Chapter 54
'Last Arcanum.'
The adult game 'Last Arcanum'—or Lasaka, for short—had a system that sent chuunibyo sufferers everywhere into a frenzy.
That was the system known as the Arcana.
The twenty-two Arcana that make up the tarot deck.
Each of the main characters in the game was assigned a corresponding Arcana.
For example, Iris, who's in the depths of misfortune right now but eventually awakens after all sorts of twists and turns, even reclaiming the throne in some routes, has the 'Empress' Arcana.
Then there's Sieg-kun. He's just an ordinary scrawny kid now, but as an utterly unhinged amateur, he doggedly pursues foolish training no ordinary person would even think of—and eventually defeats even the final boss. He has the 'Fool' Arcana.
In other words, each character who bears an Arcana has one that symbolizes their personality.
Basically, the main characters associated with an Arcana are generally not easy to deal with, so if you want to live a mob character's life, you'd best steer clear of them.
――But there was one extremely troublesome complication.
Gregorio, the mastermind behind this incident, was also one of the so-called Arcana bearers.
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Gregorio.
The mayor of Lyon, a handsome, clean-cut man who looks like he knows how to get things done.
To be honest, Gregorio isn't particularly strong in a direct fight. I could probably beat him in a brawl.
He's clearly weaker than Baldo.
But that's not what makes Gregorio such a pain to deal with.
He wins over the people around him, builds a powerful organization, and eventually stands in the protagonist's way.
And despite doing all that, this man doesn't have any particular goal.
If I had to give a reason, it's because he's bored.
Gregorio had felt some sort of emptiness in his heart since he was young. Basically, he was looking for someone to help him pass the time.
He's a through-and-through hedonist who wants to take over and rule the city just because it sounds fun.
Some enemy characters suddenly become reasonable after the protagonist defeats them, but Gregorio will try to betray the protagonist at every opportunity, even after becoming his subordinate.
As an administrator, he's incredibly capable and useful, but he's such a wild card that the moment you take your eyes off him, he's plotting a rebellion.
Incidentally, thanks to his handsome looks and his insane villain act—he absolutely refuses to fall for the player—he was surprisingly a perennial fan favorite.
――But if you looked at it in terms of the real world, there was no one more troublesome.
That's right.
Of all the characters, Gregorio was undoubtedly a madman you must never cross paths with.
That's why I didn't storm over to Gregorio as soon as this event began.
If I made one wrong move, I'd have a madman hounding me for the rest of my life.
――His Arcana was 'The Moon.'
The Arcana's meanings were latent danger, unseen malice, and deception.
As a villain, he was as nasty a madman as they come.
That was Gregorio.
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"Genesis, what are you gonna do about that guy?"
After hearing me out, Enrique asked, looking thoroughly displeased.
"From what you're saying, he's a total nutjob. He's exactly the kind of guy I hate. At the very least, he's a terrible match for people like us, who solve everything with violence."
"Don't worry. I've got a plan."
I couldn't figure out why he'd grouped me with the muscleheads by saying 'us,' but I answered him.
"We've already taken a big bite out of the numbers on the Bright Night side. So there should be an opening."
That's right.
Even Gregorio must be having a hard time making a move with his forces depleted as they are.
He couldn't be happy about it, either.
Besides, I was pretty confident in my negotiating skills. I'd even managed to bamboozle Iris with my silver tongue, after all.
"I see," Enrique said, nodding with a serious expression.
"Since their numbers are down, you're planning to bring down the whole city hall where Gregorio is and bury him under the rubble? Works for me. That's a plan I like."
"................ Come on."
I thought to myself that his brain—and even his magic power—might be made of muscle.
That was utterly ridiculous.
It made me sound like some monstrous creature that couldn't be reasoned with.
This was hopeless.
Being around this guy made me feel like my dream of living a mob character's life was slipping even farther away.
"Listen, Enrique," I said, exasperated.
I looked around.
"It's practically dawn. We'd be disturbing the neighbors if we did that, wouldn't we?"
"Ah. Now that you mention it, you're right."
"Right?"
I was certain of it.
Gregorio, with his forces nearly spent—and me, who wanted nothing more to do with him.
Besides, there was no point confronting him in my Genesis getup this time.
To begin with, I didn't want him taking an interest in me, let alone the Randall family itself.
That's right.
So what I was going to do was—
"I'll take off my mask and have a peaceful one-on-one talk as my true self. Over tea, of course. I should be the one in control."
Then I'd make a non-aggression pact so he wouldn't follow me around for the rest of my life.
That was the only way.
The meeting that would determine my fate was about to begin—
―――――――――――――――――――――
Gregorio
→A clean-cut, cheerful madman of a mayor. Dangerous.
Protagonist
→Won't tolerate disturbing the neighbors.
'The 22 Arcana'
→I settled on it after considering all sorts of groups with numbers in their names, like the 'Four Heavenly Kings,' the 'Seven Deadly Sins,' and the 'Seven Lucky Gods.' Cool.