A new life has begun in a new home.
Officially, it was my home, but the others were living with me.
Julia was originally from the Juel School, but she moved all her stuff here, basically making it her new home.
I wondered if this was okay since Julia belonged to the Juel School, but Juel said, “Let’s just treat it as an early sending off for my grandson-in-law,” and allowed it.
Still, Julia is technically the heir of the Juel School; is this really alright?
Sora also moved her things from the Irene School dormitory to her own room in our house.
Until now, Sora lived modestly since the dorm wasn’t really her home.
However, taking this opportunity, she went on a shopping spree for furniture she liked to truly decorate her room.
It felt strange that Sora’s first real “my home” in the Empire was our house.
I was fine with it, but… are you really okay with this, Sora?
As for Sylvia, she didn’t decorate too much since she had to stay in Zephia for work.
Though she did bring her teleportation carpet to our house.
The teleportation carpet was great, but it made a loud clanking noise when used, so we all knew exactly when Sylvia was coming.
Vrrrrr—BANG!!!
“Oh… Sylvia’s here, and she came back early today.”
About like that.
And then the Master…
“It’s nice that Yuren’s house is warm.”
He practically started living here, saying my house was warmer than his own.
Plus…
“Big brother, I’m here.”
“I’m here too, Yuren.”
“We’re here as well!”
After work, a couple of apprentices—Jiren, Lauren, Noirin, and Barren—always dropped by our house for dinner.
“Why do you guys come over instead of staying at your own house?”
“Well, big brother has the biggest screen here.”
While decorating, I installed a giant magical screen in the living room.
It was made from the shell of a Shellcrusher, a gigantic turtle from the deep east, which was bigger than the screen in our lab and around 200 inches—basically a movie theater size!
Playing games on this screen gave an entirely different level of immersion, so more apprentices started coming over to play.
“Jiren! Behind you!”
“Big brother! In front!! In front!!!”
“Both of you, just retreat for now.”
“I’m hungry. Karen, is dinner ready yet?”
“It’s all done. Everyone, come to eat.”
In the living room, we played games, some read books, others ate ice cream, and some flipped through magazines.
What’s this? Am I imagining things?
I couldn’t find any differences compared to the usual Irene School dorm life.
As I was having those thoughts, Sylvia quietly sat beside me.
Leaning her shoulder against mine, she said,
“Yuren, can I look forward to this weekend?”
Forget what I said before.
Something had changed.
It was the looks in the girls’ eyes.
Sylvia, Julia, and Sora were relentlessly shooting heated glances my way.
Especially since it turned out that Sylvia had won the date in the rotation meeting for this week’s outing.
Sylvia was sending me expectant looks, and as a man, I reciprocated.
“Of course!”
“Hehe, I’ll be looking forward to it ♡”
Peck
With that, Sylvia lightly kissed my cheek and went to dinner.
Of course, if you asked what preparations I had for our weekend date, I had absolutely none.
Indeed, I was in a -panic- state.
Is that why I was absolutely crushing it in the game?
Seven consecutive kills? What’s going on with me today!?
“Good luck, big brother.”
“…Thanks.”
Only Jiren, who knew everything, nodded at me with that knowing expression.
Jiren was also on an eight-kill streak, and surely…?
Without a word, I patted Jiren’s shoulder.
We were both family men.
*
The weekend came.
I was about to go to the Hamon game shop like I did on my date with Julia when I got smacked by Julia’s uppercut and came to my senses, reserving a table at a Yura Republic restaurant that only people in the know went to with Sora’s help to go on a date with Sylvia.
However, I received the despairing news that all reservations were full, and I thought about how to tell Sylvia this without getting too scolded, feeling like I was going to the gallows as I headed to Zephia.
And…
“You’ve come, Yuren.”
As soon as I arrived in Zephia, I was summoned to the Minister’s Office.
With Sylvia, no less…
“Sylvia? Why does your expression look like that?”
“…It’s nothing, Minister.”
Sylvia wore the coldest, soulless expression I had ever seen.
Even Lord Herness looked a little taken aback.
“It seems I have interrupted your personal time; my apologies. However, someone wanted to meet with you, which is why you were called.”
“That’s alright, Minister; really.”
“…Why do you look like that?”
“Uh… it’s nothing.”
I sighed in relief internally, but it probably showed on my face.
After reining in my expression, I thought of sad thoughts to match Sylvia’s look.
While doing this, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock
“Come in.”
As the door opened, Mineva, now the first name that came to mind as Pink Curie, walked in.
“Minister, Commander Odilson has arrived.”
“Show him in.”
Mineva nodded and left.
After a moment, she returned with a sturdy old man.
“Welcome, Commander Odilson.”
“Ah, Lord Herness has gone through the trouble of arranging this fine gathering; of course, I had to come.”
The elderly gentleman, appearing to be in his sixties, with a large gray beard covering one side of his face and an eyepatch over his left eye, entered the Minister’s Office.
He had a friendly, grandfatherly aura, but I could also sense a very sharp energy hidden beneath it.
It was like the aura of a general, much like Apollo.
“Everyone, please greet Commander Odilson, the current Commander of the Imperial Army.”
“Pleasure to meet you, young friends! I’m Odilson.”
I felt like I’d heard that name before, and then I remembered.
He was one of the most powerful figures in the country, second only to the Queen and the Minister, a renowned hero known as “the single-eyed general from the South,” Commander Odilson.
“Odilson highly praises the game ‘Sim City’ that you created. He wanted to meet the one who made it, which is why this gathering was arranged.”
“It’s an honor, Commander.”
“Haha, no, it’s I who is honored to meet the young hero who defeated the mad dragon and solved the corruption of the eight families, filling the Empire’s treasury.”
The atmosphere was heavy.
If the pressure increased with power, both Sylvia and I might have been crushed.
“It’s not this; I’m just an ordinary game developer.”
I answered as humbly as I could.
At my words, the Commander stroked his beard and replied.
“Game… yes, I’ve enjoyed that Sim City game you made very much.”
“You did, Commander?”
“Yes, my grandchild was playing it, and it looked so fun that I took it from them to try.”
Recalling fond memories, the Commander smiled.
In that regard, he truly resembled a friendly neighborhood grandpa.
“It was very enjoyable, though I was a bit disappointed that the demon legions were rather clumsy; the ones I fought were much craftier and crueler.”
“Ah… I see.”
I’d heard rumors, but it seemed he had indeed faced them firsthand.
Yet, I acquired another piece of useless information I’d rather not have known.
“I have one question I’d like to ask, if that’s alright?”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
The Commander’s remaining eye grew serious as he looked at me.
Is this where things get real?
I steeled my heart.
“Your game allowed for management simulations; does that mean… is it possible to simulate war as well?”
“War… you say?”
“Yes, war is what I mean.”
In that moment, I felt my heart drop.
The Commander continued speaking.
“Watching your game, I had this thought. If management can be simulated, then simulating war as well could truly benefit the Imperial Army.”
“It can be made, but I have a question.”
“What kind of question?”
A slew of bad thoughts flashed through my mind.
To quell that anxiety, I pushed myself to ask the question.
“What do you wish to test with this war game?”
The Commander chuckled, as if he sensed something from my gaze.
“Ah, I think I know what you’re worried about.”
The Commander looked at my face with a knowing expression.
“My father used to say, ‘The sage does not start wars, but always prepares for them.’”
The Commander spoke grimly, as if recalling some horrific memory, touching his eyepatch.
“I truly understood the meaning of that after losing an eye over twenty years ago… How’s that? Did I answer adequately?”
“Yes, that’s sufficient.”
If it’s for the purpose of defense rather than invasion, I’d happily cooperate.
I understood the necessity of a military as well.
With that relief, another question popped into my mind.
“Ah! Can I ask one last thing?”
“You’re quite the curious young man, but I don’t mind that. What is it?”
As a game developer, I asked the Commander,
“Is it allowed for other races beyond those that exist in reality to appear in this war game? For example, aliens.”
“Aliens? What kind of race is that?”
In a world where elves, dwarves, and beastfolk existed, aliens were non-existent.
I was aware of a game featuring such races.
At that moment, I heard the voice of that certain someone.
“My life to Aiwu.”
