Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 346



346 – The Throne Decision War: Local Aristocrat Unification Arc – 2

The *Crazy Mage* crunched into an apple, the apple having been gifted to Baron Port by an old woman selling fruit from a street stall.

It didn’t feel like a tribute meant to appease the lord. It was more like the free fish-shaped bread given to a hardworking young man. There was a warmth to that apple.

Children would swarm down the street, then, seeing Baron Port, would yell ‘Lord, hello!’ before scattering again.

The crazy mage strolled alongside the young Baron Port, talking to him.

“You seem to have a good rapport with your people? It’s not easy for a ruler to appear approachable. Do you happen to help with the grape harvest or anything?”

“Farming is the farmers’ job. A lord must rule their territory.”

“Then what’s the secret to this popularity?”

“It’s probably trust, I think. My father governed the land well, and his father before him. They support us because they have faith in us, wouldn’t you say?”

A trust built up, layer upon layer, over a long time.

From noble mtl dot com

The mad wizard rubbed his hands together, asking,

“Aren’t you tempted by ambition? A little more power, more land, dazzling glory…”

“Such things are for those who are capable of bearing them. Even managing this small domain is a struggle for me. If I had more work, my hair might all fall out.”

“Hair is important… then that newly discovered silver mine must be a headache for you?”

“………”

Baron Fort’s mind raced. According to the political rhetoric he learned from his father, this could be a subtle request to hand over the silver mine to the Second Prince’s faction.

Yes, the Sunfort domain can be peaceful without a silver mine. It’s a little disappointing, but being under the umbrella of the Second Prince wouldn’t be a bad deal. He doesn’t need much, just enough to keep Baron Stump of the next town in check.

Just as Baron Fort was about to bring up the topic of transferring ownership of the silver mine, the mad wizard interjected.

“No, that was just a genuine question.”

“…..Huh?”

“With a giant golem under construction, what’s a small silver mine? There are plenty of ways to earn money. What the Second Prince and I are hungry for is manpower. There are many capable people in the world, but trustworthy ones are rare.”

“Did you… perhaps read my mind?”

Well, the mad wizard smiled enigmatically. And he continued,

“We need a strategic point to project power into the local nobility. Because of some succubus’s mischief, the pipelines from the capital to the provinces have been completely broken.”

“It’s an honor you hold Sunfort in such high regard… But I wonder if I can handle such a momentous responsibility…”

“You seem to feel anxious about getting too deeply entangled with the Second Prince’s faction, only to be purged if the First Princess becomes Empress. On that matter, I’ll mention that the Northern Grand Duchy and Count Baekryeom support the Second Prince.”

“………”

Two out of the three great dukes of the Empire support the Second Prince?

So, the chance of defeating the First Princess Elaine and ascending to the throne wasn’t 0%. Two paths seemed to shimmer before Baron Port’s eyes.

With Baron Stump’s threat looming right on their doorstep, accepting the Second Prince’s offer of support wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. The question was, how much to invest?

A path of throwing himself headlong into cooperation, and a path of cooperating while maintaining a safe distance.

As Baron Port pondered, the mad wizard whispered,

“What moves people is profit, in the end. Lord, I shall gift you a few things. Then perhaps your thinking will change…”

“Urgent news, Lord! Urgent news!”

Just then.

A boy, seemingly a knight’s squire, came running, sweating profusely, his face etched with terror, searching for Baron Port. Baron Port instinctively knew he was fucked, but forced down the rising dread.

The Baron made a gesture of apology to the mad wizard. The mad wizard readily nodded his head.

“Ah, please, take your time. We should hear the urgent news first.”

“….Thank you. Tell the messenger to report.”

“B-Baron Stump is approaching with his army! Old Man Joe the hunter went far out to hunt deer, and saw a fully armed company of a hundred soldiers!”

“……..!!”

Defeat. That single word flashed first.

Among those hundred soldiers there would undoubtedly be an Aura User. With Sunport territory’s weak gate, and its few troops… they wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Even with the Second Prince’s envoy visiting.

How many days would it take for him to relay this news to the Second Prince, and for the prince to bring his army? By then, Sunport would already be occupied.

Damn it, that Stump b*stard. He must have heard that the Second Prince’s envoy was here, and hastily prepared for a sortie. They had to prepare a defense, even if it was like throwing an egg at a rock.

“….Understood. Immediately gather all troops, and arm every able-bodied person from the village—”

“No. There is no need for that. I can resolve it, so do not worry.”

“……Huh?”

“More importantly, let’s go see the vineyard. I’d like to see how the raw ingredients for such fine wine are grown. I never got to experience the typical rural excursions in middle school because I didn’t have the money for field trips.”

“……..?”

What was that?

Leaving aside the incomprehensibility of his words, the mad mage was unfazed even by the news of an invading army. Was this the composure of a strongman? Lord Port asked cautiously.

“Th-the magic you used earlier, turning day into night… is that what they call a Myth, that I’ve only heard spoken of? Something only the most powerful in the Empire can use.”

“Ah, no. It’s just magic.”

“…..Then, Mage, you’ve reached Myth-hood?”

“Uh, I haven’t.”

The mad mage awkwardly scratched his head.

Not a Myth…?

I wondered if perhaps this mage was so powerful that he could annihilate the army with a terrifying illusion spell, but it seemed best to let go of such expectations.

I don’t know much about it, but it was said that there was a huge gap between those who possessed a Myth and those who didn’t. And Lord Stump possessed a knight who had achieved Myth-hood. Then wouldn’t we be defeated?

But the mad mage’s attitude was very calm. As if he weren’t afraid of something like an army. Then… is there something…?

Seeing that, a jolt went through Lord Port’s mind.

Yes, that’s it. He must have already brought the Second Prince’s army and hidden them nearby! There was no other way he could be so calm.

On one hand, it was chilling.

To bring an army before even trying to persuade me, meant that if Lord Port hadn’t accepted the proposal… they could have drawn their swords first.

“Umm, that’s a misunderstanding.”

“…..The vineyard is this way.”

Lord Port turned his face away, resuming the guidance.

–

“L-Lord… Lord Stump’s army has crossed the territory line. They truly intend to invade…”

“…..I know.”

“S-Shouldn’t we be doing… something…?”

I know. Lord Port knows it too. I’m starting to feel unbearably anxious. My body twists and my fingertips can’t stay still.

Shouldn’t the Second Prince’s army appear, *bam*, and we start preparing for defense? Shouldn’t we be gradually shifting into war mode, checking our weapons, *that* sort of thing?

But in this situation, the crazy wizard is.

“Oh my, young man, you have nimble hands. Where are you from?”

“Just came down from the capital. Wow, these grapes are so plump. You know, if the grower puts their heart into it, the results really show. Mind if I pick a few and eat them?”

He was completely absorbed in enjoying the grape-picking content in the vineyard.

There wasn’t a sign that he was contacting anyone. He was just truly, purely, experiencing rural life. His interaction with the farmers as he picked grapes, chatting idly, was quite simple and human, but.

Doing that while a lord from the neighboring region is invading makes him look like a madman.

Should I have been wary from the moment he declared himself a “crazy wizard”…?

“Lord.”

“Ah, yes. Wizard-nim!”

The crazy wizard called for the lord, and Lord Port hurriedly ran to his side. Was he going to do something now? Show something to stop the army?

“In my opinion, I think it would be good to plant a mock World Tree here and install a wireless network all around. I once asked Irrid if we could create the internet, and since he couldn’t understand it, he suggested we do a pilot implementation somewhere suitable.”

“Huh?”

That wasn’t it.

The mad mage rambled on about concepts from a distant future.

He conjured visual aids with illusion magic, explaining in detail, but Baron Port’s mind was elsewhere, so he only half understood.

“You know, crystal balls have their limits on the amount of information they can transmit. Think of this as a way to make it more spacious. And as a bonus, we can now add minigames, like pinball or minesweeper.”

“Sir, I don’t mean to rush you, but the Stump Baron’s army is…”

“Oh, don’t worry, I can sort that out real quick. Now, could we have a look at the grounds? Maybe install a teleportation circle while we’re at it. Make this a prime location.”

“……”

Once again, all that came back was a boast.

–

The mad mage was as competent as he was crazy. Suddenly he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, and in no time, the foundations for a teleportation facility were laid, and a magic circle appeared.

I’d heard that setting up a teleportation facility required at least dozens of mages working for a month on a major construction project. Seeing him toss off such a complex job like it was nothing, he’s no ordinary mage.

He even did other things.

He poked and prodded at the village watermill, and like magic, its efficiency went up, he found the culprit behind the series of flour thefts in the domain, and after chatting with a merchant group staying in the domain for a few minutes, he’d built a collaborative relationship with them.

The weak provincial lord was in a position to be wary of any powerful merchant guild. If the merchants stopped coming, it’d be hard to get the daily necessities they needed.

Even if you didn’t bow your head abjectly, you had to tolerate merchants filling their own bellies. The merchants knew this.

But how he managed to sweet-talk that stubborn guild leader, I have no idea.

But none of this is important.

It’s all well and good, but isn’t there something more urgent going on?!

“My lord, the Stump Baron’s army is right on our doorstep! They’re visible from the ramparts! They’ll be here in 30 minutes!!”

“By the Goddess!”

Baron Port staggered, clutching his forehead. Finally, that greedy b*stard was here to swallow Sunport Domain whole. The Baron almost screamed.

“Wizard, isn’t it time you called in the Second Prince’s army? Any more dawdling and the entire territory will be swallowed whole. People will get hurt, too!”

“It seems we still have a little time left. Just this one last thing….”

“Wizard, please!”

“Alright, alright, let’s go. Lead the way to the ramparts.”

“Finally!”

Baron Port hurriedly drove the carriage towards the ramparts. He was in such a rush that, despite having a coachman, he drove himself.

The coachman was forced to watch his lord drive the carriage from the front row seat…

And so, the mad wizard and Baron Port arrived atop the ramparts. Baron Stump’s army was in sight. They were close enough now to make out individual faces with the naked eye.

The soldiers standing on the ramparts gripped their spears, their faces set with tension and a sense of duty. They had made their resolve to defend their precious territory.

The mad wizard looked around at them, a pleased smile on his face, and then looked down at the army below, sneering.

“Oh my, you’ve brought quite a crowd.”

“P-please, Wizard, call in the army now!”

“There is no army. It’s just me. That’s enough.”

“….Huh?!”

But didn’t you say you couldn’t film a fable?

Was all this a deception? After you improved Sunport’s territory, I thought you accepted my oath of loyalty, but maybe you plan to side with Baron Stump.

After all, it probably doesn’t matter to the Prince who rules this backwater land.

“……..”

Many complicated thoughts tangled together. What should I do? Should I conscript the young men of the territory now and prepare for defense? No. That would be pointless. We would ultimately be defeated.

Then.

If it’s a fight that will only spill useless blood, perhaps it would be better to surrender without resisting. Baron Stump wouldn’t spare Baron Port, not by any measure. He and his father would be executed.

But… at least the people of the domain could be saved.

Life might become difficult and harsh, but wouldn’t that be better than death, my people? This was all he could offer. He could only apologize for being a weak lord unable to resolve this crisis.

Below the castle walls, Baron Stump was boasting, self-satisfied.

“Baron Port, come out! You thieving scoundrel, daring to claim ownership of the silver mine in our domain! My knights will punish that injustice!”

Looking at that clumsy, fake justification, he couldn’t even muster a laugh. Baron Port glanced one last time at the mad mage. He was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the wall, smiling.

So, he’s smiling…

Just as Baron Port was about to shout his surrender,

“『Emotion Amplification Magic Circle』, engage.”

The mad mage activated the Academy’s Emotion Amplification Magic Circle, subtly overlaid onto a teleportation circle.

Thud.

A sensation of his heart plummeting into an abyss.

The sky turned pitch black, his limbs grew weak, and his entire body trembled. Baron Port was bewildered by the sudden physical abnormality. This was, fear.

Shimmer. Shimmer.

The mad mage’s body wavered like a candlelight. Though he was clearly still human, the oppressive presence emanating from him was so heavy it was impossible to look directly at. His legs gave way under the pressure.

Is this how it would feel to face a dragon from the old tales?

His red eyes gazed down serenely. That gaze alone was enough.

The army of Baron Stump, so full of triumphant certainty, saw something descend upon the walls. They witnessed it. They locked eyes with the red eyes. They recognized the infinite emptiness surging within them.

“A, ah…”

“U, uah, a…”

Thud, thud.

The weapons held by the soldiers clattered to the ground.

The front lines of the army began to crumble. As if begging for forgiveness from some great being, they fell to their knees, bowing their heads to the earth. One, then another. The submission spread like a ripple.

Baron Stump, already paralyzed with fear, foamed at the mouth and fainted, pissing himself.

Neither the weak nor the strong could resist.

“…Wh-what the hell is that monster…!”

A knight who had barely reached his prime only lasted a few seconds longer. The pressure, like a giant hand pressing down, forced him too to bury his head in the dirt, averting his eyes from the mage.

Those red eyes… they were too terrifying to even dare look at.

All of this in about thirty seconds.

On the plain before the castle walls, only a hundred soldiers remained, kneeling with their heads bowed and dripping with cold sweat. An icy silence hung in the air, a testament to the unbelievable reality.

The mad mage, having so easily brought the war to an end, spoke casually, perhaps even with a playful tone, to Baron Port.

“The capital region sure has some crazy power inflation. I could probably topple Envers easily too. See, Lord? I told you this would be enough.”

“… … … …”

Baron Port, who had been gaping and frozen, finally responded belatedly.

“W-who…who are you, exactly?”

“If you must know, I’ll tell you again. I am the second prince, Irid’s, sort of left hand, code name ‘Mad Mage’… That’s all for now.”

And so,

The territorial war ended with the complete subjugation of Baron Stump’s side.