Chapter 82

Oh, the short story for the store's special edition was a tough opponent!

...Well, to be honest, I had actually finished writing the short story (SS) about a week ago, but I was also increasing my stock and clearing out my backlog of games at the same time! So I can rest easy knowing that the updates for tomorrow and the day after are secure!

What about the day after that? She's a stranger to me.

If we consider the ultimate enemy and final goal of the game, the evil god in "Brave & Blade," as the final boss, then the six "Demon Kings" that exist in this world can be seen as mid-bosses in the game.

When thinking of them as mid-bosses, the "Guardians" who protect the evil god in the deepest part of the "Twelve Ruins of Darkness" might come to mind first, but the "Demon Kings" are different in nature. While the "Guardians" are "waiting bosses" that exist in fixed locations to intercept players, the "Demon Kings" are "attacking bosses" that appear before the protagonist through events. They impose a time limit on the game in a different way from the evil god, making them very troublesome enemies.

The "Guardians" who do not move from the depths of the dungeon and mechanically eliminate those who come are, in extreme terms, just strong monsters and mere stage gimmicks. They are hurdles to be overcome by sheer strength, with no room for emotional involvement.

However, the "Demon Kings" are different. They have their own will, devise strategies, and attack humanity with their own purposes, making them "characters" in their own right.

(Actually, the Demon King faction is quite popular among users.)

I have been thoroughly tormented by these guys, so my hatred comes first, but apparently, there are a few fans who have drawn fan art of them.

(Well, they all have sharp abilities and personalities, so their characters stand out.)

They are evolved monsters by the power of the "source of evil" possessed by the evil god, and are literal "kings of monsters" who rule over their respective races. Some "Demon Kings" lead many subordinates, while others use the characteristics of their race to attack in unique ways.

And the "Fourth Demon King" who slumbers in the "House of Roses" is the epitome of this. Known as the "One Who Speaks with Death," this "Demon King" is an undead monster, a "vampire," who drinks human blood and turns them into monsters.

Its power is as legend tells, and this "Fourth Demon King" can turn humans into its own followers by drinking their blood. In fact, when the "Demon King" is resurrected, it gradually turns the residents of Freelea into vampires over time, and by the time anyone realizes it, the entire town will be destroyed, not as an exaggeration.

That's why this event must be prevented at all costs.

...If it exists.

There, I spotted the person I was looking for within my line of sight and stopped my thoughts. I approached an old woman standing in front of a small sundries shop at the corner of a busy intersection.

"Can I ask you something? I want to know if anything unusual has happened recently."

When I spoke, the old woman's eyes opened in surprise for a moment, but she soon recognized me and broke into a smile.

"Oh, it's you again. No matter how many times you ask, nothing changes. The world is at peace. This must be the guidance of the 'Goddess of Salvation.' Ho ho ho."

"Is that so? ...I'm sorry to have bothered you."

I bowed my head slightly and left the scene, grinding my teeth and muttering, "As expected."

The person I just spoke to is a background character with no particular background, but one who can reveal the progress of events and history through conversation, commonly known as the "Ho Ho Ho Grandma."

From our conversation, it was clear that...

(The era... The world events haven't progressed at all!)

The old woman's lines are what you hear when you visit right after the game starts. If the era had progressed or there were signs of a major event, the content should have changed, but it hasn't changed at all from the initial state.

"It's been three months since the game started. What is the 'protagonist' doing!"

My frustration slipped out without me realizing it.

If it were the same as the game, after three months, world-scale events, or "world events," should have occurred multiple times, and the era within the game should have progressed accordingly. Yet, there are no signs of this happening.

(Damn it! There are only two years left until the evil god's resurrection! If I could do it, I would have... by now...)

I bit my lip hard.

However, after examining events from various angles and taking various actions, I have come to a certain conclusion.

--World events can only be triggered by the "protagonist."

This is the reason why I have not actively engaged in "conquering" this world for the past three months.

In this world, if you can create a situation similar to the game, you can trigger events. This is a fact, but it seems that the element of "the protagonist being present" in the "game-like situation" has an especially significant weight.

The most obvious example is the "Star Viewing Event" that occurs when the protagonist first visits Freelea's square. When the protagonist arrives, an old woman suddenly appears and shouts,

"Show me your star! Show me your star!"

She approaches the protagonist, and when she sees the protagonist's face, she says,

"Oh, this star... What a light! What a light! This is truly someone who has been chosen by the Goddess of Light..."

She stumbles and says,

"Whether this light will be the key to saving the world or the disaster that will destroy it... Hehe! Hehehehe!"

She then leaves with an eerie laugh, which is a rather bizarre event.

This event, which occurs early in the game, is quite memorable, and I even memorized the old woman's lines. However, this event has not occurred for me, who has been entering and exiting the square multiple times in this world.

...Well, of course not.

The old woman was so excited and said those lines because the protagonist was a "qualified one" chosen by the "Goddess of Salvation," the "Hero of Light." If I, a mere general adventurer, had passed by, nothing would have happened.

So, is it really the same as the game, where events can only be triggered by the protagonist? Not exactly.

Like the conversation with Lily in the cave, events that are not part of the main storyline, such as character affection events, can be triggered by me without any issues.

But that makes sense.

Because that event occurred because Lily went on an adventure with a "close adventurer," and whether that adventurer was a "mere adventurer" or the "Hero of Light" had no impact on the event's content.

And that is probably the essence of this issue.

Most of the world events, which can be considered the main storyline, involve the protagonist being a "hero chosen by the goddess" in the flow of the story.

That's why the protagonist is absolutely necessary to trigger world events that change the world.

(But I didn't expect the protagonist to be so inactive.)

One of the reasons I have been observing so far is that I was waiting for the protagonist to trigger world events, in addition to prioritizing the expansion of my forces.

If only the protagonist can trigger world events, then conversely, the protagonist must be present where world events occur.

(Especially the "Encounter with the Demon King" event. If that has occurred, it would definitely have become a rumor...)

The "Encounter with the Demon King" event is the first awakening event for the protagonist that most players trigger.

This event is a typical "losing event" where "if the protagonist's activity level reaches a certain level, the First Demon King will suddenly appear during dungeon exploration and a battle will ensue."

The First Demon King is the lowest in the hierarchy of Demon Kings, but it is still not an opponent that the early-game protagonist can defeat. However, in a crisis, the protagonist's "Sword of Light" manifests, and they successfully repel the Demon King, a common trope in the early stages of shonen manga where the protagonist encounters a super powerful enemy and retreats in shock after the protagonist's latent abilities awaken.

If the game follows the same flow, the Demon King's resurrection should be recognized by the world, and the protagonist should make their first appearance on the historical stage.

That's why I thought it would be more effective to settle in one place and try to pinpoint the protagonist's location from rumors and other information rather than searching aimlessly without any leads...

(No matter how I think about it, this is bad.)

In the game, if important world events are left unattended for a certain period, they "explode."

The event progresses on its own in a place unknown to the protagonist, and the worst possible outcome occurs among the branches of the event.

One typical example is the "Freelea's Vampire" event, a series of events centered around the "House of Roses."

What makes this series of events troublesome is that it progresses on its own even if the protagonist is not involved, and by the time anyone realizes it, it's too late.

Depending on how the game is played, the exact timing varies, but if left alone for about six months, the master of the House of Roses, Rose, will be attacked by a vampire. A few months later, the Demon King will be fully resurrected, and about three months after that, a rebellion will break out in the town due to the vampires, leading to the collapse of Freelea.

(Still, there is still some leeway... I hope. I know the flow of this event in advance, and I have already entered the basement of the House of Roses, which should not be accessible in this "era." So... damn!)

I let out a curse.

I know.

I really do know.

Stopping the Demon King's resurrection is easy.

There's no need for complicated maneuvers.

Very simply, very straightforwardly.

Just sacrificing one person would end it immediately.

(That's why I didn't want to meet her.)

Because seeing her, talking to her, would inevitably lead to emotional involvement.

I wouldn't be able to make "that choice" anymore.

That's why I avoided conversations with her as much as possible.

I avoided eye contact and only exchanged the bare minimum of words in a businesslike manner.

Still...

Her lonely profile, her eyes filled with admiration for "adventurers," burned into my mind and wouldn't leave.

And then...

"Hey! Could you be the adventurer from yesterday?"

As if by a miracle, or a nightmare, a cheerful voice called out from behind me.

My spine shivered with a foreboding feeling, but I turned around.

"Really!"

In my field of vision, long white hair fluttered in the wind, and a smile bloomed on her modest lips, brightening the scene.

(Ah...)

I sighed inwardly.

The person I least wanted to see right now was standing there,

"...Rose"

The fated sacrifice, burdened with the "Fate of Death," was there.

The next update will be tomorrow at 9 PM.

We talked a little about the comic adaptation last time, but it really does stand out.

The cat-eared cat version reconstructs the original story to create a new one, making it exciting and unpredictable, while "Not the Protagonist!" takes a strong approach, focusing on drawing skills to closely follow the original story (personal opinion).

I'm supposed to be reviewing the storyboards, but I've gotten so used to the cat-eared cat version that I was in a state of confusion, thinking, "Why is this comic adaptation using so many of the original lines?"!

By the way, the February issue of Comp Ace, where "Not the Protagonist!" will be published, is scheduled to be released on December 26th!

And the latest eighth volume of the manga version of the cat-eared cat, coincidentally, is now on sale from the 13th of this month! (Very clever plug)