Chapter 32
I am currently aboard Learo.
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Now, you might wonder why I ended up boarding an NPC when everything was going so smoothly. The story goes like this: the Tower Master gazed at me intently and said this.
“Hey… You know, want to go in together?”
From that moment, my heart began to race violently, and my mouth felt as dry as a desert. I couldn’t suppress the wave of anticipation rising within me.
I feigned ignorance and asked, “Where to?”
Please say inside the simulation.
Please say TRPG.
Please say session.
“Hmm… Remember last time with the Second Prince? During the climax, I got to control it directly, right? I’d like to try it too… is that not allowed?”
It’s a newbie!!!
In my entire life, I had never received such a romantic and daring confession. Internally, I was praising all the gods I knew, while desperately trying to keep my emotions in check.
If I freaked out now, everything would be ruined. Statistically speaking, the more fuss one makes, the lower their chances of success drop. Not just drop—it’s practically a vertical dive. It’s an immutable truth.
Stay calm. Pretend it’s nothing. Really, just like it’s a light tickle from a passing breeze…!
“W-Well, do as you please. Hmph.”
“What kind of reaction is that?”
“Yay──!!!”
Ah, no. What I meant was that it sounded like a fantastic idea.
“Did your thoughts and words switch places…?”
There was a slight mishap in controlling my emotions, but who cares? The most important thing was that the Tower Master and I were going to have a session together. Among the people I’d met in this other world, without a doubt, the Tower Master was my closest companion.
I felt ecstatic that the Tower Master had taken an interest in TRPG.
I was practically drooling at the thought of gently guiding a newbie. If this went well… we could do other things too. There were so many things I wanted to try. The twilight glow of the evening sky would be lovely… and Fiasco isn’t half bad either…
For this reason, the Tower Master and I jumped into the session meant to entertain the Imperial Princess.
From an experiential standpoint, it would be better to introduce a new character with whom she could completely immerse herself. However, A 400 Kilometers Escape Journey was already racing towards its climax. Introducing a new face at this late hour would only muddle the story.
Moreover, it was uncertain if a new character would even be accepted. Even after the First Princess had been directly confronted by the onee-shota theme I had painstakingly crafted with my very soul, she still held onto her suspicions… She was indeed a character not easily led.
What was created using Illusion Magic was ultimately a sense of reality. Forcing the story through hypnosis and brainwashing is not TRPG, after all. Therefore, moving the players’ hearts had to be done through my own hands.
So I boarded an existing character.
I, to Learo.
And the Tower Master, to Pero.
In my case, there would be no problem since, with a bit of exaggeration, all NPCs that appeared were pretty much me. The Tower Master seemed to have a vibe similar to Pero, so it appeared to fit well. Both were adorable and had a slightly dorky side, don’t you think?
Minor mistakes were something I could easily cover.
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Let’s delve into Role Theory for a moment.
Every character is assigned a role. This holds true on both a grand scale and in smaller frameworks. There are aspects that remain unchanged, as well as those that adapt depending on the situation.
Thus, understanding your position and creating a corresponding atmosphere can be one way to craft a good story.
Let’s summarize the current situation.
A white-haired, narrow-eyed thug has interrupted the scene between the protagonist (the First Princess), who was enjoying a pure love sub-genre of onee-shota, and the heroine (Pero). The protagonist wishes to extract information from the narrow-eyed thug.
To put it bluntly:
Protagonist <= Extracting information / Making moves that would lend a Mindbreak label to this session.
If this is the case, then I must “provide information” and “maintain the Mindbreak angle.” This is my mission within this scene. It’s all about heightening the tension.
What about Pero?
Pero is a character who’s hiding something. While he feels affection for Elaine, he hasn’t been able to spill the secret due to hesitation. The reason? He knows Learo wouldn’t want the secret revealed and ultimately, he desires Elaine’s approval.
Pero has many options. He could pique Elaine’s curiosity about the secret by pretending to stop Learo from speaking, or he could shake things up by confessing to the First Princess first.
If I were Pero, even in a fluster, I’d inevitably find myself unable to keep Learo silent. I’d roleplay (RP) as someone shivering like a drenched puppy at the thought that Elaine might abandon me upon hearing the secret.
What about the Tower Master? How would she interpret the character of Pero, and what would she choose to do?
This was a chance to gauge the Tower Master’s vibe.
Jiggle jiggle.
As I gazed at the jerky cooking to perfection, the three travelers fell into a contemplative silence.
Elaine looked calmly into the campfire, but I could see through her facade. Her mind was a swirl of thoughts. The fact that her gaze was fixed on the campfire was quite telling.
She wasn’t looking at Espero, nor was she watching Learo; this meant she was still undecided. A brilliant use of gaze maneuvering symbolized her inability to confront both hope and reality.
When I focused on Pero (Tower Master), the little boy was glancing nervously between Elaine and Learo. His expression radiated anxiety and confusion—a splendid display of facial acting. The way he handled his gaze was also spot on.
I—Learo—was looking at Elaine. It was a glare that reflected my character’s slightly lecherous nature but also hinted that “reality is always watching.” Can you really escape from reality simply by escaping into the crackling campfire’s embrace?
A silence like this was ample. The suspense had all brewed perfectly.
I (Learo) licked my lips. Let’s kick things off lightly.
“Could you share your story with me? While the silence has a certain charm, personally… I’m quite curious about the adventures you’ve had with Espero.”
“…………”
The First Princess fell silent. It mattered little whether she chose to respond or not. This question was a text that would prompt her to reflect on the journey she’d taken thus far.
I wouldn’t say that silence was bad, as it could yield such delectable soliloquies… but I disliked interruption of the conversational flow. Would Pero (Tower Master) be able to follow along?
Pero’s face grew warm as he twisted his body in embarrassment. Yes, that’s a good sign! That response was an excellent indicator! It suggested that the little boy was recalling the numerous moments of Lucky Sukebe he had endured on that journey. And there was no way Learo wouldn’t recognize that non-verbal cue.
I (Learo) feigned a troubled expression and spoke in a nuanced tone.
“Um, it seems you’ve had a rather unexpected adventure. Haha…”
I shot a precisely calculated look, suggesting, “So you did spend that kind of time with this tiny shota under the guise of adventure?” And just like that, when I prodded the bear, an immediate reaction came forth.
“Not like that! You’d best watch your gaze, Learo.”
“What do you think my gaze conveyed? No, wait. Put down your fist first!”
One short scene wrapped up cleanly. Now that the tension simmered, it was time to hit the gas.
“I don’t particularly like silence. I hope you understand. After calling out the names of friends and neighbors in a ruined village, only to receive no answers… silence tends to make my skin itch.”
This was bait—it implied Pero was responsible!
“So, I shall be the storyteller. Conveniently, it seems the jerky is adequately cooked. Please eat up while you listen.”
This meant it was time to spill the beans on how Pero demolished his hometown, so they should listen up uncomfortably.
I glared at Pero (Tower Master) with a frosty stare. I was looking at the enemy of the village. But at the same time, I posed the question to the Tower Master: “So, what will you do now?”
Pero, with a face clouded in confusion, raised his voice, almost without thinking.
“E-Elaine, I—!”
The boy seemed poised to speak but ended up closing his mouth, trembling. Finally, he managed to utter in a gloomy voice, “I—I’ll look around the area and come back.”
“You really don’t need to patrol. It’s perfectly fine to stay. You told me, didn’t you? The plains are safe, Pero.”
“Well, just in case. We did encounter a Giant Variant, after all…”
Despite Elaine’s attempt to use the plains as an excuse to keep him there, Pero rattled off excuses and made to leave. In my heart, I applauded. How could they pick only the most fitting actions in their first TRPG? Bravo!
Tower Master, are you a genius in magic, seduction, cuteness, and also in TRPG?
Since Pero (Tower Master) offered Elaine the freedom to have her thoughts to herself by stepping away, I focused on tossing some dilemmas her way. It was a brief scene, but it seemed the Tower Master and I gelled pretty well.
I’m so happy… this is so fun!
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Purple Magic Tower Master, Yuna, was genuinely flustered.
Her plan was simple. Before “that” progressed any further, Yuna aimed to take actions to impede it.
Those actions involved utilizing the narration of the session.
Through narration, she intended to describe him, observing “that” within him in an attempt to separate it using magic. Once the Observation Rate hit 100%, she believed he would be faced with the curse dwelling within him.
Having seen how he approached the Mindbreak route in the First Princess’s session, she felt time was short, so she hastily pushed ahead. But…
“Ah, I guess you didn’t hear? About Espero’s ability, I mean…”
He was doing better than anticipated.
He was “playing” while contemplating the structure of the game known as TRPG, meaning there was still quite a bit of time left. For both Yuna and him.
This was a relief. If he continued forward with the session like this, gradually increasing his Observation Rate would be feasible. If she managed to do that, it wouldn’t be too late. This was good.
However, something else left her flustered.
Once Yuna realized the “urgent fire” wasn’t as urgent as she thought, a sense of calm washed over her, leading her to enjoy the TRPG in her own right. By crafting a story with a Happy Ending!
Elaine, unable to trust people due to her trauma, and Pero, who was running away, both seemed pitiable. From what Yuna could see, the conflicts, doubts, and misunderstandings between the two were rather trivial.
Just one of them was enough. Either choice would suffice, so…
If she simply launched a confession at Elaine, it felt like everything could be settled!
If she could turn this story into a Happy Ending through a confession attack, wouldn’t he get upset? Yet, she hoped for Elaine’s happiness. Contemplations in her mind raced, and briefly, Yuna decided to go for the confession.
Before he could blurt anything out as Learo, she wanted to convey Pero’s feelings with an “I love you.”
Yet, her mouth rigidly refused to open.
The body of Pero, which Yuna inhabited, appeared to resist.
As if it were saying, “I must be the one to say this.”
In the shadows, where not even the campfire’s light reached, under the pretext of reconnaissance…
Tower Master Yuna murmured cautiously.
“Are you alive, Pero? Right now, are you in here?”
Pero responded with a heartbeat.
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