Game Master in Another World

Once we got back to the inn, Juliana suggested Toby do some reading before drawing herself a hot bath.

“So, Geoff, I wanted to know more about Illara, if you are willing to share,” Juliana asked in almost a whisper.

I took control, my feelings still raw. “I first met Illara when she was born. I may have accidentally killed her mother with my powers.”

The memory of the bed covered in blood came back to me, along with the sight of Ilza’s lifeless body in what should have been a joyous moment.

“I watched her grow up, learning to be a cleric and a hunter. She had a happy childhood, being raised by Theo in the small village. Many others in the town helped to raise her: Jenna, Tabatha, Cain, and Norma.”

The memories of her playing with Sera came flooding back—her absolute happiness as she grew up.

“Back in those days, I could not interact with the world, but only observe. I used to pretend I was part of the village, just one of the locals. I would join in when they laughed, and mourn when someone died.”

Memories of Tabatha’s funeral entered my mind. The whole village attended; I never expected she could die. She seemed too strong. But despite that, she fell ill and never recovered—the cruelty of age and sheer bad luck. I remember seeing Norman secretly crying at her grave after everyone had left. Despite how he acted, I think he truly loved her.

“The change occurred on Illara’s first hunt. She expertly managed to take down a stag, but while she was cleaning it, some bandits snuck up on her. I felt helpless in the moment, but somehow managed to create Drisnil, an assassin. I lost control of her. She killed two of the bandits, then tortured the other, nailing him to a tree after removing his ears. She also poisoned Illara, causing her to fall asleep.”

The memory of the man being crucified, his ears bleeding, flashed before my eyes. This was the first violence I had ever experienced, and I had to watch it as if I were doing it myself.

I sensed Juliana wanting to ask a question, so I gave her back control. “Why would one of your creations be so cruel?” she asked.

I took back control once more. “I didn’t intend to create someone so evil, but in that moment, with Illara in mortal danger, the only person who came to mind was her. Sometimes I regret making her real, but eventually, we did come to an understanding.”

I took a moment to collect my thoughts, remembering the next few months. The warm bath helped me feel at peace.

“For the next few days, I was in full control of Drisnil. Illara was scared of me at first, but her trauma brought her to me for comfort. I joined the village, helped with the harvest, and for a short time felt like I was actually part of the community rather than an observer. Unfortunately, it did not last long; during the harvest celebration, the bandit whom Drisnil had tortured attacked the village with more of his men. I let Drisnil loose; she showed no mercy and almost killed Jenna to get to her quarry before I finally managed to seize control.”

The memory of seeing Derrick killed, and Drisnil doing nothing to stop it, sent a pang of regret through me. I could have saved him, but Drisnil did not want to; she was more interested in inflicting pain and suffering.

“The next day, I was exiled from the village. Despite my saving them, Illara decided to follow me. We chose to head to a nearby town, Ravencrest; there, we took on dangerous missions to earn a living. One mission nearly took us out—a kobold den that forced us to retreat. I did not let Drisnil out of my direct control; I was too scared to.”

The dark cave and the dangerous traps within it sent a shiver down my spine. What those creatures could do was terrifying.

“Through completing those missions, however, I met someone I had seen as a spirit some twenty years earlier—a man whom I had witnessed murdering a peaceful group of people alongside a fellow soldier, simply because Percy had made a mistake. I witnessed him killing women, children, and babies. His name was Percy; he had become the lieutenant of Ravencrest, while Barnabus had become the captain.”

The memory of first seeing Percy up close made me angry again. Having to pretend to be kind to that coward was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to endure.

Juliana now had another question: “What happened to them? I hope they were righteously judged by you.”

I took back control. “I will get to that, but they did meet justice.”

I regathered my thoughts again. “I confessed to Illara who I was after she grew suspicious of me and my plans. She asked me not to kill without good reason and to try to bring Percy and Barnabus to justice properly.”

“We found allies—Faie, Norman, and Cain—and went to the scene of the massacre, using a miracle to converse with the long dead. From that, we gained evidence of their crimes, enough, we hoped, to secure a conviction.”

“On the way back, we were attacked by a silent stalker. I had released Drisnil once more, and once again, she did not prioritise others. Instead, she prioritised herself, causing Norman's mortal injury. Drisnil suffered a serious wound to her leg, and Illara was knocked unconscious. We tried to save Norman; I destroyed my leg trying to race back. The pain was excruciating, but it was all in vain—Norman still died. We couldn’t save him.”

Norman’s funeral at Holver village flashed through my mind; all the villagers attended. Despite not living there, he was well known.

“Back at Ravencrest, we were warned by the lord to go into hiding until the trial, for Percy and Barnabus had the city guard under their control. So we did, taking everyone they could use as leverage. We built a fort in the forest, near where I first arrived in this world, far away from civilisation.”

I remembered the back-breaking labour of building the fort—cutting down trees and moving logs—but also the new feeling of experiencing love and exploring Illara’s body.

“Before we left, though, I had seen this ring at a market.” I held the black opal gold ring in front of my face. “And I offered it to Illara as a sign of my love for her. She had shown interest in me earlier, but I was conflicted; I wanted to be her protector, not her lover. But she eventually managed to win me over.”

I felt the first kiss on my lips like it was yesterday; I took my hand and ran it across them, allowing myself a moment to remember the feeling.

“Eventually, Percy found us. Cain, being shrewd, sent me to hunt them before they reached us. I set Drisnil free but made an agreement: she would have a turn at the reins, but in return, she had to hold back her sadism.”

“Drisnil hunted with pure efficiency, never allowing them respite and forcing them to use all their healing miracles over three days. The enemies were completely worn down by the time they reached our fort.”

I could almost hear the screams of the men through the night as they were wounded by my blades and arrows.

“Percy split off and planned to flank the fort, but instead, I met him, forcing him to chase me deep into the forest. One by one, I took out his men before a final showdown by the river. He was better at hand-to-hand combat than Drisnil, but she had experience and used the terrain to her advantage. She killed Percy by paralysing him and drowning him in a shallow pool of water.”

I remembered the sounds of Percy drowning, struggling to roll over to save himself while Drisnil coldly watched him die.

“Drisnil got back to camp and broke the morale of the remaining guards, causing them to surrender. But Theo had died during the attack, leaving Illara crying over his body.”

The memory of seeing Theo’s corpse returned, along with feelings of despair at the pointlessness of it all, raising the question: was justice worth all this loss?

“We had a funeral for Theo and treated our prisoners well; Faie even developed a relationship with the cleric, a muscle-bound woman.”

“We got back to Ravencrest and had the trial; we managed to achieve justice through the meticulous preparation of our evidence, despite the slander raised against us. Out of precaution, the execution was carried out immediately.”

I remembered how angry I had been when they tried to use my past to set Barnabus free. I was relieved that when the verdict came in, he was still found guilty.

“That night, I proposed to Illara, and Ash—Illara’s mute brother—used his first words to propose to Sera.”

I smiled; the memory of the relief I felt upon having the twenty-year burden of that massacre lifted was amazing.

“Sera was pregnant at that time, but before she gave birth, she married Ash. We had a dual wedding where I married Illara, too. My exile had been revoked, and we had Cain conduct the ceremony at Holver village on a beautiful summer's day. I wore a lovely blue dress, and Illara wore an amazing green one. Sera and Ash went more traditional with a white dress and a suit for Ash.”

I smiled as I remembered exchanging vows with Illara, recalling the look on her face with all our friends present, and that kiss in front of everyone showing our love for each other.

“Illara and I continued living in Ravencrest, in Norman’s tower. Illara got a job at the local church looking after the sick and wounded; I, however, took on bounty contracts with Faie. We hunted down fugitives and brought them in alive if possible.”

“There was one particular man who was the most difficult: Hubert. He ran with a group of thirty bandits. Faie managed to use illusion magic to allow me to sneak in and grab him while everyone was distracted. She made it look like a dragon was flying overhead.”

I laughed to myself, picturing all those bandits cowering at Faie’s illusion. All her practice with cats had really paid off.

“Being in a Nhalyri body, however, meant I did not age, but Illara did. Eventually, she retired from the church due to being too tired to continue. I never stopped loving her, right up until the very last moment, when I decided to try and be with her in the afterlife. Unfortunately, all I remember is blackness, and then seeing that village being attacked, which is when I created you.”

I released control once more; tears had begun to well up, and I didn’t want to start sobbing.

“Thank you, Geoff. You are more human than I expected for a god. Illara was one very lucky mortal to have you.” Juliana's voice was soft. “I will look after this ring like it is the most precious thing in the world. But I have one question: when did you last see it?”

I took back control. “It was on Illara’s body as she died.”

Juliana regained control.

“Why do you think it is here, then? Surely it would have been buried with her?”

The thought had not occurred to me. If Illara was buried with it, why was it for sale somewhere else?

Then, one person came to mind: Drisnil… She must have looted Illara and sold her belongings after she died. I instantly grew furious. How could she defile Illara like that? After all that time!

I seized control. “We need to find Drisnil and ask her why,” I stated, my voice thick with rage.

As I let go of the reins, I could feel Juliana stiffen. The sensation of her god's sudden fury must have been terrifying.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!