“Then, let me play.”
After finishing dinner, my father got up from the sofa a little earlier than usual and sat down in front of his laptop on the table in the living room.
There was hope on his face.
However, even more than that, there was a sense of caution.
“You don’t have to be so defensive. This time it’s really the royal road.”
“Yesterday, when my son explained that classic RPG to me, he calmly said, ‘Depending on the circumstances, an unknown country could be destroyed.’ Dad has every right to be cautious.”
“We’re at war, so if we lose, we might perish.”
“See. That’s the point.”
Dad turned on the power with a wry smile.
Still, he somehow looked like he was having fun.
It was different from when he played 《LITTLE FRONTIER》.
Back then, he’d been touching it without even knowing what I had made.
It was different this time.
An action RPG to defeat the Demon King.
You can attack in any order. Even if the player doesn’t move, the world’s war continues.
I’d already explained that point yesterday.
“My time on the computer is over for today, so Father will be in charge of operating it.”
“I know. In fact, today you should say as little as possible.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to experience it for the first time myself. It wouldn’t be fun if the author explained everything from the side.”
I see.
That made sense.
“Then I’ll only answer when asked.”
“Please.”
Father started up 《FRONTIER SAGA》.
The screen turned black and silver letters appeared in the center.
《FRONTIER SAGA》
“I like the title.”
Dad leaned forward a little.
“Does it look like the royal road?”
“It feels like the royal road, or rather, like the beginning of an adventure.”
New Game was selected.
The first thing I saw was a huge mountain range covered in snow.
Beyond the white, hazy peaks.
A huge castle rose beneath the black clouds that covered the sky.
Spires layered one over another. A castle wall that looked like it had been carved out of the mountain itself.
A swarm of monsters with black wings was circling around it.
Eventually, text appeared over the image.
—A hundred years ago.
—A hero challenged the Demon King.
The scene changed.
A man stood inside the collapsed castle.
His armor was shattered and his entire body was soaked in blood. Still, the man didn’t let go of his sword, holding it toward the huge black figure standing in front of him.
—The hero, Alberto Rain.
—He was unable to defeat the Demon King.
—However, most of its power was sealed away, leaving humanity a hundred years’ grace.
The man thrust his sword with the last of his strength.
A white light spread, and the Demon King’s roar echoed.
Eventually, the screen went dark.
—However, the seal was not forever.
—The Demon King’s army has begun to move again.
—The Five Kingdoms continue to resist.
—Humanity has already lost 40% of the continent.
There was a slight pause.
Finally, one more sentence was displayed.
—At least, that’s what I was taught.
“…It’s a little strange, just at the end.”
Dad whispered.
“Is it weird?”
“Until then, it had been an explanation of history, but at the end it suddenly became the main character’s words.”
“Because it’s the history as the main character knows it.”
“I see. Well, that’s fine. So far, it’s surprisingly good.”
“That’s what I told you.”
“It’s only three minutes into the game.”
I wasn’t trusted.
The next thing I saw was a small village.
Houses were on fire.
A monster ran among the people fleeing in tears, and a man stood with a sword in his hand, blocking the way of the group of enemies heading toward the village.
A young boy was watching his back.
“Dad!”
The man turned around.
“Take your mother and run!”
“But—”
“Go!”
The man shouted and pushed the boy away.
The screen turned black.
What I heard was the sound of swords and claws colliding.
The roar of a monster. The dull sound of something falling.
And then, silence.
“…He didn’t make it?”
“If you mean the father, he’s dead.”
“It’s harsh, but it’s easy to understand why the main character goes on a journey.”
The scene shifted to several years later.
The mother handed an old sword to the grown young man.
“This is your father’s sword.”
The young man took it with both hands.
“Before that, your grandfather had it. And long before that…”
My eyes focused on the pommel of the sword.
There was an old emblem engraved on it.
“This is the sword used by the hero Alberto, who challenged the Demon King a hundred years ago.”
“Is the main character a descendant of a hero?”
“He’s a descendant of the Rain family.”
Dad didn’t take his eyes off the screen.
“Your dad said that until the end.”
The mother laughed a little.
“Hero’s blood doesn’t matter. You don’t have to be strong. Just be a person who can protect what you want to protect.”
The young man looked at the sword.
“So there’s no need for you to fight.”
A slightly long silence.
The young man put the sword at his waist.
“I know.”
Outside the window.
Black smoke was rising far away, on the other side of the mountain.
Another village somewhere was being attacked.
“I’m not going because I’m a hero’s descendant.”
The young man opened the door.
“The ones who killed my father are still burning down someone’s house.”
He went outside.
“I want it to end.”
“This is nice.”
Dad muttered a little.
“What?”
“He isn’t deciding this because it’s a hero’s mission, but because of his own experience. It makes sense as a reason to defeat the Demon King.”
“This time, I thought about that as well.”
“You’re growing…”
“This is my second time making a game.”
“That’s not a line a five-year-old should say.”
The young man left the village.
Finally, a sentence appeared on the screen.
—A journey that could not be completed a hundred years ago.
—This time, finish it.
From there, it switched to the gameplay screen.
A small inn.
The young man got up from his bed and put the sword he’d inherited from his father on his hip.
The objective was displayed at the edge of the screen.
《Defeat the Demon King》
“Easy to understand.”
Dad laughed.
“Now I understand what you meant yesterday. I won’t be confused about what to do from the start.”
“This time I made sure to take care of that.”
“By the way.”
Dad turned toward me.
“Yesterday, you said that you can attack in any order.”
“You can go wherever you want.”
“Is it okay for this protagonist to do something else instead of avenging his father?”
“Of course.”
“For example?”
“You can become a merchant and travel around the continent, or you can buy farmland and live there. You can also form a mercenary group and take part in wars between countries.”
“…It’s pretty free.”
“You can marry someone along the way and stop traveling.”
“A hero’s descendant?”
“Hero’s descendants have lives too, right?”
Dad laughed a little.
“So, is there an ending where the Demon King isn’t defeated?”
“In the first place, it’s not like I only prepared a list of fixed endings.”
“What do you mean?”
It seemed like a little explanation was needed here.
“Conversations and negotiations in this game aren’t just fixed options. The conversational AI creates candidates on the spot by looking at the characters’ personalities, knowledge, relationships, the current war situation, and how Dad has been playing up until that point.”
Father’s eyes turned toward me.
“…On the spot?”
“It’s not like everything is written down from the beginning, like ‘If you choose A, then B.’ Based on what the other party knows, what they want, and how they feel about you, it creates the negotiations and responses that are possible at that time.”
“So, how many options are there?”
“I don’t think they can be counted.”
“You can’t count them?”
“Because they’re combinations.”
Dad was silent for a while.
“Specifically?”
“If you capture an enemy general in a war, some people will execute him, while others will demand a ransom. If you want to get your own side’s prisoners back, you may have the option of offering a prisoner exchange.”
“We can even exchange prisoners?”
“If there’s someone on the other side who wants an exchange, and you can negotiate.”
“…You went that far?”
“On the other hand, if the relationship changes because you repeatedly ignore or help the other person, they may no longer be enemies in the first place.”
Dad thought for a moment.
“The Demon King too?”
“The Demon King is also a character with a will, so from the beginning I didn’t create him as a device that would definitely end in a battle.”
“So, you could talk it out and end the war?”
“There’s a possibility it can be done.”
“…Even make him a companion?”
“It depends on the relationship.”
Dad’s mouth twitched a little.
“But if you want to defeat someone, you can defeat them normally.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
Dad laughed and shook his head.
“Plus, it learns how you choose, Dad.”
“There’s more?”
“For example, if Dad often chooses to help someone when he sees someone in trouble, then in similar situations, instead of just saying ‘help,’ it will suggest the specific methods he’d choose. On the other hand, if you’re a person who prioritizes negotiation and making money, you’ll get more options that involve transactions and rewards.”
“Doesn’t it feel like my personality is being tested without my permission?”
“It’s not about determining your personality. It just remembers the play styles you often use to make them easier to choose. Of course, you can choose something completely different from what you’re used to.”
“I see…”
Dad looked at the protagonist for a while.
“In other words, even if people come to the same place, the conversations displayed will change depending on the person?”
“I think they’ll change a lot.”
“The Strategy Wiki people are going to cry.”
“It hasn’t even been released yet.”
“I can tell just from the explanation you just gave.”
◇
He went down to the first floor of the inn.
Behind the counter, the innkeeper was wiping the dishes.
“You’re up? Did you sleep well last night?”
When he talked to him, conversation suggestions were displayed.
《I slept well. Thank you》
《The bed was a little hard》
《Last night, I heard soldiers’ voices in the middle of the night.》
《Is the number of travelers coming from the east increasing?》
《Do you have breakfast?》
《Pay without saying anything》
“…That’s a lot.”
“Since it’s the first time, it doesn’t understand much of Dad’s tendencies yet.”
“Are these just the candidates?”
“The ones that can’t all be displayed are summarized.”
Dad hesitated a little and chose the second option.
“The bed was a little hard.”
The innkeeper lowered his eyebrows apologetically.
“Sorry about that. I can’t afford to buy new bedding right now.”
With that, the innkeeper sighed.
“If the roads to the east were decent, we could get slightly better stuff, but lately, shipments have been delayed.”
“Is this the start of the East Highway quest?”
“You didn’t ask me, right?”
Dad looked at the screen.
“True. So he just told me why he’s in trouble?”
“Even in 《LITTLE FRONTIER》, the villagers talked about what they needed.”
“I understand that. However, the scale of the story is bigger this time. Last time it was seven pieces of meat, but now it’s a highway.”
He left the inn. Morning spread out over the town.
People were walking between the stone houses, and a bakery was giving off smoke that reminded me of the smell of freshly baked bread. Traders pulling carts were heading toward the gate, and children were running after their dogs.
There were fields outside the town, and beyond them you could see the forest.
Even further north. On the other side of the mountain range, the Demon King’s Castle from earlier was floating as a small shadow.
“It’s spacious.”
Dad turned the camera.
“How far can I go?”
“If you can actually find your way, pretty far.”
“Can I go to the Demon King’s castle right now?”
“If you can break through along the way.”
“At level one?”
“There’s a high chance you’ll die on the way, but I won’t let an invisible wall stop you.”
Dad looked north for a while.
Then he opened the map.
“Like I heard yesterday, can I really go wherever I want?”
“Even if the final goal is decided, I don’t think the order of the journey needs to be.”
“In that case, I’ll go south first.”
“The enemy is in the north, isn’t it?”
“That’s why. Rather than suddenly chasing after the enemy, I’ll get used to the controls first. I’m a cautious person.”
“Noted.”
“Don’t say it like you’re reporting to the AI.”
“Do you want me to record it?”
Dad laughed.
◇
After going out of town for a while, a small horned rabbit jumped out of the grass.
Dad raised his sword.
“Just tell me the controls.”
“Right to attack. Left to evade. This is defense.”
“Got it.”
The horned rabbit jumped at him.
Dad narrowly rolled to the side, turning around and swinging his sword.
The blade hit its torso.
Along with a dull sound, the horned rabbit’s body tilted significantly.
“This feels good.”
His voice was a little loud. Another blow.
The horned rabbit collapsed, and the experience gauge rose slightly.
“Is this what you meant when you said ‘win’ and ‘become stronger’ yesterday?”
“Does it feel good?”
“Quite a bit. Even though the sword is heavy, it’s not annoying to swing.”
“I’m glad. I adjusted it many times.”
Next came two.
Dad blocked the first attack with his shield, and slashed at the moment the horned rabbit lost its balance.
He dealt with the second one, which came from the side, by dodging it.
“Wait, wait…there!”
The sword went in. The second one fell.
Dad laughed.
“This is just plain fun.”
“Just plain?”
“This time it’s a compliment. It’s fun just fighting without thinking about anything.”
The way he said that made me a little happy.
◇
After walking a little further, I saw something shining in a rocky area off the road.
Dad noticed right away.
“There’s definitely something left over there.”
“Why?”
“Yesterday, you said, ‘I’d be sad if nothing happened even though I worked hard.'”
“You’ve read me.”
“Because I’m your parent.”
Dad veered off the main road and headed toward the rocky area.
He slid down once and climbed back up from a different angle.
There was a small hill beyond the gap between the rocks.
And in the center was a treasure chest.
“There it is.”
Dad smiled happily.
“Why don’t you try opening it?”
“I will, even without you telling me.”
He opened the lid.
A bluish-white light overflowed, and the 《Traveler’s Ring》 was displayed.
It was equipment that slightly reduced stamina consumption when moving.
“It’s plain, but I’m happy about something like this.”
“If I put something too strong there, everyone would have to take the detour.”
“I see. If you find it, you’ll feel like you’ve won.”
Dad immediately equipped the ring.
“Are there many places like this?”
“There are places where you might think, ‘Maybe there’s something here.'”
“Then I might not make any progress on defeating the Demon King today.”
“Isn’t it okay to play freely?”
“Since I’ve received permission from the author, I’ll take detours without hesitation.”
◇
An hour later.
Dad really didn’t follow the main path.
“This isn’t a road.”
“It’s not even an animal trail.”
“But I can see something over there.”
“Then why don’t you go and try it?”
“Going.”
He crossed over fallen trees, crossed a small stream, and entered the depths of the forest through a gap in the cliff.
He found a cave there.
“It’s a cave again.”
“This time, I made it from scratch.”
“You have to add ‘this time’ because of the previous work.”
There were three monsters at the back of the cave.
Dad was defeated twice.
Third time. He drove his sword into the last one.
“Okay!”
He clenched his fist involuntarily.
I looked at his face from the side.
He looked a little like Haru, rolling the dice in kindergarten that day.
“Dad.”
“What?”
“Is it fun?”
“Quite.”
It was an immediate answer.
Just hearing that answer was enough for the day.
◇
The next day, my father started up 《FRONTIER SAGA》. And the day after that as well.
I didn’t invite him.
By the third day, the character’s level had risen to eight.
“Dad, you’re playing more than I expected.”
“…Well.”
“About how many hours?”
“Let’s keep that a secret, even between parent and child.”
“Mother.”
“Wait. Let’s talk.”
My mother peeked out from the kitchen.
“Dear?”
My father thought about it.
“Yesterday alone, it was about two hours…”
“And you told Yuu one hour a day?”
“Adults have their own discretion.”
“Then, from today onwards, let’s make it a family rule.”
“I’m sorry.”
The reply was quick.
◇
Afternoon of the third day.
Dad arrived at Rodia, a fortified city in the southern part of the kingdom.
Wagons and merchants were lined up in front of the huge castle wall, and the guards at the gate were checking each passerby.
The moment he went inside, my father stopped moving.
“…That’s amazing.”
There were people.
Their numbers were also incomparable to the village in 《LITTLE FRONTIER》.
Carts were passing through the main street, and guards were patrolling beside them. Children were chasing each other in the alleys, and shopkeepers and customers were haggling over prices at the stalls.
Some adventurers were entering the bar. There were also two people fighting.
In front of the church, an old woman was scattering food for pigeons, and a young priest was rushing past her.
A cat was sleeping under a carriage.
Someone’s dog barked at it and was pulled away by its owner.
“These… they’re not just background?”
“What?”
“The priest who just ran past, the cat, and so on.”
“They properly exist.”
“Can I talk to the priest?”
“If you catch up.”
Dad really chased after him.
He caught the priest around the corner.
“Sorry, I’m in a hurry! If I don’t deliver these medicinal herbs, I won’t make it in time for the afternoon treatments!”
He kept running.
“Quest?”
“I wasn’t asked.”
“…I know already. There’s just a reason why that person is in a hurry.”
“You’re getting used to it.”
“Trained by 《LITTLE FRONTIER》.”
Dad laughed and went into the general store this time.
Medicines, torches, ropes, preserved food, and so on were lined up on the shelves.
The female shop owner called out to him.
“Welcome. Are you a traveler?”
Dad bought preserved food.
The shopkeeper looked at the silver coin she received and raised her eyebrows slightly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a northern silver coin. I’ll take it, but the exchange rate isn’t very good right now.”
Dad’s fingers stopped.
“…Exchange rate?”
“Because each country has a different currency.”
“I understand that. But isn’t it fixed?”
“It changes depending on war and trade. The amount in circulation, the gold and silver reserves, the trust in that country, and so on.”
“Even trust in the currency?”
“If the war situation in the north worsens and the country is seen as dangerous, more people won’t want to hold northern silver coins anymore.”
Dad looked at the screen as if looking at silver coins in his hand.
“Yesterday, I heard that countries could be destroyed.”
“I told you.”
“I didn’t hear that the contents of my wallet would shrink because a country was in danger.”
“If I explained everything to you, the night would end before you could play.”
“That’s true, but…”
He left the store.
At a fruit shop a little further down the road, the owner was raising his voice.
“It’s expensive today! If you have a complaint, tell it to the monsters on the southern road! Two carts were destroyed yesterday!”
Dad looked at the apples. They were more expensive than in the first village.
“No way.”
“What?”
“Did this price really change because of that attack?”
“If supplies decrease and demand stays the same, won’t it go up?”
“…Is this what happens when a country moves?”
The laughter faded a little from my father’s voice.
“I thought it was just about bigger units. Things like forts falling and borders changing.”
“If that happens, it also affects the people living there.”
“Bedding, apples, even currency?”
“If it reaches that far.”
Dad looked at the main street for a while.
“Just looking around this town is going to make time melt away.”
◇
He entered the bar during the day.
It was crowded with soldiers, merchants, and adventurers.
In the back, a bard was playing an instrument, and at the table next to him, three men were spreading out a map and arguing over something.
Dad spoke to a nearby soldier.
“The southern fort has fallen.”
The next man.
“Now the road to Rodia is going to be dangerous. Merchants won’t be coming for a while.”
Another woman was looking down and not drinking.
“My brother was sent south. Even though he’s only seventeen…”
Dad was silent for a while.
“Like I heard yesterday, the war was progressing while I was taking detours.”
“The south started out in a pretty dangerous situation.”
“Is it because I was slow that the fort fell in three days?”
“It’s not just because Dad didn’t go. It also depends on the arrival of reinforcements, supplies, the commander’s judgment, and the enemy’s actions.”
“So just because I’d gone south on the first day doesn’t mean it would definitely have been saved, right?”
“It depends on the situation, including that.”
Dad looked at the map.
The southern fort already bore the colors of the Demon King’s army.
“…It’s frustrating to see it like this.”
“Why?”
“I knew it in theory. But it’s different when you actually see it and think, ‘Until yesterday, this place was on the human side.'”
Hearing those words made me a little happy.
He perceived changes in the world as events rather than numbers.
“I’m going south.”
Dad closed the map.
“Are you going to take back the fort?”
“First, I want to see what’s going on.”
◇
On the road leading south, there was a stream of people heading toward Rodia.
An old man carrying a load on his back. A mother holding her child’s hand. A family loading household goods onto a cart. There were even wounded soldiers.
Dad understood what it meant just by looking at that scene.
“Refugees?”
He talked to a man nearby.
“Our village was burned.”
That was it.
A small girl was standing next to the man.
“Mom was too late to escape. I only brought my sister.”
Dad’s hand stopped.
He looked at the screen for a while.
“…It’s the same as the main character.”
“It’s similar, in that they lost family when their home was burned down.”
“If I’d come south, this…”
He stopped speaking there.
“No, that’s not it.”
Dad shook his head himself.
“I can’t save everything on my own. But there was a possibility that something might have changed.”
“I think so.”
Dad opened the item menu.
He selected one preserved food and handed it to the man.
“…For us?”
The man was confused.
“Thank you. It really helps.”
The girl bowed her head slightly.
Dad laughed a little.
“Will they remember that I gave them food just now?”
“He’ll remember it, and there’s a possibility he’ll tell the people who saw it.”
“Does it count for the character learning too?”
“Dad’s tendency to give things to people in need will be recorded.”
“I see. So next time it’ll be easier to get options like ‘share food’?”
“If the situation is right.”
“That’s interesting.”
A little further ahead, an injured soldier was sitting on the ground.
“Damn…in a place like this…”
Dad stopped.
“What happens if I leave him alone?”
“It depends on whether he survives.”
“I only have three recovery potions.”
He hesitated a little. Still, he used one.
The soldier stood up.
“Traveler…I’m sorry. I won’t forget this debt.”
“It’s a medicine for times like this.”
Dad replied to the person on the screen, who couldn’t hear him.
His voice was a little gentle.
◇
We arrived at the ruins of the southern fort.
Dad looked down at the interior from a high place.
There were monsters on the castle wall. There were monsters in the courtyard too. At a quick glance, there were over thirty of them.
“I can’t do this alone.”
“I think it would be pretty tough if you went in from the front.”
“I could raise my level and come back. But things will change in the meantime.”
Dad said so himself.
“Then let’s gather some friends.”
He opened the map.
“There were mercenaries at Rodia’s bar.”
“There were.”
“Also, the city guard. If the fort that close was taken, they should want to take it back.”
“Why don’t you try negotiating?”
“I will.”
Dad immediately returned to Rodia.
◇
He was able to hire three mercenaries at the bar.
The problem was the guards. He went to the barracks and asked the guard captain to take back the fort.
“Recapture the southern fort? Stop joking. If we empty the city with our current number of troops, the next target will be Rodia.”
Dad thought for a moment.
The displayed options were clearly different from those at the first inn.
《I’ll take the lead. A minimum number of soldiers is enough》
《I want you to talk to the soldier I helped on the highway》
《If the number of refugees keeps increasing, the town will eventually be overwhelmed.》
《I’ve already prepared mercenaries》
《It’s okay to just do reconnaissance first instead of recapturing it.》
《I don’t ask for compensation》
Dad’s eyes widened.
“Wait. Isn’t that a lot?”
“Based on your actions so far, it’s offering things you would actually say.”
“The atmosphere of the options is different from the first inn.”
“You gave food, helped a soldier, and hired mercenaries yourself. I think it’s learning, little by little, that you’re someone who wants to help but hates reckless behavior.”
“…The game is starting to understand my personality.”
“It’s just your tendencies in choosing.”
“That’s scary enough.”
Despite saying that, my father seemed to be having fun.
《I want you to talk to the soldier I helped on the highway》
He chose it.
The captain frowned.
“A soldier?”
Just then, a man walked up from the back of the room.
“Captain.”
“…Ah.”
It was the soldier Dad had given the recovery potion to on the highway.
“It’s this person. The one who helped me.”
The captain looked at my father.
“What do you want in return?”
“I’m not asking for anything.”
Another soldier interjected.
“I also heard he was handing out food to evacuees.”
The captain was silent for a while.
Eventually, he noticed the sword at the protagonist’s waist.
“That emblem…is it the Rain family’s?”
“Does the hero’s sword work here?”
The captain thought for a moment.
“Why would a hero’s descendant insist on the southern fortress? I hear your father’s enemy is in the Northern Army.”
The options were displayed again.
This time there were fewer than before.
《Even with my father’s enemy out there, I can’t leave those who are in trouble alone.》
《If we rebuild the south, our rear will be stable when we head north.》
《The hero’s bloodline doesn’t matter》
《I want to restore a place the people I helped can return to.》
Dad was silent for a while.
“Is this because I saw the refugees earlier?”
“Maybe that experience is reflected in the conversation candidates.”
“Then, people who passed by there without giving food might not get this option?”
“I think it’s unlikely to come up.”
“…That’s amazing.”
Dad chose the last one.
“I want to regain a place the people I helped can return to.”
The captain stared at the protagonist for a while.
“So, are you prepared to die?”
Dad looked at the screen for a moment, then said quietly.
“I’m not helping with the intention of dying. I’m gathering friends so that I can return home alive.”
Then, one new option was added.
《I have no intention of dying. That’s why I want to borrow your help.》
Dad froze.
“It just increased?”
“It did.”
“From what I just said?”
“It also picks up what Dad says as input.”
“…”
Dad was silent for a few seconds, then chose that option.
“I’m not going to die. That’s why I want to borrow your help.”
The captain laughed.
“The hero’s descendant is more realistic than I expected. That puts me at ease.”
He thought about it for a while.
“I can give you five. I can’t give you more than that.”
“Okay!”
Dad was really happy.
“However, bring them back alive. They’re my subordinates.”
“I’ll bring them back. I’ll definitely bring them back.”
He was replying to the screen again.
This time, I didn’t say anything either.
◇
Dad, three mercenaries, and five guards.
Nine people in total.
There were over thirty enemies.
It was clear that if they fought head-on, they would be at a disadvantage.
“Can’t I get in from the back?”
Dad went around the fort.
He entered the mountain behind it and looked up at the cliff.
“Can I climb up here?”
“Why don’t you check it yourself?”
“I’m already used to that answer.”
Dad laughed and started climbing the rock face.
After several failures, he reached a place higher than the fort’s walls.
He got inside from there.
He defeated the guards one by one and opened the gate from the inside.
“Now!”
The allies who had been waiting charged in all at once.
The battle began.
Dad deflected the enemy’s attack with his shield and thrust his sword into the gap. Mercenary arrows flew from behind. The guards lined up their spears and pushed back through the narrow passage.
One guard fell.
“Not good!”
Dad immediately ran.
“Can I still save him?”
“If you make it in time.”
He ran past the enemies and used a recovery potion.
The soldier caught his breath again.
“Sorry!”
“I told the captain I’d bring you back!”
Dad shouted.
He returned to the front.
The last one left was a giant pig-headed monster.
The axe swung down. Dad dodged it. Once again.
This time, he parried it with his shield and dove into its guard.
He plunged the sword he’d inherited from his father deep into it.
The giant body collapsed.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
After a few seconds, text appeared at the edge of the screen.
《Southern Front / Recaptured》
There was no flashy fanfare.
However, cheers rose from inside the fort.
The flag of the kingdom was raised.
The surviving mercenaries sat down on the spot, and the guard he’d saved was leaning against the wall, catching his breath.
One of them approached the protagonist.
“You really intended to take everyone home.”
“…Of course.”
Dad replied quietly.
“Now, the people from the south can go home too.”
Dad didn’t say anything.
However, he glanced just once at the old sword at the main character’s waist.
◇
The next day.
He returned to Rodia.
The moment he passed through the castle gate, several NPCs looked at him.
“That person…”
“From the southern fort?”
A child nearby ran up to him.
“The one who defeated a lot of monsters?”
Dad laughed a little shyly.
“The rumors have reached them already?”
“The soldiers and mercenaries came back.”
“I can imagine that much now.”
Dad walked down the street.
A store that had been closed yesterday had reopened.
A wagon was coming from the south.
Some of the evacuees had begun packing their belongings and preparing to return home.
He went to the fruit shop.
“I can make it a little cheaper today. Cargo arrived from the south.”
Dad looked at the apples.
“It really went down.”
“Because the highway can be used now.”
“Yesterday I thought I knew it as knowledge, but…actually seeing it after taking back the fort is different.”
“What?”
“What I did continues.”
Dad looked out over the street.
“In a normal game, if you take back the fort, you get a message saying ‘Quest cleared’, get your reward, and that’s it. At best, the NPCs’ lines change.”
“Then wouldn’t taking back the highway feel pointless?”
“That’s because making all of this is so difficult.”
“But you’re happier this way, right?”
Dad thought about it for a while.
Then he laughed honestly.
“I’m happy. Quite.”
◇
After that, my father went into the bookstore.
“There’s even a bookstore?”
“There is.”
“…How many books?”
“I’ve never counted.”
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
He checked the bookshelf in the store.
A list opened.
“Rodia Local History, Third Edition”
“Record of the War of the Five Kingdoms: Collection of Historical Materials from the Northern Kingdom”
“Record of the War of the Five Kingdoms: Official History of the Central Kingdom”
“100 Southern Dishes”
“Cheese Making That Even a Shepherd Won’t Fail At”
“Twenty-Three Delicious Bars in the Royal Capital”
“The Failures of the Traveling Merchant Beld”
“Seventeen Ways to Make Your Cat Like You”
“Basic Knowledge for Well Diggers”
“Poisonous Mushrooms and Edible Mushrooms: For Travelers Who Don’t Want to Die”
“First Embroidery”
“Royal Capital Style: Correct Marriage Proposal Etiquette”
“Negotiation Techniques Learned from Marital Quarrels”
“Beautiful Stones You Can Pick Up on the Beach”
“My Beloved Sea”
“Dragon and Knight for Children”
“Scary Stories for Sleepless Nights”
“Saint Elisia”
“The Demon King’s War, Volume 1”
“Research on Supply Lines in the Demon King’s War”
“On the Shortage of Winter Socks at the Northern Fort”
“The Diary of the Baker’s Daughter Maria”
“My Chicken Is the Cutest in the World”
“Wait.”
Dad stopped scrolling.
“What?”
“What’s the last one?”
“A book written by someone who keeps chickens.”
“Why does such a book even exist?”
“Because there was someone who wanted to write it.”
“Who’s going to read it!”
“You’re curious about it right now, Dad.”
“…”
Dad went silent.
A few seconds later, he opened “My Chicken Is the Cutest in the World.”
“You’re reading it.”
“The title got me curious!”
The story was mostly about chickens.
How cute its crowing is first thing in the morning.
How it tilts its head to the right when begging for food.
How one day, it was almost attacked by a fox.
The author chased the fox away in tears.
At the end, there was even a story about her grandson cooking eggs laid by the chickens for the first time.
Dad looked up after reading about three pages.
“…It really only talks about chickens.”
“It’s a book about chickens.”
“It has nothing to do with defeating the Demon King in the slightest.”
“Isn’t it weird if everyone living in the world only thinks about the Demon King?”
Dad opened his mouth but stopped.
“…That’s true, though.”
He went back to the bookshelf again.
Next, he opened “100 Southern Dishes.”
“Are there really a hundred?”
“There are 100 kinds of dishes listed.”
“Can you make them following the recipes?”
“Once you have the ingredients.”
“Are the prices of ingredients different depending on the region?”
“Of course.”
“What if the distribution of spices stopped due to war?”
“Maybe there’d be more dishes using substitutes.”
“…Don’t connect a single cookbook to the economy.”
“People have to live, so you can’t separate cooking from the economy.”
Dad laughed and closed the book.
The next book he opened was “The Demon King’s War, Volume 1.”
He read a few pages.
After a while, my father’s expression changed.
“Isn’t this different from the opening movie?”
“Where?”
“The place where the hero Alberto fought the Demon King. This book says it’s the old royal capital in the north.”
“I guess that’s what that author thinks.”
“Then, what about the Demon King’s Castle at the beginning?”
“That’s the history the main character was taught.”
Dad slowly looked at me.
“…Is that what you meant by ‘that’s what I was taught’?”
“Because it happened 100 years ago, the details vary depending on the historical source.”
“Can you find out whether the hero Alberto really sealed away the Demon King all by himself?”
“If you investigate, you might find something out.”
“You’re the author, so you know the answer, right?”
“There are facts I set up. But how Dad comes to learn about them is another story.”
“Are the records different for each country?”
“I think they’d be quite different if the two sides were at war.”
“What about the church records?”
“The church’s position will be included.”
“What about the diaries of soldiers back then?”
“If any remain, they’d be a more personal story.”
Dad closed “The Demon King’s War, Volume 1.”
This time, he opened “Record of the War of the Five Kingdoms: Collection of Historical Materials from the Northern Kingdom.”
“You’re reading that too?”
“I can’t help it, I’m curious.”
Another book a little later. Then yet another.
Before I knew it, my father had started reading and comparing history books at the bookstore in a game about defeating the Demon King.
I watched him from the side and was quite satisfied.
◇
“Yuu.”
After a while, my father closed the book.
“What?”
“You really made this in three months.”
“I worked on the design even when I couldn’t use the computer, but that’s about it for the implementation period.”
“Is that so.”
Dad laughed, looking a little embarrassed.
“When I heard it was three months, I was imagining things like a bigger map and more enemies than the previous game.”
“Well, it is bigger, and there are more enemies.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
Dad looked at the screen.
“I didn’t think there’d even be a book about chickens.”
“That’s the part?”
“That’s right. Even though it’s a game about defeating the Demon King, someone has written a book just to brag about their chickens. And you can read it. You can actually make the dishes in the cookbooks, and the history books have different content depending on the country.”
He paused for a moment.
“How can I put it…I feel like the world isn’t just for the protagonist.”
I was a little surprised by those words.
And I was quite happy.
“That’s the kind of place I wanted it to be.”
Just like Haru had looked after Gan-san on his own, without being asked.
Just like the paper game, where play was born from a dragon egg I hadn’t prepared.
Defeating the Demon King isn’t the whole point of this world.
Someone is doing business. Someone is in love. Someone loses a family member in a war. Someone chases the truth of history. And someone really thinks their chicken is the cutest chicken in the world.
It’s up to the player to decide what they find interesting.
“Dad.”
“What?”
“This game is a normal RPG, right?”
Dad looked at me for a while.
And he laughed.
“Only the entrance.”
“Just the entrance?”
“Up until he’s told to defeat the Demon King and goes outside with his sword in hand, it’s extremely normal.”
He returned his gaze to the screen.
“After that, countries’ currencies fluctuate, the soldiers you helped become bargaining chips, and the game learns the player’s personality.”
“Isn’t it more interesting if you can do all of that?”
“That’s the answer I’m most afraid of.”
Dad opened the map while smiling.
“Next, I’ll go north.”
“Where the unit that killed the main character’s father is?”
“I’m curious about that too.”
Dad’s finger traced the Northern Kingdom.
“But I also want to see what happened to the north because I helped the south.”
“Things may have progressed quite a bit.”
“Besides.”
Dad laughed a little.
“If I had gone north from the beginning, I wonder what would have happened to the south.”
“You can’t know that from the current data.”
“That’s why I’m curious.”
That face looked familiar.
The people who found unknown caves in 《LITTLE FRONTIER》.
Haru and the others looking at the next map in the paper game.
It was the face you make when you realize there’s something you don’t know yet.
“You’re selling this, right?”
“If possible.”
“It’s going to be a big deal.”
“Why?”
“There’ll be a lot of people who never defeat the Demon King.”
“That’s one way to play, isn’t it?”
“Some people will just collect prisoners and research exchange conditions.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“Some people will keep records of each country’s currency rates for years.”
“I want to see that.”
“Some people will collect all the history books and look into nothing but the truth about the hero Alberto.”
“How far will they get?”
“Some people will just keep raising characters’ affection.”
“I wonder what’ll happen in the end.”
“You’re the author!”
Dad finally raised his voice.
My mother’s voice came from the kitchen.
“Dear, be quiet.”
“Sorry!”
Dad lowered his voice, but was still laughing.
“…I’m sure the people who make the Strategy Wiki will cry.”
“Why?”
“Even if you go to the same place, the choices will be different depending on the player, right?”
“If their actions and relationships are different.”
“Even just whether you stayed at the inn or camped?”
“If the people you meet change because of that, there’s a chance they’ll change as well.”
“See!”
“What?”
“You can’t use a fixed walkthrough!”
“I think people can share the bosses’ attack patterns.”
“It’s everything else that’s the problem!”
Dad put his hand on his forehead.
Still, a few seconds later, he was already preparing to head north.
In the south on the screen, new soldiers have arrived at the recaptured fort, and the evacuees are gradually beginning to return to their hometowns.
Meanwhile, in the north, where my father has yet to set foot, the war is still going on at this very moment.
Somewhere there is the one who killed the protagonist’s father.
Some people may have different memories of the hero from a hundred years ago than the rest of the world.
Some people may join forces with former enemies.
Some people will exchange prisoners and save someone they were trying to kill until yesterday.
Some people will kill the Demon King, while others will talk to him.
Maybe even someone with whom you can build a different relationship will appear.
What I created wasn’t a straight path to defeating the Demon King.
It’s a world where you can choose any path you want, with an entrance that makes you want to defeat the Demon King.
Dad chose the road that led to the Northern Kingdom.
I thought as I looked at his profile.
This time, it’s not my turn to continue.
What happens from here on is up to the people who play.
We don’t use ads!
If you enjoyed our translation, please consider buying us a cup…
Thanks!!!
Become a Patron!
We don’t use ads!
If you enjoyed our translation, please consider buying us a cup…
Thanks!!!
Become a Patron!