Before this, Dan Heng had helped Stelle complete one of the game's limited-time challenges.
He had more or less figured out how the game worked, and had also recognized the real-life inspirations behind the Empire and its Emperor.
The Empire was the Xianzhou Alliance.
The Emperor was the "Father of the Xianzhou."
The game's creator seemed to hold a deep grudge against them. Out of malice, they had made a game called Empire Simulator, even including a plot where the player assassinates the Emperor based on Zero.
The moment he heard Stelle say she wanted to kill the Emperor based on Zero, Dan Heng frowned.
Since it was Stelle's save file, he didn't say much. He only asked, "Did you save?"
Stelle nodded repeatedly and pulled him over to the bar in the Astral Express's common area.
The two sat down, and the conductor, Pom-Pom, brought them drinks.
Dan Heng quietly thanked Pom-Pom, took Stelle's remote controller, and loaded the latest save.
Two choices appeared on the screen.
[Option 1: Assassinate]
[Option 2: Run Away]
Dan Heng looked at Stelle.
"Do you have any earlier saves?"
Stelle scratched the back of her head.
"I can't run?"
Dan Heng sighed.
"You're one of the Empire's top officials. You're beside the Emperor. You're in the safest place in the entire universe. What are you running from? That's too suspicious."
Stelle refused to believe it.
She was the player.
How could a player fail to escape?
She urged Dan Heng to pick the escape option.
He did as she asked.
[You died.]
[The man his colleagues jokingly called the Crown Prince returned to the Empire from the front lines.]
[He stepped over your corpse and scolded the Emperor.]
["You shouldn't put yourself in danger."]
["But aren't all of you here?" the Emperor smiled. "Compared to victory reports, I'd rather hear about you. Welcome back..."]
["Don't trust anyone, not even me... Forget it. You won't remember anyway."]
Dan Heng felt like all his scales were about to stand on end.
Who was the Crown Prince based on?
Who could scold Zero? Who would dare?
The Reignbow Arbiter?
'Could it be... this was how Zero and the Aeon acted when no one else was around?'
"Wow, I finally get to see him!" Stelle's eyes lit up as she pointed at the NPC on the screen. "Dan Heng, I want to kill him. Last time he showed up, he destroyed an entire star system."
Dan Heng thought to himself that the inspiration really was the Reignbow Arbiter.
But when had their Aeon ever destroyed a star system?
Every character in the game had been deliberately twisted and smeared by the creator.
None of it could be trusted.
Dan Heng pushed those thoughts aside.
"It'll probably take a long time. At least until you replace him as Crown Prince."
He looked at the system prompt.
The creator loved planting mysteries. Things that seemed strange or contradicted the setting early on usually received an explanation later.
Throughout this playthrough, the narration had consistently referred to the character as "They."
Dan Heng disliked the creator, but he didn't think they would make such a basic mistake.
He opened the history log and jumped to the first page.
[At the age of forty, you were replaced by Them.]
Who was "They"?
A Heliobus?
Or an Aeon?
When the moment of life and death came, Stelle had once again been forced to die in someone else's place.
Dan Heng patiently asked what had happened earlier in the story.
Stelle thought for a moment.
"I ran into an assassination attempt and killed both of them."
"I saved there."
Dan Heng loaded the save.
This was clearly the key event that affected everything afterward.
[You are attacked.]
[Option 1: Turn them against each other]
[Option 2: Kill]
Dan Heng chose the first option.
["You're holding grudges over something so small?" They rolled Their eyes and raised Their hands in surrender. "I remember you... the one I told not to sleep in the hallway. Oh, and you. Why didn't you come have a drink with me back then? Thanks to me, that person saw your post."]
[The solid alliance between the two instantly fell apart.]
[One glared at the other.]
["How dare you? How dare you make dirty jokes about that person?!"]
[The other sneered.]
["You think I don't know what you're really thinking? You just wanted to be..."]
Dan Heng: "..."
He had loved reading ever since he was young and had graduated from the academy with nearly perfect grades.
His reading speed and comprehension far exceeded ordinary people's.
By the time he realized what he was reading, it was already too late.
In any case, it was all deliberate slander.
The Xianzhou didn't have people like this.
And definitely no masochists.
Dan Heng sped up the text before Stelle could read it clearly.
The character continued stirring the pot.
[They turned to the colleague who had made the post and continued fanning the flames.]
["Shouldn't you be thanking me?"]
["Without me, how could that person have met you in private? Let me guess... did you say something you shouldn't have?"]
["How do you think that person replied? They probably saw you as a little bird that had plucked out its feathers while trying to court a human."]
["Otherwise, why would the Empire hold a social mixer the very next day?"]
Stelle sat up straight and raised her hand.
"Dan Heng, isn't a social mixer just an event where people eat? Why are they angry?"
"...No."
For a moment, Dan Heng didn't know how to explain it to his memory-lost companion, whose mental age was practically that of a child.
"Anyway, it's a gathering only adults can attend."
Stelle let out an "Oh."
She had thought it was just an event where everyone ate a lot and made new friends.
She never imagined there would be an age restriction.
She looked back at the screen.
The game character kept saying things like, "The Emperor did it all for you," and, "You're the most special one in that person's heart."
As they talked, one of the two finally lost.
The character reached out and touched the sticky blood splattered across Their face.
Looking at the crimson covering the ground, They suddenly lost interest in continuing.
[They wanted entertainment, not slaughter.]
[Option 1: Win them over]
[Option 2: Run away]
Dan Heng immediately understood.
The inspiration was the Elation.
Stelle quietly complained, "Why do They want to run away again?"
"Dan Heng, pick the first one."
"If I win over this colleague, I can kill the Crown Prince."
[They took off Their gloves and, without another word, snatched the dagger from Their colleague's hand.]
[Under the other's gaze, They tightly gripped the handle, leaving fingerprints and a full palm print.]
["Now we're accomplices."]
[They grinned and offered Their own evidence of guilt.]
[The colleague didn't take it. He simply looked at Them and asked, "Why did you really come to the Empire?"]
[Option 1: To enjoy watching the Emperor]
[Option 2: To enjoy watching all of you]
[Option 3: Custom response (Please stay in character)]
Dan Heng thought there wasn't much difference between the first two choices.
After thinking it over for a while and planning his answer, he chose the third.
[They said, "He brought peace and joy to humanity."]
["What about himself?"]
[The colleague seemed never to have considered that question and froze in place.]
[After a long pause, he grabbed the evidence They had offered with his gloved hand.]
The character survived.
The Aeon believed that joy was a privilege unique to intelligent life.
And besides, the Emperor in the game rarely showed any emotions.
Dan Heng boldly guessed that the NPC based on the Aeon was simply curious.
Curious about when someone with divinity would finally show their human side.
After that, the colleague willingly brought the character into their social circle.
Stelle sighed with emotion.
Ever since she had come to the Emperor's side, every colleague had spoken to her with sarcasm.
She never expected there would actually come a day when they reconciled.
Dan Heng said, "He knows the character's identity now. He has to find a chance to deal with them."
"Huh? Then there's no helping it."
Stelle sighed regretfully and solemnly spoke to the NPC on the screen.
"Out of all my coworkers, you cursed me behind my back the least. Even though you almost killed me before, I'll always remember you..."
As the story continued, the character successfully got rid of the guide, climbed higher in status, and even got the chance to take over the First Prince's work.
"First Prince" was also just a nickname given by his colleagues.
He was the quiet senior official who held the same rank as the Crown Prince.
He printed out a list of precautions and handed it to the character.
Dan Heng glanced over it.
The first item read: "Before the Emperor begins work, always check under the desk to make sure no one is hiding there."
Dan Heng thought to himself, 'What kind of person? An assassin? Or another high-ranking official?'
'Enough already.'
'Just how much did the creator hate the Xianzhou?'
Dan Heng couldn't keep playing.
Unfortunately, the companion beside him had lost her memories, so he didn't dare leave.
What if some inappropriate scene appeared during the story...
After thinking it over, Dan Heng simply stayed beside Stelle and watched her play.
Rubbing her hands together, Stelle strictly followed the First Prince's instructions and repeatedly searched the top floor.
Sure enough, she caught several colleagues hiding there.
Using that as leverage, she successfully entered their social circles.
Dan Heng split his attention and took out his jade abacus.
[Dan Heng: Zero, has anyone ever insulted you to your face?]
[Zero: Of course.]
Zero seemed to think Dan Heng had experienced something similar and specially sent him some advice.
[Zero: I've never thought something like that was embarrassing.]
The one who should feel embarrassed is the person throwing a hysterical tantrum and making a fool of themselves.
Dan Heng put away the jade abacus.
That was true.
People like that weren't worth caring about.
The game creator only dared attack the Xianzhou indirectly and never had the courage to confront them openly.
They hated Zero but couldn't beat him. Driven almost mad by Zero, they could only settle for imagining defeating him in a game.
He lowered his head and looked at the screen.
The character successfully entered even more social circles and finally got a chance to be alone with the Emperor.
[Option 1: Assassinate]
[Option 2: Keep working]
This time, Stelle didn't act recklessly.
"The Crown Prince showed up last playthrough."
"The Emperor hasn't replaced the Crown Prince yet. I absolutely can't act carelessly."
Without the assassination incident, the Crown Prince didn't scold the Emperor.
["Long time no see." The Emperor smiled. "I'm planning to name the Empire after you."]
[Crown Prince: "...I must decline. Aren't the currency and statues already enough?"]
Dan Heng couldn't help thinking.
So the Alliance had almost been renamed.
Already imagining herself as the Crown Prince, Stelle happily asked, "Dan Heng, how does Baseball Bat Hero Empire sound? Or maybe Galaxy Empire?"
The corner of Dan Heng's mouth twitched.
"...Galaxy Empire."
Stelle nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that sounds much cooler."
Next, the story showed the daily interactions between the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
They had known each other for a thousand years.
Since the character couldn't join their conversations, They put all Their energy into socializing.
Stelle became friends with all the colleagues.
Even the Crown Prince's attitude toward her softened, and he occasionally allowed her to spend time alone with the Emperor.
Then another story scene began.
[They stood behind the Emperor, Their eyes growing darker.]
[They couldn't see through the man before Them.]
[Under what circumstances would he truly feel joy or sorrow?]
[What kind of person was he? What did he really want?]
[Was he a bloodthirsty tyrant? Then why treat humanity kindly?]
[Was he a benevolent ruler who loved peace? Then why insist on endless war?]
[What a contradictory person.]
[They knew he had one weakness that could almost be called fatal.]
[Whenever he became lost in thought, he ignored everything around him.]
[Their gaze dropped to the back of his neck... far too fragile for a human.]
[If the source of war were erased, would all living beings laugh once more?]
[No.]
[The opposite would happen.]
[The fanatics who lost control would throw the entire universe into chaos.]
Dan Heng felt confused for a moment.
The original hatred seemed to have become something much more complicated.
And now...
The character didn't even want the Emperor to die anymore?
Wait...
Could it be that while making the game, the creator had gradually become a Marshal fan?
Dan Heng's feelings became very complicated.
Meanwhile, Stelle had already immersed herself in the idea of becoming the new Crown Prince.
While the Crown Prince was away on the front lines, she focused on raising the Emperor's affection.
One day, the Emperor took the character to a hospital to visit wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield.
[The Emperor asked, "If you had the power to change the outcome of the war, would you use it?"]
["If They possessed such power but chose not to stop it, would you consider that Their sin?"]
This time there were no dialogue choices.
The player had to type an answer.
Dan Heng reminded her, "Save first."
Stelle hurriedly saved, then returned to the game and typed two words.
No.
[The Emperor nodded.]
["I see."]
[You died.]
Once again, Stelle died in place of the Aeon.
Stelle: "..."
'Are you a brat or something?! Just because I disagreed with you, you killed me?!'
With a blank expression, Stelle reloaded the save.
She typed: "Yes. It's a sin."
[The Emperor smiled.]
["Is that why the gods came to my side?"]
Stelle stared in shock.
"H-He... when did he figure it out?"
Even Dan Heng wasn't sure.
"The first time he saw you?"
[The Emperor continued, "They see the Empire as a natural disaster."]
["They believe my existence will only set the sea of stars ablaze with war, perhaps even destroy the entire world."]
["Rather than destruction, I'd rather call it..."]
["Rebirth."]
[The Emperor reached out his hand.]
Stelle immediately controlled the character and took it.
[The Emperor smiled.]
["Welcome to our side."]
["Believe me. We will bring even more joy to humanity."]
After this scene, they had even more opportunities to be alone together.
When both the First Prince and the Crown Prince left for the front lines, the chance finally came.
Three options appeared.
[Option 1: Assassinate while using the Crown Prince's identity]
[Option 2: Assassinate while using the First Prince's identity]
[Option 3: Assassinate using the borrowed body]
Stelle immediately saved.
Her ultimate goal was to replace the Crown Prince.
So she left the first option for last.
If the blame fell on the Crown Prince, then she would become the new Crown Prince.
She picked the third option.
[The Emperor sighed.]
["As expected. Those who are not of our kind can never truly share our heart."]
["How could a god care about humanity?"]
[You died.]
Stelle wasn't discouraged.
She clicked the second option.
[Option 2: Assassinate while using the First Prince's identity]
["You're betraying me too?"]
[The Emperor frowned slightly, looking troubled.]
[Then he stared into empty space and said, "So it's you."]
[You died.]
Stelle let out a long breath.
Now came the real challenge.
It was time for a test of speed.
She handed the controller to Dan Heng.
"Dan Heng, I'm counting on you."
The blame absolutely had to fall on the Crown Prince.
Dan Heng selected the first option.
[They succeeded.]
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