Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 340



340 – Aftermath: What the Tower of Illusions Left Behind – 1

“1 million gold coins.”

“Dad’s fortune?”

“Debt…! Krrraaakk!”

I wailed, clutching the bill for damages.

The price for blowing up half of the Academy, the most crucial facility in the empire, came back as a debt that couldn’t be paid even if you sold the pillars of our house.

–

The victims’ treatment was finished, and the ruined buildings, etc. were partially reconstructed with the remaining power from dismantling the 『Tower of Illusion』. Even so, there’s still a long way to go.

The biggest problem was that facilities with various expensive reagents were damaged.

Last time, when we went toe-to-toe with the fake Mima in Crown Hall, we at least had the cover of saying that wicked black mages had attacked. We even managed to cut down on restoration costs by using brainwashed black mages.

But this 『Tower of Illusion』 incident that engulfed the academy… Strictly speaking, this was also the work of a black mage. The subject who went berserk was Yuna.

Would people be convinced if we told the victims, “Our Yuna was tricked by some evil b*stard’s scheme and briefly lost control of her powers. Please ask the 『Lamb』, who knows where they might be, for compensation”?

In the end, it’s money we have to pay back.

But we don’t have that kind of money. If we paid the damages immediately, the entire Violet Magic Tower would be out on the streets. How heartless is capital?

Faced with this unprecedented crisis, the Mima Family gathered together. We were going to have a meeting to figure out how to overcome this predicament.

Yuna clenched her fist, her expression filled with a sense of duty.

“I, I’ll somehow earn the money.”

“How?”

“T-through mercenary work….”

How, and in what lifetime, could you earn that much money doing mercenary work? Even the highest-ranked mercenaries couldn’t bring in that much money.

But our Tower Master’s units were a little different.

“If I did mercenary work… and destroyed a kingdom, and got paid for it, wouldn’t we be able to cover it…!”

“Oh, that sounds good, Papa. Let’s do that.”

“What sounds good, you idiot! No way. We’re already busy fighting black mages, how can we add more enemies? There are ethical issues too.”

“No one’s worried about whether or not she can actually destroy a kingdom…?”

Selvier raised an eyebrow at the massive scale, but that was the only gain we got. The 『Tower of Illusion』 had drastically boosted the Mima Party’s strength.

Even I’ve reached the point where I can transform into an Armored Behemoth. Right now, I could growl and expand, ready to wrestle that academy’s famous dinosaur golem.

Yuri seemed to have gained some kind of enlightenment on the inside too. It seems that the experience of entering and leaving the 『Null Zone』 after being dismembered was a huge inspiration for her.

And, most importantly, our Yuna.

“Uungh. I can do it. If it’s me… Yuna thinks this meeting needs to end within 30 minutes. Yuna and Yuna still need to rest. The annoying stuff is for you wizard to do… Aii, don’t suddenly pop out like that…!”

Her incomplete sublimation had somewhat stabilized, and as an extension of that, she clearly recognized another Yuna, effectively giving her an extra head. It was like having a permanent double projectile event active.

Right now, we could really annihilate. An entire nation—!

While I was still riding the high of this stat boost, Aisha dragged the conversation back on track.

“Isn’t now not the time for that? We should quickly be looking for ways to get money, shouldn’t we?”

“……..”

That weird attitude, like she’s completely unconcerned, kind of grates on me. I immediately tossed out an idea.

“I’ll genderbend and we can become a two-person idol group ruling the entire empire. By the time we finish a nationwide tour and hold a dome concert, we’ll have enough money to pay off our debt.”

“Two-person?”

“Yeah. A white-themed me and a black-themed Aisha, a two-person girl group. With a little bit of exposure and aegyo, it wouldn’t be a dream to steal the hearts of all the men on this continent.”

“……I absolutely refuse to do that?!”

“For the record, my character is a lone wolf, and you’re a cute cat. If we mix in a little yuri appeal with this character set, we’ll draw attention—”

Of course, it was a joke. Using that method would definitely make money, but the current me isn’t the indifferent, thick-skinned person I was in the past. And now, a lot of people know my identity.

If an idol suddenly appeared and swept across the continent, Roderus and Irid would immediately figure out my identity, wouldn’t they? For the sake of my social standing, I want to refrain from the idol operation.

“If you’re that desperate for money, Professor, I can ask the Red Tower Lord for a loan. You just have to sign this document.”

“You seem to have brought the wrong document. That’s a marriage registration, Selvier.”

“I brought the correct one.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Right after, a small-scale skirmish broke out between Yuna, who was trying to tear up the marriage registration, and Selvier, who was trying to defend it. I watched the scene unfold, and came to a conclusion. Guess the answer is… only one, after all.

“Is there… some kind of solution?”

“Yeah.”

We have a trump card to solve this kind of problem, don’t we?

“Yuri, prepare the protective gear. Yuna, consult with Centra and make an offering. I’m going to go meet… Prince Irid.”

“I had a brief chat with C-unni about post-processing, and I heard she’s vowing to kill that crazy mage if he shows his face.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

I put on even thicker protective gear and went to meet Irid.

–

I very cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.

“Excuse m—”

And my words completely caught in my throat. On Irid’s desk was a morning star, its spikes looking particularly sharp.

I hesitated for a while, then cautiously took out a letter from my chest and placed it on the desk.

“This is a love letter… from Centra.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Irid picked up the morning star, placed it under the table, and set a steel hexagonal rod in its place. I understood the rules.

“Th-this is a sweater… hand-knitted by Centra…”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“And this is a crystal ball… containing Centra’s healing bedtime ASMR…”

“What’s this asmr thing?”

After a few offerings, the iron hex wrench morphed into a wooden club, and then finally, a toy hammer. Only then did I feel safe enough to sit in front of Irid. That thing wouldn’t hurt even if it hit me.

I greeted him warmly.

“How have you been?”

“If someone hadn’t caused trouble, I’d be doing fine.”

“It was an unavoidable accident.”

“I know. I’ll pay for the damages.”

Huh, he’s cooler than I thought.

I knew from before that the Second Prince Irid was intelligent, compassionate, and had a heart as vast as the ocean, but I figured he’d scold me a bit more before handing over the money.

Irid must have read my expression. He answered the unspoken question.

“You can’t blame someone for being caught in a disaster. And… the dark mages’ activities have been greatly reduced since the collapse of the 『Tower of Illusions』. Did you do something?”

“Well, I did put a hole in the head of one nasty b*stard.”

“Right. Maybe the world doesn’t know, but I do. You’re not one to just stand there and take it. Let’s drop the compensation talk. There’s a more important matter.”

A more important matter, huh.

“After this winter, the imperial succession battle will begin.”

I sat up straight, leaning forward. This was something to listen to carefully. It’s a big event where the emperor of the Empire is decided.

“…Wasn’t that supposed to be the year after next?”

“I also asked my sister and Sredo to send letters to the Emperor. All the imperial descendants want the succession battle to be held sooner.”

“Why? You wouldn’t move it up without a reason.”

“Because now is the time to finish it quickly.”

*Click.*

Irid rose from his seat and walked to the window. The sunlight streaming through the pane made his blonde hair shimmer. Resolve flashed in the blue eyes reflected in the glass.

“Thanks to you, all three Imperial Princes are cooperating. The Emperor’s throne is practically mine. Therefore, the ‘Imperial Succession War’ takes on a new meaning.”

“…Root and branch.”

“Precisely. Using the infighting between the Princes as a pretext, we’ll consolidate all the Empire’s power to one point, and simultaneously excise all the tumors. Especially Duke Redburn. It’s time he let his son take over and retired.”

“You’re drawing your sword, then.”

The time has come to settle old grudges and cleanse the Empire of the dark mages lurking within. I rose from my seat, dropped to one knee, and bowed.

“In that case, Your Highness, what task do you entrust to me?”

“Do as you see fit.”

“…Huh?”

The answer that came back was freedom itself. Irid, pressing on his furrowed brow, spoke.

“I have no intention of confining your… chaotic, no, abundant creativity with my orders. You will move as you please and deliver results. I’ll handle the cleanup.”

“Your Highness…!”

They say a person is moved by those who recognize their ability, and it was true. I was delighted that he trusted and entrusted me so much. My heart ached a little.

Having been given such boundless freedom, I shall repay it with results.

“Then, I’ll go ahead and sweep things clean, more or less. Just give me the list of nobles. The neutral faction will be converted to pro-Imperial, Redburn’s faction will be crushed, and all the evil schemes will be pulverized.”

“…Just to be safe, try not to turn everything upside down. Even I have my limits to what I can fix.”

“Heh heh heh, I’ll give it my best shot.”

“You’ve never failed before, so I should probably trust you by now, but I still worry about what kind of trouble you’ll stir up. Making someone this anxious is quite the talent. That’s all I have to say. You may leave now.”

Irid waved his hand dismissively.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

I couldn’t easily leave, lingering. There was a favor I was hesitant to ask. Then, Irrid turned around, looking at me and asked,

“What is it?”

“⋯⋯Your Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Irrid. I have a humble request, and I was wondering if you might grant it with your benevolence and generosity.”

“⋯⋯What is it, then. What on earth are you going to ask for?”

“Uh, well, umm⋯⋯.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and said,

“Well, see, I haven’t had my formal meeting with the parents yet. Yuna’s birth parents think I’m complete trash. It pisses me off. It’s a bit childish, I know, but I kinda want to get revenge. If possible, I want to show them how incredibly successful I am and make Yuna feel so proud. Could you maybe… give me a little push? Like, a boost or something…”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Yeah. I wanted to film a comeback story on the stage of the Count of Yurensto’s estate. I wanted to see Yuna, whose political standing had skyrocketed because she was marrying the Crown Prince’s right-hand man, get respect from her parents.

I wanted to hit the people who don’t even know what their daughter has gone through, with the glory and achievements they so desperately craved.

I just want to throw a sweet revenge dopamine party. So that Yuna’s heart can heal, even a little bit.

“Hmm⋯⋯.”

Irrid pondered for a moment, then said,

“How about we invite all the dukes of the Empire, the Knights of the Capital, the National Defense Forces, and even my sister? And we can also summon all the head mages. It would be good to bring the Pope, too, through the Saintess who is friendly with you.”

“⋯⋯I’m not asking you to go catch the Demon King or anything.”

The scale of this is too big. If that many key personnel from the Empire gathered in one place, people would think a great war was breaking out. And it seems like he’s really going to do it, which is scary. Looking at his eyes, he’s not joking.

Is his devotion to my own love as radical as his own? Of course, it would be amazing if it happened just like he said… but!

I didn’t want to overturn the entire Empire just to film one comeback moment. I calmed the crazy, love-fueled machine, Irrid.

“It’s okay, just… a letter of introduction is fine. Just something that says we’re close, something ceremonial like that…”

“Is that *all* you’ll do? Contact me when you’re planning a visit to the Urensto estate. We’ll start with the Imperial carriage and an escort of 100 knights, with you stepping out of the carriage alongside me. Even an idiot would know you’re one of my close aides.”

Honestly, I didn’t expect him to go this far.

Saying he’d gather the full military might of the Empire was on such a scale it didn’t really register, but now that it’s been brought down to something I can understand with my common sense, a sense of awe is starting to build. I trembled with overwhelming emotion.

“I shall serve you with all my loyalty, for all of my days…!”

I gave Emperor Irid a full-hearted grand bow, then proceeded to crawl on my hands, head down, to lick his feet. It was the greatest expression of my respect.

Irid was horrified.

“Stop that nonsense and get out, you crazy mage!”

And so, I was kicked out.

–

My debt problem is solved. Now, all that’s left is to complete the damage control, honestly and conscientiously. Fixing the ‘Phantasized’ students was absolutely no problem. My merciless computational power could handle it easily.

However, one issue arose—

That b*stard in the black robes, sitting arrogantly on the throne. *He’s* the problem.

“You have arrived, mage. To have kept me waiting so long, you must be prepared to pay the price. Or perhaps… will you entertain me with that silver tongue of yours?”

“….Envers?”

“Do not speak that name. The moment I ascended to the heavens, that worldly name was forgotten. My name is the Heavenly Demon Namgung Cheonghwi.”

“……..”

The ‘Tower of Phantasms’ was gradually expanding its territory, and someone had to stand against it. Envers was the one who stepped forward.

He figured that his own fable also belonged to the category of territory-claiming, and might even push back the Tower of Phantasms.

Within the sphere of influence of the ‘Phantasmal Realm,’ which blurred the boundaries of fantasy and reality, the instant Envers unleashed the fable ‘Imperial Sword Form,’

Its infinite trajectory, a part of the vast information that filled the area, materialized into reality, and that materialization just happened to be the martial logic of the Heavenly Demon, and so…

“Strength— it’s this damn lonely.”

A piece of the Heavenly Demon’s essence had latched onto Envers, and the kid had just plain lost it.

“Yuri, the bat.”

“Yes.”

I grabbed my weapon first thing.