I Made a Game Featuring Constellations

Chapter 43

"Destroy all useless subjects. Incinerate them and prepare the 14th generation of Muria."

I thought I had seen enough suffering to last a lifetime.

"It hurts... Please, it hurts..."

I thought nothing could surpass the tragedies of the Magitech Engineer or the Demon God.

"Endure it! Do you have any idea how much money and time we’ve spent on you? Pain is a trivial matter!"

I never imagined that a Constellation, a god of wisdom no less, could have endured even greater torment.

"You! You monster! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!"

And yet, she was still trapped in that horrific pain.

I had been naïve.

I thought no shackle, no matter how strong, could break the spirit of a god.

I thought that no matter how agonizing her memories, reliving them through dreams would be manageable.

And yet, there I was, smiling as I thought about turning her story into a game.

Planning how to integrate her tale into the Archive, how to balance her as a character, and how to create events inspired by her pain.

It was pathetic.

"No... Please, stop..."

The sound of her anguished groans as a Constellation shattered me.

I couldn’t bear to sustain her nightmare any longer.

I had thought I could create a game from her dreams and help her heal through her curse.

But—

Shatter!

"I’m sorry, Constellation."

I could no longer stand idly by.

I reached through the veil of her dream that imprisoned her and extended my hand.

"I’m truly sorry for making you relive such painful memories."

Her pain, her suffering, her sorrow—

I could not even begin to fathom their depth.

"I think I can break these chains."

A curse of knowledge?

The more she knew about the continent, the stronger the shackle grew, and her divine power prevented her from dispelling it?

Then let’s see.

Let’s see whose knowledge is vaster, whose will is stronger.

Can this curse withstand everything I have?

Hum!

Through the crumbling remnants of her dream, I unleashed my own.

My golden hair darkened, shifting to a deep black as my present self faded away and my past self emerged.

The world of my imagination overlaid hers, replacing her despair with something new.

"Would you mind indulging me for a moment? I’m going to shatter this ridiculous curse right now."

The world around us transformed.

Though I held few fond memories of it, my homeland—now a distant memory—filled the void.

It was nothing like Reiphania, with its magitech-fueled advancements.

Flashing neon signs filled the streets, their dazzling colors reflected on the towering concrete buildings that stretched endlessly toward the sky.

Stepping onto the sidewalk with her, I knelt on one knee, extending my right hand, palm up, toward her.

"You..."

"Your nightmare ends here, Princess."

Even if this world was a fabricated dream,

Even if it was a lie born of imagination,

If it could soothe the wounds left by her cruel reality,

"Let me show you. The knowledge beyond, that will free you, Princess."

She took my hand.

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, perhaps from the relief of escaping her torment.

"Please... take care of me..."

"With utmost devotion," I replied, bowing as if escorting a noble lady.

I led her forward, like a knight pledging his life to his liege.

***

"Wow, that's such a massive river!"

"Ahhh!"

"Alright, alright! Here you go, Princess!"

Thump, thump, thump!

The countless experiences they shared at the amusement park, filled with joy and laughter, tore apart the last vestiges of her mental chains.

Where should we go next?

The boy mentally cycled through a list of potential destinations, including Myeong-dong, a favorite spot for foreign visitors.

"Prince!"

"...Yes? Did you call me?"

He turned to where the girl was pointing, her finger aimed at a brightly lit sign.

[ADULT STORE]

"What... what kind of place is that?"

"Uh... well... It’s...."

What was he supposed to say?

How could he explain this?

Besides, hadn’t he configured her settings so she could read all the languages? She had to know what it meant!

"I don’t know what it is. Can we go inside? Please?" she asked earnestly.

"Umm... I’m sorry, but I haven’t been there myself, so it probably hasn’t been rendered properly."

"...I see."

"Yes, that’s right."

"Hmm~. I understand."

The girl turned away with a cryptic expression.

"Prince."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had a lover before?"

"...Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"I’m just curious."

The boy failed to notice the dark, possessive glint flickering in her eyes.

"Prince! That iron thing is flying!"

"That’s a submarine. It goes underwater."

"Wow! An elevator that goes this high!"

"There are no other races here? ...Oh, just humans?"

"Ta-da! What do you think of this outfit, Prince? Isn’t it pretty?"

"Run! Prince, I want another one of those!"

"Did you just splash water on me? Take this!"

The boy and the girl traveled across the Earth.

Even with all its magitech and civilization, Reiphania couldn’t compare to the breadth of modern Earth’s advancements.

A culmination of human ingenuity built without the aid of magic.

Each stunning sight shattered her remaining mental chains piece by piece.

"Ah, Prince. I’m so happy."

"Are you?"

I’m glad.

The boy offered a faint smile.

The shackles that had bound her were nearly gone now.

If modern Earth’s knowledge hadn’t been enough, he had been prepared to pull from fantasy works or even martial arts worlds, but it seemed unnecessary.

"Where shall we go next? Is there anywhere you’d like to visit?"

There were still many places they hadn’t explored.

Maybe they could visit foreign landmarks next.

Though he had never been to these places in real life, he had seen them in enough media to recreate them accurately.

As he pondered their next destination, the girl approached him.

"This time, I want to go there!"

"Where...?"

He turned to look at the glowing red sign she was pointing at.

MOTEL.

...What? Where did she want to go?

"Ehehe."