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Chapter 3: Awakening
ARE ideals never meant to be realized? Can nothing be done without sacrifice?
Since the dawn of time, Saints have always offered something to the Gods in exchange for their sainthood. Soalina’s odd attachment to Erakino was partly due to what she’d sacrificed. Fenne had also sacrificed a piece of herself to God when she was chosen as his Saint.
Is wanting to be happy really that wrong? Is wanting people to live peacefully without sorrow or suffering such an exorbitant wish that it necessitates being given such difficult trials?
Veiled Saint Fenne absentmindedly listened to Commander Fjord’s report as she searched for the answers to her unspoken questions.
“That concludes my overview of the most pressing activity in neighboring countries. The Order and I will handle the rest,” Fjord said.
Ê ǹū m̈ ă . ǐd́
Just how reliable is he? Fenne wondered. Fjord hadn’t solved a single thing to do with the Paladin Murder Case since his little tirade the other day. If anything, their problems had only multiplied in the time since. What in the world am I doing at a time like this?
“The King of Ruin, Takuto Ira, was spotted alive and well in Dragontan, they say? Do you think it’s really him?” Fenne asked, doubtful.
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“It’s likely a fake. That’s the quickest method to suppress domestic turmoil,” Fjord replied without pausing to think about it.
Did the Order of Paladins already investigate the matter? Or did he prepare his answer in advance, expecting her to ask about it?
Fenne was fairly confident in her ability to read people, but she couldn’t discern anything from Fjord right now.
“Fjord,” she said, her tone stern. Her hawklike gaze searched his face from beneath the veil. “Where did you get that intel from? I’ve heard the Order is swamped lately.”
W̃ е́b.n̄ o v́ĕ l̂ En̄ um̆ а̃
It almost sounded like she was grilling him for answers, but Fjord didn’t seem to mind. “Dragontan has always had close relations with Qualia,” he replied. “We still have several means of obtaining information from them even after they have fallen under Mynoghra’s control. This information was also received from one of those sources.”
“I see…”
Fjord was startled when he realized Fenne had softly moved aside her veil to look at him with just one eye. He was stunned by her suddenly revealing her skin for the first time since he’d known her and even more so by the sliver of deformed flesh he glimpsed just under the veil.
He quickly tried to smooth things over by using his already gaping mouth to ask, “I-Is something the matter?”
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“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m sorry for adding to your workload when you’re already so busy. Please continue to investigate the matter… I especially want to know if the King of Ruin is really alive or not. Sooner rather than later, if possible.”
“Understood. I know of several capable people outside of the Order who would serve us well in this matter. They will expect a lofty reward in exchange, but I’ll bring them in on this.”
Ѐ n̆ů m̆ а̂ .і̀ d
“Please do.”
Fjord withdrew from the room, leaving only Veiled Saint Fenne and silence in his wake.
“Were you able to confirm anything?” Fenne asked, addressing the empty room as if someone else was there.
Cancel Camouflage.
People suddenly appeared in that empty space.
GM: Message
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Exercising Game Master Authority to Request Information.
Fjord the Stalwart doesn’t know who the culprit is.
Fjord the Stalwart isn’t hostile toward the Divine Nation of Lenea.
Fjord the Stalwart hasn’t been Brainwashed or Confused.
Fjord the Stalwart didn’t lie during the last conversation.
Fenne shifted her gaze to the two new presences in the room. Standing right beside the sofa where she sat was Saint Soalina of Blooming Burials and Slurping Witch Erakino.
Ẁе b̂ǹо̌v̆ е l̈ Е̃ ń u m̄ а̌.
“I just checked with Master,” Erakino said. “Good ol’ Chiefy is in the clear! In other words, he’s not working for anybody, been Brainwashed, or had any other funny business done to him.”
“I see. I’ve done something terrible to him then,” Fenne said, regret lacing her angelic voice with the ability to charm all who heard it. “…It’s miserable having to doubt the people we should trust.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“No one would blame us considering the circumstances, Saint Fenne,” Soalina said gently, attempting to console Fenne’s guilty conscience. Her words were meant to comfort and reassure them all, but they rang hollow because actions speak louder than words.
The three girls didn’t doubt Fjord personally—they suspected the entire Order of Paladins. Several days had already passed since Fjord declared he would resolve the case, and yet, not only did the culprit remain a mystery, but so too did the victim.
To make matters worse, the Order had covered up the existence of a second victim. Was the Order concealing information out of a short-sighted desire to protect their reputation? Or was something shady going on behind the scenes? The girls didn’t know the answer. They did know that the Order was incapable of solving the case, leading them to take measures into their own hands and use any means available to them to identify the culprit and victim themselves.
Except, their results weren’t much better than the Order’s.
W̌ êb̀ ṅ.о̊_v е l̆ Е́nu m̄a
The answer eluded them even after the Game Master exercised his Authority, rendering all their inferences and speculations from various angles futile.
Fenne stared out the window. The sun smiled down upon them from high in the blue sky, birds sang to each other, and the voices of people happily going about their day trickled into the room from below.
What she saw at a glance was the ideal country that’s peaceful, tranquil, free of exterior threats, and devoid of fear. Despite how it appeared on the surface, this country of theirs was under attack by an unknown entity.
“Erakino, can you look into the King of Ruin?” Fenne asked. “I highly doubt he could revive from the state we left him in, but we should double check…”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
GM: Message
Exercising Game Master Authority to request the status of the King of Ruin, Takuto Ira.
Ŵе b̆ n o̊v е l Е́ n um à
Result: Unknown.
“Takuto Ira is an unknown,” Erakino relayed with a big sigh, shaking her head. “We can’t confirm anything on him one way or another.”
The past few days had turned up nothing but equally disappointing results. Both the Game Master, who attempted to find the answers to their questions, and Erakino, who had to relay the results to the Saints, exuded fatigue even if they didn’t complain about it.
“If his status is unknown, doesn’t that mean he’s alive?” Soalina asked. “I think the fact that the truth is being withheld is a sign that he’s doing something to disrupt the information…”
“You’ve got it all wrong, Soali,” Erakino said. “Neither Master nor I completely understand how the game system works, so we don’t know what’ll happen when a Player dies.”
“That’s a valid point,” Soalina nodded.
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“Besides that, it’s extremely difficult for us to influence Players and their direct subordinates from different games,” Erakino explained. “Our thought is that the different game systems clash, making it harder to affect each other. According to Master, it’s impossible to have the same level of influence over them at a distance than when we’re up close and personal.”
Erakino and the Game Master had revealed their origins to the two Saints. They explained how they came to this world with the powers from a tabletop role-playing game and that there were likely multiple people with similar circumstances out there. They also let them know that they were playing a game with those people to determine who would be the winner. At first, the Saints were skeptical about their far-fetched story, but they eventually came to believe what they were saying was true.
The Ancient Saints’ Book of Oracles had a passage terrifyingly titled: “The Beginning of the End.” It depicted a battle between the gods taking place in their world. If the prophecies contained within the Book of Oracles, considered dubious tales and hyperbole, were to be believed, then they hinted at the entire continent becoming embroiled in a big war.
The loser would lose everything and the winner would gain it all.
The three girls couldn’t become the losers—not when their people were counting on them. The die had already been cast, and their pieces had advanced to the point of no return.
“In the end, no matter what angle we go from, we still don’t know the answers. I suppose it was a mistake not to check the corpse when we had the time and ability because we were full of ourselves,” Fenne muttered, her frustration apparent in the way she clenched and unclenched her hands.
Е́ ǹ ūm å.id
Disheartened by her words, Soalina hung her head and stared at her hands. Wanting to cheer her friend up, Erakino leaped from her seat, drawing their eyes to her.
“But! But Soali’s awesome-possum attack did Takuto Ira in good. There ain’t no way he’s coming back from that! Not after what I saw. Don’t you agree, Soali?”
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“I do,” Soalina nodded. “The King of Ruin was undoubtedly reduced to ashes by God’s holy flames. I can say that with certainty. However…what if…” she trailed off.
Was it a mistake not to confirm Takuto’s corpse with their own eyes? Absolutely. But who would honestly think he could’ve survived the two-pronged death they put him through? They had thrown everything they had at him to make absolutely certain he was dead and then burned the body to make doubly sure. If they started doubting his death, then all their plans built upon that supposition would crumble.
Takuto Ira had irrefutably died. They had killed him then and there—they had determined as much at the time of their attack. But now that conclusion was giving away like sand between their fingers.
“We don’t know if Takuto Ira is dead or alive,” Fenne said. “But we do know that there’s a real threat to us right now. I haven’t a clue why this enemy is taking the tedious route of targeting individual Paladins, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are here hurting us.”
Ẁ ѐ b̂ n о v̆ ě l̈ Е ń ǔmа́
They had already used the Game Master’s ability to investigate what forces posed a threat to Lenea. Both Qualia and El-Nah were currently on the wait-and-see-what-happens list, and none of the nations or tribes on the Dark Continent were hostile toward Lenea yet. The process of elimination narrowed them down to only one possibility: the empire that the system prevented them from obtaining information on—Mynoghra. The nation they had left to self-destruct, thinking it’d never become a threat, was now looming ominously in the background.
“What in Arlos’s holy world is causing these problems?” Soalina asked.
The most conceivable answer was…that Takuto Ira had other, more powerful subordinates. They had confirmed that the King of Ruin originated from a simulation game at the time of his assassination. Sludge Atou, the one subordinate of his that they had gotten their hands on, was classified as a Hero from that game. If they considered the possibility of other Heroes like her, one could’ve assumed the role of King of Ruin and taken control of Mynoghra.
When the Saints heard the Game Master’s theory through Erakino, they grimaced. They were angry that they weren’t informed of other Heroes or that one such Hero could take over as the King of Ruin. But it was too late to change what had come to pass.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
If anything, the Game Master, Erakino, and both of the Saints were all at fault for being in positions where they had access to any information they wanted, but didn’t even think to look into things further than they had before launching an attack against another nation. Just because you have the ability to know everything doesn’t mean you can come up with the best solution for everything.
The vague existence of a potential enemy gradually took shape.
Е́n̈_u m̀а
“All of us from different games come equipped with super deadly, super uber powers,” Erakino explained. “And out of all of ’em, Master’s Arbiter ability is practically invincible. But, that doesn’t mean the rest are gonna just go belly-up for us… If there’s still an enemy left out there, we gotta deal with ’em quick.”
In fact, Erakino had been brought to the brink of defeat during their surprise attack against the King of Ruin. The Dark Elves had been equipped with modern firearms, and Takuto responded instantly to their attack with a swift counter. They had won by a hair, which meant they couldn’t be overly optimistic.
Erakino’s monologue made the two Saints sense the encroaching danger. The trials they had to overcome were far from over.
“The especially bad thing for us is that this means Mynoghra will continue to be an active presence. Uh, if I remember this right, it’s a super important accomplishment that we have defeating the King of Ruin tied to our name, right, Fenny?” Erakino asked.
“That’s right,” Fenne said. “If Mynoghra, the nation led by the King of Ruin, is still going strong, then it will call doubt upon our legitimacy as a nation. And in the off chance that the King of Ruin still lives, then everything we have built upon will crumble from its foundation. If that were to happen, then we would become insurrectionists who founded a nation with false declarations. Not only will we be excommunicated, but hunted as heretics as well, I’m sure.”
“Well, don’t count us out, because Eraki and Co’s turn ain’t over yet, baby!” Erakino declared in a singsong voice. “After all, we’ve got an ace up our sleeve that we didn’t have before~♪!”
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“An ace? What might that be, Erakino?” Fenne asked.
“Heh-heh-heh! You know the one! That good ol’ one! The special one!”
“…I’m sorry, I don’t?”
Both Saints gave her a puzzled look. Erakino burst out laughing at the cute way they tilted their heads in unison. She spun around in a circle, lightening the tense mood in the room with her playfulness.
“Without much ado, let’s invite our special guest! Everyone, give a big round of applause for Mynoghra’s Sludge Atou!!”
Erakino decided to play the ultimate ace up her sleeve.
Ě ǹ um̆а̂.ї d̀
◇◇◇
SHE had been dreaming. A dream where someone was speaking to her from the deepest depths of darkness where shadows and night didn’t exist. Whatever was there was huge, terribly scary, and seemed just a little troubled…
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What was it saying to her? She tried to remember, but her memories were such a jumbled blur, it was hard to piece together in the haze. The one thing she knew for sure was that whatever it was, its words left her with a kind impression.
“…Where…am I?”
Atou regained consciousness. She felt as if she had been having a very important dream, but she couldn’t remember any of it. She assessed her surroundings to figure out her situation and quickly learned exactly where she was and who she was with.
“You…!” she hissed with venomous hatred and extended one of her tentacles to pierce right through the frivolously grinning Witch standing right before her… But then, her aggression was dispelled by some mysterious force like the air escaping from a popped balloon.
Ēn̄_u ṁ а .id̂.
Her attack wasn’t stopped—Atou herself had willingly chosen to stop attacking.
“Tch, tch, tch,” the Witch clicked her tongue and wiggled her finger at Atou. “Now that we’re allies, friendly fire isn’t allowed, sweet lil’ defanged Atouy! We’ve basically just NTRed you, girl! So why don’t you forget your past BF and get it on with us girls? We’ve all been waiting eagerly for you to join us~♪!”
Atou raked her gaze around the room. Her memories returned once she confirmed the two Saints cautiously watching her like a hawk. She was filled with regret for having personally harmed her precious master and the painful realization that the three girls who should be her greatest enemies…registered in her mind as allies. Atou understood then and there that some power had changed her affiliation, forcing her to view Mynoghra as an enemy territory she could never return to.
“I think I just threw up a little…” Atou said, coughing into her hand. “I can’t believe I not only can’t attack you, but that I don’t even have the desire to. Gross. How does it feel? Are you euphoric, trampling all over your opponent’s dignity and existence like this?”
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“Good question. I couldn’t say either way,” Erakino responded flippantly. “We’re just desperate, you know? We need power and results to make our dreams a reality, so we made a dangerous gamble to go after the most convenient source for both. And we ended up obtaining it all in the end, so yeah~♪.”
Both Witches spoke with a sharp, biting edge to their words, but the deadly tension had dissipated. It was now more akin to a conversation between teammates who didn’t get along well and made everyone else uncomfortable around them.
Eṅ üm̄ а́. id
The abilities granted by the game system were absolute.
Atou, who’d been forcefully switched to the Saints’ faction by Erakino’s Slurp ability, was now completely on their side despite her defiant attitude.
“Power and results, eh?” Atou drawled. “I didn’t think I’d ever become someone’s trophy, but what’s a girl to do? I’m your prisoner now. Oh, but I guess we’re allies, so I suppose I’m not particularly imprisoned. So? You went through all the effort of waking me back up, what is it you want from me?”
“Hahaha! You’re quick to catch on, Atouy.”
Atou frowned at Erakino’s suggestive comment. She knew whatever the Witch wanted, it was going to be annoying and counterproductive.
“Now that you’ve brought it up, I want you to tell us all about your former master and the empire of Mynoghra that he rules over as the King of Ruin!! Give me the down-low about your people’s abilities! Fill us in on what powers and authority the King of Ruin has! And spill every last detail you know about the Player, Takuto Ira!”
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Atou audibly gnashed her teeth. Erakino’s attitude grated on her every nerve.
To start, Atou didn’t doubt for a second that Takuto was still alive. She felt guilt and regret for having hurt him, but she knew he wouldn’t die from such a trivial attack. She had immense trust and absolute confidence in him. But she also understood how critical revealing all the abilities Mynoghra—Takuto—possessed could be.
If she were still on Mynoghra’s side, she would’ve blanched at how fatal of a blow exposing this information would deal to them. Regrettably, she was now affiliated with the Saints of Lenea. She couldn’t resist the overwhelming force pressuring her to disclose that crucial information to her current allies.
“You’ll tell us everything, won’t you? You are our ally, after all.”
For allies, Erakino’s condescending sneer filled Atou with revulsion.
W е́b̈ ṅо̃v ёĺ E̊n̂um̆ а
“AND then, get this! King Takuto was all, ‘I’m happy as long as you’re with me, Atou.’ When I heard those wonderful words, my loyalty and devotion to King Takuto skyrocketed. I mean, he’s just the best, most incredible man alive—”
“Say, Atouy…”
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The room was held hostage by one girl’s lengthy, loving speech. She moved from topic to topic, never stopping since she got started.
“Oh, speaking of how wonderful he is, there’s this momentous occasion when I decided to learn how to cook—you know, for our future together? I was practicing in secret, but King Takuto found out about it, and he tried my home cooking—”
“Hey, Atouy?” Erakino tried to get her attention again. Figuring that was too soft, she raised her voice and barked, “Will you listen to me already?!”
Erakino had been trying to interject into Atou’s monologue for some time, but all it did was spur her into a more fanatical, passionate speech.
Ẁ ё b́ñ о vеl Ё num̈ а̂
“And then, and then! Despite my food being a failure, King Takuto sweetly told me, ‘Anything tastes good if it’s made by you, Atou—’”
“QUIT YAPPING ALREADY! YOU LOVESTRUCK DUMMY!!”
Just as Atou was reaching the climax of her excitement, Erakino’s anger also piqued in a loud shout that finally put an end to Atou’s unasked-for prattling. It’d be accurate to say that Atou only stopped because she had to. She directed a perturbed look at Erakino for dousing her fun trip down memory lane with her obnoxious shouting.
“…Oh? You’re still here, Witch?”
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“Don’t call me Witch! I mean, yeah, I am a Witch, but…I’ve got a name, y’know? Start calling me Erakino like a normal person!” Erakino demanded, throwing a fit and banging her fists on the table. Her demands fell on deaf ears.
Ever since Erakino asked for information on Takuto Ira, Atou had regaled them with flowery tales of her enjoyable time with him. Even Slurping Witch Erakino couldn’t put up with it anymore. Fed up, she lost her cool and shouted at the other Witch. Meanwhile, Atou looked more thrilled than anything by upsetting her. She obviously wasn’t going to make this easy for them.
Е̊ń ūm̀а̄
“So? Why are you interrupting me, Witch? I’m just getting to the good part. Honestly, it’s so incredibly rude to stop me when I’m doing you the honor of sharing all the heartwarming and fluffy moments between me and King Takuto. Besides, weren’t you the ones who asked me to tell you everything about King Takuto?”
“Well, yeah, we did. But we don’t need to hear you fawning over him… I mean, aren’t you on our side now, Atouy?! How can you still speak all lovey-dovey about Takuto Ira even after changing sides?!”
“A couple who are still madly in love with each other even after becoming enemies… Star-crossed lovers! Don’t you think that’s even more romantic?” Atou asked with a dreamy smile.
“D-Do you think about anything else?!”
A vein bulged in the corner of Erakino’s forehead. At first glance, she appeared to be laughing along, but her cheeks twitched and the smile died before it reached her eyes. Unable to just sit by and watch her dear friend lose it, Soalina patted her on the back from her seat beside Erakino. Sadly, that did nothing to calm Erakino’s anger.
Her fellow Witch, Atou, gave them a dubious look, then released a long-suffering sigh over only Arlos knows what, and finally used her endlessly flapping lips to speak to them like she was addressing an ignorant fool.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“As much as I hate saying it, I am on your side now. It hurts me even more to say I’m King Takuto’s enemy. But those are the facts. I’m sure I’ll strike him down without any mercy should we confront each other on the battlefield. HOWEVER! I must make it clear once and for all! My feelings for King Takuto are real and true!” Atou declared with her chest puffed out, even though they didn’t ask for confirmation on that. She seemed satisfied once she made her feelings clear, but Erakino couldn’t take it anymore.
“Okay, my anxiety just shot through the roof…” Erakino groaned, clutching her head in her hands and stomping her feet on the ground.
Soalina couldn’t do anything to help her out of this predicament. They didn’t summon this daydreaming, lovestruck girl to listen to her delusions. Their entire conversation had derailed and gotten nowhere.
“All right, I’m done with this annoying Witch here. You, Saint. You seem more capable of intelligent conversation. What’s your question? I’ll answer only in relation to King Takuto.” Taking advantage of Erakino’s sudden departure from the conversation, Atou directed it toward the Saint sitting beside Erakino as if she were an unrelated party.
Soalina’s shoulders trembled at being called upon. She instinctively looked to Fenne for help, but the other Saint was leaning against the wall, watching them with no interest in actually participating in the talks herself.
This was the moment of truth. She would start the Witch on another theatrical monologue if she didn’t word her questions correctly. Soalina was sick of hearing about her love stories. What was important was gleaning strategic information that would influence their future.
Е n̈ ù ṁǎ . і d̀
“Um,” Soalina began, hesitant. “I would like to know whether the King of Ruin is alive or not. What are your thought—”
“He’s alive.”
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Before Soalina could even finish her carefully worded question, the answer came back clear and concise. Atou had shifted out of her cheerful prattling to complete seriousness. Judging by her tone and word choice, Atou fully believed Takuto Ira was alive.
Urged to continue her questioning with a single look from Atou, Soalina pondered her next query. What should she ask next? She was curious about what Atou based her conviction on and tried to find the right words to ask about it.
“…What makes you think that? There’s no way he survived,” Erakino scoffed, recovering slightly from her love-talk-fatigue. “Besides, aren’t you forgetting who literally gouged his heart out?” she sneered, hitting Atou where it hurt.
For Atou to be this sure, she had to know something else they didn’t. They all saw Takuto’s heart get pierced through with a tentacle and then watched as he was burned to ashes. What kind of ability or gimmick did he use to survive that?
Ё n̈úṁa
“You want to know why I think King Takuto is still alive? If I had to give a reason…I’d have to say it’s because it’s King Takuto we’re talking about. There doesn’t need to be any other reason than that.”
The three girls were met with an answer that answered nothing. Not only that, but Atou completely skipped over every detail that didn’t agree with her. Worst of all, she was obnoxiously confident.
They were back at the same problem they had faced since they summoned Atou. Because the system had forcefully aligned her with them, she couldn’t be lying, which meant she believed every word she told them.
What good was that?
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“That ain’t reason enough, Atouuuuu…” Erakino demurred. “And man, I’m still reeling in shock here, y’know? I can’t believe the King of Ruin’s vanguard Witch is no different from a schoolgirl with a crush. I’m surprised you’ve gotten any work done wearing those rose-colored glasses of yours.”
“I have always fulfilled my duties perfectly,” Atou asserted. “I have never once caused King Takuto trouble with my mistakes or selfishness.”
W е̃ b̊ nо v̀ ӗ l̈ Eňum а
“Reeeeally now?” Erakino cocked an eyebrow at her. “I can tell that’s a bald-faced lie right there…”
The three other girls seemed to have some sort of weird misconception about Atou, because this was who she really was. She usually exercised some level of restraint because of her role as Hero, but she was free of that now. Released of her duties as a Hero, her obligations as a subordinate, and her instincts as a being of evil, she was left with nothing more than her status as a girl who was madly in love with Takuto Ira.
Erakino had kept this ace up her sleeve for the opportune moment to play it and win the game, but she’d completely miscalculated her hand.
“Oh, and while we’re on the topic,” Atou continued in her cheerful voice, “while I’m certain King Takuto is alive, I have absolutely no idea how he survived. I’m not lying nor deceiving you about this—I have no reason to hide anything from my allies. Don’t get me wrong, I’m dying to know how he did it myself.”
“So are you saying that the King of Ruin somehow resurrected or survived that situation with a method unknown and unrevealed to you?” Soalina asked.
“You got it. I’m surprised too, but he’s easily capable of that. Way to go, King Takuto! You have me wowed even as your enemy!” Atou gazed into the distance with an enthralled expression.
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Soalina racked her brain for something she could say to bring the daydreaming girl back to reality before she entered another one of her fantasies again. Despite knowing it wasn't very nice, she settled on the crueler option that was most likely to get a reaction out of her.
“U-Um, M-Miss…Atou? If you don’t know of a method he could’ve used to get out of that predicament, then isn’t it possible that the King of Ruin actually perished? I understand you might not want to face that possibility, of course…”
“Then, let’s look at it from another angle, shall we? Why did you call me here to ask my opinion?”
Atou’s sharp observation poured cold water all over the more or less light exchange they had been having up until that point. As she said, they were in a bad enough situation to seek aid from Sludge Atou well before they intended. The fact no one answered her query proved how right Atou was.
“If the King of Ruin, Takuto Ira, really did perish, then you lot would be managing your empire without any hurdles,” Atou carried on. “Even if you run into opposition, nothing can stand in the way of your cowardly abilities. And if all went perfectly according to plan, you would have left me forever in dreamland, leaving my body as nothing more than a puppet until the end of time. Am I wrong?”
She wasn’t wrong. She had everything down pat.
Ӗn̆ u m̂.a .ї d̀
Everyone felt like retorting: “Is that really something the girl who was blathering on and on about the King of Ruin’s wonderfulness since she woke up should say?” But that didn’t make her assessment any less accurate. Rather, the undeniable truth there made it clear just how precarious of a situation they were in.
They could feel a bone-chilling darkness that never saw the light of day slowly encroaching on their territory. The simple feeling of incomprehension was enough to fill them with an eerie sense of dread.
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“And besides, you probably don’t know this, so I’ll tell you—when a Commander is defeated in Eternal Nations, their empire disappears with them. Simply put, the mere fact that Mynoghra still exists proves that King Takuto is alive. Aaaaaaah!” Atou suddenly squeed. “King Takuto, are you lonely without me? I’m lonely without you, my king!!!”
Everyone aside from Atou, back to pronouncing her love for Takuto, was dumbfounded by this revelation.
What did she just say? they wondered. Even though the three of them had half suspected that was the case, it took time to accept it.
“Oh dear, it looks like none of you knew. Good for you—now you know for sure that the King of Ruin is alive and after you… So, what now, my unwanted allies?” Atou’s heartless gaze fleeced Erakino and the two Saints.
E̊num̈ а. і d̈
She wasn’t being cute, she was genuinely asking them what they planned to do now that they were up against the man destined to bring ruin to the world.
“King Takuto is powerful, you know?”
That was all Atou had to say to render the three other women speechless.
“So what?!” Erakino shouted hysterically. “We have to resolve this! Even if Takuto Ira is alive, we can’t afford to lose! Don’t you get it?! We can’t lose! We absolutely can’t!!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Atou took a moment to contemplate Erakino’s argument before cutely humming “Hmm” to herself. She pressed her index finger to her chin and looked up at the stark ceiling.
“You simply can’t win, so why don’t you just surrender already? As a sign of our short-lived friendship, I’ll at least entreat him to spare your lives. King Takuto tends to respect my requests. Since it’ll be a request from me, the one he treasures, he will follow through with it. Do you understand what that means for you—you get to live. You should fall on your knees, rejoicing that you have me on your side.”
Ẅ е b́ñоv̊ ӗ l Е̄ nu m а
Atou never doubted for a second that Takuto would beat them. And she fully believed that he’d come to save her no matter what. That he wouldn’t hold her attacking him against her. Her gaze burned with ultimate trust in Takuto and a conviction that the people she was sided with now would lose.
Her confidence made the others sick.
Disgusted to the max, Erakino lashed out with the most cutting remarks she could think of at the moment.
“Says you. But did you forget you’re here because you betrayed Takuto? Yeah, sure, you may have been Brainwashed by our ability, but will the King of Ruin really believe a dirty traitor like you~? Maybe he’s sick of you? He might’ve even gotten himself another woman, y’know? Too bad, so sad! Poor, poor, Atouy~♪! You got dumped! Rejected! Tossed aside!”
“Not in a million years,” Atou laughed. “King Takuto is always kind to me, understands me, and accepts everything about me—the good and the bad. I’m positive everything will go well this time as well. In the end, King Takuto will embrace me and sweetly tell me how worried he was about me. He always thinks of me first and foremost. That’s who King Takuto is, and nothing you say will change that!”
“Stop talking about him like he’s the world’s most understanding boyfriend! Things aren’t going to turn out like a middle school girl’s fanfiction! Face the facts! Live in reality!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Erakino kicked the table into the air. Launched by a Witch’s powerful legs, the table rocketed toward the ceiling with every intention of smashing through it. Atou’s tentacles caught it before it did.
“Oh my gosh! Did you just call him my boyfriend? King Takuto and I haven’t started dating yet, silly! O-Of course, u-um, I’m eagerly awaiting the day we start that kind of lovely relationship…” Atou laced and unlaced her fingers, her cheeks flushing red as she returned the table to its original position.
Coincidently, Erakino’s face was also red as she stood huffing across from her—except, for an entirely different reason.
“You sound oh sooooo happy! You’re having fun, aren’t ya? Your life is all cupcakes and kittens, ain’t it? Good for you, Atouy! Do you understand that all of our lives are on the line? It’s kill or be killed!”
“Of course I’m saying these things with that in mind. Are you sure you ladies understand the situation? You don’t know anything about the attacks against you right now, do you?”
Atou hit the nail on the head with her assessment. For the Witch who always had her head in the clouds, she made sharp observations about everything that mattered.
Еṅ ümа
As she pointed out, the enemy was calling all the shots right now. Lenea had to acknowledge that they were under attack and always several steps behind their opponent. Everyone in the room understood how bad the situation was without it being said.
“I know I’ll be forgiven,” Atou said with absolute confidence, “just as I’m certain you will all be killed. There’s no reason to save any of you, after all. If you ask me, you are the ones who lack awareness of how precarious of a situation you’re in. You’re up against the King Takuto. You’d better realize how much danger you’re in—although it might already be too late.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Then that’s all the more reason for us to fight back, Witch Atou. Tell me…as far as you know, does Takuto Ira have any tricks up his sleeve—such as skills or subordinates—that could be causing these problems for us?” Fenne asked, speaking for the first time since Atou was summoned. Her expression was hidden behind the veil, but something seemed to have finally spurred her into taking part in the conversation.
Atou gave her a curious look, let a long beat of silence pass, then finally gave them a name with her nose wrinkled in disgust. “There is one person who fits the bill: Gleeful Spin Doctor Vittorio. He’s a Hero who excels at inciting turmoil and mayhem in enemy nations. It’d be a piece of cake for him to sew confusion with deceptive information. And you should know—he’s the Hero I despise the most.”
“What are the chances of him already being summoned?” Fenne asked, speaking again. As she was the first to get any decent information out of Atou, Erakino and Soalina watched the exchange with bated breath.
“I can’t say for sure one way or another. At the very least, I have no memory of him being summoned while I was around. He can be summoned at Mynoghra’s current facility and research level, so I wouldn’t completely dismiss the notion… However, I strongly doubt he’s in play right now.”
Е́ n uḿа
Atou made this claim based on the same instincts that told her Takuto was alive. The others were satisfied to at least know their opponent might have a Hero capable of causing their current problems because it brought them one step closer to the truth.
“Is there anything else we should be aware of?” Fenne asked.
“There are a few crucial things I’ll tell you about shortly… I’m quite worried, since you all seem to be foolishly optimistic,” Atou said, then paused to think about it for a moment.
Atou couldn’t help viewing the girls in front of her as lambs waiting for the slaughter. When they first woke her up and consulted her, she shared that she and Takuto had abilities from the simulation game Eternal Nations. However, they were completely in the dark about the myriad of elements that extended beyond the basic game features.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
For example, they didn’t know about the quickly developed military power Mynoghra had obtained through the gold coins dropped into their lap by Brave Questers’ Demon Lord Army. They had no idea about Mynoghra’s alliance with Phon’kaven and their treaty to provide firearms. They had overlooked the existence of the twin sisters who indiscriminately wreaked havoc and utter insanity on all within sight when their abilities piqued with the full moon…
Even if Atou’s dearly beloved Takuto had died during their attack, this peculiar trio’s carelessness had them leave behind live coals that would eventually erupt into a full-blown inferno that came after them either way. They seemed to falsely believe they had thoroughly planned everything out, but everything about their plans was too off the cuff to truly succeed. They’d only made it this far because they had the unholy game ability to force situations to play out how they wanted.
Énu̇ m̀ а. іd
“What we first need to get into all of our heads, mine included, is that King Takuto is attacking us using unknown means,” Atou said. “Please be prepared to doubt everything and handle whatever is thrown at you. I’ll accompany you from now on, so be sure to never leave my side. A battle could happen any second—even as we speak.”
“…True. I agree we need to be on high alert,” Fenne said. “Tell me this, Sludge Atou. Supposing your theory about Takuto Ira being alive is true, do you know why he’s sneaking around rather than facing us directly?”
“Easy—there’s a 99 percent chance he’s doing it for me!”
Everyone else exhaled an exasperated sigh. That was the end of their useful information gathering. Any further questioning in this vein would end in another earful of her fawning over her beloved. Or perhaps it was just that even Atou didn’t know for sure what Takuto had come to do.
“Looks like Atouy’s the damsel in distress waiting for her prince to rescue her,” Erakino quipped. “Can’t you be a bit more like a useless damsel and be too scared to talk back to us?”
“That’s not popular in this modern era,” Atou corrected her.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“It’s not the modern era! This is a fantasy world!!”
Finally running out of half-decent retorts, Erakino ruminated over the information Atou had provided while randomly replying when appropriate.
Atou’s bias always colored her comments, but she might be right that Takuto Ira was attacking them from the shadows in search of her. It was frustrating to think that the King of Ruin was still alive after their thorough surprise attack, but they needed to accept the facts even if they didn’t like them.
Takuto Ira was alive. And he was coming after them as they spoke. They needed to act with that assumption.
The King of Ruin was using some method to suppress their ultimate ability. There was no other way they’d have this hard of a time countering the attack when they had the Arbiter’s Authority on their side.
As Erakino and the two Saints fell into contemplative silence, the room filled with an eerie stillness. Atou was the one who broke what felt like endless quiet by raising her index finger. All eyes turned to her.
Ẇë b̄n о v ёl̊ E̊ ṅ u mа́
“As far as I know, King Takuto is a normal human being with no physical abilities or skills beyond his authority as a Commander,” Atou said. “However, the events plaguing Lenea directly contrast what I know.”
Atou went in-depth explaining the dangers Takuto Ira posed as a person, and she did it for none other than her current allies’ sake.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Takuto was…without a doubt, a normal person. Aside from having the powers of an Eternal Nations’ Commander, he was nothing more than your run-of-the-mill weakling human that died young of a serious disease.
But he was capable of doing the impossible—that was far from what you could call “normal.”
Takuto Ira was…abnormal. An anomaly.
“Tread carefully. King Takuto is far beyond our comprehension, and he’s taking action knowing what we don’t. Everything he’s doing is to take back his enemy—me!” After clarifying what she wanted to say the most, Atou flopped back into the sofa and got extra comfortable. She seemed awfully content, as if she’d said everything there was to say.
Ẽ n û mа.і̀ d́
“Ugh…” Erakino groaned. “This whole conversation ended with us learning nothing. Or rather, learning that there was nothing to learn from you? You’re utterly useless, Atouy…”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m very useful. After all, I can give you the one piece of advice that will keep you alive—surrender before it’s too late. That’s the only way to survive,” Atou declared, her eyes fluttering shut with satisfaction.
Not ready to end the conversation there, Erakino bombarded her with questions, but they all ended with Atou regaling them with passionate tales about Takuto, wasting everyone’s time but hers.
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