The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

Chapter 11 - Secret of the Voice

"Hmm."

Something was definitely off.

After leaving the Duchess\'s office, Lloyd found himself deep in thought. The oddities weren’t just about the Duchess herself.

For example, the servants walking through the corridors.

Whether they were maids or butlers, they all wore translucent veils that covered their faces. The mansion and the air surrounding it all felt unsettling, like being trapped in some kind of cult.

— ‘Blood…’

The voice in his head had become more intense.

In the past, it only appeared when he heard the sound of applause, but now it would surface unpredictably. Was PTSD supposed to come with symptoms like this? Unfortunately, Lloyd wasn’t an expert on tinnitus or auditory hallucinations.

At that moment.

"Lloyd?"

A man blocked his path.

He was a large man, dressed in a dark gray outfit, unlike the usual butler or maid uniforms the other servants wore.

In his hand, he held a small wooden box.

"Follow me."

Lloyd obediently followed him.

Judging by the way the other servants bowed to him, he was clearly a person of high rank. His presence was also imposing—stronger, perhaps, than most knights of the royal family.

He led Lloyd to the back of the mansion.

A vast open space, devoid of any grass.

There, the boys and girls who had been on the carriage with him were kneeling. Several men in gray robes stood guard.

The man who had brought Lloyd knelt him down and then stepped up to the platform in front of them.

It was clear from his actions that he was in charge here.

"You’ve all endured much. But consider this an honor. From this moment on, you are servants of the Grand Duke of the Empire, the Grey Duke Family."

Honor, my ass.

How could serving under someone else be considered an honor?

"Now that you’ve entered this place, you must believe in what we teach and follow the path we show you. That’s because—"

He raised a flag bearing a strange emblem. Ash covered the ground beneath it, and drops of fresh, red blood fell upon the ashes.

"…The Blood Cult?"

One of the children muttered.

The murmurs quickly spread.

Of course, they would. The Blood Cult was infamous across the continent as one of the most notorious cults. In fact, it was known to be the most brutal of all the heretical sects.

A cult that worshiped blood and fire.

They revered the reddest things in both inanimate and living forms and believed that the ash left after burning them would lead the world to salvation.

In other words, they were a group of madmen who believed salvation could only be achieved by burning and destroying everything.

"...Damn it."

Lloyd muttered to himself without realizing it.

Something had felt off from the start.

The air of the mansion, the atmosphere, and even its owner—everything.

‘Was she really this kind of villain?’

The Grey Duchess.

It wasn’t clear if she was the leader of the Blood Cult.

But whatever the case, she wasn’t just any ordinary woman.

After all, in what world would it be normal for the widow of a noble family to seize full control of the estate? At least, that was the logic in this fantasy world.

Lloyd gritted his teeth.

— Creak.

But there was something even worse.

The Blood Cult was an extremely secretive and clandestine religious group. Other than their reputation, very few people knew anything about them.

For a member of such a group to reveal their identity openly meant that they were prepared to use everyone here and then dispose of them.

‘Or they have a way to control us.’

What would that method be? Brainwashing magic? Mind control? Hypnosis?

Lloyd, tense, kept his eyes on the platform.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the wooden box the man had brought was significant.

"There’s always one sharp kid in the group."

The man on the platform, who seemed to be the leader, grinned as he looked at Lloyd. He placed the wooden box on the platform. It was just large enough to hold a human head.

"...What’s that?"

One of the boys next to Lloyd muttered.

His name was Hector. He was the one who had picked a fight with Lloyd on the carriage.

He seemed more subdued now, but the fact that he was still talking to himself suggested he didn’t fully grasp the situation. Sure enough.

"If you’re so curious, come up and open it."

The man gestured with a sinister smile.

Hector seemed to realize he had overstepped but wasn’t smart enough to refuse outright.

Or maybe it was that he had been beaten into submission.

‘...Bruises?’

Lloyd noticed the deep blue bruises visible under Hector’s clothes.

It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened to the other children while he had been in the Duchess’s office.

— Tremble.

Shaking, Hector slowly stepped up to the platform.

When he hesitated to touch the box, the man urged him on.

"Go on, open it."

Hector, looking like a cornered rat, reached for the box.

Clatter.

The wooden lid creaked open.

"Ugh."

Someone started to gag, and it quickly spread through the group. It was no wonder. The things wriggling inside the box...

They were worms, thick and gray.

"This is \'Gu,\' a sacred item of the Blood Cult. To be a true follower, you must consume it."

Sacred item, my ass.

Lloyd, having read countless novels, knew exactly what those worms were for. Once inside the body, they would likely take control of the host’s mind, just like a parasite. ‘Gu’ was designed to do just that—infect and dominate its host.

It was the ultimate form of brainwashing.

‘That’s why they were so confident in revealing their identities as members of the Blood Cult.’

It also explained why the Blood Cult was so difficult to track despite its size. They could control the minds of anyone they captured, forcing them to keep secrets or even commit suicide.

"Now, boy."

The man called out to Hector, who was now half-collapsed in shock.

Hector shook his head, backing away until he stumbled into one of the Blood Cult officers.

— Snap!

There was a sharp sound, like something being shot at high speed.

And then the scream followed.

"Aaagh!"

Hector’s severed pinky finger flew through the air.

Blood gushed out, spraying everywhere.

— Sizzle!

The sound of flesh burning filled the air.

The scent of cooking meat followed.

"Guh… Guh."

Hector was now foaming at the mouth, too shocked even to scream.

It was more than enough to make the other children willingly open their mouths for the worms.

Of course, Hector was the first.

"Bleeegh! Uuuurk!"

Hector retched violently as the worm entered his mouth, his eyes rolling back.

There was no time to reflect on what had just happened.

The officers on the platform each grabbed a worm and began approaching the children.

The man in charge walked up to Lloyd.

"The Duchess specifically asked that you be treated with care."

He smiled.

Damn it. This was one special treatment he could do without.

The worm in his hand looked like a centipede, writhing in his grip.

Damn this life.

Lloyd cursed internally over and over again.

— ‘Blood…! I smell blood…!’

Even the voice in his head, now more frantic, couldn’t distract him from the disgusting sensation of the worm squirming so close.

"Open your mouth. You can’t eat it with your mouth closed."

"……."

"The Duchess seems to have high expectations of you. Surely you know what you have to do."

Damn it.

Would you be able to open your mouth with a worm right in front of you?

Lloyd wanted to spit out every curse he knew.

But his rational mind wouldn’t let him.

He had to open his mouth.

Or he would die.

Having been forced to learn their secret, he had no other choice.

— ‘Eat it… Eat it…!’

The voice within him repeated.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Lloyd opened his mouth.

Squelch.

A strange sensation filled his mouth.

Barely managing to suppress his gag reflex, Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut.

This was the worst.

But his body, contrary to his thoughts, automatically swallowed the worm.

It was nothing like eating food.

Despite the nausea that rose in his throat, the worm seemed to find its way down his esophagus on its own.

"That’s right. It’s better to swallow it quickly. It will find its place on its own."

The man sneered.

Lloyd wanted to break his jaw.

But he couldn’t. He wasn’t strong enough to fight all these people yet.

And more importantly…

Swish.

The sensation of the worm crawling inside his body was enough to make him want to die.

But he had to stay focused.

Lloyd began mentally constructing a circuit to neutralize the poison.

Neutralizing poison required a counteracting agent.

The goal was to create an energy that was the exact opposite of the poison to cancel it out.

‘But the Gu…’

Gu wasn’t just a poison. It was a living organism, a parasite that took root in its host.

That was why even skilled mages couldn’t resist it once they had ingested it.

It was impossible to fully analyze a living organism and create an exact opposite force.

But.

Lloyd had no intention of giving up.

If the brain in this body could handle it…!

His mind raced at an incredible speed.

He began analyzing the Gu worm, trying to reverse its effects.

He was about 10% done.

Blood began to trickle from his nose.

Just a little more. Even if he could only neutralize half of it, the Gu wouldn’t be able to fully take root.

His mind was in a state of heightened focus, and as Lloyd pushed forward...

"Keuk!"

A violent cough suddenly erupted from him.

His stomach twisted with pain.

"……?"

Lloyd clutched his chest.

The Gu worm inside him began thrashing around as if trying to escape from something.

"What the…"

He could hear the voice of the Blood Cult officer outside, but he couldn’t pay attention. His insides were roiling, the Gu worm tearing through him like a cornered rat, violently thrashing about inside his body.

"It should have already settled into place…"

Damn it. Damn it.

Cough!

A mouthful of blood spewed from Lloyd’s lips.

And then.

— \'Food… Food… You’re food!!!\'

A rough voice roared inside his head.

The pain didn’t last much longer.

— Crunch!

He heard something burst inside him.

And then.

— Gulp, gulp.

The sound of something being swallowed followed.

At the same time, the excruciating pain faded away.

The red haze that clouded his vision gradually cleared.

Lloyd looked up at the officer holding him.

“...It seems you’re back to your senses.”

"……."

Blink. Blink.

Lloyd blinked a few times in silence, not responding. The officer then rolled up Lloyd’s sleeve.

A black centipede-shaped mark was now etched on his arm.

"It looks like the Gu has properly taken root."

Lloyd didn’t have the energy to reply. He just stared blankly ahead.

But.

Despite his daze, he understood two things with absolute certainty.

— Gulp, gulp.

The first was that the Gu had failed to take root in his body.

This was good news, as it meant he wouldn’t fall under the Blood Cult’s mind control. However...

The second thing he realized completely obliterated any positive outlook.

— Ah, how long has it been since I’ve smelled this scent?

The voice that whispered in his head.

It was definitely not some mere PTSD symptom.

Something was inside him.