“Then, I’ll be off. Make sure to train well, Beydia.”
Once the Director left, Player Night Queen Beydia was left alone with the character Queen Thystina.
“Nice to meet you. Was it Beydia?”
There was an atmosphere in stark contrast to the surroundings.
A cold yet beautiful gaze, as if it could pierce through one’s soul.
“I’m Thystina. Call me Thystina.”
It was exactly the same.
Her sister—her unforgettable sister—stood there just as she remembered her.
“Hmph. You look much more foolish than what the Director said.”
The expression she made, furrowing her brows, was just like it had been back then.
“I’m not foolish,”
Beydia couldn’t help but react like she did when she first met her sister, many years ago.
“Hah, is that so?”
Beydia found it hard to believe what was happening.
Why was her sister inside this game?
Had the game company somehow gotten hold of memories from that time?
How could this be...?
“Well then, how about we test your skills?”
Whoosh.
A surge of jet-black mana erupted from Thystina, enveloping the area around them.
In its wake, a world as dark as the night unfolded.
And then Thystina charged.
Clang!
Beydia hastily raised her hand to block the incoming attack.
“Not bad,” Thystina nodded with an emotionless face.
“But this is a bit disappointing.”
“...Really?”
Even the way Thystina charged without warning, out of context, was exactly like her sister.
Perhaps because of this, Beydia felt a surge of defiance rising within her.
Beydia gathered her mana and took a step forward.
The dark energy flowed through her entire body, and
Boom!
Thystina was engulfed in a burst of black explosion.
“Is this still disappointing?”
For once, Beydia let her emotions show, and
“Uhh...”
Her vision blurred.
***
“This place is...”
The Night Queen, Beydia, who had opened her eyes once again, rose from the ground.
‘What’s going on?’
After hearing her sister’s disappointing remark upon their reunion, Beydia had felt a sense of stubbornness well up inside her and showed a little of her true feelings. It seemed that immediately after that, she had lost consciousness due to some unknown force.
Even with over a hundred years’ worth of experience, she couldn’t understand the workings of the force that had overwhelmed her.
Of course, since she lacked knowledge about the game, she couldn’t recognize that this was a forced defeat event.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
At that moment, Thystina entered from behind.
“Sis... Thystina.”
“Yes, it’s Thystina.”
She set the cup she was holding in front of Beydia.
Inside, a steaming warm beverage was in the cup.
“...Cocoa.”
“Do you not like it?”
Thystina squatted down next to Beydia and took a sip of her own cocoa from the other cup she had been holding.
“No. I don’t dislike it.”
Beydia thought it was just like her sister—her preference for such a childish drink, which didn’t fit her appearance at all.
Beydia picked up the cup that Thystina had placed down and drank the cocoa inside.
“How is it? The sweetness is delicious, don’t you think?”
Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.
Thystina asked, her eyes full of anticipation as she looked at Beydia.
“It’s a little bit sweet, I guess.”
“Mmm, mmm. I like that my new disciple recognizes the true value of cocoa and is a cultured person.”
Thystina placed the cup nearby and stood up.
“Come with me. There’s a place we need to go.”
***
“This place is...”
Following Thystina, Beydia arrived at the Pantheon of statues, the same place where she had first seen her sister.
“As the Administrator said, I’m your teacher.”
“What are you going to teach me?”
“The basic qualities you need to have in order to become an Administrator.”
“Qualities?”
“Yes.”
“But, sis... no, you’re not the Administrator.”
Since she had skipped most of the game’s story, she wasn’t exactly sure, but the Administrator of this Archive was the man she had seen yesterday.
He had said that her sister was a character in the story who had made a contract with the Archive.
“I’m not the Administrator. However, I’m more than enough as a teacher to teach you the qualities you need to become one.”
Thystina placed her hand on one of the nearby statues.
Wooooo...
Then, the surroundings began to shake.
Gradually, black energy began to pour out, and...
Paaat!
Beydia’s vision was filled with light.
“What is this?”
Waaaahhh!
When she opened her eyes again, Beydia found herself in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by countless people in chaotic confusion.
‘A battlefield, suddenly? Did I enter the story?’
At that moment, black smoke gathered into a silhouette, and Thystina appeared.
“Alright, this is your first lesson. Do you see that huge pile of muscles over there?”
Thystina pointed at a massive figure in the distance, sweeping away the enemy forces.
“That’s the protagonist of this story. Go and lead the story yourself.”
“...What?”
***
The first episode of the Twelve Gods Saga was released.
The new investor constellations, who were inserted as characters from a story that had made a contract with the Archive, had their stories introduced in this episode.
It served as a sort of launching pad to smoothly introduce these characters.
Since this episode was made for the purpose of buildup, there wasn’t much content to captivate the players.
However, unexpectedly, the players’ reactions were not bad:
“Do you like it?”
“....”
[Lady of the Night] read through the players' reactions that I had filtered.
Although I had deliberately removed any strange reactions, the ones shown to her were the general public's opinions.
Despite showing little, it seemed the character of ‘Queen Thystina’ had made quite an impression on them.
It was likely that the fact that she was the first teacher character to appear, combined with the forced defeat event that highlighted Thystina’s strength, had some effect.
Of course, the biggest factor was probably Thystina's appearance and her aura.
“...Not bad.”
In this major episode, Thystina, the statue who would be the first protagonist, was a character inspired by [Lady of the Night].
Through a contract with the [Archive], she became the teacher of the prospective Administrator.
She had also accompanied the players for a while.
Since she was one of the most important figures in this episode, if the players’ reactions had been bad, it could have been quite troublesome.
“There’s no need to worry. As I mentioned before, I’ve already completed her character. Once the story progresses, after it’s revealed that Queen Thystina is indeed a constellation, her dignity will never be tarnished.”
...Even though the fact that Thystina was a real constellation hadn't been revealed yet, based on past examples, it wasn’t too hard to guess. Were these players willing to risk their lives for such comments?
Well, if you really think about it, these kinds of reactions were indicators of Thystina’s charm, so in a positive sense, it was still a good thing.
[Lady of the Night] might get angry upon seeing this, but...
“By the way, am I not showing my story? This feels a bit different from how it went with Gai Zeres or the magic engineer.”
“That part will be revealed later, at the climax of the story.”
“Afterward, then?”
“Yes.”
[Lady of the Night] was the most central character of the episode.
Therefore, by the end of the Twelve Gods Saga, in the very last parts, all the stories would unfold.
“So, does that mean the stories of other gods will come before mine?”
[Lady of the Night] frowned.
“I apologize for betraying some of your expectations. However, as you saw from the player reactions, your charm has gained such immense popularity that we couldn’t use it up in the early stages. As you’re currently the most popular character in this episode, I’d like to ask you to appear as the main character in the latter half.”
I explained the reasoning behind the delay in her story to ensure she wouldn’t get upset.
“......”
Then, her shoulders began to tremble.
Was she really that angry?
But it felt like such a waste to use her as the first main character here.
“...I suppose there’s no other way. Very well, let’s do it that way.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
I was relieved that the [Lady of the Night] was a reasonable Constellation.
If it had been the Demon God instead, she’d have immediately screamed, “Why isn’t our Lina showing up?!” while smashing everything in sight.
“However, there’s a condition.”
“A condition, you say...?”
“The Constellations that appear afterward are all gods I’m acquainted with. So when their stories are incorporated into the game, I want to be involved in the development process.”
Come to think of it, she had previously expressed interest in overseeing a gift event to ensure the game’s story was being properly crafted.
It seemed she wanted to supervise, especially since her own narrative was being delayed, to prevent any potential issues.
From my perspective, this was a welcome development.
Having the supervision and assistance of a high-ranking deity supported by so many other gods was a major advantage.
“I’m the one who should be grateful. I look forward to working with you.”
I took both of her hands and expressed my gratitude.
“......”
The [Lady of the Night] blushed slightly and turned her head away.
Was she still upset?
Perhaps I had been too heavy-handed in dictating the story’s direction, as I had always managed the overall narrative myself.
***
Spending more time together and even being able to oversee the game’s development...?
The [Lady of the Night] felt as though she might float away with joy.
Currently, she was positioned as one of the central characters in the new main story of the [Akashic Archive].
She was one of only two figures in the Archive who actively assisted the players, alongside the Administrator.
It was almost like she and the Administrator were a couple within the story.
That alone was enough to make her heart feel like it might explode from the sheer intensity of it.
But to think she could stay by his side until all the stories of the Twelve Gods were completed as well?
Boom!
Her mind, filled to the brim with anticipation, completely froze.