Confined Together with the Horror Game's Male Lead

Where’s Dietrich, I wonder. Truthfully, his location was marked on the map, so it didn’t take me long to find him.

As I entered the dark hallway, I saw the black shadow of a person in the distance.

Holding a silver candelabra that lit up my surroundings, I slowly approached the man.

“Dietrich.”

“You…”

“Dietrich’s eyes went wide as if he was surprised to see me.

“I’m quite certain that you still haven’t fully recovered, but what are you doing, walking around like this?”

“I’m actually very healthy.”

“…Your condition earlier isn’t a matter of your overall health.”

It looked like he was about to enter the next room, and so he turned his eyes away from me.

However, before he could move on, he turned towards me again as though he had thought of something suddenly.

He stared at my face without saying anything for a moment. Then.

“Eyes…”

“What?”

“…No. It’s nothing. But may I ask, did you come here to say anything to me?”

“Well…”

I paused for a second.

How should I say it?

[ Steel Mentality is being implemented. ]

“Please feel free to speak.”

Wrinkling my eyes as I was contemplating, I soon looked up and smiled at him.

“Actually, I’m hungry.”

“……?”

Was it too out of the blue?

Still though, Dietrich reacted seriously.

“That is a serious matter. You’re still a recovering patient, so you have to eat well.”

“Yes, so… Can you bring me a meal?”

“I will.”

“…Really?”

…You’re not putting up a fight?

Why?

I couldn’t easily grasp his comportment now. Rather, it felt as if I was falling into a trap set by him.

“What’s wrong? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“…Um, actually…”

I trailed off again.

“’Actually’ what?”

“Well, rooms that have food inside—actually, there are monsters in them. And usually they’re strong monsters…”

“I understand.”

“Huh?”

“You’re asking me to help you because it’s difficult for you to control the monsters.”

“Um, huh? Ah, yes.”

“Then, go back to the room where you were resting and wait there. I will be there soon with food for you.”

Puzzled, I stared at him in confusion for a moment.

Then, without realizing it, my lips opened to speak.

“Why?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You dislike me.”

‘Dislike’ was probably an understatement.

“It’s because you’re not feeling well.”

With a rather subdued tone, Dietrich replied like so.

At that instance, it felt like I could understand a little why he was now willing to help me.

Perhaps it’s because of his kind nature and tenderness that he was now feeling a bit of guilt towards me.

But I couldn’t understand why he started harboring that guilt.

Under normal circumstances, wouldn’t it be more likely that he’d laugh at me and say, ‘Serves you right!’

“Then, I’ll get going.”

In the end, it looked like he was worried about me, but he didn’t seem to want to talk any longer.

“Ah, wait a minute.”

Though he was trying to escape, I caught him before he left.

Dietrich turned around and looked at me with a silent question in his eyes. I handed over the silver candelabra that I brought.

“It’s dark there, so it’d be better to take this with you.”

“……”

“Go there with the candlelight guiding you.”

* * *

As the world was swarming and infested with all sorts of monsters, it was further besieged by chaos due to the decadent imperial family’s tyranny.

From an early age, Dietrich grew up in a temple.

He was one of the children raised there under the pretext of ‘correcting’ the world’s order by borrowing the power of God.

On the outside, the temple seemed to extend benevolence onto anyone and everyone, but truthfully, it was an exceedingly unwelcome place for children to be raised in.

The children of the temple were forced to compete in order to survive.

It was here that he distinguished himself among the rest through his swordsmanship.

He was such a prodigious talent that, even before he could even handle a blade with his own hands, he had already mastered it.

Instantly, Dietrich climbed the ranks and became the most brilliant child of the temple. However, it was through a single incident that his worth fell rock bottom once again.

Then, a month ago, he was given a mission that was virtually his last chance. He had already been abandoned, but this opportunity appeared before him.

To become the escort knight of a high-ranked aristocrat.

And yet, rather than feeling determined due to the opportunity given to him, Dietrich was overcome with skepticism.

Nonetheless, he had no right to refuse.

Not given any choice, he was forcibly deployed to Lindbergh—called by many as the ‘ghost town’—to carry out his escort mission for the high-ranked aristocrat, but…

“If it hadn’t rained that day…”

It wouldn’t have turned out like this.