Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 197: Slivers of the Road Ahead

Hanging upside-down from the ceiling, a feline's head peeked out from a swirling void of darkness, olive-green eyes scanning the dimly lit space of a familiar bedchamber. Midnight lingered for only a moment before slipping back into the shadows, reemerging soundlessly atop the king's bed board.

Against the far wall, a single maid stood asleep, her body eerily still, breathing deep and undisturbed. The feline's gaze flickered toward her briefly before he leapt onto the bed, his movements as light as air. From the depths of the void, his flexible tail retrieved a small glass vial—an elixir recently acquired from the Dravenhart Apothecary.

Carefully, he popped the cork open with his paws and tilted the remedy over the lips of the slumbering king. A soft sigh escaped the monarch as the cool effects of the potion seeped into his system, soothing the ailment that plagued him and easing his troubled rest.

Midnight lingered for a moment, the faintest glint of sympathy flashing in his eyes before he faded into the shadows once more.

He reemerged elsewhere, this time in the bedchamber of another restless soul. A woman tossed and turned beside her husband, her face taut with discomfort as she slept. The telltale signs were unmistakable.

Midnight's gaze swept over her fevered form before he vanished again, moving from one afflicted individual to the next. Sweating, fidgeting, bodies rigid with unease—each one bore the same peculiar symptoms.

The Djinn's observation led him beyond the comfort of homes and into the cold embrace of the city streets. From his vantage point atop a lamppost, he observed a man—another one of his targets—skulking toward the church in the dead of night.

Midnight's eyes narrowed.

The man's breath came in frantic puffs, his wide eyes darting left and right as he approached the large double doors. He gripped the handle and pulled, but it was locked. He tried again, harder this time, then frantically banged against the wood, his desperation escalating.

When his attempts at the back entrance also failed, he whirled around and scanned his surroundings with feverish urgency. He turned toward the side of the building, his body tensing as if he meant to scale the lofty roof.

Then—

A stray cat yowled from a nearby alley.

The man jolted violently like a skittish horse, eyes bulging, and in the next instant he bolted into the darkness, slowing to a stop when he came across a beckoning stranger leaning against the side of a building.

The man was garbed in a long, travel-worn coat, a satchel slung over one shoulder, and his face was mostly hidden by the shadow cast by the rim of his hat.

From his perch, Midnight's tail curled with quiet intrigue. His eyes, dark pools of contemplation, remained fixed on the scene before drifting back to the empty church doors.

***

"A-Are you certain?!" Lumielle exclaimed eagerly, scooting closer on the couch until her face was mere inches from his.

Daisuke stiffened, hands instinctively raising as a barrier while he turned away. "...I am."

Realizing how close she had gotten, the princess flushed, quickly pulling back. "S-Sorry," she mumbled, flustered as she averted her gaze.

Sniff-Sniff-Sniff.

Daisuke sighed, shifting his gaze to the other girl shamelessly encroaching on his space, her nose just inches away as she took an audacious whiff.

His frown deepened.

Without a word, he clutched her face and firmly pushed her back, holding her at arm's length.