Otherworld TRPG Game Master chapter 17

17 – The Prince and the Think Tank

Prince Irid scraped together all the manpower he could muster. Through authority for some, money for others, and recognition for yet others. He did not discriminate the means or methods as long as they were feasible.

He had long shed his petty pride. Even approaching Princess Elaine, with whom he usually did not get along, was a sacrifice he was willing to make for Centra’s rescue.

Considering their usual relationship, the likelihood of Elaine helping him at his simple request was slim. This meant that Irid was even prepared to suffer a loss in the succession race for the throne…

Surprisingly, Princess Elaine readily accepted his invitation. With words that as his sister, she would grant the request of her dear brother, Irid interpreted it as her way of storing a political debt.

On his way into the conference room, Irid encountered Princess Elaine.

Her opulent dress and the shawl around her neck, her striking beauty that captured one’s gaze, and her hands, scarred as though they were stitched together like rags—despite the three years that had passed since their last meeting, she looked just the same as he remembered.

Even though she was of royal blood, her hair bore the color of platinum. However, no one doubted her lineage or legitimacy because the princess had proven it with her ability.

And because she had literally crushed the heads of those who rashly disparaged her with her bare hands.

Princess Elaine arrived without attendants. It was a confidence befitting of a woman who could step alone into the demon world. She always acted as if nothing in this world could harm her.

Irid swallowed dryly.

“Irid? It’s been a while. Would you like to embrace your sister as you did when you were younger?”

Princess Elaine spread her arms. Despite being a universally friendly gesture, to Irid’s eyes, it looked like the gaping maw of a waiting lion.

Elaine had always been like that. She enjoyed making Irid submit. When Irid had his fourteenth birthday celebration and a reception was held in the event hall among various nobles, she had opened her arms just like this.

And after hugging him like a child—lifting him and circling around three times. It was impossible to protest being treated like a child when feelin

Perhaps it was Irid’s refusal to submit as before that caught the First Princess off-guard, as she voiced her perplexion. It was a minor act of rebellion, but she had landed a hit nonetheless.

Irid turned his back, feeling a sense of pride swelling deep within his chest. He had grown. And now, with this matured resolve… it was time to begin the meeting to save Centra.

“Hey, what do you mean by ‘met’? Could you maybe explain a bit more detailed? Huh?”

————-

“Firstly, I want to express our gratitude for responding to the sudden call for support. The purpose of this meeting is to simulate emergency response and to handle small-scale insurgencies. As we face complex tasks, we’ve assembled a variety of experts. Let’s start with introductions.”

As the Second Prince initiated the meeting from the head of the table, each participant introduced themselves in turn.

A woman dressed in a neat suit stood and bowed slightly.

“Defense analyst C from the Imperial Protection Agency.”

Next, an old man cloaked in ash-grey robes bowed his head from his seat.

“Elder of the Crimson Mage Tower… Pheron, at your service. You’ve gathered an interesting lot, haven’t you?”

Opposite, the First Princess clasped her hands demurely and spoke.

“I am First Princess Elaine. I’m pleased that you have come together to help our younger sibling. I shall remember this devotion.”

Second Prince Irid translated the political language in his head.

Ding-ding.

First Princess Elaine =＞ I am the prime candidate for Empress, the First Princess.

I’m pleased that you have come together to help our younger sibling =＞ This is troublesome.

I shall remember this devotion =＞ I’ve taken note of all your faces.

Irid’s teeth nearly ground at the First Princess’s knack for political maneuvering. At her veiled threat, the Elder of the Crimson Mage Tower, who had joined purely for fun, now looked as if he was considering whether to leave right then.

Irid promptly initiated a counteraction.

“These are the people I’ve invited, and the same goes for you, sister. If you’re here to help, I’d appreciate it if you acted accordingly.”

=＞ Shut it.

“Oh, is that so… Well, this is our younger sibling’s meeting, so it’s only right for him to lead. I was flustered by the unfamiliarity. Will you forgive me, your big sister?”

=＞ Yeah, you rookie.

Infuriated by the one-sided bartering, Irid seethed inside. However, the presence of the First Princess was undeniably beneficial for the meeting. She was a master of every physical endeavor. With a nod, Irid signaled the next person.

The wild mage who caught the signal stood up, bending his back at a 90-degree angle.

“A mage from the Amethyst Mage Tower.”

“…Aren’t you going to reveal your name?”

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“It’s not worth mentioning. Names like that exist for a reason.”

Starting off by breaking convention and decorum, the mad mage pointed with both hands at the girl seated next to him, as if she were frozen by an ice spell.

“She is Yuna Yurensto Violetiris, the Master of the Amethyst Mage Tower.”

“…Ah, oh, um, sorry…”

“‘It is an honor to be invited, Your Highness. I am Yuna Violetiris, the master of the purple tower. Though my power is modest, I will do my utmost to contribute,’ she says.”

“I thought she was a doll, motionless since the moment she entered the room, but she is a person?”

“…Ru, rude… I apologize…”

“She is demanding an apology for the princess’s rude remarks… Ack!”

Whack!

A splendid one-inch punch detonates into the ribs of the insane wizard.

Charged with the survival instinct at its peak due to the charge of royal defamation, the purple tower master rattled off her introduction like a machine gun. She had to speak to survive.

“I am the master Yuna Violetiris please look after me this is what I was trying to say!”

With pitying eyes for the desperate purple tower master dodging a defamation charge, Irid supported from the sidelines.

“This male wizard is not entirely sane. Side effects of magic research, you see. I would appreciate your understanding.”

“No wonder his eyes looked clouded.”

“Tsk-tsk-tsk…, they say one goes mad easily studying illusion magic.”

“…Su, such slander is… pr, problematic…”

Amidst the chaos, the last to introduce himself was the cleric, who quietly raised his hand.

Like a lie, no one paid him any attention.

Julius, the military cleric and the last member of the conference, murmured timidly.

“I look forward to working with you… I’m Julius, former archbishop, now a military cleric.”

“Why did you take away the material for the grand wizard from us, purple tower master? Our tower master was so excited, thinking he could complete the ‘Solar Explosion’ spell…”

“That’s because, it’s just that… he had an interest in, in illusion magic…!”

“It’s common knowledge that you were chosen to lead the purple tower through hypnotic brainwashing, right?”

“…Sl, slander…!!”

“Ju, Julius here… Excuse me…?”

With the introductions over, Irid clapped twice to draw everyone’s attention.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”

————-

Irid drew out the structure of the inn room on a large canvas, as if the details were visible to the eye. Width and height, minute details of the structure, even the location of the incident.

“Think of it as a strategy simulation, a wargame if you like. This is what I want help with. In this scenario, how I can achieve my desired outcome.”

“Have you become engrossed in some belated game?”

“Sister.”

Irid’s pupils flickered.

“I’m serious.”

The 1st Princess Irene opened her eyes wide and then gently smiled.

“…It seems you’re not joking. Your firm expression, you have come of age enough to put on such a face. Alright, I will listen seriously.”

“Good. I am positioned here in this bedroom, sitting on the bed. The blast point is at the end of the hallway to the left. The target of the structure is expected to be the spot where the assault occurred.”

“Oh, so you’ve called for the Red Magic Tower? Tell me in detail about the shape of the explosion, the debris that fell out, the magnitude of the vibration and the shape of the aftershock.”

The elder of the Red Magic Tower, his eyes gleaming, paid great attention to the testimony of the 2nd prince and arrived at a conclusion.

“That spell appears to be ‘The Furious Breath of the Fire Spirit’ or ‘the Sigh of the Iconic.’ It’s more concentrated on the fire element than the physical shockwave of the secondary explosion… There are quite many variables, do you have other clues?”

“I don’t think the spell was cast by a magician. There were no magicians among those gathered in the inn. It’s premature, but I think it’s more likely to be a scroll.”

“That makes the calculation easy! Where… I see. Unless a mana user is extremely unlucky, they won’t die. The original two spells focus more on incapacitation than killing power. The flames, in themselves, would only cause burns.”

Stiffly.

Upon hearing his words, the Chaplain Julius’ eyes gleamed.

“…Ah, Your Highness. It seems you need an emergency treatment. I will teach you a trick to dispel mana that has infiltrated the body. It will help if you’ve been affected by the fire magic… and it will also help in your recuperation afterwards.”

The C analyst of the empire’s National Defense Protection Agency, who had been looking carefully at the map of the building, knocked on the table with his index finger and spoke up.

“This inn… the internal structure seems familiar. It’s a building that was once famous as the ‘Rosaria’ window. It is currently owned by our National Defense Protection Agency and is one of the secret bases used by our agents.”

“…It was a base of the National Defense Agency? So that’s why.”

There were reasons why it was being used as a resistance base.

Irid thought perhaps, Senstra’s father might have been a person from the National Defense Agency.

“There’s a secret passage nearby you can use. If hostile forces haven’t detected it, you should be able to use it. Draw a magic symbol on the wall of the second floor and it will open.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Stiffly.

Lastly, the 1st Princess Irene stepped forward.

“It would be good to practice some movements in advance. Our little brother is a klutz after all, right?”

“… You tell even the Knight Commander he’s a klutz.”

“If you can’t move the way you want, that’s a klutz for you. Tell me the information of the likely enemy that may appear. It would be helpful.”

“It’s Ronya, a female mercenary. She has a scar on her face and is armed with leather armor. She carries a palm-sized dagger at her waist, and the handle of the dagger is quite worn out. Her main weapon seems to be a long sword. From what I heard, she seems to know how to handle a crossbow as well. “

“The main weapon won’t be the long sword? Those uneducated mercenaries… They are stupid and can’t use long sword skills. Even if they learn, they can’t use it properly. There’s a trick you can’t learn in dirty battlefields. Oh, don’t take your eyes off the dagger from start to finish. It will probably be the final move when it’s getting tough.”

“Do I need to kill?”

“Well, remember this movement. Long sword skills are like chess, just accurately change your position according to the pattern. When it goes up to the top, like this… No, let’s go to the training field after the meeting. The chaplain should come too. “

The Chaplain, who had been standing around absentmindedly, jumped when his name was unexpectedly mentioned.

“…Excuse me?”

“It’ll be rough.”

Scratch, scratch.

“…What have you been jotting down all this time?”

“Ah, since I have nothing else to do, I thought I might as well take notes.”

The mage of the Purple Tower meticulously recorded the meeting’s discussions in his notebook. The meeting lasted late into the night, and the sound of the mage’s pen didn’t cease until the very end.

When the meeting concluded, the mage had a truly bright smile on his face.

“I’ve completed the session.”

It was because he had pilfered the material wholesale.