Chapter 15

I hate making plans.

Well, it's okay though; even if progress is poor, everything will work out if I just write 100,000 words on the deadline day!!

When I decided to live in this world, I somehow felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.

I stretched widely, loosening my tense body, and glanced to the side.

On the bed a little away from my sleeping place, a girl with vivid blue hair was sleeping.

(What should I do with this girl?)

Probably the sister of "Rex," the girl named Recilia.

I saved her from being attacked by gargoyles, and even though it's been more than a full day, she's still asleep.

When I showed her to the town healer yesterday, he said, "Her wounds are completely sealed, so she will wake up eventually."

I don't think there's anything to worry about, but since she was supposed to die in the game, I have a slight unease.

I can't just abandon her or entrust her to someone else, so I put her in the same inn as me, but thinking about what to do from here gives me a headache.

To me, she's someone I've never spoken to before, but in terms of family, she's my blood-related sister, and she probably knows me well, which is honestly confusing.

It's almost better to have a suddenly appearing, unrelated sister, like in some games.

To add to that, she's a character who is definitely supposed to die in the game, so there's no information about her other than the fact that she's Rex's sister.

From her sleeping appearance, she does have a well-defined face, as befits the sister of the handsome Rex.

Also, from her greenish hair, I can guess that she might be good at wind-element magic, but that's about it.

(I should probably keep it a secret from her that I'm not the "real Rex.")

I feel bad about lying, but for the sake of keeping my secret and for her own good, I should be careful about when to tell her the truth.

Her hometown was destroyed by monsters, and all her acquaintances are probably dead.

The last remaining brother is now a different person inside, which is too harsh no matter how you look at it.

(...It's going to be a tough road.)

Including that, I should start looking at the future more systematically.

If I were the protagonist of a novel or manga, I might be able to get away with just charging ahead on a whim and momentum, thanks to plot convenience and talent adjustments.

However, I'm just an ordinary person, not a protagonist.

The world of Freelea isn't that sweet, and you can't just get by with a hit-and-miss approach.

Even if you don't plan ahead, you eventually understand the importance of setting goals and managing your own condition when you become an adult.

Just setting a goal and making a plan can change your motivation, and even if things don't go according to plan, it's very important to specifically grasp "how far behind you are" and "how much effort you need to catch up," which is as important as the skill of fudging a long, unnecessary response when asked, "How's your progress?"

First, the ultimate goal came to mind immediately.

- Survive the two years of the game period!

Please don't say it's a lack of ambition.

If you play normally, Rex is almost certain to die.

I think we've cleared the opening event, so the worst is over, but we can't be complacent.

Besides, if the evil god is resurrected, the world won't be spared, so this is essentially equivalent to "clearing the game."

To achieve this, the first thing that comes to mind is:

1. Find the game's protagonist.

2. Explore this world.

3. Complete various events.

4. Strengthen our forces.

That's about it, I guess.

First, "1. Find the game's protagonist" is absolutely necessary, or rather, the story can't start without it.

The "protagonist" in the game is an ultra-important character called the "Chosen One of Light" or the "Child of Destiny."

They are essential not only in terms of events but also in terms of performance.

With excellent stats, they have unique skills like "Sword of Light" and "Wings of Light," which are highly effective against dark monsters.

They also have a permanent effect called "Light's Quality" that increases the growth rate of party members.

I say "apparently" because in the game, the "player = protagonist" and could never be removed from the party, so I don't know what level they would reach if they weren't there.

In the party I first met, including Rad, there was no "protagonist."

If the protagonist of this world is a "city boy who dreams of being an adventurer," Rad should be in the protagonist's position, but since the sealed door didn't react when Rad and the others touched it, it's safe to assume they are not the "protagonist."

There are seven different backgrounds for the protagonist in Freelea.

With the DLC that was announced, there might be eight possibilities.

I need to find the true protagonist's background and identify the protagonist, whose appearance and abilities are unknown.

In the worst-case scenario, there might be a pattern where "there is no protagonist in this world," but I'll try not to think about that for now.

Next, "2. Explore this world" is also important.

What kind of place is this world, and how is it different from the game?

There are parts that seem to be known but are not fully understood.

For example, the alchemy I did, "throwing unusable items into the alchemy pot to de-synthesize and return them to materials," is a technique that can be done in the game, but it's a pretty strange occurrence if you think about it in real-world terms.

On the other hand, the betting technique I used at the casino, "betting tokens after the roulette starts spinning to take advantage of cheating," is something that can't be done in the game.

In the game, the roulette button becomes unresponsive the moment it's pressed, so you can't bet tokens just before it stops.

In this way, both "things that can be done in the game but not in reality" and "things that can be done in reality but not in the game" can be useful to me.

I shouldn't neglect the effort to understand what kind of world this is.

One place I definitely want to visit is the "Heroes' Monument" in the Water City.

On the surface, it's a monument with the names of past heroes who contributed to the world, but in reality, it's a staff roll as a playful touch.

It's hard to imagine that phrases like "Programmer Taro Yamada" would exist in a fantasy world by chance, so if this exists, it should confirm my hypothesis that "this world is based on the game Freelea."

Then, "3. Complete various events"...

If possible, I'd like to find the protagonist quickly and leave everything to them while I hide somewhere.

However, it's not guaranteed that the protagonist will be found immediately, and in Freelea, there are troublesome events called "Fatal Events" that are prepared for each character, one, two, or even three or four.

These are events where "if you make the wrong choice or leave it alone, the character will die," for example, the famous "Prince of Light Ein" will be killed by his real brother in the second year of the game if no precautions are taken.

There's also a larger-scale version called the "Historical Junction," where making the wrong choice can lead to a rebellion that turns the town into a slum, the town being flooded, the town flying and crashing, the town being overrun by monsters, a suspicious army being formed and some characters becoming enemies, the terrain changing and the road becoming impassable, and so on, causing all sorts of chaos.

Even if I decide to live for myself, I can't ignore events of this magnitude, and if I can intervene, I should try to do so...

However, the problem is that the event flags are incredibly complex.

The timing of their occurrence is influenced by both the game's progress and the actual years, and the situation of the event and the characters can also affect it.

(First... I need to extract knowledge.)

Whatever I do, the game knowledge I remember is a weapon that surpasses everything else.

The timing of events is sometimes buried in the depths of my memory, but I can't make a plan without writing it down on paper.

Also, human memory is vague.

Even the knowledge I remember now might be forgotten over time.

(...There's no choice. I have to do it.)

I took out another notebook and started writing down the content and conditions of the events based on my memory.

※ ※ ※

In front of the notebook, I muttered to myself for hours.

(I've written something dangerous...)

When I came to my senses and looked at the notebook, it was filled with an incredible amount of information.

There are parts where my memory is uncertain, but I'm amazed at how much I remember about a game from a few years ago.

I was so absorbed in writing that this might as well be a prophecy.

If this fell into the wrong hands, it could cause a lot of trouble.

(This would be the kind of thing that gets stolen by the enemy in the second half of a story and causes a lot of trouble. I know this well.)

I must be careful not to lose it or let anyone see it.

Just as I nodded in agreement, I noticed something.

"...Huh?"

I suddenly realized that a shadow had fallen on my hand.

My heart skipped a beat.

Cold sweat trickled down my back at the worst possible feeling.

That's right.

I had completely forgotten.

I wasn't alone in this room.

(No, wait. Hold on...)

But even so, something like this shouldn't happen at a time like this.

It shouldn't happen.

I turned around, praying.

"Big... brother..."

But my prayers were in vain.

There stood the girl, Recilia, Rex's sister, with a ghostly expression.

"Ah..."

I couldn't think of an excuse.

Spread out on the inn's table were notebooks filled with events that clearly described future occurrences, such as the "Rebellion in the City of Freelea" and the "Assassination of Prince of Light Ein."

When her eyes caught another notebook with a line through "Return to the original world" and a page with "Live in this world!" written in large letters, her expression tightened in despair.

With a pale face, she pointed a drawn sword at me and asked with trembling lips.

"Rex... no, who are you?"

I gasped as if I had been struck.