Surviving as an Idiot in a Horror Game

Chapter 4

The moment I entered the western staircase, the noise from upstairs ceased as if it had been a lie.

As soon as silence fell, the heroine Yeniel’s legs gave out beneath her.

Barely, just barely, she had survived.

“Are you alright, Lady?”

The Crown Prince supported Yeniel.

Her heart, having been pushed to its limit, was beating madly.

Her strength had given out, but there was no time to rest or stop here.

They were still inside the Archmage’s Mansion, and the monsters they had just escaped from could catch up to them at any moment. Or perhaps a new monster might appear…

It was possible, but she didn’t want to imagine it.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”

“Not at all. Aren’t we old friends?”

Among the four founding families, the Baron family of Genes, to which Yeniel belonged, was the only one that had fallen.

Even so, thanks to the historical significance of being a founding family, a bit of prestige remained, allowing the current Baron of Genes to become the tutor of the Crown Prince during his childhood.

“Sian, have you figured out what’s going on here?”

The man who turned at the Crown Prince’s words had blonde hair and sky-blue eyes.

He was Sian Isengriff, the Crown Prince’s cousin and a member of the Empire’s foremost scholarly family.

Although he had a prickly personality, he was a genius.

A natural-born mage and spirit summoner. On top of that, his exceptional intellect had earned him the position of the Crown Prince’s advisor.

“It seems to be… some form of black magic. This space appears to be a ‘reverse world,’ a typical manifestation seen in black magic.”

Sian Isengriff’s face was covered in a faint sheen of sweat, as if something truly grave was at hand.

“A reverse world? What is that?”

“It’s a small dimension fueled by souls and magic. It’s created based on the caster’s memories or inner world. It’s a space conjured for purposes normally considered impossible. Curses, murders. In this case, it would be murder. Now that we’re trapped here, everything in this world will try to kill us. Those monsters from earlier, the objects, or even the laws of this place.”

Because we are the descendants of the Emperor and the four founding families.

His lips tightened as he barely finished his explanation.

Yeniel calculated their chances of survival.

Dealing with souls was not only forbidden to study or use, but was also considered an affront to the gods.

It was an act that violated the sanctity of life, as well as something too powerful to handle.

“So, the Archmage broke the taboo and created a reverse world using souls as fuel to kill people, and we are now in mortal danger. It’s going to be a long day.”

She had a premonition that today would be an extraordinarily long day.

Those grotesque monsters and alien entities would appear everywhere they went, trying to kill them.

Although Sian didn’t say it, the Crown Prince, who directly inherited the bloodline of the first Emperor, was likely to be the primary target.

As members of the Imperial faction, they had to protect the Crown Prince, who was not only the heir apparent but also the future of their faction.

At a time when despair and fear filled the air—

“Oh my, Lady Yeniel. Everyone. You’re here?”

A voice, innocent and pure, cut through the bleak atmosphere.

They looked up the stairs.

“Lady April…?”

In that moment, no one could have been more welcome than Lady April, clad in a white lace dress.

The young lady is famously known in social circles as the idiot young lady.

The daughter of the Marquis of Sharon, whose head was said to be filled with muscles.

“Lovely to see you! Lady Yeniel! Everyone!”

April skipped down the stairs lightly, taking Yeniel’s hand and smiling brightly.

As if nothing had happened.

Normally, no matter how apolitical the Marquis of Sharon might be, Lady April, a member of the Noble faction, would not have been welcome.

But her radiant smile, which reminded them of everyday life, was exactly what they needed in this situation.

Yeniel’s eyes widened.

—

I finally made it to the western staircase.

The people who had escaped later than I did must have mostly used the central staircase, as there was no one following me.

‘In the game, this was just a given.’

The west was the heroine’s faction, and the east was the villainess Evelyn’s faction.

This division didn’t change much throughout the game.

After just a few steps, I heard voices whispering softly from below.

“Now that we’ve been pulled in, everything in this world will try to kill us. Those monsters from before, and…”

It was the moment when Sian, the advisor, was explaining the nature of this place to everyone.

Suddenly, I realized something.

‘I’m in big trouble. I’ve played this game for hours, but why don’t I know anything about this reverse world setting?’

I was definitely playing “The Archmage’s Mansion” all the way until we ordered the chicken.

But if you asked me whether I remembered any detailed information or could use it, the answer was no.

Where things popped up, patterns being easy, clearing everything after getting special traits. That was it.

My physical skills were good enough, so I just played mindlessly.

Understanding the lore for the sake of being a fan? Picking up hidden hints? Solving puzzles? That was my brother’s thing.

I skimmed through the story with a glazed look or hit the skip button. I’m sure anyone who liked clearing games quickly did the same as me.

‘If I’d known I’d get possessed, I would never have done that.’

I felt unjustly wronged.

Fortunately, a perfect timing to intervene presented itself.

As Yeniel’s faction was grasping the situation and falling into a despondent silence, I naturally stepped in.

“Oh my, Lady Yeniel. You’re here?”

They turned to me with slightly surprised reactions.

“Lady April…?”

I quickly ran down the stairs.

“Lovely to see you! Lady Yeniel! Everyone!”

I grabbed the hand of Yeniel, the representative of the faction that would help me escape, and smiled brightly as if we were very close friends.

Suddenly, a notification popped up.

—

Yeniel’s affection level has greatly increased.

Sian’s affection level has greatly increased.

Crown Prince Azef’s affection level has greatly increased.

—

‘Huh…?’

What? There’s an affection level too? Why did it go up at this time?

Since it’s a ‘romance’ fantasy, this game also had an affection system.

But there were few instances where it increased so dramatically like this.

At least, I hadn’t seen it much during my rushed playthroughs.

‘Ah. I get it.’

Then, looking at the faces of the group, I realized why their affection levels had increased so significantly.

The expression my brother made every time he saw April was trembling and tense while playing “The Archmage’s Mansion”.

Yes.

It was a relief.

Their reaction was like that of finding a single ray of light or a savior in the darkness that eased their tension.

“How did you get here, Lady April?”

Yeniel asked calmly, so I lightly shook the hand I was holding.

“I ran away from the monster and ended up here! I’m so glad to see my friends!”

I didn’t forget to laugh cheerfully.

The idiot young lady April calls most people her friends. Yeniel, too, was probably considered a friend in April’s mind.

“Friends?”

Sian’s sharp blue eyes narrowed.

“Calling people friends despite not being close, and in front of His Highness the Crown Prince, that’s quite rude…”

“Enough, Sian.”

The Crown Prince raised his hand, stopping Sian.

“It’s somewhat fortunate that Lady April is here. Let’s leave her be until we escape this reverse world. Let her come with us.”

“Understood… Your Highness.”

Sian, who had been about to reject me outright, closed his mouth. I, pretending to know nothing, gave him a beaming smile.

“What happened to that grotesque monster, Lady April?”

The Crown Prince’s crimson eyes, an official feature of the royal family, came into view as he approached.

“Grotesque? What’s that?”

I tilted my head. Sian interjected.

“‘Grotesque’ refers to something unusual or abnormal in form. I was asking what happened to the giant female monster with the blue face.”

A cold gaze. His personality was prickly and caustic, as his character setting suggested.

“Umm, the monster…”

“The monster?”

“April doesn’t know either!”

I smiled sweetly.

Sian was someone who, despite being armed with logic and reason, experienced extreme stress whenever he dealt with April due to their poor character compatibility.

He frowned, looking at me as if I were a horrific entity.

“Sigh… Why does an adult speak in such a manner? Referring to herself in third person… You should be grateful for His Highness’s generosity.”

“Yes! Sir Sian!”

I brushed off Sian’s sharp remarks smoothly, like the idiot young lady April would.

Then, as if I had always been part of their group, I sidled up to Yeniel.

Judging by their expressions, the Crown Prince seemed to have allowed me to join them, and the others seemed willing to welcome me into their group.

Yeniel, cautiously disengaging her hand from mine, asked.

“Where did Lady Evelyn go? Lady April?”

“Lady Evelyn? I saw her! She went very far away, so I couldn’t keep watching.”

“Very far… Then she must have gone to the eastern wing?”

“East? Where is

that? Father said the east is to the right.”

I raised my hands, pointing left and right, with a confused expression.

“This is the west. So, if it’s in the opposite direction, over there, that would be the east.”

“I see! As expected, Lady Yeniel is so smart. Then Lady Evelyn went to the east. Amazing!”

Although it was a simple and silly compliment, no one doubted me.

—

Yeniel’s affection level has increased.

—

Only Yeniel’s affection level, which had seemed slightly wary of me, had gone up. Apparently, she liked my praise.

For now, the notifications I had received were for and .

‘Detailed view of affection level.’

—

Error! No player information.

Tip. You cannot use the detailed affection level page!

—

Unfortunately, unlike the suspicion level, I couldn’t see the exact percentage for affection.

‘Oh well.’

There’s no harm in raising affection levels as much as possible.

I decided to win over the group to raise my affection level.

So that I could stick with this faction.