Otherworld TRPG Game Master

196 – Epilogue: The 7% Strange Adventure -1

Opportunities come. They will, someday.

Akushin-chan had the patience to wait even a thousand years. A necessary virtue for a being with an infinite lifespan, that’s how she was made.

So she can wait. Especially for an opportunity that’s coming right up, a certain one. Not anxious, not worried. Akushin-chan thought with an odd certainty.

The mad sorcerer will surely get back at the Succubus Queen.

Clang-clang!!

She shakes it off with her dragon scales. The Queen turns around gracefully to dissipate the shock, smiling faintly as if in a bind.

“Hmm, it seems ‘Heroine’ is catching on, but why no response…?”

“……”

Several dragon scales shatter and clatter to the ground.

The demoness, once a statuesque beauty with long, sleek black hair, had significantly reduced her size to gain the upper hand in battle (or rather, due to information being chipped away during the fight).

She now appears as a girl of about sixteen, scales sprouting from her forearms.

With a deep breath, she exhales the suppressed air.

Let’s face it. The demoness was being outmatched by the queen. All because of that mad sorcerer. He had cut off her limbs and attached something strange to them. If she had been in her true form, she would have crushed him to death.

Spreading her vast wings and soaring through the sky, how glorious was the life of a farmer who sows seeds in people’s hearts and reaps the harvest? 93% of her power had plummeted, and though she couldn’t remember everything about being a ‘demon,’

At least she could recall that she was a mighty being, that her wings once covered more than half the world. But now.

Click-click-!

To be pushed back by a mere prototype.

The clicking sound tightens. With cold, calculated malice, she estimates that in 10 minutes of perceived time, she will be neutralized.

10 minutes. For a fragment of a demon, it’s a figure to lament, ‘I’ve become so weak.’ But for the queen, it seemed to be the opposite.

She didn’t expect this fragment to hold out so long. The queen expressed her curiosity openly.

“Your resistance is stronger than I thought…? Is it because you’re wielding the blade against its master?”

“You’re just useless. Dumb and talentless.”

“Such slander… You’re only increasing the intensity of the ‘punishment’ you’ll receive later. How about choosing your words more carefully, more fittingly formal?”

“What are you blabbering about, blockhead.”

It was the mad sorcerer’s fault she was losing, but also thanks to him that she had held out this long.

Unnecessarily embedded malignant information… like how to apply makeup like a fox spirit of Hye Young-hyeon, or statistics on how the size and angle of a ribbon can change one’s impression. It added depth to her role as ‘Heroine.’

She was twisting and turning the trigger, rubbing it in.

She also played tricks, letting slip information only she knew to slow down the queen’s assault. Pretending to discard the data if she were to be devoured was a bluff, but it allowed her some amusement.

“Hey… You called me a crude prototype, didn’t you? I knew that nightmares were created by someone. But was there a ‘next’ after me?”

“There was. The next ones had much improved stability over your structure. In the east…”

Just then.

Boom──!!

The queen’s heart exploded. The time had come.

Whatever trick the mad sorcerer had played, it caused a massive explosion of affection within the queen. Affecting both, the one facing her and the one blocking the tower master!

The demoness cheered. It was a fatal blow!

She had been waiting for this moment, queen.

She had two clear choices: humbly accept death as it is, or twist her body in every way to try and survive.

If she chose the latter, there were three paths to escape.

First, the mind of Yuri Lannister, guarded by the mad wizard. If she went through there, she could escape to the academy.

But there, a mad wizard in full physical condition awaited with fiery eyes. Having been thrashed even in his home ground, the mental world, there was no need to see what would happen if they clashed in reality.

If the mad wizard had abandoned Yuri Lannister, the fight would have been won long ago.

Second, the mind of the Third Prince, where the Purple Tower Master was unleashing a barrage of wide-area enchantments. Exiting there would also lead to the academy, and naturally… an enraged Tower Master awaited.

It meant certain death.

Then naturally, the third option. The original entrance to “The Nest.” The path leading to the Elmest territory in the western empire, where the Annihilation Squad had tried to invade but were all captured.

It was right under the feet of the Evil God-chan. She had already secured it in advance!

“aaah──!!”

“Ooh, hahahahahahat!”

The fragmented information of the queen screamed as it rushed in. The fragments of the Evil God, like a whale sucking in small fish, opened its mouth wide and, laughing, swallowed them all without a trace.

Good, she could digest them and make them her own power…

But surely, once she got out, she would be subjected to all kinds of humiliation and insults from the mad wizard and would have to regurgitate everything. Evil God-chan had learned her lesson.

So, she would only nibble a little and preserve the rest.

Evil God-chan flopped down comfortably on the ground. Now that the work was done, all she had to do was wait. With the queen dead, “The Nest” would begin to collapse.

Wouldn’t they at least throw down a lifeline before that?

Kururururu──.

…Won’t they throw it down?

Kugung, kurururung!!

“Throw it down, throw it down! Throw me a line, you b*stards!!”

Grrrrk. As “The Nest” began to crumble, the Tower Master cut off the connection sharply to avoid the aftermath of the collapse. From the inside, it looked as if the gap in the sky was smoothly disappearing.

The Evil God looked up at the sky with a dazed expression.

Could it be… could it really be? They forgot? To retrieve me? I’m the Evil God, aren’t I? This time I really worked hard?

“……..”

Her clenched fist trembled. Memories of being exploited like a dog in the past flashed by, and she trembled with indignation.

Even the tip of her nose tingled, and tears welled up. The malignant information of a girl’s sensitivity embedded in her head had started to act.

“You, you… damn brats──ahh!!”

Rumble, rumble…

As the heavens shook and “The Nest” completely collapsed, Evil God-chan was flung out with a long scream, towards the nearest and largest entrance to the Elmest territory.

Grind, grind.

“……”

The abandoned forsaken deity sat on the edge of the grand altar, grinding its sharp fangs. This place was the underground domain of Elmest, right where the main gate of “The Nest” used to be.

Here, brainwashed annihilation troops and people were scattered all around.

So, they plan to make thorough use of me. Taking care of these folks as well, huh? They haven’t forgotten about me, right…?

Though it was heartbreaking given the dire situation inside, upon reflection, there was no way they could have forgotten about dear deity-chan. There must be a further intention, which would be… to rescue those captured by the nightmares.

But what audacity. To deploy a fragment of this malevolent deity, whose business is tormenting people, into a rescue operation? It’s utterly nonsensical.

-“Espoir de Eternal Dark, how about trying this on this time?”

-“You call this rag ‘clothing’ you mad b*stard…?”

-“Ahem, watch your language, pretty words.”

It’s not a good attitude to try and read the thoughts of a madman. Right, if they used me as a human mannequin, they could use me as a rescuer too.

I’d love to gobble up all these human pests and make a run for it…

It’s definitely a trap. It has to be.

They wouldn’t have sent me for rescue without any safety measures. Perhaps, butterflies are fluttering around, keeping an eye on me. It could all be a grand illusion spell, making everything fake.

Creating a scenario where I accidentally find freedom, to test my loyalty with their cunning tricks… The moment I’m about to devour a piece of human intelligence, the mad sorcerer will pop up saying,

-“From now on, your gender is an attack helicopter, you beast.”

Just like that!

So, deity-chan, while grinding its teeth, still moved the people one by one. Reassembling those whose minds were shattered, and removing the wedges of pleasure from others.

Those who seemed utterly hopeless, I thought it might be right to abandon them, but even for such wretches, I kept their lifelines attached. When solving moral dilemmas, one must be extremely kind.

After rescuing all the captives… a day, two days, three days passed.

Deity-chan, who had been spoon-feeding crushed stolen apples from the city into the mouths of the unconscious annihilation troops, hid in the shadows when noise came from the outside passage.

It was the agents of the Defense Bureau.

They were surprised to see the victims so well-maintained, and one by one, they carried them up to the surface. Good. Finally, these bothersome tasks are over.

Now, they should take me with them. Right?

But there was no one looking for deity-chan. The Defense Bureau agents just collected all the humans and left. No letter or message left behind, nor any minion of the mad sorcerer following.

“……”

Am I, perhaps, late?

And so, another day, two days, three days, four days…

Deity-chan, squatting alone on the empty altar, killing time, finally came to understand the situation it was facing. Indeed, those damn b*stards…

“What, have you forgotten?! Forgotten, you say?! Me?! This Esplanade de Eternal Dark!!”

I said I’d save those humans, and I even stole their apologies while I was at it, and I’d drink them one by one, and then…

“This, this mad magician, you… you… you’ve done it! If you’ve forgotten, then I’ll go back! The nightmare that governs the world from backstage, the dark, hidden power! You’ll just mess up humans and turn them into a mess, so be prepared!!”

Si-ik, si-ik-!

The evil god was furious for a long time before bursting out. Let’s go. Let’s go and make the person in front of us lose their mind. And then, let’s roll the snowball and knock down a city!

I escaped from the altar, ran through the corridor, and climbed up the ladder placed at the exit.

As I climbed up, I saw that the goddess’s temple building was in shambles. The remnants of the goddess’s statue were scattered around, covered in dust and debris.

Hmph. Hmph.

Every time I took a step, I would step on small rocks and they would crumble.

Then, I heard a sound. Was someone hiding in the ruined temple? Good. Very good. The evil god was hungry for human souls. Anyone would bring the worst pain.

I deliberately made a loud noise, and a young boy peeked out from behind the curtain. He looked at the evil god with a clear gaze and asked:

“Who… who are you?”

“No need to know. There’s no need to know at all!”

From his clothing, he looked like a young priest. I didn’t know how he ended up in this ruined temple, but it was good.

There was a faint smell of holy power. The prey with holy power was the best. I would torment and torture them to get my strength back, and then I would take revenge. I wouldn’t let that mad magician and his cohorts get away with it!

The evil god’s fragments, filled with revenge, stretched out their hands…

At that moment, the mad magician’s safety device, which I had embedded deep within myself, began to work. A red chokehold appeared, wrapping around the evil god’s slender neck.

“Close, close, close, close, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!!”

A 3,000-fold amplified evil information package was poured into the evil god. She struggled to remove the chokehold, wailing and trembling with rage, before spitting out her saliva and throwing her body backward.

Her body was shaking uncontrollably, and she couldn’t hear a word. The evil god thought, “Ah, the mad magician has prepared an escape route, it seems.”

But this time, it’s not me who’s escaping, it’s you who’s abandoning me…

It’s okay. It’s fine. I can handle it. Just wait for 5 more minutes… I’ll be able to filter out all the evil information that’s making me feel painful. Take a deep breath. Wait.

While I was processing the escape, the boy’s kind intentions covered me.

“Who… who are you…? Ah, are you a victim of Mongma’s abuse…?! You’re not completely recovered, are you! I’ll move you to the hospital right away, just bear with me for a little while!!”

“Ah, no…!”

Don’t touch. Don’t touch!

The boy awkwardly held the evil god in his arms.

If I’m in a sensitive state and someone touches me without permission…

“Ugh…”

“Ah.”

Distracted by the mad wizard, the information about the succubus queen I had failed to digest and preserved was now slipping from my control. Evil God-chan made a swift decision.

If this leaks out… it could harm an unspecified number of people.

That long-haired jerk might just pickle me for good. That can’t happen.

I clung to the information that threatened to spill out, sealing away the parts that seemed likely to escape by processing them. A solid form would be more stable, but there’s no time. In a rush, I bound it in liquid form. The result of all that effort.

Drip, drip, dripping…

The liquid information soaked Evil God-chan’s skirt hem as it flowed out.

“……”

The boy pretended not to see and turned his head away from the tragedy.

Evil God-chan’s shame surged dramatically.

No, that’s not it. I don’t metabolize in the first place. I don’t even have the concept of excretion… It’s information! I turned it into liquid because if you’re exposed to it, it could be a disaster!

But before I could open my mouth to explain, the mere vibration from the boy carrying me was causing immense damage. I didn’t have the luxury to speak.

After several cracks appeared, Evil God-chan was finally able to lay on the bed.

“Damn that mad wizard.”

It’s all because of that mad wizard.

I wanted to die.