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Chapter 13: Counterplan
TAKUTO and the group that had returned with him to the Dark Continent dispersed to attend to their own affairs. The Phon’kaven envoy was already back home discussing the conference and ensuing chaos with the rest of the Staff Holders and Pepe. Takuto was also holding an emergency meeting at the Palace in the Accursed Lands to report the outcome and discuss future policy.
“So, yeah, the conference was about as much of a Pandora’s box as I’d expected…”
Takuto was in a state of hyper-concentration while controlling his Botchling double, so his subordinates were unable to assess the situation in real-time. This meeting was his first opportunity to report the conference results. After he finished telling them the whole story, the Dark Elves’ expressions soured. They’d attentively listened until that point.
They were optimistic about safety because Takuto had sent a double. They had thought that, at worst, they would lose the Botchling and that Mynoghra would be safe no matter what happened. They were unable to react when they suddenly found out that an event that affected the fate of the empire had occurred without them.
Right now, it took everything they had just to process their emotions.
Ẇe.b̈n о ṽ е̌_ĺ Е̃n̈ ũ m̂а
“I cannot believe the Elven empire has fallen so far…” Elder Moltar lamented. “Still, the whole situation doesn’t make sense. Qualia is the Holy God’s kingdom. It makes no sense for them to join hands with demons like the Succubi, even if they were at a disadvantage.”
“Aye. We know their nature all too well,” Gia added. “They aren’t the type to kowtow to evil without good reason. Viewing us as a threat feels like too weak a reason, if you ask me…”
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Takuto had been vague about the Players’ abilities. Not because he didn’t trust the Dark Elves, but because he was being considerate of the fact that they wouldn’t be able to comprehend the logic behind abilities hailing from a video game. Moreover, revealing everything could threaten the authority he held. For this reason, Takuto carefully selected what information to share and explained that the Players’ abilities came from the gods they believed in.
Takuto was genuinely at a loss for how to explain away the equipment from Mr. H’s game. Each was a powerful weapon or item that could have been at the center of a multitude of legends. Mr. H was a Player with an endless supply of these items. He was a whole lot harder to explain than the RPG Player, who could be put into more understandable terms as a Hero from a fairy tale.
“I’m sure they are hiding things too. No amount of hypothesizing will lead to the answer. It is something we should keep in mind, though. At any rate, it’s kind of fortunate that we have narrowed our objectives down to one for now. Never hurts for things to be plain and simple.”
Takuto only restricted information when it came to the Players. It was easy to talk to the Dark Elves about Mynoghra’s abilities because they understood it all as a part of the King of Ruin’s divine powers.
Wе̇.b ṅ o v̇ е̃ ľ En u m̂ä
As for the Great Ritual: Dark Nation, Takuto explained it away as a powerful spell he could only use once in his lifetime. The Dark Elves expressed both their gratitude and regret for making their king use such a precious spell, which only made Takuto feel uncomfortable because it was a Great Ritual he would’ve squandered in an attempt to save it for that perfect moment if he didn’t use it now in a time of great need.
“Your power never ceases to amaze me, my liege,” Elder Moltar said. “We, your people, will put everything we have into the tasks you have granted us during the remaining time we have before our fated battle with the Alliance.”
“Good. It’s fortunate that time is on our side. Let’s do everything we can in this window.”
Having time for Domestic Affairs was a huge advantage for Takuto, and for the SLG Eternal Nations. They might not be able to get as much done as they could within the timeframe of the game, but there was still plenty they could accomplish.
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Debts must be repaid in full. For them to get payback, Mynoghra needed to become stronger.
“By the way, King Takuto, how long will the Great Ritual last?” Atou asked.
Е ṅ ũ ṁа̊.і̃d̂
“A year, most likely. It may vary by a few days, but I’m certain it will last about that long.”
“Hmmm…” Atou murmured after hearing his answer.
After parting ways with Yu and the others, Takuto looked into the Great Ritual as soon as he had time. He attempted to sense the flow of magical power, accessed the Eterpedia that existed within his mind, and even meditated and listened to his inner self. He tried all the different methods to measure the most important factor: the grace period.
The duration Takuto had intuited from the start turned out to be correct, and even if it were slightly off, it’d only be by a few days in either direction.
One year.
Everyone understood what that meant. Far too little time.
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“A slow and steady build up…isn’t possible in that amount of time,” Elder Moltar said.
“Aye. Considering the sheer size and strength of the enemy’s forces, we need to make drastic changes,” Gia added.
“A year is too short for change on a national scale,” Emle opined.
Gloominess hung over the Dark Elves. Rather than feeling depressed over a premonition of defeat, they had realized that it was impossible to overcome the situation using common-sense methods. They couldn’t think of how to make the impossible possible.
Even coming up with a clever plan and considering it would take several weeks, and they only had a year to do everything. It was fair to say that the situation was dire. So dire that they wouldn’t make it in time if they didn’t act now.
Dark despair was beginning to hang thick in the air…
Е́ ňŭ m̊ а̌
“Hahaha. You have all lost heart so easily. Have you forgotten? You are in the presence of Mynoghra’s King of Ruin! Your king already has the means to pull off what you can’t even begin to fathom!”
“Oooooh!” the Dark Elves cheered in unison.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Takuto’s confidant, Sludge Atou, cleared the gloom. She was the loyal retainer who had guarded Takuto the entire time he remotely controlled the Botchling from his room in Mynoghra’s Palace.
In fact, she had done little else but guard Takuto while he was preoccupied with the All-Faction Conference. She was probably trying to draw attention to herself by speaking up. It was an underhanded move, bringing up the king like that, but it was also the smartest move to upend the mood.
“I wish you wouldn’t put too much faith in me…”
“What are you saying, King Takuto?! Hardships of this level don’t even count as hard if you are on the case! Strategizing should be even easier now that we have a clear indicator of the difference in strength between us.”
Ẅѐ b́_n оv̄e l̄ Ěn̆ u mа̇
“True. Better than being caught by surprise later.”
Atou didn’t doubt for a minute that Takuto had already prepared a way to resolve the problem. Takuto smiled wryly, overwhelmed by her zeal. She wasn’t wrong, either. Rather, she had read Takuto’s thoughts on the situation perfectly.
Takuto also found it was easier to deal with enemies with defined goals.
“The enemy’s goal is clear. They want to bring every faction aside from our own into their fold. Our goal is just as clear. We want to obtain more than enough power to repel and strike back at them.”
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The Dark Elves each nodded.
What they needed to do was strengthen their military forces for war. They had to prepare single-mindedly for that day they knew would come.
Ё n u ṁа
“The enemy has created a military alliance called the Lawful Continent Alliance. So, we’ll want to form a similar alliance to make up for the difference in numbers.”
The Dark Elves were stunned by Takuto’s declaration. They had always considered the possibility of forming alliances, but there was a difference in weight in what they thought and what came directly from the king’s lips.
Mynoghra was an evil civilization. People naturally avoided evil, shunned it, and at times, even tried to eliminate it. Trying to build an alliance as an empire whose very nature brought out such raw, instinctive reactions was not going to be easy. Whether they tried to establish equal footing or used force to make the other nations understand their position and encourage their submission, they had their work cut out for them.
But if they could pull it off, no other strategy would be more effective against their enemies. If nothing else, an alliance would supply what they lacked.
“In fact, Pepe has recently approached me about the possibility. The tyrannical nature of the Lawful Continent Alliance will force the rest of the neutral nations to the negotiating table.”
The path to making this alliance a reality is in sight—every Dark Elf curiously felt this way when they heard Takuto’s reasoning. Considering the current problems plaguing Idoragya, the neutral nations had plenty of reasons to show a willingness to compromise.
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It was easy to forget under the protection of Mynoghra and the powerful entity known as the King of Ruin, but the residents of the Dark Continent were originally weary creatures barely eking out a living in this desolate land.
A drowning man will clutch at straws, as the saying goes, and they were currently drowning. The outcome was obvious.
“Even these wise old eyes of mine failed to see things had progressed that far!” Elder Moltar cried. “Spirits. Your servant Moltar has been exposed to Your Majesty’s vast wisdom many times over, but it truly never ceases to impress me time and again.”
The stage had been set. As long as there were no mishaps during the talks, they should be able to reach an agreement with the neutral nations.
Mynoghra had no sinister designs on the neutral nations either. If they explained how well their alliance with Phon’kaven was going and their lack of evil intent towards the other nations, it should be possible to come together for the clear goal of opposing the Lawful Continent Alliance.
“As long as we gain some level of control of the alliance, the rest will click into place. Ideally, I would take full command, but that will depend on negotiations, I’m sure.”
W̃ е b̀ nõ v̌ё l̂ Е.n̂u̇mа
The empire-management council members nodded in agreement with the king’s direction.
But there was more to Takuto’s strategy. At present, an overwhelming gap in combat ability existed between him and his enemies. Even just looking at their common soldiers, the Lawful Continent Alliance had Elves, Succubi, and Paladins all being enhanced by Mr. H’s overpowered equipment. Up against this army, whose combat prowess had been strengthened by several levels, the Dark Continent forces stood no chance, no matter how many modern weapons Takuto supplied them with.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“In addition, I heard that the Maritime Nation of Sutharland, located in the eastern part of the Dark Continent, has some unknown technology used for intercontinental trade. If we can obtain it, we’ll be able to produce even more powerful monsters to serve Mynoghra.”
“Oooooooh!!”
Takuto had learned through Pepe that there were still many undiscovered lands in this world. A world existed outside of the continent of Idoragya. On this continent, which lacked advanced nautical technology, the outside world was not often discussed, so it was a significant leap forward to discover a country was conducting intercontinental trade. It was worth taking a gamble to see how advanced their technology was, as it could potentially accelerate the development of Mynoghra’s tech tree, which typically required years of research to progress.
“For now, our priority is to make contact with the neutral nations. Whether we’re forming a military alliance on the Dark Continent or acquiring technology from another country, we need a point of contact first. I’ll ask Phon’kaven to act as our intermediary, but I want you to keep gathering as much information as possible in the meantime.”
Еṅ um а̇.і̇d
“Yes, sire! Since we can no longer investigate the northern continent and its holy nations, we will direct all our resources into investigating the neutral nations. I vow we will collect information that will satisfy you, Your Majesty,” Elder Moltar promised.
“Good. Pay special attention to people. People who will be important to us, people who can become a fighting force, and those with special skills and abilities are of particular interest to us,” Takuto instructed.
Mynoghra still suffered from a severe shortage of personnel. Furthermore, with the upcoming war in mind, they would need a large influx of military leaders and middle managers for operational roles. In a game, these would typically be the named characters. It was urgent to find a large number of capable people of a similar caliber to named characters.
“A year seems like a lot of time at first. But it’s also a length of time that passes you by in the blink of an eye if you aren’t careful. You are the only ones I can count on for this kind of reconnaissance. I have high expectations of you,” Takuto told the Dark Elves.
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“Yes, sire!!”
The plan was set.
Е̃ n̆ u̇m̄ á. і d̆
Mynoghra needed to hold its own conference to build an alliance on the Dark Continent.
Takuto came to the realization that there had been an overwhelming number of meetings and conferences since he arrived in this world. He was strangely convinced that Eternal Nations had cleverly cut that boring reality out of the game.
◇◇◇
AFTER giving instructions to the Dark Elves, Takuto took a brief break in his private chambers. Thanks to adding the Botchling double to his tactics, he now had a wide range of actions he could take himself. If he wanted to, he could run around Mynoghra, taking direct command of every little thing. Takuto had imposed on himself the minimum amount of rest needed. Beyond that, he was going to work himself like a horse for the duration of the year.
“Good work today, King Takuto.”
As he stretched to loosen his body, which had become stiff from sitting in his chair for too long, Atou brought him a cup of aromatically brewed coffee. This drink was the gold standard for times of deep concentration. Takuto liked it a little weak, cooled to the perfect temperature, and drinkable in a single gulp.
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He accepted the steaming cup and placed it on the desk before turning to face Atou.
“Thanks. You did well today, too… Still, what do we do about this one?”
“You mean the enemy military alliance? I never imagined they would go straight to launching a massive rush battle against us. That’s rare even in Eternal Nations. Although quite effective when used against the unprepared!”
“Usually, we’d ensure our safety by trying to get the other nations to bring each other down through diplomacy and intentionally creating tension between them, and other such measures we can take from the background. I let my guard down, thinking the Succubus Army and Qualia were too different to ever work together, and this is the result. I should have seen this coming after the TRPG forces teamed up with two good-aligned Saints.”
But Takuto thought he was too harsh on himself to consider this his failure. Asking him to be prepared for this nonsensical possibility was like asking him to prepare for the possibility that every conspiracy theory was true.
Witch Vagia had made careful preparations and bet everything on this conference being a perfect strategy to entrap all her enemies and allies in a single rush. Then again, many aspects of the conference didn’t make sense, and Takuto had no doubt there was more to their alliance than meets the eye. They were hiding something…
Ẽn̆u̇ ḿа.і d
He had too much to do before he could spend time considering what that something was. At the bare minimum, he needed to form the Dark Continent Alliance and obtain Sutharland’s technology, or they would be dead in the water.
At the time, the Dark Elves were so impressed that he didn’t dare say anything, thinking it would be a damper. Atou was the only one who understood that even an alliance would not be enough to make up for the difference in their military strength enhanced by game-breaking Player buffs.
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Under normal circumstances, he should be racking his brain for a way out of this. If they continued on this path, they were guaranteed to be crushed by the Lawful Continent Alliance’s overwhelming power in the future.
Seeing as Takuto was still operating with level-headed calm despite all that, Atou became convinced he had a secret weapon.
“But, King Takuto, you seem awfully calm despite the crisis. Do you possibly have another trump card to play?”
“Hehehe,” he chuckled. “You know me so well. In fact—”
W̌ёb ñ o v̌ еl E n̊ũm̆ а
Takuto then spoke of his knockout plan to destroy the Lawful Continent Alliance.
Atou was astonished and exasperated by the daring and unexpected tactic.
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