I was reborn as a commoner in a fantasy world.
I shouted for a status window, but nothing appeared.
I wasn't particularly strong, nor was I of high status, so I thought I'd just follow my parents, grow potatoes, and live out my life that way. But surprisingly, I had talent as a great mage.
No wonder I was good at mental arithmetic.
I was dragged to a place called the Magic Tower and received countless love calls from Tower Masters.
Here are some excerpts from those love calls:
"If you become a disciple of the Red Tower, I'll give you the wisdom to burn half the world!"
"Join the Blue Tower, and I'll guarantee you the position of successor. With your talent... defeating the blue dragon of the deep sea and recovering the lost ancient underwater city of Atlantis wouldn't just be a dream!"
"The Gold Tower offers a lot of money for free upon entry!"
"W-well, the Purple Tower doesn't have much to offer, but if you're interested in Illusion Magic..."
Among these impressive offers was one awkward outlier.
The Purple Tower was a school that researched Illusion Magic, which had no practical use and thus no popularity or budget.
In this harsh fantasy world, destructive power was the primary goal for any mage.
Confusing opponents with illusions? Throwing a fireball would yield higher DPS in that time.
Using illusions to show hallucinations and distract? A large modified fireball has a luminosity of about 1 million candela. It can both distract and attack simultaneously.
So while other Tower Masters confidently offered their recruitment packages, the Purple Tower Master could only awkwardly promote their magic.
For wealth and fame, I should have ignored the Purple Tower above all else.
I just needed to choose any of the other three. That alone would have set my second life on a smooth path.
But at that crucial moment, the devil from my past life interfered.
Like the demon who tempted Buddha, it shook my mind with sweet words.
*Illusion Magic? I could make virtual reality with this and run amazing TRPGs.*
*In a medieval fantasy world with no entertainment industry, where the only hobbies are food and watching duels, are you really going to give up TRPG? Abandon your life's hobby? Play boring Othello for 100,000 years?*
*Instead of just saying "An ogre strikes you with a thick club!" you could actually show it with Illusion Magic. Are you really going to pass that up? Are you even a TRPG player?*
*With Illusion Magic, couldn't you debut as a VTuber?*
"Gasp."
I succumbed to the devil's whispers.
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After that, my days were spent refining magic in a shabby laboratory due to budget constraints.
Polishing models with Illusion Magic, doing rigging work... It was difficult but undeniably rewarding.
Occasionally, there were interruptions.
"Um, if I push through this funding... you'll really make something useful this time, right?"
"Yes."
"M-my disciples are angry... they keep asking how long we're going to pour funding into some random newcomer. They say you're just hoarding money to escape to the Red Tower..."
"Wait a moment."
"O-okay..."
"Done. I've finished it."
"R-really...? You've completed the magic you've been taking funding for over the past two years? W-what kind of magic is it? Can it be used in war? Can our tower rise to prominence...?"
"Virtual Idol Heart. Completed."
"?"
A dress with black and red two-tone accents. An avatar modeled after a heart from a deck of cards.
This was different from 3D on a 2D screen. The 3D modeling implemented with Illusion Magic was a hologram so detailed it was indistinguishable from a real person.
I made her do a can-can dance.
Her skirt and hair fluttered perfectly. The morphing that delighted viewers was flawless.
To check if there were any implementation issues, I thoroughly examined everything, even under the skirt.
I was satisfied.
There was a slight issue with the knees popping, but it was an insignificant bug.
I fixed it on the spot.
"Um, what... what is this..."
The Purple Tower Master seemed so moved by my creation that she couldn't speak.
Then, as if suddenly coming to her senses, she asked about the details of the magic.
"What... what effect does this magic have...?"
"She can move, dance, and sing."
"Any... large-scale destructive capabilities...?"
"None. But I prepared ten different panty models."
"Gurgle."
The Purple Tower Master fell backward, her twin tails fluttering.
She seemed to have fainted from being too impressed by her disciple's achievement.
Shortly after, when she regained consciousness, she threw a fit, crying that "next quarter's funding is completely ruined." Being a master of Illusion Magic, her tears turned into butterflies and ostriches that flew around everywhere.
Although I was draining the tower's resources, I wasn't completely ignoring the Purple Tower's financial situation.
The Tower Master wept profusely, failing to notice the terrifying potential inherent in Virtual Idol Heart-chan, but I could see a bright future.
Medieval times.
No entertainment.
In an era where the ultimate entertainment for commoners was watching death row inmates, a VTuber would undoubtedly be a powerful asset.
Of course, I knew that for virtual YouTubers, the charm of the person inside is more important than the modeling.
Also, I needed to figure out how to monetize a VTuber in a world without internet.
Let's solve these issues step by step. First, I needed someone to operate Heart.
For now, that someone would be... me.
"Ah. Ahem. Hmm."
The wonder of Illusion Magic extends to sound as well. I combined the voices of ten women I had previously collected to implement TTS. And voilà ! Virtual Idol Heart could speak the lines I thought of.
"Kyahaha☆"
Perfect.
A TRPG game master—GM—has a duty to create a realistic world. Sometimes they need to play roles like passing merchants or attacking goblins to enhance the players' immersion.
This includes heroines.
Whether playing a strong-willed female knight, an innocent villain girl, or an unemployed 30-year-old high school graduate NEET woman, it's all me...!
In my previous life, I didn't actually voice these characters out loud, of course. No one wants to hear gruff male vocals saying innocent lines like "I think I've been in love with you all along..."
I kept that to text.
But deep down, I had a dream.
If I had a lot of money, I would have hired a professional voice actress...
Or if some monster-level TTS technology came out, I would have used that to give them voices.
Now that dream has come true.
"Hehehe... Ahahahahahaha!"
Controlling Heart to let out a villainous laugh, I smiled contentedly.
With her, I will reach the pinnacle of isekai VTubers...
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[Imperial Defense Bureau Dangerous Person Report]
Name: Heart, The Illusory Woman
Rank: Grade 2 (Downgraded one level due to disappearance)
Active Period: Lion Calendar 445-448 (3 years)
Author: C
She appeared suddenly like a firefly and disappeared like a storm.
Leaving indelible wounds on countless men and some women.
She attracted attention with her unique marketing.
She first appeared at the famous pleasure house "Rosaria," selling her time with the condition of "conversation only." Many people sneered, asking if she "wanted to make money but lacked the courage to sell her body," but after a few brave gentlemen experienced "conversation" with her... many things changed.
Men—even titled nobles—lined up to find her.
Many analysts consider her most likely to be an elite agent cultivated by anti-imperialists, but I believe there is some error in that view. She merely played with love, desiring nothing more.
Compared to what she could have had, the gifts she received were closer to "small tips." According to witnesses, she always asked, "How wealthy are you, and what percentage of your total assets is the gift you've prepared?" and declined anything exceeding 1%.
There's a still-famous anecdote.
A young direct descendant of an obscure baronial family brought his entire fortune to offer her. "I know this wealth is insufficient to possess you. I just want to buy even a moment of your time." She returned his fortune and said, "I'll personally invest this amount in you, Baron. Come back when you've become a more splendid man."
The trend among some nobles of "returning gifts from interested men" originated from this anecdote.
She never wielded the power she gained through love, nor did she act arrogantly. She always maintained a dignified attitude, but it was never pride. She never looked down on or disrespected anyone.
When the current Northern Grand Duke Julius, who maintained the best relationship with her at the time—publicly known as Heart's man—said, "I have a fiancée now, so further meetings will be difficult," she offered words of encouragement rather than jealousy. "Remember the time spent with me like an orange. Just not during meals!"
It's said she had no body scent. No perfume smell, no natural skin scent. Men who met her instead remembered her for her "invisible fragrance." The temporary popularity of perfumes that erased all smells was an imitation of her.
Even now, long after her disappearance, many men still miss her or chase her non-existent footprints. I believe in the free attitude and humility she consistently showed during her active period. She was not a threat to the Empire at that time.
However, those who dance with burning passion must always be prepared for burns.
If her disappearance was truly "to find true love," then the day of her return will be the day that true love is broken. I believe everyone knows how vindictive a woman experiencing heartbreak can become.
If she returns from her absence and decides to wield the hearts of gentlemen she once held...
I propose the deployment of unlimited personnel to eliminate "The Illusory Woman."
Of course, all deployed personnel must never have purchased even a minute of her time.