In the southern reaches of the Dark Continent lies the city-state of Gramfil, a haven for slaves and criminals.
A scattering of dilapidated settlements on barren land—calling them a nation would be generous, calling them cities even more so. Too wretched, too lifeless, far too harsh a place for anyone to call home.
Originally founded as a refuge for political dissidents, criminals, and escaped slaves from across the continent, the city now stood as a testament to death and finality—harboring countless apathetic losers, a cruel irony given the glittering ambitions those founders had once harbored.
And in this dying land where such broken men drifted to rot, a single boy wept and moaned over his fate.
"U-uaah… uuaaah…"
Boy—though his age made that more fitting than "man."
His cropped black hair was short and neat, and the clothes he wore were fine by this country's standards—in fact, they bore a design rarely seen in this world at all.
Perhaps middle school age? Whatever sorrow gripped him, the boy had been writhing in a dingy inn room for some time now, letting nothing but anguish escape his lips.
"This is hopeless. I knew it… I knew it was no good."
Tears spilled without cease, and his voice of despair scattered through the dim room.
The boy's name was…
"A worthless piece of crap like me was never gonna win. That's how it's always been. I can never win when it counts. Hell, I can't even win normally—how was I ever gonna pull it off when it mattered?!"
The boy's name was Kuhara Keiji.
"I'm sorry, Soarina. I'm sorry, Fenne. You believed in me… I was the one who said 'leave it to me,' and I'm so pathetic I can't even—I want to die! I just want to die already!"
The life that awaited Kuhara after his defeat at the hands of Takuto Ira was every bit what a loser's life should be.
He had fought without ever showing his face, and in doing so he lost the witch Erakino—one of his own subordinates—and nearly had his ability stolen as well.
In the end, Takuto had fallen into a crisis before the killing blow could be dealt, so Kuhara's life was spared—but the fact of his defeat could not be undone.
"And besides… ah, damn it. There I go remembering that scene again. You're already gone, so why am I still alive and kicking? She was the strongest woman I ever made! The design, the speech patterns, the clothes, the abilities—I built every last bit of her from scratch. For a guy who can't do anything, who can only lose at gambling, she was the first beloved woman I ever created!!"
And yet there existed a being who would not permit his defeat to stand.
The patron deity of TRPGs—the God of Dice.
That entity, furious with this contemptible outcome, had sealed most of Kuribara's abilities.
It then reduced him to the form of a boy and cast him into this place.
Whether he would rot here or rise again to plot his comeback was a whim ruled by the dice, but at the very least, Kuribara's life was preserved.
Of course, he was already in a state of utter despair…
"I want to die! Let me die, Erakino! Just let me die already, Erakino!"
But even for him, something still remained.
"Shut uuuup!"
"Gwah!"
A brutal kick exploded into Kuribara's stomach, sending his body rolling across the floor until it hit the wall.
Though startled by the sudden attack, Kuribara, his face twisted in a tearful grimace, turned toward his assailant.
It was—a girl he knew well.
"Stop being so pathetic already! You're still a Player, aren't you?! Sure, most of your abilities are sealed, and you got hit with the demerit of being turned into a shota, but you're still the Game Master, right?!"
The witch Erakino.
The witch of TRPGs, an NPC created by Kuribara. His one and only subordinate whom he trusted above all others.
In a past battle, her existence had been definitively erased. And currently, with most of his GM privileges sealed, Kuribara lacked the ability to revive characters.
What did this mean? He would learn the answer soon.
"I-I'm sorry, Erakino…"
"Punishment Kick!"
"Gwah! Wh-what are you doing, Erakino?!"
Erakino—the girl so called—drove her foot into Kuribara's stomach once more.
If he took her NPC attack head-on, even a player like Kurifoto would undoubtedly suffer serious injuries. Yet the fact that she could complain with tears in her eyes showed she was holding back. It seemed her goal was to scold this pathetic man into action. With her slender arms crossed and face scowling in dissatisfaction, she glared at Kurifoto.
"I'm injecting motivation into you! And stop calling me Erakino for real!"
Yes, the girl had told Kurifoto this many times. Yet he still made the mistake whenever he let his guard down. He must never turn away from this fact.
"What's here is just a lingering scent—a remnant of the 'witch' setting. It's a shell left behind because the Dice God couldn't be bothered to clean up the bug."
The girl standing before him like she once did was no longer the daughter he knew. That was lost long ago; only a residual shadow remained before his eyes now.
Erakino was...
"—Erakino is already dead."
She had disappeared from his sight, after all.
"Ugh, uuuu..."
Kurifoto shed tears and curled up again. Normally, he wouldn't have felt such emotions. Erakino's origins were special—she was merely an existence he had birthed through repeated trial and error using his GM abilities.
The twenty-second Erakino he created. The twenty-second Erakino he had poured his heart and soul into to finally complete.
That was all she was. But that was what made it worse. For the first time, this man—who had accomplished nothing, created nothing, and watched his self-esteem bottom out while his pride rotted away—had made something he could take pride in showing to another.
That was why he would never forget the twenty-second Erakino—her, who was already lost.
No matter how much this girl called Zangai tried to reason with or scold him, Kurifuku Keiji would only continue crying for the woman who had gone away, sniffling and pathetically distant, unable to forget her.
He had nothing left in him now. Everything had been lost on that day long ago.
But fate would not allow his exit. The time had come. The time for battle.
"Get up! Get it together, we're moving out! This place doesn't give a damn about you like Erakino did, so don't think you can slack off! If you're ready, we leave now!"
The remnants of what was once Erakino. The girl, who should have been empty inside, raised her fist triumphantly just like that girl from that day, letting out a cry to signal the start of things.
Kurifuku, staring blankly at her, felt no spirit within himself. He was merely being swept along by the situation.
"Uh, leaving... go where? I've got nowhere to go..."
"Haa~, you don't even know that? Fine, I'll tell you. We're going to find Soarina and Fenne♪"
"...Huh? Why?"
For the first time, Kurifuku's eyes sharpened slightly, a note of accusation in his question. Their whereabouts had been unknown since the decisive battle with Mynoghra. They were likely alive, but where they were or what they were doing was completely unknown. And now, as if it were that simple, he was supposed to go see them? Even thinking back to those days when they naively spoke of building a peaceful world together was painful. What was a man with nothing supposed to say in apology to them, to whom he could do nothing? His anger at his own inadequacy forced harsh words from his lips.
At that attitude, Zangai laughed with evident pleasure.
"Isn't it obviously to clean up your own mess, right? Oh, wait—are you saying you’re just going to hole up in this crime-ridden city forever?"
Kree faltered, caught off guard.
He had long understood that this situation couldn’t continue. Until now, he’d managed to scrape by on funds Zangai had sourced from somewhere. But even he could see he couldn’t keep this up.
In truth, this was the same pattern that had burned him time and again in gambling. He knew all too well how crucial money was; continuing like this would inevitably lead to ruin. Besides—if things stayed as they were, not only he, but surely—
"That’s not an option, is it? Because if left unchecked, the Succubus army will march right over here too, you know~? And then, I’m sure Soarina and Fenne would end up in a terrible state~ Ah, thanks to someone being a coward, those two saints are still hiding in fear—ready to be ravaged like characters from some sleazy doujinshi~"
"Gah! Ugh, uuu…"
Tears welled in Kree’s eyes. It seemed the memory had returned—of him doing nothing, cowering during the summit meeting.
A pathetic man, about to break down into pathetic tears once more.
"That’s why I’m telling you to stand up. I’ve said it before: wipe your own ass. Show some spine. Become a man who can be glad Erakino is dead. Don’t live like a loser. Defeat your fate—God is watching."
"Shit…"
Whether the scolding finally got through, or what little pride he had left was ignited, a change overcame his previously crumpling demeanor. Kree trembled on the floor, then—letting out a hoarse shout—he forced himself to his feet.
"AAAAHH! DAMN YOU ALL! I’LL DO IT! THAT’S ALL YOU WANT, RIGHT?! I’LL DO IT, YOU IDIOTS! I’M THE GREAT GAME MASTER, FOR FUCK’S SAKE! DON’T ANY OF YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME!"
After everything that had been said, after all the mockery, was he really going to let it end here?
This was less stubbornness, more despair turned outward. But there was no doubt he was finally facing forward. No matter the form, this first step was crucial.
Shouting to spur himself on, Kurahara’s self-flagellation was met with Zangai’s cackling laughter.
"Oh, nice energy! Well then, let’s go kill the King of Ruin next, too♪"
"Gah! The King of Ruin! Takuto Ira! Wh-why?!"
But he quickly reverted to his usual self.
It seemed the name Takuto Ira was taboo for him.
Just like before, he curled up again, sinking into self-loathing.
"Ugh, hopeless."
Sighing, Zangai raised both hands in a gesture of utter helplessness.
His movements, for a mere vessel containing only a glitch with no substance, felt strangely filled with emotion…
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, Takuto—knowing nothing of Kurahara’s state of mind—was planning to use him as the cornerstone of a high-stakes strategy.
Namely, to build an alliance with Kurahara Keiji.
When Atou heard this plan, he couldn’t comprehend it for a moment, so utterly unexpected was it.
They were enemies who had fought each other so fiercely. The idea of them becoming allies had never even crossed his mind.
He had even considered that Kurahara should be identified early as a future threat factor and eliminated.
But Takuto’s thinking was the exact opposite.
Atou rarely defied Takuto’s policies. But would this actually work? He voiced his frank doubt to his lord.
"Is it possible to involve the Game Master and the holy women of the Renea Divine Light Kingdom, even though we were once adversaries?"
"Hard to say? From probing Kurahara during the All-Species Council, he seemed pretty brokenhearted, so maybe if we approach him boldly, it could work? That’s what I’m thinking. The Game Master’s abilities are powerful, so I’d like to propose cooperation even if we have to compromise quite a bit."
In Takuto’s judgment, the conclusion was that it surprisingly might just work.
This also serves to bolster the purposes of each faction that I heard from Yu. The TRPG faction—that is, when they infiltrated the Holy Kingdom of Renea—they consistently sought to build a peaceful nation.
Of course, one cannot say that every massacre and decision made in that process was correct, but it is undeniable that they acted with relatively good intentions.
If Kuribara had other purposes, they never would have permitted such actions. Yet Kuribara, as the Game Master, was consistently cooperative with the actions of Erakino and the Holy Maidens. Takuto judged that if even a sliver of the same desire for peace existed within him as it did in Yu and himself, it was worth reaching out.
"It depends on what Kuribara desires, but I don't think it's entirely a hopeless proposition."
However, unfortunately, Kuribara's witch, Erakino, had already been defeated by Takuto.
That was the point of concern. If Takuto were in Kuribara's position, he absolutely would not forgive such an act.
Some kind of compromise, or perhaps a gift, would be necessary...
(I can think about that after I find the man himself. If I'm being greedy, I'd want the Holy Maidens too... but that might be too difficult. They both seem like quite serious types.)
Naturally, he also wanted to recruit the two Holy Maidens as allies.
But he felt that might be difficult. Takuto decided the direction here would be to at least not make them enemies.
"Teaming up with former foes. It's a classic development, and quite interesting, isn't it? The possibilities are unknown, but if we could form an alliance with them, it would surely be a colossal force rivaling the enemy alliance."
The power of a Game Master is formidable.
With that, no matter how powerful the Orthodox Continent Alliance might be, there were countless ways to approach things.
Between Takuto, Yu, and Kuribara, they would have the advantage in terms of player numbers...
"I see, so that was your line of thinking! Now that you mention it, that's why you were so insistent on having the Dark Elves investigate individuals."
"Yes. Of course, it's also about discovering interesting talent, if possible."
Even in a do-or-die strategy, it was worthless if they couldn't be found.
The likelihood of them being on the Dark Continent was high, but if they had somehow escaped to another continent via Sutherland, finding them within a year would be exceedingly difficult.
Above all else, finding their location was the first step.
All operations would ultimately stem from that point.
"For one year, it will be a time of lying low first. That said, it doesn’t seem like it will be boring—"
The King of Ruin smiles faintly.
A year hence, the outbreak of war.
That battle would become a massive conflict that would shake this world to its core.
Of that, there was no doubt.