I Made a Game Featuring Constellations - Chapter 8
Killing a Constellation with Love
“How is it?”
[The Magitech Engineer, filled with rage, makes a sound of contemplation.]
I waited nervously for the investor’s reaction.
Though it was just a draft, it was an episode I had barely managed to create after three sleepless nights.
I couldn’t afford to be rejected here.
…Our Constellation looked extremely tired after yesterday’s session. If I tell them we need to redo it, it will be hard to handle.
[The Magitech Engineer, filled with rage, points to himself as the villain Orpheus.]
“Yes. I’m listening.”
Is he angry because I used him as a villain?
He said it was okay to use him as I pleased, but now he’s changing his mind?
[The Magitech Engineer, filled with rage, says it’s not a problem, but asks why he has to fake his death with a false identity in the beginning.]
“Oh, are you referring to that part?”
Thank goodness. He’s not complaining about using his character as a villain.
“It’s to create a dramatic twist that shocks the players and leaves a strong impression on their memory.”
The Magitech Engineer must be a villain that makes the players angry, but in the end, he must exit charmingly.
The character needs to be attractive so that more Constellations will support our game.
Therefore, it was necessary to introduce a special villain, even if it required a cumbersome process.
[The Magitech Engineer, filled with rage, asks if the players won’t be confused.]
“That part is fine. Anyway, Orpheus’s past story will be revealed at the end of the story.”
The monumental first act episode of [Akashic Archive], [Orpheus of the Abyss]
In this episode, Orpheus, one of the seven evil gods belonging to the Abyss forces, and one of the Seven Stars of Destruction, appears as the main villain.
And that villain was a character born from the motif of a magitech engineer.
Throughout the episode, Orpheus hinders the protagonist’s adventure.
Using the power of the Abyss, he consistently threatens the protagonist without being bound by the story.
And at the end of the episode, the protagonist, who defeats Orpheus, glimpses his memories and faces the tragic past of that character.
“And if this story is completed, Orpheus’s saint, Cartesia… that is, Kate’s narrative will also be strongly recognized by the players.”
[The magitech engineer, filled with rage, nods in agreement.]
[The magitech engineer, filled with rage, says he will be satisfied if he can shape the public’s perception of her.]
“You will surely be satisfied.”
Killing a constellation out of love.
An act of evil to save the woman he loves.
To people unfamiliar with such narratives, it will be more strongly imprinted in their minds.
* * *
Stral Empire
The imperial palace located in the very center of the capital
In the deepest part of it, the room of Crown Prince Raizeol.
“Let no one enter.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
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The gatekeepers, upon hearing the Crown Prince’s command, fortified their defenses.
Thud
With a light step, the Crown Prince, who had closed the door behind them, grasped the magic terminal and leaped onto the bed.
“A new update! I thought I was going to die wanting to play it!”
It was the first story update of the [Akashic Archive].
How difficult it was to endure, with this new story lingering in his mind throughout work hours!
With a trembling heart, the Crown Prince launched the [Akashic Archive] program.
Vroom
After the black intro screen passed, the 4-star and 5-star characters he had drawn greeted him on the lobby screen.
“Have you all been well?”
Except for [Knight Ren], all were regular characters who appeared in the sub-stories rather than the main story, but to the Crown Prince, who loved all their narratives, they were beloved characters.
“A new story. A new narrative, you say.”
So far, the story content released in [Akashic Archive] included the tutorial-like narrative of Knight Ren’s Act 0 of the main story,
and five side stories.
The side stories were simple story content that players who cleared Act 0 could enjoy, with light difficulty, but due to their considerable scale, not many players had cleared them all.
The fact that the Crown Prince, who performed the murderous schedule of the royal family, had cleared all the side stories showed how sincere he was about [Akashic Archive].
“Finally, the time has come for you all to shine.”
As the Crown Prince pressed the start button for the new story, the characters around him were absorbed into him.
The protagonist’s ability in [Akashic Archive] was essence absorption.
Through this, he could borrow the power of the abyssal monsters he defeated or the figures from the past he had connected with.
It was a setting created to give the protagonist character a special ability and to use the abilities of the characters obtained through the draw.
“The first test last time was perfect, Zeol. Not only did you overcome the erosion of the abyss, but you also perfectly restored the original narrative.”
As the story mode began, the head of the [Akashic Archive] appeared before the crown prince, who was filled with anticipation.
‘Restoration of the original narrative. Is he talking about the sacrifice of Knight Ren in the process of defeating the queen?’
The crown prince had defeated the final boss, the queen, and cleared the tutorial, but he couldn’t prevent the sacrifice of Knight Ren in the process.
The tutorial was designed so that it could only be fully cleared if Knight Ren sacrificed herself. The real Ren, who cleared the tutorial while saving her, was an unusual case.
‘They say they restored actual history, but it leaves a bitter taste.’
Although they had collapsed the army of the abyss and saved humanity, a hero had to be sacrificed in the process.
The crown prince didn’t quite like the current head’s policy of pursuing the restoration of actual history rather than a happy ending.
Whirr
As the head waved his hand, a new book flew into his hand.
“Here. This is the second test. It’s another story eroded by the abyss.”
The pages of the book turned on their own in the man’s hand.
“This time, it’s a bit different. The abyss sent a pawn here. Ah, don’t worry. Even though it’s a pawn, judging by the observed power, it doesn’t seem to be the top executive, the Destruction Star. At most, it would be a lower subordinate under them. …What? Isn’t it still dangerous? Well… If the Destruction Star had invaded through the erosion of the abyss, it would be possible for them to exert influence outside the story. In that case, our special abilities as the head wouldn’t work on them. Even if we restarted the story and returned to the initial point, they wouldn’t be affected.”
The top executive of the abyss, the Destruction Star.
Is it the main enemy of the [Akashic Archive]?
“But there’s no need to worry. If such a powerful being as the Destruction Star had invaded, there’s no way I wouldn’t know. And I wouldn’t have taken it out for a test, would I? The power measured in this story is several levels lower than that. So, you can go in without worry. Even if a problem arises, I’m here, aren’t I?”
The head gave a smile that he thought looked fatal.
The crown prince frowned, not wanting to see the man’s smile.
“If such a thing happens, I’ll save you, so don’t worry.”
Ha.
It doesn’t matter. If that happens, I can just turn the game off and on again.
At most, it’s just a pastime created for amusement.
The crown prince had no regard for the dangers.
Wooong
After the long and tedious explanation from the overseer, light burst forth from the book.
“Then let’s begin. The second trial.”
The white light enveloped the crown prince.
Paat
When the crown prince opened his eyes again, he found himself surrounded by a pure white space.
“Hero! You’ve awakened!”
As the crown prince tried to grasp the situation and rose from the stone coffin, a woman suddenly appeared and grabbed his hand.
Ding
Along with that, a brief explanation marking the start of the main story appeared before his eyes like a hologram.
[The hero born to stop the invasion of the otherworld]
– You have been summoned to the underground sanctuary as a hero to stop the monsters of the otherworld. In this world, humanity has hidden underground to escape the abyss, the invaders from the otherworld. Reclaim the surface from the sanctuary, humanity’s last bastion. And stop the minions of the abyss that have infiltrated the cracks of the abyssal erosion.
…Hero?
The crown prince’s eyebrows rose.
It seems that in this story, the protagonist’s role is that of a hero.
* * *
The saintess, who introduced herself as Cartesia, guided the crown prince, who had entered the hero’s body, around the holy land.
“This is Sir Sprite, the head of the Holy Knights.”
“The hero’s joining us brings our victory one step closer!”
“This is Saloneer, the chief archmage of the Holy Land’s magic division.”
“Nice to meet you, hero.”
“This person is in charge of the Holy Land’s supplies….”
“This person is….”
The crown prince compared the visible holy land to the empire of reality.
It seemed woefully inadequate to fend off the abyssal monsters invading the world.
With such facilities and troops, destruction seemed imminent.
‘Is this world, like the sub-story world, a history of another dimension rather than the actual continent’s history?’
He had never seen the hero or the holy land’s destruction by abyssal erosion in history.
This world seemed to have no connection to the real world, unlike the story of [Knight Ren].
“Lastly, this is the department of magical engineering, responsible for our holy land’s technology.”
Following the saintess, the crown prince found a laboratory located at the edge of the holy land.
“This is Ian, the head of the magical engineering department.”
With the saintess’s introduction, a man adjusted his glasses and shook the crown prince’s hand.
“I am Ian Kalliyuga. Pleased to meet you.”
Ian Kalliyuga.
His intellectual yet kind appearance was the very image of a typical researcher.
Therefore, at this point, the Crown Prince could not even guess.
That this character would become the most central character of the story, the villain who runs through the story… and the role model he would most want to emulate.
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