Chapter 66

It wasn’t all that surprising.

Ever since I heard from Laura that Bennett had made it out safely, I figured this day might come.

‘Sooner than expected, though.’

I glanced at the clock without thinking. Early morning.

Not exactly the most appropriate time to be paying someone a visit.

Bennett seemed to be aware of that fact. He lingered, clearly unsure of himself.

It was a stark contrast from the last time I’d tied him up—honestly, kind of impressive.

“What’re you doin’? Come on in.”

I spoke casually, only after confirming no one was in the hallway.

Bennett stepped inside, and the door clicked shut behind him. He looked nervous, visibly tense.

“You holdin’ up okay?”

“Huh? Uh, y-yes?”

“Betcha been through a lot.”

Bennett blinked wide-eyed.

* * *

“Ah, yes… I-I’m not hurt or anything.”

He stammered his reply. He couldn’t even tell if he was speaking properly.

That’s how disoriented and on edge he was.

Everything from the past few days felt distant—like it had happened in a dream. Honestly, he could barely remember any of it.

Unbeknownst to him, it was the after-effect of brainwashing.

All he really remembered was waking up repeatedly in Usher’s room.

And the distinct, nauseating feeling that he’d spilled sensitive information he should’ve kept to himself.

But how he got to that point—and why—was completely lost on him.

He was utterly confused.

“Hmm, looks like you’re sleepy. Just sleep a lil’ longer.”

“It’s better if you don’t remember.”

The voice was drowsy, relaxed. He couldn’t tell if it had come from a dream or reality.

What he did know, was that Vice-Captain Usher of the White Holy Knights had done something to him.

But what that something was—he had no clue.

He’d somehow made it out of Usher’s room while the man was detained.

And thanks to Nemesia’s tip, he was found by Holy Knight Laura, who gave him a rough idea of what had happened.

‘…Candidate Nemesia was attacked by Sir Tatum?’

A strange sense of déjà vu crept over him.

He was sure this incident had something to do with what he’d reported to Usher.

His lips trembled.

“Seed Bennett, thankfully, reinstating you won’t be difficult. All thanks to Candidate Nemesia. Be sure to show your gratitude.”

That’s exactly what she’d told him.

After returning, Bennett spent the next few days in anxious suspense.

Fortunately, thanks to Laura putting in a good word with the department overseeing seeds—at Nemesia’s request—his absence was more or less overlooked without major punishment.

And the moment he heard Nemesia had returned and regained consciousness, he came running.

‘…She cared enough to ask about me.’

When Laura explained everything, Bennett couldn’t even lift his head.

It was as if she’d predicted it all—everything had been handled flawlessly.

She’d gone through something terrifying enough to leave her unconscious, and yet she still took time to think about him.

How could he possibly believe Nemesia was some servant of the Evil God after this?

‘But me, I…’

Nemesia had warned him.

“…If I talk, will you kill me?”

“No. I’ll die.”

She’d told him plainly—he was free to run his mouth if he wanted, but it wouldn’t be his life on the line. It’d be hers.

Even after hearing that, he’d taken it lightly and walked off.

He’d even decided not to file a report and turned back… only to find himself confessing to Usher before he realized it.

The only silver lining, if there was one, was that he hadn’t said the most important part.

Nemesia was still alive, after all…

But that could never be considered a justification.

“No, I mean hurt—not your body.”

Bennett slowly lifted his head.

Nestled in the arms of her guardian, Derek, Nemesia looked a little thinner than before—she seemed weak.

She even had a bandage on her cheek and her hand wrapped in gauze.

In truth, Derek had overreacted and pestered the healers into treating every little scratch—Nemesia was perfectly fine.

But Bennett had no way of knowing that.

“Your mind.”

“…Sorry?”

“Just ‘cause your body’s fine don’t mean everything’s fine. Gotta be okay up here too.”

Nemesia’s words sounded like she knew more than she let on. Bennett flinched.

Their eyes met.

Her soft pink irises were pure and clear—and, to Bennett… they felt kind.

“…You okay?”

And that was all it took.

Tears burst from Bennett’s eyes like a dam breaking.

He dropped to his knees.

How dare he—how dare he?

What had he done to this noble soul?

His eyes brimmed with tears. From the depths of his heart, a sincere, trembling voice emerged.

“Snf… hic… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

* * *

I froze, eyes wide.

Uh… yeah.

So the guy I used to recruit all the time in the game just suddenly started crying. Like, really crying.

…What am I supposed to do?

‘He’s really going bwaaaah and everything…’

I didn’t know how else to describe it.

The kid already had huge, droopy eyes, but now the tears were falling like oversized pearls.

‘…I suck at calming people down.’

I mean, I was a game addict. I didn’t even have that many friends!

If cyber friends counted, sure—maybe a few hundred—but still!

Game Category [Post][Casual Chat]

Title: Hehe, I’m bored. Who wants to hang out with me ㅇㅅㅇ (First come, first served!)

Come worship the Evil God with me~

Who wants to sing hymns? 🎶

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Comments:

👤 Savior 1
Somebody lock this lunatic up and make them write only strategy guides (1/9999)
└ Sayver 2: 2222 (2/9999)
└ Sayver 3: You’re our slave, get back to work (3/9999)
└ Sayver 4: (13/9999)

👤 Original Poster
Can’t believe I have this many friends! 8ㅅㅠ (Touched)

└ Sayver 1: You’re crazy…

└ Sayver 5: STFU, stop provoking that Sayver guy, he’ll derail our route again 😭

Holy sh*t. I was just thinking about that post.

And now that relic of my cringy past came flashing before my eyes.

‘What are you doing? Get outta here, get out!!’

Panicking, I turned my head and looked desperately at Daddy.

I didn’t know how to calm a crying kid… maybe he did?

I mouthed the words silently.

‘D-daddy, what do I do?’

‘I dunno either…’

Right. I was his first kid, wasn’t I?

Even after our little silent convo, I got nothing useful.

Meanwhile, our dear bwaaaah-boy—I mean, Bennett—was still looking up at me with tearful eyes from where he knelt on the cold stone floor.

His golden hair and weepy face made him look like a baby golden retriever.

Somehow… weirdly endearing.

“Snf… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…!”

“Umm, hey.”

“I’ll accept any punishment you see fit! Please, please punish me—I deserve it…!”

Wait, what?

‘If you think about it, the kid just did what he thought was right.’

He saw something sketchy about a Pope candidate and reported it out of a sense of justice.

Given that the Order was already riddled with fanatic infiltrators, it wasn’t that unusual.

‘The real issue was who he reported to—damn Usher.’

Things just snowballed a bit too hard. I scratched my cheek.

“O-only one thing I wanna ask.”

I tilted my head.

“Why’d you come to me?”

It was hard to get used to the sight of Bennett kneeling in tears before me.

I still remembered how he’d looked at me like I was the devil himself.

“You already told Usher Tatum about me. And I doubt he suddenly stopped suspecting me. You could’ve just gone to HQ and confessed everything to someone else, right?”

Clearly, that bastard Usher had only confessed whatever made him look good during the Disciplinary Committee’s interrogation.

“…Snf.”

Bennett wiped his tears with his sleeve.

“Then… from the beginning, you thought…”

His eyes were still glassy from crying, but now they were serious and sharp.

“…that my report wouldn’t make it properly to the Central Committee?”

Like a young beast that had been hiding claws in its tears.

‘Oh? Look at this kid.’
 

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Translator: Japchae