The villain's ending is only death Chapter 33
I thought I was definitely going to die.
The terror and fear of the moment when my favorability plummeted without me being able to do anything about it.
The world in this game, where danger approached without a moment of joy, was terrifying.
Shaken by the shock of the plummeting favorability, I hid my trembling hands behind my back and clasped them.
"…I didn't know this was a secret room. I apologize for the intrusion."
Despite the fear creeping up my chin, I had to desperately lift my chin.
I had to act like a stubborn and arrogant noble girl, pretending not to know fear. It was terrifying.
Bunter seemed a bit surprised by my unexpectedly gentle voice and bold attitude.
"…Please come this way. This is not a place for consultation."
He tried to guide me with polite gestures.
Though he said he was guiding me, it seemed he wanted to get me out of this secret place as soon as possible.
I moved as slowly as possible, checking if the system window would pop up.
I had entered the "suspicious and secret room" as the quest required, but the success window did not appear.
Judging by the plummeting favorability, it seemed that entering and leaving without being noticed was the "hidden quest."
And I had failed spectacularly.
Was it normal for hidden quests in hard mode to not provide any information?
'What a crazy game. I won't accept any more quests.'
I reaffirmed this several times as I trudged over to Bunter with a slumped gait.
He turned his body and moved toward the corridor as soon as I approached.
'Am I some kind of monster that hurts children?'
A sudden sense of injustice welled up inside me.
Of course, it was wrong to sneak in, but I had played with the children in a fun and beneficial way. Why did I have to be treated like this?
"Auntie noble! Have a good day!"
"Let's play again next time, Auntie!"
Turning around at the sudden sound, I saw five young animals gathered together, waving at me.
The child with the lion mask, who had first embraced me, put a finger to his lips and winked.
I felt grateful for their support and was embarrassed to leave like I was being chased out.
I waved back. Although my smiling face was hidden by the mask, I smiled widely.
Then I stopped and quickly walked over to the rabbit mask, who was staring at me intently.
During the return trip down the corridor, which I had entered alone, not a single word was exchanged between Bunter and me.
'How did I end up in this situation...?'
I looked at the [Favorability 3%] with a gloomy expression.
If the children hadn't lied to protect me, I would have been hit by whatever spell or laser he cast and died.
Forget about using it as insurance; I was in a position where I should be grateful that my favorability didn't drop further.
I sighed deeply to myself.
The return corridor seemed much shorter. Bunter stood aside by the open door, waiting for me to go out first.
Though I was trembling inside, I pretended to be calm as I passed him.
Bunter, who followed me out, stood with his back to me and tapped his cane at the open door.
Click— The door, which had been pushed aside, closed.
I stared blankly at the spot that had transformed back into a wall.
Even the rectangular lines that indicated the door had completely disappeared. I wouldn't be able to find the secret passage next time.
Bunter didn't seem to mind that I saw his magic.
He tapped his cane several times, as if locking it multiple times, then finally lowered his hand and turned to me.
"Thank you for taking care of the children."
"But it's too late to accept a request today, so please come back another time."
Honestly, I thought he would question how I got in here.
But he didn't, and instead politely dismissed me.
I glanced at the window beside the entrance.
The sky outside was already filled with a deep sunset. I had lost track of time while focusing.
It was about the time when Emily would notice I wasn't in the room.
'The meeting with the duke is confirmed...'
I thought, swallowing the tears that were welling up.
Since it had come to this, I decided to leave boldly.
"I didn't come to accept a request. I came to hear the response to the message sent by the white rabbit."
"I waited for quite a while because no one was around. I could have left immediately, but I'm not that idle to visit again."
In reality, I had plenty of time, but I pretended to be too busy to come again. It was a matter of pride.
"Then the children came out and asked for help."
Do you understand? It's not my fault, but because you were late.
I pointed at the wall I had just left, maintaining my audacity until the end.
Bunter was clearly taken aback when he heard the word 'white rabbit.'
Even a wizard couldn't have guessed that the intruder who had broken into his secret room was the customer he had contacted today.
He bowed his head in sincere apology.
"I apologize. Clients usually come one or two days after receiving a message, so I didn't expect you to visit so soon. It was my mistake."
My face flushed. Fortunately, it was hidden by the mask.
'What, there was such a custom?'
How was I supposed to know that the nobles waited one or two days after receiving a message?
I had become the impatient person who rushed over as soon as I received the message to hear the response.
And the request I was supposed to hear.
'It was about desperately looking for a man I saw at a ball...'
Perhaps Bunter realized that the person I was looking for was himself as soon as he received the request.
He might have intended this from the moment he gave me the 'handkerchief' as a hint.
The thought made me unable to look at him.
"Let's consider there was no request. The rudeness of making me wait is compensated by my entering that room."
I blurted out anything to cover my embarrassment and turned around.
I didn't care about the plan or additional requests. I just wanted to get out of here.
Just as I was about to rush out the door,
An urgent voice stopped my hurried steps.
Unable to run away, I reluctantly turned to the rabbit mask.
His navy blue eyes looked straight at me and said,
"I can't just let you go after making you wait and treating you rudely for helping the children."
A question mark appeared in my mind.
'You were trying to get rid of me just a moment ago, so why now?'
I denied his exaggerated words with a reluctant voice.
"It's fine. I'm not a savior..."
"Please give me a chance to make up for the trust I failed to keep, Lady."
But Bunter cut me off and earnestly pleaded again.
I was about to refuse, saying we could make it up next time.
I needed to get back to the duke's mansion before the news of my leaving without a word spread.
Moreover, I needed to reorganize my plans, which had been disrupted by the hidden quest.
But at that moment, his head flashed.
I immediately changed my mind.
"…Then, let's hear the response to the request."
I replied haughtily and moved to sit on the guest sofa.
A moment later, Bunter also took a seat opposite me.
He gestured in the air as if calling something.
Suddenly, a teacup and teapot flew over from somewhere.
I watched with interest as steaming hot tea poured itself into the cup that gently landed in front of me.
Since my face was hidden by the mask, I wouldn't look like a country bumpkin seeing magic for the first time.
As he lowered his hand, the teapot also landed lightly on the table.
I lifted the cup and took a sip of the tea, which was at the right temperature.
"…Lady, you may not know, but the fact that this place is run by a wizard is known to only a few."
'I know you're a viscount, too.'
I muttered superiorly to myself but nodded silently.
"Moreover, no one who has seen that room has ever left on their own."
But the next words almost made me spit out the tea.
Putting down the cup hurriedly, I asked in a cold voice,
"Are you saying you're going to kill me?"
"…What? No, that would be a crime."
Bunter replied, sounding bewildered.
"I meant that the memory-erasing spell is very strenuous and puts you into a deep sleep, so you can't walk out on your own."
I cleared my throat, feeling embarrassed.
"Originally, I should have erased Lady's memory as well..."