Otherworld TRPG Game Master

267 – Epilogue: A One-Act Play

#0: About the ‘Promise’

—

This is a story from before the departure to the North.

I had heard the tale from Yuna and Yuri. In the deepest recesses of my mind, there exists a module called “Promise” in the black box zone, where ‘it’ is presumed to be bound.

It is a self-destruct switch that my past self had set up, meant to sever my neck when I succumb to darkness.

It was a bit chilling for a moment, but upon reflection, it wasn’t something to be afraid of.

Rather, it was a relief. If I were to cross such an irreversible river, wouldn’t I harbor murderous intent and brandish a knife against those I love?

Seeing a mad wizard attacking Yuna and Yuri would be far worse than ending the situation cleanly with self-destruction. I resolved to keep the “Promise” intact.

Considering that I had shaken off Yuna with my computational power, it might be possible for me to dismantle it if I wished.

But before absorbing it… I wanted to have a conversation.

Once absorbed and merged, the “Promise” would revert to a black box state. I wouldn’t be able to recognize it, nor would communication be possible.

To be more precise, it would be closer to saying that communication should not happen.

Who would converse with their own self-destruct mechanism? If I wanted to cleanly sever my own head in an emergency, it would be safer to block communication. Thus, the only time for conversation is now.

It knows about my lost, ambiguous past. Isn’t it only natural to feel curiosity?

As I opened the door to my room, where the “Promise” resides, there stood a boy who looked just like me, and Selvier, who appeared as shocked as if she had just heard that the Earth is actually flat.

The “Promise” waved at me with a gentle smile. It looked quite clever.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, you’ve come. What’s up with Selvier? You didn’t… say anything strange, did you?”

“I just shared a heartwarming story. I told her that the compass indicating the direction of affection has always pointed to just one person.”

“What kind of cryptic response is that? Selvier, are you okay? Your face is really red.”

Selvier, unable to make a sound, fumbled and hurriedly approached me with quick steps. And then.

“…I love you!”

What a sudden confession.

“Out of nowhere?!”

“It’s just, just something you should know. Got it?!”

“I got it, but there’s no context right now. Can you explain a bit? She’s gone…”

She vanished like the wind. I scratched the back of my head, feeling both awkward and a bit fluttery. Unlike Yuna and Yuri, Selvier’s confession had a freshness to it that was peculiar.

Of course, it didn’t mean I disliked it.

“Take good care of her. She’s your childhood friend.”

“…Since we’re on the topic, can I ask? What was it like back then? From what Selvier says, the past me was like a walking Buddha.”

“It wasn’t that extravagant. You were just doing what was natural. You became a reliable adult for the children. You prevented bad things. You played joyfully.”

As it spoke, the “Promise” shared a few stories from the past. How it had done laundry in the early morning for Selvier, who had drawn maps on the blanket, or how it had carried her along mountain paths to make flower bracelets and play.

“Later, I sang that I would marry my older brother when I grew up.”

“It really happened… Still, it sounds like someone else’s story since I have no memory of it. I should ask whether this ‘I’ is actually a constructed persona.”

“No. You were you in the past, you are you in the present, and you will always be you.”

“Huh…”

I let out a sigh of relief.

Just as the ‘Promise’ before me seemed like a created module, I sometimes wondered if the ‘I’ thinking and talking now was also not created or replicated from the original.

“Ah.”

Only then did I understand why Selvier had made such a fuss while confessing. If my past self and my present self are the same person, it would nullify Selvier’s shocking declaration of duality. It seemed that made him happy.

I felt relieved too. I almost ended up pioneering a strange genre of self-replicating NTR.

Then, the next question.

It was something I had to ask my past self.

“What the hell is this thing residing in my head? How am I sealing it, and what plan did my past self lay out?”

“I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you, and even if I did, it wouldn’t mean anything.”

“Do you want to die? I’ve seen things go wrong countless times when you speak so cryptically.”

“I really want to spoil it. But sometimes, when you don’t know, the performance tends to go up, right? Like a two-wheeled bicycle that falls over if you worry too much about balance.”

However, it continued.

The ‘Promise’ paused for a moment before adding quietly.

“Don’t obsess over names. Don’t even think about it.”

“…I get what you mean.”

I deliberately blocked the flow of thought. If I continued along this keyword, I could deduce how my past self had tied ‘that’ together.

As the ‘Promise’ said, knowing might actually complicate the build. Let’s think of something else. Something different.

I changed the subject.

“You’re managing the scattered pieces of the four souls, right?”

“Ah… That’s right. I need to brief you on that. Could you bring over the whiteboard?”

“Don’t you have hands or feet?”

“Half of me is short, you know. I hope the long-limbed side can take the burden.”

Rattle, rattle.

As I brought over the whiteboard, the ‘Promise’ cast a spell on it, displaying a map of the continent. It marked the locations and sizes of the scattered pieces.

“Can you sense them?”

“Yeah. Inside the mental world, I also play the role of module overseer. While you were traveling with Selvier, Yuna and Yuri gathered all the nearby pieces. We even mobilized some wizards. They’re being stored in the purple tower, so we can go eat later.”

—

Indeed. About 20% of the purple tower’s fragments had been marked.

Aside from that, there was a large fragment in the north and one in the capital, Crown Hall. The rest were minor.

The schedule is coming together nicely. Since Bennett’s sister’s matter is urgent, let’s stop by the north first to collect the fragment, and then head to the purple tower to retrieve the other.

After that, if we hit the capital and take a tour of the territory…

“……?”

As I scanned the locations of the scattered Mima fragments across the continent, I felt a sense of unease and pointed it out.

“Hey, the percentages don’t add up.”

Even when combining all the marked fragments on the map, it doesn’t reach 100%. Did some get permanently lost during the tearing? Or perhaps—

Could it be that someone has stolen them?

“Yeah, that’s what I wanted to inform you about. A significant number of fragments have ‘lost signal,’ and even now, one by one, responses are disappearing.”

The scent of an incident wafts through the air. I expressed my feelings candidly.

“……It’s disgustingly unsettling.”

“I think this might be the final hurdle of the Mima 30-minute incident. Should I say goodbye with a word of encouragement?— Now, swallow me. I’ll be holding a big, bright red button inside you.”

『Promise』 extended a small hand, and I took it.

It’s a rather strange… feeling. Both the mad crow and this one. The sensation of absorbing a being with its own distinct consciousness isn’t exactly pleasant.

As if understanding my feelings, 『Promise』 mixed in first. In an instant.

Blink.

In the fleeting moment of closing and opening my eyes, 『Promise』 fused with me. There was no time to resist. The technique was chillingly intricate and meticulous, leaving me in a daze.

Upon reflection, it felt like wielding a concept above mere information.

This must be the technique I once possessed.

Yes, if I were to seal ‘that’ which had caused chaos on a world-class level in my mind, such skill would be necessary. A new goal has emerged.

To step once more into the realm I had reached in the past.

Having sealed ‘that’ in one attempt, perhaps when I reach it a second time, I could completely obliterate ‘that.’ I have no idea how such a technique comes about…

But if I put in the effort, I’ll reach it someday. Because it’s me.

I left a belated thank you to the emptiness of the room.

“……You’ve worked hard. You’ll keep working hard.”

Just then, as if on cue, the spinning top toy on the table fell to the ground with a thud. The top wobbled from the impact.

It’s not me who has to work hard; it’s you. Somehow, I felt as if I had heard that response.

—-

#1: The Abandoned Child of the Yurensto Family

—

A small room with curtains drawn, letting in almost no sunlight. In the center, a table stained with the faded hues of dawn stood, while a knight and a sorceress faced each other.

On one side, a figure was small, delicate, and bore the appearance of a girl.

On the other side, a figure was tall, steadfast, and took on the form of a woman.

Though they seemed to reflect opposite aspects of each other, the murky blonde hair and violet eyes were the same. Only that mysterious color guaranteed the blood connection between the two.

Cicel Yurensto smiled faintly and spoke.

“Sister, I’m glad to see you’re doing well. It seems you’ve found a suitor too. You both seem to suit each other well.”

“Oh, how embarrassing to hear such things… Hehe.”

Yuna Yurensto Violetiris laughed, her surroundings blooming with floral effects. It had been a long time since Cicel had seen her sister’s sunflower-like smile. Hadn’t it already been at least fifteen years?

Jewel Yurensto had always been particular, while Cicel Yurensto had always felt intimidated by their parents.

Yuna was different. From a young age, Yuna Yurensto was sharp-witted and rebelled against their parents with that intelligence. She often took Cicel out to play.

Sister is still bright.

Time flows by with a cruel swiftness, yet it is precisely because of this that what remains untouched in the current of time shines brightly. Cicel felt joy in Yuna’s laughter, which evoked memories of the past.

“I heard you’ve quit being a knight… How is it? Are you happy?”

“Yes. I’m slowly discovering the joys of life. I wish I could have realized it sooner; I feel sorry for you, sister.”

“Uh, no… We were all young back then.”

“Why didn’t we realize that our parents were wrong…?”

The Count and Countess of the Yurensto family regarded Yuna as a thorn in their side. They believed that despite her talent, her lack of effort was a disgrace to the family’s reputation.

Thus, she was treated differently.

Yuna couldn’t even join the family meals and was busy being criticized every day. Cicel, fearing punishment from their parents, couldn’t dare to protect Yuna.

Looking back, it was a choice that left only regret.

“…Still, it’s fortunate that we’re both doing well now.”

“Uh-huh.”

“To be honest, I was envious. Of you, sister, who left the family and gained a free life. Sometimes I resented you. But… looking back, it was shameful. What I should have resented was the shackles around my ankles, not the free person.”

“……..”

Cicel had always envied Yuna.

The sisters had been apart for a very long time. The time of separation was in the summer, the year Yuna turned ten. A gaunt sorcerer had come to their family.

The sorcerer surveyed the three Yurensto sisters and praised Yuna as a rare talent, one that might only appear once in a hundred years.

She was recognized for her magical talent and headed to the Violet Tower, where she continued to rise and eventually became the head of the Violet Tower. All of this at the tender age of twelve.

It was a remarkable achievement, enough to fill the ‘Wall of Glory’ for a brief moment.

Though it was due to an unfortunate accident at the tower that the previous head of the Violet Tower had died, it would have been impossible without the recognition of everyone. Cicel thought so.

—

Behind that success story, she had no idea of the horrific human experiments and mass killings that lay hidden. How could she have guessed? Everything that happened that day was buried in the darkness of forgetfulness.

And so, she inadvertently let slip a careless remark.

“Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I had seized that fortune—”

“No.”

Creak. A sound like something misaligning echoed.

Cecile, flustered by the rapidly cooling atmosphere, lifted her gaze. Empty eyes, devoid of anything, were directed at her. Murky and dark.

It was clearly an empty void, yet ironically, Cecile could feel a torrent of emotions rising from that emptiness. Crackle, and. Yuna’s image overlapped.

Two. One person, yet two existed. The sisterly side and the non-sisterly side. They coexisted in an overlapping state.

Suddenly, with the shift in atmosphere, Cecile gasped for breath. The air felt as if it were jelly. Breathing became a struggle, as if a colossal hand were pressing down on her.

“…Sister?”

“That wasn’t luck. It was misfortune. I still regret it. Following that sorcerer like a fool.”

Cecile endured the pressure with a pale, stunned expression. Is that really my sister?

“And I still resent. Count Yurensto and his wife, who sold me out. Think carefully, Cecile. It’s best to distinguish between what you can say and what you shouldn’t. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

In Cecile’s barely squeezed-out response,

Yuna Yurensto Violet Iris returned to the ‘sister’ that Cecile remembered.

“Hey, want me to show you the lab? There are a lot of interesting things here.”

“…”

From that point on, Cecile never uttered a word about the Yurensto family. Yet inside, she continuously questioned and answered herself.

What is happening? What was that strange phenomenon that just appeared, and what on earth happened in the Yurensto estate? And… what did she mean by sold me out?

What transpired that day would become the catalyst for Cecile Yurensto to trace her past.

—-

#2: Betrayal

Akshin-chan let out a languid yawn. The purple mage and glass lancer had left for the academy to join Mima, leaving her alone in the Yurensto estate.

Someone had to keep watch over the stored Mima fragments.

Waiting is boring and tedious. Akshin-chan kept yawning, rolling around on the bed, and playing Go by herself to pass the time.

Then, a message came through the communication crystal. It was from Mima.

Tick. The connection was established, and Mima’s face appeared beyond the crystal. Her expression was a mix of sulkiness and indifference, with a hint of mischief.

– Hey, you’re guarding the house all by yourself? Oh, how cute.

“…Shut up!”

—

– I’ll stop by the North before I go. I have some things to do, and I heard there are still pieces left there. If you feel lonely, just reach out. I’ll sing you a lullaby or something.

“Do you think I’d get lonely? Stop with the nonsense and go do your work. You fool.”

Mima chuckled softly and ended the communication.

After the incident with the Evil God-chan, Mima had been a bit more lenient with her. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say she had grown closer.

“…How foolish.”

Until now, she had been overly cautious of the inherent nature and undeniable malice of ‘that’ fragment, yet in the end, she was just a soft-hearted fool who fell head over heels for human emotions.

Fool. If you’re going to be cautious, you should be cautious to the end.

The control measure known as ‘King Goah’ was also soft. It was like laying out a moral textbook beside her and suggesting she follow it as is. It should have been more brutal and thorough.

She should have completely shattered her self-awareness, severed her limbs, and kept molding her head until she became something entirely harmless.

The reason she didn’t was obvious. She probably didn’t want to erase the entity known as ‘Evil God-chan.’ Even if it originated from evil, she must have hoped for a ‘happy ending.’

Fool.

Evil God-chan quietly murmured while rubbing her increasingly uncomfortable and frustrated chest.

“…The meaning of hiding the letter from the North has become pointless.”

From noble mtl dot com

That wasn’t just a monologue. Behind Evil God-chan, a man with his hood pulled low naturally responded.

“No, thanks to you, the house is empty. I was planning to secretly gather the pieces from the North, but this actually works out better. Now I have the chance to swallow whole the collection that Yuna Yurika has painstakingly gathered.”

“Don’t let your guard down. I saw the Master of the Tower slapping on defensive magic like it was nothing.”

“Are you warning me? Trying to be cute in your own way? You’re getting more endearing by the minute.”

“…You’re noisy.”

The man chuckled, then, with a swift motion, pulled back his hood with a pale hand, veins prominently visible.

Underneath, dark hair and ominous red eyes were revealed.

It was a familiar face, but the expression was different. Within the depths of his pupils, an undeniable wickedness sparkled, and a smirk hung on his lips as if mocking the entire world.

Born from the fragments collected by dark sorcerers who sought to hinder Mima, he ultimately gained self-awareness, becoming uncontrollable by anyone.

“Alright, shall I leave a surprise gift for the fake?”

Another mad sorcerer who believes he is the real deal.

“So… Evil God-chan, where is the place you’re keeping the fragments?”

—-

#Extra: The One Who Lost Their Face

I opened my eyes.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

“…Kim Lulu, don’t get too close. It’s dangerous.”

—

—

“What danger is there in someone floating down the river? Oh Dae-soo has plenty to worry about.”

“You’re the one who’s worrying too little!”

The sharp-tongued girl with scarlet hair and the lively girl with flowing red locks. There’s something oddly familiar about the scarlet-haired girl.

“Hey, who are you? How did you end up floating here?”

In response to the lively girl’s question, the one without a name or face answered with confusion and embarrassment.

“…Who am I?”

It was amnesia.