Isekai Online Game Developer

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Rikal stared at the lady who was wiping her tears with a solemn expression.

Rai, with a subtle expression, had crossed arms, while Arnold was burying his face into the ground.

“…Is that so.”

After hearing all the circumstances, Rikal fell into deep thought.

Now, as a legitimate prince, he first pondered the country’s pros and cons regarding this matter.

If the truth came out, the kingdom would surely not remain safe.

“Ha…”

What on earth are the rulers of a nation doing?

One is cheating in a game, while the other is completely lost in the game, using absolute power for something so trivial.

Forgetting his own past, Rikal looked down on the two rulers.

“Hey. What should we do?”

Rikal asked Rai, who seemed to be in deep oblivion.

He assumed Rai would have some grasp of the situation.

“…Why are you asking me?”

“Because you probably know about it already.”

“…How about meeting the king first?”

After a moment of contemplation, Rikal decided to follow Rai’s suggestion.

Just as Rikal was about to move, Arnold hurriedly grabbed him.

“Please, just wait a moment, Your Highness.”

Arnold knelt down, clinging to him.

“…It’s not good for a prince to show such a demeanor.”

“I humbly beseech you. Please forgive me just this once.”

It was not a sight fitting for a prince.

But the burden of the fallen country on his shoulders made his knees feel light.

Seeing his earnestness, Rikal hesitated.

Yet, no matter how he thought about it, it was impossible to turn a blind eye to this situation.

As ridiculous as it seemed, the emperor genuinely felt enraged by this incident.

“The emperor is wasting unnecessary manpower looking for the culprit, so I can’t just pretend that nothing is happening. First, I will head to the royal castle.”

“Ah…”

The knights of the Turk Kingdom hurriedly headed to the royal castle.

It was a sudden visit, but with the prince coming, they couldn’t not prepare anything.

Rikal walked slowly up to the royal castle, observing the main road a bit more.

He could have taken a carriage, but it was a courtesy to give them time to prepare at the castle.

‘It’s the end… in the end, our kingdom…’

Arnold followed behind in a daze.

To think that a dynasty would crumble like this.

Considering that no matter what efforts were made, they couldn’t revive the kingdom, perhaps this was for the best.

After a while, Rikal faced the king of the Turk Kingdom, who had dark circles under his eyes.

The king greeted Rikal with visible anxiety.

“This is the first time we’ve met like this.”

The relationship between the king and the prince was quite ambiguous.

Basic protocol meant that a ruler of a nation couldn’t bow to a prince who wasn’t yet an emperor.

Yet, he couldn’t afford to treat the prince with disdain either, given the prince’s immense power.

As a result, the king had to address Rikal with an awkward tone.

“I believe you are aware of the situation, [Electricity God vv]. What has happened?”

As Rikal observed the castle and the king, he felt an inexplicable sense of pity.

Compared to the imperial castle, the royal castle of the Turk Kingdom was hopelessly shabby.

It felt too meager to be the home of a nation’s ruler.

Moreover, the king did not seem to be in a good state either.

He looked like he spent his entire day playing games, neglecting his health.

Still, Rikal once fought alongside [Electricity God vv] in the ‘Maple Leaf Story.’

They had shared quite the camaraderie in the game.

Seeing him in such a sorrowful state in reality sparked a slight pity within Rikal.

Of course, Rikal didn’t reveal the identity of [Empire's Light].

“Uh, that is…”

The king was sweating profusely and grinding his teeth.

Even he couldn’t think of any excuses.

Deep down, a simmering anger resided within him.

Anger directed at the empire that had reduced his kingdom to this state.

And the emperor’s petty demeanor for getting enraged over a mere loss of money.

They had taken everything from the kingdom and now wanted to choke people over something like this?

“The emperor is still sending people searching for [Electricity God vv]. Since I already know, I can’t just ignore it. For now, I will go to the royal castle.”

“Ah…”

The knights of the Turk Kingdom hastily made their way to the royal castle.

Though it was a sudden visit, they could hardly ignore the prince’s arrival.

Rikal ascended slowly towards the royal castle, taking a moment to observe the surroundings.

While he could’ve taken a carriage, it was a courtesy to allow them some time to prepare.

‘This is the end… ultimately, our kingdom…’

Arnold followed behind in a daze.

How could a dynasty crumble like this?

Given that no amount of effort could revive the kingdom, perhaps this might be for the best.

Moments later, Rikal faced the king of the Turk Kingdom, who bore dark circles under his eyes.

The king, unable to hide his anxiety, greeted Rikal.

“This is the first time we meet like this.”

The relationship between the king and prince was quite ambiguous.

As rulers of nations, they couldn’t bow to someone who wasn’t yet an emperor.

Yet, treating the prince with disdain was also out of the question.

Thus, the king spoke to Rikal with an awkward tone.

“I believe you are aware of the situation, [Electricity God vv]. What has happened?”

Observing the royal castle and the king, Rikal felt an inexplicable pity.

In comparison to the imperial palace, the royal castle of the Turk Kingdom seemed unbearably shabby.

It was far too inadequate to be the residence of a nation’s ruler.

Furthermore, the king appeared to be in poor condition.

It seemed he spent the day engrossed in games, neglecting his health.

However, Rikal had once fought by [Electricity God vv]’s side in ‘Maple Leaf Story.’

They had shared a solid bond in the game.

Witnessing him in such a pitiful state in reality brought a slight sting of sympathy to Rikal’s heart.

Rikal, however, chose not to disclose the identity of [Empire's Light].

“Uh, that is…”

The king was sweating profusely and grinding his teeth.

Even he couldn’t come up with any excuses.

Deep down, a simmering anger was churning within him.

Anger directed at the empire for turning his kingdom into this.

And the emperor’s petty behavior, getting furious over a mere financial loss.

They had taken everything and wanted to choke individuals over trivial matters?

“The emperor is still wasting manpower looking for [Electricity God vv]. Now that I know, I can’t pretend otherwise. For now, I’ll head to the castle.”

“Ah…”

The knights of the Turk Kingdom rushed toward the castle.

Despite the suddenness, they couldn’t leave the prince’s arrival unprepared.

Rikal walked slowly up to the royal castle, taking a moment to inspect the main road.

While he could have taken a carriage, he decided it was a courtesy to allow time for preparations at the castle.

‘It’s the end… after all, our kingdom…’

Arnold followed behind, utterly lost.

Can it be that a dynasty crumbles like this?

In hindsight, given the impossibility of reviving the kingdom despite all efforts, perhaps this was preferred.

A little while later, Rikal encountered the king of the Turk Kingdom, who wore dark circles beneath his eyes.

The king couldn’t mask his anxiety as he greeted Rikal.

“This is our first meeting like this.”

The king and the prince shared a rather ambiguous relationship.

As rulers, they couldn’t bow to someone who was a mere prince, not yet an emperor.

Nonetheless, they couldn’t afford to treat the prince with disrespect either, given the prince’s overwhelming power.

Thus, the king had to converse with Rikal awkwardly.

“I trust you are aware of the situation, [Electricity God vv]. What has transpired?”

Observing the royal castle and the king, Rikal felt an inexplicable sense of pity.

In stark comparison to the imperial palace, the Turk Kingdom’s royal castle appeared laughably meager.

It felt too insignificant to be the residence of any nation’s ruler.

Moreover, the state of the king did not look good.

He seemed to spend his days playing games, neglecting his health.

Still, Rikal had once fought side by side with [Electricity God vv]

in ‘Maple Leaf Story.’

Their camaraderie in the game had formed a bond.

Witnessing him in a dismal state like this evoked a pang of sorrow within Rikal.

Of course, Rikal refrained from revealing the true identity of [Empire's Light].

“Um, about that…”

The king was sweating profusely and gnashing his teeth.

Even he couldn’t fathom an excuse.

Deep within, anger was boiling against the empire that had reduced his kingdom to shambles.

And witnessing the emperor’s petty fury over a trivial financial loss was exasperating.

“How can one lament the loss of a few coins while taking everything from us?” Rikal thought.

The king spluttered words, “Despite the complete deprivation of our nation, you seek to choke us over a mere game?”

“Your Majesty, please…”

“Enough!”

Arnold tried to restrain the king.

But the king was a fervent firebrand, unable to rein himself in.

“And for what sin do my people perish while you squabble over game losses?”

“Your Majesty!” Arnold urged, looking in disbelief at the king.

Nobody in the imperial hall had ever dared to voice such insolence openly.

“Clearly, the king has lost touch with reality,” one stood up.

“Let’s take a moment to…”

The emperor maintained his composure, yet he was clearly irked.

“You… think this can go unanswered?” the emperor rumbled.

And thus, Rikal observed silently from a corner as the chaotic scene unfolded.

Minutes later, the emperor paused to collect his thoughts.

“You’ve gone mad!” Arnold exclaimed, throwing the king onto the cold floor.

As the king hit the ground, he slowly regained his senses.

“What… now we’ve all lost everything! What next?” he implored.

“Well, it seems we’ve been on borrowed time. What is there to discuss?” the king quipped, lamenting his own culpability.

Rikal returned to them and offered, “Your Highness, it’s best you head back.”

And with that, he took his leave.

Soon after, word reached the Turk Kingdom regarding the royal inquiry against the king’s past misdeeds alongside an order to rectify all wrongdoings.

***

“It certainly is an unexpected turn of events.”

“You could have just fixed the transaction system in the first place.”

“But… updates were done.”

Rikal found himself visiting the tower once again after a long while.

The world buzzed with the repercussions of new laws that Rikal had proposed to the emperor.

“So, it’s surprising to think the emperor wouldn’t just execute the king.”

“I really have no clue about His Majesty’s mindset.”

“I never expected you’d walk out and create international laws either.”

Previously, nations were governed by laws designated individually within each country.

But after the recent fraud incident, the empire outright declared it would establish laws for international agreement.

Though initially met with skepticism from vassal states—fearing the empire would double down on its oppression.

Conversely, the international laws turned out to be a blessing for the vassal states.

While complicated, these new rules resembled modern international law.

They pertained to inter-nation trade rights and ensured restraints on the empire’s previous unjust behaviors.

The empire would now have to trade fairly with the states.

It essentially followed the principles of capitalism as Rikal had been inspired by ‘Maple Leaf Story’ and its free market.

“Considering the world is in disarray, it’s clear people like the emperor could just sit and watch,” one remarked.

“Well, he’s more of a conqueror.”

Rumor had it that new gaming regulations were being developed, though that would require more time.

Thankfully, the continent was seeing the revival of ideas and cultures long since repressed by the empire.

It appeared that nations, once fading under the empire’s shadow, were beginning to thrive.

However, no nation could feasibly rival the might of the empire.

The military protocols had been established separately.

Still, even with a formal structure in place, it meant that the world had taken a few steps forward.

“Much appreciated.”

“It’s all in a day’s work.”

Soon, news spread that the king of the Turk Kingdom was deposed, and Arnold ascended the throne.

Predictably, that was how things would unfold.

And thus, this seemingly trivial con job had concluded in an altogether unexpected direction.

Now it was about that time to start the next game development.

“More importantly, I received this just for you.”

Rikal pulled out a thick stack of papers from his robe.

“What on Earth is this?”

“A collection of state affairs raised collectively by the royal ministers.”

“And what’s this got to do with me?”

“Just read it.”

I never thought it would lead to more work; nonetheless, I began flipping through the pile of papers.