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Chapter 12: Misgivings
<Accursed Lands, Mynoghra Capitol Building>
CIVIL officials were trained and put to work in the Capitol Building the Dark Elves had constructed to handle the practical processing of policies and domestic affairs, just as Takuto had hoped. While they hadn’t nurtured anyone capable of single-handedly managing whole departments like Elder Moltar and Emle, the overall workload proceeded much smoother with more help.
Today several Dark Elf officials got together in the newly expanded council room to settle the matters getting out of control since annexing Dragontan.
“Dragontan’s reconstruction projects seem to be moving along smoothly. The Beastmen are strong and follow orders well, so things are actually proceeding faster than planned,” said Forlais, one of the Dark Elf officials. He tiredly rubbed the crease between his brows as he checked over the latest report.
Piles of approved plans and various data sheets littered the table in the middle of the room. Boards and maps hung on the walls to organize information, and in the back of the room was a smaller table lined with canned beverages in bright colors called “Energy Drinks” that the king had gifted them.
W̆ê b n̄о̀ v̂_е́l Е n ūm а
Anyone with normal sensibilities would want to complain when saddled with an impossible workload, but this didn’t even count as suffering to the Dark Elves, who’d survived unspeakable hardships and now served their king with unbridled joy. Although their physical fatigue was evident, they pressed on drafting reports and directives for Dragontan’s reconstruction with fire in their eyes.
“It doesn’t look like we’ll have any issues with rebuilding, but the townspeople’s lack of education is far worse than any of us expected,” another Dark Elf, Mylirth, commented thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. “It won’t affect much at this stage, but we should probably run the education plan by Miss Emle.”
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The tasks assigned to them by Emle, their direct superior, mainly covered all aspects of Dragontan’s domestic affairs. Naturally, the bigger policies and priorities were decided by King Takuto. Emle distributed the work to the officials based on his directive. Their superiors would check over all their work in the end, but that didn’t mean they could slack off. When they considered how much work Emle was already responsible for, they didn’t want to worsen her stress by adding unnecessary, miscellaneous tasks.
“Is it bad enough that we have to make Miss Emle aware of it?” Akith, the civil official in charge of education, asked. “Remember, consulting her means we’re asking His Majesty as well.”
He wasn’t trying to hide the education issue to save his own hide. He simply didn’t feel the need to consult the higher-ups about something so low on the priority list. They had a plethora of more urgent matters to prioritize, and it was commonly understood among the members in charge of Dragontan’s reconstruction that they needed to settle those projects before tackling education.
But something had come to their attention, giving them cause to readdress the topic.
W eb̃ n ǒ v̌ еl Е̊ nu m̀ а
“I thought the same thing,” Mylirth said. “Until the incident the other day when we provisionally provided the farmers with fertilizer per His Majesty’s orders.”
“Oh, I remember that. It’s a part of our plan to revitalize the exhausted soil. Don’t tell me they even struggled with that concept…?”
In addition to their orders to rebuild Dragontan, the reconstruction committee was also tasked with trying out various innovations at King Takuto’s command. Improving the soil with Heavenly Fertilizer was one of the experiments they were put in charge of. However, large-scale Terrain Enhancements using Mana drawn from the Dragon Vein Mine were considered the primary measure for revitalizing the land, so the fertilizer experiment was more about finding an alternative if their Mana-source dried up and measuring the effects of combining magic and science.
In other words, the fertilizer was also low priority. So low, in fact, it didn’t feel worth reporting on. Of course, writing up reports was important, but if they ran to their superiors over every little thing, what was the point of them being assigned work in the first place? That’s why they felt it was necessary to reexamine the situation. They needed to consider the order of priority and handle smaller matters on their own.
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“You explained how to use the fertilizer and pesticides before handing it over, right?” Forlais asked. “I thought we chose the simplest one that just needs to be sprinkled occasionally. What’s the problem?”
“I thoroughly explained it to them all right. But the next day, an awfully assertive Oxman dumped it all onto the soil. All of it. A year’s worth of fertilizer and pesticide…”
E ñ ů m̊ а̊
“Wh-Why the Saints would anyone waste something Heavenly bequeathed upon them by His Majesty…?”
“The Oxman said if it’s that amazing in bursts, then something even more miraculous should happen using it all in one go…”
Everyone in the room began rubbing their temples.
These Dark Elves originally came from the assassination branch of the Elves. Meaning they’d all been given a basic Elven education, and everyone assigned to civil official positions was clearly a cut above those serving as Warriors when it came to the intelligence necessary for their position. That’s why they’d completely miscalculated and overestimated the intelligence of Dragontan’s residents.
“Basically, our common sense doesn’t apply to them. What we think they can figure out on their own is completely over their heads. Even Elder Moltar is struggling with how to get us on the same page.”
“What should we tell His Majesty? He said we shouldn’t worry too much because problems and failures are bound to arise, but I’m not sure we can do i—”
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“Don’t finish that statement. We just have to produce results that overwrite our failures. We can’t go against our orders and slow down the whole process.”
Unexpected problems always show up unannounced and at a whim, without giving a jot about your circumstances.
The Dark Elves were incredibly capable. With their loyalty to king and country, and their abilities honed from their time in the Assassination Brotherhood, rebuilding the town should’ve been a walk in the park for them.
But nothing ever goes as well in reality as it sounds on paper.
This problem alone required them to waste time writing up a report and reorganize their stock to make up for the instant loss of a year’s worth of pesticides and fertilizer. They would also have to thoroughly question the farmer in question and walk him through what he did wrong.
Dealing with problems and putting countermeasures in place will greatly impact how things are done in the future, so such matters can never be neglected or postponed.
W̊ è b ňo v̌ el̈ Еnu má
If they procrastinated on solving the issue and it reoccurred, then they really would have to present the king with their head on a platter.
“His Majesty has high expectations for us. We shouldn’t let him down.”
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The Dark Elves devoted everything they had to their assignments.
Takuto also rubbed his temples when he finally read the report given on the fertilizer incident. And then he personally praised the officials in charge of the issue.
<Accursed Lands, Mynoghra Palace>
AROUND the same time the Dark Elf Dragontan Reconstruction Officials were racking their brains over how to solve the various problems coming their way, their superiors—Emle, Elder Moltar, and Gia—were also busy handling the deluge of information and issues flooding in.
Е̇nũm̆ a
“Time, money, and materials are always in demand and in short supply. I knew rebuilding and managing a town required a lot, but it’s worse in reality than in theory,” Elder Moltar grumbled to himself as he scanned the stacks of reports from his subordinates.
Since he was in charge of the Ministry of Magic and supporting the other ministries during emergencies, he wasn’t directly involved in Dragontan’s governance, but just lightly reading through the reports reminded him how hard it was to govern a single town.
“I guess that’s to be expected when we’ve pushed things through, even if it takes a little force. We’ve even had to push some of the work onto little Caria and Maria…” Emle laughed dryly as she recalled the Elfuur Sisters sitting at their desks, slogging through paperwork with dazed eyes.
Even if they were overwhelmed with the unfamiliar work, they couldn’t throw a fit and stop. Every Mynoghra citizen knew what happened when you stopped moving forward and gave in to weakness.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“We should be taking things a little slower, but time’s not on our side with the world the way it is,” Gia opined.
Impending danger was nipping at their heels. It was waiting for the opportune moment to target their loved ones and threaten their peaceful lives. They didn’t know when that danger would finally be at their door. They did their best not to regret today in preparation for what may very well come for their heads tomorrow. They were all driven by the same motivation, even if they didn’t speak of it.
Ẃe b̊.n о̃ v е́l̄ Е n um_а́
“All right, that about covers it for Dragontan’s domestic affairs. Our excellently trained civil officials are handling things well on that front,” Elder Moltar said, putting an end to the discussion on Dragontan and turning to Gia to bring up another topic. “Now then, Gia, what news do you have on El-Nah?”
As members of Mynoghra’s empire-management council, they were responsible for resolving the more imperative problems that couldn’t be assigned to anyone else. The primary problems they tackled were all military-related, such as investigating the strange phenomenon happening worldwide and surveilling other empires.
The Holy Kingdom of Qualia and the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals were the two lawful good empires Mynoghra identified as hostile. Other threats existed, such as Brave Questers’ Demon Lord Army and the Northern Witch, but considering the huge territories and military behind those two empires, they couldn’t discount their ever-present threat. El-Nah, in particular, concerned the Dark Elves, who were already on hostile terms with the Elves, and they found it eerily strange that they had gone silent in recent days.
They would be happy if their misgivings were proven wrong, but if there was something behind the sudden lack of activity from their archnemesis, then…
Unfortunately, the answer they received from Gia, who’d been investigating El-Nah using the intricate investigation network he’d built during his time as an assassin, was not good.
“There’s almost no information coming out of El-Nah anymore,” he said grimly. “I suspect there’s restrictions in place to prevent information from leaking, but…judging from the limited intel I’ve been able to gather, there’s a high chance they’ve been invaded by an enemy.”
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“What?! Are you certain?!” Elder Moltar asked louder than usual, shock coloring both his and Emle’s faces.
This was the definition of earth-shattering information. They were thunderstruck.
They already had their hands full worrying about the threats posed by the Witch Disturbance happening in Qualia and more forces like the Brave Questers’ Demon Lord Army showing up. Yet another anomaly taking place came as a surprise to them. No, this wasn’t just an anomaly, it was a new world threat. It wasn’t that a new threat to Mynoghra had just appeared out of nowhere; rather, they only now identified something that already existed as one.
It suddenly made sense why everyone in Mynoghra, including King Takuto, was so on edge and obsessively preparing to fight the next threat.
Elder Moltar and Emle both flayed Gia with their gaze, urging him to continue. He wordlessly nodded, glanced over the documents in front of him, and looked back up at them.
“It’s just conjecture, but I think it’s extremely likely. My reasoning is based mostly on information from a source I can’t share with you, but that doesn’t disqualify its legitimacy. Most of what I gathered was just bits and pieces here and there, but once you start piecing together the bigger picture, it reeks of something more. There are signs of El-Nah substantially strengthening security on the border with Qualia, and the price of goods has skyrocketed. The various clan chiefs have also started imposing emergency taxes in the background too.”
Ė n̈üm̊á .і́_d_
Based on just those tidbits, the first thought would be they were planning to invade another country, but the fact Gia didn’t allude to it meant they could eliminate that possibility. The reason he could be so sure had to lie with his classified informant, but neither Elder Moltar nor Emle pushed the point with him. Even if he had an Elven informant, a connection with their archenemy, they had nothing to gain from causing him to lose that source.
They had more urgent issues to discuss. This was now an issue that was beyond them to solve—they needed to involve King Takuto and Atou in the decision process.
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As he was sorting out what to do next, Elder Moltar suddenly remembered they hadn’t discussed the situation in Qualia yet.
“That reminds me, what news do you have on Qualia, Emle? The last I heard was that they have their hands full with the Northern Witch Disturbance…”
“I would say they’re in the same situation, wouldn’t you?” Gia interjected before Emle could answer. “Going by what His Majesty and Lady Atou said, the Witch won’t be easily defeated. Well, any holy empire is an enemy of ours, so don’t we only stand to benefit if the Witch ends up weakening their forces?”
Gia’s casual dismissal of Qualia belied his earlier display of excellent information gathering and analytical observation. Elder Moltar was still hesitant to hand over his role as clan chief to Gia because he had a way of overlooking potential problems if they didn’t catch his interest. His disappointment over the young Warrior Captain still not growing out of his immature ways instantly morphed into criticism.
Ên ü ṁа́.іd
“Haa…” Elder Moltar let out the longest, aggrieved sigh. “Jumping to conclusions like that will eventually be the end of you, boy. I can’t believe you still haven’t grown out of such simple-minded thinking.”
“Tch! Then gather information on your own, geezer!”
“Save your arguments for your personal time, gentlemen… We’re too busy for you to squabble,” Emle intervened, putting a stop to their petty fighting.
She was absolutely right—and the two men knew it. They could feel the disdainful way her drilling gaze seemed to say, “Don’t use our precious time on stupid things. This is why men can never get anything done without a woman’s help…”
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Emle had been much harsher and more critical of them lately. They weren’t sure if that was because she’d grown a backbone after everything she’d been through or simply because the never-ending paperwork was shortening her fuse.
“AHEM!” Gia cleared his throat. “So, anyone know what’s really going on with Qualia?”
Е n úm а
“A-A fine question, young man,” Elder Moltar sputtered. “It’s our duty as His Majesty’s vassals to do what we can about the matter at hand.”
Most of the time, men can’t stand up to a woman’s astute criticism.
Nervous that the pecking order was about to be decided, both men fumbled to get back on topic.
What mattered here was the state of things in Qualia. They needed to confirm what information they had first and foremost.
They were obviously trying to repair Emle’s mood, but she took their questions seriously rather than rake them over the coals. “As for what’s happening in Qualia…” she hesitated for a moment, “things are a bit strange.”
Emle gave an explanation of the situation that was even more troubling than Gia’s report on El-Nah. Qualia had closer trading ties with the Dark Continent’s neutral empires, which made information more available through independent traders. Emle’s report was a summary of the information collected by Dragontan. Her complexion was rather pale, not because there was a particularly concerning problem, but more because the whole thing was confusing.
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After she was done giving her report, they launched into an hour-long discussion covering speculations and concerns they had identified from the available information.
“…All right, let’s go directly report the main points of concern to His Majesty. Change is afoot.”
By the end of the meeting, all three Dark Elves had tense looks on their faces.
While Mynoghra was undergoing major changes, other empires were also at the mercy of the great swell of fate.
◇◇◇
“THIS isn’t…a good sign,” Atou said in an ominous tone after looking through the information the empire-management council had presented.
Ẁ е̌ b ñо ṽе̄l E n̂ û m̃ а
“I agree. Things are definitely taking a turn for the worse in Qualia and El-Nah,” Takuto said, nodding in agreement with the Hero he trusted more than anyone in this world and the last. “Qualia’s especially suspicious since all information on the Witch has dried up despite her being their sole focus right now. Based off of what we saw of Brave Questers’ Demon Lord Army, I can’t imagine any Witch going down that easy.”
They were privately discussing the current state of things in the two lawful good empires they had their eyes on.
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The information they had obtained from the Paladins during their first encounter with the Holy Kingdom of Qualia revealed that Qualia’s main territory was being invaded by an enigmatic being known as Slurping Witch Erakino. Takuto had naturally never forgotten that critical bit of information and had filed it away as a potential threat to Mynoghra worthy of investigation.
But he couldn’t deny that he’d postponed looking into the matter during all the confusion that arose from negotiating with Phon’kaven and going to war with an army from an entirely different game genre. Not to mention, information was harder to come by when the territory being invaded was the northernmost tip of Qualia.
But things were changing too drastically and counter to his predictions. The change was so sudden, Takuto didn’t notice it until his subordinates brought it to his attention. They were dangerously behind on gathering intel. At the very least, this situation pointed out a need for drastic improvements in Mynoghra’s domestic and international information-gathering networks.
The report contained information on the missing Witch Erakino and the big reforms happening within Qualia at the time of her disappearance. Reforms that seemed out of character for the conservative empire.
E ň u̇mа. і̇ d̀
Qualia’s Southern Province was experiencing unprecedented political change.
Saint Soalina of Blooming Burials and Veiled Saint Fenne Kahmair were the faces of change. Saints wielded untold influence over Qualia. So it was setting off all kinds of alarm bells for Atou and Takuto to learn this stuffy religious country—that always put narrow-minded traditionalism over innovation—had suddenly deviated from its traditional ways.
The lack of information in the report left them wondering what was actually happening in Qualia. All they knew was that the people of Qualia’s Southern Province supposedly felt hopeful for the new relief policies and regulatory exemptions. If that didn’t sound flowery enough, they had purged all the corrupt officials. High political positions were now held only by people supported by the masses instead of purchased by the rich and powerful.
It all sounded too good to be true—someone had to be pulling the strings behind the curtain.
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“It’s disturbing we can’t predict what they will do next,” Atou lamented. “If this were actually the world of Eternal Nations, we would’ve had an idea about what tactics the other empires might employ…”
“Yeah. I didn’t realize how much harder it’d be to strategize against entirely unknown forces,” Takuto sighed. “It’s seriously difficult to make a move against them when we don’t know how they’ll retaliate.”
Еn̆ů m ӓ
Several empires in Eternal Nations were designed to pull off strategies behind the scenes without the other empires noticing they were pulling the strings. Mynoghra was one such empire, but it was much easier to plan countermeasures when you knew the enemy could only be one of a handful of empires. However, that only worked in a game with preset empires known to the players, not in reality full of unknowns.
They didn’t know their opponent’s objective, making it difficult to predict their next move. Even with their limited knowledge of the situation, Takuto felt strongly that the Saints would’ve never acted on their own good will to uproot the corruption and massively reform the Southern Province. If they had the motivation to improve things, Qualia would’ve never stayed in a state of stagnant corruption all these years…
“Considering our own objectives, we will eventually clash with them,” Atou concluded. “Is the best strategy right now just to bolster our empire as much as possible and gather intel on the enemy?”
“Modern weapons may give us an edge, but we don’t have enough national power or information to go looking for a fight. We should still be focusing on domestic affairs,” Takuto decided.
Either way, their options were severely limited. It was one thing when it was just Qualia dealing with these problems, but now even El-Nah was going through a similar anomaly.
Takuto and Atou then started discussing what they knew about both countries. They had a special relationship that continued from their past lives. Even with all the experience and knowledge they brought with them into this life, they still chose to focus solely on domestic affairs and collecting information rather than foolishly poking a sleeping bear before they were ready.
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Mynoghra wasn’t designed to openly wage war. The best strategy to employ when playing this empire was to concentrate on domestic affairs while avoiding attention from other empires, only launching the offensive once everything was prepared on all fronts. They were still at the stage where they should be lying low. Increasing their national power as much as possible was of the highest priority.
“We need to get our hands on both siege and high DPS units before launching any kind of attack. Although, if I’m being honest, I would much rather go into turtle mode…” Atou admitted.
“I’m worried about our defenses still, too. We’ve got the Elfuur Sisters now, but their abilities are unreliable at the best of times. They might do okay on a moonlit night, but their abilities might be a double-edged sword during the day,” Takuto sighed.
Atou and the Elfuur Sisters were the only units Takuto knew he could count on when push came to shove. The Dark Elf Mages and Riflemen were working hard to bolster their forces, but there just weren’t enough of them to make an impact. And while they had a military alliance with Phon’kaven, they couldn’t expect another nation to save them.
With all that in mind, it made sense why Takuto and Atou chose to turtle up and concentrate on building their forces despite knowing they were risking falling behind the other empires.
“But it’s dangerous and boring to just sit around waiting for our national power to get where we want it. We need something to break the status quo. Something like…a Hero who can turn the tide against the enemy no matter what,” Takuto said, falling into thoughtful silence.
Е ňu m а . і d̀
Losing Isla dealt them a crippling blow. If she were still around, Mynoghra’s military strength would’ve ballooned to unrivaled levels. Her defense-focused skills were especially useful against enemies with unique abilities. But there was no point crying over spilled milk, because there was no undoing what had already come to pass.
That’s why it was only natural for them to want to rush the summoning of a new Hero to fill the gaping hole Isla’s absence left. It’s not that there weren’t other methods he could employ, but Heroes were so overwhelmingly effective, they overshadowed everything else.
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But there was a good reason they didn’t immediately summon another Hero right after Isla’s death. Hero summoning was directly tied to an empire’s technology tree. Many Heroes couldn’t be summoned without unlocking specific technologies. Mynoghra might’ve had fewer restrictions compared to the other empires, but they had laughably little technology researched at this point, which meant—
“There’s only one Hero we can summon right now,” Takuto said.
—they had extremely limited options for who they could summon.
“P-Please don’t tell me it’s…” Atou gaped at Takuto. Her eyes pleaded with him to tell her it wasn’t true.
Ѐn̊ ùm a
“You know it. He’s the only option.”
Atou’s face paled with despair. Takuto also looked unhappy with his own suggestion. They both looked displeased despite knowing they could summon the next Hero if they prepared the Resources. They were obviously reluctant to go through with it.
What was causing such an adverse reaction in them?
“No way! I won’t stand for him! Ever!” Atou shouted, throwing a fit. “Please don’t even think about it! Just stop, King Takuto! That…that monstrosity is just too much!!”
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Atou knew what her king had in mind. She threw herself on him faster than the eye could follow and started whining. Takuto couldn’t stop himself from agreeing with her when he knew she got along with him worse than cats and dogs. If that wasn’t troubling enough, this Hero was a BIG troublemaker who made it his life purpose to cause problems.
There was no telling what impact such a Hero would have on the world. If things went south, they’d have to review and redo all their strategies from the ground up.
Ё ñ u m̆ ӑ
“I-I’m also unsure about him…” Takuto muttered, quickly regretting his own suggestion. “Maybe it’s a bad idea?”
“Remember, he was ranked first among the Heroes you don’t want to have as subordinates and first as the Hero you wouldn’t want as your superior in Eternal Nations!” Atou stressed, trying to reinforce Takuto’s misgivings by reminding him of that Hero’s terrible reputation.
“And he’s also the number one most morally bankrupt Hero,” Takuto continued for her. “You gotta wonder what he’s like in real life. I wonder if he has even an ounce of loyalty in him.”
“Oh, he’s loyal. Not only is he loyal, but he also understands what he should and shouldn’t do, and yet he’s the type to go around purposely triggering problems with a big fat grin on his face…” Atou shivered.
“Yeah, that’s the type of guy he is, all right…”
Mynoghra is an evil empire designed with a different set of values from the rest of the world. Said Hero was the biggest example of that, and he could actually be labeled as the Hero who represents Mynoghra the best.
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“…Now that I think about it, there’s no advantage to be gained from summoning him right now… Actually, there’s nothing but disadvantages, so I think his presence will actually set us behind instead of getting us ahead,” Takuto laughed dryly.
That particular Hero didn’t just have high stats. If anything, he excelled more at causing problems for other empires, which made him more difficult to use when there was a clear and present threat. Pulling the strings during peacetime was his forte.
“Yes! He’ll do exactly that! So let’s not consider him! We don’t need to summon that swindler! There are many other bett…” Atou paused for a long moment as if she didn’t even believe what she was saying, “better Heroes to choose from! There are!”
“You and Isla are Mynoghra’s only Heroes with any sense, after all…”
It went without saying that the rest of Mynoghra’s Heroes were just as problematic as the one they were discussing. The Heroes belonging to evil empires are almost always designed to be missing a few screws, so Atou and Isla were actually the odd ones out for having as much common sense as they did. When it came down to it, Takuto was increasing his chance of getting stomach ulcers from stress with each additional Hero he summoned.
Takuto thought back to the short stories written to expand on Eternal Nations’ lore and worldbuilding. Most depicted the Commanders having to go around cleaning up after the messes their Heroes caused. He could honestly say he never once imagined himself in their position. Thinking about it made him even more torn over how to handle the Heroes since it wasn’t like he couldn’t summon them forever—not with the set of abilities they brought to the table with them.
Е ń ùm ă
“Yeah, that settles it, let’s hold off on summoning him for now,” Takuto decided. “We should save him for a time when we need someone to do things with sneaky, roundabout, unconventional means rather than brute force… Like if something ever happens to me…”
Atou’s jaw dropped and her eyes spread wide. She never thought he’d mention something happening to him. She couldn’t even imagine such a scenario.
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“I want you to summon him if anything happens to me. That’s an order I’m giving you now for that possible future, Atou,” Takuto commanded. He almost sounded confident something would happen to him someday.
“I will never allow that day to come!!” Atou rushed to deny it. “Your Atou will protect you! No matter what comes our way!”
But Takuto knew there were no guarantees in this world. He didn’t doubt Atou’s loyalty or ability for a second. However, some situations couldn’t be avoided even when two people trusted each other wholly. Of course, he wasn’t trying to panic Atou by mentioning it.
“Hahaha, thanks, Atou,” Takuto said with a laugh, hoping to comfort her a bit. “I feel a little embarrassed being protected by a girl I care about all the time, though. I wish I could show off and protect you in battle sometimes too.”
Е̌ n̆ u m̆а
“You’re an ordinary person, so that’s asking for the impossible… Although, any battle that requires you to fight on the frontlines would mean we’re in a do-or-die crisis…”
“You can say that again,” Takuto nodded several times.
A Commander’s primary duty is to guide their empire and choose its policies—not go out fighting on the frontlines. Many historic tales from Takuto’s past life spoke of leaders who did indeed carve their way through enemy forces themselves, but he had a feeling a lot of those had some fictional elements added in by later generations.
A Commander, Leader, Ruler—however you prefer to call them—should never be fighting on the battlefield.
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As a matter of fact, Takuto already prepared several cards he could play should he ever be pulled into direct combat. But that didn’t mean he should go seeking it out.
As Atou said, any situation that required an empire’s Commander to stand on the frontline meant that nation was cornered…or, more accurately, on the brink of defeat. For that reason, Takuto didn’t include himself as a fighting piece on the board, and his strategies worked toward making it so he would never have to.
Е ǹ ů m̄ӑ
But reality never plays out as planned. To this day, he was continually revising his strategies and expectations.
“Anyway, I just want you to remember to summon him if anything happens to me,” Takuto stressed.
“All right, I will. But, just so we’re clear, I don’t believe for a single second that that swindler will seriously try to resolve our problems out of loyalty to the empire if you, our Commander, is gone…”
“What a coincidence. I don’t either.” Takuto nodded several times in absolute agreement.
If anything happened to Takuto, that swindler would buckle over with laughter first and foremost. And then, he would set about trying to solve the problem in the most problematic way possible for everyone involved. Takuto was torn between his desire never to summon such a troublemaker and morbid curiosity over what would happen if he did.
“But he’d definitely get the job done,” Takuto chuckled and reassured Atou, whose cheeks were puffed up with uncertainty over his decision.
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Then he thought of the Hero they hadn’t summoned yet. For better or worse, he was confident in that Hero’s ability.
“Okay, with that said and done, we should continue building up our strength for the upcoming…ceremony,” Takuto said, pausing before the last word.
The ceremony in question was the Dragontan Cession Completion Ceremony happening a week from today. It was widely announced as a celebratory event, publicly placing Dragontan under Mynoghra’s control. As the paperwork had long since been taken care of, the ceremony was more about the festivities than stifling bureaucracy.
The Dark Elves were putting in every effort toward making the ceremony a success, and even Takuto and Atou were looking forward to the festivities. They still had a mountain of things to do, and the world was rampant with threats to their peace, but surely, they could sit back and relax for just one day.
They started discussing the next meeting agenda with that thought in mind.
Unfortunately…that special day would go down in Mynoghra’s history…as one of the greatest trials to establishing the bedrock of their empire.
W̄ е̃ b̆n̊ о v_еl̂ Еn ǔ.m̄ а̌
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Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
