Chapter 33
Leyla Academy Research Building, Lecture Hall 3
Murmuring chatter filled the air.
Groups of students gathered in friendly clusters, engaged in animated conversation.
I squeezed into a corner seat away from the academy students and pulled out a chair to sit.
Thump-
Then I slumped face-down onto the desk.
'So sleepy...'
As the director of the continent's hottest game who also had to defend against extra-dimensional invasions, I still had to attend academy classes.
After tinkering with game development late into the night and coming to class in the morning, my body couldn't take it.
'I'm probably one of the richest people on the continent... Seems like I shouldn't need to attend academy classes.'
So when I told Lady Constellation I wanted to drop out of the academy and focus on game development...
[The Dream Storyteller scolds with hands on hips, saying in what she thinks is a stern voice and expression that dropping out of the academy would brand you with a lifelong stigma and make people mock you.]
She absolutely refused.
Even after I explained that academy classes wouldn't help either her or me, and that I didn't care about credentials or saving face, she strongly opposed it.
She said that while academy graduates who were commoners might be acceptable, commoner dropouts were heavily looked down upon - and she couldn't bear to see her apostle disrespected like that.
'I really don't care about any of that though...'
It feels like getting nagged by a mom.
But as an apostle, I couldn't ignore my Lady Constellation's orders.
So while I might not pay much attention in class, I at least showed up to academy lectures.
"Hey, did you pull Demon King?"
"Yeah, just did a 10-pull hoping for a 4-star character and got her. Such a waste of pity."
"This bastard casually bragging..."
"The story this time was so sad..."
"Yeah, I know. So heartbreaking..."
"Poor Reino..."
"Reino is so cute and precious! I'm going to support Reino!"
"Did you see the new enhancement stone dungeon?"
"Can't clear it with Knight. Do I really need to pull for Demon King?"
"Just pull already. What kind of demon doesn't have Demon King?"
"Whoa, is that racial discrimination?"
"No matter how many times I try the weekly boss, I can't figure out the patterns."
"If you don't know the patterns, you'll just have to take the hits."
"I'm taking the hits but still don't get it. Sigh... When will I clear this? Need to clear the boss to enhance Demon King."
Flinch-!
Though I tried to sleep, my ears perked up at all the students discussing [Akashic Archive].
As the game's sole developer, director, and company owner, I couldn't help but listen to what the customers were saying.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth nods, saying that as expected of a game you created, it's very popular.]
The goddess floating beside me in soul form to protect me was also a factor.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth wonders why there's so much less talk about herself and her companions.]
-Well... right now Demon King Perlereino's story is the main focus. Your story ended a while ago, Lady Constellation.
I answered with determination while still slumped on the desk.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth makes a shocked expression, saying "Ended...?"]
-No, I don't mean completely ended, more like the trend has passed... you know? Especially now that the new weekly boss is hot. People will remember your story with the goddess and heroes when they go to fight the Monster Queen.
It's natural for previous characters to be forgotten when new characters rise with story momentum and various accommodations.
Thanks to Knight Ren's usefulness as a single target damage dealer in the weekly boss battle, the Demon King was almost forgotten, but subsequent hospitality events and content brought all attention back to [Demon King Perlereino].
It wasn't strange that people were only talking about the Demon King.
-Don't worry. I'll release an alternate version of Ren later. With event story content too.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth mentions hearing that many gods in heaven now want to appear as protagonists in your game.]
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth asks with sparkling eyes if you'll really make our stories again.]
-Of course. You're my first investor and my partner, Lady Constellation.
Without her, the Dream Story Project of [Akashic Archive] might have failed from the start.
She was essentially a life partner walking shoulder to shoulder with me.
...Plus there was the fact that I could resell already successful narratives in event form.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth exclaims that you're the only one for her and jumps to hug you!]
I jolted upright in surprise at the goddess hugging me from behind.
Even though she was in soul avatar form rather than her divine body, I could still inexplicably feel a soft warmth and sensation that made me reflexively jump up.
Thinking I must have drawn attention from the other students unlike my intention to quietly pass the class, I looked around but...
"What did you just say?"
Fortunately there was an even bigger attention-grabber.
A male student a few rows ahead violently pushed back his chair and stood up.
An intellectual-looking handsome man wearing glasses.
With his academy uniform perfectly pressed, he questioned the female students sitting next to him.
"You support Demon King Perlereino? Are you serious?"
The female students shrank back as the man coldly pushed up his glasses.
...Come to think of it, those female students were the ones talking about poor Demon King Reino earlier.
"This is absurd. Did you even properly read the story?"
His booming voice drew the attention of all the chatting students in the lecture hall.
"Demon King Perlereino is clearly a mass murderer. No matter the justification of breaking the chain of hatred, it's an undeniable historical fact that countless lives were lost in the lava sea she created."
-Hey what's with this guy?
-Don't you know him? He's the Apostle of Wisdom.
-The Goddess of Wisdom's apostle?
-Oof those girls stepped in it. Getting caught by Wisdom's apostle.
'...Apostle of Wisdom?'
I glanced at the goddess beside me as I heard the students' murmuring.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth nods, saying ah, that one's her apostle, hmm.]
-Lady Constellation, do you know the Goddess of Wisdom?
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth answers that they're not close friends, just someone she's heard about here and there.]
Well, makes sense that a reclusive goddess wouldn't know.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth tilts her head, saying she just felt some very rude faith.]
The Goddess of Wisdom, huh.
From what I recall, they were a deity who loved debate and valued gaining more experience and wisdom...
"It's fascinating how this presents a dilemma - either oppose the Demon King's grand mission to prevent massacre, or support it to break the chain of hatred at the cost of involving innocents. Truly an intriguing dilemma to ponder."
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth explains that Wisdom's apostles will grab anyone to debate if they find a discussion topic, and they're quite avoided since they have extensive knowledge and airtight logic.]
Looking at how he's talking now, I really don't want to get involved.
Even though it's my game, I'd probably get thoroughly demolished in a debate.
"I must commend the fantasy game studio for crafting such an elegant dilemma. Yet you ignore this beautiful philosophical quandary and support her simply because she lived a tragic life? Even if she chose self-sacrifice after overcoming hatred, this is hardly appropriate reasoning for academy students."
Thanks for the praise but... that wasn't really my intention with that part.
"Can any of you refute this?"
...
No one in the now-silent lecture hall answered his challenge.
"My my. Perhaps my argument was too perfect? How disappointing. When I heard everyone discussing [Akashic Archive], I thought we might have an engaging debate."
...Maybe there's a different reason Wisdom's apostles are avoided.
"Though there are some questionable aspects of the game studio's approach. Like having the Archive's Supervisor only make correct choices despite presenting a dilemma. Well, I suspect this may be intentional foreshadowing by the studio. There were hints before about [Archive] prioritizing restoration of the original history after all."
He caught that breadcrumb I dropped perfectly.
Must be a loyal customer? I should check how much he's spent later.
"Of course, with the Supervisor's death, it's impossible to predict how the story will progress from here."
Then-.
BANG-!
"He's not dead."
A female student slammed her desk hard as she stood up.
Now what?
"The Supervisor is not dead."
The female student glared at the Apostle of Wisdom with intense hostility.
"Interesting. You wish to debate the Supervisor's mortality? How fascinating. I never expected this topic to arise."
The two students slowly approached each other.
The male and female students faced off.
"The Supervisor was pierced by the [Assassin of the Abyss] in Act 2's finale. He drew his last breath in the player's arms. While the scene of him using his last strength to create a battlefield with the cube's power was impressive, everything about the direction indicated he had passed away. What evidence do you have to claim the Supervisor is not dead?"
The man pushed up his glasses as he questioned her.
"...Simple. Because the Supervisor is not dead."
This feels strange.
Seeing others debate the future of the story I created.
...It's fun though.
Now I understand why authors like to spy on reader reactions.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth asks out of pure curiosity... did the Supervisor really die?]
-The Supervisor who appeared in the game died... but the Supervisor himself isn't actually dead.
[The Sacrifice That Overcame Sloth tilts her head with question marks, asking what that means.]
The Archive's Supervisor is a character I modeled after my past life.
No matter how much I try to avoid self-insert characters, I wouldn't so casually dispose of 'another me' who needs to drive the story forward.
The Supervisor is alive.
However, I hid the breadcrumbs about his survival in what are essentially hidden side quests.
Plus, the Supervisor's current state would be hard to comprehend even for people of this world, so it would be difficult to use that as evidence.
That's why I'm more interested in this female student.
Her bulging game pouch... no, I mean I'm curious how she noticed the fragments of the follow-up story that I intentionally concealed.
I wanted to know how well she found the breadcrumbs I scattered.
"That's why I'm asking for your evidence. There is abundant circumstantial evidence suggesting the Supervisor's death. Meanwhile, there is zero evidence supporting his survival. What grounds do you have for your claim? Without presenting plausible evidence, your opinion cannot be accepted."
The male student's continued questioning.
How will the female student respond?
Will she answer using the breadcrumbs I hid?
That would be evidence that people who haven't done the side quests couldn't relate to though. Even those who did the side quests would find it hard to accept.
It would take too long and be boring and academic.
That's why I was even more eager to hear her answer.
"Well then..."
The female student raised her hand above the male student's head.
?
What's this?
"...Just die."
WHAM!
In the next moment, the female student grabbed the male student's head and slammed it hard onto the desk.
Flash-
In the midst of the chaos, I caught a glimpse.
A badge pinned inside the female student's fluttering jacket.
A bizarre badge depicting the Supervisor and a male provisional supervisor with a heart between them.
And thus the fujo strikes back.