Isekai Online Game Developer

“…Step aside.”

Upon hearing the report, the Emperor furrowed his brow.

A few days ago, he had experienced a scam incident in the “Maple Leaf Story.”

He had secretly tracked down the perpetrator through informers.

“[Electricity God vv]…”

According to the report, the identity of the criminal was [Electricity God vv].

A veteran user from the early days of “Maple Leaf Story” and a key figure in the “Zatume Expedition.”

However, the nickname of the user he had traded with was different.

It turned out that this scammer had changed nicknames multiple times after pulling off various scams before.

Since he was a high-level user, it was said that the search process wasn’t too difficult.

If the scammer was [Electricity God vv], catching him would be easy.

Thanks to the time during the “Zatume Expedition,” he knew exactly who that person was.

A noble from a certain humble kingdom.

He knew both the name and the family.

“Hey there.”

The following day, the Emperor immediately ordered his arrest.

*

After executing [Electricity God vv], the Emperor was engulfed in a strange discomfort.

It was definitely him—the [Electricity God vv] he had seen during the “Zatume Expedition.”

But there was an awkward demeanor about him.

Of course, if he knew the one he scammed was the Emperor, it would make sense, but it felt like something different.

“…Your Majesty, wasn’t that definitely [Electricity God vv]?”

Rikal, who had come to report on state affairs, asked after finishing his report.

Having been gaining recognition recently within the imperial palace, he was slowly becoming more valued.

“…That’s right.”

The Emperor had handled the matter very discreetly.

He certainly didn’t want the world to know he had been scammed in a game.

Though the news had leaked a bit and had spread among some circles.

And soon, news would spread that the culprit had been captured and executed.

Regardless, as an Emperor, there were things he had to cover up.

“However, why… Ah.”

Rikal, having understood the situation, abruptly stopped speaking.

To Rikal, [Electricity God vv] was like an old comrade.

Thus, he felt a twinge of regret over the execution.

But Rikal also thought that there was nothing that could be done considering the man had scammed the Emperor.

“Then I will take my leave…”

“Rikal.”

“Yes, Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You definitely played ‘Maple Leaf Story’ right after its launch.”

“…That is correct, but…”

“Then he must be quite a high level. Did you not have a connection with [Electricity God vv]?”

Rikal forced himself to manage his expression.

As his interactions with the palace staff increased recently, this kind of questioning had become common.

“Yes, Yes. I’m not that skilled, so I’m not that high of a level.”

“Is that so? Still, you must be at a higher level than I. Perhaps you can help me out once…”

“-I have a state meeting coming up, so I’ll take my leave now, Your Majesty. Goodbye.”

Rikal bolted away.

Though the Emperor thought it rude that he dared to interrupt, he just sighed.

In comparison to before, it was a pretty good sign.

“Your Majesty, there is a state meeting scheduled.”

“…Today my head is complicated, so I will leave it to the Crown Prince and Prince.”

“…Understood.”

The royal administrator answered as if this were familiar.

It wasn’t the first or second time.

“Phew… I should take a moment to clear my head.”

Then the Emperor casually picked up “Maple Leaf Story.”

He did this to alleviate the lingering discomfort left after executing [Electricity God vv].

He hadn’t really received any money back from him.

After all, it wasn’t like the Emperor lacked money.

It was simply bothersome to find a new trading partner.

“…If I had known, I should have executed him after taking the items.”

And so, the time in the imperial palace flowed on.

And a few days later.

“…What did you say?”

While chatting with the users of “Maple Leaf Story,” the Emperor heard news that made him doubt his ears.

“That user who was executed by the Empire’s Emperor recently… for scamming.”

It was already a well-known fact that the Emperor had been scammed and that the user had been executed.

However, the fact that the Emperor’s nickname was still undiscovered as [Ordinary Adventurer] remained.

The Emperor continued the conversation nonchalantly.

“So?”

“There’s someone claiming they saw that user near the Temple of Time. They say it’s a ghost, causing a stir.”

“Huh…?”

It was quite a famous rumor.

The notion that a user executed by the Emperor was still out there playing the game.

However, it seemed to be merely anecdotal reports, as he had not been seen recently in party quests or raids at all.

It circulated like an urban legend.

Given that the user was of an exceedingly high level, it received quite a bit of attention.

“Hmm…”

While contemplating, the Emperor discreetly investigated the truth behind the rumor.

And some time later, he received reports that the rumor was indeed true.

It was also reported that the nickname hadn’t changed from when he scammed the Emperor, leading to speculation that once a nickname was changed, it couldn’t be changed again for a while.

“Huh…”

The Emperor, absorbed in thought upon receiving the report, realized that he might have executed not a scammer, but a righteous person.

If not, it might mean that a real ghost was playing “Maple Leaf Story.”

Shivers ran down his spine, something he had never felt despite traversing countless battlefields.

“Send a letter to the Illusion Tower.”

Ultimately, the Emperor decided to summon Illusion Mage Riot.

He knew that the Illusion Tower did not disclose user personal information.

Thus, he had been handling matters directly until now.

But this incident was one that he couldn’t begin to understand without the help of the Illusion Tower.

A few days later, Rai visited the imperial palace.

“I pay my respects to the Empire’s Sun.”

“Illusion Mage Riot. It is a pleasure to meet you again. How have you been?”

“Yes. I trust Your Majesty has been well.”

The two engaged in an amiable conversation.

After exchanging some meaningless chatter, the Emperor got to the main point.

“…So, do you happen to know the situation regarding that user?”

The Emperor recounted everything that had happened.

Rai pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Well… as I mentioned, we cannot ascertain user personal information.”

“…Is there truly no way? It’s possible that there’s an issue with the game system.”

“Even if there’s a method, it would be difficult… Your Majesty, you wouldn’t want your character’s identity exposed either.”

Since the Emperor was also playing under a concealed identity, he could empathize with that.

The world was slowly embracing the concept of anonymity.

While it posed risks, it often aligned with desires to hide behind that anonymity.

“However, one thing I can confirm is that it’s impossible for a ghost to play the game or any bugs associated with that user. Thanks to the recent update, we’ve scrutinized the server until yesterday, so I can state this with certainty.”

“…Then that means it’s a real human being.”

“All I can conclude is that what Your Majesty thought you had killed was, in fact, not [Electricity God vv]… I apologize for not being more helpful.”

“Not at all. This has been quite helpful.”

After a little more conversation, Rai took his leave.

The incident, growing ever more enigmatic.

“…I must ensure this person is found.”

In the end, the Emperor could do nothing but order the hunt for the scammer and wait.

*

[Electricity God vv]. He was a well-known early user from “Maple Leaf Story” since the days of the “Zatume Expedition.”

The first time he scammed someone was due to a primal instinct.

“Ah, just cut 5 million off for me.”

“Not happening. I’m already selling this at a low price!”

The trading partner, who kept pestering him to lower the price of something insignificant.

While dealing with the annoyingly persistent trade partner, [Electricity God vv] had a thought.

“Fine then.”

“Nice! Thank you!”

The other party raised the price first.

While pretending to raise an item, [Electricity God vv] quickly changed it to junk items and pressed the trade confirmation button.

“Uh, what? What?!”

Flabbergasted by the first scam he’d ever encountered, [Electricity God vv] fled the scene.

The thrill of deceiving others and reaping profit filled him with immense elation.

After that incident, scams began to creep into “Maple Leaf Story” little by little.

Since it wasn’t a common occurrence, it didn’t attract much attention.

In that period, [Electricity God vv] even changed his nickname several times while continuing to scam.

That bad behavior became a significant source of pleasure for him.

“LOL. Judging by what I see, he must be some wealthy noble from the Empire.”

Then a mishap occurred during a trade with [Ordinary Adventurer].

Despite being a low level, he possessed a sizeable fortune.

Judging by his way of speaking, he must certainly be a wealthy noble from the Empire.

The very type [Electricity God vv] despised most.

Knowing full well that in this anonymous world, nothing would escalate, he scammed and fled just like usual.

It seemed to go as planned.

Until it was revealed that his true identity was the Emperor.

“What did you say!”

The fact was, he had used a proxy.

In the past, during the incident with the “Zatume Expedition,” when he had to reveal his true identity.

Back when the concept of anonymity was not yet established.

[Electricity God vv], reluctant to reveal his identity, had sent another noble from the same kingdom in his stead.

Of course, that noble enjoyed the popularity and had raised his family’s status.

Thus, he continually played the role of a proxy without any complaints.

“It’s said Count Horio has been executed. The Emperor was scammed by him, but…”

“Was it really the Emperor…!!”

The royal commissioner delivering the news was covered in cold sweat.

[Electricity God vv] felt immense guilt for the Count Horio, who had died due to him.

He had changed his nickname long ago to avoid harming him.

But he never imagined that someone would trace back over five nicknames to discover his identity.

No, surely no one possessing that kind of power existed.

Unless it was the Royal Family, who held the greatest power on the continent.

Yet [Electricity God vv] had genuinely scammed the Emperor.

“Well, since Count Horio was executed, I doubt it will escalate any further… but you should still be cautious in ‘Maple Leaf Story’.”

“However, there’s still a long cooldown period before I can change my nickname again.”

“At the very least, avoid party quests and raids, and only use channels without people…”

[Electricity God vv] had no choice but to comply with the royal commissioner’s words.

If his true identity as the scammer was revealed, unimaginable things would occur.

In fact, the royal commissioner had become aware of [Electricity God vv]’s scamming due to Count Horio’s death.

Of course, [Electricity God vv] had never disclosed his scamming to anyone.

For the royal court, the top priority was to prevent this from escalating.

“I suppose there’s no choice…”

Once brutally trampled under the Empire’s conquests of the continent long ago.

The Turk Kingdom, which barely survived as a subordinate nation by pandering to the Empire.

The identity of [Electricity God vv] was that of the king of the Turk Kingdom.