NCSHG CH 13

Chapter 13

The moment she saw that upturned palm, Moran gasped for air.

“Huff… haah…”

Inside the palm, saw blades were whirling violently—covered in dark red blood and chunks of unidentifiable flesh.

Trembling uncontrollably, Moran stared at the shattered floor. The wood was gouged out deeply, matching the pattern of those spinning blades.

—It missed.

“…!”

At the monster’s regretful voice, Moran sharply inhaled.

In the darkness, that pair of eyes—mad and gleaming—locked onto her again.

As their gazes met, a shiver ran through her entire body. Her legs buckled, useless and limp.

She tried pushing herself backward with her hands to get away, even a little—but her body refused to move.

—Ah… ah… ah!

From beneath the monster’s nose came a grotesque noise.

Where there had been no mouth before, one began to split open—accompanied by a buzzing sound as a drill-like set of teeth emerged.

—I’m coming! I’m coming!

Its mouth twisted upward to its ears, like it was delighted beyond words.

Blood poured from the torn flesh, soaking the floor.

Terror consumed Moran entirely.

“S-s…”

So… scared.

Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared!

Anyone who faced that thing head-on would’ve lost their mind.

Overwhelmed by fear, Moran couldn’t think straight.

Sweat drenched her entire body; even breathing felt impossible.

There was no one to save her.

Neither Cletta nor Werner were by her side now. Hoping for coincidence was useless.

Only Halloway, who had been beside her, began to rise.

The monster didn’t even glance at him. Its gaze was fixed entirely on Moran.

Which meant…

“…I-it’ll be fine, right? He’s just a kid… If you keep standing there, maybe it won’t come after me.”

Standing at the crossroads of life and death, Moran’s breathing quickened.

Her eyes were already glassy—clearly showing that she was ready to abandon Halloway and run.

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, not even aware of what she was saying anymore.

And the person she’d once preached to with all her self-righteous confidence—Evelyn—wasn’t even here.

No one was around to see how pathetic she’d become.

Evelyn hadn’t come to save her. Halloway had been abandoned, too.

But Halloway didn’t look disappointed at all.

He’d never expected better. He’d seen plenty of people like her before.

Too many.

Moran, terrified, grabbed his hand tightly. Her unfocused eyes flickered toward him.

It’s only natural to want to survive, she told herself.

Rationalizing, she tried to pull herself to safety.

Her grip on Halloway’s hand tightened even more.

She couldn’t bring herself to shove him forward, but the moment the monster took a step closer, she squeezed her eyes shut—ready to push him.

Then suddenly, a white cloth dropped over the monster’s head.

The creature flailed its arms wildly, roaring in confusion.

—What?! I can’t see!

—It’s pitch dark!

At the unexpected sound, Moran’s eyes shot open.

And there—Evelyn stood tall and defiant.

“…Sis?”

Caught completely off guard, Halloway called out her name.

He’d thought she’d run away.

But instead, Evelyn scooped him up in her arms.

“Shh.”

“Sis!”

“I said shh!”

Damn kid, doesn’t listen!

Muttering under her breath, Evelyn kicked Moran, who was still frozen with fear.

“Move it!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

Startled, Moran tried to stand, but her weak legs wouldn’t cooperate.

She stumbled, but Evelyn didn’t wait.

Forcing her legs to move, Moran stumbled after Evelyn, desperate not to be left behind.

While the monster’s vision was still blocked, the two of them hid quickly.

Moran looked between Halloway and Evelyn, panic rising again.

Did she… see me try to use Halloway as bait?

What if she tells someone?

The thought terrified her more than the monster had.

After ducking into a distant room, Evelyn caught her breath while Moran forced a bright smile, as if nothing had happened.

“Thank you, Miss Evelyn. You came back for me. I didn’t think you would. Things were pretty dangerous out there, weren’t they?”

Still holding Halloway, Evelyn was too dumbfounded to respond.

The words weren’t exactly bad, but somehow, they sounded like she was blaming Evelyn for being late.

Am I just twisting her words because I’m bitter?

Maybe. But it still felt gross.

“Anyway, next time, please avoid such rash actions. Others might misunderstand and think poorly of you, Miss Evelyn.”

“What…?”

Evelyn was speechless.

She didn’t care what others thought—but “rash actions”?

You’re the one who ran off with Halloway!

Finally, she snapped.

“Ugh, you’re so damn annoying!”

That polite tone Moran used had a way of making people furious.

If Evelyn lost her temper, she’d just look like the bad one—but she didn’t care in the slightest.

“Guess in your head I’m already the villain. Fine. I’ll just live up to it—next time I’ll use you as bait and run. Sound good?”

“Miss Evelyn, that’s not what I meant. Why twist my words like that?”

Twist them? You said them that way on purpose!

“What is going on here?”

At that moment, Werner appeared—terrible timing—and Moran looked relieved.

“Sir Werner! You’re safe!”

She acted as if nothing had happened, like she hadn’t just tried to sacrifice someone.

Halloway glanced at Evelyn. Her face was twisted in sheer frustration.

Honestly?

Moran hadn’t changed.

She still believed in justice, valued life, all that moral fluff.

But on a human level…

Why does she piss me off so much?

And as if to prove this really was a game and Moran was the main character, the moment I snapped, the sub male lead appeared right on cue.

“You shouldn’t speak like that, Miss Evelyn,” Werner said sternly.

“Don’t concern yourself.”

I cut him off coldly.

His brow furrowed with disapproval—just as a success window popped up.

[‘Werner Hasios’ has joined the party. Allies collected: (2/2)]
[Sub Quest <Friends, Gather Around!> — Completed!]
[The sword is hidden beneath the bed in your current room.]

“We have to escape together. Are you going to keep acting like this?”

Werner tried to sound patient, but his tone still dripped with pity.

I ignored him, set Halloway down, and crouched beside the bed.

A longsword lay underneath.

I flattened myself to reach for it.

“What are you doing? I’m talking to you—”

“Who are you to think I have to listen to you?”

Werner might have held a higher noble title, but my family’s reputation and wealth far surpassed his—so yes, I could talk back like this.

He didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he reached under the bed and pulled out the sword himself.

[Item Acquired: Sword]
[Description: Sharp Sword – Feature: Sharp.]

Seriously? That’s the whole description?

“…A sword?” Werner murmured, wide-eyed.

In the game’s lore, demons hid weapons around the area for amusement—slaughter wasn’t fun if it was too one-sided.

So he probably didn’t think twice about where it came from.

I drew the sword.

It wasn’t heavy at all—perfectly balanced for me.

Nice.

A good weapon at last.

It even came with a strap so I could sling it across my shoulder like a crossbody bag.

Werner and Cletta already had their own weapons, so I didn’t have to share.

“Miss Evelyn,” Werner called again when I didn’t answer.

“Miss Evelyn!”

“Yes, yes, I hear you. You’re worried I’ll use someone as bait and run again, right? Then I’ll just stick with Halloway.”

“Can you even protect him?”

“Of course. I hate Moran so much I’ll protect everyone except her!”

I stuck out my tongue.

Werner looked dumbfounded, but Halloway just hugged my arm tightly.

“Miss Evelyn, you—”

“Enough, Sir Werner.”

Moran stopped him, shaking her head sadly—as if she pitied me.

Hard to believe this was the same woman who’d been smugly lecturing me minutes ago.

“Miss Evelyn only acted to survive,” Moran said softly.

Just say I ran to save my own life!

I didn’t bother defending myself. Halloway tugged my sleeve.

“You’re not gonna say anything?”

“Say what?”

He fell silent.

“What did you mean, ‘to survive’?” Werner asked.

“Miss Evelyn didn’t do anything,” Moran said, pretending to glance between us nervously. “Friedel’s dead. And Alphulf… he’s badly hurt.”

That crybaby Alphulf—I didn’t do that!

But the way she said it made it sound like I had. Werner’s frown deepened.

“So you used him as bait?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I replied offhandedly. Whatever. The subquest was already done.

Apparently, there was also a “co-op quest,” but it hadn’t triggered yet.

First things first—I needed to find the goal before the monster found us.

As I started to leave, Werner grabbed my arm.

“Where are you going? It’s dangerous to separate.”

“What if I use you two as bait and run again? Let go.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he sighed, rubbing his face. “Besides, I feel guilty for dragging you here against your will.”

Werner was a responsible man, I’d give him that.

Halloway pointed at Moran innocently.

“She said earlier it’s fine to leave me because monsters don’t attack kids! But sis protected me!”

I froze, staring at Moran.

She’d really said that?

Moran’s face went pale, avoiding my eyes.

“Sis,” Halloway said proudly, as if expecting praise.

His sudden need to defend me was oddly touching.

I just patted his head.

Werner looked between us but pretended not to notice anything.

“Let’s go upstairs. It’s safer there.”

I can’t go there.

He probably chose to stay quiet because he didn’t want to stir up more conflict.

Werner valued safety over anything else.

Still, the trust between us was already gone.

Didn’t matter to me, though—so long as I made it out alive.

If I found the gate, it’d benefit everyone.

“Take Halloway upstairs first. I have something to find.”

“You think one sword can beat that monster?”

“I’m not trying to beat it.”

I had to find the goal point first—only then could I go up or down.

[Co-op Quest Triggered!]

[Except for Halloway, the three of you must hold the cups on the table and converse calmly for ten minutes.]

Oh, for f—what kind of nonsense quest is this?!