1. Tutorial
A collectible mobile game... what was it called again? Ah, Project IV.
I'd possessed the body of a character in a game so unfinished it was still known by its project name.
"If you're going to isekai someone, the least you could do is give them a proper body."
The body was a wreck. Almost no muscle, and one leg had apparently stiffened up, leaving me limping along. Without a cane, I could barely manage a proper walk.
My eyes were bad too. My vision seemed ordinary, but the moment I turned my head too quickly, motion sickness hit.
"And you send me off with no clear objective? What am I supposed to do with that?"
Normally when you get isekai'd, they at least tell you the goal, don't they?
Change the past. Defeat the demon lord. Save someone...
The method of my send-off was just as absurd. I'd been writing my self-introduction essay, stepped out to the convenience store in front of my house—and possessed. Without a single omen, I'd swapped into this body.
"Well, I suppose that's a blessing in disguise."
Perhaps as compensation for a body weaker than glass, I'd been granted a fair amount of money.
There was even a system window, sloppy as it was.
"Still, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this."
When I first saw the system window, I briefly wondered if I might be the protagonist of this game. After all, with the game still in development, barely any information had been released.
But I quickly realized that couldn't be the case. Thinking it over, I recalled glimpsing the protagonist in one of the promotional PVs.
Or, to be precise, the protagonists.
Two of them, in line with modern trends—one male lead, one female lead.
At least if my memory served, this body was not a protagonist's body.
"I don't know the story, I don't know the characters... there's nothing I can do."
"Then will you pat my head?"
"...Sure."
As I sat wallowing in self-pity, a fairy that had been hiding in the flower vase floated up and settled on the desk. Pudding. The first intelligent being I'd met upon arriving in this world, and my friend. If not for her, I'd probably still be wandering the streets, unable to even find a house.
"Your hand feels extra troubled today."
"Got a lot on my mind."
"Want a pudding? Something sweet makes you feel happy."
"Sure, why not."
While Pudding went to fetch the pudding, I prepared the black tea. Thin porcelain cups. A thicker cup would hold the heat better, but alas, anything heavier than this was a struggle to lift. The tea would go lukewarm in no time, but whatever—it would be fine for as long as the snack lasted.
"Oh, and bring me that book, would you?"
"You can count on me."
Snack time ended, and reading time began. Fortunately—or unfortunately—this study held a fair amount of information about this world.
This place was Limadimensio. A human forward base built in ages past to repel incursions from another dimension, forgotten after a dimensional severance, left to develop its own civilization. Paradoxically, that isolation had kept it safe from outside threats—until the seams between dimensions grew unstable and the gods of other dimensions became aware of it. Such was the stage of Project IV.
According to the books written in the form of prophecy, one of the outside deities would become enamored with this land, take up the mantle of Guardian, and by doing so bring safety to the city.
"...Even so, it's all rather confusing."
Of course, there were books that said the exact opposite. One claimed this city was in fact humanity's last hope, destroyed by the otherworldly offensive, and that a Guardian would appear to reclaim the Sacred Earth. Another insisted the city itself belonged to the other dimension, and that its people lived on mistakenly believing themselves to be human.
Honestly, there was no telling which was correct. But one thing was certain.
"Who releases a PV before they've even settled their lore..."
This was probably the result of lore conflicts—settings changed mid-development. Still, that didn't make the books useless. Knowing even this much beat knowing nothing at all.
"Oh my."
"...What is it?"
"Something's odd. There's someone I've never seen before."
Pudding stopped mid-bite and turned toward the window. New people?
Prepare yourself.
"Huh?"
...The system window just spoke to me.
Oh. I see how it is. The game is unfinished, sure—but if development kept chugging along, it was about time the real protagonists showed up.
"...Might as well go take a look at their faces."
I'd always been curious, after all. The true protagonists of this world. I braced my cane and rose from my chair. Had I been sitting too long? My leg had stiffened, refusing to bear weight properly. A bit of stretching loosened it up.
Good. Shall we, then?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Downtown Limadimensio was peaceful.
No—had been peaceful. Until now.
"Hah? Say that again, would you?"
"The horned ones can't be trusted. What about it?"
"Those chicken-pigeons got a death wish? They've been quiet as dead mice all this time, and suddenly they've lost their minds?"
"We've been letting things slide. But don't expect us to look the other way while you lot march around extorting people."
So it had finally blown up. Downtown Limadimensio was filled with celestials bearing wings and halos, and demons bearing horns and tails.
"Fine, let's all die together! We'll figure something out!"
"You drew your weapons? Good. We won't just stand here either!"
Oh dear. Both sides were raising weapons. Muskets, cannons, swords, mechanical beetle-tanks. An unbalanced combination every time I saw it.
"Forgive me, Guardians. It seems trouble has broken out."
"This is bad... look, Guardians. If this goes on, the city will face a real crisis. I'm afraid we'll need to invoke the name of the Order."
"We subdue them first, questions later! That shop is my absolute favorite parfait place!"
A holy maiden of the Order, a Fire Chief, and apparently a Vigilante Captain. Three of them—the typical number of starter characters a collectible mobile game releases at launch. They'd come looking properly, it seemed.
Which meant...
"What a commotion the second we arrive..."
"Big brother. Subduing them first seems like the right call."
Between the three familiar faces stood an unfamiliar man and woman. One a bishounen with a clean, uncluttered physique; the other a bishoujo with a mischievous face.
"Protagonists, plain as day."
Generic yet distinctive. The exact face of a protagonist. So it really was those two, huh.
"Impressive. This will be over quickly."
The two protagonists, aided by their supporting cast, resolved the situation in the blink of an eye. Their power was remarkable. Did the male lead just double-jump off empty air? The female lead was just as strong, scaling the wall and picking off the ringleaders one by one.
The holy maiden, Fire Chief, and Vigilante Captain need no introduction—their combat styles were already familiar. The maiden swept the celestials aside with a whip of holy power, the Fire Chief drove his firefighting axe into the demons' skulls with the strength of his massive frame, and the Vigilante Captain fought with flashy flair, all manner of gadgets in hand.
The Guardians, traveling between dimensions, were drawn by fate to Limadimensio.
The Guardians have lost nearly all their power in battle against the trans-dimensional deity, the Dimension Eater.
Fortunately, the Guardians still possess their divinity, and vast reserves of faith lie dormant within Limadimensio.
The Guardians seek to resolve Limadimensio's troubles and gather faith to reclaim their divinity.
"Aha. So that's the lore."
I see. That would roughly square the settings away, wouldn't it? It even explains why the early-game player is so weak.
...But then, why are you explaining this to me?
"Situation resolved. Thank you for your assistance, Guardians."
"Fighting alongside the Guardians made it feel over in no time..."
"I jumped two whole meters higher than usual!"
Each Guardian may form a three-member party, excluding themselves.
Those who join a Guardian's party receive the Guardian's buffs.
Right. So that's the setting. Again—why do you keep explaining this to me?
"I can't claim to know much, but there seems to be some deep-seated grudge between the celestials and the demons."
"Well, they're angels and demons, aren't they? Those two are usually at each other's throats."
"You're well informed, Guardian. Indeed, that's correct. However, this is clearly abnormal. There has never been a conflict of this scale before..."
"Honestly, it could've blown up any day now. That part's no surprise!"
"If these were the city's regulars, there's no way they wouldn't know that..."
"To be frank, if it were business as usual, I'd be content to let it pass. But something about this doesn't sit right."
"Could it be that both sides are suffering from some other problem?"
"...That, I'm afraid, will require some verification."
"On that front... yes, I believe we should pay a visit to the Professor."
"The Professor?"
"Yuan Lee. The man who knows this city better than anyone."
Huh? Me? Why is my name suddenly coming up?
"Professor Yuan resides in the manor over there. Right away, we can—"
"No need. I'm right here."
"...Professor? What brings you here?"
"...Well, you see, I heard a rumor that strangers had come to the city."
"We literally just got here."
"How did you know so quickly?"
"As expected, there is nothing about this city that escapes you, Professor."
...So, I'd barged in boldly, and now what? I had no idea what to say next. What now?
The leadership of both the celestials and the demons have fallen under the influence of deities from other dimensions.
This appears to be a consequence of the dimensional rifts becoming unstable.
"...I see. So that's it."
The two deities share a mutual hostility. They intend to strike down one another's worshippers and disrupt the supply of faith.
"How on earth am I supposed to explain this..."
"Wow. He's the type of character who sounds like he's about to tell you something and then doesn't."
"...Quiet. Saying that to his face is hardly polite."
...Wow, he's right. Did I really just say "So that's it..." out loud, cryptic pause and all?
I never thought I'd become the kind of person who talked like that. Truly.