Chapter 90: My Life Isn’t a Life Full of Excuses (1)
by Afuhfuihgs
-This female character, isn’t she pitiful?
It was during a planning team meeting. A female planner made such a remark.
However, since most of the planning team only cared about the fun and commercial aspect of the game, they couldn’t understand the female planner’s view. So, they fired another question back at her.
-What’s so pitiful about her?
-Well, the more pitiful she is, the more appealing she would be. That’s what the players like.
-These days, getting a character to have some kind of narrative backstory is important.
-I really want to meet the [original author]. He wrote this part really well.
Contrary to what she had expected, the other developers just expressed their satisfaction with the character’s narrative. She could only let out an exhausted sigh at this.
I asked them because I wanted them to empathize with the character. What’s with those answers…?
Even though it was just a minor thing, it still got her to resent the other male planners. She even went as far as to say, ‘This is why you guys can’t get married’.
Although, there was one person among everyone who agreed with her opinion.
Of course, he didn’t make the mistake of expressing his opinion out loud. Even back then, he was always a passive person, as he found it difficult to communicate with others. So, he just glanced over the settings of the female character mentioned. Everything about her was concisely written in said character settings.
[Married at the age of 19. Because she was sold to the marquis’ family, she was ignored, despised, and bullied by all of his servants.]
[The bullying was started by an exclusive maid. Note: The maid is one of the marquis’ secret lovers.]
[She spent each of her days in misery and pain, and wished for a divorce as soon as she could, but her father, Reynold Fault, kept failing in his businesses and kept coming to the marquis to borrow money. Due to this, her treatment as well as the bullying only got worse.]
[Even after getting married, the marquis had never touched her. Thinking that she was just a waste of money, even the marquis’ vassals tolerated the bullying she received.]
[2 years after the marriage. The marquis’ vassals advised him to have a child soon, which meant they were finally about to spend their first night together after two years. However, blinded by jealousy, the marquis’ secret lover, the maid, poisoned the marquis’ tea. Note: She thinks that if she can’t have him, then she might as well kill him. However, the marquis didn’t end up dying from the poison, and was left struggling between life and death.]
[She, who was in the same room as the marquis at that time, was identified as the culprit.]
[They took her to prison and tortured her to the point where both her physical and mental health was severely damaged. Fortunately, the marquis woke up shortly after, and revealed who the culprit was. Note: It is assumed that she didn’t die from going through such a hellish torture is because she had learned Combat Technique.]
[The maid was then executed, together with all of those who were suspected of being involved with the case.]
[However, nothing could be done towards her, as she was already mentally and physically weak. The marquis’ vassals suggested that she’d be sent into a monastery to cover up the fact that they had tortured an innocent person as a culprit. And so, they sent her into a monastery without giving her any compensation for the damages.]
[Shortly after she arrived at the monastery and started receiving treatment, her family died. Note: The ‘setting’ is that Reynold Fault has so many people who’s holding grudges against him, so he ended up getting attacked by a gang of thugs.]
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[She became an orphan.]
Part 1 was mostly about despair and trials. In a way, it was an intense ‘narrative’ that any [hero character] would have.
[8 years later, the revolutionary war took on a new turn.]
[Some soldiers set fire to the monastery. When she was trying to rescue the nuns, she was engulfed in the flames and fell into a coma.]
[She managed to survive for a month with burn wounds all over her body, but she was pronounced dead because at one point as her heart had stopped.]
[After experiencing ‘Divine Power Awakening’ and ‘Resurrection’, she proved that she had been chosen by God and became the hope of the priests of the monastery. Note: She still has her burn scars, her vocal cords are half-melted, and her hair has turned white at this point.]
[She took an old monk as her teacher and trained with him. However, soon after, the heretic inquisitors attacked the monastery. They didn’t recognize her as the new saint.]
[Through the sacrifice of her teacher and nuns, she miraculously escaped the attack.]
[Determined to have her revenge, she joined the mercenary corps and managed to gain everyone’s attention.]
[5 years later, she became the leader of the mercenary corps.]
Part 2 was close to a masterpiece, telling about her journey to become a real hero as she was sent to an even greater hardships and trials that she had to overcome. This would get the players to be deeply immersed and curious about her future adventures.
[Punished the corrupt temple as well as the nobles.]
[Joined the Northern Army, the largest revolutionary force. Allying herself with the Archduke of the North.]
[Started to gain some momentum after the battle that lasted for 7 years.]
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[The people fell for the temple’s instigation and betrayed her. In the process, she lost her most trusted comrades and friends.]
[Her divine power manifests through sorrow. It was then revealed that she was a saint material.]
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[The witch trial began.]
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[She saved a young child’s life and died in the end. Later, she was praised as a ‘great person’.]
Part 3 focused on the birth of a great person rather than a hero.
It was the end of her story as a hero character, and the players’ tearful efforts would be needed to bring this character to life. They’d probably need to invest dozens of hours to find all the Easter Eggs of her story line.
This was how they were trying to get the players’ attention and affection towards the character ‘Levy Jeanne d’Arc’.
She was a sunfish-like character, which was frustrating, but if the players could save her, it would be an ‘achievement’ for them. All in all, she was a really well-made hero character. The streamers would love delving into her lore (free advertising). If they were lucky and the algorithm favored them, the game might just end up getting viral.
From the company’s perspective, there was no character better than her.
But…
-…She’s just sad…and pitiful…
The character had to live a life full of misfortune and hardship and only received recognition after her death.
Since there were so many similar cases throughout modern history, he could tell why the female planner sympathized and felt sorry for her. The man let out a sigh before shaking his head.
A game company could always find amazing ways to make money.
That’s how I got my salary, I guess…
Thinking as such inwardly, he let out a bitter smile.
“That’s everything I know. There seems to be more, but I didn’t dig that deep back then…”
“…”
“Haa… I’m sorry. I…don’t know how to solve anything on my own…”
Derrick ended up talking a lot, but he didn’t have any ideas or suggestions for this particular matter. On the contrary, he only knew things that would add to the listener’s dread, or at least, that was how he saw it.
I should’ve tried to dig deeper…
Now that something like this had happened, he regretted what he had done back then.
He only participated in the planning stage, and he didn’t get involved in the rest of the settings or the Easter Eggs at all. In other words, he didn’t know any hints or detailed information to save the girl.
I’m really useless when it counts…
As he was beating himself like that…
“No, that’s enough.”
His instructor expressed his gratitude out of nowhere.
“Huh…?”
“Thank you. It’s easier for me to make decisions after hearing all that.”
“…?”
There was a somewhat relieved expression on his face. In fact, he was even smiling.
As if his curiosity had been satisfied.
But… How…? Which part of my…?
Derrick blinked and looked at him. But instead of satisfying the boy’s curiosity, he…
“Time to go then.”
“…Where are you going?”
“Huh?”
Derrick asked as he watched the instructor stretching his body with a refreshing face.
For some reason, he felt that he had to ask him that question.
And as expected…
“Just going to ‘pick a fight’. Nothing big.”
“Huh?”
“That’s the only thing you need to know. Also, can you deliver my resignation letter to the dean? I mean, the person I’m going to pick a fight with seems to be so powerful that things definitely won’t just end with me submitting my resignation letter.”
“…Ah.”
That was when Derrick finally realized what he was trying to do. His eyes widened.
No way—!
“I-Instructor… Sir?”
When Derrick called out to him…
Whoosh-!
He was already far away from him.
As if the word ‘hesitate’ didn’t even cross his mind.
Instead of going home, he changed his direction.
His destination was set, and his hesitation was gone. It would be a waste of time to stop by home.
However…
He was forced to stop on his tracks.
“…?”
“Ah, Sir Knight…!”
Because he found the maid, leaning against a tree near the path he was taking. She seemed to be dozing off, but the moment she saw him, she greeted him with a bright smile. It was as if she knew that he’d pass through here beforehand.
She rubbed her tired eyes and got to her feet before opening her mouth again.
“Hehe, thank goodness we didn’t miss each other.”
“Why are you here?”
“Don’t worry about Miss Levy, Sir. She fell asleep right away after I sang her a lullaby.”
“That’s…not what I was asking… But, did you really sing her a lullaby? You didn’t just do a slapstick routine, right?”
“Sorry?”
“…Ignore me. Anyway, why are you—”
“—Here!”
“…?”
Did she know I’d pass by this place?
When he was about to ask that question, Leila cut him off and handed him his weapons.
Clang-!
Shiny armor that looked like they had just been polished, a sword, a one-handed shield, and a hatchet.
These were the equipment he mainly used.
Lee Han hesitated to accept the weapons she handed him, but after a moment, Leila made a solemn expression, as if imitating someone.
“The princess said, ‘This lady’s step-brother is a simple person. No matter how tangled the thread is, and no matter how expensive it is, if he thinks that it has to be untied, he won’t hesitate to grab his axe and cut it’.”
“…”
“The princess also said, ‘Knowing him, he won’t be satisfied with just beating up the common folks. Even if it will cause trouble along the line, if he’s going to hit someone, he’ll hit that person so hard that even the country would shake. Then again, if he doesn’t dare to go at least that far, he isn’t worthy to be this lady’s step-brother’.”
“…What the fuck? She hasn’t been stalking me, right? Then, how…”
How did she see through everything?
I just started making trouble today, and yet she’s already foreseeing this far…
Seriously, Older Sister, you’re worse than those Aura Users who come by every once in a while in a way…
Did you read the secret of heaven or something?
Or maybe you’re some kind of master…?
Lee Han scratched the back of his head, thinking that even if a real master(prophet) existed, it wouldn’t be like this.
Anyway, he had planned to go without telling anyone, but now that his plan was revealed, he felt a little awkward. Not only that, he also felt embarrassed, and a little hollow.
Still…
“Thank you, Maid. I’ll use them well.”
“Hehe, please take care!”
“…Yes.”
Just knowing that there was someone waiting for him strengthened his heart.
So, he made a promise.
“It won’t take long.”
“Yes!”
That he’d come back quickly so that she wouldn’t need to wait for too long. Until now, he had never broken his promise to her, and…
─He had no intention of doing it in the future either.
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