The world is a stage, and all humans are merely players. However, the spotlight that illuminates the stage is, after all, a fixed thing. In a world divided into lead roles, supporting roles, minor parts, and extras, I was always one close to the crowd. Sometimes a minor role. But most of the time, I was just one person among the crowd, with not even a single line of dialogue.
Yet, I never imagined it would be like this, even after death. As if just before the play begins, a brilliant light descends upon a world engulfed in darkness. Then follows a lively, melodious sound.
[Main Scenario Triggered!]
The world is a stage, and all humans are merely players. You, who have suddenly met your death, must survive in this world as if it were a play.
Ending Achievement Bonus: ???
Ending Achievement Bonus: ???
—In case of failure, your existence will be erased.
Take 1. Sinistra Square (Day/Outdoors).
Archbishop Butier: "(With a sorrowful voice) Oh, noble Leovald. Though you remain as a constellation in the sky, the flame of wonder you sparked will remain on this earth forever."
Take 2. Alleyway of the Square (Day/Outdoors). A drunken Leonardo. A funeral is in progress in the square.
Leonardo: "To think I would see my own funeral with my own eyes."
Key Main Characters: Archbishop Butier, Leonardo, Sir Orlie
Scenario Clear Condition: [Successfully complete the funeral.]
[Viewing personal information.]
Rank: Extra (Scenario weight: 0.02%)
Role: Citizen 1,001 of Sinistra Square
Script: [At Leovald's funeral. One thousand citizens stand solemnly in Sinistra Square.]
Dialogue: None
!Warning! – When your scenario weight reaches 0.00%, your existence will be erased. (Main scenario failure)
I absentmindedly skimmed through the last passage. If my scenario weight converges to zero, I will fail. It was at that moment I realized that to survive in this strange, staged world, I needed to increase my importance. As I finished reading and understanding the words before me, the world, which had been frozen in black and white, began to move again.
Life returned to the faces of the people, birds chirped, and the pure white banners hanging on the flagpoles fluttered in the wind. The grand sound of drums echoed as the northern gates opened. A white coffin, adorned with pure white lilies and forget-me-nots, was slowly being carried in from afar. The people of Sinistra Square tenderly touched the coffin and offered flowers, struggling to hold back their tears. In the distance, Archbishop Butier, wearing his crown, waited for the funeral procession to begin.
"Citizen 1,001 of Sinistra Square" also fought to hold back tears as he threw a single flower. He then stood once more, solemnly awaiting the archbishop's farewell. It wasn't a motion I intended, but my body moved as if swept along by the atmosphere and intent of the scene. It was an unpleasant experience.
Finally, the funeral procession reached the centre of the square. Archbishop Butier, sweeping his hand across the white coffin, wore a sorrowful expression, and in a heavy voice, he spoke the first words.
"Oh, noble Leovald."
I instinctively mouthed the following lines in my mind.
'Though you remain as a constellation in the sky.'
"Though you remain as a constellation in the sky."
'The flame of wonder you sparked will remain on this earth forever.'
"The flame of wonder you sparked will remain on this earth forever."
A wave of sorrow and mourning swept through the square, and soon, having gathered himself, Archbishop Butier began to formally recite the eulogy.
"Ten years ago, you were the young hero who saved Sinistra from despair. Today, on this day, all citizens of Sinistra have gathered to honour you, putting aside all else, and mourning only you."
"Citizen 1,001 of Sinistra Square" also appeared deeply immersed in sorrow, gazing at the platform. However, as Archbishop Butier's eulogy neared its end, my inner anxiety grew.
[Scenario weight is decreasing! Current status: 0.01%]
Throwing a single flower into the coffin had already started signalling my impending exit, a result of my pitifully low scenario importance. Before I knew it, the background and objects around me began to lose their outlines, blurring into nothingness. Even my hands seemed to be dissolving like a ghost, their form fading away. I couldn't quite make sense of it, but one thing was certain.
If I didn't raise my scenario importance immediately, I would soon vanish into oblivion. Think. What can I do to increase my scenario importance? The setting may be a funeral, but even if I were to feign an overwhelming grief here, the spotlight wouldn't fall on me. Such a small disturbance would only bury me in the shadows of the crowd, unheard and unseen. Only those with significant roles could stand in the light. The audience's gaze follows the characters. Regardless of my assigned role, the one who commands the audience's focus and attention is the true protagonist of the scene. In that sense, the central figure in the scenario governing this square was clearly Archbishop Butier.
All one thousand citizens standing here are looking at Archbishop Butier, aren't they?
The fact was soon visually confirmed once more. Below the platform, everything was distorted and blurred, but around Butier, the edges were sharp and even more vivid. I instinctively sensed that this clarity was due to the high "scenario importance" that was granted to those in significant roles—something an extra like me wasn't permitted. I had made my decision. In this situation, survival meant staying close to the protagonist of the scenario.
Fighting for importance here on my own, without any attention from the audience, was impossible. At the very least, standing next to the main character would allow me to steal even a sliver of the spotlight given to them, and claim it as my own. For now, that was my best option.
But… could I actually approach Archbishop Butier right now? To do that, I'd have to cross the square. In the process, my flickering scenario importance would probably converge to zero, and I'd die. Hesitating, I called up the scenario note again. Whether it worked or not, I had to try. And, once again, it appeared before me.
Take 1. Sinistra Square (Day/Outdoors).
Archbishop Butier: "(With a sorrowful voice) Oh, noble Leovald. Though you remain as a constellation in the sky, the flame of wonder you sparked will remain on this earth forever."
Take 2. Alleyway of the Square (Day/Outdoors). A drunken Leonardo. A funeral is in progress in the square.
Leonardo: "To think I would see my own funeral with my own eyes."
Key Main Characters: Archbishop Butier, Leonardo, Sir Orlie
Scenario Clear Condition: [Successfully complete the funeral.]
The characters in this scene aren't just Archbishop Butier. There are also Sir Orlie and Leonardo. I decided to focus on Leonardo. The other two characters are labeled with titles like "Sir" or "Archbishop," giving away their roles, but Leonardo is simply "Leonardo."
If there's a role in the script that doesn't need any extra explanation, especially at the beginning of the story, then it's obviously the protagonist. No matter how you look at it, the lead role belongs to them.
I looked up at the sky. Three beams of light shone down. This world, called a stage, was being illuminated. One for Archbishop Butier, one for the knight leading the funeral procession, most likely known as Sir Orlie. And the remaining one illuminated the alley. An alley not far from here, leading toward the square. As if in a trance, I headed in that direction.
A finely tailored shirt, sleeves rolled up briskly, bottles of alcohol scattered on the ground, and the heavy scent of booze. His cheeks were flushed red as if he'd been struck, his hair a peculiar blue-green colour, unkempt as though left to grow wild, and his sharp, cold grey eyes gave off a sense of menace. Even from a distance, it was clear—this was the man shouting, "I'm a problem child!"—staggering as he tried to rise.
Then, the intense spotlight illuminating him made me shrink back. It was a presence on a completely different level from Archbishop Butier or Sir Orlie. It was as if his body were woven together by the world's strongest roots and bones, and within that perfect vessel, the soul of a divinely appointed angel had taken residence.
I sensed it instinctively. This young man was Leonardo, and the protagonist of this script could only be him. Leonardo, with a confused look on his face, was surveying his surroundings. It seemed like he had no idea what was happening. I quickly composed my expression and approached him. A hint of sorrow, and a faint trace of anger marked my face. I approached with heavy footsteps, suppressing my voice as I grumbled, clearly irritated.
"Even on a day like this, a drunkard is wandering around Sinistra? Hey, don't you have any respect for the dead?"
It seemed that even uttering a line was forbidden to an extra. Opening my mouth to speak felt like an immense struggle. The entire world was forcing silence upon me, and forcing out words felt like squeezing blood from a stone. Yet, through this strained resistance, my performance gained a raw, genuine energy. After a great deal of effort, Leonardo finally turned to face me. And in that moment…
[Scenario weight: 0.21%]
The surge of scenario importance hit me like a wave. I almost froze, but I barely managed to keep my expression intact. Leonardo furrowed his brows and hesitantly spoke.
"Drunkard? Are you talking about me?"
"Yeah, I'm talking about you."
I huffed, giving him a light shove. Then, inspired by Archbishop Butier's eulogy, I threw my next line.
"You may look like a careless fool, but on a day like this, you shouldn't be acting like one. It's Leovald's funeral today. As a citizen of Sinistra, you should show some respect…"
"…Did you just say Leovald's funeral?"
Leonardo's face was filled with shock. With a sigh, I pulled a single white lily from the vase and handed it to him.
"Yeah. Even a fool must know the name of a hero. Here. Take this and follow me."
I led Leonardo through the square, showing him the scene. He couldn't bring himself to speak.
"This is…?"
I waited for the right moment, and then dropped the line, suppressing the bitter tone with effort.
"The death of the divine."
I wasn't sure if the term "divine" referred to Leovald or something else, but considering the title of the scenario, I figured I was probably close enough.
[Scenario weight: 0.89%]
Good. That was a big hit.
"…To think I would see my own funeral with my own eyes."
Over there, Leonardo also recited his designated line. I pretended not to hear it, focused on Archbishop Butier's eulogy, but I clearly caught the phrase "my funeral."
It seems that Leonardo and the body lying in the coffin, "Leovald," are the same person. How that became possible, I have no idea, but it was clear now. Then, Archbishop Butier solemnly made the sign of the cross, and Sir Orlie covered the coffin. The funeral was officially concluded.
[Clear condition achieved!]
['Scenario Note #001′ has been successfully completed. 0 hours 29 minutes remain until the next scenario note assignment. Before the next scenario begins, characters will initiate "free actions" to fill the empty spaces between lines. Please behave naturally so as not to disrupt the characters' awareness of the world's inconsistencies.]