Otherworld TRPG Game Master

8 – Second Prince’s Visit

The research has reached its final stages.

Implementing the five senses through fantasy. NPCs that move automatically without my control.

Even in its current state, it could almost be considered a virtual reality game.

Thanks to the genius Purple Matopju, modeling work is progressing smoothly. It was stressful creating unfamiliar things like martial arts or SF, but things experienced by Matopju finished at a speed beyond imagination.

Upon employing a second individual for the operation, an unexpected advantage arose: gaining a fresh perspective.

My helper proposed to accessorize with a choker, resulting in a significant rise in satisfaction among the violet-hued ladies of our establishment.

Now, all that I need is one simple thing.

A reliable source of recurring energy.

After all, in order for a game server to run, it must be significantly powered within a server room. I need an enormous magical force that can permanently maintain my world.

No matter how wealthy someone may be, acquiring such a thing wasn’t easily achievable. It would typically require the national treasure of a nation to generate such output.

Scratching together subpar magic stones for maintaining the server was not a small expense, despite the increasing grant coming in from the Magic Guild.

So, I consulted with my helper about this aspect.

“A recurring energy source…hmm…as far as I know, the royal family possesses the Dragon Heart of a Millennium Dragon. It naturally produces massive magical power…for a magician, it’s like a dream artifact.”

“Should we perhaps ask for it then?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

From her emphatic pronunciation of ‘are you out of your mind,’ I could tell it was going to be a difficult task.

My helper continued to suggest few examples of recurring energy sources, but seemingly, there was nothing I could procure.

Bearing a sword and hunting down a dragon for its heart didn’t seem feasible either.

“So, perhaps requesting the royal family for a permanent lease…”

“Didn’t I just say, are you out of your mind! With the present political instability, it’s a critical time to be cautious!”

“I have been focusing so much on research that I am unaware of the external world’s affairs…What’s happening these days?”

“Sigh…”

Heaving a sigh, my helper conjured up a whiteboard with an illusion spell; one of the few advantages of the illusion spells, saving paper.

“His Majesty the Emperor has declared that he will select his successor in three years.”

“Oh.”

“The Emperor has three children; the first princess Ilrain, the second prince Irith, and the third prince Strado. According to the news, all three are vying for the throne.”

The scent of bloodshed and conspiracy was in the air.

A family feud for the throne was ensuing, it seems.

“His Majesty has decided the measure of ‘who can strengthen the empire more without causing harm’ as the evaluation criteria for succession. Although he has implicitly allowed sabotage, he has declared severe punishment for fratricide, so it is relatively calm.”

From Noble mtl dot com

So, it wasn’t bloodshed after all.

“The first princess is focused on recapturing the lost eastern lands, the second prince on fostering the leaders of the future, and the third prince is consolidating his power in the academy.”

“So, there’s an academy here as well? Do nobles and commoners alike attend? Although it’s merit-based in principle, power struggles are bound to happen, and isn’t it even more hazardous than a battlefield with occasional acts of terror?”

“Well, it’s true that nobles and commoners coexist, they fight, and terror occurs. However, it’s nowhere near as dangerous as a battlefield. After all, academies are institutions for education.”

So, a terror happens.

Indeed, the unspoken rule of the academy was maintained even in this otherworldly realm.

Speaking of the academy, I once thought that my reincarnation in another world may align with the typical template found in books.

Though I dismissed the idea, as there were no signs of any demon king attempting to resurrect, or presence of any axis of evil in this world.

Before I died, hadn’t the trend been set years ago? It’s impossible to predict what will happen next.

The purple wizard continued his explanation, sketching on the whiteboard.

The key point being his need to stand on his tiptoes, due to his slightly shorter height. He should have made the whiteboard a little smaller.

“The first princess is backed by the nobles, the third prince is making friends with a new generation at the academy. The second prince, well, he’s considered in a weak middle ground. All three of them have different ideal visions, which is why they are evaluated differently among their supporters ……”

As I nodded my head, I was listening with one ear and pondering with the other.

The purple wizard seemed to have a keen interest in politics. Well, it makes sense, as there’s no way the royal family, who directly inserts the scholarship, wouldn’t draw attention.

If the next emperor declares ‘the illusion magic is trivial so I won’t grant the research budget’, the purple wizard would practically become destitute overnight. There are no other noble sponsors either.

Considering that, it might be better not to rush looking for a power source and not become disliked by the emperor’s candidates by making unreasonable demands. However ….

Given the circumstances, maybe an opportunity is presenting itself?

By inviting the next emperor candidates and fully immersing them in my TRPG.

Once they are addicted to TRPG and cannot live without a TRPG-session, I could threaten them saying, if you want your next session, you have to pay with a dragon’s heart.

That seems like killing two birds with one stone.

….Of course, I’m joking.

Even though I love TRPG, I’m not someone who would act recklessly. It’s only because the wizard and I are close that I even consider things like ‘Rush of Male Housekeepers’.

I had no intention of pulling the aggro of a terrifying despot who had one hand in scholarships and the other in national power. If my head were to get cut off, who would take responsibility?

While the wizard explained, my mind drifted for about 20 minutes.

“Master Wizard! Master Wizard! Breaking news!”

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang.

A senior, who seemed like he was in a hurry, crashed through the door, sweating profusely.

Euna, the purple wizard, was a capable and humble person, so instead of being flustered by his rudeness, she attentively listened to his reported incident.

“The second, the second prince …… is visiting right now!”

“?”

Euna, the purple wizard, glanced at me coldly. Her stare was so sharp that it could bore a hole through steel, even if it was used over and over again. Hastily, I shook my head denying any involvement.

“Did you secretly send a letter?”

“No. I really didn’t.”

“You staked …… TRPG on it?”

“Put it on the TRPG stake.”

With nowhere left to direct his resentment, the anger of the Tower Master subsided, and as the anger waned, a torrent of emotions—bewilderment, fluster, worry—erupted. Have you ever witnessed a flower wither?

Imagine the withering of a flower, accelerated a thousandfold—that’s much like the scene before us.

The Tower Master gnawed at his fingernails, his body quivering incessantly.

“Why? Why? Really, why…? Why the Purple Tower…?”

“Hmm.”

I entertained one worst-case scenario.

“Perhaps it’s a mistake in the amount of the tower subsidy, and the clerk who’s responsible has to come back to return it…”

“Heeek!”

The Tower Master collapsed with a soul-rending scream.

The mere thought was a shock too great to bear.

Anyway, the news says the Second Prince is already on his way. We can’t just turn away royalty at the door, so we must confront the situation.

I raised my magical power. From behind me, Hearts and butlers began to appear one by one.

A hologram squadron now capable of autonomous action and even a bit of physical force.

“Heart, hide the burned-out mages somewhere out of sight with the butlers.”

“Sir, yes sir!”

The phantom legions scattered. To hide the wasted mages strewn about the Purple Tower.

This was but an emergency measure. Proper leadership required a command from the Tower Master of the Purple Tower.

I kneeled next to the fallen Tower Master and started kneading his limbs.

…At a glance, he seemed skinny, but unexpectedly, there was more flesh than I thought. Not fat, mind you, just enough. And there were no muscles at all, which made him soft and squishy.

The Tower Master, who’d fainted, slowly opened his eyes groggily.

“It’s a dream, right? What I heard was…”

“It’s not a dream, Master. You need to regain your senses. The royal family is here!”

“Ugh, why…?”

“For the research budget, if nothing else!”

Even in distress, the Tower Master sprang up, spurred by the need to protect the subsidy.

We had no idea why the royals were visiting. When in the dark, one must prepare for everything.

The Tower Master grabbed a crystal ball connected to the tower-wide voice playback system.

“Charlie! Do we have an apology script for when we mess up, and is the wheelchair in storage? Get those ready for now!”

“Orina, shove those invalid-like fellows into Research Wing A and make sure they can’t get out… So, Heart’s moving them? Got it. Then spruce up those who look half-decent!”

“Mayrell, take everyone from Block C outside and thoroughly clean from the first floor of the magic tower!”

Would this be what it feels like to actually see Napoleon…?

The lord of the magic tower, Yuna Yurensto Violetiris, had finished preparations perfectly. She had arranged everything from the potion for wailing in case the prince came due to some disgraceful incident to impressive research achievements in case of a surprise inspection.

After extinguishing the urgent fire, the lord of the magic tower firmly instructed me.

“When you meet the royal family, don’t get flustered, answer clearly and confidently, don’t hold eye contact for too long, don’t freeze up, and above all, behave politely. Understand?!”

————-

“Er, er, I, that’s, Yuna, Yurens―uh, the, the Violet―uh, Purple Magic Tower…”

“…………..”

Stammering and stuttering, the lord of the magic tower was mechanical in response, freezing up while making eye contact with the Second Prince.

All I could do was pray that the Second Prince was a gentleman…