The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria

🔶 Day 1 <D> The Common Area

My powerlessness soon rears its head in the absolute worst way possible.

“We may need to split into groups.”

After waiting for all of us to take our seats, Iroha offers her opinion.

I’m not sure what she’s up to immediately. After all, Iroha and Yuri are already teamed up. Why would she need to go and announce that to everyone?

But I understand once I look up at her smile.

This is her way of keeping me in check.

Both me and “the person who knows all about Kingdom Royale” who Iroha believes exists.

I was helpless during the last time block, and now Iroha has identified me as an enemy.

“Maybe I need to explain. First, let’s confirm our purpose. Obviously, that’s to get out of this without killing one another. Do we all agree?” No one objects.

“Next, we have one proposal for how to accomplish this, courtesy of Hoshino: We’ll automatically be freed if all of us survive. That’s a very appealing idea. But isn’t it too dangerous to accept his assertions wholesale and do as he wishes without even knowing who he really is?”

After checking to make sure we’re all listening closely, she continues:

“Still, if you think about it, we aren’t really going to find another better solution. Heck, we can’t even tell if it’s a lie or not. If it’s true, there won’t be any murders. After all, if there’s a chance that this oh-so-attractive solution could be for real, then there’s no reason for anyone to actively pursue victory by killing.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

Koudai Kamiuchi voices his agreement. It makes me want to yell That’s not the case with you! but I fight down the urge.

“What it boils down to is that we’re automatically going to proceed toward Hoshino’s goal. Whether we trust him completely or not, we’re going to arrive at that eighth day without taking any action.”

“Maybe. However, there’s a chance we may get out of this, and it’s a much better option than killing one another as pArt_of the game, isn’t it?” Maria remarks.

Iroha nods, then replies:

“That’s true for me, but for someone else, not so much.”

“Who?”

Iroha answers without the slightest change in her expression. “The instigator of the game.”

The one she’s acknowledged as an enemy.

Iroha isn’t mistaken about who she’s chosen as her foe. But it’s impossible to defeat him, since his non-NPC self isn’t here.

This is the flaw in Iroha’s plan of attack.

“It isn’t really clear what exactly their intentions are, but I’m sure whoever set this game up wants to see things get ugly between us. Even if I’m wrong about that, they’re undoubtedly hoping for some sort of drama. I mean, there’s no other reason for such a pointless game, right?”

No one voices any dissenting opinions. Even without any hard evidence, her general argument sounds plausible enough to everyone.

And then there’s the fact that I know she’s correct on all counts. This Box Daiya created to relieve his boredom definitely doesn’t want an uneventful time.

But it bears repeating that our foe isn’t here.

“That’s why there has to be someone—someone collaborating with the instigator—who will try to change things so that people die,” Iroha says, blatantly staring at my face.

Now that she’s veered away from the truth, she’s picked the wrong person to fight.

“…Are you suggesting that’s what Kazuki is trying to do?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m getting at is that someone among us may still try to change the course of things. If they do, it puts us all in danger. That’s why we need to split into groups.”

“There’ll be my side and the instigator’s side.”

I see. So Iroha’s mistake isn’t just that she thinks there’s an “instigator.”

“Yeah. That sounds okay, doesn’t it?”

“I…think that may be our only option.”

If there isn’t an instigator, then nothing can set off the game. Believing that is their first mistake.

It’s not hard to understand why they do. Even the NPC me didn’t anticipate someone like Koudai Kamiuchi who would welcome a killing game with open arms. I failed to see that Yuri had the initiative to take a person’s life. I never would have learned either of these things if I hadn’t experienced the second game.

Iroha has no memory of the previous games; she wouldn’t realize them, either.

All the same, with no way of knowing any of this, Iroha presses on with her explanation.

“What we need to be afraid of right now are traps set by the mastermind. But we can turn them back on our enemy if we don’t go along with what the instigator wants. Rather, what we need to do is discern their intentions and use those plans against them to reach the end without any murders.”

Scowling, Maria asks, “That’s why we’re splitting into groups?”

“Yeah. I think if we each act on our own, the instigator might catch someone in their trap. Especially since the stakes are so high for us. It could drive us to let our suspicions get the better of us, and the weaker-willed to get blood on their hands. That’s the worst scenario I can imagine.

“But what happens if we are all of the same mind? What if we have an absolutely infallible purpose? Any traps set by the troublemakers would be trivial. And that’s why I say we need to make a group with a unified purpose. The ones who might try to deceive us wouldn’t be a pArt_of it, of course.”

“Hmph.” Daiya snorts derisively at Iroha’s explanation. “I see your logic, but how do you go about forming such a group? How do you tell who’s on the instigator’s side to begin with?”

“There is no way of telling, obviously,” Iroha says matter-of-factly.

“What the hell? Then—”

“That’s why—we need to take away their freedom.”

Iroha lays it out before Daiya can finish.

“…I don’t get it. Are you saying you’ll threaten to kill anyone who doesn’t follow your orders?”

“The opposite.”

Daiya furrows his eyebrows. “The opposite?”

“Yeah, the opposite. I won’t control the ones who don’t listen to me; I’ll take away the freedom of those who agree with me.”

At that, everyone’s eyes go wide, not just Daiya’s. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt

“Once you belong to my group, I won’t tolerate any objections. I’ll make everyone swear absolute obedience to me. And if you do try to resist, I’ll kill you.”

“K-kill us…?”

The words quietly escape my lips, and Iroha Shindo gives me a hard look before she elaborates.

“As for how, I’ll have everyone who agrees hand over their rations to me. If that scarebear is right, we’ll turn into mummies and die if we don’t eat our rations during the <E> time block, right? So if anyone displays even the slightest hint of opposition toward me, I’ll take everyone’s rations and flush them down the toilet. If you all obey, I’ll give you a day’s worth of rations during the <D> time block. In essence, I’ll be doing what the Revolutionary does with Assassinate, except by overseeing our rations.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Daiya interrupts Iroha’s explanation. “Why do you think anyone would want to join your group if they know all that?” he asks.

A frosty smile appears on Iroha’s face. “The people who join my group are totally obedient to me. This, of course, means they’re helpless. They can’t even try to set this murder game in motion. I’ll be able to determine that those who do join the group are victims caught in the game. Or I could just judge them to be losers who got tired of fighting me. On the other hand, those who don’t join will be deemed enemies who plan to fight me.”

Iroha pauses for a moment and lets out a breath.

Then, smiling slightly, she lays down her cards.

“If you’re going to prove you aren’t my enemy, bow and scrape before me.”

The violence of her words renders everyone speechless—even Daiya.

Here’s what Iroha is saying: Membership isn’t a free choice—it’s mandatory. She’ll eliminate anyone who doesn’t join.

Looking at us as we all sit in silence, Iroha continues without batting an eye:

“I figured it out. A way to beat this game. Someone with righteous intent has to assume control over everyone. Yeah, now that I’m saying it aloud, you could call it becoming a temporary ‘king.’”

Become the king.

That’s the same conclusion I reached.

“I know it sounds like I’m asking too much. And it’s not out of the question for me to make a bad call that leads to someone’s death. I’m willing to acknowledge the possibility. But surely you can understand that this is exponentially better than us all running willy-nilly and falling prey to our fears, right?”

“And is there some necessity that it be you who does this?” Daiya points out.

“No,” she readily admits. “However, I can’t think of anyone better to fill the role.”

Her tone is full of confidence. Daiya scratches his head and presses on.

“That’s not the only problem. From where we sit, it’s hard to deny the possibility that you might actually be one of the troublemakers. If we’re going to follow you, we would need you to show us what makes you trustworthy.”

“I see. I’m not an instigator, so it slipped my mind… But just saying that isn’t going to help you trust me. Guess I have no other choice. I’ll just have to demonstrate it to you.”

Saying this, she pulls up her shirt.

“This is the resolve of the king.”

There’s a knife underneath.

“Wh-what are you—?”

Ignoring my exclamation, she pulls the knife out of her skirt and stabs it down into the table. Yuri stiffens at the loud bang.

“Take a good look, all of you. This is true resolve.”

Iroha rips off her scarf and ties it around the little finger of her left hand so tight, I can see it swell with blood.

What is she—?

My mind can’t keep up with her actions. But that doesn’t matter as she grips the knife protruding from the table with her right hand.

Her gaze is straightforward, almost too sharp. The corners of her mouth twitch upward; her breathing is ragged. Her forehead is dotted with sweat.

“I-Iroha?”

The intensity in her eyes is enough to drive Yuri back when she tries to approach. Then…

“Ah—aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!” she yells.

And her little finger—

“Ah-ha! Ah-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

—is severed.

“Ah—aahh—”

Yuri stands pale and speechless, but Iroha keeps laughing.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing—?!”

It happened too suddenly for Maria to react earlier, but she runs up to Iroha, tearing off a strip of her own shirt to begin staunching the flow of blood. Iroha doesn’t try to stop Maria, but she also pays no attention to her as her breath comes in rough gasps, her mouth still twisted.

She then levels a gaze at me, full of conviction bordering on insanity.

It’s enough to strike terror into anyone.

“So how about it? Do you think anyone trying to play this stupid game would be prepared to do that? Are you sure I could cut off my finger on sheer resolve if I were some lackey?”

“N…nghhh…”

“Ridiculous, isn’t it?! Not a chance in hell! I will never play this game, and I’m too strong to let it beat me… I’m the one to lead you! Do you understand that?!”

It’s overwhelming.

Seeing her in such a state, I’m well aware I have no choice but to follow her.

That’s right.

This is Iroha Shindo.

This is Iroha Shindo’s resolve to become the king.

“Entrust them to me! Trust me with your lives, your souls, just for the duration of the game! I will bear all of them. I will bear the responsibility for everything until it crushes me!”

She throws her finger, as if to declare she has severed all attachment to it.

“Follow me, you ignorant peons! And those of you who would stand against me, be prepared! You think anyone’s gonna let you idiots get your way?! I will take control of this place. That’s right; I—”

She spits the words like acid.

“I will become the king.”

This intensity.

It almost makes me lose my nerve. Only one person can become the king. It’s impossible to have two at the same time. Meaning I’m bound for a showdown with an undeniably superhuman girl.

The very idea is crazy. I can’t possibly win.

The overriding fear sparks a sudden thought.

…Would it be better to let her be the king?

Who the king is doesn’t really matter. As long as someone can keep things under control and none of us ultimately kill another, my goal of protecting Maria will be achieved. If so, then couldn’t I afford to just leave everything in her hands?

“—”

I know. That will never work.

After all, she can’t fight her true enemy. She is an NPC, and her real self has already finished her battle.

I look around me.

Yuri stands terrified, and a hollow look is appearing in her eyes.

Koudai Kamiuchi observes impassively, but he can’t quite hide the glee in his.

But Iroha Shindo doesn’t notice any of this. She stands so far ahead of the pack that she fails to see the subtleties at work in others. If she becomes our ruler, she’ll be betrayed and murdered just like the King in the backstory of Kingdom Royale.

That’s why I have to be the one.

I can’t rely on Iroha. I can’t rely on Maria, either. There’s no depending on anyone for me in the fourth game of Kingdom Royale.

After all, I’m actually alone in here.

I’m the only one truly fighting with Daiya in this space.

I look at the finger Iroha threw.

Iroha, I understand your resolve.

I also recognize that you’re an incredible person.

However, even so—you’re still not up to the job.

You can’t become the king. You’re an emperor with no clothes; you think you can become king when you’re nothing more than an NPC in a supporting role. Step aside.

The only one who ever had any right to become the king—is me.