Otherworld TRPG Game Master

Chapter 23: A Day at the Purple Magic Tower

༺ A Day at the Purple Magic Tower ༻

‘The Purple Magic Tower is a gathering place for freaks.’

It took her three years to deny this statement, another three years to hesitate, and a final three years to accept…….And now she knew it was an undeniable truth with not a hint of a lie. This great realization came to her after more than nine years of tenure.

The proof that the statement was true was happening right before her eyes. After all, the wizards of the Purple Magic Tower, practically drenched in madness, were howling.

“Esteemed Junior’s theory is unbeatable and my panty modeling is God incarnate!!”

“Illusion Magic is not for replicating women’s underweAAAHHHHH-!!”

“IdevelopedanincredibleIllusionMagicsoourEsteemedJuniorpromisedtoshortentheshortsofmyshotabutler¹yeah let me double TL this: I developed an incredible Illusion Magic, so our Esteemed Junior promised to shorten the shorts of my shota butler is what they said”

“I have developed an Illusion Magic that feels like having five hands, but I need a test subject to hit. Any takers? As compensation, you’ll get a recording of the cute Tower Master whining about not liking bean sprouts!”

“This curve isn’t right. Today, again, I failed to capture the beauty of breasts…….I had to find the ultimate, Final Boss of breasts……….But I failed……”

The Illusion Wizard Lorei of the Purple Magic Tower sighed deeply today as well, looking at the endearing troublemakers of the tower.

Looking back, the tower didn’t seem as unhinged in the past. What was it like when she first entered the Purple Magic Tower? Back then, it was filled with desolate and depressed truth-seekers of magic.

If one desired wealth, the Gold Magic Tower was the answer. If they seeked simple revenge, then the Red Magic Tower was for them. If it was exploration they wanted, then the Blue Magic Tower was their home. And finally, only for those twisted in some dark way was the Purple Magic their path.

Those who desire not just wealth, but for something that did not exist in this world.

Those who seeked not just revenge, but to inflict unspeakable pain on something that never existed.

Those who wanted not just exploration, but to lift the veil and peek at what was hidden in the world.

Those were the ones seeking something twisted, instead of the ordinary worldly values that most people possessed.

Just look at that man right there.

“Everything Esteemed Junior says is right. We got the budget, so it must be. The person who managed to obtain the budget is God, and since God’s words are always right, everything Esteemed Junior says is correct.”

That man, who had been studying which part of panties should be transparent for Esteemed Junior’s approval, had been a wizard in the Purple Magic Tower for 15 years. He was even there during the era of the ‘Previous Purple Magic Tower Master’.

Before his brain got contaminated with Esteemed Junior’s twisted ideas, he was researching ‘a curse that converted pleasure into pain’. He wanted to take away every little bit of happiness from a noble who destroyed his life, thus continuing his research with bloodshot eyes.

But after hanging out with Esteemed Junior a few times, he ended up like that. Ruined.

For some reason, the Purple Magic Tower, primarily populated by young members, considered someone with 15-years of tenure an old-timer. To exaggerate a bit, he was at a position comparable to the Elders of other towers……….(Of course, this was relatively speaking. If an Elder from another Magic Tower actually showed up, he would have to bow his head in respect.)

As the saying went, the upstream water should be clean first in order to have clean water down the stream, so with the upstream like that, it was no wonder that the water down below wasn’t normal.

That woman with thick glasses, drawing the figure of a shota butler on paper with delicate strokes, was in her sixth year here. After her childhood friend, to whom she was promised in marriage, ran away with a mercenary who visited their village, she started researching ‘Mind Destruction’ and ‘Seduction’, but…

“There is a person……..inside the paper…….!!”

After getting involved with Esteemed Junior’s terrifying butler corps, she changed. Now, her goal was to create a boyfriend that perfectly matched her tastes using Illusion Magic.

All of this because of Esteemed Junior…….that is, a promising candidate for an Archwizard, the genius wizard who created the 『Living Illusion of the Purple Tower』, with an ominous combination of black hair and red eyes, and who was suspected of dating the Tower Master.

Everyone was far too intimidated to simply call him ‘Junior’, so they respectfully referred to him as ‘Esteemed Junior’──He, the Illusion Wizard ▒▒▒, was the root cause.

“Agh damn it, he’s put a lock on his own name again with 『Perception Disorder』……..”

He was also a batshit crazy bastard who locked his own name.

===============================================================

If one asked who was the first in command in the Purple Magic Tower, it was, of course, the Purple Magic Tower Master.

Though she was cute and a bit clumsy, there was none who dared to underestimate the Tower Master. Even the most vile pieces of shits kneeled before her.

Just as the warm sun made a passing traveler shed their coat, had the cuteness of the Tower Master reformed even the wizards with flawed characters?

Hardly.

Everyone just kept a low profile because they had all been hit by the Tower Master’s low kick at least once. Opportunely, there was a good example of this; this tale was of a fresh newcomer who had just finished his three years of tenure.

“After three months……I finally completed it! 『Melburton’s Field of Reduced Accuracy』! When one looks at the engraved pattern, it distorts their focus, making it impossible to strike properly! My very own Artifact! With this, I can take revenge on the guy who burned down my hometo…….”

“I-Is this something n-new you made? Heung………”

“T-Tower Master, w-when? N-No, n-not this, pLEASE-!!”

Tap. Boom.

“S-Sorry……I didn’t know it would break with just a tap…….B-But……..isn’t the name a bit too grandiose? How about 『Melburton’s Sugar Coating』……..?

“AHHHHHHHHHHEUKKKKKKK…….!!”

When something you had worked on so desperately shattered with a single gesture, your head would naturally bow in despair. As in the world, the Purple Magic Tower was also governed by the law of the jungle.

The Tower Master wouldn’t actually destroy magic for fun. Illusion Magic was really shitty when it came to combat. That Melburton thingamajig would have been useless in actual combat; he would probably just get stabbed in the side.

These nerds who only researched within the tower didn’t know this. Why was the Purple Magic Tower so unpopular? Why was Illusion Magic considered shitty by all?

One realized this only after being blown away in actual combat with a single word.

I was the same. Until I got beaten up in real combat, I thought it would work. Instead of learning a valuable lesson, I ended up with a large scar on my face. And I paid my left eye as tuition too.

That was why the Tower Master showed the harsh and bitter reality as a precaution.

“Crunch, crunch……..Ehehehe…….”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

It couldn’t be that she was actually breaking them for fun……..right?

===============================================================

If one asked who the second in command of the Purple Magic Tower was, there might be some debate, but in my personal opinion, it was Esteemed Junior.

Some say Esteemed Junior was the second in command because he was a promising candidate for an Archwizard while others say it was because he was good at Illusion Magic. However, I think differently.

The second in command was, after all, the right hand of the first in command. Even if they were incompetent or foolish, if they were adored by the first in command, they would naturally be the second in command. Especially if the first in command wielded absolute power.

“Hey, um, you know…..Maybe it’s about time to create some different modelings……”

“Extras can have their facial features roughly smushed together, but we definitely need high-end models like Heart.”

“Um…….Uh, should I give you my body data……?”

“No, thanks.”

“Uehhhh.”

Just look at that affectionate demeanor. Inside the Purple Magic Tower, the prevailing opinion was ‘There seems to be a strange atmosphere, but it doesn’t seem like THAT yet.’ However, I think the two are already in a romantic relationship.

There was decisive evidence for this as well.

This was a conversation I coincidentally overheard while passing by under 『Invisibility』 one day.

“Oh, are you going to go wash again today?”

“S-Stop talking like I never wash!”

“Everyone finds it bothersome, after all. At best, the Seniors wash at least once a week. Even Tower Master did so as well, right?”

“A-After showing me that…….!”

What on earth did you show the Tower Master, oh Esteemed Junior?

Esteemed Junior was unusual from the very start of joining this tower. After all, he washed everyday and frequently washed his hands. I thought it might be the so-called obsessive-compulsive disorder.

But then, at a certain point in time, the Tower Master also started washing everyday.

People wouldn’t die from washing only once a week. Would not washing lead to illness or bugs? Illnesses and bugs came from polluted air. And the air in the Magic Tower was managed with Clean Magic and Holy Water.

So the two of them washing everyday couldn’t not be suspicious. What were they doing that they had to wash daily? Maybe to erase some evidence that would be troublesome if discovered by others? What kind of evidence might that be?

I have several hypotheses about this matter, but I will not mention them.

At any rate, it was true that thanks to Esteemed Junior, a fresh breeze had started blowing through the Magic Tower. Fresh grants. Fresh magic.

Everyone must be excited. The birth of an Archwizard significantly elevated the status of the Magic Tower, after all.

In addition, they must be thrilled, hoping to finally receive proper ‘teaching’.

The Tower Master was not good at teaching others. It was because she did things ‘just like that’ with her innate senses. The Tower Master’s Original Magic was, as expected, so bizarre that no one dared to even attempt it.

On the other hand, Esteemed Junior’s magic was different from the Tower Master’s. It required a disgusting amount of computational power, but with enough manpower and time, it fell within the realm of reproducibility. He was also quite skilled at teaching others.

If Esteemed Junior kept growing just like this and became an Archwizard, thus bestowing his teachings on the Purple Magic Tower……

Many things would change.

===============================================================

As I was eating oatmeal and carving a ring-shaped Artifact, Charlie, a senior with 15 years of tenure and a panty enthusiast, approached me.

“Lorei, is it going well?”

“Ah, yes. Kinda.”

“You’re really unique too, you know. If Ruins Exploration was your dream…….wouldn’t the Gold Magic Tower be the best choice? They have a lot of money and useful magic.”

“As I’ve said many times, my goal is to explore ruins with my younger brother.”

My brother and I dreamed of being adventurers, exploring ruins across the continent and uncovering the secrets of the world……..just like our parents, who were awesome adventurers.

But that dream was shattered. My brother lost both his legs in a carriage accident. I was about to be hit by the carriage while distracted by a butterfly, but he saved me and got caught up in the crash instead.

That was why I started learning Illusion Magic.

『Lorei’s Possession』.

That was the magic I was working on. Its effect was to forcibly control someone else’s body. I planned to use this magic to give my body to my brother.

It was a long way to completion, but someday, surely…..

As I mulled over my ambition. Charlie pulled up a chair and sat down. It seemed he had something to say, so I paused my Artifact adjustment and turned to him.

“Is something the matter?”

“With grants coming in and…….rumors spreading that the Second Prince visited, a lot of new recruits are entering the Magic Tower.”

“As I live and breathe. To think a day would come when the Purple Magic Tower would be crowded with people.”

“In the old days, when we were poor and scruffy, even thieves didn’t bother with our tower. But now it’s different. There must be some with ulterior motives among the newcomers.”

“Well……..won’t the Tower Master take care of them?”

“Before the Tower Master steps in, we should clean them up. How many years have you been here again?”

“9 years.”

“Ahhhhh, so that’s why…….you don’t know.”

Senior Charlie sighed and looked around, ensuring no one was nearby before speaking.

“Lorei, have you ever seen someone elderly in the Purple Magic Tower?”

“No. The oldest are just in their forties, right?”

I hadn’t thought deeply about it, assuming that was just how it was like here. But was there some significant reason as to why Senior Charlie’s expression would become so serious?

“Think carefully about why there are no Elders sitting around in the Purple Magic Tower, why only those with a maximum of merely 20 years of study are the top-ranking members.”

“Yes…………..”

Senior Charlie added one last thing.

“Don’t be too comfortable around the Tower Master.”

With those words, Senior Charlie got up and left. The shadow on his face and the thoughtful look in his eyes that seemed to recall something in the past……….What had happened? There might actually be some dark secret hidden in the Purple Magic T──

“HEY!! YO!! I HEARD ESTEEMED JUNIOR AND THE TOWER MASTER IS KISSING!!”

“WHAT?! Let’s go right now!”

Senior Charlie dashed off energetically like a headless chicken. I muttered to myself incredulously.

“…….You said to not be too comfortable around her, though………”

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  yeah let me double TL this: I developed an incredible Illusion Magic, so our Esteemed Junior promised to shorten the shorts of my shota butler is what they said