Chapter 14
Success will reveal the goal point.
I immediately called them over to the table and told them to sit. Then, I handed each a mug.
“If you hold onto these mugs for ten minutes and talk with me without letting go, I’ll join you.”
Of course, they could run away midway.
But if I said that now, they’d probably drop the mugs right away, so I didn’t.
“Are you joking?”
“If it seems like a joke, go ahead first.”
“….”
Werner let out a deep sigh and gripped the mug. Moran also silently held hers while looking at me.
It seemed they were willing to do as I wanted for now.
But what kind of conversation should we have, step by step?
The topic doesn’t matter, right? If it did, it would have specified.
“Sir Werner, I heard from Moran that you were with Cleta—why are you alone now?”
“A horde of monsters appeared, and we naturally got separated. May I ask a question too?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you barefoot?”
I glanced down at my feet. From running and stepping on debris from collapsed walls, they were a mess.
Only then did the pain surge all at once, making my soles throb.
“I lost my slippers.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“Well… I’m not going to die from this much bleeding, am I?”
“Then why are you covered in blood all over?”
“Because I rolled in Pridel’s blood.”
“Eh, Miss Evelyn.”
Moran fidgeted, pretending to be anxious while glancing at Werner. Werner looked at me oddly.
“You’ve changed a lot since before we entered the hotel.”
“You can see it as resignation. Or maybe from tasting extreme terror.”
Seeing my unexpectedly calm face, Werner nodded as if convinced of its credibility and easily accepted it.
“It does seem that way.”
I wondered why he believed it so readily, but my actions so far had made it hard not to.
From the prim Evelyn, to the one who fell on the island and became a crying, troublesome mess, and now to this impassive version.
When a person changes so drastically in such a short time, you just have to go with it.
Reflexively, as Moran tried to set down her cup, I hurriedly stopped her.
“Hold onto it!”
Startled, Moran clutched the cup with both hands.
“May I step out for a moment?”
“No. You have to hold that and talk with me for ten minutes.”
“Please tell me the reason.”
“I just feel like it. After running around frantically, I wanted to have a conversation without worries, even if just for ten minutes.”
Only then did Werner quietly close his mouth. Instead, Holloway tugged at my sleeve.
“Am I not enough?”
“I wanted to talk with people I can lean on, I suppose.”
“With adults?”
“Yeah. Since you’re young, I can’t act weak in front of you.”
“But you did plenty.”
Be quiet, kid.
Now, about a minute remained.
During that time, we only exchanged meaningless chatter, and Holloway, perhaps bored or sleepy, slumped over the table and didn’t move.
Time kept flowing, and when about thirty seconds were left…
Holloway is bored. He decides to kill Moran and Werner.
…Suddenly?
I’m glad I’m not the target, but…
You want to quell Holloway’s murderous urge and relieve his boredom.
Me? No, I’m not…
Why do I have to bother soothing his boredom?
But as usual, the window paid no attention to someone like me.
➤What action should you take?
Hit the lying Holloway’s head hard.
And then I die?
The first option was a total bust from the start.
Pull the lying Holloway’s hair.
Bite the lying Holloway’s head hard.
This makes it seem like there’s a grudge against the lying Holloway’s head.
Or maybe it just wants me dead…
There weren’t any better options.
“You’re insane, really.”
“Miss Evelyn?”
Don’t call me… I might cry.
If I do any of those three, it’ll be a one-way ticket to the afterlife, right?
No, but since there’s at least a little favorability, he won’t kill me right away.
Amid all sorts of worries, holding the cup in one hand and clutching my head with the other, the cooperative quest success alert popped up.
Revealing the exit.
The map will disappear once the exit is found.
Ziiing—.
A map of the third floor with the exit marked appeared before my eyes.
The red blinking spot was our current location, and the white one was where I needed to go.
“You can set down the mugs now. Thank you.”
And should I say goodbye?
I had to hurry and choose an option and head to the exit before the tagger appeared.
I stared intently at the hopeless options, resigning myself to it like eating mustard through tears.
That’s when I noticed the one that was uniquely different.
The first and third included the adverb “hard.” The second didn’t have any form of “hard.”
So maybe gently? It seemed better than hard.
It was a gamble, but number 2!
I pressed 2, and my hand started moving.
My heart pounded wildly.
Afraid it might grab Holloway’s hair roughly, I tensed my hand, but it didn’t help much.
“Miss Evelyn, your expression is strange.”
Mind your own business.
My hand reached Holloway’s hair, and I swallowed dryly.
The hand grasped Holloway’s hair.
Hey, isn’t that too much you’re grabbing?
“Why, Sis?”
Please pull gently, please!
It didn’t say hard, please.
As if my desperation worked, the hand that had grasped Holloway’s hair pulled it very gently.
“Sis?”
He called me once more. Maybe from the relief of surviving, I smiled brightly and replied.
“Ah, because I have to go now. Sorry for waking you.”
“It’s okay. Let’s go then!”
I held out my hand, and he happily took it.
Holloway’s murderous urge and boredom subside.
I sighed deeply in relief at that system window.
Looking at the semi-transparent map in front of me, I walked quickly toward the exit.
Of course, I didn’t forget to pretend to be wary of the tagger to avoid suspicion.
“Where are you going?”
“Where else would I go? Just checking if there’s something. Do you have somewhere else to go, Sir Werner?”
When I turned the question back, Werner couldn’t answer.
Of course not.
Trapped in this hotel, where could he go?
Just wander wherever your feet take you and look for hints to escape the hotel.
Then Werner grabbed me and stopped me.
“Let’s find shoes first.”
“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt.”
When I repeatedly refused, saying no, Werner blocked my path.
“Then let me carry you on my back until we find some.”
“There’s no need to be that kind.”
“If you get hurt more, it’ll be hard to move around later. If you cry about the pain belatedly, it’ll only trouble us. Don’t refuse.”
Should I let him carry me then?
But if I accept help like this, I won’t be able to ignore it when he dies later.
In the end, I decided to refuse that help.
“It’s okay. I’ll handle myself. The care you gave outside the hotel is enough.”
Then I pushed him aside and walked ahead. Holloway held my hand and shook it.
“But Sis, back when we were hiding in that closet.”
“Can we not talk about that?”
But Holloway wasn’t one to listen.
“Why did you dance?”
I was wondering why he hadn’t asked.
Moran, curious about that incident too, sidled up and perked her ears.
I forced a smile.
“Just…”
“You can’t dance, so I was surprised.”
Saying it so bluntly surprised me too.
Annoyed by Holloway’s cheekiness, I pinched his cheek.
That dance was a tremendous effort to escape safely from the closet!
“Is that what you say to someone who used all her might to get us out safely? You naughty brat!”
With his cheek pinched, Holloway grinned mischievously.
“Was I safe because you danced, Sis?”
Ah, oops…
I subtly released his cheek and brushed it off.
“I sometimes go a bit crazy and dance to overcome fear.”
Thanks to my quirky behavior so far, perhaps.
“I see.”
Fortunately, he believed it easily without suspicion.
Werner, listening to our conversation from the side, asked again.
“Dance?”
I ignored him, and thankfully, neither Moran nor Holloway said anything to the curious him.
❖ ❖ ❖
Here it is.
I took a deep breath in and out. While heading to the exit, we were chased by the tagger, but we managed to arrive somehow.
Werner kept glancing at my feet, furrowing his brows.
“Miss Evelyn, the wounds on your feet are getting worse…”
“Slippers would just slow me down when running. It’s my feet, so don’t worry.”
It hurt, but I could endure it.
I boldly opened the door. At the end of what seemed like a small banquet hall, there was a doll shaped like the tagger.
Found it.
— Found you!
A cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Saying the same words as me but with a different meaning, I turned around.
The tagger was running toward us with excited steps. I hurriedly entered the banquet hall.
And I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Now I’m the tagger!”
Everyone looked at me strangely, but I locked eyes directly with the tagger just entering the banquet hall.
— ….
The tagger said nothing, just glaring at me as if to kill.
Staring into those eyes full of pure malice, my legs went weak on their own.
Werner beside me quickly supported me.
Holloway extended his hand but then withdrew it, as if finding himself ridiculous.
“Are you okay? Let’s run for now!”
And Werner lifted me up in his arms.
“Ah!”
Ignoring my short scream, Werner started running toward the door at the back of the banquet hall, and I looked at the tagger.
The tagger, who had paused, raised both hands high and shouted.
— Annoying! I could have killed you!
Stomping angrily like in a tantrum, the tagger quickly moved away from the banquet hall.
Werner and Moran stopped running and watched the scene a bit bewildered.
“Is it because you said you’re the tagger?”
Moran looked at me, and I shrugged.
“It seemed like a kid who wants to play, so I tried shouting it, and it worked.”
I smoothly made an excuse, and once we were safe from the tagger, a window appeared.
05th “Tagger Is You” story success!
The revolver’s location is at the end of the hall.
A sparkling hologram appeared at the end of the banquet hall, and I squirmed in Werner’s arms.
“Put me down!”
“I’ll put you down once we find shoes.”
Faced with his firm attitude, I had no choice but to placate him.
I knew from Werner’s personality that if I kept being stubborn, he’d never put me down.
“Just put me down for a moment. I’ll let you hold me again after. Okay?”
“Just a moment.”
You believe that!
“Yes, yes.”
He looked suspicious but, seeing my obedient demeanor, carefully set me down.
Holloway came right over to take my hand, but since the revolver was priority, I ran to the sparkling spot.
There was the revolver along with a shoulder holster.
Acquired ‘Revolver’!
Revolver
Feature: Powerful.
I skimmed the pointless description as usual, put on the shoulder holster, and checked the revolver’s bullet count.
Only six shots was a flaw, but better than nothing.
“A gun?”
“It’s a gun! How did you find it, Miss Evelyn?”
“It just caught my eye.”
Wearing a negligee with a cardigan and a shoulder holster looked pretty ridiculous, but it felt reassuring.
A sword and now a gun.
I’m becoming a weapon collector like this.
“Since your business is done, I’ll carry you again.”
“No need. I have a weapon now.”
“But you don’t have shoes.”
“Ah, come on. Why are you so obsessed with shoes!”
When I yelled in frustration, Werner shouted back, unwilling to yield.
“Because I’m worried!”
“Kind Sir Werner. Save that worry for someone other than me.”
I cut him off flatly and took Holloway’s hand.
“You said you’d let me hold you once the business was done.”
That phrasing is weird.
“It was a lie.”
“Then you’ll lose trust.”
Why phrase “keep your word” like that?
“I don’t care if I do.”
Annoyed by Werner’s persistence, I muttered softly to check the unlocked room’s location again.
“Unlocked room.”
22nd room, Room 205 ‘This room is very safe!’
Room 205 was on the second floor.
So we need to go down first.
If it’s safe, I needed to check if it was safe from monsters or even from the devil.
Dealing with monsters and the devil was draining my stamina, so having at least one safe place was necessary.
Especially since it was unlocked, it probably meant I should go check it out—it wasn’t a bad idea.
I might find some clues.
After the story started, whether upstairs or downstairs, transparent barriers blocked the way down, but after success, they vanished as if they’d never been, so we could go down easily.
Holloway, watching me descend lightly, asked.
“Sis, aren’t you going to do that?”
He was recalling when I pantomimed in front of the transparent barrier.
“No.”
As if I would.
Moran, following behind me, asked curiously.
“Why are we going down? Not up?”
“There might be other companions on the lower floor.”
“You say you don’t like it, but you’re diligently taking care of things.”
That’s the only excuse I have.
For once, Werner and Moran didn’t complain further and quietly followed behind me.
One story cleared, at least.
