Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: S1.5. Thousand-Li Escape -4 (GM Perspective)
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I'm currently possessing Learo's body.
If you're wondering why I hopped into an NPC's body in the middle of a session that was going so smoothly, here's what happened. The Magic Tower Master looked up at me intently and said this.
"Hey... wanna hop in together?"
From that moment on, my heart started pounding wildly, and my mouth went bone-dry. I couldn't contain the swelling wave of anticipation.
Playing dumb, I asked,
"Where to?"
Please be inside the simulation.
Please be TRPG.
Please be a session.
"Well... last time with Second Prince Irid, you took direct control at the climax, right? I kinda wanna try it too... Is that okay?"
A newbie—!!! In my entire life, I'd never heard a confession so romantic and steamy. Silently thanking every god I knew, I forced my emotions down as best I could. One wrong move here, and I'd ruin everything. Statistically speaking, the more you freak out, the steeper the drop in success rates. It was an eternal truth. Calm down. Play it cool. Act like it's no big deal... like a breeze tickling your nose...
"D-Do whatever. Hmph."
"...What kind of reaction is that?"
"Yay—!!!"
Oh, no. I mean, that's great, really.
"Did you... change your mind or something...?"
There was a slight emotional slip-up, but who cares? The important thing is that the Magic Tower Master and I are doing a session together. If I had to name the closest person I've met in this world, it'd hands-down be her. I was over the moon that she'd taken an interest in TRPG. Drooling at the thought of gently guiding this newbie, I pictured the possibilities. If she has a good time here... we could try other things too. I had so many ideas—twilight dinners under the sunset... a little fiasco wouldn't hurt... And that's how the Magic Tower Master and I jumped into the princess's reception session. Creating a fresh character from scratch for full immersion would be ideal, but Thousand-Li Escape was hurtling toward its climax. Adding a new face now would just muddy the story. Besides, it might not even land. First Princess Elaine had shrugged off my soul-stirring onee-shot straight to the heart... yet she still wouldn't let go of her suspicions. She's a tough nut to crack. Illusion Magic only handles the realism. This isn't hypnosis or brainwashing—it's TRPG. So, swaying the player's heart? That's on me, and me alone. That's why we're possessing existing characters. Me into Learo. And the Magic Tower Master into Pero. For me, every NPC in this story is basically me on steroids anyway, so no issue there. The Magic Tower Master has a similar vibe to Pero too. Both cute, with that awkward loner edge. Any minor slip-ups? I'll cover them.
Time to pull out role theory.
Every character has a role. On the big scale, and in the little moments too. Some parts stay fixed; others shift with the situation.
Grasping your position and setting the mood—that's one way to craft a great story.
Let's break it down. What's the current situation?
The protagonist (First Princess Elaine), reveling in her onee-shot pure love with the heroine (Pero), just got crashed by a white-haired, narrow-eyed delinquent. The protagonist wants to pry info out of those narrowed eyes.
More bluntly:
Protagonist <= Extracts info / Hits the despair beats.
So I need to 'give her that info' and 'stoke the despair vibes.' That's my mission in this scene—ramp up the tension.
What about Pero?
She's a secretive character. She likes Elaine but hesitates to spill her secrets. She probably 'doesn't want Learo spilling them' and 'ultimately craves Elaine's approval.'
Pero had options: Stoke curiosity by trying to shut Learo up, or flip the board with a preemptive confession to Elaine.
If I were Pero... I'd hem and haw, fail to silence Learo, tremble like a rain-soaked pup at the thought of Elaine ditching me after hearing the truth. That's the RP I'd go for.
What would the Magic Tower Master do? How would she interpret Pero?
A perfect chance to gauge her style.
Sizzle.
The three travelers sat lost in thought amid the silence, eyes on the jerky roasting just right.
Elaine stared blankly at the campfire, but I could tell. Her mind was a whirlwind. Key detail: her gaze fixed on the flames.
She avoids looking at Espero or Learo. Means she hasn't decided anything yet—still wavering. A masterful gaze that dodges both 'hope' and 'reality.'
Checking Pero (Magic Tower Master): The little boy snuck glances at Elaine and Learo, his face a mix of anxiety and confusion. Great acting, solid gaze work.
Me—Learo—is eyeing Elaine. It fits the slight-perv character trait, but it's also a metaphor: 'reality' always watches you. You can't escape it by hiding in the firelight.
Silence built perfectly. Tension simmered just right.
I (Learo) licked my lips. Start light.
"Might you share a story? Silence has its charm, but personally... I'm curious about the adventures you had with Espero."
"......"
First Princess stayed silent. Answer or not, it didn't matter. This question prompts her to replay the journey in her head.
Delicious inner monologue potential, so silence works... but I hate breaking the flow. Will Pero (Magic Tower Master) pick it up?
Pero flushed and squirmed. Perfect response! Recalling all those lucky perv moments from the journey. Learo wouldn't miss that nonverbal cue—
I (Learo) put on a troubled face and said in a subtle tone,
"...Hm, quite the different adventure from what I imagined, it seems. Haha..."
I shot a pointed look implying, You spent that 'travel time' getting cozy with this tiny shota, huh? It hit home—immediate reaction.
"It's not like that, so watch your stares. Learo."
"What kind of stare do you think I was giving...? No, put the fist down."
Clean segment wrap. Tension vented—time to kick things into gear.
"I... don't much care for silence. Bear with me. Ever since that ruined village, where calling friends' and neighbors' names got no reply... Quiet makes my skin crawl."
Pero did that! Bait dropped.
"......"
"So let me spin the tale. Jerky's done—eat up and listen."
Listen uncomfortably to Pero's hometown-wrecking story.
I fixed Pero (Magic Tower Master) with a chilling glare—like staring down a village's destroyer—but it doubled as tossing her a 'What now?'
Pero, face clouded in confusion, instinctively turned to First Princess and raised her voice.
"...E-Elaine, I—!"
"......"
The boy opened his mouth like he had something to say, but in the end, nothing came out. He staggered, then muttered gloomily,
"I... I'll just... look around... and come back."
"...No need to scout. I said the plains are safe, Pero."
"...Just in case. We ran into that giant mutant already..."
Even after Elaine grabbed that plain excuse once, Pero scraped up another and bolted. I gave a mental standing ovation. How does a TRPG newbie nail every perfect move like this?
Magic Tower Master, are you a genius at magic, seduction, cuteness, and TRPG?!
With Pero (Magic Tower Master) stepping out to give Elaine space to brood, I could focus on piling on her dilemmas. Short scene, but our teamwork clicked.
This is so fun...!
Violet Magic Tower Master Yuna was genuinely flustered.
Her plan was this: Before That Thing's progress bar filled, she'd take action against him.
The action? Hijack the session narration.
Use narration to describe him, observe and sever the Thing possessing him—a magical gambit. Once observation hit 100%, he'd confront the curse within himself.
Seeing her soak in the despair during First Princess's session, Yuna figured time was short and rushed it...
"...Ah, you didn't hear? About Espero's abilities..."
But he seemed... fine. Way finer than expected.
He was toying around, pondering the game's structure bit by bit. Meant plenty of time left—for her, and him.
Relief. Just nudge the observation rate up session by session. No rush. Good.
But what threw her wasn't that.
Realizing the fire wasn't so urgent freed her up. She decided to enjoy this TRPG her way: Craft a happy ending!
Trauma-shattered Elaine couldn't trust anyone—pitiful. Runaway Pero too. Their conflicts, suspicions, misunderstandings? To Yuna, trivial.
Just one bold confession from anyone.
From either side.
Bam—problem solved!
Confession assault to happy-end the story—would he get mad...? But Elaine deserves happiness... She pondered briefly, then committed.
Before he (as Learo) could blab, she'd confess Pero's love: I love you.
But the words wouldn't come.
Pero's body, under Yuna's control, seemed to resist.
As if saying, "Only I can say that."
In the darkness beyond the campfire's reach, where she'd fled under scouting pretense.
Violet Magic Tower Master Yuna whispered cautiously,
"...Are you alive, Pero...? Are you... in here right now...?"
Pero answered with a heartbeat.