Chapter: 11
If you were to ask what the most important thing in a TRPG is, the answer is motivation.
It’s my belief that players need a strong motivation. For example, if someone pleads, “Hyesoon from next door was kidnapped by a giant squid!” logically, why would anyone step in directly instead of calling the police?
It would only make sense if Hyesoon was the town’s top beauty, had a sweet little fling with the player, and the police were utterly incompetent. Only then would someone be inclined to act.
In that sense, there’s no motivation more compelling than the threat to one’s life. When a massive monster is charging to rip off your limbs, desperation kicks in.
Well then, I now had to prepare an impromptu session for the Second Prince.
What kind of session should I create? What would the core conflict be? How would I motivate him?
If I had known about the Second Prince’s visit a week ago, I could have prepared something. I could have done some background checks and finely tuned the session’s atmosphere to suit his personality, but… it was an unexpected visit.
The order has been placed, the guest has arrived, and I need to serve up the meal immediately.
First, let’s check what ingredients I have.
The fantasy modeling was generally complete. The martial arts were far from ready for actual use, and there were aspects of the modern era I was hesitant to present to the Second Prince. After all, what would a prince do in the modern world other than indulge in gourmet delights? After that, it would be a wrap. Fin.
Moreover, there was a critical issue when basing the illusion on the modern era.
Trained subculture readers are well-versed in clichés. If a pocket watch suddenly stops, it signifies imminent death, and if a line like “There’s no way so-and-so can lose! They’re the ultimate!” pops up, it means someone’s going to become mediocre or lose their limbs.
So everything should work out predictably and neatly. If I introduce a cute girl in the session, players would think, “Ah, she must be the key character~!” and if I suddenly mention storm clouds and a gloomy atmosphere, they’d prepare themselves, anticipating, “Something’s about to go down!”
But the Second Prince is just a regular guy who knows none of this.
Hence, I concluded a straightforward plot was necessary.
“This is definitely a time travel angle.”
“T-T-Time traveeeeel…?”
The Tower Master, sprawled on the massage chair, muttered with a quivering voice. This place was, so to speak… the control room. A virtual reality space manipulating another virtual reality. Here, you can move NPCs or narrate the story.
While munching on popcorn, I swiftly manipulated the virtual reality. First, I tossed the Second Prince into a secluded forest. I needed to buy some time.
Having decided on a time travel theme, setting it in the future sounded great.
Just then, I had a freshly prepared steampunk futuristic city in my mind. With its towering skyscrapers, it looked impressive even just at a glance. The city was named ‘Nightwatch.’
Next, I plopped the steampunk city next to the secluded forest.
With the skyscrapers towering high, he should find it easy to navigate. Just by reaching a slightly open area, he should see the sky-piercing towers, making it simple to guide him out of the forest.
But then, I remembered something crucial I couldn’t omit in a steampunk setting.
“Tower Master?”
“Hmm?”
“Could you model an airship for me? 10…”
“Eh?”
“9… 8…”
“???”
“7…”
Tower Master Yuna abruptly sat up and started carving out the airship model. As expected of an Archwizard, her speed was terrifying. She even ignored the interior, focusing solely on the exterior.
While she busied herself with that urgent task, I focused on the monitor. I saw the Second Prince examining a tree model with an intrigued expression, and I suddenly felt the urge to explain it to him out loud.
— You seem to realize something. Was there something special around you?
Second Prince: “This type of tree only grows around the Imperial Capital. It was obtained to commemorate the Fifth Emperor’s birthday by ordering the alchemists.”
What the heck?!
“This tree modeling was done by Tower Master, right?”
“UAAAAAH, AIRSHIP IS DONE…! Uh, wait. Yes, I did it.”
“It’s said to only grow near the Imperial Capital.”
“Yeah!”
Then I couldn’t even use the steampunk future city ‘Nightwatch’.
I delivered a cheek massage punishment to the Tower Master, who forgot to label the tree modeling.
“Eubububububu.”
Yeah, I could still use the steampunk future city ‘Nightwatch’.
Even though the player made that brilliant deduction, I could pull a “you’re having a personal problem” move and replace the Imperial Capital with another city. I could just sweep it under the rug like that.
But that action was a million light years away from my TRPG style.
If a player deduces something and it makes sense, it must be true. Isn’t it frustrating when a deduction turns out wrong?! So before the Second Prince turned around, I quickly made the skyscrapers vanish.
I completely scrapped the ambitious future city ‘Nightwatch’ and hastily brought in the model of the Imperial Capital. Then, I sprinkled hints of a future timeline here and there.
I scratched the castle walls a bit and affixed meaningless clockworks and steam engines to the buildings.
“…But if I do this, there won’t be any skyscrapers, and I won’t be able to guide him to the city, huh?”
“Uubuuu.”
“Tower Master, launch the airship! Let’s sail straight to the city from here!”
I lured the Second Prince with a suspiciously slow airship. And this was the moment to showcase the effects of Illusion Magic.
The real time spent moving through the forest was five minutes, but I activated ‘Time Perception Deceleration’ to make it feel like an hour. A.K.A Military Training Camp Force Field. With this, we could skip through progression while still maintaining realism.
In those five minutes, I wrapped up the modeling of the Imperial Capital. I quickly conjured an emblem to replace the Empire’s flag. By mixing up the royal crests of three other kingdoms a bit, it looked believable.
Just exploring a future empire felt too lacking in urgency and danger.
Danger, oh how crucial. Without suspense and action, everything felt bland. I remember pondering whether to throw an incident in when I took the Tower Master sightseeing in Korea.
Danger. Danger. Danger…
“Tower Master, tell me a few things that spring to mind when you think of the Empire.”
“Nuh? Why don’t you let go of my cheeks first?”
“Ah.”
I released my grip.
“Slavery, military strength, and the Imperial Family actively mingling their blood with the nobility?”
“Alright, noted.”
Then we’d go with a world of reversed social status.
Let’s demote blondes, the symbol of imperial blood, to slaves. I manipulated NPCs to look at him as if to say, “Wow… a blonde? Is he a slave?” The Second Prince’s face was flushed with embarrassment under the unfamiliar gazes.
While the Second Prince waited in line for inspection, I organized my script precisely: the main theme: a world of reversed status. And… a story of success? That sounded good.
He was born clutching many advantages, wasn’t he? Had he ever experienced rising from the bottom? I wanted him to taste the catharsis of climbing from rock bottom to the top.
But first, I needed to shove him deep down.
— “Stop. State your identity. Where is your master?”
— “If you’re not a slave, what? Are you some toy then? To think there are still people walking around with their heads held high while having such disgusting golden hair.”
— “What? You filthy slave dare… to confuse your master’s authority with yours? No matter how esteemed they may be, you’re just a fortunate little slave. Got it?”
I verbally battered him. And for the final touch, I pressed my index finger forcefully against his forehead.
I almost swung a fist when this happened at work. In this other world, the effect seemed exceptional, as the Second Prince boldly shouted out.
Second Prince: “Show some respect, guard! I am the Second Prince of the Empire, Irid Crown—!”
I thought carefully. The balance between unpleasantness and humor must be exquisite.
It would be wrong to start using the “Sweet Potato → Soda” strategy, wiping out the player character’s entire family and friends all at once. You could end up getting punched by an angry player for that!
You need to scratch just enough to avoid actually upsetting the player, then immediately follow up with a refreshing dose of soda to solidify your strategy. That’s why I didn’t use any swear words worse than ‘jerk’.
Let’s give him a little more scratch. Just a bit more.
— “The reason the Empire you once took pride in is in shambles, and its citizens are living like subservient slaves is due to the Wither Emperor Irid!”
Interesting setup, right? His future self being the last Emperor of the Empire.
And behind the scenes, all that Wither Emperor talk was just slander spread by the ‘Kingdom Alliance’. After conquering the Empire, this alliance teamed up with a Black Wizard to circulate those rumors.
“……..”
“Uh, hey. Why does the Second Prince look like a dead fish…?!”
“Eh… ehhhh?”
“Is t-this really okay?!”
No, it’s not okay. We’re completely doomed. I didn’t mean to hurt him this much!
I thought he was the type to have a strong pride, so I scratched at him hard, but maybe he had lower self-esteem than I thought…? This was a mistake. Maybe I was too hasty since it had been a while since I last played TRPG.
“This is fiction, Prince. It’s all fiction…”
I needed to make him realize this was all just a fantasy, a game. But outright saying it wasn’t the most graceful method.
I had the NPCs whack the Second Prince while significantly lowering his pain threshold.
It probably felt like light taps to him.
Hey, isn’t that strange? Getting hit with a stick but only feeling light taps? It doesn’t make sense, right? That way, I indirectly showed him this was all fiction.
— You… became dazed like someone who lost their soul. Even while being clubbed by the rushing guards, your mind echoed not with pain, but with countless “Why?”
No, it’s not that you don’t feel pain due to shock. You genuinely don’t feel a thing! I’m telling you, genuinely nothing hurts! How can you think of anything trivial when getting hit with an iron club? It’s illogical!
This won’t do. I had to quickly initiate the ‘Nadenade’ strategy!
===============================================================
This bastard was just way too skilled at dodging events.
An event where a proud retired soldier noticed the Second Prince’s eyes and took him in—> Fail because the Second Prince bolted as soon as he spotted the retired soldier.
An event where I conjured up a fat wallet in front of the Second Prince to pick up some money and enjoy a decent meal—> Fail because he passed it by, fearing an embedded location tracking spell.
A ‘Free Bakery Event’ where random people were handed out bread—> Fail because he ran away, convinced someone would smack him with a baguette.
An event where fabulous noblewomen, known for their generous hearts and bosoms, were stationed in every corner to offer support to the Second Prince—> Fail because he suddenly leapt over a wall and ran away.
“Is this deliberate?”
Did he just want to suffer? Was he avoiding all the events I set up just to mess with me, knowing they were all illusions?
But glancing at his stunned expression, it didn’t seem to add up…
“… Sigh.”
I had no choice but to use my trump card.
An adorable girl.
The ‘Boy Meets Girl’ scenario is a time-honored cliché with immense power.
She was a beautiful girl waiting tables at an inn, brimming with that charming commoner vibe. Let’s spawn a bucket of water and then soak him…
— “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t know someone was there…”
See? A cute blunder by an adorable girl. Now, I’ll create a sweet, mushy event where she apologizes to the soaked Second Prince… But that jerk is running again!
I hastily added to the setup. In reality, she wasn’t just a humble inn employee. She was a Resistance member in disguise! I pumped up her statistics.
I made her slide down a wall pipe and drop in style.
Did he notice the ridiculousness of this scene? Did he catch on?
A delicate girl who looked like she couldn’t lift even a pink dumbbell was bold enough to drop from the third floor—a gap moe!
And to top it off…
Under her fluttering skirt, her innocent appearance belied a surprisingly grown-up pair of underwear!
This is perfection. Hurry! Look up! See my impeccable creation, Second Prince Irid! Shudder at the sight of the soul-crafted underwear model I made…!
“ACK!”
Why did you look away…?!
Frustrated and indignant, I collapsed onto the ground. At that moment, the Tower Master gazed at me in disappointment, as if to say, “How pitiful.”
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