Surviving as an Idiot in a Horror Game

"It's the second floor! Your Highness!"

"Sir Max. Please wait a moment."

Yeniel's complexion wasn't good. But she explains to the people.

"This dungeon is where there's a demon worshipper who has offered 99 sacrifices. There's a record that before the sacrifices reached 100, the first Emperor and 4 founding contributors, along with the Archmage, subjugated it. We're following their footsteps."

Yeniel recited the phrases written in the records to us.

"This is a sentence that remains in the Empire's founding document. This is the mechanical doll. This is the spiders. The problem is..."

"If the structure of this dungeon follows the content of the founding document, there will be a demon worshipper and a demon above us."

Cyan picked up where Yeniel left off.

'Come to think of it, Yeniel avoids saying things that make people uncomfortable.'

She avoids negative or painful stories, or statements that reveal likes and dislikes. It's a way of not making enemies.

It's no coincidence that she rose to a position close to the Crown Prince's inner circle despite just being a baron's daughter.

"The founding document, while explaining the strange structure inside the dungeon, mentions the sentence Recall from the 4th to 8th lines of the 78th revised edition and 132nd revised edition of the founding document. That's the content."

"Why do you have that memorized...?"

The Crown Prince asked, seemingly dumbfounded. Cyan spoke as if puzzled.

"Lady Yeniel probably remembers it even better than I do."

"Imperial Academy valedictorians are different indeed."

However, Max's demeanor was strange. He had been quiet all along, but suddenly started to snort.

"Sir Isengrift!"

"Why are you shouting?"

"You knew this and remained silent?"

Max yelled.

"Doesn't this mean we fled differently from the record! You said they originally subjugated it! Why didn't you repel the spiders earlier? No wonder His Highness was bitten! Isn't it because we didn't act according to the original that things went wrong!"

"Max... my head is ringing."

The Crown Prince wearily rubbed his forehead.

"It's all your fault! You insisted on coming in! I said we should go to the city! You acted all smart but you ruined everything!"

Whether he was determined to pick a fight, or if Max's personality was just that mean.

I was gradually realizing that the reason I didn't dislike Max was because I had skimmed through his dialogues roughly.

'There's always a villain in horror genres who's lenient on themselves but finds fault with others.'

Just as Max was about to lunge at Cyan, blaming him despite the Crown Prince's intervention.

"Hmm?"

I stared at Max and tilted my head.

"Are friends fighting again?"

I alternately looked at my fist and the area near Max's head. Like someone ready to pull out his hair at any moment.

"..."

Max, who had been shouting until just now, suddenly fell silent, only rolling his eyes.

There's a saying, isn't there? Even a crazy person becomes quiet in front of a crazier person.

"Sir Max? Sir Cyan?"

I still tilted my head innocently.

"I heard that friends shouldn't fight, right?"

[Advisor Cyan's affection has increased.]

Along with the expected notification, the Crown Prince suddenly covered his mouth slightly.

"Ahem. Hem. Hem."

Rather than trying to hold back laughter, he's almost openly laughing? His laughter has become loose despite being affected by the spider's poison. At this point, even Yeniel and Cyan must have noticed.

[Crown Prince Azeph's affection has greatly increased!]

However, the Crown Prince put on a solemn expression again, pretending nothing happened.

"Does Lady April, kuh, does the Sharon Marquis family usually try to mediate by pulling hair, ahem, when friends fight?"

"April doesn't do such things though?"

I pull it out.

In many ways, it reminded me of my brother with his somewhat strange tastes.

"Sir Max? Why aren't you answering?"

I approached Max, spreading my hands.

Just as I was thinking about really pulling out Max's hair as he flinched.

"We're not fighting. ...So please calm down, Young Lady."

Cyan stopped me from approaching Max. Then he raised his voice to get everyone's attention.

"Sir Max is right. We didn't act according to the founding document. But thanks to Lady April just now, I realized an important fact. Your Highness, there's one piece of good news. Would you like to hear it?"

Cyan, who usually called me Young Lady, and occasionally Young Lady April, used the title Lady April for the first time. It was a title that showed respect to April.

"What is it, Sir Cyan?"

"It's equivalent exchange."

Yeniel and the Crown Prince instantly focused on Cyan's words.

"I realized why we were able to pass through the sections even though we didn't act according to the record. This hidden world is constructed based on the most basic principle of black magic, equivalent exchange."

Even Max, realizing it was important, closed his mouth with a sullen face and concentrated.

'Oh, equivalent exchange.'

I also joined the group and listened intently to Cyan's explanation, nodding with a serious expression. It was quite interesting as it was dialogue I hadn't looked at closely because I had just been pressing skip.

At that moment, a chilling metallic sound rang out.

A notification from the status window that only I could hear.

[People feel suspicious of April Sharon, who seems to understand and comprehend conversations.]

This is so unfair. I don't know which part made them feel I was understanding and comprehending the conversation.

Suspicion level has increased by 5%.

Current total suspicion level: 5%

Now I'm even suspected just for listening. They might as well say my suspicion level rose because I spoke human language. Why?

But the desperate person loses.

April, who inevitably dies in the mid to late game. The suspicion level that leads to death if it exceeds a certain value. Not knowing what synergy these two combinations might bring, I gave up my dignity.

The way to lower the suspicion level was simple. I sighed inwardly and suddenly raised my hand.

"What's equivalent exchange? Sir Cyan? April wants to know!"

I looked at him with innocent, sparkling eyes.

"It's, simply put, something of the same value... Lady Yeniel will explain instead."

"Sir Isengrift...?"

Yeniel looked at Cyan as if she couldn't believe the betrayal.

Cyan, avoiding my eyes, nods to Yeniel.

Yeniel and Cyan, quickly exchanging glances, were like capable team members trying not to take on the role of group project leader.

"...I guess it can't be helped."

In the end, the person who lost the battle of wits was Yeniel.

"Equivalent exchange is when you can only exchange something for something else of equal value, Lady April. For example, let's say an apple can only be exchanged for an apple of the same value. The conditions of value differ according to black magic standards though."

"If they're the same, why exchange?"

I asked innocently.

"It's hypothetical. Um... they might not be completely identical. ...They might be apples of the same weight, but the appearance, variety, flesh... I mean, the taste could be different."

Yeniel's effort to explain 'flesh' as 'taste', fearing I might not understand the word, was touching.

"If Lady April had to choose between a green sour apple and a red sweet apple of the same weight, which would you choose?"

"The red sweet apple! But if the red apple is tastier, why exchange?"

"..."

People have realized that April Sharon speaks the same language but doesn't communicate.

All the conversations up to now are dismissed as coincidence.

The suspicion level dropped due to tear-inducing efforts.

Suspicion level has decreased by 8%.

Current total suspicion level: -3%

So negative suspicion levels are possible numbers.