Chapter 57: Three-Person Strategy Meeting
“Ah, nice to meet you. Please, come in. What would you like to drink? All I have is plain water, but, thanks to Illusion Magic, I can change its flavor, so it’s practically as if we have everything! Please, make yourself comfortable.”
As I greeted them with a bright smile, the expressions of two out of the three pursuers soured—the Saintess (dressed rather provocatively) and the Swordsman (whose facial expression suggested he was in pain). Only the bob-haired girl, who appeared broad-minded, graciously accepted my hospitality.
The bob-haired girl raised a whiteboard dramatically.
[Hello!]
“Hello. That bob cut is pretty. You seem to take great care of your hair. Let me guess: is it the whale oil perfume sold at the store located three blocks from the entrance of the commercial district, right in front of that tree-lined intersection?”
Her expression shifted to one that screamed Oh my gosh, how did he know?!
“Haha, I have a good nose! And I also make sure to take care of my hair.”
Not that I was telling the truth, though. I had never even noticed when my girlfriend changed her perfume, and I was one of those who thought washing my hair with soap was perfectly sufficient. The only hair care I had ever really received was from the Tower Master Nadena.
This information came from a report I requested after asking Pink-Haired Lesbian for a background check on the three applicants. Having decided this far, I wanted to befriend them. It’s much easier to get along when you have common topics to discuss!
I led the trio to a table. The Saintess appeared to be in a perpetual state of irritation, almost like she was channeling the Hulk, and I could feel the Swordsman’s wariness. It felt as if they’d draw their swords the moment I did anything suspicious!
I could understand their concern. Students are practically programmed to worry about their professors possibly plotting something sinister. I was like that back in school too.
The bob-haired girl sat down confidently on the sofa while the Saintess positioned herself a bit away. The Swordsman pondered where to sit for a bit, then seemed to decide to just stand.
Well, that makes sense. With two girls around (and being the only guy), he probably feared that any spot he chose might be awkward.
The atmosphere was painfully stiff and tense. I wanted to ease the mood. I licked my lower lip with my tongue, cleared my throat, and then took a seat across from them to start the conversation.
“We’ve been entangled in a bit of a mess together, haven’t we? It all started from a minor misunderstanding, so let’s just gloss over that part, shall we? After all, we’re not here for that.”
Back then, I had bolted because I hadn’t prepared my thesis, but neither did you guys read the papers during class, right? So let’s shake off that day’s incident and think about having some fun with a TRPG instead!
“I respect your curiosity and your spirit of inquiry. It must have been a tough call. I thought it would take some time before students showed interest, but it seems I was pleasantly mistaken.”
I’m genuinely thankful that you signed up for a course with such a unique name. I had originally planned on dropping hints during the main class to entice you to play along, but I never expected participants to show up so soon. I’m thrilled!
“Alright, what do you think this object is?”
What could it be?
Clap clap!
Lightly clapping my hands caused a sticky, gooey substance to stretch between my palms before quickly morphing into the shape of a picture frame. The Saintess responded dryly.
“An empty picture frame.”
“That’s correct, but it’s not just any frame. It’s a frame that reflects many things.”
It was a trailer.
Whenever I had the chance, I played the trailer video I prepared. It showcased a vividly colored forest, a hellscape under a red moon, modern civilization with machine guns blazing, a space colony, martial artists exchanging sword techniques on a cliff’s edge, and an elderly man observing the stars.
There’s no other medium capable of packing so much information in such a short time! The purpose of this trailer was to spark curiosity. Just as I hoped, the trio seemed captivated by the visual spectacle!
I gently asked, “Haven’t you ever wished to experience another world?”
“……………”
The lone man who had been silent until now spoke with a serious expression.
“Was this your goal?”
“Indeed.”
“What do you want?”
“I want as many people as possible to learn about it. There’s always a shortage of players for this kind of thing, you know?”
Back in my previous life, not many people played, and even now, it felt like only the Tower Master and I were involved. I wished for more people to know about TRPG. If it wasn’t their cup of tea, that was fine, but they needed to know about it, right?
At that moment, I presented the Session Introduction I had painstakingly prepared for them.
“This report was created with the help of a collaborator. Please read through it, and if it catches your interest, I hope you’ll join us.”
“We’ll discuss it among ourselves first.”
“Could you clear the space for us, Mr… Professor?”
Suddenly, both the Swordsman and the Saintess teamed up against me. Was this the infamous pincer attack?! One of the joys of being a GM is to see the players’ reactions while reading the introduction, but with me here, the Saintess crossed her arms and seemed determined to say nothing.
Hiiiing.
I got kicked out of my own office.
===============================================================
After kicking the Crazy Wizard out of the room, Bennett turned his gaze toward the other two, as if seeking their opinions. The Saintess looked lost in thought, while Niolle appeared completely indifferent.
Bennett sighed lightly and summed up the situation.
“…If I understand correctly, the wizard is talking about Dimensional Travel Magic.”
“I agree. That’s what I heard too.”
[Me too!]
The images reflected in the frame were far too diverse to be dismissed as mere personal Illusion Magic. If it had been just one, it might have been suspected as a figment of imagination. Still, the worlds that flashed by each maintained their unique details—numbering in the dozens!
And then there was the wizard’s expression, one of perpetual enjoyment. He seemed genuinely absorbed in something. Wizards often wore that expression when caught up in their research.
The happenings around the Academy, revolving around this Crazy Wizard, seemed to be on a much larger scale than Bennett had initially suspected. The concept of Dimensional Magic was something only mentioned in fairy tales, belonging to a far-off past.
“I suspect there’s been some sort of deal between the Second Prince and the wizard.”
Bennett, using his mana, sketched a simple diagram. The Second Prince would support the wizard’s research while the wizard would aid the Second Prince’s political maneuvers. They appeared to have a transactional relationship.
“The Black Wizards that the wizard managed to uncover… that credit will eventually go to the Second Prince who issued the orders. It wouldn’t be a minor achievement.”
“And in exchange, the Second Prince would either support or turn a blind eye to the wizard’s activities at the Academy?”
“Exactly.”
They planned on using the Academy students as explorers of other worlds. Given that only those who could prove their capabilities could enroll, the talent pool was of the highest quality.
The Saintess frowned, deep in thought, before arriving at a conclusion.
“No matter how I think about it, it seems too dangerous. I registered to conduct a background check on the wizard, but jumping into an unknown dimension is… I hope you understand?”
[But it says here that survival is guaranteed?]
“What if that’s a lie?”
[…….]
Just as Niolle was running out of things to say and began doodling three worms on the whiteboard.
Flutter. Flutter.
Bennett quickly flipped through the report. Summarizing the key points in his mind, he took a shot in the dark.
“No, the risk might not be as high as we expect.”
“What?”
“According to the report, most ordinary folks in the other world cannot use mana. There is an enemy faction called the Order of the Silver Twilight, but it states that if one protects their body with mana, they should be able to counter that level of magic.”
“True, but as I said, what if the report is a lie…”
“There are no signs of missing or altered content. And look at the goal. The wizard wishes to secure an Artifact from another world—this Shining Trapezohedron.”
Although the wizard conveyed a lack of interest, he wouldn’t have mentioned it unless it were significant. The aim of recruiting explorers from the Academy appeared to be about obtaining powerful artifacts from different dimensions.
“To retrieve that Artifact, he’d have to ensure we return safely. So I deduced there’s no risk of being abandoned forever in another dimension. And—”
Bennett pointed to the report with his finger.
At the end of the report, the abruptly cut-off combat record hinted at the investigator’s demise. However, the second paragraph stated, “Even if you face death, it is not the end; you will return to the original world without a scratch.”
Many who entered the Academy came from influential backgrounds. The Saintess, too, carries a significant weight in that regard, after all. Isn’t she a symbol of a whole order?
“Sure, the wizard might seem a bit off his rocker, but he’s clearly thought through the consequences of his actions. He’s not so daft as to send the Saintess to another dimension and cause chaos without knowing how it could backfire.”
There would be backlash. Someone as meticulously prepared wouldn’t overlook such a detail!
“Up to this point… it’s just speculation. However, there is a way to confirm our safety.”
“What is it?”
“We just need to ask if this investigator… is still alive.”
The Saintess expressed slight admiration.
“You’re quite sharp, huh. I didn’t expect that from you.”
“Your ability to read the situation seems as lacking as your taste in clothing.”
“Shut up!”
Then came the most pressing concern: the potential returns. When entering another world as the wizard intended, what could they truly gain? A line from the report flickered through Bennett’s mind.
“A mystical relic known to summon evil beings, while also touted as providing infinite wisdom…”
It could potentially assist with the Nightmare Summon cast by the Black Wizards. And if that infinite wisdom weren’t just a fairy tale, perhaps—just perhaps—they might find a way to extract the “Corpse Flower That Consumes Fear” from his little sister’s body.
The Saintess, Tara, seemed to be having similar thoughts. They hadn’t discussed what exactly they could gain, but the greed reflected in their eyes was unmistakable.
The trio organized their thoughts and summoned the wizard back.
===============================================================
I see—sure, the Imperial Princes and Princesses might think, There’s no way this guy would kill me unless he’s completely lost it, but is this typically how common folk perceive things? There’s some logic to that.
If a wizard, who isn’t particularly close to them, asked, Would you like to enter another dimension?, it would be rather unsettling. In response to their inquiry about the investigator’s survival, I pointed to Pink-Haired Lesbian, who was standing idly by.
“That’s the investigator.”
“Yes, I am the investigator.”
Pink-Haired Lesbian flashed a double peace sign. I thought she was only playful with me, but seeing her do that to practically strangers made me appreciate her consistent nature. I could see her doing the same in front of an Imperial Prince!
A safety measure, huh? Just when I was about to yap away to prove it was safe—even going so far as to claim you could jump into lava and still be fine—the Knight and Saintess duo jumped in.
“We would like to verify this with the investigator.”
“Could you please leave the room, Mr. Wizard?”
And with that, I was once again chased out!
===============================================================
They took time to verify things from multiple angles. Pink-Haired Lesbian was bombarded with questions to confirm she was indeed the author of the report, while the Saintess even whipped out a Lie Detector Spell.
Seeing their suspicion, I suggested that one of them should take the plunge and die once for testing. Suspicious Bennett even jumped into the simulation, faced death, and then came back to tell the tale.
For the Second Prince, the death effect was achieved by making them disappear, right? But this trio had an aura of Let’s poke it gently before crossing the bridge. They were cautious, possibly worried that facing death directly might make them back out of the session!
So, I made it so that, in the event of a fatal incident, a shield would appear to block attacks and let them return to the original world via teleportation. Wouldn’t that put them more at ease?
It wasn’t bothersome—in fact, it sent a thrill through me!
People who doubt and scrutinize everything…Cthulhu was just perfect for those kinds of individuals!
My heart raced. This genre thrived on such persistent doubt and investigation—that’s how cosmic horror should be approached!
After having time to understand and reach common ground, we even set a date. We agreed to kick off the first session tomorrow, Thursday.
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