘And those ledgers are filled with the dark secrets of the House of Garain.’
Lastly, Rask was the mansion’s stablehand. He looked ordinary enough, but a terrifying nature lurked beneath the surface.
‘Because Rask is the murderer who ends up killing both Jamie and Liam.’
In the Saintess route, Ivanke appears just before the two are stabbed and saves them. Rask resists until the end before meeting the pathetic demise of a low-life villain. Why did the butler suddenly put Rask in the first group of evacuees? Was it because he really thought they needed to increase the rescue numbers?
‘Of course not.’
This was the Countess’s doing. After seeing the list of evacuees I’d designated for the first day, she’d hurriedly ordered Rask to be added. It was to dispose of the liabilities, Jamie and Liam.
‘If I just drop these three off at the safe zone like this, it’s obvious what happens next.’
They’d be found as corpses in some deserted corner of a street.
‘What should I do…?’
As I pondered, the protagonist whispered to me.
“Belita. Don’t you think this place will be too shocking for them?”
-Ah, it’s that village.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the entrance of the village we had last searched. It was the natural result of retracing the path we took to get here. Since we took a straight line, it was the shortest distance.
Thanks for the explanation… The point was to avoid the village out of consideration for the survivors’ mental state.
‘Now, what to do?’
Ding!
As usual, I was stuck with nothing but unpleasant options. There wasn’t even an option to just not go in at all. Shouldn’t choice systems strive for a bit more variety? Is it really fair to list three options that are effectively the same thing with different wording and tell me to pick?
‘…Well, it doesn’t actually matter.’
The protagonist might not know, but I knew who these people really were.
‘They probably already know everything that’s going on anyway.’
Consideration was meaningless.
“What does it matter? Is there a need to only show them the good things? It’s important for them to recognize the gravity of the situation.”
“I… I suppose so…”
Look at that reaction. If the protagonist were registered in the affection tab, it probably would have dropped by about 3 points.
-Cold-hearted at times.
-As expected of the Saintess.
“Gasp…”
“Th-This is… what on earth…”
“I-I didn’t think they’d be safe, but still…”
We entered the tragic scene once again. Though the fog made it faint, the silhouettes of the piled corpses were enough to let one imagine what had transpired. Occasionally, the bodies visible through the barrier showed blackened skin, and in some parts, it looked as if their internal organs had burst from exposure.
“No way…”
Rask suddenly stopped in his tracks and began muttering to himself while staring somewhere. It was obvious he wasn’t in a normal state of mind.
-What’s up with him?
-Uh-oh, something looks dangerous.
“Ah! Rask! Where are you going?!”
“Wait, why that way?!”
We were all caught off guard by the sudden turn of events because Rask had abruptly turned tail and sprinted away. I had no idea where he was going since visibility was so poor. We had no choice but to follow him to keep him inside the protection of the barrier.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Rask didn’t stop running until he burst into a dilapidated shack. When I pressed him out of absurdity…
“Shut up! Shut up! I said shut up!”
What I got back was a dizzying string of curses.
-No, is he crazy?
-This guy dares to talk to the Saintess like that?
The protagonist truly looked like he was about to draw his sword against Rask, who was cursing while tearing at his own hair. It didn’t seem like he was doing it because Rask insulted me; rather, it was a move to prepare for the threat Rask was posing.
However, his hand stopped short of the hilt as he took in the scene inside the house. There was what looked like the corpse of a young child lying on the bed, with two other bodies guarding its side. They were clumped together, as if they had been holding each other tight in their final moments. It was a gruesome sight, yet tragically beautiful…
“Ah…”
-Oh no, it’s a child.
-T_T
Gasps broke out from all sides. Rask stopped his struggling and stood blankly in the middle of the house. His eyes had lost their focus, as if he had completely checked out mentally.
“Th-That… That can’t be…”
Soon, Rask began to sob.
-Whoa.
-Then are those his sibling and parents?
-T_T T_T T_T
Something was strange. I’d heard that Rask was the Countess’s dog, the one who handled all her dirty and dangerous work. His loyalty to her was supposed to be extraordinary. Could someone so deeply involved really have failed to realize his own family would be sacrificed for the Countess’s schemes?
“The Countess… she promised she’d evacuate them… to a house she prepared in the warm outskirts… she said so.”
…That made sense. In exchange for following her foul orders, the Countess had promised to move his family to a fertile, safe region.
‘As you can see, she didn’t keep that promise.’
Rask clutched his face as if he were trying to tear his skin off before collapsing to the ground.
“No, no. NOOOOOO!”
“Rask…”
His mind was gone; he just kept repeating the same words over and over.
‘Maybe I can use this.’
This situation, where the Countess betrayed Rask. I had nothing to lose, so I figured I’d give it a try. I pushed Rask’s shoulder, and the momentum revealed his tear-streaked face. The protagonist flinched, but he didn’t stop me.
Ding!
Oh, a choice I actually like for once. Since he didn’t look like he’d listen to soft words, I picked the provocatively stimulating one.
“Re-Revenge.”
-Revenge, whoa.
-As expected of the Saintess, she’s quite radical at times.
A flicker of life slowly returned to Rask’s wandering eyes. I guess his core personality—the one that allowed him to ruthlessly kill his fellow employees—hadn’t gone anywhere. Could it be that even before processing the grief of losing his family, he was already salivating at the thought of revenge?
“Of course, I don’t know for what reason this situation occurred, but…”
I knew, but I played dumb.
‘I’ve thrown the bait.’
And Rask bit it without hesitation.
“I know.”
“Rask…”
“I know who… who caused all this…!”
“Rask!”
-Wait, what’s he talking about?
-What are these guys? What do they know?
Jamie urgently tried to stop him. But Rask was already like a runaway train. There was no stopping him now.
“If you all… if you all knew what the Countess was trying to do! You wouldn’t be able to protect her like that! I guarantee it!”
“Rask, are you crazy?”
By the time the protagonist began to harbor doubts, Rask’s bombshell dropped.
“The reason I… the reason I forced my way into this rescue party! It was because of the Countess’s order to dispose of you all once we reached the village!”
As Rask pointed a finger at Liam and Jamie, their faces turned ghostly white.
“Wh-What?”
“Don’t you get it yet? The Countess is a human who sees even her own people as tools! You two were also used and discarded! Because you know too much!”
“Don’t lie! You… you’re just trying to slander the Countess! She would never do that to me! After all I’ve done for her…!”
-Crazy, were all these people involved?
-Where’s that guy who said the regular employees didn’t know anything?
“It’s not a lie. Honestly, you all already know. That the Countess is more than capable of doing that…”
As Rask muttered weakly after his spiteful outburst, everyone fell silent. Rask wiped his tears and gripped the corpse’s hand with eyes full of resolve, while Jamie clenched her fists so hard her nails drew blood. Liam stared endlessly at the floor.
I was thinking the same thing. Before long, Jamie was the first to speak.
“I… I didn’t know this many people would die. I thought everyone would be able to evacuate! Maybe the Countess thought so too? Like, her plan went wrong somehow…”
“Jamie. That’s enough. Remaining a bystander here is like killing the people of our county twice.”
“Mr. Liam…”
Liam glanced toward us and spoke.
“Excuse me. You said you were from the Imperial family and the Church, correct?”
“Yes.”
The protagonist’s firm voice echoed in the space. Jamie and Rask also focused on him, drawn by that voice that instilled a sense of trust.
‘That’s the protagonist for you.’
Not long ago, Mo Je-won had obtained the trait “Pleasant Voice.”
Yes, in short, it’s a cheat-tier ability that can give people courage and trust.
‘I wish I could get a trait like that.’
Bolstered by the power of the trait, the heavy lips of the employees slowly began to part.
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