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Chapter 7: Orders
THE night before a storm can sometimes give people an incomprehensible sense of eeriness. A strange feeling accompanied the uncommon rain shower sprinkling the Dark Continent that night.
“Hrm…”
Elder Moltar scrutinized a scrap of paper where he sat at a small, temporary desk erected for him in Dragontan’s mayoral office. Written in neat penmanship was the riddle Takuto had left for him to solve upon his resurrection. The riddle wanted him to figure out how Takuto had survived the surprise attack.
Written on it were the following seven true statements in the king’s own words:
1. I took a direct hit from Atou’s attack and died on the spot.
Е̃ ǹ ŭm̈ a .і̃ d.
2. Saint Soalina’s flames also caused my death.
3. I don’t have any recovery skills to heal my own injuries.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
4. It was me, not a body double, an alter ego, another organism, or an illusion that was attacked.
5. I didn’t die and resurrect or loop.
6. I escaped this crisis without the intervention of a third party.
7. All of these events actually happened.
Еnum̈ а̃ . ĩ d̄
Seven statements comprised the entire riddle and contained all the secrets. The elderly sage had difficulty wrapping his head around the confounding riddle with all the prerequisites built into it.
“No matter how I think about it, I can’t come up with an answer… I know His Majesty used a method we aren’t privy to, but what could have possibly saved him from those circumstances?”
At the end of his rope, Elder Moltar leaned heavily back in his chair, the wood groaning beneath him. The light cast by the candles on top of the desk wavered with the movement, and the sound of rain pelting the ground outside was soothing to the ears. The quiet relieved some of his mounting fatigue. Elder Moltar massaged his aching shoulders and was about to finish up his remaining work, when—
“Oh man, you’re still trying to figure that out, huh?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
—someone suddenly spoke to him from behind.
“Ooooooooh! My king! I’m sorry you had to see me slacking off like this. I would have come to you myself if you had summoned for me—” Elder Moltar responded to his king as usual, but he trailed off when he realized this conversation shouldn’t be possible. “Y-Your Majesty! When did you get here?!”
Е̇ ň ūm̄а
“That’s the second time I’ve heard that tonight. Makes me kind of happy that everyone’s so surprised to see me when I show up like this though.”
Laughing like a child who’d successfully pulled off a prank was none other than the king of Mynoghra—the being Elder Moltar worshiped and served with all his heart and soul. Elder Moltar’s nervous tension shot into high gear, and his brain seemed to short-circuit from information overload at his liege’s sudden appearance.
“Y-Your Majesty,” Elder Moltar stammered. “How in the Dark Continent are you here?! Weren’t you infiltrating Qualia?!”
He needed the answer to that question more than any other. It was unfeasible for Takuto to be in Dragontan when he was infiltrating Qualia—or, more precisely, Lenea—to retrieve Atou.
Dragontan was a long distance from the Divine Nation of Lenea. It didn’t matter that they were relatively close geographically—it still took days by foot to make the journey. Of course, it was far too irreverent to compare their king’s physical prowess to that of peddlers and travelers, but even so, it should take him several days at best.
Monsters had also appeared on the border between the two continents, bringing a contingency of Paladins and Phon’kaven elites there to deal with the threat. Going through such a dangerous zone for a quick visit was too risky and would take longer than it was worth.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“You could say that. I used magik.”
Elder Moltar scratched his head at the suggestive, irregular way Takuto emphasized magic. But since he left it at that, Elder Moltar refrained from inquiring further.
The complex abyss that is magic knows no bounds.
Surely King Takuto had skills and spells that Elder Moltar did not. As the old sage attempted to convince himself with that logic, the conversation progressed in a different direction.
“Anyways, where’s everybody else? Are they already asleep?”
“No, we were just taking a brief break. I’m sure they will be back soon…” Elder Moltar paused for a moment before bellowing, “Forgive me! My liege’s return is of the utmost importance! I will go fetch the others at once!”
Е n ũḿȧ
“Nah, you don’t have to rush them…” Takuto couldn’t help but remonstrate Elder Moltar when he saw him getting too worked up for his age. But he broke out into a cold sweat when he heard what the old sage had to say in return.
“Nonsense! We have a literal mountain of things to tell and ask you about, Your Majesty! Time is of the essence! I will promptly gather the council members, so please wait here for a spell! You hear me?! Don’t you go wandering off now! Wait right here! Right HERE!”
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“Haha…hahahaaa…”
I’m in for a real squeeze here, aren’t I? Takuto thought.
Takuto had been leading his Dark Elf subordinates around by the nose since the surprise attack. Of course he had proper cause, and it’d brought about good results. Even so, he finally had to face the reality he’d been ignoring—he was in for an earful and there was no getting out of it.
◇◇◇
Е_n̆um̌ ӑ
“MY king!! How it pleases me to see you safe and sound! Please punish us for failing you!”
“I am so, so relieved to see you. I was really worried for a moment there…”
“Welcome home, Your Majesty!”
“Welcome back, Your Majesty.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Gia and Emle wept upon reuniting with their king. Meanwhile, the Elfuur Sisters were far more casual with welcoming him back since they had been communicating through telepathy the whole time. Aside from the prominent council members, Mayor Antelise and several other high-ranking officials had gathered.
Takuto sat down on the couch with a sheepish smile as more than a few people expressed joy over seeing him.
Web̃ nōv̀ e ĺ E n̂u m̊ а̂
“Wow, is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?” he joked.
They had gathered in the town hall’s reception room. Takuto lounged on the guest couch, and the Elfuur Sisters took their natural positions on either side of him. Elder Moltar and Emle sat directly across from them, while everyone else stood at attention around the two couches, adding quite a bit of tension to the room.
They should’ve met in a much larger room, but Takuto had rejected the idea, leading to this odd arrangement. He felt their voices would be heard better in a smaller space, especially with the downpour outside. Everyone felt a little bad for those who had to stay standing, but none complained or even thought about such a trivial detail.
“Okay, now that we’re all here…where should we begin?” Takuto said, starting the meeting. “First things first, have you prepared everything I asked for?”
Everyone knew what this meeting was really about. The time had finally come for the carefully planted seeds of revenge to bear fruit.
“Yes, everything is going according to plan,” Emle answered first. “We’ve stabilized things domestically and controlled the information the citizens can access without a hitch.”
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“Some citizens may harbor doubts about your absence, Your Majesty, but nothing more than that,” Elder Moltar swiftly interjected. “The Divine Nation of Lenea has been spreading their nonsensical delusions, but it hasn’t influenced anything domestically.”
“Okay. Good job.”
The domestic situation seemed to be under control. Takuto could confirm the situation by using his Commander authority to see through his citizens’ and units’ eyes, but it was reassuring to hear a status report in person as well. He’d had some concerns about pulling back and handing control of his empire over, but his people had lived up to his expectations in every way. Although it goes without saying that the adults—starting with Elder Moltar—were about as useful as a fish out of water in the beginning. The two girls sitting on either side of Takuto deserved the most credit for getting the job done.
“As for Phon’kaven, they’re currently dealing with the monsters that appeared on the continental border. They seem to be encroaching into Qualia’s—pardon me, Lenea’s territory. How would you like to proceed, Your Majesty?”
“I’ve already consulted with Pepe on the matter, so we don’t need to take any other action,” Takuto replied. “Our allies want to get some actual combat experience and fertile land, so considering the future, it’s the right decision for them to take what they can. We don’t have any reason to interfere.”
Takuto could feel everyone’s questioning gaze on him. They were all wondering: “When did you get the chance to meet with Phon’kaven?” He could tell them, but they had more important things to discuss with their limited time, so Takuto brushed over it.
Е ǹ ú_m̌ă
He could explain his magik some other time. What mattered was telling them the results of the negotiations between their two nations—not how they’d negotiated. Elder Moltar and the others seemed to understand Takuto’s intent, since they didn’t comment. They also didn’t inquire about what the Commanders of both empires had decided to do beyond what Takuto had deigned to tell them.
“Sounds like we’re good to go on the domestic affairs side,” Takuto continued. “Regarding military affairs, how many rapid response squads have you put together? I put in the request through Caria and Maria to have the squads formed.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
A rapid response force was crucial to this operation. Mynoghra needed at least one squadron that could be put into immediate action. Since the force needed to be a decent size, it was crucial that it was made up of not only Mynoghra’s strongest soloing units, but also squadrons of Dark Elf Warriors armed with guns.
“We were able to slap one together. I mean, we really slapped it together… I never, ever wanna do that again,” Maria complained.
“The Warriors came together without issue, but the birdbrains and the buggies kept throwing tantrums, saying they won’t listen to anyone but Your Majesty. It was a realest pain to make work. Aren’t you glad you could go out and have fun while we did all the work?” Caria said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I-I see…”
Е́ n̈u m̌ а.і̇ ḋ
Seeing how the twins were moodier toward him than usual helped Takuto realize it was still nighttime, even if the moon wasn’t out. I really put the girls through a lot so I could fulfill my own ambitions. I need to take the time to properly thank them and reward them for it later, he thought, keeping the wry smile causing his lips to twitch in check. Fortunately, their hard work had paid off in spades.
“Allow your humble servant, Gia, to explain the particulars,” Gia interpolated. “Our armed Dark Elf Riflemen squad is ready to sortie on your order. In addition to that, we’ve formed a Monster Squadron, consisting of the designated number of Bugs under your control. They’re on standby in the Accursed Lands.”
“Good, good! That’s perfect.”
“Then I take it we’re finally declaring war on Lenea and dispatching our army? Please allow me to serve as the vanguard!” Gia requested in a rumbling voice. “I’ll make up for failing you by rescuing Lady Atou from the clutches of the enemy!!”
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“Ah, yeah, I plan to assign you all to handle another matter. I’ll be the one to take back Atou,” Takuto avowed, promptly shutting down Gia’s proclamation.
Everyone shared confused looks. Gia always declared his intentions to run recklessly into the heart of battle, but all of Mynoghra assumed they would be marching their armies into Lenea this time. They assumed that, while Mynoghra’s forces fought against Lenea’s Order of Paladins, a special squadron would break off to rescue Atou and attempt to take out the Saints. They believed that Takuto’s infiltration into the enemy nation was the preliminary step toward that end.
Е n̆ uḿ а̊
But Takuto easily dismissed their preconceptions. It seemed to them that the grand scheme of things was yet to make itself known.
“But then…I can’t save face by serving as your shield or the outrider!!” Gia cried.
“Yeah. The thought is enough. To be brutally honest, we’re up against an opponent that’s too much for you to handle.”
Takuto’s remark threw cold water all over Gia and the rest of the hotheaded bunch. They had tried not to think about it, but the cruel reality was that Mynoghra’s forces couldn’t deal the killing blow against the enemy during Operation Rescue Atou.
“Your Majesty… What in the world are we up against?” Elder Moltar asked on behalf of the group.
On that fateful day, they had tasted true despair. Their king had been slain before their very eyes and their do-or-die resistance was nullified.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
What kind of trickery had been at work? What kind of ability or skills had been used?
The enemies’ abilities were as cloaked in mystery as Takuto’s miraculous resurrection.
“We’re up against people who’ve got the power of a tabletop RPG. Their powers are much like mine…while also entirely different,” Takuto told them in a quiet voice.
“A tabletop R-P-G?” Elder Moltar repeated, trying to sound out the unfamiliar phrase.
Since it was a term no one recognized, they assumed it came from the Land of the Gods King Takuto often mentioned, but that was the extent of their speculations.
Even Takuto realized they needed an explanation on this topic, so he went with a vague answer, rather than outright ignore telling them anything as he had with several other topics that evening.
Ēǹumа̂
“Hmm, it’s hard to explain. Put in the simplest of terms, it’s an ability that allows you to decide the outcome of actions by rolling dice.”
The shocking truth had finally been revealed to them.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
A tabletop RPG’s ability was essentially a Gambler’s ability. It treats every action as a gamble and allows the intervention of fate indicated by the dice. In other words, no matter how hard you work and how much power you have, if you’re unlucky, you’ll die, and no matter how incompetent and powerless you are, if you’re lucky, you’ll live.
A series of ad hoc matches that negate all preconditions—that was their opponent’s power in a nutshell.
From there, Takuto revealed the additional information he’d gleaned during his time away. He briefly explained the Game Master’s existence, the Witch who served under him, and about the Saints who’d accepted the Witch, joined hands with her, and taken over Qualia’s former Southern Province together. He clarified how they were up against forces just like them, just with different players.
The news sent shockwaves through the Dark Elves. They knew they were up against Saints, but not that they’d joined forces with evil. Nor did they ever imagine that the enemy Witch and her master were equivalent to gods, like Takuto. What surprised them most was the truth behind the strange power that negated all resistance the day the enemy had attacked.
Е n úmа
“So, if I’m understanding this right, my liege, our attacks didn’t connect because the dice roll resulted in our failure?” Elder Moltar speculated.
If that was how it worked, then the enemy had a higher chance of failing if one thing went wrong. But the enemy won the day, meaning they continued to beat the odds with every roll, or so Elder Moltar assumed.
“No, that happened because the GM forcibly issued a successful outcome with his authority as Arbiter,” Takuto corrected.
This revelation was so out of left field it took time to comprehend.
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“The enemy ringleader—the Game Master, or GM for short—has the power to determine the outcome of any event,” Takuto explained. “For example, even if something comes up black, if he says it’s white, then it’ll become white. No matter how strong of an army we put together, we’ll lose the second the GM decides to make his victory the outcome.”
This additional information rendered everyone—including the Elfuur Sisters—speechless. Their opponent wasn’t gambling and leaving their fate to chance. They were cheating from the start—they would always pick the outcome most in their favor. There was no game to be played—their opponent had already rigged the match for their victory and Mynoghra’s defeat.
Ě n u mа
“Atou was only stolen because of this crooked ability. If he’d played by the rules, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to take her even if his rolls succeeded. He forced the outcome,” Takuto spat, his expression and tone twisting with the bitterness he felt.
He regretted the loss of Atou more than his personal defeat. Their enemy was that powerful.
“Your Majesty, is Atou…is Lady Atou all right?!” Emle cried out, unable to keep herself in check once Atou was brought up.
Everyone was sick with worry over their Hero’s safety. As a fellow woman and someone who’d relied on Atou for all sorts of things when it came to managing Mynoghra, Emle felt twice as much concern for her than the rest. Tears swam in her misty eyes and her voice quivered as she asked after Atou.
“Atou…”
Emle shuddered at the quiet way in which Takuto uttered her name with an undefinable emotion behind it. She was worried that perhaps Atou was in a far worse situation than any of them dared imagine. A part of her had optimistically believed Atou was okay because Takuto had been, and he’d even gone in person to infiltrate the country that took her. But Takuto’s single utterance swept her groundless optimism away, replacing it with an avalanche of crippling anxiety.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Takuto took a good look at everyone’s pained expressions and did his best to play it cool as he explained Atou’s current status. “H-How do I put it? She was taking it easier than I expected, so I don’t think you’ve got to worry about her.”
“Huh?” was the collective reaction. The general confusion threw the heavy atmosphere out the window as everyone pierced Takuto with curious, questioning gazes.
“…Pardon me, my liege, but what do you mean by ‘She was taking it easy’?” Elder Moltar asked on behalf of everyone else. Deep creases formed between his brow as he stroked his beard.
“It means she wasn’t doing a lick of work. She was lazing about every day, eating all of Lenea’s delicious local specialty dishes…”
That shut the room up. All the seriousness shattered just like that. The twins sported awfully evil smiles as the veins bulged in their temples, and even Emle—the most worried of the lot—cradled her head in her hand, utterly exasperated.
Mynoghra’s Hero, whose safety everyone was concerned about, had somehow completely adapted to life with the enemy.
Wêb̄ ň о v̄ еl̃ Е̄nu̇m а̄
“She surrrrre became a free spirit after she was released from being my subordinate…” Takuto whispered darkly.
No one dared respond to him. He refrained from mentioning it to preserve her honor, but he’d actually observed Atou’s every move without her knowledge. He had witnessed everything from her lovey-dovey exposition on him during her meetings with the Saints to the conversations she held day and night with the ugly Takuto doll she’d stitched together. Only Atou was unaware of him. She’d definitely roll around on the floor, screaming into her arms in embarrassment if she knew he was watching. Luckily, Takuto vowed to take those memories to the grave with him.
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“W-Well, I mean, she was Brainwashed! It makes sense the enemy has messed with her mind, right?! We need to get her home, pronto! It’d be terrible to leave her like that!!”
Takuto attempted to help her save face, but it was a poor attempt. As it was, Atou was a free spirit even when she served him, so no one believed his insistence that it was the Brainwashing’s fault.
Everyone felt confused and angry, wondering what was wrong with her. They also felt relieved to know she was safe. In the end, the Dark Elves accepted it as a part of Atou’s eccentricity and switched gears to focus on what they could contribute to dealing with the crisis facing Mynoghra.
“But, Your Majestyyy, how’ll we defeat the baddies?” Maria asked.
Е n̆uḿ.а̃
“That’s an excellent question, Big Sista,” Caria chimed in. “We’re guaranteed to lose if our foes wield godly powers. I don’t see any weaknesses we can take advantage of. And then there’s Miss Atou. She might be out of a job, but she’s still with the enemy. We need to free her from the Brainwashing before bringing her home…even if she’s become a jobless shut-in.”
The twins still sounded like they had an ax or two to grind.
Maybe I should’ve come during the afternoon? Takuto thought, feeling a bit weak in the knees confronting the girls when they said exactly what was on their minds. But their concerns were valid and worth considering.
The TRPG system made Lenea a force to be reckoned with. There wasn’t any margin for error with the GM using and abusing every aspect of those mechanics.
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He had the power to adjudicate all matters. A game master’s authority should be wielded with moderation and good sense, but once they stop playing fair, there’s almost no way to resist their power.
Yes, almost none.
Еn ûm а
In other words…there was still a means to resist.
“Few things in this world are perfect. And when it comes to humans, imperfect is a more apt description. Even godly powers have flaws when wielded by mortals.”
Takuto had succeeded in hiding his actions from the GM using a certain method. That success was what Takuto wanted most from his venture into the lands of Lenea—a hint about how to defeat the infallible authority of the Arbiter.
Takuto had returned to Dragontan only after laying all the groundwork for his next big operation.
“Boo, don’t be a meanie!”
“H-How did you do that?!”
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Annoyed complaints rose from either side of him.
Did I say something to upset them? Takuto panicked for a moment until a rare moment of insight helped him realize what they were upset about without them having to spell it out for him. In short, it was time to reveal the truth.
“Ah, yeah, I guess it’s about time to check your answer! I mean, I did think I made it overly complicated…” Takuto pointed to Elder Moltar’s chest as he spoke, then formed a square with his fingertips.
Elder Moltar contemplated what that gesture meant for a few seconds before saying “Oooh!” and pulling a scrap of paper out of his chest pocket.
Takuto watched as Elder Moltar gingerly laid that paper on top of the table, and then he regaled them with the tale of what had happened that dark day. What he did to survive that day…
◇◇◇
Е̃ n̈ um̆а̃.і̂d̆
“OKAY, why don’t we go over it one more time? The primary objective behind this operation is to recover Atou. The secondary objective is annihilating the enemy Saints and Witch,” Takuto said in a commanding voice.
No one said a word.
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“I’ll deal with the GM’s Arbiter ability. It has a fatal defect.”
They were speechless because they caught a glimpse of Takuto’s power.
“What I need you to do for me is help clean up after the fact. It’s a bit much for me to wipe an entire country off the map alone, after all.”
They were having a hard time wrapping their heads around it all. They could see how it was possible. Takuto’s ability was on par with the GM’s when it came to godliness. However, everyone struggled to process what even made him think about wiping a country off the face of the planet. They could only guess that a being without a soul would be capable of such thoughts.
Е̇ n ŭ m̂ӓ..ĭd
“The whole continent will likely be plunged into chaos after we finish this operation, but it is what it is. This is what they get for taking Atou from me.”
They only understood that they were looking at a being not of this world—a being beyond their imagination—a truly godlike entity.
“Oh, right, why don’t we come up with a good operation name while we’re at it?!” Takuto said cheerfully. “Um…let’s go with Operation Decapitate the Divine Nation!”
At the same time, they learned that he possessed enough malevolence and evil intentions worthy of calling himself the King of Ruin, and most of all, beneath his boyish smile was an evil so great it threatened to overwhelm anyone who attempted to define it…
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“Be thorough with the clean-up, okay? I’m the type who gets even with those who’ve wronged me.”
The King of Ruin gave his empire orders on this day. His operation name and methods mirrored that of his enemies’—just another way he would get revenge.
W̌ē bn̂о̀ vе́ l .Ën̄u̇ m а
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