Raising Simulation: Queen of Maryland Maker (END)

……

……

……

Pavel Ishinkiore was forcibly returned to reality.

He bolted up from his seat in a spasm, looking around to find himself back in the very room where he had met with Eugene Paltrow.

Checking the time, it was already midnight.

He clutched his throbbing head.

The time perception inside Queen of Maryland Maker was completely different from reality, so the sudden onslaught of fatigue and information was churning his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mind.

After taking several deep breaths, closing his eyes, and waiting, the headache slowly began to subside.

“……”

His thoughts gradually organized themselves as well.

After receiving that insane, patricidal ending as the True Queen of the Night, Pavel Ishinkiore immediately restarted.

It was more impulsive than anything.

How could a father keep his sanity after watching someone who looked exactly like his daughter fall into such ruin right before his eyes?

But the next ending wasn't much different.

It was even worse, in fact.

The Queen of the Night at least reigned over them, but the leader of a wandering mercenary band was truly a pitiable life.

Wasn't it a life destined to someday come crashing down while chasing monsters and criminals?

Moreover, in the process of his daughter running away, some stats fell short, foreshadowing a grim future where his subordinates might stage a mutiny.

This was unacceptable too. So he restarted once more.

He tweaked the conditions bit by bit.

He checked where things had gone wrong and what had influenced Riana's life.

Through the Saintess ending, Pavel realized that 'law' and 'faith' education weren't very effective for ascending to the throne as queen.

They only spiked her stress levels, leading to frequent runaways.

Of course, he couldn't neglect law and faith entirely, so in her early years, he focused on foundational education, along with physical training, combat, magic, arts, and the like.

He also gradually built father-daughter bonding through outings like picnics.

Not often, but two or three times a year in her childhood for stress management.

Thus, he achieved the 'Senior Official - Normal Ending'.

Unlike before, his daughter never ran away once, and reaching a senior official position was a remarkable entry into central politics.

But for Pavel, it was still lacking.

His daughter, Riana, could surely climb much higher.

He tried various approaches afterward.

An extreme strategy of maxing out physical stats to completely overcome health issues and limitations arising after age 16.

In the Knight Commander Good Ending he achieved that way, the description felt like looking at his own past.

Riana didn't become queen, but as Knight Commander, she swept away the barbarians who invaded Maryland during its chaos.

It was gratifying, but still short of the goal: queen.

The same went for the Grand Chancellor run after that.

Especially in the Knight Commander and Grand Chancellor paths, perhaps due to lacking social skills, her abilities shone, but no marriage proposals ever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came.

- It would have been nice if she could have married.

- Living alone must be lonely...

- You never know, maybe someday a prince on a white horse will appear for me?

At those words, in the next run, Pavel greatly boosted his daughter's social skills and artistic sense.

Indeed, to become queen, she needed to excel in diverse fields.

The shocking first ending must have shone because her multifaceted charms and leadership even lit up the underworld.

Yet this time too, Riana didn't become queen.

“No! What's wrong with this! And why does this ending look the happiest!!”

Only after the cube itself detected his excessive playtime and shut down did he escape the clutches of Queen of Maryland Maker.

In the end, Pavel decided to borrow the power of a third party.

The next day, he dragged his utterly fatigued body to the bustling streets.

As soon as Queen of Maryland Maker was officially released, he swiftly absorbed all related info, establishing himself as the one and only game expert.

“Welcome, Your Grace. I was waiting after hearing the word! I am Saipan, the continent's sole game expert and owner of Whispering Branch Info Broker!”

He had come to meet the info broker.

“Straight to the point. I want the conditions to make her queen.”

Upfront payment: two gold coins. Three more upon success.

If Eugene knew, he'd flip out calling him a crazy rice-eater selling in-game info for money, violating fair trade—but this was the result of supply and demand.

There were more than one or two like Pavel, making the birth of experts like Saipan inevitable.

True to the man who swiftly claimed this niche market, Saipan showed no intimidation before the Golden Duke.

“There's one misconception most players have. They think the queen conditions are extremely hard to achieve.”

“Aren't they?”

“No, Your Grace. In fact, special endings like True Queen of the Night are harder.”

Saipan added, his nearly closed—squinting—eyes twitching.

Pavel flinched at the mention of True Queen of the Night, but thankfully, the info broker didn't notice.

“But first, may I ask Your Grace's MBTI? And your daughter's character MBTI as well.”

“Ahem, well... I'm ESTJ, and she came out ENFP.”

Saipan tilted his head oddly.

“Huh? Completely opposite MBTIs. Usually, there's some commonality or good compatibility... but whatever! That's not the point. If your daughter's ENFP, it's even easier.”

Saipan pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer.

“This is a compiled note of play records from mages who set their daughter's MBTI to ENFP.”

“……!!!”

“I hustled for weeks. Relying on individual player records might lack precision, but we can roughly gauge the stats needed for queen ascension.”

According to his compiled notes, the most essential stat for an ENFP daughter to become queen was none other than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠'affection'.

“ENFPs fundamentally hate constraints and crave freedom and fun. The core drive to make such a child ascend the throne isn't duty or talent—it's bond with you, Your Grace. The fundamental goal of 'making Father happy'.”

Thud. Pavel felt like he'd been hammered in the back of the head.

“What if affection is lacking?”

“They usually veer into arts. Saying the throne doesn't suit them.”

“So the last ending...”

Pavel nodded as if finally understanding.

“All stats except stress at 500+, external reputation at the finals entry baseline of 800+, and affection at 800+ minimum.”

Pavel, who had eyed Saipan half-suspiciously at first, now fully trusted him.

“But that affection stat... it was damn hard to raise.”

“No! Not hard at all! Just spend time together. Once a month, relax with your daughter. And here's the ENFP strategy guide. There's variance, but it fits most.”

Saipan handed over a well-sealed sheet to the duke.

Pavel pocketed it, placed five more gold coins on the desk with a satisfied face, and left the info broker.

And that very night.

Following Saipan's advice, Pavel made sure to celebrate her birthdays every year.

“Happy birthday, Riana.”

“—Waaah!! Strawberry cake...!! Th-thank you, Father!!”

For leisure, he spent time with her by the lake she liked or strolling the woods.

“The air's so nice, isn't it?”

“Yeah. It's been so long since I felt... this relaxed. Can't remember the last time I enjoyed a scene like this leisurely.”

“It's better because I'm with Father.”

“……”

“Father?”

“No, nothing... Yeah, I'm happy to be with you too.”

Not just birthdays—he started readily giving gifts that caught her interest.

“I saw you handle instruments pretty well last time. A peddler had a flute, so I got it for you.”

“I practiced a song you like, Father. Eastern Folk Song. Want to hear?”

“……How did you know I liked that one?”

“You used to hum it walking the woods when I was little. The melody's so good, I remembered it.”

Pavel watched his daughter play the flute with a soft smile toward him.

Eastern Folk Song.

A folk tune from his distant homeland that his mother hummed when Pavel Ishinkiore was very young.

Vivid memories surfaced of wandering mountain paths in the barren eastern borderlands with his mother.

And absentmindedly.

Pavel realized he'd never seen his daughter smile like that in reality, not even once.

This was the cube's world. Virtual, and the daughter before him merely resembled Riana, thoroughly fabricated.

But why the guilt?

Why the regret?

Perhaps because in reality, he hadn't done so.

And sure enough, Riana Ishinkiore began trying even harder for him.

She tackled any grueling part-time jobs or training without fail, and stats from education or training were far more efficient than forcing them.

Years passed like that.

Riana and Pavel grew incredibly close.

He could have sped through with time acceleration, but during rests or trips, Pavel savored every moment.

They shared earnest talks too.

Even stories from reality that Pavel hadn't shared with his family.

“Lately, other ducal houses are pressuring us. The only thing our house lacks as dukes is legitimacy. They're dragging that out, and I'm worried sick.”

“Don't worry too much. If I can ascend the throne, it'll all be solved!”

“Whether this way or that, I realized too late that family is what remains in the end...”

And the long-awaited royal selection day.

Riana rose early, meditated, and prepared her attire.

Eight years, all for this one day.

“Father, I'm off! When I return, it'll be as queen!”

Riana bid her father farewell with more confidence than ever.

Pavel gazed at his daughter, then with difficulty, opened his mouth.

“Riana.”

“Yes?”

“Are you... really okay with this?”

“Of course!”

“You've always had so many things you wanted to do. I heard it often from your mother. But... aren't you giving up all those dreams just to gain my approval?”

A question not as a Queen of Maryland ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Maker player, but as father Pavel Ishinkiore.

Riana didn't quite grasp it, furrowing her brow in confusion for a moment.

“To me, Father is everything.”

As if it were obvious, she boarded the carriage to the palace with light steps.

Pavel watched the receding carriage, then...

“Status window.”

He uttered the cube's command.

It wasn't a sudden change of heart.

He had simply rediscovered a value his dull self had overlooked.

“……You've fought hard alone until now, Riana. Well done.”

His other children were the same.

Nothing more precious than family.

What use were the duchy, brilliant honors and glory, without family?

“Eugene Paltrow, was it. Waking people up like this—a mage through and through.”

He vaguely understood why Grand Mage Arkisiya treasured him so.

Pavel dusted his hands with a relieved expression.

And then—.

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