Chapter 5

‘It hasn’t been easy.’

It really hadn’t been easy. Once I realized that Belita’s framing was essentially a fixed event, no normal solution came to mind. With less than two days left and zero information, figuring out who was trying to frame Belita and how to avoid it seemed impossible. Even if I wanted to flee the mansion, that wasn’t an option.

‘They said leaving the quest area counts as a failure.’

That was just a nice way of saying they’d kill me if I refused my maid duties or strayed too far from the estate.

‘Fortunately, I did think of something. It’s a gamble, though.’

There’s always a way out. This game was a chaotic virtual world born from a developer’s imagination, jumping between the 15th and 20th centuries without any real consistency.

‘Still, it managed to implement the essential elements of medieval fantasy: royalty, nobility, religious groups, and war.’

The group I intended to use was the Church. The Church in this world worshipped a deity named “Ralphican,” as mentioned by Robert during Vincent’s eulogy. Ralphicanism was the only religion revered on this continent where the game took place. It was described as a faith followed blindly by every citizen from birth, possessing an authority that reached the heavens. Everything the Church did was conducted under the shroud of “Divine Order.” Fitting for a medieval setting lacking scientific understanding where faith ruled society, their methods were often inhumane and bizarre.

“That’s strange. There isn’t just one witness who saw you coming out of that room,” Lady Rachel countered, pointing toward Sera.

Right. A verbal explanation wouldn’t work here. I wouldn’t believe me either. That’s why I had to take extreme measures. It might look radical, but if I could pull it off, I’d be out of this mess in one shot.

“I will take an Oath. I will prove my innocence.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Oscar spat, forgetting the solemnity and grief of the situation long enough to curse.

“Please call the priests to oversee the proof.”

“Who do you think you are…?”

“What if I’m not the culprit? The true murderer will be out there, alive and well, mocking you. Do you really want to live the rest of your lives under the delusion that you’ve avenged Lord Robert?”

“Are you… threatening us right now?” The enraged protagonist grabbed me by the collar and hauled me up.

Oh… for the first time, I liked all of the options. In situations like this, Belita’s personality actually seemed quite helpful.

“It’s not a threat. I’m going to die anyway, so I’m just trying to prove my innocence. But I understand how you feel.”

I ignored the murderous glint in his eyes just inches from my own. I took a breath and continued.

“You want to feel at peace. You want to deal with the cause right in front of you—whether it’s the real one or not. But someday, my words will haunt you.”

I felt the grip on my collar tighten. If he squeezed any harder, I wouldn’t be able to breathe.

“You’ll find yourself thinking: ‘What if that maid wasn’t the killer after all?’”

A momentary silence fell over the room. It wasn’t that I had convinced them… it was more that they were so stunned they were speechless. Breaking the silence, the protagonist spoke to me.

“Do you even know what an Oath is? Can you take responsibility for those words? Are you truly prepared to die?”

The world of this game placed immense weight on the power of words. People believed that lying during an Oath or a Vow invited divine judgment. Of course, if it were only that, it would actually be easy. But an Oath was not such a simple thing…

“If that is the will of Lord Ralphican, then I shall gladly accept it.”

“Oh…!”

“I never knew Belita was a child of such deep faith.”

“To risk one’s life on a decision… there is a certain nobility in it. Perhaps she really isn’t the culprit?”

“It could all be an act. We must watch her closely to ensure she doesn’t try to flee in the confusion.”

I hadn’t noticed because I was so focused, but a crowd of onlookers had gathered before I knew it. As the atmosphere grew restless, Carlo stepped in to suppress the noise. Once the commotion subsided, the protagonist roughly let go of my collar and spoke.

“Bring the supervisor.”

“Hey, are you really going to do this just because she asked?”

“I agree with the idea. I’m quite looking forward to seeing how this turns out.”

“No, Father, why are you being like this too? Aunt, please say something to stop them!”

Hmm… was that line chosen by Mo Je-won, or was it an automated response from the protagonist’s character? I turned the [Omniscient Viewer Perspective] back on, which I had disabled to concentrate.

“It looks like there are multiple branches even in the prologue? Wow, why did they put so much effort into making this?”

-Truly a masterpiece game…

-As expected of Double Busters.

-Damn, I knew I could count on you guys.

-Something feels off, though.

Multiple branches, my foot. As far as I knew, the prologue progression was identical in every playthrough.

“Belita is acting a bit suspicious. In previous runs, she usually just died after being tortured.”

• Looks like there’s something to Belita.

• Should we try to save her?

“I have brought him!”

“Wh-what is going on? Why so sudden…?”

The Oath Supervisor, who looked like he had been dragged here without a proper explanation, couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he stood before us. The protagonist spoke calmly.

“There is someone here who wishes to take an Oath.”

“Hiek! An O-Oath? You’re saying someone volunteered for that?”

“Yes. This maid has been identified as a suspect in my father’s murder, but she claims she will prove her innocence through an Oath.”

The necklace the supervisor was holding—shaped like two overlapping moons—dropped to the floor with a loud metallic clang.

“Lo-Lord Robert has passed away? My god…”

He’s just dropping his own sect’s holy symbol like that. The supervisor, a man named Kalat, looked decent enough physically, but he seemed to have a rather fragile temperament. After muttering to himself for a while, Kalat regained some composure, stood in front of me, and asked.

“What is your name?”

“Belita.”

“And what kind of O-Oath will you perform?”

“I will take the Oath of Innocence.”

The sound of people gasping for air filled the room.

“Crazy.”

“Excuse me?”

“N-nothing.”

Like other religions appearing in fantasy worlds, Ralphicanism took a lot of inspiration from historical precedents. The developers seemed particularly impressed by witch trials; the Ralphican Oath bore a striking resemblance to the methods used to identify witches during the Middle Ages.

‘Come to think of it, the protagonist of their previous game was a witch too.’

Maybe they just wanted to throw in a reference to their previous work. Regardless, the era this game is set in places heavy significance on absurd religious rituals. For instance, passing a specific Oath could prove one’s innocence regardless of the crime.

‘It’s the perfect mechanic for me to exploit right now.’

There are various types of Oaths, but I was going to use the Oath of Innocence. This particular Oath was described as follows…

“Water is the mercy bestowed upon us by God. It is a proof of holiness in itself. God shall reject those who have committed grave sins. The innocent shall sink into the water, while the guilty shall float.”

In reality, even an innocent person would simply drown if they sank, but fortunately, I had a plan.

“…That is the content of the Oath of Innocence found in Chapter 2 of the Ralphican Scriptures.”

“There is a small lake on the mansion grounds. That should be suitable.”

“Is it deep enough?”

“It’s about the depth of five men standing on each other’s shoulders.”

“Wait, I don’t want to be cleaning up a corpse in our mansion’s lake.”

As the Ducal family scouted for a location, the Duchess interjected with a look of horror.

“If we do this outside the estate, word of this incident might spread publicly. Is that what you want?”

“Th-then, we have that private estate in Edin by the sea, don’t we? There are no people around there. Let’s do it there.”

Once everyone agreed, several servants moved quickly. They were likely preparing the carriages. It was finally time to actually jump into the water.

‘It’s beautiful.’

Dawn was breaking. From atop the cliff, I admired the breathtaking sight of the morning sun rising above the horizon, scattering its refreshing light across the surface of the water. Honestly, it was the perfect spot for watching the sunrise.

‘It would be even better if I weren’t tied up tightly with ropes, though.’

I nudged my toes slightly, sending a shower of small pebbles tumbling down the cliffside. I thought they’d just dip me in the water; I didn’t realize they were planning to drop me from this height. I gritted my teeth.

‘Stay calm. The waves aren’t that rough.’

At that level, as long as I didn’t get swept away by the current, I could survive. Standing directly behind me were the Oath Supervisor and the protagonist. Further back, the rest of the Rubel family and the servants watched the spectacle. How should I put it? They didn’t look like they possessed even a shred of hope that I’d make it out alive. The atmosphere was strictly that of an audience gathered to watch a criminal’s execution.

“Now then. Before we begin, I shall ask you.”

“…”

“What is the cause of your grievance?”

In an Oath, the reason had to be clear and precise.

“I am aggrieved by the false accusation that I murdered Lord Robert.”

“…If you do not float after falling into the water, your innocence shall be proven.”

Kalat paused for a moment before continuing.

“Now, um, well…”

He was hesitating pointlessly. Fine, I’ll go myself.

“I’ll jump on my own.”

“Understood. Then, er… safe travels.”

I’m not dying, buddy. He’s already treating me like a corpse.

Whew… Haaah!

Taking a single deep breath, I threw myself off the cliff and into the sea.

“Kyaaaah!”

“She—she actually jumped!”

“Litaaaaa!”

Among the chorus of screams, I could hear my roommates’ voices.

Splash!

The sounds of the world faded as I plummeted into the freezing depths. To ensure I wouldn’t float, I had layered water-absorbent fabrics under my clothes. Thanks to that, I was sinking toward the seabed at a rapid pace.

Quickly, hurry…

Since I couldn’t use my hands, I wriggled my entire body until I managed to retrieve a jagged stone I’d hidden in my shirt and clamped it between my teeth. It was already crumbling and creating tiny air bubbles, but once a larger surface area made contact with the water, massive bubbles began to form. As the pocket of air grew and covered my face, I was finally able to breathe.

Huff, whew.

I… I survived. The stone I had brought wasn’t just any rock. It was a peculiar mineral discovered later in the story with the property of releasing high-intensity oxygen when it comes into contact with water.

‘The protagonist used these to manufacture bombs during the war.’

I decided to try using it as an oxygen tank instead. I’d even tested it beforehand by dunking my face in a washbasin just in case, and the effect was excellent.

‘I was scared there might be variables due to the salt since it’s seawater, unlike during my experiment, but it’s actually working.’

Where did I get the stone? I stole it from Carlo’s laboratory. The game text mentioned that Carlo was the one who discovered this property, so I checked his lab on a hunch and swiped one when I found it.

‘Good thing I was the one in charge of cleaning.’

Anyway, the stone was steadily producing oxygen. Based on a rough calculation of its size and oxidation rate, it would probably last for at least five hours.

‘Not that I would last that long.’

The longer I stayed submerged, the higher the chance I’d die of hypothermia as my body temperature plummeted. Of course, they’d come to retrieve my “corpse” before then.

…Wait a second.

An ominous thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘They wouldn’t just assume I’m dead and not come back at all, would they?’

Since it was the open sea, recovery wouldn’t be easy. Surely… they wouldn’t?