Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: Isekai TRPG -4
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Former Eastern Front knight, current Bunny Princess Sisell Yurensuto. Shortened to sister-in-law in two letters.
She's someone I know, but I can't be the first to act like it.
Because the fact that the mysterious Bunny Princess is Sisell Yurensuto is a secret known only to Karen. The crazy mage has no idea.
"......"
"......"
So, it's up to Sisell to resolve this bizarre standoff accompanied by silence. She was the one who acted like she knew me first.
"......!"
Sisell, who had been giving off vibes of 'Why aren't you acting like you know me?', seemed to realize it late. Her eyes shook, and I could almost hear the gears turning in her head.
After another three minutes of added silence, the words that finally came out.
"I've heard a lot about you from Sisell Yurensuto, Mr. Crazy Mage. I am, well...... a bunny. Were you caught up in the sudden teleportation too?"
It was meta, spilling info about someone I know. In the process, calling herself a princess seemed too much, so she dropped the last two letters from Bunny Princess.
For someone who knew the teleportation targets were hero candidates in the tournament, it was a line that sparked a ton of things I wanted to say.
"......Ah, yes. I got caught up in it. I'd heard of your fame. The name of the songstress Bunny Princess is so famous in the Holy City."
"Meeting like this...... um, nice to meet you for the first time. I'm here as a single bard. You know about Lukern......"
Yeah. Her clumsy excuse wasn't the important part.
The key point was that a bunnygirl bard with considerable influence in this city was showing interest in my stories.
If I could get her hooked on TRPG, wouldn't she spread the word to the other bards around her on her own? Then I wouldn't even need to lift a finger.
I rubbed my hands together briskly and smacked my lips.
"Are you interested?"
"Yes. I'd love to hear it if possible."
"In that case, you must participate in our storytellers' traditional ritual. It's called TRPG, and using this method lets you enjoy stories even more deeply."
"......A traditional ritual, you say."
Yes, man.
"Very well. I'll join."
"A wise decision. Come on in, then...... We've got some nice, warm dice ready."
"Wait, Master! Save us!"
"......Hmph, alcohol truly is the root of all evil......"
As I lured Sisell into the inn, the warrior and thief looked at me with pleas for salvation. Right, these two were here.
In short, they wanted out of this mistaken identity mess. It was burdensome having everyone look at them expectantly like 'Let's see some detective work.' This problem could be solved simply.
People who trust you will believe even if you tell them it's a lie, and those who don't won't believe no matter how much you explain.
And the folks gathered here needed stories that would fill their wallets. Not to discern truth from fiction.
So, all I could do was shift the flow to make either side work.
I shouted loudly to the assembled bards.
"Everyone! At the end of our journey, we made a pact with the Goblin Emperor! We agreed to lay down everything we gained in Lukern and return!"
"......?"
"That includes our memories and abilities! We remember that adventure like a dream, but the important parts are hazy and vague like a mirage! All that's clear is that tears somehow flowed when the adventure ended......"
The concept: We erased our memories as the price for saving the world and returning to our original one.
The bards murmured, then seemed to accept it in their own way.
"Aha! So that's why the Detective Mercenary Corps didn't notice me buying bread at the bakery?"
"Then how do you remember the goblin village incident!"
"That was the Goblin Emperor's final mercy. He left room to recall at least the first steps of the adventure! So please, everyone, help let those memories stay as past memories! At least don't describe our appearances!"
We did have an amazing adventure, but all our stats got reset. So don't bother us with nitpicky questions.
"We don't know what events are in our forgotten memories. But I think the bards here might 'deduce' them with a flash of inspiration. Just add 'speculation' at the end of the stories!"
Go ahead and make up stories using the Detective Mercenary Corps IP. I permit fanfiction. Make money. But tack on that it might or might not be true at the end.
This should work somehow.
With that traffic control in place, I gave the warrior and thief a thumbs-up.
"Ah, no...... Explain that the game is just a game."
"......Hmph, maybe we really did have that adventure......?"
"?"
This was enough. The blame for these weird rumors spreading lay with those two anyway. I'd upheld my loyalty.
More importantly, the session. Leaving the warrior and thief behind, I vanished into the inn. Time for a new session.
Now.
I set up the table, prepared paper and pen, placed the dice. Then I gave Sisell a brief explanation of TRPG.
"Ah, so...... it's role-playing. Then the Lukern story is."
"Yes, fiction. Please tell the bards well later."
"Got it. Um...... Do we start by making characters?"
"Yep. I'll guide you slowly through the tricky parts."
Participants: Sisell and Selbia. Fewer players make it easier to unfold deeper stories, so I prepared a slightly serious scenario.
What kind of player would she be? As Yuna's sister, she'd have similarities, but would she be the reckless type?
She struts around shamelessly in the Bunny Princess costume, so she probably wouldn't get embarrassed. Her brainpower doesn't seem to match Yuna's, though.
My heart pounded with excitement. I'm happy!
It's cold.
My heart feels like it's freezing and about to shatter. If I looked in a mirror now, I'd see winter reflected in the glass.
Selbia was also pale-faced and trembling. Because the story had gone completely to hell.
The mood had been ruined long ago, yet Sisell alone smiled brightly.
"This TRPG hobby is truly fun!"
"......"
"......"
This is hell.
Yeah, this is why I sometimes hate TRPG. Forgotten nightmares tear open the locked doors of memory and crawl out. All the villains, human scum, monsters you run into!
Who would've thought Sisell Yurensuto was one such villain.
She was even the worst kind among villains. A troll wrapped entirely in good intentions, never thinking she's doing anything wrong.
If she were malicious and flaunting 120% passive-aggression, I could smash her with the rulebook and kick her out!
She had no malice. She was just enjoying TRPG in her own way.
There were warning signs......
#1: Early adventure / Goblins raid the carriage.
Sisell Yurensuto rolled the dice and then asked,
"According to my character's backstory, she's a knight trained since childhood, so why can't she kill a goblin in one hit?"
"Pardon? Because the dice rolled a 3, obviously......"
"But it's odd for a trained knight to have only a 1-in-5 chance against a goblin. With this structure, shouldn't I roll to see if I'm breathing properly?"
She was dragging realism into the game.
Logic like, my character is like this, so failing this defies common sense. In modern times, I could've jabbed back with 'Have you actually learned knight swordsmanship?'
But since she's a real veteran knight, she calmly convinced me it didn't match historical accuracy and she wouldn't have been knighted if she couldn't one-shot goblins. No countering that.
I tried rebutting, but Selbia beat me to it, fuming.
"Hold on, Bunny. Maybe your character is just...... a bit incompetent as a knight? Or the goblins in this game are stronger than usual, or you were super unlucky."
"But the descriptions so far. I just got a sense of what Strength 17 means from lifting that iron gate. Someone with that physique should──without variables──"
"What do you even do for a living?!"
"I don't know why you're angry, but if I've offended you, I apologize. But from what Sisell told me, I just can't understand......"
Ace knight of the Eastern Front...... She was appealing by saying she'd heard all sorts from herself.
Her logic wasn't irrefutable. I'd seen incompetent knights fail plenty, even monkeys fall from trees—goblins don't always one-shot.
The problem was Sisell Yurensuto's perception. She's a mature metaphor user knocking on ascension's door. An undeniable talent monster.
But raised compared and beaten down by her parents her whole life, with her sister already ascended and flying...... This girl thinks she's average.
Anyone could do this with effort!
So she was genuinely, innocently asking why a serious, hardworking knight couldn't catch a goblin.
"......Ah, yes. Then the goblin dies."
I patted Selbia's shoulder and continued. I'd slowly adjust these parts, teach her the unspoken understandings of gaming.
That's what I thought.
#2: Mid-adventure / The lord, the villain behind the incidents, shows his villainy in a sweet potato buildup for the final battle.
"......Here, we can't do anything to the lord yet, so I'll pretend to comply and bide our time. I'll bow my head with a frustrated expression......"
"Hm. I'll draw my sword. And point it at the lord as I shout."
"Wait, wait. Draw your sword? I just described dozens of soldiers around the lord. This screams 'don't fight'."
"But a knight can't tolerate injustice. I'll attack the lord. My avatar will likely die here with high probability, but that sacrifice will have meaning."
A virtual suicide declaration.
Even in games, final bosses sometimes appear mid-game! This scene was one. Clearly not the timing to take him on!
I seriously pondered if this was 'GM, I don't like your story, so I'll die instead' passive-aggression.
But Sisell's eyes held only bright, clear resolve. I asked desperately,
"......Are you really doing that?"
Per the GM dictionary, this has two meanings. One: warning you'll die. Two: please take it back.
This time, the second.
But Sisell didn't bend. She was resolute.
"Throwing away life meaninglessly...... That's wrong. I know. My friend told me. But with a clear greater cause and goal, it's different."
"......"
"My avatar in the story steels her resolve. She can't stand by injustice, so even burning her life, she'll achieve great purpose. And who knows...... In this disadvantageous fight, a miracle might bloom."
"Why not back off, prepare, and achieve that great purpose?!"
Selbia writhed in frustration, but Sisell stood firm. She seemed to be thinking of Karen.
Did I mess up? Should I have built up differently? Was changing her metaphor and planting new resolve wrong......?
I......
I couldn't just hand them a total party kill ending here......
"A-alright. Let's proceed. So, the lord gets furious and......"
Swallowing tears, I pulled combat data reserved for the finale, nerfed it repeatedly without them noticing, and let Sisell and Selbia win.
"Evil shall perish!"
"Gr, graaaah......"
With the lord's head severed, my prepared scenario died.
Two unappeared NPCs left, side stories for the lord's weakness investigation buried, true final boss foreshadowing cut.
Selbia quietly patted my back.
It's fine. The ending came a bit early, lots of loose ends, but wrapping here isn't bad.
"Y-your adventure ends like th......"
"Now, shall we go catch that 'Shadow Hand' guy? We definitely heard that story at the tavern."
"Pardon? Uh, yes?"
What?
"As long as villains remain, the journey doesn't end!"
"......"
Sh-she wants to continue the session? After she personally bisected the main story, more......?
Please. Please have malice.
Admit you saw through I'm Karen and are doing this to torment me, Sisell! My sister-in-law......!
But her clear eyes held...... no ill intent anywhere. She's kind and good. Just a bit oblivious, low game understanding, and dogshit at TRPG.
In despair, I squeezed my eyes shut. Selbia looked utterly drained too.
Dice goddess, I won't look at TRPG for a while, forgive me......
Someone. Someone save me, us.
Someone please!
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked from beyond the door. A voice followed. The innkeeper.
"Guest, someone named Bennett is looking for you downstairs. Know them?"
"Bennett?!"
"Lord!"
The hero came to save me!
Selbia and I sprang up.
"Sadly, the session ends here. Something super urgent came up. Right, Selbia?"
"Y-yeah. Bennett wouldn't come all this way for nothing. Must be something seriously urgent. Games are great, but reality comes first!"
Sisell said regretfully.
"Ah, I see. Too bad...... Can we continue after it's done?"
"......"
"......If, if time and place align, yes. Selbia, let's go."
"Y-yes, bro. Heading down now."
We grabbed hands and fled desperately to reality.
"To cut a long story short: Being chased by an elf ranger."
"......"
Hellish session just now vs. clashing with an elf ranger. Weighing it mentally, the latter felt less gut-wrenching.
I sat at the table, composed myself, looked at Bennett with a crow on his shoulder, and said,
"Care to elaborate?"