Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: S1.5. Thousand-Mile Escape Emergency Countermeasures Committee
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Simulation control room. While manipulating the magic, I let out a grumble.
It felt stiff and sluggish, like rust had eaten into it, refusing to turn smoothly.
If this were a hinge, I might've prayed for WD-40's blessing, but there was no such thing as magical lubricant in this world⋯⋯ Wait, no. There was one right next to me.
"Tower Master, help me out. This magic isn't cooperating at all."
"Huh? Where, where?"
The Violet Magic Tower Master, who'd been spectating First Princess Elaine and Pero's onee-shota grand adventure, came scampering over. Among the laundry list of problems cropping up, I pointed to the most pressing one—the core magic circle powering the narration—and stroked it as I explained.
"The narration. With Second Prince Irid, I could read his thoughts straight from his head⋯⋯ But with First Princess Elaine, the viewpoint keeps jumping to the NPCs. It works fine when she briefly immerses in an NPC, though."
"Ahh⋯⋯ That's because her level is way higher than yours."
The Violet Magic Tower Master put it kindly: It's because you're a total scrub. That "metamorphosis" or whatever—something that sounded a lot like awakening—it meant the illusion magic wasn't sticking because I couldn't pull it off. Made sense.
If that was the case, it explained why the entire simulation was creaking along. Like a CPU pegged at 80-90% usage, flashing red.
No wonder it felt so taxing to maintain. I had to pour even more power just into layering illusion magic on First Princess Elaine.
"Hmm, ahem⋯⋯ Heh heh heh, want me to help?"
As I crouched down fiddling with the magic circle, her twintails dangled right in front of my face. I snuck a sniff—fresh and powdery, with a lovely floral scent.
It was great that she'd picked up such hygienic habits⋯⋯ but damn, I missed her natural scent sometimes. Ah, the days of bathing once a week.
I brushed aside the tickling twintails—and politely declined the help while I was at it.
"⋯⋯Why?!"
"You're all offense, no finesse, Tower Master. Were you planning to crack her mind open a bit to make the illusion magic stick easier⋯⋯?"
"Well⋯⋯ that's⋯⋯! I mean, I was gonna⋯⋯ Yeah, okay, guilty! But the mind? A little breakage is fine!"
The Tower Master dropped the most black-mage line imaginable.
No wonder she smashed up all those poor seniors' and juniors' research. That tiny heart of hers must harbor an uncontrollable urge to destroy. Even the wulin adage—beware children, women, and elders—held true in fantasy worlds.
"It's true! If a little mental breakage made people go weird, we'd all die from sadness?! A-and besides⋯⋯ you smashed Second Prince Irid's mind without mercy!"
That was an unavoidable accident.
What could I do when the story veered that way? And from the sporadic updates I'd heard, he was thriving these days, full of vigor.
Somehow or other, he'd sniffed out a criminal guild hiding in the underworld and taken them under his wing.
Might be a bit of a stretch, but maybe my session had quite the⋯⋯ impact on Second Prince Irid.
It made me a tad proud, thinking he'd drawn some will to live from me, one way or another. Also kinda fun. Manipulating someone toward the path you want⋯⋯.
Then, weight settled on my shoulders and neck.
I'd tuned out her yapping—that she was never violent, and you, the one toying with Second Prince Irid and so many others' hearts, must be the real deviant.
Annoyed Tower Master had mounted my back while I crouched. Warm body heat wrapped around my neck. Pants might be one thing, but riding piggyback in a skirt? Sketchy.
I reined in the derailing thoughts—like, should've worn something thinner or wonder how my head looks from back there.
Afraid it'd get weird again, I pivoted to comedy.
"Ugh, you're heavy."
"I'm light!"
The Tower Master patted my head with both hands. Didn't hurt. Lately, it felt like her playful skinship had ramped up.
Hold on.
If illusion magic's tough on superiors, then⋯⋯ back when I showed her Earth's sights. Yeah, narration barely worked past the opener.
As a grand archmage leagues above me, she could've shown what I wanted to see, hidden what she didn't. A terrifying hypothesis hit me. Back at the department store.
That scene where Tower Master eagerly ogled the seriously lewd lingerie.
If she'd⋯⋯ deliberately shown me that⋯⋯?
What if Tower Master was a seduction genius⋯⋯?
"⋯⋯What're you thinking to make that face?"
"Nothing⋯⋯."
"I can't make simulations like you, but I can hijack control, y'know?"
She raised her hand. That simple gesture snatched control of my meticulously woven magic web. Bolstered my Tower Master seduction-genius theory. If she could steal admin rights this easily⋯⋯?
I threw up mental barriers, resisting as best I could, but with control handed over, narration stormed through my head like a gale.
Not full-on hypnosis or brainwashing. She skipped my black-boxed bits. So, ultimately, just extending the prank.
The search complete, narration spat out the result.
Pffft.
Her face went beet red in an instant, like something had burst. Panties of every color and style materialized around her, spinning giddily.
Startled, Tower Master flailed to dispel the panty phantasm—but no dice. Panic faded; she made a pragmatic call. Easier to eliminate the sole witness than erase her own illusion.
Her finger aimed at my crown.
⋯⋯No fleeing now—I was pinned in mount position⋯⋯! With her soft thighs clamping down, dodging was impossible!
Before Tower Master Death Beam could fire, I blurted:
"Y-Yuna! I love you! Yuna's my favorite in the whole world!"
"⋯⋯That doesn't work twice?!"
Pew-ooong. Death Beam incoming.
I took it till her embarrassment cooled.
Munching on her lukewarm Tower Master Death Beam, I pondered. Second Prince Irid let me peek his inner thoughts now and then, smoothing the flow. But First Princess Elaine? Unreliable.
That was normal, really. What GM reads players' minds perfectly? You toss bait, gauge reactions, piece together the story puzzle. Standard play.
So my immediate goals:
One, over-immerse First Princess Elaine to amp the illusion magic. Probe her core tastes.
Two, once I nail her tastes, prep a tailor-made ending scene.
Three, and ultimately──── ####.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"
Something felt off, nagging.
Like stacking a card tower and dropping it right before completion.
Or pointing at the moon while everyone fixates on your fingertip.
Mulled it over, but nothing surfaced, so I shelved it.
The Thousand-Mile Escape had just passed the bit where First Princess Elaine fed innocent boy Pero slimy, viscous goo. A sharp dagger I'd planted. Or rather, a versatile all-purpose tool.
Bait works best with multiple interpretations.
"If you're asking if it's drinkable⋯⋯ You'd get sick even filtering it. Sometimes hallucinations or fever hit, too."
GM breakdown:
⇒ This slime might cause tummy trouble, hallucinations, aphrodisiac effects—or not.
The ambiguity's key. Dozens of futures branched from here. If she veered into steamy onee-shota with Pero, mild aphrodisiac side effects.
Need more peril? Hallucinations. If she craved no thrills, light indigestion wrap-up. Worst case? Plot fuel.
First Princess Elaine liked Pero but harbored doubts. If narration read true, she'd ditch him in true peril.
Ditching Pero derails everything.
Core issue with key-NPC scenarios.
If Second Prince Irid spurned Centra, decrying lowly Resistance scum's impertinence? Beer and ballads down the drain. We'd spam goldilocks-loving noble ladies forever.
Hence Plan B⋯⋯ ready.
If she suspects the innocent boy, flip from romantic onee-shota to impostor thriller. Slime assists.
In that timeline, mutant eggs writhe inside the slime.
Pero swallows, larva hatches within, devours his brain⋯⋯ then branches by situation. I chuckled at the fun.
"Whatcha thinking?"
Tower Master hugged me tight. I startled but hugged back.
Her face screamed it: 75% shame, 25% worry. Why chuck herself at me while blushing? Thinks I dig skinship? I do, but.
Worry over me overdoing it? No need. TRPG's just a hobby. Pure pastime. Nothing to fret.
"Nothing."
My head felt a bit fuzzy.
Added a giant mutant crisis.
First Princess Elaine didn't abandon Pero.
Offered salad instead.
Thought she'd suspect poisoned greens. Nope.
Introduced half-lidded youth Rearo.
To stoke suspicion.
Cast the line. She'd bite⋯⋯ or not.
Violet Magic Tower Master Yuna Yurensuto Violetiris had pegged his abnormality from the start. That day, when every Tower Master gathered in a tiny village for one boy—and not one could learn his name.
From then, Yuna watched him ceaselessly.
His fixation on bizarre hobby TRPG was luck twofold. He chose Violet Tower; delayed That.
After: endless surveillance.
He bore grand archmage talent. Crimson Tower? Half-continent inferno. Azure? Submerge half in ocean depths.
Such gifts drew That's eye.
He lost his heart bit by bit. Started small: less shame. Then waning interest, empathy gone. Forgot past, parents. Fixated blindly on one goal.
One day, he brought fun: a world. In that alien realm, Yuna glimpsed his buried truth before That consumed him fully.
Heart-pounding dream: seeking one story. So she pinky-swore atop a moonlit slum railing.
After, he edged toward madness. Self-deceiving excuses, all lies on inspection.
Simulation lord: could've bulldozed Second Prince Irid's events, Centra-style. Didn't. Nurtured his heart to wither fully.
Drizzled sweet honey-love, then yanked away.
Ignored his princehood, archmage-sword saint clashes behind scenes—too busy toying with Second Prince Irid. Lying to himself.
That's swallowees turn so: lunatics chasing amusement alone.
Watching First Princess Elaine's session unfold, Violet Magic Tower Master sensed the time neared. Soon fully devoured⋯⋯ her final chance.
Confront self eventually.
Yuna prayed he'd reflect, even nameless.