Chapter 41
“Hmm. I see.”
One day, after sending Count Pophos the completed dating simulation game,
I was having a conversation with the Second Imperial Princess, Eliya, over coffee.
Lately, she had been visiting the Illusion Magic Tower even more often than Rikal.
I didn’t know why, but she would come and chat about various topics before leaving.
We were just talking about Rikal a moment ago.
“That’s the kind of person he is. Lately, he’s been getting into games, so he’s causing less trouble, though.”
“You’re siblings, after all, Your Highness.”
It felt like I’d heard stories about Rikal’s childhood.
It was a bit pitiful, but given all that I’d endured from Rikal, I couldn’t really feel sympathy.
“…So, did you come here today just to talk about that?”
When the conversation ended, I hinted to Eliya.
Though Eliya was a user of COL, she didn’t play as obsessively as Rikal or Leo.
Yet she often visited the Illusion Magic Tower to chat.
To be honest, I barely had enough time to work, so entertaining her was challenging.
“T-that’s not it! Um…”
She looked as if she were trying to come up with something to talk about.
Just go back, please.
“Oh! Have you heard the recent rumour going around the capital?”
“A rumour in the capital?”
“Yes. I heard there’s a rumour that Count Pophos has a dating simulation game with JeBbit? There’s no place other than the Illusion Magic Tower that could create something like that, right?”
“…!!”
I froze on the spot.
Wait, they found out about that? There’s no way he told anyone directly.
“Is it true?”
“Huh? That’s what I wanted to ask you. Is it true?”
“N-no way. I couldn’t have made something like that.”
“Right? Then why is there such a rumour?”
“Haha, hahaha…”
“Recently, Count Pophos took an extended vacation, so it’s impossible to confirm the rumour. Because of that, the capital is in quite an uproar.”
I forced an awkward smile.
Even after Eliya left, I anxiously paced around the Magic Tower.
“I told him not to let anyone find out…!”
Of course, for some fans, this could be good news.
But with COL and Maple Leaf Story currently attracting so much attention,
if it were revealed that I made a dating sim, the attention would only grow.
Not that there’s anything wrong with dating sims… but I really didn’t want to be associated with people like Count Pophos.
Yet, my fears became a reality.
.
.
.
[“Rumours of a ‘JeBbit Dating Simulation Game’ starting from the capital. Is it real?”]
[Count Pophos repeatedly declines interview requests. “On vacation,” says the capital.]
[Investigating the source of the rumour. An in-depth interview.]
[Fans eagerly hope that the ‘JeBbit Dating Simulation Game’ actually exists.]
[Only the Illusion Magic Tower could create the ‘JeBbit Dating Simulation Game.’ Tracking recent Illusion Magic Tower activities.]
[JeBbit remains silent. How would she react if she knew about this situation?]
[Criticism arises from some, accusing it of exploiting JeBbit for sexual desires…]
.
.
.
Articles gradually filled the newspapers over time.
Reading them, I closed my eyes tightly.
And lately, even journalists have been bombarding me with interview requests.
“Wh-what’s this, Rai…? A dating simulation…?”
People in the Magic Tower began asking me.
Some of them looked particularly disgusted.
“N-no! It’s not… Anyway, it’s not… No… Well, sort of… Anyway!”
“Then hurry up and explain yourself. Journalists are coming here every day, and it’s exhausting.”
I awkwardly dodged their words and wrote a letter to Rikal.
This was the situation I had anticipated when I included JeBbit as a heroine.
***
“…Ha. So you’re telling me to say I asked you to make it?”
“Yes. Right now, we’re facing all sorts of accusations for making a game that treats JeBbit as a sexual object.”
“Then we should’ve just killed him off from the start… Ha…”
“Anyway, the Count must be close to dying from stress by now.”
Eventually, Rikal decided to explain as JeBbit.
The plan was to create an excuse and say he agreed to make the game.
“So you thought of this situation from the beginning and included JeBbit’s character. Ha…”
Ultimately, Rikal accepted it with a half-resigned heart.
And not long after, journalists and countless people flocked to the Illusion Magic Tower.
‘…What am I even doing?’
Rai held a press conference to explain the situation.
‘How did it come to this…’
Outside the tower, he could hear the murmurs of the crowd.
In the form of JeBbit, Rikal blankly stared at the wall.
Initially, this was just something he did to amuse people by surprising them in Maple Leaf Story.
He found it funny watching people fawn over the “Rogue Prince” with smiles.
But after appearing in reality as JeBbit, things felt different.
It was a type of attention he was experiencing for the first time. Warmth.
At first, it felt incredibly strange.
It was the first time in his life he’d received so much affection.
The fact that he gained attention without doing anything bad was also new.
He thought he was foolish.
Standing in front of people while acting as a cute girl, smiling like a fool.
Though he acted like he disliked it in front of Rai, maybe that wasn’t entirely true.
Maybe he just enjoyed that feeling.
“JeBbit!”
Rai, who was dealing with journalists outside, called for JeBbit.
JeBbit slowly rose from the chair.
Rikal also realized now that something had gone wrong.
He’d continued deceiving the world, feeling good while receiving attention in the form of a cute girl, like an idiot.
Knowing it wouldn’t end well, he kept going anyway.
Looking at himself in the form of a girl, he felt pathetic.
Creak…
As he opened the door of the Illusion Magic Tower, countless people were waiting for JeBbit.
The crowd cheered for JeBbit.
In one corner of the crowd, there was a familiar silhouette with a hood pulled low.
Though others didn’t seem to notice, JeBbit recognized Leo just by the shape of his body.
It made him hate himself even more.
“JeBbit! Is it true that you agreed to create this dating simulation game?”
The reporter’s question.
Now, Rikal just had to say what he had coordinated with Rai in advance.
But, JeBbit couldn’t speak.
The situation would be resolved for now, but the fundamental issue remained unchanged.
He would have to keep acting as JeBbit, and JeBbit would be loved.
But Rikal would still be called the “Rogue Prince” and be mocked.
No matter how much JeBbit was loved, people didn’t like Rikal.
Such a situation could happen again someday.
Then, Rikal would have to transform into JeBbit, receive the sickening affection, and act cute.
And then, he would return to being Rikal and be hated again.
“Nothing will change anyway.”
The noise of the crowd grew distant.
It felt as if his vision was floating, like he was watching himself from a third-person perspective.
Thinking about how this situation would repeat, he grew sick of everything.
If he was going to be hated anyway, what was the point of doing this?
It only left a horrible feeling of emptiness, over and over.
“…JeBbit?”
At the sound of Rai’s voice, JeBbit’s eyes regained focus.
JeBbit began to move again.
Instead of speaking, JeBbit reached for the brooch on his chest.
“…Ah! Wait…!”
JeBbit—or rather, Rikal—manipulated the brooch to release the transformation.
As soon as he impulsively did it, regret flooded him.
But he couldn’t take it back now.
Rikal tightly closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
People would now be shocked at seeing Rikal’s appearance.
Rikal would reveal everything and explain.
And, in the end, people would throw stones at Rikal, as they always had.
Everything would simply return to the way it was.
“Let’s just stop this now.”
Rikal’s eyes slowly opened.
But the people’s reaction was different from what he expected.
They were still cheering enthusiastically.
“Wh-what…?”
Surprised, he looked to the side and saw Rai with an exasperated expression.
[What are you doing! Are you crazy!]
Letters appeared in front of Rikal’s eyes.
Rai had used illusion magic to show the words only to him.
As soon as Rai noticed Rikal releasing the transformation, he cast an illusion on him again.
Thanks to Rai’s skilful magic, the crowd hadn’t noticed anything.
[Please transform again! This is exhausting!]
Rikal shook his head.
Rai could see Rikal’s true expression, without any illusion.
Letters continued to appear in front of Rikal’s eyes.
[I understand how you feel, but please, just act as you were doing for now. What good will it do to give up and go back to being the “Rogue Prince” again?]
Rikal looked surprised.
It was as if Rai was reading his thoughts.
[There’s no need for you to go out of your way to be hated. If you just put in a little effort, you can be loved as the prince you are. Your personality might be abrasive, but at least you’re skilled with a sword, aren’t you? And you’re not so dim-witted. You secretly studied state affairs despite being mocked as incompetent, didn’t you?]
How did he know?
As this thought crossed Rikal’s mind, his pupils trembled.
No one knew that he was constantly studying.
No one had ever shown interest in it anyway.
[The Second Princess told me. So, stop trying to bear all the hatred alone. Whether you’re JeBbit or Prince Rikal, you are someone who can be acknowledged. For now, please help me.]
The crowd murmured as JeBbit stood still.
Rikal looked at Rai with a dazed expression, as if he’d been hit over the head.
JeBbit’s illusion, created by Rai, was smiling at the people.
[You are someone worthy of acknowledgment. At least, that’s how I see it.]
Could he be recognized as Rikal himself?
The question, which had always haunted him, circled through his mind once again.
But Rai’s gaze held unwavering belief in him.
It was a feeling he was experiencing for the first time.
Hesitantly, Rikal eventually turned toward the crowd.
Rikal and JeBbit’s smiles became one.
“Haa… I almost became a national pervert.”
He was able to clear his name after the press conference.
And soon, Count Pophos’s vacation would be over, and Rikal wondered how he would react.
He would have likely at least seen one ending.
Much had happened since the clarification press conference.
Firstly, it was decided to officially release “Heart-pounding Academy!”
Instead, it would be sold as a limited edition of 500 copies at an extremely high price.
There were several reasons for making it a limited sale.
First of all, the outcry from JeBbit’s fans was overwhelming.
Exaggerating a bit, they were willing to give up their entire fortune to buy “Heart-pounding Academy!”
And this was an offline game.
Unlike COL or Maple Leaf Story, which were hosted on a main server and accessed via shared illusion magic, this was not the same.
Creating each copy took much more time.
He didn’t plan to get approval for mass production; the demand was mostly concentrated among die-hard JeBbit fans anyway.
The last reason was that he needed a lot of money.
Though he had plenty of funds for COL and Maple Leaf Story,
he needed money to make the next game.
While the game itself wasn’t complex, he needed a vast server and storage space.
The next game would require an enormous amount of mana stones.
“I should change the ending.”
He planned to change “Heart-pounding Academy!” to a proper happy ending.
He had originally included the NTR ending to annoy Count Pophos.
Rikal thought Count Pophos might protest or say something stupid again.
But Rikal seemed capable of handling it.
After that incident, Rikal’s position in the palace seemed to be changing.
Perhaps there was some change in his mindset, as he was gradually participating in state affairs.
He seemed to be restraining his temper and getting some work done.
It might be partly due to Leo being engrossed in COL, leading to occasional gaps in state management.
In any case, the release date of “Heart-pounding Academy!” approached.
Wanting to keep things relatively quiet, he refrained from creating a fuss.
.
.
.
[“‘Heart-pounding Academy!’ draws massive attention despite negative perceptions.”]
[“JeBbit fans flock to Trinity to buy ‘Heart-pounding Academy!’ lining up a week before its release…”]
[“Limited edition of 500 copies. Even at astronomical prices, JeBbit fans are willing to buy. Selling their estates just to buy ‘Heart-pounding Academy!'”]
[“Limited edition ‘Heart-pounding Academy!’ Will there be issues like reselling?”]
[“Changed princes? Recent palace gossip.”]
[“Waiting to buy ‘Heart-pounding Academy!’ Smaller in scale than Maple Leaf Story but equally intense. Celebrities spotted among the buyers.”]
.
.
.
Despite his desire for things to stay quiet, “Heart-pounding Academy!” created an immense wave.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment