Otherworld TRPG Game Master

85 – S2. A Grudge Confessed To The Stars -7

*

“Whew.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“This can be fixed?!”

The Demon Lord clapped his flippers in admiration. I generously gave the Demon Lord ample time to praise me.

I think I managed to piece it together quite well. The meaning has been given, and the motivation has been given. If there were any material rewards that could actually be obtained, it would be the icing on the cake, but it’s impossible to prepare in a hurry when you’re just waking up.

However, there is still something missing.

Isn’t there one person among them who hasn’t come to a neat conclusion?

The black magician, Bennett Hilton. He jumped in to investigate information for the purpose of completing the black magician’s orders, and perhaps he aimed for the shining scalene polyhedron because he thought he could save his sister. His first goal was not to save the world and feel emotional satisfaction.

In the middle, it was presumed that the contents of the session would be related to the black magicians’ summoning plan. However, it is not enough of a reason to fight to the end. If you want to solve the incident itself, wouldn’t Is it easier to file a complaint with the Defense Agency?

Then why is he still fighting, even though he is losing his arm?

Did he just get caught up in the atmosphere and end up like this? No, that can’t be it. If he were that kind of idiot, he wouldn’t have been able to survive the harsh life of a black magician.

Did he get tired of the evil of the black magicians who were trying to summon the foreign god, and decided to give up, admitted that the possibility of getting his sister back was close to zero? No, that can’t be it. He’s not the kind of guy who would give up at this point.

He must have some thoughts. But it wouldn’t be a well-organized thought. He has definitely changed through the session, but he is not yet aware of what he has gained and how he has changed.

That’s why I thought I would help Bennett organize his thoughts.

It’s just a little bit of dialogue. He’s ripe enough to answer the questions he’s asked. If someone just throws him a bone, he’ll do just fine.

Let’s use Joseph.

The scene where the boy protagonist organizes his thoughts is an important scene, and if I use AI, the guy might interfere, so I’ll take the helm myself for once.

Of course, it would have been great if Tarana Niole had taken on this role.

Wouldn’t it be delicious to see Bennett, who has been the party’s mental pillar, get his way from the other two this time? But looking at the situation⋯⋯.

[Bennett, I want to change that bandage. Can you help me?]

-Bennett, don’t tell me to do it, tell that guy Joseph to do it…!

[We’re guests here. It’s a bit much to ask for emergency medical treatment when we’re being provided with a safe place.]

-Don’t take it off, this guy…!

“…”

Niole, who has a hole in her stomach but pulls up her clothes to show her cleavage, and Tara, who does nothing but glare at her from across the mirror. They were still at a very primitive stage of communication.

Even Bennett turned his head and looked at the distant mountains.

A physical attack is good. It’s good. But the timing is right for an emotional attack. It’s just before the final battle. In order to survive the fierce heroine competition, we need to focus on emotional exchange⋯⋯.

Still, those breasts seem to be worth modeling.

As I was watching Niole’s thrilling tightrope walk with interest, a relatively small hand suddenly appeared before my eyes. The Demon Lord had cast a spell to block my vision.

“…Excuse me!”

“The one who is being rude is the Demon Lord, who cut off the children’s arms and left them with holes in their stomachs.”

“Kyaaang!”

But I repelled him so easily.

Okay, let’s go in. Let’s knock on Bennett’s heart.

—- —-

Bennett learned from Joseph that the seal of the evil god was where the meteorite crater was. The future team now had to take care of their wounds, finish preparing for battle, head to the seal, and deal damage to the evil god.

So what should Tara, who was left in the past, do?In the past, where did the evil god descend, and how did Tara seal it? To find out, I asked Joseph for information again, and she quietly handed me a picture book.

A picture book that depicts the story of Saint Tara sealing the evil god in a fairy tale style. It was a book for young children, so the depiction of blood was suppressed as much as possible.

“Your outfit is also tightly wrapped.”

-Isn’t it okay to open it up to my chest?

“What?”

[It’s not good for children’s emotional education. Tara.]

According to the fairy tale book, Saint Tara fought the evil god that descended on the church building. It is said that she was able to drive it out by stabbing the girl goat, which was the medium of the evil god’s descent, and sealing it .

A monster resembling a goat with translucent tentacles sprouting around it. It was similar to when the evil god possessed the body of the bishop.

So where is that goat kept?

“The most likely place would be the basement of the main building of the Silver Twilight Church.”

[I think so too.]

-Can I go down and break it?

“Don’t try to rush in. I’ll think about how to empower you here.”

Bennett asked Tara to collect all the heretical books stored in the main building of the church and pass them on to the future. He planned to study their research and figure out the weakness of the evil god.

When Tara buried the book called ‘How to Communicate with the Vastness of the Universe’, a bookshelf appeared in the church building of the future. It was the result of the research of Abraham’s descendants who dug it up and passed it down through generations.

The more materials Tara collected, the more abundant the research in the future became. Some books were twisted as soon as they were buried, and the future was changed to the one where Joseph was corrupted, so I dug them up again and burned them.

The snowball also rolled as various building materials and food were secured, and the number of survivors increased when the fanatics were killed.

When Bennett passed on the ‘Basic Magic Lecture’ orally, Tara received it, wrote it down, and left it in the past. As a result, Joseph learned how to use magic.

In that way, the church building of the future has become more than twice as large as before. Joseph had become a high priest with twelve priests under his command. Research on the evil god had also progressed greatly.

-…Can I play a prank?

“What are you going to do?”

Tara buried the ‘May Bonfire’ magazine she found in the church. Then, the area around Joseph shook, and she appeared in a sacred dress made of only black leather straps──

Tara took out the magazine again and burned it. Bennett watched it and scolded her with a stern expression.

“Don’t play useless pranks.”

-No, I was just curious… Do you hate clothes like that, Bennett?

“…Don’t play useless pranks!”

-It wasn’t a prank.

Their plan was successful, and the plan to kill the evil god progressed steadily.

Since there was a prophecy by Saint Tara that ‘Two warriors will come to kill the evil god 100 years later, so serve them with all your heart.’ Bennett and Niole were able to prepare while being greatly entertained.

In the meantime. Joseph, the high priest, magician, and blacksmith, quietly gestured.

“Warrior, can we talk for a moment?”

“…Yes. What is it, Joseph?”

“Please come to the rooftop. I’ll wait for you.”

Joseph walked up the stairs first at a leisurely pace. Bennett hesitated for a moment, but when he saw that neither Tara nor Niole was around, he followed her.

—- —-

The rooftop gave a good view of the area below. Thanks to repeated future changes, facilities such as granaries and wells had appeared, but clothes were still hanging on the clothesline and fluttering in the wind.

Joseph, who had been living alone, had also changed a lot, but he still had kindness and gentleness. It is what we call essence, something that does not change even when the situation changes like this.

Joseph spoke cheerfully.

“Hoho… You’re here. Did you follow me well?”

“…What does that mean?””I think you’ve been watching the ladies. I saw you checking them out. If Niole had been here, you wouldn’t have come up here alone, would you?”

“…I’d like you to tell me what you’re here for.”

Joseph tapped the railing of the rooftop with his index finger. Then, after a moment’s thought, he blurted out something unexpected.

“I like that woman.”

“What?”

“So, I was thinking of confessing to Niole.”

“No, that’s…”

Bennett was taken aback. As his hand stretched out as if to stop him, Joseph seemed to catch it. He grabbed Bennett’s hand, which was half-heartedly outstretched. It was clear evidence.

Joseph smiled softly like a saint. However, if you looked closely, you could see a lot of mischief in it. As if he were someone else.

“You were trying to stop me. Right?”

“…”

“I think you care about them. Your comrades. Tara and Niole.”

Bennett pulled his hand away and took a step back, on guard. It was a short time, so it couldn’t be said that he had fully understood Joseph, but that playfulness stood out like a nail sticking out of a pocket.

As if someone else was inside Joseph.

“Who are you…?”

She seemed momentarily confused, but quickly regained her composure and introduced herself calmly. There was a palpable freedom in the gesture of pointing at herself with her hand.

“You can call me a goddess. I’ve lost all my power and have fallen, and now I’m penniless and can’t help you.”

“…You’re the one who gave me the goddess’s crystal.”

“That was my last power. I’m no more than a powerless ghost now, so you can relax. If you fight me, I’ll lose.”

The goddess who had entered Joseph’s body said, her eyes sparkling with gold.

“I’ve been watching you all along. Your journey.”

“…”

“I want to thank you on behalf of this world. You’ve done wonderfully with what I couldn’t do, even with a mortal body.”

“That’s nonsense. We haven’t defeated the evil god yet.”

The goddess clasped her hands together. As if in prayer.

“I believe it. I can see it. You defeating it. I don’t have any special ability to predict the future, but…no matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like you’ll lose.”

“What you’re here for──”

“I’d like you to tell me. Yes. You must be wondering what I’m talking about, suddenly appearing like this…?”

The goddess jumped up and walked along the railing of the rooftop. It was a narrow railing that could barely fit one foot. On the left was a three-story drop, and on the right was a return to the rooftop.

She asked as she deftly walked along the narrow path.

“Didn’t you want to save your sister?”

“…”

“If you defeat the evil god as it is, the fanatics in that world…that is, the plans of the black magicians will also be disrupted. Then your sister will be in danger.”

Bennett clenched his fists.

“…Didn’t you want to save this world? If you had just stayed still, I would have moved to defeat the evil god. Why are you bringing this up now?”

Why are you shaking me up? Bennett glared at the goddess who reminded him of the cruel truth. She looked down at Bennett with a look of pity and concern.

The goddess was worried about Bennett.

“I don’t want to see you, who has worked so hard, get ruined. There are many different opinions about justice and sacrifice, but I don’t like stories where someone sacrifices something for something.”

“…I see why you lost to the evil god.”

“Maybe that’s why I won in the end?”

The goddess laughed and continued to walk along the narrow path where she would fall if she lost her balance. She staggered and swayed, and even though she seemed to be about to fall, somehow she didn’t seem like she would fall.

Gaze.

The goddess’s gaze was fixed straight ahead.

“You’ve only cut yourself off for your goals. I’d like you to pick up what you’ve dropped on the ground. For Niole and Tara.”

“I just wanted to tell you this.”

Thud.

Joseph, who had landed on the rooftop floor from the railing, blinked his eyes. When the golden light that had been flickering in his pupils disappeared, he looked around with a blank face.

“Oh, why am I here?”

Joseph Bennett appeared with a puzzled expression and went downstairs. The goddess had come and gone like a sudden shower, leaving Bennett with something to think about and disappearing unpleasantly.

“…”

Why am I fighting? What do I want to do?

Bennett leaned his arms on the railing and lost himself in thought.

—- —-

At first.

At first, of course, it was to save his sister. It was to complete the plans of the black magicians. He kept chasing his goal.

But when did it start?

It seemed like he had started to look in a slightly different direction.

He met Abraham and stayed at the mansion thanks to the old man’s kindness. Living together in one house, he came to know that Tara’s life skills were almost zero, and that Niole would snap her fingers like she was giving orders when she was in a good mood.

Looking back on his days at the mansion, the three of them were a family. Maybe it was because his thirsty heart was longing for others that he had developed such feelings for them after only a few days of meeting them.

He had also talked to Abraham on a moonlit night. He was a dreamer and lived for humanity. Bennett was very impressed by his appearance.

After that.

He rescued Sally, the reporter who had been kidnapped at Niole’s request. Although that goodwill later turned into a great tragedy. When he received a thank you from Sally, Bennett definitely felt something.

After that, the mansion burned down and he was hunted by fanatics. It was a difficult time. Tara and Niole began to break down.

“…”

It was very hard to watch them suffer. The fact that their pure goodwill and sense of justice were being denied and cut down made him angry.

The price he paid was great to be called a substitute, but after going through the hardship, the relationship between the three of them had become very close.

He barely arrived at the secret safe house, and when he returned when the time was up, there was another tragedy. Abraham’s soul was in the body of a golem.

Perhaps if Abraham had let out a painful scream, the three of them would not have been able to withstand it. But the old man chased the bright light even though he was trapped in a mechanical body. Abraham had given them strength even in death.

Bennett began to think about the path he should take.

He came back, defeated Isaac. He erased the magic circle, went through a fight with the leader, and now. The party was preparing for the final battle after many twists and turns.

And now…looking into his own heart.

“…I.”

The desire that his pounding heart was uttering along with the beat of life.

“I want to.”

His sister, Tara, Niole, and everyone else who had given him something.

“Protect them.”

It was a desire to protect them.

From Noble mtl dot com

“…”

The wall of reality was high and thick, so Bennett always chose the second best option. When he lacked strength, he burned his own soul, and when he lacked wisdom, he burned his dreams. He committed evil, throwing away the things that made him who he was, one by one.

Because it is impossible to abandon friends, abandon colleagues, and seize everything. If he wanted to hold on to anything for sure, he thought he would have to give up everything, so that’s how it was.

Maybe after cutting himself down like that, he had turned away from what he really wanted, saying, ‘It’s impossible,’ and ‘I can’t achieve it.’ Maybe he hadn’t even tried because he was afraid of getting hurt.

He.

“Everything.”

He wanted to protect everything.

He wanted to save his sister without killing anyone, without siding with the black magicians, as a righteous person who could be honest with everyone.I wanted to save everyone and make them happy without any sacrifices. I didn’t want Tara to be angry , and I didn’t want Niore to be frustrated.

If I could save everyone I loved.

Such a reckless desire.

That desire was the form that Bennett had lost.

“….”

Bennett decided to be honest with himself. He had been denying it, but he was a greedy man who wanted to save everything without losing anything.

And what he needed to fulfill that desire was a light to guide his heart.

“…Abraham fulfilled his grand wish to help the world. My wish isn’t that difficult. I just want to protect a few people. That shouldn’t be so hard, right?”

Bennett reminded himself.

Life is hard, storms will come, and strong waves will always crash as if they were going to swallow him. But even so.

I will not lose myself, my wish.

—- —-

When Bennett gripped it, there was a shining sword there.

He knew that this shining sword was his soul and his transcendence.

It will not break as long as his heart is not broken.

Transcendence, “Guardian Wish”.