Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World - Volume 6 - Chapter Pr

Preface

Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TRPG)

An analog version of the RPG format utilizing paper rule books and dice.

A form of performance art where the GM (Game Master) and players carve out the details of a story from an initial outline.

The PCs (Player Characters) are born from the details on their character sheets. Each player lives through their PC as they overcome the GM’s trials to reach the final ending.

Nowadays, there are countless types of TRPGs, spanning genres that include fantasy, sci-fi, horror, modern chuanqi, shooters, postapocalyptic, and even niche settings such as those based on idols or maids.

The collection of dishes ready to spill off the table prodded at my appetite with a delectable steam.

For appetizers, we had Lipzian Allerlei: carrots, turnips, white asparagus, and crayfish steamed together with some salt and vinegar. This was a hometown classic for Miss Celia, and the dish’s simplicity and ease of preparation had made it a mainstay at her local parish.

Next to it was a glossy white mound of grated onions and fish cooked up into the shape of a leaf. The traditional recipe came straight from Mika’s ancestors in the polar archipelago, and the pescatarian patty had been fine-tuned over the generations to draw out both the flavor of cod and the sweetness of onions; but of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a bit of squeezed lemon to brighten it up—or so I was told.

Big and proud in the center of it all, the main dish was an opulent indulgence: forgoing venison, we had beef sauerbraten. Marinated for three days and three nights with our family’s secret recipe—though my mother had only ever planned to pass it down to a daughter, so this was just my trying to copy what she’d done—I’d carefully roasted it to perfection. Not only had the marinade soaked in with flavors of red wine, onions, apples, and countless other vegetables, but with a little more labor it had turned into a glistening amber gravy that just begged to be sampled.

Last of the heavy hitters, but not least, an apple pie quietly tugged at the discerning eye from the edge of the table. Though having a grid of pastry lining the top was standard practice, the crisscrossing pattern here combed in and out of itself with thin slices of caramelized apple radiating out from the center—as if the sweetest flower had just taken bloom.

Filling the gaps were an assortment of imperial staples, like eisbein, and more contributions from Mika’s culture, like lamb chops and acorn bread. We’d also splurged a bit on lavish white bread, but like any true Rhinian, made sure to plate up a bit of black bread and wurst as well. Any table space that remained was covered in little snacks of cheese. Altogether, our impressive feast was fit to serve a knight.

“Man, I didn’t think it’d be so grand.”

“This reminds me of the festivals back home, Dear Brother!”

“I know—it’s so extravagant. I almost feel guilty.”

Not a single one of these dishes was bought; each and every one had been handmade. Miss Celia had borrowed her church’s soup kitchen facilities during their off-hours; Mika had recreated their ancestral flavors with nothing to go off but their tongue; and I’d bitten the bullet to purchase a cut of beef.

The cost of cow meat never ceased to astound me. Even accounting for the relative difficulty of raising cattle—it goes to show how important corn had been on Earth—and the inherently aristocratic nature of rearing animals just to eat, it still felt pricey. The best cuts could go for as much as a whole sword, for crying out loud. No wonder we peasants could only get a taste when an old milk cow croaked.

But, hey, today was a special occasion. I was more than happy to shell out for a meal like this.

Ah, and I’d almost neglected to mention that the apple pie was the work of none other than the Ashen Fraulein. She must’ve heard somewhere that we were putting together a potluck get-together and decided deep in her silkie soul that she wasn’t going to let a bunch of kids show her up, because the final product was top of the line. As today’s host, the thought of cutting into something one might see served at a privileged salon was honestly a bit intimidating.

“I don’t think there’s any need to be sorry for spoiling yourself on such a special day. Not even the Circle Immaculate demands austerity in times of festivity. I’m sure the Goddess is smiling upon us.”

“That’s right. It’s important to give it your all, even when you’re celebrating!”

“I think the same. Um, and with everything laid out...”

Miss Celia and Mika reined in their excitement over the food to lock eyes with Elisa. In a moment of harmony that had to be the result of practice, they offered a merry toast.

“Erich—Dear Brother—congratulations on a job well done!”

“Thank you!”

In response, I raised my glass of fancy wine—that my sister had swiped from the madam’s stash—and was received with three clinks instantaneously.

Fall had come and I had come of age. At fifteen, I had officially been emancipated from my contract with Lady Agrippina, earning myself the seat of honor at our table.

The madam had officially selected a small party of retainers and knights, as well as a dozen or so of the latter’s pages; they’d finally arrived and taken their positions just a few days ago. Working backwards, this meant that I’d been carrying the same load as all of them combined until this point, but whatever—that’s fine. It was all in the past, and I wanted to keep it that way.

But if I could just add one tiny detail: while I acknowledged that Lady Agrippina’s constant grumbling as she had to interview swaths of hopeful candidates in search of usable workers wasn’t unwarranted, I definitely had it worse. All she had to do was say the word and they were hired; I knew what the work entailed, and couldn’t bring myself to subject someone else to it without a proper handoff. Trying to sort everything out so they could start off on the right foot had been even more stressful than the job itself, and my gut had been churning the whole while from pure stress.

That said, when Viscount Erftstadt’s—he’d been promoted for his loyal contributions in the preceding fiasco—second son had come to serve as one of the madam’s retainers, I’d been pleased to find out that he was an upstanding gentleman. His presence had made things so, so much easier, and yet it had still been arduous. The challenge was comparable to a thirty-part campaign where each session culminated in the party having to save the world.

Unfortunately, it was also a very boring sort of challenge; if my life were a book, this whole slice of it would probably be cut out...

Joking aside, all three of my guests had proposed to celebrate my work in parallel; I wasn’t going to let it go unenjoyed when everyone had clearly put in their best effort to make today special, including in the realm of fashion.

As of late, Mika had begun to wear gendered clothing to suit their fancy when between sexes; today, they’d hung up their well-worn robe for a cute dress they’d bought secondhand for the occasion. The light waves of their raven hair; the intellect brimming from their amber eyes; the gentle contour of their oval face—Mika’s orphic, ambiguous beauty grew more polished with each passing day. I’d hardly sipped on my drink thus far, but my maturing friend’s looks were enough to make me dizzy.

On top of that, they’d relearned two more palatial dialects: when male, he slicked his curly cut back and spoke with ringing confidence; when female, she gracefully tied up her longer locks and assumed a gentler timbre. Constantly bouncing between these three demeanors always left me reeling.

In contrast, the everlasting Miss Celia continued to don her timeless fit: her modest priestess robes never faltered. However, it seemed she’d applied a bit of rouge, as her vividly red lips were a more girlish pink today.

Mika and I had both been surprised to see her in makeup, but she’d explained that the other sisters at the nunnery had gotten a hold of her before she could leave, and that they’d insisted on dolling her up since it was a special day. Whereas her unembellished features summed to a reserved prettiness, the addition of maiden-like color served to bring that innocent charm to the forefront. Though I’d long since grown used to seeing her face, today she was mesmerizing enough to have me swallowing my breath.

But the star of the show was Elisa: clad in what may have been Lady Leizniz’s magnum opus, she looked like a flower spirit in human form. Playful streaks of bright yellow contrasted with the subdued vermilion base of her ballroom gown, giving form to an autumnal style that was sure to summon a Prince Charming should she step into a banquet hall.

When she’d first gotten here, I’d poked my head outside to make sure there wasn’t a pumpkin carriage waiting for this Cinderella. I guess, technically, she would be the magical fairy in such a story, but I was ready to test any would-be prince, even if it meant storming the imperial palace.

Being surrounded by friends and family who’d come to honor me with their best food and threads made me so incredibly happy. I downed my cup, and the wine sliding down my throat was close to coming out through my eyes as tears of joy.

Ahh... I’ve made it.

“Man,” I cried, “that’s good!”

“Yup, this is some great wine—really great.”

“I-It’s a touch too sour for me.”

“You should’ve put honey in yours, Celia. See, like me. I put in lots!”

“But the other two made it seem so tasty without it...”

It had been a long and bumpy road from Konigstuhl, and the trials and tribulations that had arisen when my lowlife scoundrel of an employer ascended to imperial nobility had been grueling. Yet now, sharing jolly smiles over drinks, I finally felt like it had all been worth it.

Because it sure as hell hadn’t in the moment.

Getting to ride the aeroship as part of my work-related duties would be a memory to cherish, but I could feel my blood freeze solid when we’d had to make an emergency landing due to an arcane engine malfunction. That wasn’t even to mention how the especially guilty among the Ubiorum nobles had gone for a suicidal last-ditch effort upon seeing the fate of Viscount Liplar.

I’d been sent to repay those whose hospitality included meals with “secret ingredients,” so to speak, over a dozen times; my inn had been set ablaze while patrolling the county twice; once I’d established myself as Lady Agrippina’s right-hand man, those who tried to kidnap me for leverage numbered twenty and change; and I’d had to litigate libelous claims before His Majesty thrice. Oh, and I couldn’t even be bothered to count how often I’d had to fend off an attempt on my life.

I had been very, very busy...to the point where the once-insurmountable task of earning fifteen-plus drachmae for my sister now seemed like a simple undertaking. In hindsight, earning enough to cover her tuition, room, and board all by myself would still have been an easier task.

But that was all in the past. I was free. I was free from the gilded filth of high society that made the capital’s septic tanks look clean, but more pressingly, from the heartless woman who’d filled my plate with just enough work that I’d be able to do it with a little suffering.

Verily, a drink taken in triumph was the finest delight in all the senses!

“All right,” Mika said, “before we dig in, let’s get these in Erich’s hands.”

“Get what in my hands?”

As I poured myself another cupful, Mika pulled out a small bag. Seeing this, Miss Celia clasped her hands together with a small “Ah!” and reached into her robes to produce a wrapped package. Elisa, too, brought out a tiny box that had been hidden out of sight.

“Your coming-of-age presents,” Mika explained. “Come on. Don’t tell me you thought you could get away with giving me one without getting one in return.”

“What?! But that was just because your family’s too far away to send you their own...”

Imperial custom dictated that family or older mentor figures in a new adult’s life were to give them gifts as a sign of good tidings to come. Receiving gifts from people in the same generation wasn’t really a thing, but Mika’s village was so remote that the nation’s medieval postal system couldn’t facilitate the timely delivery of a proper gift.

I knew that their master in magecraft would certainly commemorate the occasion and whatever their family had sent through their local magistrate would arrive eventually, but letting the big day pass without anything to note seemed like a shame to me. So, I’d given them a full ehrengarde set for their birthday. Physical age aside, I still considered myself a grown-up on the inside; seeing Mika eye their peers at the College with sheepish envy when they showed off their own coming-of-age gifts had made it impossible to stand idle.

Of course, I hadn’t given them just any old ehrengarde set. I’d put every ounce of my Scale IX Dexterity into each piece, and sculpted the adventurer after myself, the nun after Miss Celia, and the magia after Mika and Elisa. I’d wanted it to be something with sentimental value. They’d loved the gift, and we’d spend the whole day just playing games with those pieces...but I hadn’t expected to get a gift back.

“Go on,” Mika goaded. “Open it.”

The day had only begun, and I was already losing track of how many times I’d been brought to the brink of tears. Swallowing them back with nothing but my pride as a man, I obliged and took the first of the presents lined up before me.

“Wow!”

Opening Mika’s bag, I found a small fold-up shovel. Designed with portability in mind, it was made of a particularly light metal—an arcane alloy! And there was even some kind of spell woven into the tip.

“Enchanting tools is part of my practical lessons. Once I’m a real oikodomurge, sometimes I’ll have to employ a bunch of construction workers at once, right? So part of my job will be enhancing stuff like shovels and pickaxes to make it easier to dig.”

Apparently, big projects like widening canals or constructing new riverbanks for flood control weren’t entirely the realm of oikodomurgy. Trying to make major renovations with pure magecraft came with a whole host of issues: not only did it take giant swaths of mana, but the scope increased the risk of a botched spell and the possibility that a repairman years down the line might not be able to work on top of the legacy formulae on-site. Thus, a lot of the infrastructure of the Empire was still built off the backs of hardworking blue-collar sorts.

“Since conjuring permanent enchantments is technically part of my education, I managed to ask my master for a good base to work with, and then put my spell on that. I figured it’ll come in handy since you’ll be camping outside a lot.”

“It will! I’m sure I’ll dig a million holes out there. Thanks!”

For an adventurer paving his way off the beaten path, the march from place to place was second in importance only to battle. Digging could lead to fresh groundwater or create a makeshift toilet; in bad weather, I’d be able to plow through snow or mud to keep moving. A good shovel was as important to outdoor life as a tent or sleeping bag, and I’d been blessed with a light, compact, mystic masterpiece from the get-go. I must’ve been the luckiest adventurer in all the Empire.

I giddily folded and unfolded it, marveling at the smoothness of its make, but then noticed Miss Celia looking restless and decided to open up her gift next.

“It’s...a hairpiece. This is beautiful.”

“As minor as this may be, I’ve taken the liberty of placing a blessing on it. Though, I’m a smidgen ashamed to admit that the barrette was originally my grandaunt’s.”

I unwrapped the parcel to discover a silver hair ornament. Plain and unembellished, it lacked a jewel to cap it off, but the ivy pattern carved into it was gorgeous and suitable for any occasion. Flourishing on barren stone walls, these vines had come to represent tenacity and were a popular symbol among the upper class. Complete with the blessing of a devout damsel adored by Mother Night, the trinket was utterly invaluable.

“I prayed that your lush locks might remain neatly together even in the midst of a trying journey. The Night Goddess is a protector of maidenhood, and miracles sanctifying hair are part of Her repertoire.”

“As wasteful as it feels to accept this as a man who will sweat and toil, I’m honored.”

“I’m glad to see you’ve taken to it. Also, I supposed that an ornament of pure silver might come in handy should you ever find yourself in dire need of money.”

“Ha, please. I’d sooner pawn off my beating heart than part with this.”

I would never have thought of the secondary intent behind her choice of gift. Come to think of it, I’d read that the clergy carried sacred emblems crafted from precious metals on their person for just this purpose; it was very much in Miss Celia’s character to be so considerate.

“But more than that, we vampires have a custom of giving silver crafts to those who come of age.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“As a warning. It is a prayer: let not thyself sink to the depths of a bloodsucker—forever remember thyself as thou art now, in this fleeting moment of thy never-ending history.”

Hers was a wish born from her vampiric roots; for as light as the hairpiece was, it weighed heavy in my hands. I swore to treasure it. Silver demanded care to remain lustrous, after all. I knew the basics of keeping it clean, but I’d need to get some maintenance supplies for the thing sooner rather than later.

“As a mensch, I doubt you will ever grow weary of life, Erich. But when you look at that ornament, I ask that you remember the time we have spent together.”

“Miss Celia,” I trailed off for a moment, lost in thought. “Very well. I will keep these days in my heart forever. And one day, I will be there to celebrate your coming of age as you have mine.”

“Whoa, Erich. How old are we gonna be by then?”

“Old enough to have grandkids, I bet, but we’ll have more money to spare by then too. We’re going to throw her a first-class party, so get ready to chip in.”

“All right, old pal, you got me. A request from you, for the sake of our good friend? It looks like I don’t get a say in the matter: I’ll make sure to live a long life.”

“I shall look forward to it,” Miss Celia said with a giggle. “I’m sure the years will be kind to you both.”

By the time Miss Celia would come of age, we’d be geezers pushing on seventy. Laughing about how much of a struggle it’d be to get there was an acutely mortal joke; the immortal, in turn, watched over us dearly.

To commemorate the moment, I undid the haphazard bindings on my hair and refastened it with her gift. Once I was done, Elisa started to rock back and forth in anticipation of her turn—I was so happy to see her acting her age every now and again when it was just us four—so I opened her present.

“This is...cologne?”

“Yes! I did my best to make it for you!”

The box contained a small glass bottle. Though the glass was thick, I noticed a familiar mystic pattern radiating off it upon closer inspection: Lady Agrippina had enchanted this phial. My best guess was that she’d used her trademark magic to enlarge the volume of the inside. While it wasn’t as grandiose as full-on wormholes, it was amazing to think she’d pulled out such an intricate trick just for this.

“Can I try it?”

“Of course!”

Clearly wanting to hear my opinion, my sister had been fidgeting around and answered with great excitement as soon as I asked. Without further ado, I spritzed a bit on my wrist.

“Ooh, what a soft aroma,” Mika said. “Is that...soap? Or maybe flowers?”

“I love these sorts of fragrances,” Miss Celia added. “I’m sure I would be able to sleep soundly if my bedsheets smelled like this.”

Activated by the warmth of my skin, the scent began to travel. The other two’s comments were more than mere puffery: it really did give off a gentle impression. As hazy as they were, the smell resurrected memories of the fancy fabric softeners I’d used a lifetime ago.

It wasn’t quite floral, per se, but it also wasn’t as uninteresting as the common soaps used throughout the land. For reasons beyond my understanding, the opaque fragrance reminded me of our mother in Konigstuhl.

“I tailored the perfume just for you, Dear Brother. I worked really hard to think of a smell that you could wear anywhere with anyone, even if they have different noses!”

Elisa puffed up her chest with a grin so proud that I could practically see a manga-style label that read “SMUG” pop up behind her. Oh, my baby sister really is the cutest.

“You probably won’t get to bathe as often as you’d like on an adventure, but I still wanted you to feel clean. And I thought that maybe people making requests would like you better if you smelled nice.”

To have this adorable little angel care for me so much that she’d make me a personalized cologne—in noble spheres, scents were expected to be tailored to a person’s natural odor—made me the happiest brother in the whole wide world. No matter what anyone else said, I refused to concede this point.

“Thank you—thank all of you. I’ll take care of each and every one of these gifts. And whenever I use them, I’ll think of you.”

I just barely managed to hold back my tears, but I have to admit that the last few words had been delivered with a choked-up voice.

“We’re just glad you like them,” Mika said.

“Exactly,” Miss Celia concurred.

“I agree,” Elisa added on. “I was honestly a bit worried you wouldn’t like it... I thought maybe it wasn’t gallant enough for a man’s coming of age.”

“But you did a great job, Elisa! Thinking about how it might affect Erich’s impression on his employers is really considerate.”

Mika’s off-the-cuff praise put a bashful grin on Elisa’s face. Seeing how close the two of them had gotten naturally tugged at the corners of my mouth too.

But with the gifts all accounted for, it was time to dig in before our dishes got cold. We offered a quick prayer of thanks for the food on the table and got to it: reaching this way and that to whatever caught our tongues’ attention, we ate, drank, and shared our thoughts on everything we sampled in blissful merriment.

The mountain of food we’d piled up vanished into our stomachs in no time flat. After the main course was finished, the apple pie we’d been saving for dessert disappeared with similar gusto; we had to go back to the kitchen and slice up cheeses and dried meats just to pair with the rest of our drinks. I’d underestimated both the voracity of a growing body and the ease of inhaling food in good company.

Summing the wine Elisa had pilfered from the atelier with the fruit-based liquor and mead I’d had at home, we’d gone through over half of our stock when Mika started up a new line of conversation out of the blue.

“Boy, alcohol tastes great when you’re having fun. They have some real premium stuff at fancy banquets, but I can never concentrate on the flavor there.”

“Banquets? Oh, the ones you accompany your master to.”

“Yeah, those.”

Mika sipped on mead diluted with cold well water as their eyes wandered to Miss Celia. She, too, was in a well-done state, and had pulled Elisa to the side for an impromptu lesson in ehrengarde.

“I already got a taste of all the dotted lines in the sand from my time as a student, but they just keep coming as you grow up. No matter how smart you are, magia have a part to play as bureaucrats, I guess.”

“The blooms of high society, so splendiferous from afar, were naught but the prisoners of a walled garden...or something like that?”

“Yup—at least as long as I stick around at the College. I could go hole up somewhere or stay out on permanent fieldwork to get away from it, but it’s hard to get funding as a hermit. A researcher’s stipend won’t even be close to enough to cover everything with how expensive my line of work will be.”

Seeing them shake their head in defeat, I was all at once reminded that Elisa would soon be walking the same path. Maybe that was why I let such a selfish request slip.

“Hey...old chum? Take care of my sister—of Elisa for me.”

In the not-too-distant future, I would leave the capital behind to realize my long-awaited dream of adventure. There was no mincing words: I was leaving Elisa behind, alone, in the capital of vanity, all to suit my own desires.

Yes, Lady Agrippina had said she was fit to enroll as an official student; yes, I’d seen how much she’d grown with my own two eyes. But she was just a ten-year-old kid. That made her two years younger than I had been when I first came to Berylin.

At ten, she would have been an elementary schooler on Earth, and wouldn’t have even been particularly close to middle school age. This was when most kids still craved attention from their family, and here I was, sending her off into a den of noble children to study at the College alone. My actions were downright irresponsible.

I thought I’d made up my mind. I’d spent so much time talking to Elisa and Lady Agrippina to come up with a compromise we could all agree on, but the tiniest of thorns still remained in my heart: wasn’t I supposed to stay by her side until the Empire guaranteed her right to life as a citizen?

“Adventure, huh?”

I’d been staring down the grimacing fellow on the other side of my wine who was killing the festive mood when Mika suddenly mused to themselves in contemplation.

“You know, I really thought you were going to use all your newfound connections to sign up with the College too.”

Swirling around their drink, they watched the ensuing whirlpool with downcast eyes; the booze must have been taking its course, as their expression oozed sentimentality. It made sense, considering how they’d taken such a liking to the wine that they hadn’t diluted it at all.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?” I asked. “I’ve been telling you about how I want to be an adventurer since we first met.”

“I know, I know. It’s just, seeing you work so earnestly made me start dreaming. With your sister’s tuition taken care of, I couldn’t see any other reason you’d have to keep at it like that.”

Out of nowhere, Mika reached out and brushed their thumb over my nose. I’d suffered a wound there a few months back.

“It’s weird to push yourself so hard that you end up with injuries on your face, you know?”

Their hand moved from my nose to my cheek, to my forehead and to my lips, their fingers tracing the invisible damage I’d suffered. These were all hits I’d taken in this past year, but the alfar had disappeared the scars because they weren’t cute enough for their liking.

“I’m glad they didn’t leave a mark... I mean it.” I wanted to tease Mika for remembering so perfectly, but they downed the rest of their drink, so I refilled their cup instead. Immediately, they gulped down another half a glass and let out a disappointed sigh. “I was kinda looking forward to it, you know? Having both you and Elisa come over to your old chum Mika for tutoring.”

“What’s gotten into you, Mika? Even if I did enroll, we’d be studying in different Schools with different end goals. My employer’s a Daybreak scholar, remember?”

“But intercadre friendships are everywhere. Okay, First Light thinkers are kinda isolationist, but at least we aren’t like those Midheaven bats. Now those are people with a real commitment to not having friends.”

It was a bit weird of them to bring up the School of Midheaven as a foil only to call them bats, but I did my best to track along with my friend’s drunken rambling. After all, Mika knew better than anyone else how tough it was not to have friends.

The teachings of a good master were priceless, but it wasn’t as if one professor would be in charge of all of a student’s lectures. Life at the Imperial College of Magic was tough without the guidance of someone who’d walked in the same shoes a year or two prior. Having to reinvent their own formula for writing essays and critiques had just been the first in a long list of hardships Mika had endured due to their lack of connections. While I couldn’t claim to truly understand the finer nuances as a mere servant, watching their day-to-day life was enough to understand the severity of their struggle.

The more stories I heard, the more my opinion consolidated into, “Wow, that’s rough.” Having only attended a comparatively painless Japanese university, it was telling that I never once heard any mention of signing in for a friend or looking up past exam questions: this really was the highest institution for learning magecraft, composed only of the most diehard individuals.

The College was no asylum for moratorium; it was a proving ground to polish one’s skills in pursuit of the kind of purpose that would define an entire life. I was made constantly aware that it was not the sort of environment that would tolerate those who do no more than show up.

I could not follow them there—not Mika, and not Elisa. Even if I’d decided to stay in the capital and serve Lady Agrippina, I would never have become a magus; the College was a place out of my reach.

Despite knowing that coddling my sister forever wasn’t the right path to being a good brother, I couldn’t help wanting to be there for her.

“Oh well,” Mika sighed dramatically. “I guess you’re the kind of mean older brother who can’t even let his best friend dream...”

“Come on...”

“...but you still are my best friend. So consider your request accepted. Don’t you worry about our little sister.”

Mika emphatically raised their glass beside me, but in that moment, their face was utterly alien to me. It wasn’t the usual smile of my familiar old chum, but the expression of someone ready to commit to something, of someone who wanted to lend their hand to another—of an adult.

“But you owe me one, okay? And it’s not gonna be cheap, so you better be ready!”

“...You have my word, Professor Mika the Great. I swear to repay this debt no matter the cost.”

“Mm, well, ’tis not a bother to me. I shall look forward to a most handsome recompense, adventurer.”

Breaking out into laughter from our usual theatrics, we clinked our cups together and downed what was left of our drinks.

“Besides, I won’t say no to having a decoy.”

Mika’s addendum was delivered with a heavy sigh reeking of alcohol, and I couldn’t help but sigh with them. I’d done such a good job until this point too, but eventually my greatest fears had come to fruition.

It was summer. Mika and I had just closed up our usual ehrengarde hustle for the day, and we went out shopping to piece together some ingredients for supper. There, in a two-bit market in the southern low quarter, whom did we run into but Lady Leizniz?

Apparently, the good dean had once been a struggling student of common birth herself; she had spent many a day scouring these paupers’ vendors in search of the best deal. She, too, had gone shopping with her friends, pooling together their piddling savings to turn precious honey, sugar, or fruits into jams and treats that they could all enjoy together.

Whenever work had her down—now that I understood what that meant, I couldn’t fault her here—she would don a mystic disguise to render herself a mensch and retrace the steps of her childhood. Those faraway days sometimes led her here, to the lowly market she’d once frequented.

That’s right: we had run into her on one of her sentimental walks down memory lane out of sheer bad luck.

Upon spotting a familiar head of blond among the crowd, her eyes instantly went to the stunning raven-haired boy—at the time—whom she promptly took a liking to. Convincing herself that it was perfectly acceptable for the dean of a cadre to speak to some unknown kid because he was “friends with another boy whom she took good care of,” the unhinged wraith let her base instincts take hold and called out to us. Before we could so much as get a word in edgewise, Mika and I found ourselves at Lady Leizniz’s favorite tailor shop.

Even now, I could remember how the epiphany had set in in my mind: So this is how the protagonists feel in horror films.

I whirled around upon hearing an unnatural panting behind me, only to see a wraith groping the air with outstretched hands and an expression that toed the line of insanity.

Can you blame me for letting out a scared yelp?

What followed was an exploration of depravity, in which Lady Leizniz off-loaded the soul-soothing burden she had planned to place on a cheap honey lemonade onto us. Mumbling something about master-servant themes, she dressed Mika up in a lavish costume while having me pose behind him like a retainer, and then sat me on my old chum’s lap for reasons beyond my comprehension. This went on for hours; the unknowable depth and breadth of her twisted predilections once again struck the fear of gods into my soul.

Worse still, her reaction to Mika’s word about being tivisco was so unabashedly emotional that her ephemeral body began to dissipate. As I watched her convulse to the words, “So...wholesome!” and legitimately verge on vanishing entirely, I secretly wished to myself that she’d take the opportunity to claim an eternal resting spot in the gods’ laps.

Obviously, I knew that no matter how hopelessly perverted she was, Lady Leizniz was one of the madam’s key backers and an irreplaceable ally in helping us prop up the Ubiorum county. But after her dragging my best friend into her insane fashion shows and lining us up like dress-up dolls, I had a gripe or two etched into my heart.

“Some burdens are too much to bear alone,” Mika said. “But we’ll be fine together. So don’t worry about us, old pal.”

“...Thanks.”

“Come on, Erich. Don’t be so tactless—you can’t thank me there! Our sister, remember?”

As we laughed together once more, a markedly less cordial shriek cut through the room.

“No fair! That’s! Not! Fair!”

“It is perfectly fair, Elisa. This is a standard tactic, as honest as they come.”

Curious as to what had happened, we went over and leaned into the table to check the board—only to find an absolutely unplayable position.

“But I can’t take this guardsman because the emperor is behind him, and I can’t go on this side because there’s a messenger and watchman there, and I can’t go around because of your dragon knight... You get to take all my major pieces for free!”

“Yes, because I have played to my pieces’ strengths. Now, what will you do?”

I expected no less from Miss Celia: she was merciless. She’d constructed a front line of pieces that were either conditionally invincible or could only be traded off at a disadvantage for her opponent. With the midfield packed, her major pieces were free to maneuver into the ideal squares to wreak havoc on Elisa’s army.

From the sounds I’d picked up while talking to Mika, it sounded like she’d been playing her trademark blitz style. Elisa had probably gotten swept up in her pace; there was no way my sister could’ve kept up. Even at four-piece odds, the gap in knowledge and experience was too great.

“Dear Brother...”

Elisa looked up at me with puppy-dog eyes, but the best I could do was to make a pained expression and shake my head. Sorry, Elisa. With perfect play, it’s still mate in fifteen.

Realizing what I was getting at, my sister sadly tipped over her own emperor.

“Mmrgh,” she pouted. “But I’ve never lost to my dear brother!”

“How terribly odd,” Miss Celia said quizzically. “Erich and I are evenly matched over the board. In fact, I’ve been on a losing streak for our past few bouts.”

“Ohh,” Mika groaned, “there you go again. Why are you always like this?”

Although Elisa had matured tremendously in the emotional department, the sight of her biting her lip in frustration proved that she had yet to tread into the higher cognitive territory of asking why she had lost. For all her improvement in day-to-day life, managing her emotions, and theoretical magecraft, she remained a child in many aspects.

In short, I’d figured letting her play for fun without thinking too much about what she was doing—as a child so often will—was best for her mental health, and I let her do as she pleased. After all, that was all one could really expect from a ten-year-old.

I had once been the same way. I’d only started learning to smash together hit-confirm combos in middle school; in elementary, I’d preferred wurms with huge power and toughness over all-you-can-burn birds; the weight of card draw and the evil of forced discards were foreign to me as I excitedly slammed down dragons with twinkly blue eyes. Excitement over victories and frustration over losses were simple feelings when divorced from an understanding of how the result had come about, but I thought they were the building blocks to growing into more robust emotions.

That’s why it was fine for me to go easy on Elisa. Besides, ehrengarde was a popular pastime among the gentry; eventually, Lady Agrippina would need to give her a thorough initiation. When that day came, I figured my sister would be a lot happier if she had good memories of thoughtless, innocent fun to associate with the game. Drilling the importance of a win-loss ratio into her from the outset could turn her off the concept of games and play entirely; that would be such a sad way to live.

“Don’t worry, Elisa. Leave it to me. Your big brother will avenge you!”

But that was that, and this was this. What kind of brother would I be if I let my baby sister get bullied to tears without putting up a fight? This was my chance to show off...or so I thought.

With an ironically pleasant click, Miss Celia made a move that dropped a massive pit straight into my stomach.

“Huh? What? Huh? Wait, no, but my knight is still active, and I’ve got this adventurer, so maybe...”

“No, Erich, I think you’re finished in...eleven? No, wait—twelve moves.”

“Very close, Mika. It is precisely thirteen.”

Firing my brain on all cylinders, I analyzed as many prospective board states as Parallel Processing would allow, but every possible line was as bad as Miss Celia’s claim of checkmate—or worse. I was done. Whether I abdicated or fled with my emperor, I would lose this game in thirteen moves’ time.

“I...”

“You?” The holy woman goaded me on with a beaming smile.

“I resign,” I wrung out in pain. “Wait, no, what? Hold on, where did I go wrong? Uh, maybe...uh? No, but I swear we were even around this point. This dragon knight exchange wasn’t bait, was it?”

Gluing myself to the board and combing through every possibility, I still couldn’t figure out what had triggered my total, one-sided defeat. I hadn’t made any serious blunders, nor had I made so much as an outright mistake. How the hell did I lose?!

Miss Celia had claimed victory without the slightest lapse in judgment. It was as if I had been spellbound by her play, my mind warped by implicit suggestions coded into her decisions. Losing always hurt, but losing like this made me so mad I wanted to hurl; I’d always found it peculiar how the generals of the Three Kingdoms were always dying of indignation like it was a popular fad, but I now understood their pain all too well.

Still stubbornly staring at the board, I looked up to see Miss Celia looking down on me with a thoroughly contented expression. I asked her to explain in a postmortem, to which she replied, “I refuse to say!” Evidently, she was so elated about beating me that the mischievous side she ordinarily kept hidden had come out in full force.

“O-One more! Give me one more game!”

I can’t go out like this! Think of my pride—my honor! Losing in fewer than a hundred moves after proudly declaring I’d win is so embarrassing!

Unable to bear the holes in my heart bored out by Elisa’s apathetic gaze, I swallowed my pride and desperately pleaded for a rematch.

“Certainly not, Erich,” the priestess answered succinctly. “Wherever might one find a war of vengeance waged twice or thrice over? First, you would need to avenge yourself before making any new attempt in the name of your sister’s honor.” Though her words were those of a mature adult chastising a misbehaving child, her body language told a different story. Placing a single finger over her smug, unladylike grin, she capped her lecture off with a cheeky “Too bad.”

Argh! I hated to admit it, but she had a point: playing another game to clear my own name and then another after that in a second attempt at upholding Elisa’s was, well, inelegant. I knew that, but—just—ugh!

I was so genuinely afflicted that I threw all etiquette to the wayside—though I knew in the back of my mind that Miss Celia would forgive me—and cradled my head in my hands. Not only had I lost after talking a big game, but I was a trickster at heart. My play was a statement of character: I wanted to win, but more importantly, I wanted to do it in a way that befuddled my opponent. Being steamrolled by an honest attacker like her made me seethe uncontrollably.

I’d reflected on my first childhood when musing on Elisa’s development, but I hadn’t expected to relive those painful experiences in my second one. Oh, dammit! The forgotten pain of playing against a friend’s older brother who knew all the strongest techniques in a game swelled up and made me want to bite straight through my lip.

“Tee hee, it has been quite some time since I’ve enjoyed a victory so decisive. I suppose classic gambits still have their place.”

Despite announcing that she wouldn’t divulge her secrets, Miss Celia happily laid out a trail of crumbs. Wait, was she playing a theoretical opening?!

“My grandaunt was once engrossed in the game herself, and I found a record book in her library. Nowadays, this opening has been solved, and it doesn’t work at all against the most dedicated players. But there are plenty of traps for someone who’s never seen it before to fall right into.”

Grah! I didn’t even think of that!

Still, I couldn’t call foul. While learning through real games and solo theorycrafting as I’d done was obviously fair play, so too was poring over the teachings of those who had come before. If the virtuosos of days gone by had left us records of how they’d advanced the metagame, what kind of data munchkin would I be to refute their contributions?

Fine, I’ll shut up. It was my fault for not knowing the line, and it was doubly my fault for losing to it.

“So let us chalk today up as my victory. It won’t hurt to let me quit while I’m ahead every now and again, will it?”

“Hrgh...fine. But be warned that I’ll study up to tear right through your formation by our next bout.”

“I shall look forward to it.”

Accepting my defeat, I decided to drown my sorrows in what little booze remained; yet as I poured out another glass, Miss Celia suddenly sat up straight on the other side of the table. Figuring something was up, I put down my cup and did likewise. Two gems the hue of pigeon blood stared right into my eyes as she began to speak.

“Listen well, Erich. It is frustrating to end on a loss, isn’t it?”

Not seeing what she was getting at, I hesitantly answered, “Of course. Very much so.”

“In that case...”

Miss Celia plucked a piece off the board—one that she’d lovingly used since the day she’d first bought it at my stall so many moons ago. The empress served as the cornerstone of her aggressive play, and the solemn vampire sitting upon her throne was something I’d been inspired to carve after meeting her.

“If it truly vexes you that you have lost our final match, then you must promise me not to die. One day, I will leave the capital and return to my monastery...but even so, you must come to challenge me again. Until that day comes, I will entrust this piece to you.”

She took my hand and pressed the small statuette into my palm. Made of nothing more than wood and a coat of metal, the piece felt heavier than solid gold; its message was weighty enough to pin my hand to the floor.

Despite being far from my finest work, Miss Celia had cherished this vampiric empress so dearly that she carried it with her everywhere in case the opportunity to play ehrengarde ever arrived unexpectedly. To entrust it to me was to emphasize the gravity of this oath.

I was happy to make that promise; I didn’t want to let our record end on this note anyway. No matter whom I played from here on out, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to really revel in my victories until I settled the score with her.

“I give you my word,” I said, squeezing the woodwork tight. “One day, I will best you over the board and return this piece.”

My list of unbreakable vows grew once more. Yet as heavy as each pact was, they were not burdens weighing upon my shoulders; they were the foundation upon which I built myself.

As people, promises were what fueled us—what gave us the strength to endure in our darkest hour and what summoned will beyond ordinary means in the moment of truth. Bonds, and the oaths made along their lines, were so powerful that some TRPG designers went out of their way to codify their mechanics. While I wasn’t receiving any physical buffs, every promise I had to fulfill cemented my resolve to live on.

Pleased with the memento, I made a mental note to find a small pouch so I’d be able to hang the piece from my neck—when suddenly, I heard a sniffle.

I turned to see Elisa trembling with her hands balled up into tight fists in her lap. Her head was pointed straight up in an attempt to hold herself back, but the sniveling didn’t stop, and her nose had turned bright red. The tears bubbling up in her eyes were on the precipice of streaming down her face; she tried her hardest not to blink so as to keep them contained, but at last, she reached her limit and clung to me.

The board collapsed and the pieces went flying as Elisa buried her face in my stomach and cried.

“No...never mind! Don’t go, Dear Brother!”

“Elisa...”

The noble demeanor she’d painstakingly built up melted away, leaving behind only a little girl of ten. Stripped of showy vanity and effortful diligence alike, all that remained was Elisa in her purest form. She’d grown up and done her absolute best to see me off with a smile, but she was still too young. The only thing I could do for my baby sister as she wailed in manifest sorrow was to let my instincts take the wheel and hold her tight.

“Elisa, I—oh, I...”

“Dear Brotheeer! I—I want you to be happy and to do what you want, but I feel so lonely! Don’t leave meee!”

“Elisa!”

If a good brother were here in my place, what would he have done? Maybe he would have gently comforted her with choice words of wisdom. Or perhaps he would have pushed his own ego aside and promised her that he would stay after all.

Alas, the only brother here was a pathetic one, incapable of doing either. Too inept to find a solution, I found myself swept up in the same loneliness and began crying myself.

I had just declared that promises built the foundation that made people strong; yet they were also the foundation of the strongest penitence.

My progress was the result of the ambitions I had imposed upon myself. They were also in service of the unforgettable oath I had made to Margit under the setting sun. Right now, she was waiting for me in our little canton, continuing to polish her skills—I knew it. This wasn’t the self-important complacency of a delusional man; I knew that she would uphold our promise and believe in me to hold up my end, because it was her. Whenever I teetered at the edge of ruin or slumped into the pits of my mind, my earring would always jingle; it was as if the wearer of its other half were here to reprove.

At the same time, I had sworn to make things right for Elisa: I had declared that she would be able to return home to Konigstuhl with my help. Not only was this a vow I had etched into my own soul, but those had been the words I’d used to pry her away from the family and home she had so desperately clung to.

To fulfill both of these promises was a difficult endeavor. With the appearance of a dependable patron and Elisa’s efforts to solidify herself as her own person, I could justify leaving the capital by myself in pursuit of my dreams—I could, but I had long balked over whether or not I should.

Eventually, I had taken the plunge thanks to my sister nudging me along...but it must have hurt for her. Despite her best efforts, seeing me talk about my future and say my farewells to the others must have driven the message deep into her heart: I could no longer be by her side.

Life was a Herculean challenge. I held every one of my promises near to my heart. Elisa and Margit and Mika and Miss Celia—they all meant the world to me. In a critical moment, if it ever came down to my life or one of theirs, I would bare my neck without any hesitation.

Why could the gods not bless man with the capacity for perfection? Why could we not act in total fairness across the globe?

Nothing could torment me more than my inability to be in more than one place at a time, or the impossibility of freely moving between faraway lands. I couldn’t help but wonder what could have been if only I’d mastered space-bending magic, letting me be perennially one portal away from visiting Berylin.

Yet even as someone blessed with IX: Divine Favor in a physical attribute and IX: Divine skill in swordplay, the ability to teleport living things remained unattainably distant. Outside a handful of the most brilliant minds within the College, it was a lost art; I could have reallocated every point of experience I’d ever gotten and still come up short.

I understood why, on paper. This one trick could invalidate eighty percent of the scenarios life threw at me, and the world refused to hand out such privilege lightly. The logic was the same in interpersonal relationships: I bet the world had its qualms about letting us indulge in such convenience.

But even so, I couldn’t help but grieve. I could see the path that I had refused to walk, and the thought that it may have allayed my beloved sister’s anguish even the slightest bit broke my heart.

I knew there was no right answer, but I groped for some unfair cheat or trickery in the vain hope that maybe there was. Isn’t that what makes us human?

Before I knew it, two wailing voices had become four.

Mika was quietly sobbing, and Miss Celia had begun to whimper. The four of us turned into one big blob, bound in a tight hug and melting into tears as we begged for our farewell to wait.

I was setting off to lands farther than Osaka from Edo, in an era where distance was not so easily covered; for Mika and Miss Celia, this could very well be our final goodbye.

Worst of all, I was to be an adventurer: I planned to throw myself into life-threatening danger just to sate my childish dreams. Both of them had seen firsthand how I carried myself in the face of peril; although they knew me as a hardy guy, they were all too aware that I wasn’t unkillable.

Without Mika’s support, I would have been cleaved in two, doomed to wander the ichor maze as one of the Craving Blade’s zombies forever. If Miss Celia had been a minute—no, half a minute later to rescue me, I would have ended up a lifeless husk, warped beyond recognition.

On top of that, I’d toed the line of fatality more times than I could count on my hands as Lady Agrippina’s retainer. Powerful enemies had begun to see me as an integral part of her operation, and sent their best assassins my way as groundwork for the bigger kill.

They’d seen me come home injured time and time again. Even though they believed I was resolute enough to pull through, there was no getting rid of the fear hiding in the backs of their minds. Whether mortal or immortal, worry and apprehension were the unbreakable curses placed on sentient life.

I knew they wanted to celebrate my future path. I knew they believed I’d succeed. But asking them to hold back after seeing us break out into tears was too much to ask.

Combined with the excess of drinks, we ended up crying ourselves to sleep.

When I came to, the four of us were in my bed. It was much too small for three growing adolescents and one child; even snuggled together, we barely fit. It looked like the Ashen Fraulein had been kind enough to carry us up.

I took in everyone’s presence with a hazy mind. Elisa was balled up and nuzzled into my chest; Mika was cradling us both from the front; Miss Celia had slipped her arm around my waist and hugged both of us siblings at once.

Not only had I just become an adult man, but I had fifty years of total experience under my belt. I know I shouldn’t have let myself get so hysterical in the first place...but forgive me. Call it a formal farewell between friends and family not easily parted.

I closed my puffy eyes and decided to go back to sleep, taking in the warmth of my loved ones. When we woke up, someone would probably quip about how silly we’d been, to sound more grown up than we really were, and we’d all bashfully agree with an awkward laugh. But until then, I wanted to savor this precious moment.

The world outside was dark: day had yet to break. No one could fault me for enjoying a moment of peace when the sun was still down.

I could feel something deep inside. No matter where I went or how onerous my adversity, I would find the strength to return here so long as this warmth lingered in my heart.

[Tips] The power of friendship is real indeed. At times, bonds forged through happenstance and impassioned performances may cause a GM to grant mercy to a PC on the verge of death. That this is possible at all is one of tabletop gaming’s greatest charms.