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Chapter 14: Checkmate
THE day of the Dragontan Cession Completion Ceremony had finally arrived. The sun was out and the sky was perfectly clear. Excitement and bustling activity breathed new life into the once-dying town. Bright smiles could be seen on the townspeople’s faces, their lips uttering nothing but praise and gratitude for their new king. It was easy to forget Dragontan belonged to an evil civilization now.
Amid all the festivities, the King of Ruin and his confidant were…
“King Takuto… Y-You look n-nervish,” Atou said, biting her tongue.
“Ha…haha… I-I’m not nervous. Y-You’re nervous.”
…shaky from nerves.
E n u m̄а́
They were waiting in a room within Town Hall that had been renovated exclusively for the king’s use. What in the world had the Commander who rose to the top of the leader boards in Eternal Nations with his deep insight and ingenious strategies and the Hero who slayed endless enemies to cut a path for him so afraid of?
“I-I’ve never given a speech before,” Takuto said nervously. “I’m not gonna trip and fall on my face or anything, right?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“D-Don’t worry, my king. Y-Your Atou will be there to hold you up.”
Yes, these two transcendental beings people feared and revered were experiencing untold anxiety over whether they could pull off their part in the ceremony without botching it. Takuto’s apprehension was flamed by his social anxiety and Atou’s by her general clumsiness when it came to everything outside of fighting without Takuto to guide her. They were a lot alike in many ways, one of which was their shared desire to run away from potential embarrassment.
“Please set your mind at ease, great King Takuto Ira. Our preparations are perfect. There’s not much you have to do during the ceremony. Please sit back and enjoy this joyful occasion,” Antelise said as she entered the room wearing formal attire for the first time. It was odd for her to be here talking about taking it easy when she was the mayor, but she’d likely assigned her duties to someone else for the day because she was one of the key people partaking in the ceremony.
When Atou inquired about the remaining preparations, Antelise said she had indeed left it to her staff to handle so she could make time for the ceremony about to begin. Atou and Takuto were very satisfied with the competent Elf mayor, and they shared a smile over having obtained someone of her skill when they were so hard to come by. All the tricky and annoying details were completely taken care of when they left it to Antelise and Emle.
W̌ѐbǹо̀v е́ l̀_ Ёn̂u m̃ а̊
Atou felt a load lifted off her shoulders knowing they were on the job, because she was afraid Takuto would slip up and embarrass himself during the ceremony. Her tense expression melted away, and she lavished Antelise with praise.
“Now that’s reassuring to hear! If anything went wrong at all, it’d be on your head, since you are the mayor. I certainly didn’t want to lose such a talented worker like you over something like this,” Atou said with an unreadable smile.
“Wha?! H-Hold it, what?!” Antelise sputtered.
The problem with Atou’s taste in praise was that Antelise took it seriously. Atou was at fault for trying to pass it off as a joke when it wasn’t funny. Antelise’s confidence crumbled along with her rapidly paling face, and she started mumbling a slew of curses under her breath.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…Excuse me,” Emle said, entering the room after knocking on the door. “Your Majesty, everything is ready to proceed with the ceremo—” She paused when she saw what was on the other side of the door. “What happened?” Atou was all smiles and in the best of moods, Takuto was visibly trembling, and Antelise was sweating as she mumbled a litany of “It’s okay, I’m okay, I’ll be okay, it’ll all go okay…”
What in the Elven Forest happened here? Emle thought as she informed them the time had come with a raised eyebrow.
Ẽ n um̈ а .í d̆
◇◇◇
THE ceremony was held at the special venue erected in Dragontan’s central town square. The venue consisted of a wooden stage with stairs and a simple awning on top, much like what might be seen during a high school graduation or an outdoor concert. They deliberately chose this central location over Town Hall to easily share the good and glorious news with all of Dragontan’s residents. The stage had been constructed so everyone could witness this awe-inspiring moment for themselves.
Many key government figures participated in the ceremony, giving it political connotations. Mynoghra’s empire-management council headed by its king was naturally there, along with related parties from Phon’kaven invited to partake as a show of friendship. Pepe and Tonukapoli were important guests to show domestic and international players that the cession was based on friendly relations and negotiations.
Yes, they were putting on a show for the world at large.
This ceremony carried heavy implications for declaring Mynoghra’s existence to the world. Mynoghra’s existence had already been exposed by informants and peddlers who did business in Dragontan, but that was in an unofficial capacity. Openly declaring the existence of one’s empire is key to keeping up appearances and an essential part of being viewed as an equal in negotiations with other empires.
Of course, since they hadn’t invited any guests from other countries besides Phon’kaven, the effect wouldn’t be as strong as they had hoped, but the declaration alone was all that mattered now. If anything, Takuto wanted to keep things small to decrease the chances of unfortunate interference.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Funnily enough, the hotly anticipated ceremony that held so much importance ended without a hitch once they finally got to it.
◇◇◇
“I’M so glad it ended without incident…” Atou said with a relieved sigh, taking a sip of the drink served to her within the marquee tent set up at the ceremony venue.
They were worried for nothing when success was the obvious result—Mynoghra had put its full national power behind this ceremony. Guards armed with firearms patrolled every corner of the town, and countless snipers were on the lookout around the ceremonial venues to ensure that any trespassers who appeared on the rooftops could be dealt with instantly. They also had the Brain Eaters, with the latent ability to improve public order, check over visitors entering Dragontan for the ceremony.
It’d be harder for problems to happen with such tight security measures in place. While small incidents like petty theft and lost children happened throughout the day, the ceremony itself proceeded uneventfully. The treaty ceding Dragontan to Mynoghra had long since been agreed to, so it was actually weirder for them to be so on edge about things not working out. Atou felt kind of funny about it now.
“Same,” Takuto said. “I can’t believe speaking in front of such a large audience is this nauseating. I thought my heart was going to stop up there.”
Е̌ ňù m̄å. іd̃
“Your speech was absolutely wonderful, King Takuto. Our people were deeply moved by hearing your impressive words and laying eyes upon your mighty visage. I witnessed their eyes shining with hope for the future!” Atou extolled her master with a dreamy expression.
Elder Moltar, Gia, and Antelise all nodded in agreement. They had also withdrawn to the marquee with Takuto and Atou.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Their praise was misplaced, however, because Takuto hadn’t uttered a single word. He just nervously signed the cession treaty, queasily showed it to the people, and jitterily shook hands with Pepe. He’d planned to give a speech but totally forgot about it once he was on stage. Then again, the aura of darkness he gave off was so intense, almost no one could look at him directly, so his slip-up wasn’t apparent…
Nevertheless, maybe it didn’t matter he hadn’t said anything as long as everyone had seen and acknowledged what a transcendental being he was.
Takuto had royally screwed up, yet he casually said “It’s not easy being king” as if he’d done all the heavy lifting. Then he turned his attention toward Antelise. “So, what’s next on the agenda?”
Completely relaxed now that he was free from public view, Takuto wanted to know what he had to do next. Antelise promptly listed off the agenda as if she’d been itching for him to ask.
Еňum̌а. і d̄
“You have some time before the next event, so please spend it however it pleases you, King Takuto. The next big thing on the agenda is sharing a meal with our guests from Phon’kaven as a show of friendship. We were able to hire an excellent chef, so you can look forward to the food. We also plan to launch the fireworks you gifted us during the meal.”
“Cool! Sounds like fun. Real royal-like,” Takuto laughed.
“I’m looking forward to the fireworks, King Takuto!!” Atou exclaimed, beaming.
“So am I! I’m glad I used some Mana just to produce them.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The rest of the day was packed with fun festivities. Phon’kaven’s state guests were all people Takuto knew, reducing the need for him to be nervous or on edge. He felt like a pressure had finally been lifted from his chest.
I can just leave the rest to my subordinates and have fun, he thought, his clammy hands drying, his shaking ceasing, and his narrowed view of things finally expanding to see what was around him again.
W̄éb̂ñ о.v_еl̇_ Ē n ü m а̌
“Oh yeah, where are Caria and Maria?” he asked the room, searching for the girls.
The twins were around for the ceremony. They had the simple job of just sitting behind him as Mynoghra’s council members. He’d completely ignored them as he reveled in being liberated from the duties that had been haunting him for weeks now, and when he finally thought to look for them, they were gone.
“They are out and about enjoying the festival stalls,” Elder Moltar said. “They departed dragging a comically large bag of gold behind them, so they won’t be back for a while, I’m sure. I instructed them to greet you first before setting off, but alas…”
“I don’t mind. But gaaah! I wanted to check out the food stalls and stands too!!” Takuto griped, clenching his fists to keep his desire in check.
Today’s ceremony was just as much of a celebration as it was an official event. Mynoghra planned to make this date a holiday for Dragontan from now on. That was why they allowed merchants from Phon’kaven to Qualia to the neutral nations to set up shops in town to celebrate the occasion. And set up shop they did…except, there was a certain problem stopping Takuto from joining the festivities.
“Y-Your presence will put too much of a strain on the surroundings, Your Majesty…” Elder Moltar reluctantly pointed out.
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“I know,” Takuto conceded, throwing a fit on the inside.
Even Takuto could tell from his experiences thus far that his presence as the King of Ruin incited fear in people. He believed that was a consequence of becoming Mynoghra’s Commander, which made it hard for him to go where he pleased when he pleased. He was okay with it until just the other day. He used to think: I don’t care. I’ve always been a shut-in, so it’s nice that people stay away from me because of my kingly aura. But he changed his mind on this day because he realized he would never be able to live out his dream of enjoying a festival. One of the many dreams he had and could never fulfill in his sickly past life.
“My sympathies, my king…” Atou whispered, sympathizing with Takuto’s disappointment.
He really wanted to enjoy the festive night with the girl who hurt when he hurt.
“Maaaan, I really wanted to experience my first-ever festival together with you, Atou,” Takuto told her telepathically.
“Aww… I wanted to explore the shops with you too, King Takuto. Now that you mention it, I guess this would be your first time going in any life, huh? Considering the condition you were in before, you probably couldn’t go out much, could you?”
Wе b̃ no v е̌l Еǹù m̂ а
“I could only enjoy the festivals through my TV screen before… Ah, but I probably wouldn’t have had any friends even if I was healthy, so not much would’ve changed, would it? Ahaha…”
“My condolences, my kiiiiiiiiiiiing!!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
They telepathically chatted about things only they could understand and shed tears for reasons that only made sense to them. Takuto couldn’t enjoy festivals in his past life because he was sick and forever a loner, and he couldn’t in this life because of his position and intense evil aura. As fate and two worlds would have it, Takuto would not be allowed to enjoy a festival…ever.
Atou and Takuto wept when they realized that cruel, cruel fact. Takuto wept, knowing a dream of his was just out of reach yet again. Atou wept, knowing a festival date with Takuto would have to remain forever a fantasy. There was no end to their sorrow. The fact nothing showed on their faces as they conversed just went to show how polished their telepathy skills were, but it was hard to be proud of that accomplishment when it only happened because they constantly used the skill to whine and gripe to each other.
To everyone but Atou, it looked like the king was interested in the festivities but nobly kept it to himself to avoid inconveniencing others.
“Let’s send someone out so you can enjoy the festival through their eyes,” Elder Moltar proposed, a wry smile on his face as he watched Takuto. “I’m not sure if it will be enough to satiate your curiosity, Your Majesty, but I hope we can at least bring a piece of the festival to you even if you can’t go to it…”
We bn_о̀vе̄l̃ Ẽñ ūm̄_а
“I like that plan, Moltar,” Takuto said, his mood improving a smidge.
What do you think of when there’s a festival? The various stalls. And what comes to mind with festival stalls? Food you can only buy and eat there! The flavors aren’t as elaborate as what you can get at a restaurant or bar because they don’t have all the equipment, but there’s an extra spice known as the mood that makes the food taste a thousand times better than anywhere else.
Plus, Takuto had prepared all sorts of ingredients for this very moment that could be used to make Japanese festival foods and local traditional dishes too. He even used Emergency Production to produce recipe books for everyone. He deserved to at least enjoy the festival through someone else’s eyes.
As he discussed what he wanted to see most with Atou, he also asked Antelise and the others about what to expect at the festival. According to Antelise, the festival stalls also sold handicrafts and rare curios. He requested they pick out and buy whatever looked interesting and bring it back to him. Takuto supplied his own pocket money for the errand. He’d saved up all his earnings since there was nowhere for him to spend any of it within Mynoghra.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
I’m not as bad as the twins, but maybe I’ll splurge a bit today?
Takuto’s mood improved some more.
Е n̂ um̈ а̄.
“Then I, your humble servant Gia, will take on this honorable task, Your Majesty!”
Gia eagerly raised his hand when they started debating who to send on the king’s errand. He seemed awfully bored just standing in the corner with nothing to do. Everyone looked at him when he spoke up, and he even earned a heavy, judgmental sigh from Elder Moltar. Gia seemed to have forgotten that he was standing in that corner to ensure Takuto’s safety.
“Can you be more witless, boy?! The head of security can’t leave His Majesty’s side to run an errand!”
“Ah, Saints!” Gia cursed.
“Honestly, this is why you’re forever a child… But enough of this. Is there anyone else around who can take on this errand?!” Elder Moltar called out, looking for a better candidate.
They were all convinced it was relatively safe, but it still didn’t do for there to be a gap in the king’s security. While they could relax a bit, Mynoghra’s guards weren’t there to play.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The Dark Elves and Beastmen on guard duty in and around the king’s marquee exchanged looks. None of them were suitable for the job. Elder Moltar contemplated their options as he stroked his beard. It didn’t seem right to send out another member of the security team right after he’d scolded Gia for offering to go.
Emle had left to speak with their Phon’kaven guests. Elder Moltar was trying to ignore Atou’s intense gaze that seemed to beg him to pick her for the job. He’d never admit it out loud, but he was certain she would get lost if he let her go. He hated to rely on someone else, but felt it might be best to have Antelise pick someone from the mayor’s office…
“Aye, aye, sir! I’m your girl for the job~♪!” trilled an unfamiliar voice out of nowhere.
Who? Elder Moltar thought, turning to look at the person. There he saw three Dark Elf women dressed as servers.
“Hrm…? Servers? You came at just the right time…but…hmm…” he trailed off, unsure.
Odd. Did I assign these ladies here? the wise sage wondered, but their presence proved they were meant to be there. For a moment, he thought they were intruders in disguise…and yet the aura they gave off insisted they were clanswomen. And if they were, he needn’t view them as the enemy. After all, there weren’t enough Dark Elves in the world for them to be hired assassins for another empire.
Wё b n ȯv ėl Е ň ü m а
They shouldn’t be a problem, Elder Moltar nodded, somehow convinced. They came at an awfully convenient moment, but that didn’t change the fact they appeared exactly when needed. Even Elder Moltar was baffled by his own lack of caution, but he went ahead and pulled out a notepad to scribble down what Takuto wanted to buy…
“Wait… Who are you?” Takuto asked, his voice booming through the tent.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Tension crackled through all his subordinates. Atou stepped protectively in front of Takuto, a tentacle rising from her back.
“Who do you serve?” she asked, her tone sharp. “Make your station known—”
They had struck at the optimum time—for them. Too many factors had stacked in the enemy’s favor.
First, Mynoghra had let down its guard because it had such perfect defenses.
W̃ е́b̄n̈ оv е ľ Е̂ ṅ u ḿ.а
Second, Mynoghra didn’t see a reason for their potential enemies to strike at this stage.
Third, the enemies’ Dark Elf Disguise was too impeccable to be seen through.
And lastly—
“Ahaha! OMG, people! I can’t believe it went THIS freakin’ easaaaay~♪! It’s Slurp time!”
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GM: Message
Exercising Game Master Authority.
Ŵ е b ṅо́v̈ е̇ ľ Enúm_а
Outcome is a success regardless of the roll.
Outcome: Critical
—Erakino and co’s operation was guaranteed to succeed by the system.
“Agh…!”
Atou slumped forward and Takuto jumped from his seat in surprise.
“ENEMY ATTACK!!”
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Takuto’s subordinates responded at once. Elder Moltar, Gia, and Antelise drew their respective weapons. The guards lifted their guns and the Snipers stationed all over town locked onto the enemy. Mynoghra’s monster units rushed in at tremendous speeds to protect Takuto.
However—
“Kill Erakino and co’s enemy, Sludge Atou~♪!”
—all of their efforts were rendered useless by that single command.
“GHH! AGGHHH!” Takuto choked out.
…He didn’t know what hit him.
Е̊ n̆ ü mǎ
“YOUR MAJESTY!!”
His subordinates’ horrified cries went in one ear and out the other. He felt a rush of heat course to his core, while his limbs went icily numb. Alarm bells blared in his head, and the spectacle before him played out slowly as if time had been stopped.
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Takuto wrestled to understand the situation.
It all happened so fast, he couldn’t even register he had been attacked. Even if he had noticed the attack before it happened, Takuto couldn’t have prevented it. Erakino’s victory was ensured by the system, after all.
Takuto sluggishly tilted his head down to confirm the source of the attack. What he saw there was Atou’s tentacle pierced straight through his chest—straight through his heart.
“A…tou…”
Êṅǔḿа . і́ d
She didn’t answer his strangled utterance. The Hero he loved more than anything else stood there with empty eyes, her tentacle sticking right through him.
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