Chapter 32

He recalled the moment right before his hands were bound in red chains.

Bzzzt!

“…”

Creeeeeeak—!

Clank!

Even when he was trapped in lightning… even when hands full of malice reached for his vitals…
Those eyes didn’t waver.

Big, clear eyes simply observed him, as if feigning surprise.

She’s not normal.

There was no way he could resist being intrigued.

‘She definitely knew.’

She must have understood this space’s “rule.”

That expression said she knew he’d end up like this if he attacked.

There was no fooling her.

‘When did she figure it out?’

Usher’s fingers twitched with anticipation.

“Damn you, evil god! Just die already! DIE!”

“AAAAAH! Please! Please spare me!”

Terrible screams. Desperate death throes.

The begging voices for mercy soaked his ears with madness.

It was the very thing that ran through his blood.

‘God, I want her…’

Political savvy that belied her age.

The untrained yet incredible divine power it took to summon a Guardian.

She was sharp. Clever.

‘How much fun would it be if she were my Pope candidate?’

Usher’s fingers twitched again.

How thrilling would it be to mold such a promising child into a servant of the evil god?

As a fanatic, what drove him was pleasure, curiosity, and amusement.

He silently raised his hand.

Clank.

Then gazed forward.

‘That neck…’

The child’s neck stood out so clearly.

‘Looks like I could grab it…’

He clenched his fist.

His eyes, now stripped of pretense, were filled with fanaticism, ecstasy, and interest.

He seriously considered it.

Would this interfere with the will of the evil god?

Hmmm.

Then… should I kill her?

As his fingers tilted toward that childish indecision—

“Why you dragging your feet?”

Nemesia turned around as if she had planned it all along.

Staring into her shockingly big, clear eyes, Usher grinned in ecstasy.

“My hands hurt soooo much. Carry me.”

“…Tch. You look perfectly fine to me.”

Usher cheerfully followed her little waddling steps with fluttery ones of his own.

Delighted. Utterly delighted.

* * *

‘Haah… finally made it.’

I stared ahead, utterly drained.

It was a space I recognized.

But the way my mental energy was draining in real-time? No joke.

‘The real problem here is the company I’m keeping.’

Fortunately, ever since those chains shackled Usher’s hands, he hadn’t made another move on me.

We’d made it through a few challenges like that.

“Ohhh~ We actually make a great team, don’t we? What if we upgraded my title to Daddy?”

Yeah, how about you go eat a brick.

The path ahead led to the final destination.

The problem was—

“Oh dear. The bridge is gone?”

It had collapsed.

Tsk.

‘At this point, this game life of mine is just cursed with terrible luck.’

Maybe I used up all my luck picking my Guardian.

‘Otherwise, how the hell do you get seven paths… and end up with the only one that’s broken?’

The paths were randomized. Even if you knew the setup, there was nothing you could do.

Pure RNG hell.

‘Doubling back to take another path… no, not enough time.’

I pictured the “room” that lay at the end of that broken path.

The last room.

And the main stage of this supernatural event.

Most of all, staying with that fanatic any longer? Dangerous for me.

‘Daddy… I miss you…’

“So, what’s the plan, candidate?”

I had zero desire to humor that expectant look on his face.

“From here, let’s go separately.”

“Hm? All of a sudden?”

Usher tilted his head, intrigued.

“Then how are you gonna solve the challenge? That boulder earlier didn’t even adjust to your height!”

Yeah, that’s because this exam was designed by cruel Order bastards who thought putting kids through this was fine.

“None of your business.”

“Now, now, don’t be like that. Let’s negotiate. How’s that sound?”

Negotiation. A word I wasn’t fond of.

It reminded me too much of that guy—one of the three major villains in this world and a top-tier royal spy.

“What kinda negotiation?”

“I’ll help you cross the bridge. And in return, all you have to do is tell me the truth while we’re in this space.”

He was clearly scheming something.

“How simple are we talking?”

Before I could dodge, Usher grabbed my shoulder. It didn’t hurt, but I couldn’t shake him off.

With just a little pressure, he made me turn to face him. Our eyes locked.

‘Damn it. So that’s why he hadn’t used it yet!’

[Warning: Danger detected! Fanatic ‘Usher Tatum’ has activated a hidden ability on you!]

Thankfully, the compulsion in his bright blue eyes wasn’t as strong as I’d feared.

[Do you want to use your ‘Purification’ skill?]

Nope. Absolutely not.

‘Well, here we go.’

Honestly, I’d known this moment would come the second we got paired up.

‘Now that the bastard’s used his ability, I’ve gotta find the best way to minimize the damage.’

“F-fine, I’ll do it! But… since it’s unfair, I get veto rights!”

Usher’s eyes widened slightly.

“…Alright. I’ll give you three. You’re a good kid, huh?”

Yeah, good kid my ass.

‘Ugh. I feel sick.’

“Up we go~!”

Apparently, that meant he took it as a yes, because he scooped me up under one arm.

I wanted to ask if this was really the best posture he could come up with for carrying a kid, but I let it go.

What did I expect from a fanatic?

“Should I hold on tight?”

“You’re the one holding me! You figure it out!”

Before I could say more, Usher stepped back—then bolted forward.

Hop. Whoosh! Hop!

Only the skeleton of the bridge remained, but Usher leapt from plank to plank like they were nothing but twigs.

And then, from the final post, he launched forward without hesitation.

‘AAAAAAAAAHHH! I’M NEVER GETTING ON A RIDE AGAIN!’

His feet landed solidly.

And without a second thought, he dropped me.

Thud.

‘Mannerless fanatic scumbag…’

“Cough! Cough!”

“Alright, first question.”

He waved his chained red hand in front of me. I looked up, teary-eyed, still choking a little.

And those eerie, shimmering blue eyes stared back.

“You knew what would happen if I attacked you, didn’t you?”

My tongue tried to move on its own.

Instead of resisting the compulsion, I glanced away slightly.

“I’ll answer. But can we go inside and talk?”

[Post] [Strategy Guide]

[How to Deal with Crazy NPCs That Use Forced Abilities]

If you’re a newbie, read this first: <Insane NPC Watchlist for Newbies Pt. 1>

• Usher Tatum’s brainwashing ability puts you under a “curse” until the conditions end.
  If it hits hard, even your movement keys get reversed. Two ways to deal:

1. Stall for time. Keep moving around.

Usher agreed without hesitation. The fun-loving bastard was probably curious about what I was planning.

And then, after a long walk down a narrow corridor—

“Nemesia!”

At the end of the room, I saw the dad I’d missed so much.

“Daddyyyyy!”

God, I was so happy to see him.

Like a reunion scene from a tearjerker, he scooped me up and hugged me tightly.

“Arms and legs are intact, right? Fingers, toes? All accounted for?”

…Is it normal for a dad’s version of ‘Are you okay?’ to sound this brutal?

And he didn’t even know Usher was a fanatic yet, but he was already treating him like one.

‘Still… I feel like I can breathe again.’

Something about this stiff but warm embrace was comforting.

Being apart had made me realize how much I missed it.

“Now then, Candidate? You need to keep your promise, remember?”

Usher strolled up, waving his hand cheerily.

There were others in the room besides Dad. Maybe that’s why he suddenly switched back to a friendlier tone.

Disgusting bastard.

“…Yeah, I remember.”

When I answered, his eyes lit up with delight.

“Then, for the second que—”

“I’ll answer in five minutes. I’m tired…”

Dad instantly wrapped his arms around me protectively and turned his back on Usher. The man blinked, dumbfounded.

“Our candidate says she’s tired.”

“But our deal comes first, doesn’t it? …Well, fine. I guess this is entertaining in its own way too.”

Usher shrugged and backed off.

I laughed at him silently.

‘Yeah, go ahead and wait. That five minutes? Never coming.’

Because—

I slowly looked around the space.

‘We’re probably the last ones here, right?’

Familiar faces appeared here and there.

Pope candidates. Their Guardians.

But the real issue was… we weren’t the only ones here.

“Nemesia, don’t be startled. There are… civilians here too.”

Of course.

This was what made this chapter so damn hard for beginners.

Because soon, this room would become the stage for a horrific game.

Before I could respond—

Drrrrkk…!

— Entry to Second Space complete.

The door Usher and I had entered through closed behind us.
 

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Translator: Japchae