When the hand of malice, wielded by the hero of tongues, reached toward a city in the southern provinces of the old Quolia.
This occurred approximately one week before that fateful day.
Takuto had received a plea, cloaked as strong advice, from the elder Mortar, a statesman of the nation and one who filled the role of prime minister.
"It is necessary to increase Your Majesty's bodyguards."
"Hmm, that's certainly true. Perhaps even more protection than before is needed."
Takuto nodded at these words. In the battles thus far, small mistakes had frequently occurred in various areas. Beginning with underestimating the enemy, followed by naive assumptions and overreliance on the "Eternal Nations" system, the list of points requiring reflection was endless.
Takuto was well aware of these issues and was making improvements and corrections as needed. However, the most important and urgently required improvement among them concerned the king's protective detail, the very point of Mortar's plea.
Past experience had shown that hostile organizations utilized abilities equivalent to their own, and these sometimes assaulted them with absurd theories that defied expectation.
If the enemies were those possessing conventional abilities, like barbarians or the Holy Quolia, the matter would be simple. But the enemies they now faced... and those who would soon appear, seemed to have discarded the very concept of common sense, employing various means to target their heads.
The experience cultivated thus far through "Eternal Nations" was rapidly becoming obsolete, and the strategies they had once employed with absolute confidence were woefully insufficient.
It was only natural that Mortar and the others deepened their concern given the current situation. Because the king *is* the nation itself, placing greater importance on his protection was the inevitable conclusion.
Particularly since Takuto had been recuperating and had declared that most of his power was sealed, it was a natural progression for his subordinates to turn determinedly to resolving this problem.
"Especially now, since Lord Atou must take proactive action, further strengthening the security around the king is imperative. We may be somewhat lacking in strength, but this time, we shall at least prove ourselves to be shields, if nothing else."
Mortar pressed for immediate action with an air that brooked no refusal. Although Mynoghra's condition had recovered to some extent, it was still a crisis.
Even if Takuto had been fully restored to the power he possessed when he annihilated the Renea Divine Light Kingdom, this exchange would have been unavoidable.
The enemy was far too vast, shrouded in the unknown.
Thus, every word spoken by Elder Mortar was correct, and his judgment had been entirely sound.
"I leave the matter of protection to you."
And naturally, Takuto had reached the same conclusion.
"Waaah... waaaaaah."
"Wh—!?"
From somewhere without warning, the sound of an infant's crying reached their ears.
No—it was too unsettling to call a mere cry, carrying with it a grotesque intensity that seemed to erode the mind itself.
Elder Mortar, startled by the sudden change, immediately rose to his feet to assume a combat stance, ready to defend the king.
But before that motion could be completed, the transformation occurring around Takuto made him widen his eyes.
"Wha—!!"
"Aaah... bu-buuu."
With a babbling, almost mumbling cry, it seeped into existence as though protecting Takuto.
Dog, cat, insect, bird... a grotesque amalgamation of their swollen, distended parts jumbled together and fused in utter disorder—a mass of flesh so hideously malformed that one might hesitate to even call it such, feeling that doing so would be too simplistic a description.
Countless abnormally elongated limbs protruded from its body, each hand swaying independently in the void as though possessed of its own separate consciousness.
And most striking of all—busting through the center of that flesh mass like it had burst from within—was the upper torso of a grotesquely swollen fetus, something that could hardly be called an infant in any meaningful sense.
The moment it locked eyes with Elder Mortar, it raised both its tiny arms high in the air and let out a delighted, genuinely elated squeal: "Kyaa!"
"My bodyguard."
"Wh-what... is this?!"
Old Mortar grasped in an instant what the creatures were.
He had heard rumors.
About the new subordinate monsters produced at the "Abnormality Zoo" the king had recently constructed... He had never seen them firsthand, but he had heard they took on aberrant forms even further removed from the logic of man than anything before.
Before he could even direct a confirming question toward Takuto, a foul breath washed across the back of his neck—haaah...
(Gah! What the—!? Since when did they get here!?)
There was another one, directly behind him.
Listening to the distinctive baby's laughter echoing from both front and rear, Old Mortar trembled.
It was not the creatures' forms that startled him. They were fellow units of Mynoghra—what was there to fear?
Of course, the thought that they might mean him harm never so much as crossed his mind.
Rather, it was the presence emanating from before and behind that shook him. That was what drove Old Mortar into a state of astonishment.
In other words—
(This pressure... this bleeding aura! It's as though...)
From those two entities, Old Mortar perceived an outpouring of power that neared the realm of heroes.
"You've never seen a 'Failure' before, have you? They're units producible at the Abnormality Zoo," Takuto introduced the two with evident pride.
At his explanation, Old Mortar was rendered entirely speechless, moved by the realization that for all his own modest thinking, the king had already been several moves ahead.
◇ ◇ ◇
"A Failure has a combat power of 13. That's higher than the initial stats of an average hero. On top of that, being an evil attribute grants all sorts of bonuses, so they're quite formidable as bodyguards. Their appearance is... well, they usually stay hidden, so that's kind of them."
"They've clearly moved beyond the category of animals, haven't they."
After some time had passed, the unveiling of the "Failures" took place alongside the public announcement of Takuto's new bodyguard arrangement.
The matter of the king's personal security was not a concern held by old Mortar alone, so this kind of grand announcement, inviting the principal figures of Mynoghra, was a natural course of action. Takuto and Atou both believed this ceremony was necessary, both to reassure their subordinates and to demonstrate that the king's authority had not yet waned. But in truth, there was also the prideful desire to showcase the abilities of their new units. After all... the mana consumed in producing these units was enough to make even Takuto—who had dared to devise the bold strategy of spending all of Brave Questus's gold coins at once—want to avert his eyes. There was even a half-hearted feeling that if he didn't do something on this scale, it wouldn't have been worth it. That said, their abilities were more than sufficient compensation for Takuto's mental strain and the mana expenditure.
"Furthermore, the Failed produced in the wasteland—Dragontan—possess the skill of Discernment. This is, quite literally, a powerful ability to see through enemy disguises and mimicry. It can penetrate even the special disguises used by heroes, so I believe it will serve as a reasonable countermeasure."
Whether or not it understood that it was being spoken about, one of the Failed that had been playing with a rattle toy received from Takuto let out a short "Pah!" and grinned. It was a smile of such darkness that an ordinary person would have been driven to madness, but this was Mynoghra, so everyone merely returned slightly troubled smiles of their own.
"And the Failed produced in the forest possess the skills of Mimicry and Ambush, allowing them to conceal their presence and catch enemies off guard. As guards that can remain undetected, I don't think you'll find anything better."
One of the brand-new chairs prepared in the grand council chamber, which a particular Failed had been slobbily licking all over, realized from Atou's explanation that it was being spoken about and replied with a "Kyah!" A few people looked at the sorry state of the chair with mournful expressions, but those present still returned only troubled smiles.
"I have also instructed both Caria and Mearia to remain by the king's side as much as possible. Two hero-class monsters, joined by two hero-class witches. This shall serve as the king's escort."
"We'll do our best!"
"Yay!"
Caria and Mearia responded to those words. Incidentally, there had been quite a dispute between Atou and the sisters over how to guard Takuto during his sleep—his greatest period of vulnerability—but it was ultimately resolved by having the Failed sleep alongside Takuto.
"This is, without exaggeration, the best guard detail Mynoghra can field right now. If they still manage to break through this... honestly, we'd have to throw up our hands."
All of Takuto's subordinates bowed their heads deeply at his playful words. It was the finest formation, without fault. Naturally, it could not be called perfect. No... as long as what kind of offensive capabilities the enemy possessed remained unknown, perfection did not exist anywhere.
If this was the case, requesting anything further was impossible and futile.
Therefore, the word "best" was most fitting for this situation.
After observing his subordinates' reactions, Takuto nodded with satisfaction.
One problem that Mynoghra faced had been resolved.
There were still countless issues and concerns remaining. But step by step, Takuto and his group were steadily moving forward. Toward the victory they had sworn to achieve.
"Alright, thank you both. Could you hide again? Your presence is a bit overwhelming."
"Babu..." "Kyakya!"
The two defective units replied with cries that would drive a normal person to madness, then moved as instructed.
One ascended silently into the ceiling crawlspace, while the other vanished as if melting into its surroundings. After they confirmed each other's positions, Atou sighed.
"It can't be helped, but their appearance is rather... that, isn't it?"
"Well, you see..."
Mynoghra's units were uniformly unique in appearance.
They were quite popular with fans of B-grade horror movies, and their distinctive forms had also garnered a following among some players. However, encountering them in person was profoundly unsettling.
That said, their abilities were guaranteed without question.
Even Takuto, who had seen plenty of Mynoghra's peculiar companions before, had his spirit tempered enough to only grumble slightly at this point.
"Hmph... So, I'd like to surround myself with this formation going forward. Does this make everyone feel a bit more at ease?"
"Yes, indeed!"
This was equally true for the Dark Elves.
On the contrary, their fearsome appearance only suggested their formidable capabilities.
The elders of Mortar and others felt one less worry knowing that these defective units, with their immense size barely fitting into this enlarged throne room and their palpable aura of evil, would be more than sufficient as the king's guards.
"That said, I'll be recovering in the palace for a while longer. But really, the very fact that I went outside in the first place was a mistake."
"I-I'm sorry for all the trouble..."
Hearing those words, the attendant who had been puffing his chest out with pride beside him immediately deflated, his mood sinking.
He was probably still regretting that the TRPG faction had seized control, and that he had troubled Takuto into personally reclaiming it from them.
Of course, Takuto had not intended it as a reproach, so he quickly offered correction.
"Not at all. For your sake, Atou, I'd do it a thousand times over. Don't feel down. Having you with me is truly a great help."
"Takuto..."
"Ahem!"
A gentle but firm interruption came from old Mortar.
He had no intention of being deliberately disruptive, but this was meeting time. The implied complaint was clear: take such matters elsewhere. The others, though silent, were directing similarly pointed gazes their way.
*They've all gotten quite assertive in their own ways,* Takuto thought, feeling a sense of their growth. Slightly flustered but resolved, he moved on to the originally planned topic...