NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
The Edward Consortium was a consortium I had heard of before.
It was one of the few large firms that could manipulate the empire by venturing into various fields, reminiscent of conglomerates like the Three-Star Group.
“Hoorook… This tea smells delightful. It seems better than the tea we serve at our consortium.”
“Ahem! I made it myself.”
It’s quite something when the beautiful heir of such a consortium is sitting in the office of a small school in the southern region, sipping on mint tea made by the Master…
Having lived twice, it felt like I had experienced it all.
“Indeed, it must be the tea made by Sage Irene; that’s why it can be so fragrant. I’ve learned something good again.”
She placed her teacup down with an elegant smile.
Her gracious yet fragrant smile and warm but calm gaze reminded me of a female CEO I had worked with in my previous life in IT.
This woman… was not ordinary.
“By the way, did Sage Irene also create the Tetric game? It seems different from the fragrance of this tea.”
“That… that’s…”
The Master sent me an SOS.
She seemed to have done quite a bit of research.
For a consortium such as this, investigating the Master and me wouldn’t have been a hard task.
So at times like this…
“I made it.”
I had to jump in before I got tangled up.
At my words, she looked at me directly as if she had anticipated my answer.
Did she already know?
“As I suspected. You are Yuren, the problem solver of the Irene School, right?”
“Yes, I should formally introduce myself. I am Yuren, the grand disciple of Master Irene.”
“Nice to meet you, Yuren. It’s a pleasure to finally meet the one who created game magic.”
She had already settled herself in front of me as if it was only natural.
Just how much had this woman investigated?
“You’ve done quite a lot of research, haven’t you?”
“When discussing a business that involves countless lives, this much is basic.”
She spoke with a sly yet graceful smile.
With a face like that, I couldn’t help but feel she must have two crafty foxes lurking inside.
“Then let’s get to the point. I’d like to know what the Edward Consortium desires and what conditions we can offer in return.”
“Can we skip straight to the main topic? It might surprise you.”
“There have been many surprises in the last two weeks, so I’m fine with it.”
I had a hunch about what she wanted.
The consortium wouldn’t be so petty as to just want a few Tetric crystal balls from us.
She probably wanted the very essence of Tetric magic.
Just like a game publisher from my previous life.
I braced for her words.
But…
“Let’s not beat around the bush. I want to buy the Irene School.”
“What!?”
What in the world did that mean!
Buying us?
Everyone present, including myself, was baffled by her words.
“Ah, so you thought I came here like a common merchant just to snag that single game?”
No, how did she know!
But that seems like a common merchant’s thought… Did I misjudge that?
“My time is very valuable. If I were to make a mundane offer, I could have just sent Thomas here. I came to buy not just a product but a business. Yuren.”
In that moment, I saw a magnificent tiger hidden behind her smile.
I felt like I was meeting someone extraordinary.
*
While everyone, myself included, was dumbfounded by her proposal, she continued.
“Do you know the current situation in the royal capital, Yuren and everyone else?”
How are we supposed to know the capital’s situation!
I wanted to shout that I was about to drop dead from making 20,000 Tetric crystal balls!!
But I held back and feigned ignorance.
Then she showed us a Tetric crystal ball with a knowing expression.
“The Tetric crystal balls you’ve made are selling for an average of two million gold coins.”
“Two million!?”
Two million? That’s a tenfold increase!
Damn, should I have just sold them for one million gold coins!?
“That’s the problem; we can’t even find them to sell. Plus…”
She pulled out a crystal ball I had never seen before.
And then handed it over to me.
“What’s this?”
“Try using it. You might know what it is, Yuren.”
When I used the crystal ball handed to me by Sylvia, a small fragment appeared on the screen.
It looked like black pieces that could be fit together.
Could this be…
“What kind of shoddy puzzle game is this?”
Manipulating the crystal ball like Tetric, the picture pieces began to move and fit together.
This was a very primitive puzzle game.
There were no scores, no systems, nothing that involved gaming.
“This clumsy game crystal ball is being sold for three hundred thousand gold coins in the royal capital.”
“Three hundred thousand gold!?”
The shocked Jiren behind me took the crystal ball.
After a few touches, he sounded incredibly indignant.
“This insane game that I’ve made along with Noirin is a hundred times better!”
“Right, Jiren bro!”
I had heard once that during the height of Tetric’s popularity, countless clones and hacked versions were created and sold.
But to think this kind of thing would pop up in just two weeks…
“It’s natural for other schools and firms to mimic popular products, especially in a market like this without a ‘manager.'”
“Indeed… I understand what you’re saying, Sylvia. But I’m curious about something else.”
I could tell she was thinking big, focusing on the grand market.
But because of that, my ordinary citizen self had questions.
“If the Edward Consortium has one or two wizard schools under its wing, they could have created and sold something much more plausible than this puzzle game… Why did you come to us?”
The Edward Consortium could probably create and sell something much more worthwhile than just this puzzle game.
Yet she sought out our humble school in the southern region.
I couldn’t comprehend that.
In response to my words, she cut me off sharply.
“Because it’s inferior.”
Sylvia held the Tetric crystal ball.
She looked at it as if it were a treasured relic.
Her expression reminded me of how carefully I used to handle my first Super Mario game cartridge.
“If I hadn’t seen Tetric, I might have been satisfied with something like this. But I, too, know that both I and the citizens of the empire are aware of the top product, [Tetric].”
She spoke as if imagining a dreadful future that I wouldn’t want to consider.
“What do you think would happen if we churned out inferior products in that situation? They might sell for a bit, but soon customers would turn away. Along with the entire market of game crystal balls.”
There was an incident in the past gaming industry.
An event known as the ‘Itari Shock,’ that collapsed the North American gaming industry due to chasing money while ignoring quality and fun.
To reach ‘Itari Shock’ just thinking about Tetric… this woman was truly extraordinary.
“Specifically… what do you want?”
“I want you to provide high-quality game magic from the Irene School. The creation and distribution of the crystal balls will all be handled by the Edward Consortium.”
I looked into her eyes.
I felt confidence radiating from her.
A certainty that they would definitely succeed.
But because of that, I hesitated.
“…This is quite a large matter, so I think it would be best to discuss it with everyone. Could you give me some time to think about it?”
“Of course. However, since I am busy, I would like a response by tomorrow.”
Once all her statements were made, she got up without a moment’s hesitation.
“Then let’s take our leave, Thomas.”
“Yes, Miss.”
With that, the two of them exited the Irene school.
Leaving behind a significant dilemma in my heart and home.
Shortly after, everyone gathered in the study.
“Alright, Yuren! This is an opportunity.”
“I’m in favor too. Bro!”
“Me too!”
Karen had just come back from shopping for the young priests’ clothes.
The Master and I shared this matter with Karen and all the other priests.
Everyone was equally excited and showed their support.
“What do you think, Master?”
“If Yuren thinks it’s a good idea, then I’m in favor.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to me.
Their expressions said they couldn’t understand why I was hesitating to agree to something I had started.
I just needed to say yes.
But…
“Wait a moment, everyone… I need to think for a bit…”
Ducking out of the conversation, I dashed to my room.
*
Time passed.
In the middle of the night, I sat on the rooftop of the Irene school, gazing at the sea of stars and contemplating.
The fact that the nights in this other world allowed for such a clear view of the stars was great.
Looking at the night sky from here helped clarify my thoughts.
But today’s matter felt far from simple.
I couldn’t organize my mind properly.
“What’s the problem…”
Everyone agreed.
Even if they didn’t, if I said let’s go for it, my kind Master and the priests would all join in.
But something was holding me back.
A feeling stuck in my heart was daunting and worrisome.
But I had no idea what that something was.
Why was I so afraid?
As I stared at the answerless night sky alone, the Master appeared.
“Yuren, are you still thinking?”
“Master.”
She walked over and sat next to me.
“What troubles you so much?”
“I’m not sure. Just something keeps bothering me.”
I shared my confused feelings.
The Master pondered for a bit and then looked up at the sky.
“Yuren, my dream was to study magic with my disciples, in a peaceful and happy way.”
I remembered.
When I first came to this Irene school building with the Master, she shared that sentiment with a young me.
Just like now, looking up at the night sky.
“And thanks to you, Yuren, that dream has come true.”
“Master…”
Her eyes, unchanged since then, gazed into mine.
“So I want you to fulfill your dreams, Yuren.”
My dreams?
Thinking about it, I realized I had never shared my dreams with her.
Since her dreams were also mine.
But in her eyes, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“When you talk about games, Yuren, you look truly happy. It seems that creating games is your dream.”
“But if I return to being a game developer, our school…”
In the final stages of my past life as a game developer, I was in a dire state.
Surrounded by terms like ARPPU, CPI, all sorts of business jargon as I chased after money.
The technology for creating fun was replaced by techniques for squeezing out money, and before I knew it, I pressured my team to prioritize profits.
I sowed discord among players rather than joy and pursued sales figures instead of enjoyment.
Yeah… I was afraid of that.
I feared going back to the version of myself that chased only money.
That fearful feeling grew larger, overshadowing like the night sky.
However, at that moment…
The Master took my hand.
“Disciple, you won’t be returning to that time alone.”
She looked at me steadfastly, unchanged since our first meeting.
“We will move forward together.”
Ah…
The Master was always like this.
Casually entering my heart, she dispelled my worries.
“I really enjoyed the games you’ve created. I want to keep seeing them.”
Yes, I was scared.
I was afraid of reverting to that time when I was a game developer.
Scared that I would return to being someone who only cared about money and sales.
But…
If it meant I could work together with everyone to create fun games and fulfill the dream of that era…
I wanted to become a game developer again.
“Oh wow! My… my disciple!?”
“Thank you, Master. Really, thank you.”
I embraced the Master.
Her warmth, which I hadn’t felt in a while, was warmer than ever.
And she, too, hugged me gently, just like before.
“I’m grateful as well, my disciple Yuren.”
My mind cleared.
I felt like I could affirm who I was now.
My name is Yuren.
The disciple of Sage Irene and
『A game developer of another world.』