Having defeated the investigation team dispatched by the Holy Kingdom of Quolia, Mynoghra had gained a semblance of daily life and a measure of time to spare.
Just as they had initially predicted, time was working in their favor, and their power was steadily growing.
Today, yet another facility—one that would make Mynoghra's position in this world unshakable—had completed construction.
"It's finally done!"
"Yes!! The Royal Palace is complete!"
"Tactical Magic has also entered its testing phase, so I'd say our foundation is fairly well set now?"
The game they had played—Eternal Nations—featured a technology known as Tactical Magic.
This was a strategically crucial element that allowed the use of powerful magic based on various attributes, but each attribute required its own corresponding type of Mana.
Normally, one would need to locate a resource called a Dragon Vein and have it supply the necessary Mana, but the Royal Palace, as a salvation item in the game, could generate Mana on its own.
The Mana that Mynoghra's Royal Palace could produce was "Mana of Destruction".
Additionally, it could generate a certain amount of magic power as well.
It was only natural that the construction of this facility—one that would benefit the nation simply by existing—had been rushed.
At this point, they were already well into the category of an excellent early-game start.
Mynoghra, in particular, had been hampered by its early-game weakness.
While it was still too early to be complacent, reaching this stage meant they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"That said, we're going to need more and more manpower from here on. How do we go about securing it..."
"Just waiting for natural population growth would take way too long."
The mountain of accumulated problems was still showing them its towering peak.
The next issue was a shortage of citizens.
Normally, one would spend a long time hoping for population growth, but given the current state of the continent, that approach would be somewhat too slow.
Using the offspring of Pseudo-Humans—their native citizens—or the hero Isla to secure labor was certainly being considered as an option, but what they needed right now was an intellectually productive class.
In other words, they needed citizens with the intelligence to think properly and create new things on their own.
"I've heard there are other Dark Elf clans wandering without a home. If we could take them in, we'd have a decent number of people, but even then it wouldn't be enough."
"Is there some good solution out there...?"
The two of them racked their brains in the newly completed palace.
Recently, even Old Mortar and Gear had been caught up in various tasks and couldn't talk as frequently as before.
This was simply because there weren't enough people to handle intellectual work, and it was also proof that as the nation's operations became more full-scale, a variety of systems needed to be built.
The grander the world one aspired to oversee, the more one could see the parts that fell short in reality.
That said, there was no point in overthinking things at this stage.
They should just solve what was in front of them, one step at a time. The population problem was put on the back burner for now.
"But it is magnificent, isn't it? Our world begins from here."
Atou swept her gaze across the palace, as if to change the subject from their dead-end discussion.
It was still small, being at an early level, but even so, it was impressive.
Built from timber unique to Mynoghra, the palace's distinctive architectural style layered and interwove upon itself, making it look like a work of art in its own right.
Of course, the decorations were nothing to scoff at either.
The tapestries woven by the maidens were nothing short of perfect—the history of Mynoghra's founding embroidered into them made one feel as though they were being told a mythological tale just by looking at it.
It had more than enough dignity to serve as the residence of a king. But this was still only the initial stage.
The final-stage Royal Palace they knew of was exponentially larger and more beautiful.
"Mhm, mhm! We'll make it bigger in the future. I love big palaces!"
Takuto was in high spirits.
It was well said that a kingdom and castle are every man's true desire—ever since the palace was completed, he had been bustling about like a child who'd been given a new toy.
Seeing his master in such a mood, it was only natural that Atou's spirits rose in turn.
"You are absolutely right, my King! Our Royal Palace that pierces the heavens and roots itself in the earth! The retainers who serve are brave and daring heroes, every last one! The maidservants who work are beyond counting!"
"Ohhh! This gets me pumped. So pumped. It makes me forget all the bad stuff!"
Takuto spread both arms wide in an energetic display, his mood at its peak—he looked ready to start dancing.
Then, he noticed Atou gazing intently into his eyes, leaning in close.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh no, it was just my imagination after all!"
"Huh! I make mistakes like that all the time too, yep yep!"
"Yes!!"
Was something going on?
He'd been a little worried about her lately because she'd been acting strange, but looking at her now, that had apparently been unfounded.
She was at her best when she was her usual energetic self. Takuto nodded to himself with satisfaction, but the scream Atou let out right after nearly made him topple right off his seat.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
"Whaaat!?"
The sheer volume of her voice made Takuto's body jolt and he nearly slid off the throne.
What on earth had just happened?
Trying to calm his racing heart, he cautiously peered at Atou, who was trembling all over.
"I—I've just realized something terrible!"
"W-what is it?!"
"There's no one at all to look after Lord Takuto!!"
"Oh? Now that you mention it, you're right."
For the first time, those words made Takuto realize that a king required attendants.
Until now, Atou had been taking care of everything for him, so it hadn't been an issue.
Plus, he was the type to handle his own affairs, so no problems had arisen.
But their new home was enormous. Having just the two of them in this vast palace would obviously create all sorts of inconveniences.
Moreover, continuing as they had before in their now relatively stable situation seemed unwise.
After all, he was the King of Mynoghra, the leader of the Dark Elf citizens.
A king of an entire nation handling everything about his own personal upkeep by himself was, frankly, a problem.
At the very least, it would be unbearable for a girl who had unhesitatingly declared she would devote everything to him.
"This is—it's disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful as a servant!"
And so, just as naturally as one might expect, Atou started making demands.
Her argument was perfectly valid, but the childish tantrum she was throwing made it fair to call it that.
And more often than not, it was Takuto's role to talk her down.
"Don't be so dramatic. I don't mind."
"I mind! —Do you have any requests?!"
She scooted right up to him and posed the question.
Sensing that she was her usual self, Takuto went "hmm" and put a hand to his chin to think. But nothing much came to mind.
Truthfully, he had no interest in attendants of any sort... Plus, he was worried about whether he could communicate properly with a stranger who suddenly showed up.
So his answer was one thing:
"Um, someone easy to talk to would be nice."
"Lord Takutoooooo!!"
Atou cried. She cried for her king, who still had so little in the way of social skills.
She clung close to Takuto, showering him with words of comfort.
But Takuto, having once gotten sulky, wouldn't cheer up easily.
Hugging his knees on the throne, he mumbled words of sorrow.
"Ugh, I can barely talk at all with the Dark Elf people, and I feel so isolated..."
But words Takuto never expected came from Atou's mouth.
"The thing is, Lord Takuto, you're a little too dignified... They might be afraid of you."
"Whaaaat?!"
His eyes went wide in shock.
Why did he need to be feared that much?
He didn't even understand the word "dignified."
But when she said it, it did make sense.
While it had improved somewhat, the eyes of the Dark Elves when they looked at him all held a trace of fear.
It was clearly absent when they spoke with Atou.
Takuto found that regrettable. And so:
"...I'm all alone."
The lonely words slipped from his lips.
And there was one attendant who turned pale at the realization that her master was all alone.
"I will always be by your side, Lord Takutoooooo!"
Clinging to Takuto with all her might, Atou wailed.
Even as Takuto thought he would have completely sulked away if Atou hadn't been there, he was grateful to this devoted, childish servant.
Ah, how blessed he was.
To have a girl who cared about him this much—he truly was fortunate.
Takuto's heart was filled with happiness.
"Ah! I have a brilliant idea!"
But the happiness evaporated in an instant, replaced by a cold trickle of sweat down Takuto's forehead.
He knew this pattern all too well.
Whenever Atou got fired up, things never ended well.
"May I leave it to you? I've thought of the perfect solution!"
"Um, well... could you calm down and let me hear the details—"
"Please! Leave it to this Atou!"
But he was steamrolled.
One way or another, Takuto was soft on Atou.
Impossibly, unforgivably soft.
And so, when she pleaded with him this much with that confident look on her face, there was no way he could refuse.
So Takuto gave up. In exchange, though:
"Of course!!"
With a big smile, he granted her wish and threw his hands up in resignation—let whatever happens, happen.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Old Mortar! Gather every little girl you can find! The King demands it!"
"W-wait a moment, Lady Atou! W-why such an order? What exactly is the King thinking?"
"The King likes little girls!"
Takuto cursed his past self furiously for having thrown in the towel.
He cursed and cursed, then racked his brain, focusing all his nerves on breaking out of this situation.
"The... the King likes little girls..."
He noticed the gazes converging on him.
The looks were indescribable. He understood he was standing at a crossroads.
"Atou!"
And so he shouted.
If he didn't deny this here, he would earn a most disgraceful title beyond that of a social recluse.
The voice that came out was surprisingly loud, and Takuto realized he could do things when he put his mind to it.
...
"—Ha ha ha! I see. By keeping innocent children close, he disciplines himself against being bound by common sense. What a king indeed!"
"Indeed. Children may say outrageous things, but sometimes they surprise even adults."
Perhaps some tens of minutes had passed since then?
For Takuto himself, it had been an eternity, but thanks to the speech of a lifetime, the lolicon suspicion was successfully dispelled.
The idea that small girls would be easy to talk to and that being a loner would be fine—he figured this was the reasoning behind the strategy Atou had adopted, but it had been enough to make his soul tremble.
One wrong move and he'd be treated as a pedophile. In other words, the lolicon king.
It was no wonder Takuto had screamed with all his might.
Incidentally, the scenario that Takuto had concentrated all his energy on devising—frantically explaining while signaling Atou with his eyes—was exactly as Old Mortar and Gear had said.
There was still a lingering sense of something being off, but he couldn't outright dismiss it as impossible either.
It was a delicately balanced move.
"Furthermore, this is also the King's strategy of not wanting to allocate too much labor. When I say 'look after,' I mean simple help with personal matters. Even as young children, they should be more than capable of handling simple chores."
Atou struck a proud pose as she delivered her conclusion.
Takuto had almost blurted out "You should have said that from the start," but in the end, he never said it and the matter was settled.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Y-your Majesty... they're just children, after all."
"It's fine."
Let me get to the conclusion. The strategy of calling young girls in to serve as maidservants was on the verge of failure.
There was always the unforeseen in any plan.
In this case, it might have been a predictable outcome, but Takuto had misjudged his own impression on others, leading to this result.
In short, every Dark Elf girl they had gathered took one look at Takuto and burst into tears in terror.
Even Takuto couldn't hide his shock at this. His deflated demeanor was almost pitiful.
"The King is moping! Is there not a single child who won't cry upon seeing him!?"
"No, these are all the children in the kingdom, sir..."
"Spineless! Utterly spineless!!"
Takuto was depressed, Atou was wailing, and Old Mortar was at his wit's end.
He sent a helpless look toward Gear, who stood nearby with his arms crossed in thought.
"Old Mortar, did you bring in those twins for an audience as well?"
"N-no... Those two would surely be disrespectful to the King."
"...? What's the matter?"
Atou, who had been fussing at Takuto's side, caught wind of their exchange and appeared before them in the blink of an eye.
Old Mortar, who honestly didn't want to accept Gear's suggestion, reluctantly began speaking about the twin girls in question.
"Th-there are these twin girls without any family to speak of. They are certainly both bright, but there are some concerns—I fear they may not be entirely suitable as attendants to the King."
"Hmm? You're being awfully vague about it. Oh well, I'll judge for myself. Bring them in."
Once Atou had made her decision, Old Mortar had no right to refuse.
He grumbled a disgruntled "nuu" and bowed with a look of resignation, turning to leave.
But before Old Mortar could exit to fetch the twins, Gear spoke up.
"I've already brought them here."
"Gear! You work fast!"
"Hmph. Unlike you old geezers, I'm always thinking two or three steps ahead for the sake of the King. Unlike your senile brains, mine spins fast."
"You whippersnapper!"
The two began glaring at each other with audible tension.
Atou sighed at the scene.
These two Dark Elves competing to show their devotion to the King had long since become part of their daily lives.
Wearing a look of exasperation as if to say "here we go again," Atou humored their childish bickering and shifted her attention to the final candidates for maids.
"Yes, yes, you're both old enough—stop competing. Now, bring those twins into this room at once."
"Yes! With pleasure!"
Before long, urged on by Chief Warrior Gear, two young girls entered the throne room.
...The moment the twin girls walked in, Atou's brow shifted at an almost imperceptible level.
Their ages were probably around twelve to thirteen.
Among all the girls who had come for an audience so far, they were relatively older, but that assessment was entirely irrelevant.
The fact that they didn't cry upon seeing Takuto meant they had passed the first test. But their aura was different.
No—it wasn't just their aura. Even their appearance made it clear that something extraordinary about them.
"Nice to meet you, Great King. Carry is Carrya Elful."
The twin girls walked in hand-in-hand, appearing to be on very good terms.
First, the girl on the right gave a polite greeting along with a bow.
Her silver hair, characteristic of Dark Elves, was cut short, and she wore a cute ethnic outfit designed for ease of movement.
But on the right side of her face—her beautiful, pale skin—there was a conspicuous, dark reddish-black scar that looked like a festering burn.
Her face, of course, but also her hands visible from the sleeves, and her feet.
Without hiding any of it, as if showing it off, the girl displayed her wounds.
"She's the older sister!"
"My big sister's name is Mearia Elful."
Next, the girl on the left greeted them with a bright, carefree smile.
Her silver hair reached down to her feet, and unlike her more plainly dressed younger sister, she was wrapped in a flowing long skirt. Her outfit had an air of innocence about it, and Atou found it somewhat dazzling.
But her manner of speaking was terribly rude. Atou had been about to scold her for such insolence when she suddenly noticed something abnormal about the girl.
And it was with a sense of understanding—helped by the fact that the younger sister Carrya introduced the older sister's name for her—that she realized.
The carefree smile was genuine.
Her heart, Atou judged, must be far, far younger than her appearance suggested, owing to some kind of problem. That was good enough.
"Nice to meet you."
Takuto's voice, which he'd probably forced out with effort, echoed through the throne room.
He himself didn't seem particularly moved by anything, and he signaled to Atou with his eyes that she should handle the rest.
Having grasped that her king was indifferent to whatever those twins were dealing with, Atou began to judge whether they were fit to be maidservants, according to his wishes.
And yet—
"A simpleton and an ugly girl..."
Mearia, the simpleton. Carrya, the disfigured.
There certainly seemed to be something unusual about these children...
Whether they were truly fit to be the king's attendants—the two girls stared intently into Atou's evaluating eyes.
=Eterpedia===
[Mynoghra's Royal Palace: Lv. 1]Building
Gains the following each turn:
Magic Power Resources: 10
Mana of Destruction: 1
*This facility requires no maintenance cost.
---