episode_0118

Akasto’s [Intrusion Scenario].

It’s a scenario where you intrude into a scenario.

The solution to the [Intrusion Scenario] seems quite easy to explain…

If we were to summarize this scenario in one word, it would be ‘unforced unfairness’.

What kind of nonsense is that?

Ultimately, it’s unfair, but it means they give you plenty of clear warnings.

The solution is roughly this.

From the prologue to the occurrence of the intrusion scenario, there are times when something strange happens, or you get a suspicious feeling.

Assume that’s all interconnected, and if you guess the mastermind is ‘those bastards’, you’re pretty much right.

The Empire’s shadow organization, .

No matter what character you create, what country you choose, or how you raise them.

They always appear unexpectedly, in the most bizarre ways, blocking the player’s progress. The infamous… those… damn bastards?

Anyway, this subversive force persistently hinders the player many times, so if you just take them out, it’ll lead to a happy ending.

As mentioned earlier, it’s easy to say.

It’s just a small group, so just barge in and wipe them out, right?—Wrong.

First, ‘s objectives are far from ordinary.

The leader has changed over generations, but their ultimate goal is no different from the ‘player’s’.

To survive the ‘end’ that will suddenly befall this world one day.

And to gain the power to confront it, they will stop at nothing.

However, the difference from the player is… the quantity and quality of ‘information about the future’ they possess, so to say.

That is—information obtainable from external sources, and also, the strategic experience that a player aiming for the ending would inevitably possess having played multiple rounds.

They, too, possess fragments of this, though incomplete.

How they obtained that information…that’s the second problem.

A pact with a ‘demon’.

The very cliché you often see.

‘s primary power comes from the ‘magic’ supplied by that demon.

Akasto newbies often confuse magical beasts, demons, and devils.

It’s simple if you compare them to humans, only the species differ.

Magical beasts are beasts, demons are humans, and devils are… ‘gods’.

All three share the power of ‘magic’.

You can consider the devil to be its source.

Just as the gods worshipped by humanity are as diverse as the lights shining in the city, devils also come in many varieties.

The devil worships is… the Demon God ‘Tenebris’, who will one day come to this continent as a calamity.

Why would those who aim to prevent a calamity obtain information and power from the calamity itself?

That’s the result of having insufficient future information.

The devil’s power creates this bizarre phenomenon where the cause becomes the effect, and the effect becomes the cause.

Moriarty, who tried to foresee the future, then summoned a devil and got used however it pleased, or…

The Demon God who, dealing with such ambitious humans, alternately provides hope and despair, spreading magic throughout the world, waiting only for the day of its descent.

It’s hard to even choose which one is the bigger bastard.

But the Demon God hasn’t descended yet, and it’s just a single organization.

Why not just wipe them out?

Because doing so would become a national issue.

Moriarty’s second backer… is the Imperial family itself.

You can’t burn down the whole house trying to kill a bedbug, so the first thing to do is gather information.

…

I’ve gone off-topic.

This isn’t about Akasto, let’s reflect on my past life.

The first thing that comes to mind as unfair treatment is the various slanders by the nobles when I was ten years old.

I didn’t know it then, but I understand a little now.

It was a power struggle among nobles who were courting my siblings, regarding the succession to the throne.

But if that’s the truth, there’s something strange.

Why didn’t they kill me for good?

Even when my mother, the legitimate queen, was alive, I was threatened (laugh) by various jealousies.

And after her death, weren’t there moves to erase her glorious past deeds from history?

As a result, my position practically vanished, and a princess almost had her handmaidens, her own arms and legs, taken away by a mere Marquis (laugh).

Anyway, I can understand them cutting off my arms and legs.

But why didn’t they go for the surest method, ‘assassination’?

My feeling is this.

Among my siblings, including my father—His Majesty the King—there was a faction that didn’t particularly want to cast me out.

In addition, there was an ‘external force’ that wanted to exclude me.

The two became intricately intertwined and fiercely clashed, resulting in this ambiguous outcome.

The day I declared to my father that I was leaving… looking back, it’s a bit strange.

Why did he smile at me at the end?

Honestly, my real goal was to go to the academy and get a chance to become stronger.

But the reason I spoke so boldly in the audience chamber was partly because I wanted to annoy my father.

It was a situation that invited such behavior.

A person who caused so many problems, suddenly announcing they were leaving home.

It’s normal to feel both relieved and uneasy.

But why did he laugh?

I… think I understand a bit.

Perhaps my sisters, brothers, and father…

Wanted me to leave that dreadful battlefield.

It’s naive to assume goodwill, rather than someone’s malice.

But somehow… I want to believe it.

They didn’t want to abandon me, or my mother.

“…It’s bitter.”

Anyway… let’s retrace my memories again.

Recalling my ‘family’, a point occurred to me.

There was clearly an incident when I visited the royal palace after the midterm exams.

The incident where I instantly killed the magical beast that escaped from the Abyss.

At the time, I was annoyed and left the aftermath to Prince Evan II and ran away… but thinking back, it seems that incident could also be considered an act of unfairness against me.

The name was clearly… Marquis Karcen.

I suspected he had a backer, and now I can see its outline.

In the end, weren’t those bastards also under ?

I wrote ‘Royal nobles related to the Empire’ and ‘House Karcen’ in neat handwriting and added two asterisks.

Because Yuri was also involved, I really want to take care of this.

“Let’s see… next.”

Trying to recall them, my memory is surprisingly fuzzy, so I thought I’d just randomly write down what I experienced recently.

Recently… it would be what happened in the labyrinth, wouldn’t it?

I wrote ‘Four Saint’s Society – Reef’ in large letters and added ‘Dungeon Break’ and ‘Holy Kingdom’ small beside it.

Yes, they didn’t show themselves on the day I left… it was extremely suspicious.

Their attitude, their abilities, their origins.

I drew two horizontal lines to separate the space, and listed the small things.

Tier, the temple leader, infertility, Evermore Guild, the magic tower, adventurers, the academy…

“Oh, by the way—”

I fiercely crossed out countless useless words, and wrote neatly below.

‘Suddenly falling asleep’ ‘Classmate? Sleep magic?’ ‘Dark mana… mental manipulation type…’ ‘From the Empire?’ ‘Person of unclear identity’

‘Unusual person I saw recently’

‘Jane Lester’ ‘Aspi’s mock exam’ ‘Seems to read minds’

…

“Oh, you came?” “I’m sorry for being late!” “No, I’m sorry for calling you during your busy exam preparation.”

A little after noon, a time when everyone had returned to their seats after lunch and it was quiet.

I called a cadet to a teahouse in the capital.

I opened the menu and presented it to her.

“Order whatever you want, as much as you want. I’m paying.” “No- the prices here are quite high, I can’t just…” “It’s fine~ Let me save face a little.”

Jane blushed slightly, then shyly reached for the menu.

“Then… I’ll do that.”

She ordered two or three dessert cakes, and they came out surprisingly quickly. She gestured for me to eat first, so I took a small bite. It was pretty good.

Yuri is better at main dishes than desserts like these.

But that doesn’t mean she can’t bake.

If I remember the taste, she’ll surely recreate it in two or three tries.

No, she might even create something tastier.

We enjoyed the sweet treat for a while, and Jane started eating as well.

“It’s really delicious…” “I know. It seems there’s a reason for its fame.”

Sweet things loosen a girl’s heart.

A softened heart becomes rather dull, sometimes not noticing when something slips in.

“Wow… this is the first time I’ve had something this delicious since Golden Palace.” “Oh my- Does Ms. Narias know that place too? It is really delicious~ When I was a child, it was near my house, so I often ate there—”

Grin.

It didn’t take long for Jane to realize she’d made a slip.

I didn’t expect her to fall for it so easily.

Her face suddenly turned pale, and sweat streamed down her cheeks.

I offered her a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.

“Is that so? I see… Golden Palace is in the Imperial Capital…” “I- It’s-”

And I gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

“You’re from the Empire, aren’t you?”