Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Smiling Angel
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Regardless of the medium, any work containing a narrative must adhere to a fundamental principle.
That is, a consistent flow and a central theme.
Of course, since the core of mass media is public enjoyment, one shouldn't adopt a preachy attitude.
The theme shouldn't be a pedantic concept, nor should it be one that isn't universally understood.
In the first place, the flow and theme I'm talking about are much simpler concepts.
Basically, it's about maintaining a core idea of ‘what this story is about.’
From that perspective, *Identity* is a classic heroic epic.
A story where the protagonist, E-40, gains enlightenment through a special encounter and saves the world.
This was why I was prioritizing the recruitment of the priest over other production-type NPCs.
The goal was to present this plot quickly, allowing the player to imagine how the story would unfold.
Now, for the methodology.
How should the protagonist’s narrative be shown?
Even in my past life, the answer to this was quite simple.
‘Prophecy.’
As is the case with most classic heroic epics, you just need to show, through the words of a divine being, that this character was born with a heroic destiny.
That was the purpose of the priest and Chapter 2.
So, what word should be used to describe E-40?
The answer was already clear.
‘An angel, of course.’
Appearing in the most fearsome form, yet extending a hand warmer than any other to brighten the world with a smile.
He was none other than an angel clad in a smile.
* * *
Three days had passed since that day.
After sending off the sword-wielding wandering farmer, the priest prepared for a secret meeting with the imperial tax collector.
It was an arduous task.
Her faith, which she had never doubted since her student days, wavered every time she met the collector.
The ancient scriptures said so.
That our Lord always watches over us, shining his light for our happiness.
But reality was not so.
At the very least, the people of this village weren't being properly compensated for their blood, sweat, and tears.
They were people who deserved better treatment. They were people who always fulfilled their duties with a positive spirit.
And yet, for such people to not receive the rewards of their labor.
No matter how much His Majesty was said to be the Lord's highest apostle, doubts soared.
Why was the world like this?
The priest agonized, and her suffering was the same today.
“Oh, Priest. You’ve reaped another harvest that will be a blessing to the Empire this year!”
The stern-faced tax collector stroked his mustache with a look of satisfaction.
The priest bowed her head.
“Greetings to the Empire’s servant!”
“Yes, yes, let’s see now…”
The priest felt as if her own flesh were being torn away.
How could the tax collector's hands, as they counted the wealth, look so wicked?
She tried to calm her profane thoughts.
But it wasn't easy, and the priest was consumed by the thought that she might be a wicked person for doubting God's will.
It was then.
*Thud, thud.*
Footsteps echoed in the underground passage.
The tax collector flinched in surprise, as did the priest.
And the moment they identified the owner of the footsteps emerging from the darkness, both were struck with horror.
“A-a smile…! A sword…! It's… it's a highest-grade criminal!!!”
The tax collector’s voice rang out.
The priest’s shock was even greater.
Because she already knew the man wearing the smile before her.
‘The wanderer?!’
His face was different, but the sword he held and his attire were exactly as she remembered.
To think he was a special-grade criminal who even swapped faces!
The priest’s body trembled with fear.
“Priest! Get behind me!”
The tax collector drew a club and stepped forward.
The wanderer, E-40, charged toward him.
He was strong.
“Gyaaaah!”
The tax collector rolled pathetically on the floor, groaning in pain.
The priest felt her heart pound.
He hadn't seemed like a bad person. Could she have been mistaken?
Was it as the scriptures said, that the devil wore the kindest mask?
Her thoughts continued to race.
E-40 spun the priest around and knocked her to the ground.
“Ouch!!!”
The priest cried out in surprise, but once she was on the floor, it didn't hurt that much.
Only then did she realize.
‘He was only pretending to hurt me…!’
A guess formed in her mind.
Before he left, he had clearly tried to help her.
But for a criminal like him, rashly helping others could have acted as a poison.
So, this must have been the other method he chose.
‘If he pretends to attack me too, he'll look like a lone plunderer after the taxes…!’
He was trying to help the village, shouldering the blame without any gain for himself!
The priest was overcome with an unidentifiable emotion.
Just then, the tax collector, having regained his senses, blew his whistle—*tweet!*
“It’s a highest-grade criminal! Knights! Fight!”
From the end of the passage, four knights came rushing out.
At their cold, expressionless faces, the priest’s heart sank with a thud!
E-40 puffed out his shoulders, acting the part of a villain.
*Clang! Clang!*
He struck the floor roughly with his sword and stomped his feet menacingly.
The tax collector strained his voice, insisting.
“Damn it! Priest! Do something to protect the taxes! If you don't, you're a criminal too!”
E-40 charged at the tax collector and the knights.
The result was astonishing.
“Ugh!”
E-40 tore through them like a wolf among a flock of sheep.
Even to the priest, who knew nothing of fighting, he was an incredible powerhouse.
So much so that she wondered, ‘Could he truly be the legendary farmer?’
At the same time, a phrase flashed through her mind.
The priest felt a sensation as if lightning had struck the crown of her head, awakening her entire being.
‘Could it be…!’
Help offered purely for the sake of others.
That was surely on the same path as salvation.
And the sight of him taking on the most wicked of sins would surely be described as fearsome by those who didn't know the truth.
“Ah… Aah…!”
The priest recited a line from the prophecy in her mind.
‘He shall descend to the lowest of places and in the most fearsome form, save this land. He is my most noble angel!’
The words the current emperor of the Empire used to describe himself.
But that was wrong.
Looking at E-40, the priest felt a profound sense of relief and joy.
‘I wasn't wrong!’
The Empire was what was wrong.
They, who plundered the rewards of labor in the name of equality, were the sinners.
Salvation didn't come from fear, but from a heart that loved others, even to the point of covering oneself in filth!
“Aargh! Run! Run and call for reinforcements!”
The tax collector and the knights scrambled back the way they came.
The priest remained on the floor, stunned, looking up at him.
E-40 slowly approached and extended a hand.
Not a trace of hostility could be found in his smile.
With a trembling movement, the priest took his hand.
The priest’s eyes grew hot.
She now knew that closing her eyes was not faithfulness.
Yes, it was merely looking away.
Perhaps the Empire, fearing that a faithful soul might see the truth, had blinded them with such a face.
In any case, it no longer mattered.
For tears, hot as flames, welled at the corners of her eyes and began to fall down her cheeks.
The heat was so intense, the priest felt as if her face was burning away to nothing.
And then, that very thing came to pass.
*Thud—*
The face with its eyes closed fell away from her own.
After long years of penance, she had finally broken her shackles.
A full-fledged smile warmed the priest's entire being.
In response, the fearsome angel who had descended to the lowest of places raised his sword high.
*Hmph!*
Exhaling silently through his nose, he celebrated his victory.
* * *
The priest provides a pretty important skill in the game.
It was a type of magic based on holy power called ‘Divine Arts.’
In my past life's version of the game, there were a few combat skills related to Divine Arts.
This time, I was going to expand on that a bit.
‘I’ll add a setting where healing and protection help with the village's security and plant growth.’
A more immediate application would be enhancing the farming content we just acquired.
Later on, I could introduce widespread benefits, like increasing work efficiency by raising the village's holy energy concentration during activities like mining, or introducing Divine Arts equipment that grants special effects to stats during crafting.
That was it for the ability-related aspects.
Besides that, wouldn't it be quite popular to give her the personality of a zealot, fitting the setting of a priest who regained her smile after meeting the protagonist?
Let's put her recruitment dialogue like this.
『"I want to follow you, my angel! If I secretly distribute this wealth back to the village, I'll be a criminal anyway… and even if I don't, this is a world where I can't live with a smile! I want to serve you by your side!"』
The scenario would be that she secretly funnels the wealth she protected from the tax collector into various funds for the villagers before skipping town.
The scenario for Chapter 2 turned out quite well.
At the very least, it would be enough to appeal to the cliché charm that comes from the premise of ‘E-40 saves the world as a smiling angel.’
After finishing the draft, I wrote down detailed references for the concept art and handed them to Han Seo-rim.
A question came back in return.
“By the way, why is the blindfolded face a female priest? Aren't priests usually men?”
“Do we really need to get hung up on that in a fantasy setting?”
“No… I was just asking.”
“A blind saintess is a guaranteed hit. If you don't know that, memorize it.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Sigh, this is why it’s tough with people who aren't nerds. There's nothing sadder than when Han Seo-rim's lack of subculture knowledge shows like this.
Anyway, it was just as Han Seo-rim was giving me a look like I was some kind of weirdo.
“President, Director Yang is on the line.”
A call came from Yang Gil-sang.
There wasn't really anything to have a meeting about at this time.
More importantly, we hadn't discussed any work during lunch.
Puzzled, I went to Yang Gil-sang’s office.
Yang Gil-sang, his bangs now down, greeted me.
“Isn’t it about time we did that?”
“Did what?”
“The announcement. We need to let people know what game we’re making.”
“Hmm, isn’t it a bit premature?”
We only had the framework down, and the modeling work was mostly focused on the village.
The main story portion was something the modeling department, led by the dramatic duo, was just starting to work hard on.
Feeling that an announcement was burdensome when we had nothing proper to show, I said as much.
“I think it would be better to announce it around the time we can put out a trailer.”
At my words, Yang Gil-sang shook his head.
“I’m not talking about that kind of full-scale marketing.”
*Click, clack.* Yang Gil-sang turned his monitor toward me.
Something came into view.
“A project presentation?”
“Yes, we’re currently working on two games, right? *Identity* and *Demon's Relic*.”
“Right?”
“We’ll just give a simple explanation, like, ‘Here’s what we’re working on~’.”
“An explanation, you mean…?”
A smile appeared on Yang Gil-sang's lips.
And then, he said something that was quite surprising to me.
“Live streaming. Internet broadcasting is hot these days, isn't it? You, the President, can communicate with the users on a stream and introduce the content! Then, if we edit that video and upload it later, we could get a lot of promotion without a huge cost, don't you think?”
A small gasp escaped me.
It was only 2015.
A time when the influence of internet broadcasting wasn't that significant, and real-time communication marketing was an even more distant concept.
And yet, Yang Gil-sang was already preparing for such a step.
“What do you think? Worth a shot, isn't it? Let's put that handsome face of yours to good use, President. Let's do some communicating.”
Communicating with the users.
Those were very, very tempting words.