The beginner quest "Namahage surveillance mission" doesn't really have many choices that will lead to the player's death.
Rather, this event can be said to exist not to take the life of the pure protagonist, but to taint their beautiful mentality with cruel and ugly reality.
It is only at the last minute of the mission that the protagonist discovers a shortage of food and supplies in the village. This happened because Genba Neko, the cats that are known as unofficial mascots at construction sites in Japan, caused the villagers to leave. This wasn't the only issue though. The government officials were also careless and didn't do their work properly.
It was reported that Namahage was lost just before the surveillance was taken over from the exorcists' family, but in fact, the shikigami sent by the surveillance government officials were scattered, and the discovery was delayed for a long time because the surveillance official did not share their sight.
This was a failure of the surveillance that had become routine, but nobody seemed to be worried that it would be discovered soon. The only one who panicked was the protagonist, and even that is laughed at by those around them as being nervous due to being in their first mission. The protagonist, who lost all their family and friends only a month ago, must have been hurt a lot by this treatment.
Even the villagers themselves were victims of the normalcy bias. The villagers were used to evacuating every few years for two centuries. Over time, they stopped taking it seriously, even though it was still dangerous.
It's understandable if you think about it. Evacuation in the harsh winter of the Northern region is not an easy task, especially if you don't have enough clothing, food, and shelter. Especially for the villages directly passed through by Namahage, there seems to have been a growing sense of foolishness about evacuating just to be cautious, even though it has never set foot on the grounds of their village.
At first, the three-day evacuation was reduced to two days, then to one day, and eventually the evacuation itself was stopped because Namahage had never actually entered the village.
In return, in exchange for turning a blind eye to the embezzlement of three days' worth of emergency food, firewood, and blankets by conspiring with the officials, the villagers also received the benefit of a special tax exemption for that year, as compensation for their evacuation. There were even villages that were treated as as emergency evacuation sites even though they were not located near any evacuation routes. Of course, the supplies designated for evacuation were pocketed by the corrupt officials, and the villagers were left to receive the tax benefit. Was this a fair deal for everyone involved?
Well, in reality, Namahage deviated from the evacuation route this time and several villages were annihilated without realizing what was happening. And when the time comes to evacuate, there are no supplies in the storehouse, and the protagonist is forced to make a choice in an extreme situation.
One option is to evacuate the villagers in this harsh winter with no supplies.
Another option is to abandon the villagers as it is impossible to help them anymore.
A final option is to fight Namahage, saying that if evacuation is impossible, he will stop it... These are the three choices. Note that the third option leads to an immediate bad ending, in which the 'bad' protagonist is harshly beaten and killed while crying, regretting, calling the names of his family, and seeking help. Even the most seasoned fans of the game find difficult to bear, thanks to the voice actor's impressive performance.
The first forced evacuation or option became the Hakkoda mountain incident. Don't underestimate snow country. The evacuation, which was carried out under threat, failed miserably due to the blizzard. The sight of children freezing to death and villagers becoming silent one by one while grumbling with resentment fills the protagonist with despair. The protagonist? Thanks to his spiritual power, the protagonist is conscious and full of vitality! ...So, he cried with despair. His voice actor truly impressive.
The second option is the safest decision in this event. With persuasion from others, the protagonist decides to abandon the village out of guilt. However, the protagonist's kind heart leads him to run back towards the village after waking up from the nightmare.
Thanks to his decision, he is confronted with the remains of a village that has become a site of a great slaughter party full of chunks of flesh.
The protagonist vomits at the consequences of his own judgment. He throws up many times in the middle of the village, which is filled with blood and bad smells. He also cries. Suddenly, he hears a child's voice in the distance. The child is calling for someone to help them.
The protagonist quickly runs towards the sound of a voice, feeling very desperate. But there's no point in trying to save a child who has been horribly injured. Their insides are spilled out and their limbs are cut off.
Even so, the protagonist rushes to the place with a distorted face. The child notices the main character's presence and, despite being in a lot of pain and feeling hopeless, says mean things. In a way, it's understandable.
"Why didn't you help me?"
After saying those words, the child becomes silent. It's not difficult to imagine that the protagonist's eyes widen and he screams like a person who has lost their mind. His scream is truly something to witness. That's why the voice actor is so passionate.
Finally, the aftermath is the end of the story. which occurs by choosing the first or second option and clearing the event safely (?)... but even now, the protagonist's mind is clouded.
How can we say that only the top of the imperial court is an exception when everyone involved was present?
It's hard to believe that the imperial court, which had been receiving the same reports from the village, county governor, and exorcists for many years, was not involved in the incident. From the perspective of the central government, which received daily reports from all over the country, there wasn't enough time or people to carefully examine reports that were not even about serious matters. The imperial officials also continued to approve the reports without questioning them, even if they didn't follow the usual format, after just a quick look. Even they found this case too troublesome to make it known to the public.
Well, if it was revealed that the central government had been randomly inspecting the reports, the reports from different regions might become even more unreliable than before. Besides damaging the authority of the imperial court, it would also jeopardize the positions of officials who had been approving the reports for generations. No one would benefit from making this matter public.
Therefore, everything was buried in darkness. No, it was worse. All the responsibility was put on the dead, as if the dead have no say.
Although unofficial oral warnings were given to the exorcists and county governor who neglected their monitoring and management, that was all that was done. And the devastated villages, despite receiving warnings from the imperial court, refused to comply, and that's why they perished. The annihilated villages were treated as fools who helped to strengthen Namahage by their reckless actions, thinking only of the immediate situation, according to official documents.
As for the protagonist, he was rewarded for his protest against this series of actions. Depending on the choice, the outward reasons may differ subtly, but the true meaning is clear. Needless to say, the protagonist was clouded.
And this turmoil becomes the first step for the protagonist to fall into the dark side, a prelude to becoming Darth Tamaki...
"No, no, isn't it too ruthless!?"
'(´･ω･｀) That's true.'
While I was letting the white spider suck blood in the bathroom, I remembered the flow of the original scenario in my mind and nitpicked it. No, damn spider. I didn't speak to you, okay? You'd better shut up and eat in a toilet.
The "Namahage surveillance mission," a relentlessly depressing scenario from the beginning of the game, has mercilessly clouded the spirit of the protagonist and, by extension, many other players. The scenario writer stated in the interview section of the setting material collection that he wanted to "dye it black," but it is a mystery what kind of thinking can come up with such monstrous content. It looks like a psychopath is the color of dope.
"Moreover... Sh*t, the plan is completely messed up."
The reason I spit it out like that is because of the report that came from the messenger the other day.
The "Namahage monitoring mission," that grinds away at the sanity of the player and the protagonist was not difficult to land smoothly if you know what's inside.
To be frank, all that's needed is the power to forcibly evacuate supplies and villagers for evacuation purposes. In the original work, there were no choices to begin with, so it isn't until the last minute that it's clear there's no supplies, and the mobilization of the army is too late. Besides, the county governor and his associates decide to cut their losses and abandon the situation, leaving only the protagonist to struggle and ultimately be resented.
In other words, if requisitioning of supplies and mobilization were moved up, dealing with this event would not be difficult. It is a technique that is often used in fan fiction of the protagonist and his companion. It was the most sensible technique to use, considering the position I was in, unable to receive the strongest cheat, reborn by the imperial court, and having already eliminated corruption beforehand or kill Namahage head-on with the best cheat.
"But then, it's hilarious... what's going on? No matter how many butterfly effects I do, there is no way that its behavior could change..."
I groaned to myself. Namahage itself had no connection to the "Youkai Salvation" organization, and naturally, there was no causal relationship even if the protagonist underwent TS. So where did the Pythagorean switch take place?
"Calm down, first, let's organize what I need to achieve..."
That's right. When things are confusing, it is important to return to the beginning. The deviation from the original scenario is something I already knew. The important thing here is to sort out the purpose I must accomplish in this event.
"The first priority is to ensure the safety of the protagonist and Yukine. And if possible, to make a soft landing so that the protagonist does not fall into the darkness..."
In other words, avoid contact with Namahage at all costs. Let it pass. And if possible, soften the situation so that the protagonist does not fall into darkness...
"Anyway, the chances of successfully evacuating look positive."
Things are already in motion. The County Governor, following Murasaki's suggestion, began organizing supplies and mobilizing soldiers even before receiving the messenger's report, although he did so reluctantly. He can't change his plan now. Even if a couple of villages get destroyed, it won't be as disastrous as to completely discourage the protagonist.
There's one crucial aspect I must concentrate on: figuring out where Namahage is right now. Even if we're ready for evacuation, it won't matter if we don't know when and where it will show up.
"If it follows the original scenario... the next target should be Shinkaki village."
If I stick to the original plan, I should be able to find it by closely monitoring the area near the village. I can't be certain, but Hieda County is poor. Due to the poverty, the area is large and has few people. We can't search randomly. That's the plan for now. Should I ask Botan for help with the search? Well, I'll discuss it later.
Just as I finished organizing the situation in my mind, there was a knock on the door of the restroom.
"Hey! How long are you going to stay in there? The boss wants to see you."
It was Iruka's voice. While I quietly complained about being hungry and fed up with the complaining white spider, she had been keeping watch outside. Few people know the secret of my body and the spider. Among them, Iruka was the only one whom I could openly tell.
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