Minister Herness Serban’s cousin,
Minerva Serban (20 years old), belonging to the Minister’s Office, did not think much of games.
The sudden emergence of a strange culture in the empire was the culprit; that was her first impression of the game.
Though she had to deal with it due to the inexplicable ripple effects and Lord Herness, the more she worked, the less she understood about games.
The tasks they required were beyond her imagination, as incomprehensible as the culture itself.
For instance, asking for the number of martial arts dojos, or requiring shock-absorption magic on every tavern chair.
The wizard ‘Yuren,’ who created game magic at the Irene School, kept making incomprehensible requests to her.
Especially when he asked her to get in touch with the Karuga family, claiming he wanted to use the name of the national hero Karuga, it made her want to cleave his skull with a sword.
Thankfully, the head of the Karuga family was a fan of the game, or it could have been a political issue that was very risky.
On a day when she was reluctantly working in connection with the game, she saw that a game center had been established in front of the Minister’s Office, featuring the game ‘Legend Fighter,’ in which she was involved.
Watching children and adults gather around the game crystal ball and enjoy ‘Legend Fighter,’ she suddenly felt curious.
“What’s so great about this that everyone is so excited?”
That curiosity led her to enter the game center on her way home.
She put gold into an empty game crystal ball.
“Should I try it just once?”
Thinking about it, she realized she had seen games but had never actually played one.
Since she was already involved, trying it out for research purposes wouldn’t be a bad idea.
『Here Comes A New Challenger』
With that thought, she selected a character in ‘Legend Fighter.’
In that moment, the legend of the mysterious master ‘Pink Curie’ with pink hair, known to disappear with just whimsical movements, was about to begin at the Zephia Game Center.
*
Months had passed since ‘Legend Fighter’ was released.
In a short span, the culture of the empire had changed significantly.
It became common for bars in the village to coexist with game centers, and children training in martial arts dojos had become a daily routine reminiscent of taekwondo schools.
The national hero Karuga elevated people’s respect for forgotten heroes with Yuren’s storytelling and production, even garnering fans in neighboring countries.
All of this came together to achieve the very goal he desired.
Minister Herness smiled contentedly while reading the La Kingdom and Yura Republic newspapers.
[ Analysis of the Zers Empire Growing Strong through Fighting Games. ]
[ The General Representing the Empire ‘Karuga’ Sweeps the Culture Market! ]
The achievements of ‘Legend Fighter’ exceeded Minister Herness’s expectations.
Honestly, he hadn’t imagined it would reach this level.
As long as the mustache sounds faded before the crazy dragon from the La Kingdom arrived, he was prepared to acknowledge their efforts.
But Yuren and Sylvia had achieved more than that.
Not only did the mustache image disappear, but the previously idle martial arts dojos were properly operated.
These dojos were initiated by the Minister’s Office as part of national policy, aiming to enhance the health of the empire’s citizens and prepare for potential wars in the future.
But like many national policies, they faced the threat of becoming mere showpieces.
Yet, these dojos formed synergy with the game ‘Legend Fighter,’ establishing itself as another facet of the empire’s culture.
And at an astonishingly quick pace.
“This is a bit of a headache, though.”
However, not everything was perfect.
Minister Herness read the newspapers within the empire.
[ Is it okay for the barbaric empire to strike down respected figures with chairs? ]
[ The Dark Elf Lord ‘Alan’ Voices Deep Concerns Over the Popularity of Dark Elf Characters in ‘Legend Fighter.’ ]
The ritual of a loser striking a winner with a chair is merely child’s play that Yuren did not intend, so that was fine.
But the Dark Elf character having a chance to lose their top clothing was a clear issue that could lead to problems.
“Why did they do such a thing with the Dark Elf character?”
“Well… I tried to keep the male fantasy alive…”
Because of this, Minister Herness had to urgently contact Yuren.
Yuren, sweating profusely, managed to speak to Minister Herness.
“Fantasy? You mean a certain chance of the Dark Elf character shedding clothing?”
“There’s a kind of fantasy that’s hard to express as a game developer!”
“Haa… I knew wizards were eccentric, but you take it to another level.”
The empire was a nation formed by the integration of humans, elves, and dark elves, with dark elves having a degree of autonomy recognized in the north.
Touching the dark elves inappropriately could lead to headaches, even for a minister.
Fortunately, there were similar techniques existing in the martial arts of the Black Forest, making it possible to blur the issue, but it could get complicated quickly.
As Minister Herness recalled that eerie moment, he heard a sound.
Softly opening doors and the sound of someone creeping in, Minister Herness sought out the origin of the noise.
“Have you finally come in?”
“Minister! Minister!”
There was Minerva, the source of the noise.
Enthralled by ‘Legend Fighter,’ Minerva had been sneaking over to the game center in front of the Minister’s Office whenever she had a chance.
She seemed to think that Herness was unaware, but Herness was simply pretending not to know because he found his cousin adorable.
Having been caught returning after playing for the first time, she began to stutter.
“So… yeah! I just went to check out the market for ‘Legend Fighter.’”
She insisted she had gone to conduct market research for the Minister’s Office, not play a game.
Seeing her attempt, Minister Herness sighed and asked.
“How many chair shots did you take today?”
“Of course, five! These days, you need at least that much to be considered skilled…”
At that moment, a chill breeze blew between them.
“……….”
“……….”
Minister Herness had a general understanding of the game center culture.
While it was incomprehensible, there were some things one needed to know to be able to work.
“So, you’re having a good time.”
“Yes… I accidentally fell into it.”
Heness found her engrossed in gaming both amusing and strangely entertaining.
It was hard to imagine Minerva, who used to be such a diligent worker, now goofing off playing games.
“Alright then, how about we step out for dinner?”
“Shall I prepare a carriage?”
“No need, we’re just going nearby, let’s go.”
With that, she was dragged along by Herness, heading back out onto the streets.
As they walked through the street in front of the Minister’s Office, she saw the Zergas martial arts dojo.
The dojo that was once idle now had many people, young and old, training inside.
“I honestly still can’t believe how quickly the Zergas we worked hard to spread has caught on.”
“There’s a saying that those who work hard can’t beat those who enjoy themselves; perhaps that’s it.”
Enjoyment,
The greatest difference between the Minister’s Office and the game.
Minerva, who previously wouldn’t have understood this, could now grasp it.
That it’s the feelings of those who swing their fists hundreds of times and control thousands of characters, all for the sake of fun.
As they strolled through the transformed Zephia, they naturally began talking about work.
“Is everything ready for the prince’s official visit?”
“Yes, everything has been prepared without a hitch. We just need to finalize adjustments with the La Kingdom’s entourage.”
Soon, there would be an official visit from the La Kingdom.
It could be said that the Second Prince’s visit was the starting point for everything.
When a prince who provoked at the border came to visit the empire, it was created to prevent them from belittling it as the land of mustaches; thus, she had become someone who couldn’t focus on work without a fighting game.
She found the absurdity of this situation amusing.
“You’ve worked hard, Minerva.”
“Not at all. They’ve had it much worse than me.”
Minerva acknowledged that the real credit for this situation didn’t lie with her.
“Right, thanks to them, the work is going smoothly. Hm, I should mention it to the queen later and get them some sort of medal.”
“Um… somehow, I feel like Yuren the wizard wouldn’t like it very much.”
Minerva spoke while recalling Yuren at the Minister’s comment.
From the months of work, she had learned that he was not fond of rising honors.
What could the reason be? She couldn’t understand.
Really, what was it? Why did he dislike the honor that brought about more work?
“Well, thinking about it, it doesn’t seem like he’d enjoy it.”
Minister Herness found himself agreeing with that statement.
In his eyes, Yuren seemed more inclined toward financial rewards than honors.
The conversation, which started with work talk, soon delved into a psychological analysis of the quirky wizard, Yuren, culminating in a resolution about the official end of the requests regarding ‘Legend Fighter’ at the Minister’s Office.
Yuren had regained his freedom.
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