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“Ya should explain to her if she complains, okay?” (Gold)

Even if Fifth and Sixth didn’t show up, there was obviously Wolfe and the others. 

If Ilias notices that she is erasing them over and over, her burden will increase. 

It is not impossible for Ilias to resume from the ground up by beginning an iteration without keeping memories, but the resignation from the 6th iteration made that possibility collapse. 

Ilias probably isn’t thinking about living in the simulated world anymore. 

The Gold Demon Lord touched the table and finished the process. 

When she did, Ilias and Rakura woke up. 

“Hmm…? Just what in the world…” (Rakura)

“Muh… If I remember correctly, we went to the simulated world because of the match against the Gold Demon Lord…” (Ilias)

“Hey there, you up?” 

“Eh, Counselor-sama?” (Rakura)

The state of the two has barely changed from before it began. That should be the case. 

The Gold Demon Lord has retrieved all the memories from the simulated worlds beyond the 2nd iteration after all. 

If the Gold Demon Lord can do something like compressing the memories for the next iteration of the simulated world, she should be able to retrieve them all instead. And so, I negotiated with the Gold Demon Lord with that in consideration.

The result was that there’s no harm from the attacks of Third and Fourth. 

I have tasted a bad experience, but this is the payback from the one that was used, so I will just accept it. 

Third must have thought about those little details too. What a nasty guy, seriously.

“…Wolfe and Mix-sama haven’t woken up. What was the result of the match?” (Ilias)

“I managed to win in the 1st iteration. As for you, the 7th—no, you lost after giving up on the 5th iteration.” 

“Lost, you say…? I have no memory of such though…” (Ilias)

“I have erased your memories. The reason is because your heart had been broken…by the me from the simulated world.” 

“What…? No…I see…” (Ilias)

Ilias tried to object, but she soon left it as it is. 

She acts as the king of Gahne in the simulated world. She should be able to tell immediately that I would be her enemy.

“For the Gold Demon Lord, you guys killing yourselves after the match because of your regrets would leave a bad aftertaste regardless of the contract magic. I had her retrieve those memories.” 

“Killing myself…? I was that cornered? …What did the you in the simulated world do to me?” (Ilias)

I explained the developments roughly. 

She thought about making me her comrade in the second iteration, but she got betrayed by me because she was suspected too much and died.

When she asked the me in the 3rd iteration honestly, he told her not to joke around and hated her. He set her up in a trap and made her resign. 

She was made to form similar relationships to the ones in the real world on the 4th iteration and her heart broke after the result of betraying them. 

From the 5th iteration and on, she broke her heart herself. 

I left out the details and simply told her the results.

“…It is true that I wouldn’t like being betrayed by someone that’s the mirror image of your present self.” (Ilias)

“You telling him honestly about your 3rd iteration was fatal. Going beyond the simulated world to continue his psychological attacks is quite the horrible personality, seriously.” 

“Counselor-sama… You are saying really harsh words despite being about yourself.” (Rakura)

“He is just someone in a simulated world with the same name, personality, and appearance. Understand that the me currently here is the friend of Ilias Ratzel and your target of protection. I wanted to tell you that beforehand, but I was prohibited from giving you advice.” 

What’s important in a game where people die is that it is a game. 

The deaths inside a game are simply spice to enjoy the game. 

If you were to let that become the reason for you to go crazy in the real world, you would be mistaking its purpose. 

If a game were to be forbidden sales because it is way too influential, the hardcore gamers would be sad.

“…So that’s why you said to take it easy?” (Ilias)

“What, so ya really did give advice.” (Gold)

“The real intention was not understood, so it doesn’t count. One of my important comrades was on the verge of having her mind broken, you know.” 

“…Sorry, it is because of my lack of ability. I decided to rely on you even in the simulated world, and ended up failing…” (Ilias)

“Don’t worry. You can’t make Taizu fall with normal means. It is wonderful enough that you managed to take the choice of relying on people.”

She didn’t keep it in and welcomed the end without bringing any results. She brought about a possibility and struggled for it. There’s no way I can blame Ilias.

I am the original of the guy that she relied on to top it off. 

“By the way, Counselor-sama, you made Taizu fall in your first run, right? Judging from how you are acting, your memories have remained?” (Rakura)

“Yeah, want to know?” 

“Yes, I am interested in how you got through the match that we couldn’t.” (Rakura)

“Right, you managed to defeat Taizu who should have an overwhelming difference, right? There’s no assurance the Gold Demon Lord won’t use it as a reference to do evils.” (Ilias)

“I DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFINITELY won’t imitate him!” (Gold)

The two get surprised by the shouting Gold Demon Lord.

She must have remembered that sight, her face went pale, tears began to accumulate in her eyes again, and she was trembling profusely. 

“—And so, want to know? It is something that made a Demon Lord vomit when confirming the details. I don’t really want to go too into detail here.” 

“Let’s not.” (Rakura)

“Yeah, don’t talk. Take it to your grave.” (Ilias)

They refrained with their appetite soured. 

It is true that it is not a sight to be proud of, but it is a bit sad to be refused like that. 

I want someone that I can have debates and conversations about speedruns. 

“So, the remaining one is the Wolfe team, huh. How are they doing?” 

“They have been concentrating on defense until the 3rd iteration. They endured for quite a long time. The 1st iteration took 3 years, 2nd took 3 years and a half, 3rd took 4 years. By the way, all of your attempts lasted less than 2 years.” 

The difference is so big that a normal war with them would be settled in less than a year.

Even if they only thought about prolonging it, it is still an impressive result. 

The skills of Mix really are high, worthy of being praised as being on the same level as Marito. 

“That’s indeed impressive, but…are they simply enduring?” (Ilias)

“On the 4th iteration, the Wolfe team managed to endure for 10 years after the declaration of war.” 

“Wa…” (Ilias)

“On the 5th was 20 years, on the 6th was 30 years.” 

Ilias couldn’t hide the surprise in her face. I understand that feeling. 

But 30 years? You are enjoying it too much, Wolfe. 

“No no, wait wait. Is that possible?!” (Ilias)

“It is. Wolfe and Mix understand the secret to winning after all.” 

“The secret…to winning?” (Ilias)

“The first is to understand clearly that it is a simulated world. If you can’t separate it from the real world, it will be taken as being on the same difficulty after all. You couldn’t manage that -not only that, it was taken advantage of and your heart ended up breaking.” 

I bring out a parchment and pen like usual and draw two vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines. 

It is one of the famous games that the amount of Japanese people not knowing it is less than the ones that do know. Tic-tac-toe. 

I went ahead and drew a circle in the middle and gave it to Ilias.

“Ilias, this is a game I have taught you a good while ago. Remember how to play it?” 

“Y-Yeah, it is a simple game after all. The one where if both play the best moves, it will end up in a draw?” (Ilias)

Ilias drew an X diagonally right with a questioning look.

That’s right, this is the established tactic to make it into a draw. 

If both sides make the best moves, it will end in a draw. If you don’t, the side that didn’t loses. 

That’s why the ones who know this game completely won’t be able to win, ever. 

However, that’s if you are tied down by the rules. 

I drew a circle above the one I already made and drew a circle below it. 

That obviously made a line, making me the winner. 

“Oi, that’s cheating!” (Ilias)

“And so, Taizu has fallen. That’s how it works.” 

“…What?” (Ilias)

“It is an extreme example, but this is the correct way to feel it. Of course, there’s also games that tell stories. Feeling emotionally attached to the contents of those stories isn’t a bad way to enjoy the games. Even if you are moving the country with your position as the Gahne king, there’s no need to actually look after the troubles of the country. There’s no need to get a realistic win in a simulated country.” 

The method I took was ‘Who cares about the future of Gahne’. I made outrageous plays that could bring both Taizu and Gahne to a double suicide. 

If you are an actual ruler in reality, those actions would be foolish, but that’s exactly why I could win. 

“If it were the real world, you would have no choice but to despair and hold your head in pain, but this is a game. Just throw away all the components that bind your mind. The result of you bringing your humanity, chivalry, and justice into the game was that you tightened the noose on your own neck.” 

“…It hurts my ears.” (Ilias)

“I am bringing the topic back, but the surefire way to win a game is…to have fun.” 

“…Have fun?” (Ilias)

“Yeah. Gold Demon Lord, can you bring that out?” 

“Umu.” (Gold)

The Gold Demon Lord pops out a book from inside the table. 

It is the same book as the one the small Gold Demon Lord used as a substitute for a control panel. 

You can’t touch it, but it is like a hologram that responds with the movements of your hand and opens on its own. 

I control it swiftly and have it open on the page I want. 

“This is the command log of Wolfe in her 1st iteration. This is for the 2nd iteration and 3rd. Noticed something?” 

“…I can tell she is fortifying her defenses. I feel like she is suddenly taking a lot of actions around the last ones.” (Ilias)

“Those are records for the sake of bringing them to the next iterations. Even if that method was not perfect, she left them for the next iteration. You two were also using a similar method in your 3rd iteration though.” 

Ilias and Rakura used the national holidays and festival names as a record. 

Even if Wolfe and Mix didn’t reach that same method, by using the method they thought of, they listed what they wanted to bring them to their next iteration as hints. 

“I see. Now that you mention it, she is applying the political measures she used the last time on her next iteration one after the other.” (Ilias)

“By the way, that’s not the part I want you to concentrate on the most.” 

I once again operate it and, this time around, show them the records of Ilias’s 1st iteration. 

“This is the record of your team. You have memories of your 1st iteration, right?” 

“Aah, yeah. I somewhat remember that I did stuff like this and what result it brought about.” (Ilias)

“How’s it? Feel anything off when compared to the logs of Wolfe’s team?” 

“…We attacked after the declaration of war after all. I think there’s a decent amount of differences.” (Ilias)

“Ilias-san departed to the frontlines countless times. Her head was lopped off at the end by Lord Ragudo though.” (Rakura)

“Right. In contrast, Wolfe’s was a defensive battle and didn’t participate in battles herself even once.” (Ilias)

“…Haah.” 

A sigh leaked out from me. Even though there’s such an easy to tell difference…

“Muh, if there’s a difference, how about just explaining it?!” (Ilias)

“It is this one. This one.” 

I point at a part of the command logs of Ilias. It is a command utilized here and there.

“This is…the fast forward?” (Ilias)

“That’s right. Now look at Wolfe’s.” 

I switched to Wolfe’s logs and showed it to the two of them.

“…None. Wait a moment. That means Wolfe is…” (Ilias)

“That’s right. Wolfe’s team didn’t use the fast forward feature even once.” 

The biggest feature of the simulated world is the fast forward. It is thanks to this that you don’t get burdened mentally and can concentrate on the match. 

But Wolfe’s team didn’t use the fast forward at all. 

An intentional long playthrough. This is a decision from Wolfe. 

“You see, Wolfe is enjoying these simulated worlds. She would read books and train.” 

It seems like she was always training in the Gahne Castle until the 3rd iteration, barely going out, but in her 4th iteration she finally went outside -or more like, she became an adventurer. 

Ilias also became an adventurer to fake her identity in order to infiltrate Taizu, but Wolfe’s was completely different in intention. 

She was enjoying the world completely as an adventurer. 

“No no, Gahne will declare war half a year later, you know?! If you don’t do anything, it will obviously fa—” (Ilias)

“There’s 3 conditions for a country to exist: land, people, and a government that rules it.” 

Common sense states so, but you can learn about this from the information provided by the small Gold Demon Lord. 

Maintaining those states is what decides the win or defeat in the match of the simulated world. 

Even if the king dies, the country won’t fall in the time the government remains. 

Even if there’s a country, if the people die, it stops being a country. 

Being unable to fulfill those conditions is deemed as ‘Fallen’.

“If people who can rule like Wolfe -the king of Gahne- or citizens like Ludfein are alive, the government will be maintained. As for the land, as long as you secure a plot of land that can hold a house, it is enough. As for the people…to be blunt, as long as the king is alive, it counts.” 

In my first run, Marito was protected by the knights and didn’t die. 

Most of the populace died, but there were knights surviving. 

They are safe when it comes to the people, and their government is on its feet with Marito still being alive. 

However, by a cruel turn of fate, Marito had to abandon the territory of Taizu that was filled with undead, and ended up escaping to outside the country. 

Thus, Taizu couldn’t fulfill 1 of the 3 conditions and fell. 

“…Wait, that counts?” (Ilias)

“It does. The setting of the Gold Demon Lord was way too crude. Wolfe aimlessly became an adventurer in the 4th iteration. She made a secret base in the forest to use as a house, but even after the capital of Gahne was capitulated, that place was acknowledged as land.” 

In the end, that secret base was found by a 3rd party and was destroyed, which was deemed as having lost her land, and Wolfe ended the 4th iteration with a defeat from the country falling.

And so, she made countermeasures in that front for the 5th iteration, and enjoyed life. 

She made a small-scale settlement inside the forest, and was managing it by hand, different from Gahne. 

After Taizu brings the Gahne Castle down and frees the populace, they don’t make any bigger moves. 

Of course they would make the Gahne king into a wanted person since they suddenly declared war, but finding the Gahne king who hasn’t shown their face in public is in foundation impossible. 

“But you won’t be able to win against Taizu no matter how much time passes like that. If the Wolfe from the simulated world dies, that’s—” (Ilias)

“Even if the king dies, as long as the government remains, the country lives. Wolfe died at a pretty early stage in the 5th and 6th after doing some pretty reckless stuff.” 

Wolfe made a small settlement in the 5th iteration and resumed her adventurer work thinking that should be enough. 

And then, she searched for Pashuro of all people, and challenged him to a one-on-one. 

He is the disciple of the Holy Fist Gradona and a whimsical man that stacks crimes. 

The otherworlder and Ilias are in Taizu in the world of Wolfe. There’s also Rakura.

The matter with Raheight should have been recreated, but…for some reason, Pashuro is still alive. 

Wolfe then heard he was somewhere in the world and found him. 

To think her cause of death would be completely unrelated to Taizu, I didn’t expect that at all, yup.

The 5th iteration was a defeat; the 6th one she trained for 10 years and went for revenge…and still lost. 

It doesn’t seem like she was under the tutelage of someone. 

Maybe the knowledge of Mix, but I can’t feel that. 

She is most likely doing her best with her own self-taught style because she wants to defeat him with her own power. 

Wolfe completely forgot the objective of bringing down Taizu, and is enjoying the simulated world purely in her own way. 

If she herself dies, the village will lose their founder. 

The village perished a few years later in the 5th and 6th because of this and it was deemed as Gahne falling. 

The cabinet ministers of Gahne can be given simple orders to give commands for the internal affairs, but they can’t administrate the village after death. 

The action of leaving a village is not easy, but she has the genius ruler Mix with her. 

It goes without saying that the next village would survive longer.

“And so, this situation will stab at the vital spot of this match.” 

“Vital spot?” (Ilias)

“Yeah. Why did the Gold Demon Lord force a declaration of war? It is in order to make us do a short term war. I told you the reason why before the match began, right?” 

“Uhm… Aah, the talk about the limit to the futures that can be verified because of the matter of being defeated by Hero Yugura, right?” (Ilias)

I nod. The simulated worlds of the Gold Demon Lord are a simulator that is used for the sake of making trial runs for ruling. 

As long as it is being made as a throwaway simulator, overly high specs are not necessary. 

“Gold Demon Lord, I will ask again. Just how many years in the future can your simulated world see?” 

“…The simulated world I am using for this match with ya all is 50 years.” (Gold)

“Then…” 

“Yeah, the simulated world will only last 50 years after the declaration of war. The simulated world collapses 50 years later.” (Gold)

The Gold Demon Lord wasn’t expecting the time limit to come. In other words, she didn’t set a defeat from time up.

It is not like the player is erased after the simulated world collapses. 

The player will move once the simulated world falls. 

“Then, at that time, where will be the focal point for the collapse of the world? It would be at the place where the residents of the real world are -at the place where Wolfe is standing.” 

In other words, right before the world completely falls apart, she will still be ruling Gahne as the king.

The hourglass in my vision announced the fall of the world.

“Hn…” 

Wolfe and Mix slowly wake up. 

It is still on the 7th iteration. That’s basically what it means. 

Wolfe’s team made Taizu fall -along with the whole simulated world.

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