Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 348



348 – The Throne Determination Battle: Local Nobility Unification – 4

Hayang used hand gestures and footwork to explain the ‘education’ that took place between her and Faceless.

“And that’s how it went, mong.”

“That’s how it went, huh….”

“Heh-heh.”

Hayang’s eyes sparkled as if she needed a compliment for ‘Teacher Hayang.’ She also just shrugged her shoulders haphazardly. I ruffled the top of her head, thinking.

From Hayang’s perspective, she’d just lightly scolded him, and then this faceless guy had gone and offed himself, a truly bewildering situation. But from the opposite side, it was some horror movie shit.

The control over your own body slipping away moment by moment, opening your eyes to find weird, incantation-like stuff scrawled everywhere, a picture drawn in blood grinning up at you—I’d be screaming my head off too.

If Hayang hadn’t used Korean, it might not have gone full-on horror thriller, but I’d taught her because I figured she’d be visiting my simulation world often, so she might as well learn it. That turned into a snowball effect.

They say a child’s innocence can sometimes be cruel, and it seems her naiveté had sent Faceless to an early grave.

-How can a kid be so chilling? I don’t think even I would go this far.

“Says you?”

I shot a look at Aisha, who was jumping at the chance to interject and make it seem like she was better than her. That was the kind of statement that would have Bennett running at full speed with a halberd, if he heard it.

Aisha mumbled while spooning up the beef stew I’d poured out from under the shadows.

-Cruelty and apathy are innate. Even if there was a misunderstanding, Hayang definitely didn’t take Faceless’s suffering seriously. If you don’t teach her right, she might turn into a monster even worse than the original.

She’s right.

Unlike Faceless, who’d call himself an emotionless assassin but gets jerked around all the time, Hayang seems like the type to keep calmly going about her business even if her limbs were torn off.

That calm type is the scariest. Strong too.

But on the other hand, it also meant that if she was properly educated, she could become something great. I hope she grows in a way that benefits humanity.

“Grow up big and strong and be a good daughter for Desuru.”

“Okay.”

“Aisha, you should learn from her too.”

-Learn to make every morning a horror movie?

Oh, how cute. I wish our little girl had a bit more charm, too.

Thanks to Hayang, Faceless, who was our biggest variable, has vanished. With that, the Red Flavor Duke’s cards are truly tattered and torn.

Now it’s just a matter of beating the shit out of him.

Aisha spoke from the shadows, legs crossed as she lay there.

-At this point, we could just ditch the careful approach and run straight to Redburn Manor and lop off the Duke’s head. Don’t you think?

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

-Why?

I mean, that part.

‘The Virgin’ I took down 2-on-1, ‘Corpse Flower’ self-destructed, and ‘Lamb’ had half of its power blown off by the massive energy unleashed from Yuna’s rampage.

Truth be told, I’ve never actually fought someone head-on and chopped off their head. It was always a moment of luck, their own karma, a random stroke of fortune that paved the way for me to easily win.

Of course, I’m sure I’d win even in a direct fight. But it could be a much tougher battle. These named black mages each had only broken abilities.

A nest made from cobbled-together dreams of provincial nobles, coupled with a conditional insta-kill, necromancy of a high caliber, a summoning magic that could call the target’s greatest foe to your side, top-tier illusion magic, and a psychic-plague that kept cloning itself endlessly even if you killed it.

And the Red Duke’s ability, giving fate to those who know information, proportionate to the amount of that information.

It’s a powerful ability for sure…but comparing it to other black mages who are constantly strong, doesn’t it feel a little imbalanced?

-Isn’t he, like, there because they also considered his political power as a Duke?

“I don’t know. Maybe so.”

Considering the temper of the named black mages I’ve met so far, wouldn’t they have taken over or seduced anyone they thought was a bit weaker than them and turned them into a minion?

More than anything.

One application of the Duke’s parable ability keeps swirling around in my head. If the Duke can use his parable in this way, he could be a more formidable foe than I realize.

The Red Duke manipulated the fate of his b*stards to obtain the parable abilities he wanted. That’s how Rodelus and Faceless were created.

And who knows oneself best, but oneself.

Then wouldn’t it also be possible for the Duke to guide his own fate… in the direction he wants?

I entered the Hollow County with Hayang. It was too dangerous to leave her to go home alone, so my plan was for her to come to the capital with me after my work was done.

“Uncle, chicken skewers!”

“Sure, sure. I can even buy you five.”

Hayang seemed to be enjoying her culinary adventure with her delinquent uncle.

She occasionally scribbled crude drawings of our family of three, smiling side-by-side on the dirt, but when I asked if she missed them terribly, she said she could hold out for another week. She’s such a mature kid.

I was thinking about checking into lodging first and then leisurely browsing the slave market when…

*Thump thump thump thump!*

A nobleman, flanked by ten knights, suddenly appeared in front of me. Yeah, *suddenly*. He practically sprinted to reach me, then rubbed his hands together obsequiously.

His attire was flashy, and he was dripping with jewelry. Walking extravagance itself seemed to be talking to me.

“I’ve heard the news. You’re the one sent by the Second Prince…”

“Who are you?”

“Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Pinett Hollow, the lord of Hollow County. I was expecting you. Rather than standing here, let’s go to the manor. And the Saintess, as well. We’ll treat you as honored guests!”

“Hmm.”

This could not be any more blatantly suspicious.

I had been making a surprise visit as I pleased, so I hadn’t announced to the region I was visiting that ‘the Second Prince’s proxy is coming’.

Which meant this guy had somehow heard about me on his own, and then rushed over the moment I arrived in town to act all familiar.

That’s a damn difficult thing to do.

I traveled at high speed in semi-kaiju form, so my feet are usually faster than any rumor. So, how did this guy figure me out? And… why is he so eager to welcome me, even going as far as running out here?

Moreover.

When I pulled Hayang out of the crowd, weren’t there three disguised knights watching her? Those guys were mixed in with the knights guarding this nobleman.

I stared blankly at Hayangi and the shadows.

“Moo-ong.”

-Play along a bit, and if it gets sketchy, bail.

Yeah, I think so too. I nodded, my face wreathed in a smile, and accepted their company.

“Let’s go then. Haha, your warm welcome truly fills my heart with joy. The Second Prince will be so pleased to hear about this. But, I was wondering, is there perhaps a woman or two waiting inside as well…?”

“I’d like to ask if there’s plenty of meat, moo-ong.”

“As much as you like! Our estate has plenty of both women and meat!”

I even put on a suitably vacant act while speaking.

–

Perfectly fooled!

Codename 『Mad Mage』 and known as 『Saintess of Rebirth』 followed Count Hollow without a shred of suspicion. Now, to just lure them into the trap and it’s over.

At first, I only planned to kidnap and abduct the 『Saintess of Rebirth』 who’d suddenly appeared, healing people. Her healing ability was rumored to be so incredible, even surpassing the priests of the Goddess Order.

Her beauty was also said to be exceptional, so I intended to lock her away in my chambers and take her out whenever I pleased.

For that, I dispatched three knights. But then, some hooded fellow suddenly appeared and took the Saintess away, and I was ready to tear my hair out, thinking I’d missed her.

Yet, this hooded fellow showed up with the Saintess in my estate, and furthermore, the hooded fellow himself was a mage with a high bounty on his head within the black magic community.

Like a fish that lures another fish!

If I can just capture them both and offer them up, Duke Redburn will reward me handsomely. My heart is pounding, I’m giddy. More power, more authority danced before my eyes.

There was an order that read: ‘The Mad Mage is cunning and unpredictable, gather as many allies as possible to kill him.’

But if I gather other black mages, I would inevitably have to share the credit. That was something I truly didn’t want.

And look at that. It seems like I can handle this on my own.

“This meat’s good. Ah, pretty lady. Forget the thighs, rub my shoulder a bit. That’s it.”

“Meat’s yummy mong. Pretty unni, eat this asparagus and broccoli for me, please.”

Both the mage and the saint were too busy cutting their steaks to pay attention. So defenseless! I’d heard they were dangerous and all, but…maybe that was just the losers trying to make a crazy mage seem like a big deal to cover their own mistakes.

Count Hollow rubbed his hands together in a crafty way and began.

“Um, Mage-nim. Saint-nim. There’s a big worry in our territory. It seems that some wicked black mages are secretly building an underground facility. Could you possibly help us with this?”

“What did you do, sell off your knights?”

“…Ah, well, you see. We did try deploying the knights, but they couldn’t find their way. It seems like they’ve set up a barrier with illusion magic. However, we haven’t been able to find a suitable illusion mage to call on nearby… so it’s been postponed for a while.”

“So, you need my help. Hmm.”

The crazy mage pretended to think it over, then brought his thumb and index finger together, giving a subtle signal. Count Hollow waved over a servant who brought a chest full of gold coins.

“How about this much?”

“hhhmmm…”

Even with this amount, the crazy mage was still stalling. How greedy must he be to demand more money even with this huge sum? He wasn’t even a mage tower lord.

Just then, the maid massaging the crazy mage’s shoulders used a subtle touch, adding a bit of charm.

“Cool mage-nim. I’m so scared of the black mages that I can’t sleep. Please, help us!”

“Alright, shall we? Count, show us the way. I’ll take care of the barrier nice and clean.”

“Hayang-i will eat all the meat clean mong.”

“Thank you, thank you! Thanks to you, my Hollow Territory can finally be safe! Once you’re done eating, we’ll head straight there. Hey you, knights, prepare to hunt!”

Got them hooked!

The gluttonous Saint of Rebirth was taking her sweet time polishing off ten plates of steak, but finally, Count Hollow was able to lead the two of them to the underground dungeon.

This underground dungeon was Count Hollow’s creation, actually full of black mages under his command. His plan was to lure the crazy mage deep inside, then seal the entrance with his knights and get rid of him in one go.

“Where is this barrier you speak of?”

“It’ll be there, deeper in.”

“Where are the meats though?”

From noble mtl dot com

“…That, I will let you eat your fill of when we return.”

Thud, thud.

A little more. A little deeper.

Thud, thud….

There. That’s good enough! Having come this deep, unless he defeats every black mage and knight, there was no way for the mad wizard to escape.

Even several golems, prepared to counter the mage, had been deployed. So what could this illusion mage possibly do? He had won. Count Hollow patted himself on the back for his brilliance.

Leaving the trapped fools behind, the Count, his hand on the wall, burst into laughter.

“Kuk, kukukuku… hahahahahahaha!”

“Why are you laughing?”

“These rats walked right into my trap, of course I’ll laugh! You mad mage, you were fooled by my flawless act! I’ll make you a corpse and send you to the Duke… and the Saintess will serve me for the rest of her life!”

“Ah, is that so….”

It was too late to regret it now. Count Hollow turned around, eager to bask in the despair on those fools’ faces.

“……Huh?”

And his eyes met a white monster that filled the passage.

The mad wizard, transformed into his massive beast mode, had already crushed all the knights that followed. A 150-meter mass completely filled the narrow passage.

“Man, this is a bit… cramped. If my body wasn’t so squishy, I’d be stuck here. Whitey, you okay? Uncle isn’t making it uncomfortable for you, is he?”

“Jelly. Squishy squishy.”

“Yeah, just close your eyes and play touchy-feely over there. And that Count Whatever-his-name is… I’ll put him on a diet. You win if you make it to the end of the passage before I catch you.”

*Crrrrack.*

The massive beast’s maw opened, countless teeth sprouting. Count Hollow’s face went pale, and he trembled violently.

“What are you doing, not running?”

“Hwaaahhh!!”

*Thudthudthudthudthud!*

With a roar that shook the entire dungeon, the massive beast near the wall surged forward.

The chase, now reversed, continued for about ten minutes, and the black magic forces of Hollow territory were obliterated in an instant.

–

The crazed mage, who had bundled the Count up and taken him captive, dusted his hands off. Hayangi watched him and mimicked the gesture.

“Lucky break. Picked him right up and got a winner.”

After breaking through the Count’s mental barrier and peering inside, he discovered that this was the largest black magic power in the region. All that was left were scattered, smaller groups.

His mission was practically complete.

“Uddddddd.”

“Udddddddmon.”

The crazed mage stretched, looking up at the ceiling. And thought. What were the other teams up to right now? Had they completed the plan to hack the Red-Flavored Duke to pieces?

–

In a forest within the Redburn Duchy, Selvier pondered.

“I think the plan to smash through and destroy everything is a good one. You can’t fight well without hitting the head first. Let’s go straight in and smash everyone’s heads, including the guards.”

“Then, h-how about we stealthily erase them? Lop off their heads, and then we rule Redburn Territory pretending to be in charge. Th-there might be good people, so we can check on them later and let them out…”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

It’s violent.

Unbelievably tough for an opinion coming from three women.

The purple mage tower master, and Agent Yuri Lanster – both their ways of thinking were nothing short of violent. Their plan was just rush in and beat the shit out of everything. Is it because they’re physically strong they don’t use their heads?

Of course, if you have enough power, simple is best. But considering whether my crazy mage professor brother would want such a total obliteration, he probably wouldn’t.

We need a refined method, one where we pick off only the bad guys and ensure innocent people don’t get hurt.

This won’t do. I need to keep my head straight here, and stop them from going off the rails.

Selvier raised her hand and said,

“We, first, need to persuade the citizens!”

“Persuade them to?”

“A peasant uprising⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

But what Selvier overlooked was that she was a fire mage.

She, too, had only ever chosen solutions that involved burning and destroying things…