I Made a Game Featuring Constellations - Chapter 10



Sinner Ian

[Exiting the game.]

The crown prince, who had returned to his real bed, sat up.

“…I’m screwed.”

I never imagined it.

Who would have thought that Orpheus wouldn’t be affected by the save & load?

Was it not only the Destruction Star among the forces of the Abyss that was independent of the story?

Or was Orpheus the Destruction Star?

Either way, the story was already irreparably broken.

Even if I return to the beginning of the story, that guy will remember this round as well.

“How is this possible? Was it not just a game?”

An enemy that retains memories even if everything is reset. This is not just a game level… it’s like creating a whole world.

It felt like the common sense of games and programs that the Crown Prince knew was being denied.

“……”

How should a regressor act to face an enemy who recognizes and remembers the regression?

The Crown Prince paused to organize his thoughts.

Upon reflection, it wasn’t that difficult.

In a situation where all regression depended on him.

Unless he accidentally used the save function, it was up to him to decide whether to regress or not.

He would only reset when things didn’t go well and save when they did.

This fight was advantageous to the Crown Prince.

* * *

“Hero! You’ve opened your eyes!”

[The hero born to stop the invasion of the other world]

-You have been summoned to the underground sanctuary as a hero to fend off the otherworldly monsters. In this world, humanity has hidden underground to escape the abyss, the invaders from another realm. Reclaim the surface from the sanctuary, humanity’s last bastion. And stop the minions of the abyss that have infiltrated the crevices of the abyssal erosion.

Upon reconnecting to the game, the saintess welcomed the crown prince at the starting point of the story.

‘Even if he returns like me, he cannot turn back the surrounding environment.’

As long as the game’s progress was not saved, the crown prince’s opportunities were infinite.

‘Then, I will just keep trying.’

The crown prince relocated the position of the Department of Magic Engineering, including Ian Carlyuga.

A newly established laboratory within the Holy Knights.

He thought that even if Orpheus invaded this place, he could fend him off.

But.

“Did you think you could stop it with just this?”

Crash

It was impossible to prevent Ian Carlyuga’s death.

…It was something that could be done again.

This time, he set up the laboratory at the Holy Knights’ garrison and even deployed wizards.

He thought, ‘This can’t be breached.’

But

“You’re doing something meaningless.”

Crash

It was impossible again.

Again

“I told you so.”

Crack

Again

“Is this all, Acting Director?”

Crack

Again

“Disappointing.”

Crack

Again

Crack

Orpheus always went ahead of him.

A…gain.

“Hero! You’ve opened your eyes!”

“Damn it!”

The Crown Prince struck the sarcophagus with a distorted face.

What should I do?

Why can’t I win?

Both he and I have the memories of the previous round!

Inferiority and helplessness consumed my entire body.

“At this point, I bet everything on Ian Carlyuga.”

For some reason, Orpheus kept targeting Ian Carlyuga.

He was obsessively fixated on killing Ian.

If he was going to be the target anyway, it seemed better to stay holed up in the sanctuary and protect only Ian Carlyle instead of going out to reclaim the surface.

Dig a trap there and wait, then go out to the surface if he succeeds in dealing with Orpheus.

If he fails, he can just start over.

“What? Are you saying that the hero will be escorting me?”

“Yes. The abyssal creatures are targeting you. Until I can confirm your safety, you must stay with me.”

Thus, the crown prince began spending time in the secret room with Ian and the saintess.

If anyone were to break into the room, numerous traps lying in wait would immediately ensnare the intruder.

As the crown prince inspected the defenses around the room, he overheard a conversation between the saintess and Ian inside.

“Do you think it’s right for the hero to protect me too?”

“Don’t feel too burdened, Ian. You are an important person responsible for the magitech of our sanctuary. You are someone worthy of being protected by the hero…”

In previous iterations, Ian Carlyle’s death had elicited intense reactions, suggesting a significant bond.

“Do others think the same, Kate?”

“What are you talking about, Ian?”

“You know that my researchers and I were pushed to the most remote corner of the sanctuary. They said we were consuming too many resources without contributing to the surface reclamation.”

“That’s something only those who don’t understand would say! Magitech is incredibly important! I believe you will play a crucial role in reclaiming the surface!”

So that’s how it was.

The crown prince could understand why the magitech department was located at the far end of the sanctuary, unlike other departments, and why people had unpleasant expressions when he ordered the protection of the magitech department.

‘In this world, magitech seems to be quite undervalued.’

There was a significant gap compared to the reality of the continent, where magitech, greatly advanced by [magitechnicians], was driving the continent.

“Ha. I suppose so. You’re kind to everyone.”

An outcast, consumed by inferiority, pushing away even those who are kind to him.

The Crown Prince saw himself reflected in him.

“But this isn’t good. If people find out that the Magitech Department, which already consumes resources like a pig, is receiving special treatment from you, the Saint, and the Hero, other researchers in the Magitech Department might be persecuted.”

“That is…”

“That part is not a problem.”

As the Saint hesitated, choosing her words, the Crown Prince opened the door and interrupted.

“Hero…!”

“I will protect you. Who would dare to persecute you?”

The Magitech Department is essential.

If repairs and maintenance become impossible, it will severely impact sustainability and the ability to continue the war.

Contrary to what the people of the Holy Land thought, the Magitech Department was the core of the core in the Crown Prince’s eyes. It was also Orpheus’s most important goal.

“You are the most important beings to us, to the Holy Land. So do not feel burdened or blame yourselves.”

Ah! He was the very embodiment of a perfect monarch!

It was when the Crown Prince, admiring himself, extended his hand to Ian.

“…If a hero like you had been with us back then, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

From noble mtl dot com

Ian, dropping his glasses and bowing his head, muttered in a deeply sunken voice.

Crash!

!!!!

And suddenly, numerous mechanical arms sprang out and restrained the Crown Prince and the Saint.

These were traps set up by Ian himself to deal with Orpheus.

“I, Ian! What are you doing!”

“I’m doing what needs to be done.”

When Ian raised his head again, a mask was covering his face.

“……You were Orpheus?”

The Crown Prince asked, trying to hide his confusion.

It couldn’t be.

All the Ians that Orpheus had killed so far were real corpses.

There was no possibility that they were the same person.

Ian took off the mask and smiled slyly with his slicked-back hair and bare face.

“To be precise, this guy is not me. I’m the future version of this guy.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t need to know that. Anyway, you can’t go back now.”

“…What?”

[The game is automatically saved.]

!!!!

The Crown Prince’s eyes widened.

Auto-save?

[Akashic Archive] didn’t have a concept of separate save slots.

The fact that it was auto-saved meant that he could never go back to the past through save & load again.

Ian took out a small mechanical device and manipulated it.

Woo-woo-woong

Then, a small portal formed in the air as magic power condensed.

Step, step

From within, an older Ian with more wrinkles and white hair emerged, looking older than the current Ian.

It was Orpheus, whom the Crown Prince knew.

“Ian? How, how are there two Ians?”

The saintess looked back and forth between the two with a confused face.

Whish

As Orpheus reached out his hand, the mask on Ian’s face flew to Orpheus’s face and attached itself.

And Ian’s head was also sucked into Orpheus’s hand.

“This criminal won’t come back to life anymore.”

Crash!

When Orpheus smashed Ian’s head to the ground, Ian’s head shattered, scattering blood and brain matter, just like in previous rounds.

“Ian! No!”

The saintess wailed as before.

“…You are always kind. This foolish Ian… Even though I made you die, you are always the same…”

Orpheus, reminiscing the past with a wistful expression, approached the saintess.

“I’m sorry.”

As his hand brushed the saintess’s cheek, she lost consciousness and went limp.

“Here we go. Acting Director. Now it’s our time.”

Vrrrrrr

A mechanical device covered Orpheus’s right hand.

The device gradually transformed, taking the shape of a beam weapon.

[The game is automatically saved.]

‘Another auto-save!’

Cold sweat trickled down the back of the Crown Prince’s neck.

In this state, even if the game was reset, it was clear that he would die repeatedly in this endless loop.

What if Orpheus killed him and triggered an auto-save?

If that happened, the story progression would be completely blocked.

The Crown Prince struggled to break free from the mechanical arm’s grip, but the power emanating from it neutralized all his abilities.

“Farewell.”

Wooong

Paaang!

Energy gathered in Orpheus’s hand and a destructive beam was fired.

Just before the beam pierced the Crown Prince’s head

Kwooom!

Someone intercepted the beam, standing between the Crown Prince and Orpheus.

A young boy with black hair.

“…I knew you would show up, Director. It’s been a while.”

It was the director of the [Akashic Archive].

“Orpheus, is it? I never thought the Destruction Star would invade. How did you deceive my eyes?”

Orpheus shrugged at the director’s question.

“…I see. This story… you were the protagonist of this story… that’s why I couldn’t find you.”

“You realized it too late, director. The abyssal erosion of this world has surpassed its limits. The power of the [Archive] can no longer reach this world.”

“…The power of the [Archive] is not all that you know.”

A divine light of white gathered in the director’s hand.

“Ho.”

Orpheus twisted his lips.

“You didn’t think I would just stand by and watch, did you?”

Orpheus transformed his hand into an energy blade and charged at the director.

Clang!

The director blocked the attack and shouted.

“Zeol! You are the last hope!”

The power flowing from the director enveloped Zeol’s body.

“I will send you into Orpheus’s mental world! Cut out the core of Orpheus, constructed from the abyss, from within! That is the only way to stop the abyssal erosion in this world!”

The crown prince’s vision gradually narrowed.

Through the narrowing gap in his vision, the crown prince could see Orpheus’s face, laughing as he clashed with the director.

Orpheus’s face, satisfied as if even the current situation of the crown prince being drawn into his own mind by the director’s last power was intended.