32 – S1.5. Escape Journey -4 (GM’s perspective)
I’m currently riding inside Lealo.
————-
The reason why I boarded the NPC while it was going well was this. The tower master looked at me with a curious eye and said this.
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“Hey… you know, do you want to go in with me?”
From that point on, my heart started pounding violently, and my mouth dried up. I couldn’t control the rising anticipation.
I pretended not to know and asked.
“Where to?”
Please, the simulation world.
Please TRPG.
Please session.
“Uh… Last time, when it was the second prince’s turn, you controlled him directly at the climax, right? I wanted to try it too… Can’t I?”
He’s a newbie──!!!
I had never heard such a romantic and erotic confession in my life. In my heart, I shouted thank you to all the gods I knew, and tried to calm my emotions.
If I made a fuss now, I would ruin everything. Statistically, the more I made a fuss, the more the chances of success would plummet. It was an immutable truth.
Let’s calm down. I have to act casually. As if it was nothing… As if it was just a breeze that tickled my nose…!
“Whatever you want. Humph.”
“…What kind of reaction is that?”
“Yahoo──!!!”
No, no. I meant to say I was happy.
“Did you… mix up your thoughts and words?”
There was a slight mistake in my emotional control, but what did it matter? The important thing was that I was going to have a session with Matapju. If I had to name the closest person I met in this world, it would undoubtedly be Matapju.
I was overjoyed that Matapju showed interest in TRPG.
I salivated at the thought of gently guiding the newbie. If he had a good experience here… We could do other things too. I had a lot of things I wanted to do. The evening twilight was nice… And Fiasco was not bad either…
For this reason, Matapju and I joined the princess’s reception session.
It would have been better to create a new character that I could fully immerse myself in, but the escape journey was approaching the climax. Adding a new face at this point would make the story messy.
And it was uncertain if the new face would work. The first princess, who was hit by the one-shot shota that I poured out my soul to create, did not let go of her suspicion… She was a tough character to manipulate.
The illusion magic was only realistic. It was not TRPG if I used hypnosis and brainwashing. So I had to move the player’s heart with my own hands.
So I took over an existing character.
I took over Lealo.
And Matapju took over Pero.
In my case, there was no problem because all the NPCs that appeared were soon to be adults with a little exaggeration. Matapju seemed to have a similar vibe to Pero, so it looked fine. They were both cute and had a bit of a loser side.
I could cover up any minor mistakes.
————-
Let’s talk about role theory here.
Every character has a role assigned to them. In the big picture and in the small details. There are parts that do not change and parts that change depending on the situation.
According to this, figuring out your position and creating the atmosphere. This can be one way to make a good story.
Let’s summarize. What is the current situation?
The protagonist (first princess) and the heroine (Pero) who were enjoying one-shot love were interrupted by a white-haired blind bastard. The protagonist wants to get information from the blind one.
Putting it more bluntly.
The protagonist ＜= Is digging for information / Making a dejected move.
Then, I must ‘provide information’ and ‘revive the spirit of desolation.’ It could be said this is my mission in this scene. It’s about intensifying the tension of the scene.
What about Pharaoh, on the other hand?
Pharaoh is a character who hides something. He has feelings for Elaine but does not reveal his secret due to hesitation. He doesn’t want ‘Leah to expose the secret,’ and ‘ultimately, desires to be accepted by Elaine.’
Pharaoh had many choices. He could stir up curiosity about the secret by trying to shut Leah up or completely disrupt the situation by confessing to the First Princess first.
If it were me… If I were Pharaoh, anxious and yet unable to muzzle Leah, I would have role-played (RP, acting) trembling like a soaking wet puppy, fearing Elaine, having learned the secret, might abandon him.
What about the Tower Master? How would they interpret Pharaoh and what would they try to do?
It could be seen as an opportunity to grasp the essence of the Tower Master.
Sizzle.
The three travelers looked on at the jerky cooking just right, lost in thought amidst the silence.
Elaine appeared to be calmly watching the campfire, but I can see it. Her mind is crowded with various thoughts. The fact that her gaze is directed at the fire is the point.
She neither looks at Espero nor Leah. This means she is still undecided, swaying without making a choice. At the same time, her gaze beautifully encapsulates her inability to confront both ‘hope’ and ‘reality.’
Upon observing Pharaoh(Tower Master), the young boy alternates his side glances between Elaine and Leah. His face shows a mix of anxiety and confusion—a fantastic display of expressive acting. His sense of eye movement was also good.
I—Leah, am looking at Elaine. Though partly true to my character as a bit of a philanderer, it is also a metaphor that ‘reality’ is always watching over you. Can you really escape reality by running to the fire?
Enough silence has passed. The anticipation was deliciously cultivated.
I (Leah) licked my lips. For now, just subtly.
“Could you tell me a story? Though there’s charm in being absorbed in silence, I personally… have become curious about the adventures you’ve had with Espero.”
“…….,”
The First Princess remained silent. It didn’t matter whether she answered or not. This question serves as a text to reminisce about the journey.
While I wouldn’t say I dislike the silence, which could produce a delicious monologue… I don’t like it when the flow of conversation breaks. Will Pharaoh(Tower Master) engage?
Pharaoh’s face turned red as he twisted his body. Yes, that reaction was an excellent answer! It meant the little boy was recalling the many lucky incidents from his journey. Leah was not oblivious to this non-verbal expression—.
I (Leah) wore a troubled expression and spoke with a subtle tone.
“…Um, it seems that your adventures were quite different from what I expected. hahahaha…”
I deliberately shot a glance loaded with insinuation, suggesting they might have spent some improper time together under the guise of traveling. The reaction was immediate.
“You better be careful with that gaze, not that kind of thing, Leah.”
“To think I was watching with such an eye?… No, please put down your fist.”
A clean break in the dialogue had been made. With the digression concluded, it was time to kick-start the conversation properly.
“I… don’t particularly enjoy silence. I would appreciate your understanding. Ever since that day in the ruined village, calling out the names of friends and neighbors, receiving no answer in return… Somehow my body feels itchy when it’s quiet.”
It’s bait for a ‘Pharaoh said so!’ response.
“…Then I shall become the storyteller. It seems the jerky has finished curing nicely. Please, feel free to eat while you listen.”
Pharaoh’s suggestion to listen without comfort must have meant he was about to unravel a devastating tale of his homeland.
I glared at Pharaoh (the Tower Lord) with an icy stare. It was only proper to look coldly at the enemy of my village, but at the same time, it was also a silent question: ‘What will you do now?’
Pharaoh, his face clouded with confusion, unwittingly raised his voice as he looked towards the First Princess.
“Elaine, I am—!”
The boy seemed on the verge of speaking, his mouth twitching, but ultimately he staggered, unable to utter a word, and said in a gloomy voice.
“I… I’ll just go… look around and come back.”
“You don’t really need to go anywhere. Didn’t you say the plains are safe, Pharaoh?”
“You never know. We did encounter a giant mutant after all…”
Despite Elaine calling out the plains as an excuse to hold him, Pharaoh mumbled an apology and left his seat. I silently gave him a standing ovation in my mind. How could he choose such befitting actions in his first attempt at playing a TRPG?
Is the Tower Lord a genius not only in magic, seduction, cuteness but also in TRPG?
Now that Pharaoh (the Tower Lord) had left the space for Elaine to ponder freely, I too must focus on throwing dilemmas at Elaine. Though it was a brief scene, it seemed like the Tower Lord and I were quite in sync.
So enjoyable!
————-
Yuna, the Purple Tower Lord, was truly flustered.
Her plan was as follows: Before the progression of “that thing” increased, Yuna wanted to take action.
That action involved reversing the use of the session’s narration.
By describing him through the narration, she aimed to observe and extract the “thing” within him with a magical attempt. Once the observation reached 100%, he would be able to confront the curse that had taken hold of him.
Having seen the dire straits of the First Princess’s session, Yuna hurriedly initiated the plan, believing there was little time left before he was engulfed…
“Ah, you didn’t hear? About Espero’s abilities…”
Unexpectedly… he was doing quite well.
He was ‘playing’ while thinking through each aspect of the game’s structure called TRPG, which meant that there was still plenty of time left. For both Yuna and him.
It was fortunate. With each session he led, she could gradually increase the observation rate. There was no need to rush. Good.
However, what flustered her was something else.
After realizing that the urgent matter wasn’t so urgent, Yuna, now at ease, decided to actually enjoy this thing called TRPG. She aimed to craft a happy ending to the story!
It was pitiable to see Elaine, who couldn’t trust others due to her trauma, and Pharaoh, who was running away, in the same plight. To Yuna, the conflict, distrust, and misunderstandings between the two seemed so trivial.
All that was needed was for just one person. Whichever side it may be.
Just a straightforward confession seemed like it would solve everything!
If I turn this story into a happy ending with a confession assault, I wonder if he would get angry… But I hoped that Elaine would be happy… Hesitation was fleeting. Yuna decided to venture a confession.
Before he could blurt it out using Reahro’s body, she had intended to convey Pharaoh’s feelings with an “I love you.”
But, her mouth wouldn’t open.
The body of Pharaoh occupied by Yuna seemed to resist.
“It seems to say, ‘That much, I must say myself.'”
Escaping under the pretense of scouting, in the darkness untouched by the campfire’s light, the Tower Master Yuna muttered cautiously.
“…Are you alive, Pharaoh…? Are you in here, now…?”
Pharaoh answered with a pounding heart.