I hastened to tell Sae and Edano that they had to confirm their membership in my group via the notification window before anyone did anything irreversible. A formality, perhaps, but in this world, the slightest oversight could cost lives.
Once that was done, I walked over to Ryo.
He stood upright in the middle of the crowd, motionless, almost provocative. When he saw me approaching, he let out an annoyed sigh, as if the mere fact of meeting my gaze was enough to irritate him.
"I must admit, I'm surprised," I said calmly. "To see you agree to abide by my rules by joining my clan. "
Ryo lifted his chin slightly, his eyes locking with mine without the slightest hesitation.
"And why should we be forced to follow you as our leader?" he replied curtly.
Then, without waiting for my reaction, he turned to the other members of the Oda clan.
"In fact, ask yourselves this question. Why should you obey him?"
A heavy silence immediately fell over the group.
I could already feel their eyes wavering, oscillating between mistrust and curiosity. Ryo had just lit a spark... and in this world, a single spark could quickly turn into a fire.
A murmur immediately ran through the group.
Some nodded, clearly agreeing with Ryo.
"There must be a way to change leaders..." someone said.
"Yes, we're not going to stay stuck like this if we don't like it," added another.
I let them talk for a few seconds, then spoke without raising my voice.
"If you kill me," I said simply, "there's a good chance you'll be able to change leaders by doing so."
Silence fell.
I saw a dangerous gleam in some of their eyes. My statement, which I had deliberately intended to be blunt, had opened up a possibility. An easy solution. Too easy.
Before anyone took a step too far, I raised my hand slightly.
"But think carefully before you act."
I scanned the group, making sure I had their attention.
"I've played countless games. RPGs, strategy games, survival games. And there's one mistake everyone always makes. "
No one interrupted me.
"We believe that the person with the highest rank is the most powerful. The leader. The marshal. The one who gives the orders. But what we forget is that there is a limit to that power."
I paused.
"Because that person is also the one who has to take the most risks."
Voices immediately rose.
"What do you mean?"
"What are you trying to say?"
I could feel the tension rising, but this time it wasn't directed solely at me.
It had turned into anticipation.
I spoke again without hesitation.
"We don't yet know exactly what this puzzle consists of," I said, "but one thing is already certain. It will be a war."
The words hung heavily in the air.
"And in a war, the marshal is not just the one who commands. He is the one who is sent to the front line when the impossible must be attempted. He is the one who must make decisions that cost lives... including his own."
I looked at them one by one.
"If the marshal had to sacrifice himself to save his soldiers, would the one you want in my place be willing to take that risk?"
I saw several people take a step back. Eyes averted. Everyone began to weigh the pros and cons, to measure what the role they had coveted just seconds ago really meant.
So I repeated, calmly, almost solemnly:
"You can kill me to change leaders, if you wish."
A shiver ran through the group.
"But I declare it on my honor. If this puzzle requires it, I am willing to sacrifice myself for you. For each and every one of you."
The silence that followed was no longer hostile.
It was heavy, charged with a nascent respect, mixed with fear of what the future held for them.
I could see them all thinking, motionless, as if my words had really hit home. Their eyes were serious, their faces closed, each one seeming to probe their own conscience.
But deep down, I knew.
It was all just a charade.
I had just designated myself as bait.
And there was no doubt that they would accept it.
One of them finally broke the silence and proposed a simple, almost brutal vote.
"Those who no longer want him to be the leader, to my left. The others, to my right."
The bodies began to move. Slowly. Hesitantly. Then everyone took their place.
To his right, I saw familiar faces like Edano. Saé. Shun.
To his left, the only face I easily recognized was...
Ryo Kanjo.
I couldn't help but smile inwardly. Just as I expected. Ryo understood. As long as I remained the leader during this puzzle, it would be much more difficult for him to make it unsolvable as he usually did.
The verdict was unequivocal.
The majority had chosen to leave me at the head of the group.
I slowly looked up at them, acknowledging their decision, fully aware that this newly confirmed power was not a privilege.
It was a target drawn on my back.
Now that everyone had chosen their side, a familiar vibration ran through the air.
The notification window opened in front of us, hanging like an irrevocable judgment.
I looked up and read slowly.
[Puzzle n°4: -The War of the Three Kingdoms-
Explanation: In this epic conflict, you must loyally choose between three distinct kingdoms:
-Oda
-Tokugawa
-Hojo
Your fate is sealed in a relentless game of strategy. Victory is awarded to the team that manages to capture both enemy regalia without losing their own.
In this battle, several ranks will determine your role:
> Scouts: simple soldiers with no specific role.
> Bombers: skilled strategists capable of placing devastating traps on the battlefield.
> Demolitionists: masters in the art of detecting and neutralizing enemy traps, they can reveal the role of a single opponent.
> Marshal: the top of the hierarchy.
Time: 6 days and 4 hours
Rules: - You cannot reveal your role to your enemies, or you will die
Mystery solver: 9,450 coins earned, ???
Failure: Death]
A heavy silence fell over the three camps.
A war.
Not a metaphor. Not a disguised trial.
A real war, with roles, lies, traps... and inevitable sacrifices.
Panic spread almost instantly, like a shockwave rippling through the three newly formed kingdoms.
Voices rose, disordered, trembling.
"A war... a real war?" someone exclaimed, their throat tightening.
"You mean with deaths? Betrayals?"
No one answered.
Because everyone already knew the answer.
The air suddenly vibrated, filled with a cold light. Behind each survivor, without exception, a holographic symbol slowly materialized, floating a few inches behind their backs.
A soldier's helmet for the scouts.
A bomb for the bombers.
A light bulb for the bomb disposal experts.
And finally, a star for the marshal.
The roles had just been assigned.
Muffled exclamations rippled through the crowd as everyone awkwardly tried to glance over their shoulder or observe the others without giving too much away. Some turned pale when they saw the symbol of a neighbor. Others, on the contrary, smiled nervously, as if trying to convince themselves that their role would give them an advantage.
I remained motionless.
I could feel the star behind me, even without seeing it. It almost burned, invisible but overwhelming. It was not an honor. It was a target.
At that precise moment, everything changed.
The looks on their faces were no longer those of mere survivors. They became calculating, distrustful, heavy with suspicion.
We were no longer a lost group trying to understand this world.
We were pawns, aware that we had entered a war where every decision could seal someone's death.
We didn't have time to ask any more questions.
A sudden sensation of falling seized us, followed by a dizzying vertigo, and the world distorted before our eyes before freezing again.
When my feet touched the ground, a heavy silence fell.
We were in the middle of a vast plain stretching as far as the eye could see. The terrain was almost entirely flat, covered with short grass swaying gently in a constant breeze. There were no notable features to break up the horizon. No hills, no dense forests, just a few scattered rocks, too far apart to offer any real shelter.
Here and there, a few rudimentary structures had been placed as if they had been thrown down at random. Low metal structures, wooden platforms half sunk into the ground, a few isolated walls with no continuity, incapable of forming a coherent defense. Nothing that could really slow down an organized attack.
"This is our base?" someone exclaimed, their voice thick with disbelief.
I immediately understood their dismay. There was almost nothing here. No ramparts, no fortifications worthy of the name. The open space exposed us on all sides, as if we had been deliberately placed in the open.
This plain was not a refuge.
It was a battlefield.
Many began to wonder aloud about our real chances of winning this war. Eyes met, heavy with concern, some already tinged with resignation. I tried as best I could to calm the group, adopting a more measured tone.
We were now all in the same boat. Retreating was no longer an option. We had to trust each other and, above all, think.
"We need to decide where to place our regalia," someone said, breaking the flow of murmurs.
"Yes, but with terrain like this, it's impossible to hide it," replied another immediately, scanning the plain.
I nodded slowly.
"This terrain does not work in our favor. There is no cover, no natural hiding places. Therefore... we have no choice but to do something else."
Silence fell. Everyone was now looking at me, waiting for me to continue.
"Do something else?" asked a tense voice.
I took a short breath before stating what I believed to be the only viable option.
"One of us will have to carry the regalia."