How to Survive as the Horror Game Villain’s Fake Fiancée - Chapter 84

※ This book contains depictions of coercive/dubcon/noncon acts, violence, and gore. Reader discretion is advised.

It sounded absurd, but the teddy bear was serious. With a hardened expression, Cynthia opened her inventory and examined the bear again.

In the description field of the item, which was now renamed ‘Teddy Bear That Regained Its Heart’, the wording had changed as well.

‘Your closest helper. Exists solely to help you.’

In short, this meant that the teddy bear was not the kind of creature that pretended to be an item, only to trick and kill the protagonist. Even as Cynthia tried to keep her mind empty, she couldn’t suppress her confusion.

Now that she thought about it, something was strange.

Hadn’t she started having thoughts she normally wouldn’t?

[Now, try thinking of anything. Like wanting to go home.]

Cynthia calmly did as told.

As she swallowed and closed her eyes, trying to think about wanting to go home, an unfamiliar thought suddenly intruded.

‘…Let’s think again. Maybe I don’t really want to go home, I just want to stay somewhere comfortable and familiar. There’s no one waiting for me at home anyway. Here, Segleninde is with me. The one who loves me…’

When had she become so dependent on him?

Cynthia let out a hollow laugh. It was as if she’d been struck in the head.

[See? Just like I said, right?]
[He probably hasn’t been interfering from the very start. He just mixed in his own thoughts now and then, making it feel natural so you’d think they were your own. Of course, before that illusion was complete, you met me.]

The teddy bear continued revealing truths that Cynthia had never realized, as she stared in a daze.

[For some reason, he can’t fully control all the creatures right now.]
[Except for the clones on the Fourth Floor, every creature in this mansion has its own consciousness and moves independently.]
[But the mansion itself is completely subordinated to the will of its master, Segleninde.]
[No one but Segleninde could change this mansion like this. He’s playing with you.]

The truths she’d missed until now were slowly taking shape.

This matched the game’s settings: the mansion moved according to Segleninde’s will and responded only to him. No matter how much he’d lost his memories, could anything happen in his domain without his knowledge?

He was hiding something from her.

Even as Cynthia felt certain of it, she still found it hard to accept. She didn’t want to believe that all the affection he’d shown her was a lie. Whether it was lingering hope or just stubbornness, she couldn’t tell, and spoke softly.

“But… Segleninde likes me.”

[That’s one of the delusions he implanted in you.]
[He’s using this mansion as a trap to lure in victims. The extremity of their emotions and vitality become fuel for him. He’ll make you taste terror and despair to the utmost, and then, in the end, devour you.]

Cynthia was on the verge of despair. Even as she tried not to think, as the teddy bear had advised, she still wanted to burst into the bathroom and demand the truth from him.

To think all the affection and kindness he’d shown might have been a lie. She didn’t want to believe it.

‘That can’t be true. What nonsense…’

‘…Wait.’

In that moment, a thought she couldn’t possibly have had intruded into Cynthia’s mind…

…in Segleninde’s voice.

‘Who are you talking to right now?’

Thud.

The sound of water from the bathroom stopped abruptly.

[Oh no, he must have found out!]
[Put me back in your inventory. He can’t invade your personal inventory space!]
[And please, Cynthia, you must believe me. I know it’s hard, but I want to save you. Please remember what I said!]

Realizing she’d accidentally let a thought slip, Cynthia hurriedly put the teddy bear back into her inventory. One by one, the message windows floating in the air vanished.