PMEVBO 8

I’m leaving Hayut Castle.

Given that I haven’t even started the main quest yet, this decision is a bit hasty. But even so, the reasons to escape this place are plentiful.

First, I got poisoned by the hands of this castle’s maidservant.

The maid who laced my food with poison has already died from it herself, but her accomplices or masterminds might still be lurking within Hayut Castle. Meals where I have to tremble at every spoonful of tomato soup? Sorry, but I’d rather die than accept that.

Second, I knocked out the castle lord.

Truth be told, the duke held special significance to me beyond being the heroine’s father.

He was the true power behind the throne here at Hayut Castle, where Lucariel was exiled. The duke was the one responsible for my food, clothing, and shelter while possessing Lucariel’s body. Yet here I was, an exiled criminal, daring to hit him on the head and knock him unconscious. How much would he berate me for that?

I hadn’t caught the mastermind behind the poisoning, and I’d smashed the duke’s skull. Staying here now? That would just make me a ghost in this house.

Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn’t me who hit the duke’s head. That fatal kick aimed at that disgusting seed was the will of the Discernment skill.

But how do I prove that?

What, claim it was my status window, visible only to me, acting on its own? …I wonder if this world even has mental hospitals. Ultimately, it means I’m the one who has to take responsibility for this.

And third, I witnessed the secret of this castle’s master.

Meaning the duke has more reasons to torment me.

The isolated room atop the spire, Iser who seemed to have stayed there for a long time, the restraints tightly wrapped around his body. And… hid special ability. I couldn’t be sure, but it was definitely a shady situation.

The duke, realizing his cover was blown regarding Iser’s existence, would take one of two predictable courses. Either monitor me, or hide Iser completely. Either way, it wouldn’t help me clear my praise quest in the slightest.

You might have noticed something odd by now.

It seemed too obvious that I was expecting to be discovered. The duke hadn’t even seen my face, and this world didn’t have CCTV, for that matter.

But there was one witness to this incident.

This kid saw my face.

I glanced down at the bundle of clothes clutched to my chest. Inside was Iser, still bound because I hadn’t had time to remove his restraints. Even as I sprinted like a car racing down the Autobahn, Iser remained quiet within the bundle.

Finally, fourth, I can’t trust the son of this castle’s owner.

Even if he was a young nobleman by birth, he was still a child confined to a small room. Iser might not have known about the existence of Lucariel, who had assaulted the cardinal and been exiled to their castle. But even if he didn’t know who Lucariel was, once he had seen my face, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to describe his appearance to the duke.

Given the circumstances, it was highly likely Iser hated the duke who abused him. But even so, I couldn’t be certain Iser would keep silent about my identity. After all, he was still his father, and he might have some affection for the duke.

Considering all these uncertainties, kidnapping is the right move.

But I didn’t plan to maintain my kidnapper identity for long. Just until I cleared the praise quest, so at most, I’d keep him for about ten days.

After ten days, I’ll just let him do whatever he wants. If he says he wants to go somewhere, I’ll take him there. If he says he wants to go home… I’ll have to refuse and try to talk him out of it.

What kind of hell did he go through at the duke’s castle? How could I send him back there?

But I wanted to keep my fugitive status until I acquired the wish right and returned to my original world.

I didn’t know how severe the punishment for breaking out of the exile zone and deserting without permission would be in this world, but it was certain to be at least as harsh as exile. And what else is there besides prison? From my perspective, needing to complete the quest, life as a fugitive was still better than prison life.

I wasn’t going to live in this world for a thousand years anyway. I just needed to live as a fugitive until I cleared the quest. So… it didn’t seem all that impossible.

That’s how simply I was thinking. Until the bolt from the blue struck.

────【 System Error 】────

Unexpected intervention detected.

‘████’ temporarily gains authority.

Player’s location fixed at
‘Duke Hayut’s Castle’ by ‘████’.

────────────────

Wee woo!

Wee woo!

Click.

The siren sound stopped abruptly.

But I didn’t register it. I was too busy checking the status window and panicking. My location was fixed at Duke Hayut’s Castle…?

…So I can’t leave now? Even if I kidnapped the young master just to get out of here?

I was already exiled to this castle, but now I was trapped physically. And right when I was about to leave.

“What the hell kind of bullshit is this…?”

It said ████ fixed my location to Hayut Castle. Stealing system privileges and pulling stunts like that on a whim… Is this some computer virus?

…What the hell is this bastard’s deal?

────【 Help 】────

Information on ‘████’ can be collected starting from Level 7.

────────────────

“Ah, fuck, are you kidding me…?”

My level is currently 0, you bastard! How long do you think it’ll take me to reach 7?!

Then, Iser, who had been as still as a doll, flinched and trembled.

Only then did my runaway reason return. Crazy bastard, what kind of thing is this to do while holding a kid… As if that kid didn’t already get cursed at enough by that father of his.

“…I wasn’t saying that to you.”

Patting what I assumed was the child’s back, I let out a long sigh.

Fuck. What the hell do I do now?

***

In a dark space bathed in dim moonlight.

Clang!

Clack.

Another chain, now without its lock, made a loud clatter as it slid down Iser’s body.

“Should I do the rest too?”

“……”

So you don’t even want to talk to me?

The moment I arrived here, I pulled the gag from Iser’s mouth. But even as I shattered the locks one by one with my gloved hands, the child remained silent. He simply scanned the room with a displeased expression.

His long pink hair was drenched in the faint moonlight, fading to a purple hue. His face, too, was washed pale by the moonlight, yet it remained beautiful nonetheless.

“……It’s all done now.”

“……”

Yeah, I guess so. It doesn’t even feel surprising anymore.

I gathered the clothes I’d snatched from the duke and the restraints I’d torn from Iser’s body, stacking them into the storage cabinet attached to the dressing table.

Then I realized I still hadn’t explained to Iser where this place was. I opened my mouth, fixing my gaze on the fox painting hanging on the wall.

“So this is—”

“I know.”

Startled by the abrupt interruption, I turned my eyes to Iser. A whirlpool of emotion churned within his sapphire-blue eyes.

“I know where this is.”

It was a rough, hoarse voice that didn’t match his delicate face. His throat must have been badly damaged from being gagged for so long.

“This is the annex of the Duke Hayut’s castle, right?”

Iser continued, his face furrowed, enunciating each word clearly. Perhaps because his voice was hoarse, it sounded like a beast growling.

I let out a small sigh and nodded.

“Yes, you’re right.”

Was this an unexpected situation or a complete mess? Either way, I was now stuck at the Hayut Castle because of it. So escape was out of the question.

With the escape plan ruined, I had to fulfill Lucariel’s original duty. I had to stay quietly holed up in the annex, hoping the Pope would someday lift my exile decree.

…There’s no way I’ll still be unable to leave even after the exile gets lifted, right?

But that was a problem for later.

Right now, soothing the anger of the child right in front of me was more urgent.