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Chapter 1: Resume
A period of peace was about to arrive in Mynoghra after all the strife surrounding Takuto’s loss of consciousness that had culminated in Vittorio’s machinations and a battle with the Scribe Saint. Or it should have.
It seems fate just loves to mess with us. Takuto sensed a new disturbance was hot on their heels as he attempted to parse the intentions behind the bold and fearless declaration given by the latest enemy to confront them—Chaste Witch Vagia.
“So, it seems that the invitation from the other day was the real deal.” Takuto’s words echoed through the Throne Room.
“It does,” Atou replied, confirming the reports in her hand as she stood beside his throne. “It seems official missives have been dispatched to every country, including Phon’kaven, requesting their participation in the conference. We don’t have enough information on Qualia to say they were contacted for sure, but we have received reports that the request has been sent out to other countries on the Dark Continent.”
Witch Vagia had made a bold and ridiculous declaration on a global scale the other day. A few days had passed since then, and information giving legitimacy to her claims had begun to trickle in at Takuto’s fingertips. He’d finally obtained some information on the Succubus Army behind the proposal. But the information only went so far.
Еnŭ m a . і̄ d̀
Under normal circumstances, they should have also looked into what had happened to the Elves and the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals. But since their resources were tied up in the various conflicts plaguing Mynoghra, they lacked information.
Takuto was frustrated that he’d been slow to act because he’d been preoccupied with bigger problems. Alas, he didn’t have time to regret the past. He thought of the cards he had on hand and lightly tapped his armrest as he formed his next strategy.
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“Hmm, what’s her angle?”Takuto murmured.
Atou silently watched over her master as he pondered the matter. She knew commenting would only disturb her king. Whether she commented or not, he would eventually come to the answer he sought on his own. It wasn’t simply Atou’s faith in Takuto that made her think that, but a proven fact.
“A conference inviting all countries and powers… An All-Faction Conference, perhaps?” Takuto continued to pursue one line of thinking.
If he took the proposal from the Succubus Army—from Witch Vagia—at face value, then she was putting on a grand summit for all of Idoragya’s major powers. Regardless of the intent behind the invite, they must have wanted Mynoghra to participate after making such a lofty and showy proposal to the whole world. But the truth was, Takuto wasn’t keen on the idea.
Ŵе̇b n̆ оv̄ е l̊ En u m а̌
It didn’t take a genius to know that it was stupid to enter enemy territory without first knowing your enemy. It had been incredibly risky for Takuto to invade the Divine Nation of Lenea to get Atou back. A nation’s vassals wouldn’t be able to sleep well at night if their ruler kept haphazardly wandering into enemy territory. Besides, a ruler—a Commander—should not be fighting on the front lines, period.
Takuto often had to remind himself of that. He told himself he should not mistake what he was good at—what his strengths and weaknesses were. Moreover, since Mynoghra’s policy of pursuing an Ascension Victory included reviving Isla, compromise and change just weren’t an option for them.
In other words, their end goal involved becoming hostile with every faction anyway.
Setting aside what motives the other factions had for participating, the peaceful negotiations advocated by Witch Vagia were nigh impossible for Mynoghra to adhere to. At the very least, to get the Ascension Victory, the other Players would have to surrender to Mynoghra.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
With all that in mind, the conference was not very appealing for Mynoghra.
“But with such a dearth of information, it’d be a shame to miss the opportunity to learn more about our opponents,” he reasoned. “Honestly, I’m curious what interesting games are participating, and that’ll be crucial information for forming future strategies too. That said, it is risky.”
Ẃ eḃn̄о̊ v е̇ l Ѐ.ńùmӑ
Atou responded with a soft smile and a nod that seemed to suggest he should do what he thought best. Seeing her smile, Takuto responded with one of his own—the one he’d started getting a little more used to using as of late. Then he took a deep breath.
“It’s a conundrum, all right. What’s the right move here?” Takuto voiced his concerns, sounding more than a little like he was enjoying himself.
It had already been long decided that Takuto and Mynoghra’s policy was world conquest. But there was good enough reason to think twice about just upping and declining to participate in a world conference so they could go about running their empire in isolation.
The enemies they must someday defeat were powerful. They all utilized different abilities, and each one brought about changes to the world that were equivalent to working miracles.
In the matchup against the Game Master, Takuto’s clever strategy allowed Mynoghra to snatch up victory in the end, but it might’ve ended in utter defeat had he not known about TRPGs. With this in mind, he was taking a serious risk by continuing to give the first move to an opponent he had no intelligence on. He still didn’t know how many people in this world were in the same position as him—how many Players were out there.
If possible, this is where I’d like to gather intelligence—without the risk.
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“Looks like the best option here is to use the Botchlings…” Takuto slowly lifted his gaze to the ceiling. He made eye contact with the baby-like monstrosity clinging to the beam; it had been trying to get his attention for a while now.
This creature was a Botchling—one of the Mabeast units summoned to serve as Takuto’s bodyguard. Two of these units currently existed in Mynoghra, and they were the most powerful common units they had at their disposal.
Naturally, since he had summoned them to protect himself, Takuto would rather not send the Botchlings away from his person. But their skills were extremely powerful and useful. Possessing combat abilities and special skills on par with a Hero unit, Takuto was certain they would live up to his expectations.
“Oh, I get it. You’re going to have them serve as your body double, King Takuto!” Atou, Takuto’s confidant, who’d never left his side since his resurrection and dogged him like a mother wolf protecting her pup, nodded in agreement with his choice.
We’ve gotten closer in a lot of ways, Takuto thought, feeling a little nervous around the girl nodding in front of him.
“It’d be more than a little painful to lose one with how expensive they are to produce… That being said, the fact that they can be produced again makes them a disposable card we can toss aside and replace,” Takuto said, laying out his thoughts. “I think it’s a bad idea to fall behind because we’re being too cautious, so a certain degree of proactiveness is a must.”
Ёn ǔm̄а̊
Depending on the location where they were produced, the Botchlings could possess a variety of unique skills. The Botchling Takuto had made eye contact with excelled at camouflage and concealment. Using its Mimic skill, it could transform into Takuto, and using telepathy and shared vision, it could even be controlled like a walkie-talkie. This was the method Takuto had employed as a countermeasure when Vittorio was scheming to elevate Takuto into his ideal being. At the time, Takuto used the Botchling to nullify the ritual by intentionally shifting the object of worship away from himself, but…
Looking at it from another perspective, Takuto realized he could also use the Botchling as an external terminal to interact with the wider world from the comfort of home.
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“That’s a brilliant idea,” Atou said. “Elder Moltar and the rest of the Dark Elves can rest easy knowing you are safe at home… And of course, I will also feel relieved!”
“Now that I think about it, we’ve both been in an awful lot of near-death situations since coming to this world,” Takuto agreed. “I’m not about to put myself in danger again by participating.”
“I was planning on stopping you if you did!” Atou declared.
“Hahaha!” Takuto couldn’t help letting out a strained laugh, being on the receiving end of Atou’s deadly serious gaze. “I wouldn’t blame you if you tried…”
Е n ùḿа̊. ĩ d.
Takuto understood how she felt. If she had offered to participate as his proxy, he would’ve done everything in his power to stop her too. When everything was said and done, it was firmly settled that Takuto would not directly participate in this conference. Now, all they had to do was figure out how to gain the maximum benefits within the limitations they had set.
“To be honest, I’d rather not take any action and just stay holed up to focus on Domestic Affairs,” Takuto admitted. “But this is a golden opportunity to gather intelligence. If all the factions are really going to get together, then at least we’ll know what kind of forces we’ll have to face in the future.”
That’s what it all boiled down to. Whether it was the RPG forces or the TRPG forces, one of the reasons Mynoghra had fallen behind their enemies until now was a lack of information. Attending this All-Faction Conference was risky in itself, but if they could get a rough idea about the forces that had come to this world, it’d make world domination much easier in the future. And so, Takuto was gradually leaning toward participating. The biggest concern he had was the potential issues that might arise from Mynoghra’s participation.
“Anything to do with the other Players brings a whole host of problems,” he sighed. “Because it’ll inevitably involve talking about games and other worlds, we can’t easily discuss it with the Dark Elves, and trying to dance around the topic seriously stresses me out.”
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“That’s what I’m here for! Just ask, and I will show up anytime, anywhere to hear you out, King Takuto! Your Atou is the one and only person you can talk to about that stuff, after all!” Atou proudly clapped her hand over her heart.
Takuto chuckled softly at her adorable gesture, but his expression stiffened as he realized she’d smoothly erased a certain person from the equation. “I’m delighted to hear you say that, and I’ll be counting on you when the time comes, but aren’t you forgetting a certain someone?”
W е̂ b̂ n о̌ vë ľ E ṅ uṁ а
“Oh dear, does such a person exist? I unfortunately can’t seem to recall…”
“R-Right then…”
They were discussing the Hero who was absent from the room—Gleeful Spin Doctor Vittorio. He was someone Takuto could consult about matters relating to their prior world. But it was fair to say that the relationship between Atou and Vittorio was as bad as they came. The cause of their falling out lay with Vittorio’s despicable personality and penchant to get under other people’s skin. It was far from ideal to have the people serving as the central pillars of government at odds with each other, but Takuto was resigned to the fact that he could do nothing to bridge the gap between them.
It’d be cruel to order Atou to change her opinion, and utterly pointless to order Vittorio to fix his attitude problem. Thus, the best solution was for Takuto to mediate so that the two of them didn’t argue.
On the bright side, Vittorio isn’t always in the Accursed Lands, so that helps. Speaking of, where the heck is he right now?
Designed to be uncontrollable by the Player, Vittorio was out and about running amok within Mynoghra’s domain, causing all sorts of trouble wherever he went. The power play between Takuto and Vittorio had safely reached its conclusion already, but Takuto knew Vittorio wasn’t the type to just fall in line.
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What kind of crazy problem will he bring me next? Thinking about it was both depressing and exhilarating. As Takuto’s thoughts lingered on Vittorio, he noticed Atou’s downcast face. She seemed to be contemplating something. From the looks of it, she had hit upon a problem with Takuto’s plan.
“Back to what we were discussing,” she began. “I think it’s an excellent idea to send the Botchling as your stand-in, but don’t you think the conference itself may be a trap set by the enemy? It’s true that this conference might involve all the major forces, but if the host is considering going to war with the world, as we are, then it’s a golden opportunity to strike while everyone is gathered. If they do attack, we risk losing a very valuable Botchling…”
“Exactly. Being able to learn about our enemy means they can do the same to us. There’s a high chance they’ll be able to draw out information on our game and abilities, and if things go bad, we might even get stuck with a nasty debuff. And we can’t write off the likelihood of war being declared on the spot. But even with those possibilities, the benefits outweigh the risks.”
“How so?” Atou cocked her head, finding Takuto’s explanation confusing. She was genuinely curious.
Expecting this reaction from her, Takuto nodded and explained in terms his confidant would easily understand. “Simply put, we can produce another Botchling, but we might not be able to recover from the damages that will come from not knowing our enemies.”
Realization dawned upon Atou’s face. She was so wary of losing a Botchling and letting others learn about Mynoghra that she forgot the most important thing. A lack of information had caused Mynoghra to lose Isla, have Atou temporarily stolen away, and even led to Takuto’s loss of self.
E núma. і d̈
It was thanks to Takuto’s genius that he had turned around situations where one wrong move would have resulted in certain defeat, but it would be foolish to assume that they would be fine the next time and the time after that. They needed to secure information this time, even if it meant jumping into the water with bloodthirsty sharks circling. Even in the worst-case scenario, it’d be worth losing a Botchling to get that information.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?” Atou realized. “And if those gains mean the difference between Mynoghra’s future survival, then venture in we must…”
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“Exactly,” Takuto said, nodding in firm agreement.
Takuto loved the way Atou was able to grasp the whole picture after he offered a slight explanation, even if she didn’t get it at first. He also cherished the time he spent talking with his greatest confidant more than anything else. Every time felt like a secret rendezvous, and whether they realized it or not, they were closer than ever.
“I now see the full picture behind your plan, King Takuto. I can’t deny we’ve suffered from being too passive, so it’ll be nice to go on the offensive to stir things up for once.”
With how close he felt to Atou, Takuto decided he would broach the next subject with her and her alone. “Say, Atou…have you ever seen god?” he asked out of the blue.
Е̃ñ u ṁ á. іd
Atou blinked at the abrupt topic shift and took a good look at Takuto’s face. He returned her confused look with a serious one. “Uh…god, you say? That clown-who-shalt-not-be-named liked to call you god, King Takuto, but I take it you are talking about something else entirely, right?”
Takuto nodded and looked up at the ceiling. He waved his hand to send a signal.
“King Takuto…?” Atou called his name when she sensed the Botchlings receding into the distance. Having spent as long together—well, it was hard to judge how long exactly, but that was beside the point—as they had, Atou understood why Takuto would send his bodyguards away. What confused her was how this could be such an important and sensitive topic to warrant it. One that Takuto deemed it necessary to send away the NPC units that were loyal to him and had no will of their own…
Suddenly realizing she was only staring absently and hadn’t yet answered his query, Atou rushed to reply. “F-Forgive me! Um…I don’t think I know anything about this god. Probably…?”
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The reason for her ambiguous response was that Atou only had vague memories about her origins. What in the world was I doing before I came to this world? she wondered. She certainly remembered spending time with Takuto in Eternal Nations. She undoubtedly had memories of the wonderful days they had spent together since coming to this world, despite the hardships and difficulties they had faced along the way.
But the memories in between were vague, as if there was a gaping hole there.
Е̃ n̈ūmа̌.і d
Should she reveal this to him? It was certainly a strange issue to have, but she felt like she was letting it bother her too much. Most likely, there was nothing in between at all. Probably.
As Atou was wrestling with this dilemma, Takuto had taken her answer and run with it, going on to explain his concerns.
“…Do you remember what that succubus lady—let’s just call her Vagia now—said? She brought up a god during her little skit the other day.”
“If I remember correctly, she mentioned the ‘God of Expansion,’ right?” Atou recalled. “I’d never heard of such a being before that.”
God…a supernatural being. The embodiment of transcendence that exists beyond human understanding. God is sometimes compared to the collective consciousness of humans or the universe itself, and it was the being currently bothering Takuto the most.
“I had always assumed that our current situation is being influenced by some being beyond imagination,” he said. “To start, it’s bizarre enough that you and I were transported to another world with our physical forms intact. It’d make more sense if this is the work of someone rather than merely a natural phenomenon.”
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“So, you mean to say that a ‘god’ is behind our presence here and all the enemies we have fought up until now?” Atou summarized.
“That’s my theory at least.”
Atou’s face clouded over.
So-called gods existed within Eternal Nations as well. A good example of this is the Nameless Evil God, a concept that Takuto himself embodied. There were several other gods in Eternal Nations, but they were merely units, Commanders, or key characters in the story campaign. In other words, they were simply a part of the stage dressing.
But what Takuto was discussing was the real deal. A being who controls the creation and destruction of the world, rules over phenomena and concepts, and is positioned above all things. Not the kind of being spoken of in games or stories, but a much, much larger being.
Atou felt an unusual sense of unease as she grasped the magnitude of what Takuto was insinuating.
Еň u̇ṁ а̄. і́ d̀
“That’s why I just can’t see where this All-Faction Conference will lead,” Takuto said. “If nothing else, I’m pretty sure it won’t simply end with everyone becoming buddies.”
“…King Takuto, do you believe this conference is happening at the behest of some god?” Atou asked, her voice mired with worry.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
They would fend off any hostile being, even another Player. But when it came to a true god—a divine being with the ability to bring Takuto, Atou, and everyone else to this world…well, that was a different story.
The unknown is scary, and not knowing can lead directly to death.
Atou was a Hero, and she stood before Takuto, defeating all his enemies. Who could blame her for experiencing a moment of weakness over the fear of the unknown?
“It’s dangerous to assume that this God of Expansion is something we can understand,” Takuto said. “Or that it’s even the one powerful god I’m concerned about.”
Е n̊.û ḿ ӑ
Atou nodded.
The god that exists behind the Players. What purpose did it have in inviting everyone to this world?
She had a sea of questions, but Atou’s determination and feelings remained steadfast. No matter what happens, I will be with you, King Takuto…
Atou was Takuto’s Hero after all.
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“That said, what we need to do is pretty simple. First, we need to increase Mynoghra’s national power, then aim for the Ascension Victory to revive Isla.”
Atou quickly nodded. Takuto was satisfied with her response. He expected her to be baffled by his revelation. It was only natural to struggle with the concept of some god pulling the strings in the background. In fact, Takuto struggled with the whole idea too. It felt like there was some fog hiding the finer details, and he was speaking of something vague and dreamlike. But now, it was this strange feeling that led Takuto to his conviction.
Ẃ е̊ b n̄ о v e l Е ňŭ m а
Now that I think about it, the TRPG forces I clashed with in Lenea had blathered about receiving some sort of mission from god. And from what the Elfuur Sisters said, that was likely the case for the Demon Lord’s Army as well.
Witch Erakino and her master, Player Keiji, seemed to be concealing information about this god. Takuto never figured it out. The Demon Lord’s Army also mentioned a god several times without ever getting into the finer details. And then it came up again in the message from the Succubus Army. Although there was little information to go on, clear conclusions could be drawn.
Since Vagia called her god the “God of Expansion,” there must have been an incident that confirmed this name. Some god—or gods—is clearly interfering with the other factions too—there’s plenty of evidence to prove it.
The question is, why isn’t there a god interfering with Mynoghra—with me? In my battle with the TRPG Player, there was definitely some kind of major clash on a higher plane. Which means we aren’t not under the protection of a god, right?
What in the world are they thinking? I would love to speak with him or her, if possible.
Takuto fell deep into thought. His mind whirled with the possible intentions of a divine being. What kind of being was his god? What did that being want from him? Why didn’t it directly interfere with Mynoghra? He sank deeper and deeper into thought, and when he finally reached the bottom, the depths of a darkness he had never reached before, something appeared before Takuto’s eyes—
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“King Takuto! KING TAKUTO!” Takuto’s whole body jerked at Atou’s incessant call. Her eyes went wide when she saw his overreaction. “You’ve been stuck in thought for a long time. Are you all right? Would you like me to fetch you something to drink?”
“Ah, uh, sorry,” Takuto said in a purposefully cheerful tone, hoping to hide his inner turmoil. “I got lost in thought for a moment there. Yeah, I’d love something warm to drink. Mind getting it for me?”
“It’s easy to get lost thinking about such a difficult problem… I’ll be right back with your drink.”
◇◇◇
“GOD…huh?”
After making sure Atou was gone, Takuto let out a long sigh and leaned back into his throne. Everything was a mystery to him at this point, but he couldn’t shake the cloying premonition that things were about to become incredibly troublesome.
Еn̂ũ m̌a
PROBLEMS involving Players. Problems involving gods. Takuto had a never-ending supply of things to worry about. And on top of all that, he had to manage his empire.
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They say a surefire way to keep a player from getting bored with a game is to pack it full of events, but Takuto was getting a little fed up that this world was reenacting games to that extent.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Atou’s voice announcing her arrival. She’d returned with drinks for them to take a break with.
Guess I’ll reset my mood with a drink, Takuto thought as he watched Atou enter the room with someone else.
“Thank you for waiting, King Takuto,” Atou said.
Еn ů m̄ а̊ .і̆d̆
“Please forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, good to see you, Emle. Welcome, welcome,” Takuto greeted.
Emle came into the room carrying the tray of drinks. Takuto welcomed any of his officials at all times, but he thought it strange that Emle would come on her day off.
“I thought it wouldn’t do us much good to stew in our thoughts, so I decided to prepare some sweets for our break. Emle just so happened to be having some fun in the kitchen at the time, so I brought her with me,” Atou said, explaining the reason for Emle’s presence.
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“S-Sorry, I couldn’t help myself…” Emle said meekly.
“Haha. The more the merrier,” Takuto said. “Since you guys went out of your way to prepare all this, why don’t we take a break in the council room?”
Ѐ ṅu̇.m а̊ .і́ d
Taking a closer look, Takuto noticed a venerable array of homemade sweets lining Emle’s tray. She appeared to be thoroughly enjoying her cooking hobby in the Palace’s large kitchen. Takuto was pleasantly surprised to learn that someone was making use of the barely used kitchen. Maybe I should try my hand at cooking to take my mind off things? he thought as he sipped the cup of coffee they’d prepared for him.
◇◇◇
WHEN your brain is overworked, you crave sweets.
The tea and sweets Atou and Emle had prepared for Takuto satiated that craving, increasing his blood sugar levels and granting him an energy boost. As someone who understood the changed state of his body, Takuto was surprised to learn that he still had the same physiological functions as a normal human from his prior world. His thoughts turned to the Nameless Evil God, and the boost he’d received from the prayers directed his way by the Cult of Ira.
Am I really human or not? he wondered.He wasn’t particularly attached to remaining human if there were no consequences, but on the other hand, he’d rather avoid any changes if they came with baggage. Takuto suddenly realized that he really should look into the circumstances surrounding himself when he got the chance, and that would add yet another annoying task to the pile.
“By the way, I noticed you two have been locked up in the Throne Room since morning,” Emle said, attempting to find something to talk about just as Takuto had finished his drink and sighed contentedly. “What were you working on?”
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It was a great conversation starter, but Atou was at a loss for how to explain the unusual topics they had been discussing.
“Um…” Takuto began awkwardly.
“Oh! W-Was I not supposed to ask about it?!” Emle panicked, quick to catch on to the wrong thing. “I-I’m terribly sorry! I’m such a dunce when it comes to these things!” Her face turned a deep shade of red as she apologized profusely.
“St-Stop it! What are you imagining?! Don’t get the wrong idea, Emle!” Atou rushed to deny whatever it was Emle had misconstrued about their time together, her face taking on the same red hue.
“Nah, we were just discussing the invitation from the Succubus Army. Since it also involves the Land of Gods, we wanted to hash out the details alone,” Takuto calmly explained the situation to clear the misunderstanding.
He wanted to avoid making all the decisions alone with Atou since they had recently decided on a policy of involving the Dark Elves in managing the empire. Emle seemed to be operating under a weird misunderstanding, and he’d hate for that to lead to Elder Moltar and Gia kicking up a fuss. That’s why Takuto had implied this time was an exception, and one which the Dark Elves had no business getting involved in.
Е_n ŭ m̊ а. і d
It had become the norm for Takuto to keep things vague when it came to topics related to the Players.
“Is that so?” Emle responded. “And here I was, l-letting my imagination run wild… Please forgive the indiscretion! How silly of me… King Takuto and Lady Atou would never do such things together… Me and my naughty imagination!”
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“D-Don’t worry about it,” Takuto coughed. He realized from her reaction that he was worried for nothing.
The young Dark Elf woman became even more flustered once she realized her mistake. Takuto was honestly curious just what kind of things she was imagining, but he’d rather not stir up that hornet’s nest, so he decided to pretend it never happened. He was relieved neither Elder Moltar nor Gia was there to make things worse. Those two loyal hounds would have criticized Emle, forcefully exposing her indecent thoughts. That would have been unbearably embarrassing for Takuto, so he was glad to be spared that horror.
“Still, how odd that it’s come to Succubi now… They are things of legend to us,” Emle said, regaining her calm. “I never thought they would appear for real. And they even made use of that giant projection that surpasses any illusion spell known to man… Is it possible they also hail from the Land of Gods?”
“It’s possible,” Takuto said. “There are things about the Land of Gods you mustn’t learn about. That’s why I was consulting Atou in private.”
Е̃ n̈ u_m̈а
“A valid reason, my king. However, please know that we Dark Elves are also doing everything in our power to be of use to you.”
“I know. Don’t worry, I promise we won’t decide what direction to take without telling you,” he assured her. “We rely on all of you, after all.”
“Actually, Emle,” Atou chimed in, “without your people’s dedication to the empire, King Takuto and I would never be able to sleep. Your work is a necessity.”
“As it stands, we’re all lacking sleep…” Takuto said wryly.
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Was that a good enough explanation? Takuto was still trying to figure that part out. He wanted to share as much information with them as possible, without oversharing the more troublesome details. The Dark Elves seemed to at least recognize their enemies as formidable, and that was as good a place to start as any.
Takuto took a bite out of one of the sweets Emle had baked. The sweet aroma and sweeter flavor spread through his mouth. It had been made with generous amounts of high-quality butter, milk, and flour. Unfortunately, Takuto wasn’t a sweets expert. Hence, he had no idea what exactly he was munching on, but he figured it must’ve come from one of the several Earth recipe books he’d made for her with Emergency Production.
W е̇ b̊ńоv̈е̃l̈ Е n̆u m̊_а
His mind grew clearer as the sugar circulated through him, and he sighed. “The All-Faction Conference is still a ways off, anyway, so let’s discuss it in detail with the others during an official meeting. Actually, since Emle’s here and all, why don’t we have an impromptu progress report now? What do you two think?”
They were going to dive right back into discussing their plans after their break anyway, so it seemed like a great idea to casually throw around ideas over snacks and drinks. Atou and Emle perked up at the suggestion.
“I’m for it. I’ll relay all the information that has come in so far,” Emle said.
“Since we’re taking a break and all, why don’t we breeze through the digests, King Takuto?”
It was necessary to confirm the current situation before they delved into the particulars with Elder Moltar and the Dark Elves later. Takuto felt a greater need to ensure he had time to parse the information, as he had just recently recovered from being sick. He didn’t actually feel ill or anything, but that didn’t change the fact that he had been in a quasi-comatose state for a long time. To be on the safe side, he wanted to confirm the facts first to make sure his brain was still running on all cylinders.
“To begin, I would like to address the outcome of our latest battle with the Qualian forces in the ruined zone of the former Divine Nation of Lenea,” Emle explained. “Some sort of awakening occurred in the Scribe Saint as a direct result of her battle with Lord Vittorio. We failed to take control of the Southern Province as originally planned. On the bright side, the Trade City of Seldoch, which borders the Lawful Continent, was successfully absorbed into our empire. We have taken control of the entire region, and it now acts as a buffer zone against Qualia.”
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“Yeah, that fits with Vittorio’s report and the information we were able to confirm ourselves,” Takuto said. “The Scribe Saint is a loose cannon we need to be cautious of, but it appears she’s uncontrollable, so there are plenty of ways we can handle her.”
“Qualia likely has their hands full rebuilding the ruined region of the former Divine Nation of Lenea, so it seems safe to assume they won’t directly interfere with us anytime soon,” Atou said.
Gleeful Spin Doctor Vittorio’s covert attempts to seize the territory left unclaimed by the ruined Divine Nation of Lenea brought major changes to the continent as a whole, and to Mynoghra. One such change was the acquisition of a new territory for Mynoghra: a major city bordering the Lawful Continent and parts of the Divine Nation of Lenea itself. This was a tremendous achievement that increased Mynoghra’s national power, but also brought a whole host of issues.
“Speaking of which, I’m curious about the newly obtained city,” Takuto said, hesitating before asking his next question. “So, uh, how are things there?”
“I’m afraid your fears are very much founded, my king… It’s quite the bed of chaos,” Emle said.
“I knew it…”
W е̃b nov̄е l̇ Е̌n u m a
The biggest issue was that the territory they had acquired was simply too large to be managed effectively. Takuto was forced to face the truth he already knew. It was both a happy and headache-inducing problem to have.
“We’re rushing to train personnel, but expansion is outpacing us in spades. I believe this will be the chief problem brought up at the next meeting,” Emle explained.
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“I can see why. We only just recently got a handle on things in Dragontan,” Atou said. “If we’re not careful, it may exceed the current population of Mynoghra.”
In the game, when a city is incorporated into your empire, it falls into chaos for a few turns, but this is chaos on an empire scale… Takuto gazed blandly into the distance as he scoured his memories. He’d been made all too aware of how different the game was from reality, but he’d never expected the main difference would be the paperwork. Then again, even the advanced science, technology, and administrative systems of his prior world struggled to resolve this ever-present issue completely.
People loved to tout how human lives would be completely changed once commercial AI got on track, but he doubted the eternal bond between man and paperwork could ever truly be severed.
“I think applying makeshift solutions to the problems as they arise is our best option right now,” Takuto said. “Fortunately for us, the residents of Seldoch are all members of the Cult of Ira. They’re subservient to Mynoghra, so let’s take our time to make some adjustments and integrate the governing systems that were previously in place when it belonged to Lenea. It’s a great way to put Vittorio to work on something while we’re at it.”
W̌ѐbnо̊v ě l̊ Ě n̂ uṁ a
“Ha, you think that clown will work?” Atou asked, not hiding her scorn for Vittorio from her voice.
“I’ll make him work. Even if I have to force him.”
Vittorio was uncontrollable by design. This was one issue where Takuto was glad to see some discrepancies between the game and reality, because at least this Vittorio was somewhat willing to listen. Emphasis on the somewhat. He probably would’ve been utterly impossible to get under control if Takuto hadn’t recently shown him who was boss.
Vittorio was a pain to deal with, but his talents spoke for themselves. Especially on the Domestic Affairs front. His skill set specialized entirely in getting under people’s skin, but manipulation and Charisma-based skills required a high level of intelligence to properly execute, so he came equipped with the wisdom to match his skills. It was no fluke that he was running the Cult of Ira behind the scenes.
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“His smarts are the only thing he has going for him, after all,” Atou said. “He would actually be useful to Mynoghra if he’d just stop creating more problems than he solves.”
“Well, that’s just part of his charm,” Takuto deflected Atou’s complaints.
W̊.e bn о̌.v̊ e̊_l Е̌ń ů m̌ а̊
Thick lines creased Aou’s brow; it sounded to her like he was defending Vittorio. Oh shoot, this is a telltale sign I’ve soured her mood, Takuto quickly realized. He started putting together what he’d say to make her happy when a knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
Atou and Emle exchanged looks and nodded. Emle went to open the door. Elder Moltar stood on the other side.
“Pardon the intrusion. Your Majesty, a problem we can’t resolve on our own has cropped up. A traveler staying in Dragontan is seeking an audience with Mynoghra’s king.” Elder Moltar shot Emle a withering look when he saw the half-eaten sweets lining the council room table.
I better come up with a good excuse for her later, Takuto thought, pitying the future that awaited his aide. Meanwhile, Atou sought more information from Elder Moltar.
“There should normally be no reason for the king to meet with a complete stranger, so I assume there’s more to this traveler, Elder Moltar?” she prompted.
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People came day and night seeking an audience with the king of Mynoghra. More than a few people were arrogant enough to try to strike a deal with an evil being. Dragontan was rife with merchants, mercenaries, bards, and people of unknown origins struggling to catch a glimpse of Takuto. Dealing with those people not worth the king’s time fell to the subordinates under Elder Moltar. They were all turned away at the door, naturally.
Elder Moltar coming in person to report on this traveler meant he deemed it a matter of importance.
Who in the world could it be? Takuto couldn’t think of anyone important who would want to make direct contact with him. What name will surprise me now? Takuto waited for his trusty sage to utter that name, feeling a wave of excitement course through him.
“I’m afraid so,” Elder Moltar nodded. “This traveler is clothed in an attire unlike anything we have ever seen before, but he carries himself like an elite warrior. What caught our attention the most was that he refers to himself as the Hero.”
Deep lines creased Takuto’s brow. Great, looks like I’m going to have to put the Botchling straight to work as my body double. He couldn’t even let out an annoyed sigh with Elder Moltar standing before him. Not like sighing would make the situation better…
Takuto realized that the wheels of fate were turning at a much faster speed than any of them imagined.
Еnǔm ã._ї d̊
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