Volume 4

«Yaa yaa yaa - What's up? - I am Noitan - the much-loved - cute mascot - of [Kingdom Royale]!»

«Huh? - You are wOndering - why suCh an - outstanding persOnality -like me is here? - Eehm - I thOught - I will explain - [Kingdom Royale] to you - piTiful guys - whose memory - is about as gOod - as a chiCken's! - Although you - lowlives coUld - easily be mistaken - for the oriGin - of the word 'idiot' - I am kiNd to you! - I am the maScot - after all»

«Alright - I wiLl - begin now!»

«To be frAnk - [Kingdom Royale] is a game - about killiNg - and deceiving - each other»

«The six players - get their own - [cla.s.ses] and - have to mEet - their respective - victory cOnditions. - I will now - disPlay the [cla.s.ses] - and the victOry conditions!»

☆

[King]

Victory conditions: Death of the [Prince] and [Revolutionary]

☆

[Prince]

Victory conditions: Death of the [King], [The Double] and [Revolutionary]

☆

[The Double]

Victory conditions: Death of the [Prince] and [Revolutionary]

☆

[Sorcerer]

Victory conditions: Surviving

☆

[Knight]

Victory conditions: Death of the [King] and [Prince]

☆

[Revolutionary]

Victory conditions: Death of the [King], [Prince] and [The Double]

«The game ends - once evEryone's - victory conditions - have beEn met! - Put another way - the gAme won't - end just by - clEaring one's own - victory conditions - For exaMple - if you are the [King] - and both the - [Prince] and thE [Revolutionary] - died - the game will not - end as lOng as - the [Knight] - who still aims - for yOur life - is alive»

«Therefore - someone deFinitely - has to start killing.»

«Huh? How to kill? All players get a knife, so simply start to slaughter each other.»

«Hah? You can't do something like that? Go kill yourself you fool! Don't you get that mankind's a beautiful race that can slaughter each other even without any meaningful goal!»

«Ethics? Ah, you're talking about that ambiguous thing that changes along with the environment. You can't kill because of that? It makes me sick but I have to admit that may be true. Don't worry! [Kingdom Royale] is prepared so that even wimps like you can kill each other! We kindly implemented a system that lets you kill someone by simply pressing a b.u.t.ton.»

«......»

«Mh? I am - not angRy! - Uhm - I will now - explain - the skills - of eAch [cla.s.s] - including the skills - to kill others»

Skills of the [King]

- [Murder]

He can select a player he wants to kill and request the [Sorcerer] or the [Knight] to execute this action. He does not need to select.

- [Subst.i.tution]

He can once avoid being the target of [a.s.sa.s.sination] by changing roles with [The Double] for a single day. If he was selected as the target on this day, [The Double] will die instead of the [King].

Skills of the [Prince]

- [Throne Succession]

He becomes able to use [Murder] once the [King] and [The Double] have died.

- [Anti-magic]

He cannot be killed by [Sorcery].

Skills of [The Double]

- [Inheritance]

If the [King] dies or [Subst.i.tution] was executed, he becomes able to use [Murder].

Skills of the [Sorcerer]

- [Sorcery]

He can choose whether to effectively kill the character that was selected by [Murder]. The targeted character will become a burnt corpse.

Skills of the [Knight]

- [Deathblow]

He can choose whether to effectively kill the character that was selected by [Murder]. Only executable when the [Sorcerer] is dead. The targeted character will die due to beheading.

Skills of the [Revolutionary]

- [a.s.sa.s.sination]

He can a.s.sa.s.sinate the selected character. He does not need to select one. The targeted character will become a strangulated corpse.

«Basically - the mightier the sKills - the higher the risk - one bears - Therefore you canNot - call any [cla.s.s] - advantageous.»

«I will now - explain the - timetable of this gAme - which is surprisingly - important»

~12

- Break, standby in own room

12~14

- Gathering in the big room

14~18

- Selection of [Secret Meeting] partner until 14:40. Spend 30 minutes in the room of the selected character.

- The [King] is able to select a target for [Murder].

- The [Sorcerer] can use [Sorcery] (the [Knight] can use [Deathblow]).

(The character that was targeted by [Sorcery] or [Deathblow] will die at 17:55)

18~20

- Gathering in the big room.

20~22

- Dinner in own room.

(If no food supply available, death by turning into a mummy)

- The [Revolutionary] can use [a.s.sa.s.sination].

(The character that was targeted by [a.s.sa.s.sination] will immediately die)

22~

- Break, sleep

«Use this table - to plan the tiMing - of various actions!»

«Ah right - there is still - someThing I have - to tell you»

«Actually - [Kingdom Royale] is a gAme - that is being played - by one after the oTher - When you are the player - the otHers are - just NPCs - and will not - really die when - you kIll them! - Isn't that great? - You can kill - at ease - You can enjoy - the game.»

«Eh? You can still - not enjoy the game - even thOugh - the others are NPCs?»

«What is an incapable piece of trash like you who spent a boring life and wouldn't even get an article on Yahoo News when dying saying? Entrust your body to your l.u.s.t and savor each moment of this enjoyment! That just suits someone like you who can hardly be distinguished from a hog!»

«......»

«Just joking ☆! Did I - surprise yOu? Noitan is everyone's - dear masCot - so I would - never think - like that ☆»

«Well then - please enJoy [Kingdom Royale]!»

I'm in a scene I can only remember in my dreams.

"To be honest, I'm not pleased with this development."

I still don't know what kind of face he has, even though I should have become used to seeing him by now.

"Ironically, this development was called forth by Daiya Oomine-kun, even though he's supposed to be your enemy. ...No, maybe it's more accurate to say that he did so because he's your enemy."

But even while saying such things, he (she?) is still smiling, full of composure. He's disgusting as always.

"Your goal and mine resemble one another after all."

Goal?

This word makes me suspicious. He didn't seem to have a goal; rather, it seemed as though he had just been playing with us.

So I won't believe that. Isn't it rather the opposite? Hasn't he always tried to destroy the everyday life I've been trying to preserve?

"If it were like that, would I have really helped you destroy the 'box' when your body was taken over?"

You did that just in order to observe me, didn't you?

"Hehe... that's just a pastime for me and not my goal. No, maybe you could say that having such a pastime itself is my goal."

I don't get what your goal ultimately is.

"But isn't it the same for you? You, too, are saying something ambiguous like wanting to preserve your everyday life. Is that a clear goal?"

I've unknowingly closed my mouth.

"Because it's hard to understand, it's also hard to maintain. Therefore, I truly respect Daiya-kun for making use of that weak point of yours! Even so, I think that your nature won't change yet!"

While his cryptic choice of words increases my level of irritation, I ask for their basis, but...

"If you were such a simple human, I wouldn't be able to notice you like this."

He continues, still smiling.

"Daiya-kun told you that you are «an existence that tramples others' wishes», right? I think he's perfectly right! His accurateness is truly interesting, really. But that is just a one-sided way of perceiving you. I think that answer lacks something. You are an existence that tramples down others' wishes---"

He says to me with a triumphant look.

"But you can also be an existence that grants someone's wish."

An irritating smell like diluent is in the air.

A harmful smell that causes delusions and breaks people. But one also becomes addicted to this smell.

This is a pleasant s.p.a.ce, like a sauna that was built just for me. But it's not pleasant in the sense of comfortable.

It's a s.p.a.ce in which I can easily consume my life.

My life gets consumed before my very eyes. In a shape that's as easy to understand as the balance in a bankbook that's approaching 0 at high speed.

Aah... this feels good.

Consuming is a pleasure after all. People who suffer from shopping addiction don't actually want to have new things; they just calm themselves down by spending money. Although they know they're only ruining themselves, they can't get away from the pleasure of consuming.

This 'box' is the same.

It may sound paradoxical, but I attain pleasure and a sense of security by putting my life at risk, by consuming it.

Is this foolish?

I bet it is. But I don't care. No matter what kind of life we spend, eventually we all get thrown into some retirement home and end up getting our a.s.ses wiped by some annoyed nurse. If that's what awaits us, it's much better to seek pleasure than a meaningless life of pain for our endeavors. Or am I wrong?

While not actually caring about any of these musings, I recall the inhuman guy who gave me this 'box'.

"Do you have a wish?"

I immediately realized that he was abnormal in some way. I can't even recall his gender; well, I didn't care about that to begin with. But that abnormality of his was more than enough to stimulate my curiosity.

I think I answered him with something like «I can't think of any wish, but this world is awfully boring». When I said that, he flashed a mysterious smile and held out a 'box'.

I immediately understood that it really would grant any 'wish'.

I reflexively pondered whether I wanted it or not, but I didn't come to a clear conclusion. In the end, I accepted it lightheartedly, thinking that I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. It was like accepting a free pack of tissues advertising some prep school.

While I pretended to listen to his explanations, I thought about pre-ordering a game I had seen that day in that week's Famitsu because it looked funny.

But then I imagined a game that seemed even funnier.

So I thought: "Why not go with that idea?"

And thus the 'Game of Idleness' was born; just so I could play a game called 'Kingdom Royale'. It took the place of an unreleased video game.

Alright, then.

"I will win against you, Daiya!"

Kazuki Hoshino said that.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Absolutely impossible."

I am confident. Kazuki Hoshino has no chance of achieving his goal.

▶First Day