Confined Together with the Horror Game’s Male Lead - Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Translator: Yonnee
—
The moment my body underwent changes was ‘that day’.
The day Dietrich went up to the second floor.
[ Charlotte shall now bear the responsibility and be held accountable. ]
When that strange window had popped up.
‘Accountable? For what?’
What kind of responsibility was the system asking me to take on now?
Then, once again, a system window appeared.
[ Rules of the Mansion ]
– Guests are not sent to the second floor.
– From the second floor onwards is the space of the masters.
What is this nonsense?
However, it somehow felt like a warning from the system.
It seemed like it was telling me that I had failed to stop Dietrich from ascending to the next floor, that I had a responsibility for not completing the task.
That sinking feeling turned out to be correct as a system message reminded me.
[ Charlotte shall now be held accountable. ]
〈 Accountabilities 〉
– The function of Steel Mentality is reduced by 10%.
– Assimilation rate increases by 10%.
– Physical functions have now degraded.
– Hunger will be felt.
Accountabilities, huh?
In other words, penalties, right?
I was flabbergasted.
But it’s strange. Why did the ‘assimilation rate’ given for completing the task increase?
If it’s a penalty, shouldn’t that also decrease?
Could it be a bad ability?
[ Assimilation Rate: 1% ]
It was the ability that allowed me to experience Penny’s perspective firsthand.
But the introduction of that percentage started to worry me.
What was going to happen the more it increased?
[ These accountabilities now apply to Charlotte. ]
At that moment, another system window appeared, and I felt a new change.
It was nothing immediate.
But as time passed, I began to lose energy over things that used to be no big deal, and I felt hungry.
And then…
—…You are acting strange right now.
—Not so sly, and also… and also… not pushing yourself unreasonably…
Was this also the effect of the ‘accountabilities’?
The only clue I had was the assimilation rate.
[ Assimilation Rate: 13% ]
Originally, it was a mere 1%, but it increased by 10% when ‘accountabilities’ were assigned, and it went up another 2% while staying here.
I recalled the first time I used the assimilation ability.
[ Charlotte shall henceforth be assimilated with a part of the mansion. ]
The system didn’t say I would assimilate with ‘Penny’.
It said ‘a part of the mansion’.
And ‘Charlotte’ was also a part of the mansion.
I didn’t want to assume this, but maybe…
My body, that is, Charlotte, the maid of the mansion, was meant to be assimilated.
‘But I’m not sure yet.’
It’s just a guess for now.
Maybe today, for no particular reason, I’m just acting worse than usual.
After all, people do change suddenly sometimes.
* * *
When I returned, the first-floor hall was empty.
“Looks like everyone has already gone to rest.”
But was that really the case?
I had a bad feeling.
A foreboding feeling.
It was at that moment.
[ Erik has discovered the ‘Ring of Reflection’. ]
…What?
I stiffened as I looked at the system window.
“…What’s the matter?”
Seeing my stiff expression, Dietrich asked, but I couldn’t say a word.
An item that should never appear.
An item that had once been used to kill Dietrich.
…Within hours of arriving at the mansion, it had fallen into the hands of those thieves.
But what shocked me more was something else.
‘It can’t be.’
This was an item that could only be obtained by solving the problem that appeared along with the second excerpt of S’s diary.
It meant it was an item that absolutely couldn’t be obtained at this moment.
…The game had changed.
[ Steel Mentality is being implemented. ]
I quickly regained my composure.
There was something urgent I had to check.
Ignoring Dietrich, I rushed up to the second floor.
“Wait…!”
Dietrich shouted in surprise at my sudden action, but something more pressing was right in front of me.
‘That ring is…’
An item that Dietrich didn’t particularly need, but absolutely shouldn’t fall into anyone else’s hands.
“Huh? Miss Charlotte?”
As I rushed over, the thieves noticed me.
I glanced at them.
‘…They haven’t entered the room yet?’
They were just standing in front of the door, seemingly having taken no action yet.
Impossible.
Then how did they find that ring?
I saw Erik holding the ring.
“Mister Erik, I don’t seem to recognize that ring. Where did you find it?”
“It was just lying on the floor?”
…Lying on the floor?
That’s impossible.
What did that even mean?
However, looking at the bewildered faces of the thieves, they didn’t seem to be lying.
A nauseating sense of déjà vu hit me.
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