Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 285



Chapter 285 – The Forging of the Demon Sword -1

How did the academy student Gordius become the foremost disciple of the Gold Tower Mage?

To answer this question, one must first explain who the Gold Tower Mage is. She is a towering woman, standing at 240 cm, with long hair and a wide-brimmed hat.

Ten years ago, during the Mage Tower Assembly incident in the village of Sanjevi, a mad sorcerer had witnessed the Gold Tower Mage and expressed his thoughts, saying, “Isn’t that a tall ghost?”

The Gold Tower Mage herself believed that skirts that rose above the knee were pretty, but if she wore one, the inevitable observations due to her height difference would occur, so she opted for a long dress that fluttered around her ankles.

Above all, she harbored a desire to gather the land of the continent and create a new planet.

“The mundane world is tainted and filthy, so I will raise a new moon in the sky and live there. Shall I name it ‘Moon Country’… heh heh.”

For that grand vision, she was engaged in unlimited land purchases across the entire continent, acquiring land offered at low prices, regardless of whether it belonged to the empire or the kingdoms.

Thus, she was also known as the “Queen of Real Estate,” and even now, she was buying and selling land, amassing wealth and property.

The amount of land needed for the ‘Moon Country’ plan was still 67%.

The moment she achieved 100%, she would summon an enormous mound of earth through a once-in-a-lifetime earth magic. Another moon would appear in the sky of the continent. And naturally, the planet would suffer.

According to documents from the Empire’s Defense Bureau, if her plan were executed, the size of the continent would shrink by about 5%. The subsequent collateral damage was so staggering that they didn’t even bother to calculate it.

Thus.

“… Buy it back. While I can tolerate foolishness outside the empire, I cannot allow such actions to take place on our land.”

“Yes, Lady Irid.”

The relationship with the imperial family was one of capital clashing.

Even amidst such bickering, the Gold Tower Mage provided advantages such as technology to enrich barren lands and mineral exploration and mining development, allowing her to avoid being marked as a public enemy of the empire.

It was a dream of colossal scale, far removed from the ordinary, and one that might never be achieved even if one devoted their entire life to it. Yet, the Gold Tower Mage did not care. For her, dreams were not about running based on success rates.

It was about running to the end and then thinking.

Therefore.

“What is your dream?”

“I want to create a gigantic golem that is at least 50 meters tall.”

“Wow, that’s a… wonderful idea! A 50-meter golem would be perfect for large-scale civil engineering to shape a planet! But wouldn’t it be even better if it were a bit bigger…?”

Gordius, who expressed a desire to create a super-sized excavator (which the Gold Tower Mage interpreted as a fascination with planet crafting), had no choice but to be chosen as her foremost disciple.

The two of them had dreams as vast as their determination to achieve them. They saved money by picking at the crusts of bread and tightly squeezed the budget for the Magic Tower.

“Wizard Jeep. Your research budget has been cut by 30%. According to the regulations of the Golden Tower, the review found that this quarter’s research progress is below the standard.”

“Wizard Jeep. I heard your budget was slashed this time? I can speak well to the Lord of the Golden Tower, but I would appreciate a little ‘show of goodwill’…”

Thus, the mad miser priest duo of the Golden Tower was born.

Yet, they were not solely harsh. Money does not grow unless it is invested and allowed to flow, so when they invested, they did so boldly, accepting the risk of failure.

More money for the successful wizards of the Golden Tower. Less for the incompetent.

Because of this principle, the atmosphere of the Golden Tower was akin to that of a stock brokerage.

Anyway.

It was clear that both planetary brewing and giant robots were businesses that required enormous amounts of money. Just as the Lord of the Golden Tower increased his wealth through real estate speculation, Gordius also needed a way to make money.

He tried to collect tangible assets like art and jewels for fun, but lacking noble birth, he was ignorant in that area and had no aesthetic sense. He was losing money on every investment in that field.

He created various inventions to alleviate inconveniences in daily life, but to establish a mass production system for such devices, he needed investors. Unfortunately, he did not have any investors yet.

So how exactly did Gordius make money?

“Gordius! The princess’s wristwatch is broken! This is a national disaster!”

“I fixed it. For an additional fee, I can add a feature that fires poison darts…”

“Gordius. My chain scythe is broken. I lost to a rock.”

“I fixed it. For an additional fee, I can add an automatic retrieval feature to the chain scythe…”

It was a broad range of equipment manufacturing that encompassed precision machining and enchantments.

From simple repairs to modifications, his speed and skill rivaled that of master craftsmen, enough to wipe out 50% of the sales of the blacksmiths established in the academy.

Thus, he caught the eye of the mad wizard.

“…Professor? Welcome to Gordius’s forge. This week’s limited-time offer is a breathable, launch-capable gauntlet.”

“Student, let’s make a magic sword.”

“Yes?”

“I need a sword with a very stable structure. I plan to seal a truly powerful and wicked spirit inside, and I need to hammer in the identity of ‘sword’ as if it were being forcibly crammed in. You understand what I mean, right?”

Generally, the more bizarre nonsense mixed into an order, the more difficult it tends to be.

Make it modern yet classic, hot yet cold. The moment the phrase about identity came up, the difficulty of this commission skyrocketed.

“I’m currently swamped with orders…”

Gordius tried to politely decline.

Thud!

A heavy purse landed on the table, leaving a mark. The financial power of the mad wizard, who consumed most of the funding from the Purple Tower, had a force reminiscent of a hypnotic app.

“This is an advance payment.”

“I’ll push everything aside and do this first.”

The master craftsman of the Golden Tower joined the party for the creation of the magic sword.

—

The extraction of ‘it’ was complete.

With the control mad movie of the former traitor Aisha, the computational support from the ‘Promise’ in my mind, and Yuna’s sharp incision using ‘Subtraction’ as a scalpel, we managed to extract 1% of ‘it’ after approximately 32 hours of major surgery. That day, well, we didn’t even think about throwing a celebration party; everyone just collapsed and fell asleep.

In particular, the existence of ‘Promise’ became a tremendous strength.

In the previous session, I had to be in a deep-sleep state, but this time, there was no need for that. I participated in the extraction while keeping my eyes wide open.

Given how favorable the situation was, what on earth was difficult?

“Pull this crazy b*stard out! Tug harder!”

Whenever I tried to grab it by the hair and pull, it would run away.

“This crazy b*stard is trying to come out! Push it back in!”

Then suddenly, it would switch tactics, attempting to charge out not just 1%, but 2%, 3% with a headbutt.

“Oh, oppa, I’m suddenly feeling hot…”

“Selvia, don’t take off your clothes! Damn it, did you fall under hypnosis? Who’s slacking off right now?!”

“Uh, no one! Yura is in a mental world, and, ah, Aisha has entered too, and I’m also, ugh, stop running away… Can’t we just break a little of your mental barrier?!”

“Don’t get angry, just take deep breaths! Selvia, hey! Don’t unzip my pants…!”

Just when I let my guard down for a moment, I don’t even know how it happened, but I shot a wave of hypnosis at Selvia, who was outside. Her harassment while being controlled scattered my focus.

– It’s me, Aisha. The operation is over, so I’m coming out. Can you open the door for me?

“…Password! Red!”

– Huh? What’s wrong, Mima? We didn’t have any password.

“I promised to call you ‘Dad’ for this operation, you jerk! Master of the Magic Tower, that’s a fake, so don’t open the mental barrier!”

Even attempting to escape through a gap with voice phishing.

I never expected that extracting just 1% would be this troublesome. After all, didn’t Yuna successfully extract 7% on her own?

I think… at that time, ‘it’ might have been gambling too. Instead of willingly giving up 7% of its own body, it seemed to convey that if it couldn’t be restrained, it would die.

I suddenly felt that Aisha’s existence was a miracle.

In fact, regarding the fake Mima incident, if Aisha hadn’t intervened, weren’t there moments when ‘it’ almost broke free? I’m relieved that our daughter turned out to be kind in the end.

After all this hardship, was it finally over with the extraction of 1%? Not at all. The 1% released into the material world was in a state so dangerous it could put radioactive materials to shame.

Bubbling.

In a tank filled with concentrated magical liquid, something black wriggled. It transformed between a lizard and a snake, changing its form every second while tapping against the glass wall.

Once that is released, chaos will ensue once again. A secondary processing operation was necessary to safely isolate and handle it.

The first priority is to block the transformation ability.

Just as Aisha can change her form at will, that separated 1% could transform into any shape in the world. It could disguise itself as a person and blend into a crowd, or burrow into the ground as a mole or a worm, making it impossible to find.

The second priority is mental magic.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

A sign reading ‘I s*xually harassed a defenseless mad wizard’ hung around the neck of Selvia, whose face was perfectly ripe, as she raised her hands in surrender, experiencing the mental backlash firsthand.

Her left hand, which had been groping me earlier, still fidgeted as if it were anxious, making me feel embarrassed too.

If this ability remains active, who knows what kind of incident might occur next? To seal these two abilities, the decision was made to turn it into a magic sword.

To be more specific.

Aisha had previously been swept up in the malicious data of my overflowing Gothic Lolita female human obsession. The aftermath still lingered, allowing her to change her appearance at will, but fundamentally, she maintained a female form.

I would borrow the same method. I would cram the data of a ‘sword’ into the 1%, fixing its identity and forcing most of its resources to be invested in ‘hardness’ or ‘sharpness.’

As I explained the theoretical background, Yura asked from the side.

“Isn’t there a less harmful form than a blade? Like underwear, perhaps?”

“Well, you see…”

There’s a reason for everything. Just in time, Bennett had returned to the academy.

I was thinking of borrowing the invariability of Bennett’s ‘Hohwan.’ That’s why I chose a sword. If Hohwan had taken the form of a shield, I would have made it a magic shield.

All magical and allegorical preparations were complete. Now it was time to take care of the physical aspects.

If I made it out of cheap materials like the fake magic swords, it would lead to disaster. If it were to shatter, I couldn’t even imagine what might happen.

The best-case scenario would be for the sword to explode simultaneously with the 1% being annihilated.

I could also imagine each broken sword harboring that essence, floating and drifting like cherry blossom petals. After all, ‘it’ had always been beyond imagination.

So, I called someone—whatever their name was—and outsourced the task. I asked them to create a sword that faithfully represented the concept of a sword, sturdy enough not to break under considerable impact.

A week later, the delivery arrived.

“⋯⋯Professor, I made the sword as you ordered. But there seem to be quite a few people here? Including the Saint and Bennett…?”

“Very good. I’m satisfied. Student, since you’ve come this far, would you like to watch the magic sword being made?”

A simple design with no decorations. The epitome of a longsword, so normal that it screamed ‘this is it.’ It even had a thickness that seemed unlikely to bend or break under normal circumstances.

I mounted the longsword above the water tank and signaled.

“Alright, let’s move on to the final task. Aisha?”

“Isolation barrier confirmed, second and third defense lines are normal. No discrepancies between the time sensor and perceived time. Magic circle activated… I’ll deploy it on signal.”

“Bennett, bestow the qualities of ‘Hohwan’ here.”

“⋯⋯Understood.”

Whooom──.

The magic circle spins, weaving threads of magical power. The flow carries meaning, and meaning takes form. To visualize is to bind. As I finished the incantation, I pressed the switch.

Clunk. Splash!

The entrance opened, and the longsword was dropped into the tank, where 1% of the entity was restrained. At the same time, I concentrated my magic, binding it so tightly that not even a finger could move.

Creeeak. Kkiiiiiiik──!!

The concentrated magical liquid inside the tank boiled violently, evaporating.

A black shape thrashed about. Dark currents swirled like a storm within the tank, scratching the glass walls as it rampaged fiercely. Yet, it was slowly being drawn in.

At that moment, Aisha furrowed her brow and shouted.

“…Hey, not Dad, but Mima. The resistance is stronger than I thought! The durability of the isolation barrier is ample, but time is dragging on!”

“Even if it drags, isn’t it still stable?”

“That’s a waste of magic stones!”

From noble mtl dot com

That’s true. This 1% vile creature is desperately trying to inflict damage until the very end. Then I have no choice but to give it a smack.

“Master of the Magic Tower, let’s hit it with anything other than ‘Subtract’!”

“Ugh, okay… ‘Mental Rupture.’”

Bang!

Swoosh!

A clear sound of mental impact rang out once, and the black shape staggered and squirmed before being completely sucked into the longsword. We waited, our vigilance heightened, for about ten minutes…

“…Is it done?”

“Seems like it.”

“It’s not moving.”

Done.

With the power of love and friendship, we had perfectly succeeded in extracting the 1%!

But it would be wise to verify a bit. I opened the partition of the tank and grasped the magic sword.

Yuna looked up at me with a worried expression.

“…So, um, how is it? Is it a bit strange? Should I cleanse your mind?”

“If you think the power of love is needed to break the brainwashing, should I give you a kiss? I can muster the courage anytime.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s very stable.”

It was slightly nudging at my mind, but it was at a level I could easily suppress. At this point, any of our party members could handle it without being entranced. Since it was stuffed into the ‘sword,’ it couldn’t change form or move.

I set the magic sword down and applauded myself. Successful!

Now that the sealing process was complete, what could I do? I could extract the data of ‘that’ from this creature and safely run simulations.

—

What specific qualities does it possess? What are its weaknesses? I will uncover every detail… and in the end, I will erase ‘it’ entirely.

“Now that work is done, how about we go out for a company dinner? Bennett, you should come too. I’ll treat you to something delicious. We can invite your wife and your sister as well.”

“…Well, that doesn’t sound bad. But the crazy wizard.”

“Huh?”

“The magic sword is rattling. Is it really okay like this?”

It shouldn’t be.

Clank.

As I quickly turned my head, the handle of the magic sword rattled and opened, revealing boosters on either side. I blinked in shock for a moment.

There was no flaw in my theory. I had meticulously infused it with magic, and I had even cross-verified with Yuna and Aisha. It was indeed impossible for it to transform like that.

Unless, to begin with, the sword wasn’t equipped with boosters…

Oh.

“Wait a minute, wizard of the Golden Tower. Did you attach that?”

“I received a generous fee, so I thought I’d throw it in as a bonus…”

“I told you to make me a ‘sword’—nothing more, nothing less!!”

“But professor, isn’t it ‘common sense’ for a sword to have propulsion devices?”

“………….”

That guy, he shows no sign of wavering in his eyes. It seemed he genuinely believed that, not just offering a flimsy excuse. There really isn’t a sane person in the academy.

Fwoosh──!!

While I was flustered, the magic sword shot up, spewing flames from its rear.

“Should I shoot it down?!”

“No, we’ve got a barrier on our windows, so it’s fine. No matter how much it flies around, it can’t escape. Once it runs out of energy, we’ll catch it and separate the propulsion unit…”

But my words fell flat.

Thwack!

The magic sword pierced through the gap in the barrier and soared into the vast sky.

“………….”

“………….”

“Come on! Grab it! Hurry up and catch it!”

“Chase it! Chase it!”

We all rushed out of the lab in a frantic attempt to catch the fleeing magic sword.