Otherworld TRPG Game Master

Getting kidnapped by a murderer.

The idea sounded ridiculous given the circumstances. This killer had been ruthlessly slaughtering both humans and holograms without a hint of hesitation.

Throwing myself at someone who had shown zero interest in money or any other tangible reward was the same as signing my own death warrant. I could already picture myself getting stabbed.

So, what was the solution? I had to give them bait—something irresistible.

Something compelling enough to turn this murderer into a kidnapper, buying Cicel the time needed to track my location.

By analyzing his behavior, I could decipher his desires. This was my chance to determine what kind of bait would lure him in.

The killer was methodically erasing holograms, one by one, as if testing my reactions. Whether by chance or design, he eventually set his sights on Karen, the lead actor. At that moment, I sensed a distinct malice directed solely at me.

Examining his intent more closely⋯⋯ was it revenge? No. There was no passion behind his actions. The indiscriminate killing of unrelated victims, the way he handled corpses so carelessly—he was more likely a psychopath, driven by a lust for murder.

Evil God-chan nodded in agreement, validating my theory.

“I agree. Doesn’t seem like the type to hesitate before killing, does he?”

“The real question is why he’s fixated on me specifically.”

“Well⋯⋯ unless you’re just absurdly unlucky, doesn’t it have to be one of two things?”

There were really only two possibilities.

I was an average wizard who had spent most of my life secluded in the Magic Tower. I barely had the opportunity to make enemies, so very few people had any reason to target me.

First, I could eliminate all the Academy students and session participants from the list of suspects. Not only did I trust the bonds we had formed, but I had literally been inside their minds. I was certain of their innocence.

That left two suspects: a Dark Wizard whose facilities, schemes, and life I had destroyed, or…

Duke Red Flavor, who had sent Roderus to take my head.

That was the logical next step.

From Oh Dae-soo, I had learned that Duke Red Flavor’s Metamorphosis (羽化) ability revolved around manipulating fate. While tracking the serial killer, I had found no trace of him, as if I were being deliberately obstructed by misfortune itself.

Yes, this had to be the work of two Metamorphoses in tandem.

The fact that I hadn’t caught them yet was suspicious in itself.

Sure, I had been preoccupied with running sessions, but what other wizard could rival me in information warfare?

The probability that Duke Red Flavor was behind this was extremely high— —at least higher than the chance of there being another wizard in the world as capable as me.

Eueck-*

*

At this conclusion, Evil God-chan made a gagging sound.

“You su-ck.”

“Shut up.”

The final analysis was clear: the killer was the executioner, and the Duke was orchestrating everything from the shadows⋯⋯ a suppressive fire meant to keep me from easily winning the Hero Selection Tournament.

But why were they so desperate to control the Hero Selection Tournament’s outcome?

If that was their game, fine. I would feed them information—just enough to bait them. The Duke must have his own questions about the tournament’s peculiarities. If I dangled tempting intel, he would gobble it down.

I would set up an unofficial negotiation table, making it seem like I was seeking a truce and an exchange of information.

And the moment the culprit came for me, I would signal Cicel to storm the scene—flipping the table on them.

Screaming in Karen’s voice, I’d yell out something like, Help, I’ve been kidnapped.

Perfect.

“Oh reeeeeeally? And what kind of bait do you plan on using? Also, how exactly do you intend to deliver this ‘fragrant scent’ of bait directly under the killer’s nose?”

“I’ll leave them a sign they can’t ignore—one that will make them come running.”

Silently, I raised a finger, pointing upward. Beyond the ceiling lights, past the roof, toward the vast expanse where the sun, moon, and stars traced their endless orbits.

“I’m going to move the heavens.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯Eung?”

“I finally understand what kind of being the Goddess truly is. I have the Evil God’s Sculpture—a conduit to channel the power of ‘That’—in my possession. I even have you, and I have my own clever brain. Isn’t that more than enough to recreate an Inherited Metamorphosis⋯⋯ the 『Cogwheel』  series?”

A brief silence followed.

Then, Evil God-chan contorted her face in pure disgust—like someone watching priceless jewels being tossed into a garbage heap, or an idiot spending a thousand gold on a single watermelon. Her voice rose, brimming with frustration.

“Sure, bait like that would drive them wild—to the point their eyes roll back in their heads! Flashing such an obvious prize in front of people who can barely handle a fraction of my power? They’ll come swarming like ghouls toa fresh corpse!”

“What, well⋯⋯ you got a problem with that?”

“That could be a joker card, a trump for a far more crucial moment! Do you have any idea what an achievement this is? Why waste it now, you absolute fucking idiot! Just let Karen die!”

“No. If I’ve decided to use it, then I’m using it! Why are you getting so worked up!”

Was this kid going through puberty or something?

===============================================================

Stare~~

Yuna Yulensto Violetiris stood silently behind the wall, holding her breath as she eavesdropped on Mima and Evil God-chan’s bickering.

She had always been close by. She just stayed hidden where no one could notice.

When she first overheard his “reverse kidnapping” plan, her immediate reaction was: Ah, there he goes again*, recklessly throwing himself into danger* without caring about his body. Should I burst in right now and flatten him with a Yuna-punch?

But…

But when he mentioned recreating Inherited Metamorphosis as bait, something inside her shifted. For some inexplicable reason, a single question surfaced in her mind:

『Why do I like him?』

Was it because he had changed the atmosphere of the Purple Magic Tower? Because he treated her kindly?

No. If that were all, a simpler emotion would have sufficed—gratitude. Thank you for helping me, or thank you for changing things⋯⋯ that should have been enough.

It wasn’t enough to justify these tangled, inexplicable feelings of liking.

Looking back…

He wasn’t exactly someone to admire.

He was twisted. With ‘That’ influencing his mind, he had Malice lurking in his heart. A bad person who, if left unchecked, might even take pleasure in tormenting others.

And yet, he was trying his best to suppress those tendencies.

He had lost his own name. He was peculiar, erratic, and his actions were unpredictable. A shameless, thick-skinned prankster who sometimes panicked over the smallest things.

And above all, he was reckless. He threw himself into danger so carelessly.

To him, it seemed like nothing, but in reality, when she thought about it, every single time it was something life-threatening and extremely dangerous. Infiltrating the Succubus Queen’s Mental Realm alone, sticking his arm into the Goddess beam falling from the sky⋯⋯.

Was it because he didn’t care about himself? No—it wasn’t like that. Unlike Cicel, who plunged into danger without hesitation, he had his own convictions.

Evil God-chan’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“What you pointed out⋯⋯ about that kid story, it definitely messed with my head. But, one thing is clear. I won’t ‘over-invest’ like that. Absolutely not! Hey, is this Cicel or whatever really worth investing in that much?”

“Of course she is. Once she’s passed through my hands, all stories must have happy endings. Because I’m searching for a certain story!”

Yes.

He had an Obsessive Happy Ending Disorder.

Sometimes, he even risked his own life just to wish for a ‘good ending.’

His efforts were why the wizards of the Purple Magic Tower had begun to change, one by one. Yuna wasn’t sure if they had changed in a healthy way, but at the very least⋯⋯ focusing on strange hobbies was probably a lot happier than chasing after meaningless revenge.

That part of him—the way he illuminated his surroundings like the sun—was what she found so cool.

That was probably why she came to like him.

When he got hurt, it made her sad. Her heart ached. Sometimes, she wished she could take the pain in his place. After all, enduring pain was one of Yuna’s few talents.

But without that reckless resolve, he wouldn’t be who he was.

She had been annoying because she didn’t want him to get hurt.

But had that been the wrong approach? Her actions…

Had she made another mistake this? Yuna pulled her pointed hat down firmly with both hands. Pitch black darkness swallowed her vision. What should I do? It was as difficult as escaping a maze.

Which came first—her feelings, or his? How much should she accept, and how much should she reject? Was it okay to try and change things?

For Yuna, who was still inexperienced with human relationships⋯⋯ her head was spinning.

Then, she heard his voice.

“Besides, this time it’s different, you fool. Cicel is, well…”

“Mima. Why do you keep looking around like that?”

After scanning the surroundings multiple times to check if anybody was near, and running Mana Detection three times, he finally lowered his voice and whispered to Evil God-chan.

“⋯⋯She’s my sister-in-law.”

“?”

“Since Yuna has a bad relationship with her family, if I establish a good relationship with my sister-in-law like this… Later, when I have a wedding ceremony with Yuna, there’ll be someone to walk beside the bride⋯⋯ right?”

“Ahwhew, geez, fucking buuullshitary again⋯⋯.”

Pung.

“⋯⋯What was that sound? Mima, was that you? You’re not angry, right? You were honestly talking absolute fucking nonsense.”

“No, it wasn’t me⋯⋯.”

That was the sound of Yuna’s face turning bright red and exploding.

It was a tidal wave of emotion that bulldozed through her tangled worries.

He said marriage.

He said marriage!

Embarrassment and happiness crashed into her all at once. He said he was trying harder because Cicel would be his sister-in-law.

Perhaps as an instinct to cool her burning head, Yuna ran in frantic circles, flapping her arms for a while⋯⋯ then crouched down in place.

Inside her chaotic mind, little Yunas were screaming at each other.

Should I set the wedding date for tomorrow?

For the wedding dress, should I go big or small, which one should I go with?

Should I go in right now and give him a kiss?

Stupid, what if he ends up disliking me? But since he has somewhat perverted tendencies, he might actually like it. No, first and foremost, the urgent thing is to prepare for the honeymoon and──

Among those thoughts, she pondered.

He was looking out for Yuna. Then Yuna had to look out for him, too.

They were already doing that in their own way, but… one puzzle piece was missing.

Communication.

Before, Yuna had tried to extract ‘That’ for his sake—and everything had gone horribly wrong. In the end, he had woken up and resolved the chaos himself.

Sure, considering ‘That’s’ nature, it might have been better to remain ignorant… but still, if they had talked, even indirectly, wouldn’t there have been a better solution?

Before, he had tried to connect to the Goddess for Yuna’s sake—and got his arm burned.

Given the urgency of the situation, regret was inevitable, but still… if he had just asked for help, Yuna could have assisted.

In the end, it was simple.

If they were both looking out for each other, instead of fighting⋯⋯ they should have joined forces, which was an obvious realization. Neither he nor Yuna had managed to figure it out.

Then they just had to change from now on.

To hide her still-burning face, Yuna pulled on her mask. The butterfly mask of Mysterious Beautiful Wizard Girl X.

And then, she appeared before him—just as he was twisting Evil God-chan into a joint lock.

“It hurts! It really hurts, Mima!!”

“It’s supposed to hurt. Today, I’m going to teach you some mann⋯⋯ T, Tower Master?!”

“I-I thought you might need help. Following the faint sounds── the ally of justice, Mysterious Wizard X, has arrived!”

“You didn’t hear anything, did you?!”

Mysterious Wizard X pounded her chest with a fist and boldly declared:

“L-Leave the tournament to me! I’ll delay the finals as much as possible, set up plot hooks so she won’t have to use Metamorphosis, and make sure⋯⋯ Cicel wins! So just focus on your bait operation!”

“No, I’m happy you showed up again, and I’m grateful for all that, but⋯⋯did you maybe hear any part of what I just said⋯⋯.”

“This warrior shall now vanish, a- adios!”

“I’m asking if you heard?!”

Pororong.

As Yuna scattered into butterflies, Crazy Wizard’s brain completely froze, unable to process the sudden change in situation.

But even in moments when his mind refused to function, his brilliant, logical brain methodically pieced things together. And soon, it thrust a terrifying truth before him.

That he had chugged down a dozen bowls of wishful thinking, spouting nonsense about marrying Yuna and getting close to Cicel as her future brother-in-law—when he hadn’t even confessed or anything.

And the person in question… had heard everything.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Plop.

Yuna’s hand written letter landed on the embarrassed young man’s head.

It was slightly crumpled, with traces of having been erased and corrected many times.

The weight of that letter pressed down on him.

And Mima, his face as red as Yuna’s, rolled around on the ground for quite a while.

===============================================================

The finals for the Tournament of 『Courage』 were approaching.

It was a festival.

Mysterious Wizard X, who had amassed a massive fanbase thanks to her terrifying showmanship, officially requested to postpone the match.

The public reason was that her parents hadn’t arrived in the Holy City yet.

Such extreme filial piety! She wanted to become a Hero candidate in front of her family!

This was what you would call throwing a tantrum, but…

For various complicated reasons, the Cardinal Faction approved delaying the tournament by three days. Because administrative documents had mysteriously disappeared, and the official in charge had suddenly fallen into a deep sleep.

Cicel, who had been worried about Karen’s disappearance, also agreed to the delay.

The Cardinal Faction went along with it as well, since the people gathering in the Holy City were concerning, and they needed extra time to manipulate 『Goddess』.

On her way out after signing the delay agreement, Cicel confronted X. Since using her parents as an excuse was such an obvious lie.

“⋯⋯Why did you delay the match? Mysterious Wizard X.”

“Heung. Your face is covered in fatigue and worry. Fighting an opponent who can’t give their all wouldn’t be fun or meaningful. I want to fight you fair and square—at full strength.”

“Fair and square, is it? I appreciate the consideration. But⋯⋯ the fight you want, well. It might end up being a boring duel.”

“What I want isn’t just physical full power—it’s mental full power. Even if you come in with one arm missing, I’ll give you a handicap when we fight. Just bring your heart.”

There was something strangely friendly about that attitude.

As expected, this X person… felt oddly familiar.

Like someone Cicel had seen before.

When she asked if they knew each other, X only responded with a faint smile.

And.

At the top of a tall spire, Crazy Wizard who was giving Evil-chan a piggyback ride, activated the bait magic. It was a sample Great Magic designed to fake a hostage situation for the unofficial talks.

“『Cogwheel : ClearWeather_Revised_ver.2_Final』.”

“Even if it’s temporary patchwork bait, couldn’t you have given it a name with at least a fingernail’s worth of dignity⋯⋯?”

“What’s wrong with my naming sense?”

As their intentions intertwined, the finale approached.

And just like that, three days passed.

***

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