The twin girls—Karia, the younger, and Mearia, the older.
Atou tilted her head at their strikingly unusual appearances, though she herself was a monster that defied all reason.
Without the slightest trace of fear, she inquired about the girls' circumstances.
"What happened to that corruption on you?"
"It's an illness."
"That's terrible."
"My lady... this suits Karia just fine."
The younger twin, Karia, spoke those few words and then fell silent.
Takuto showed no intention of pressing further, either.
Old Mortar stepped in to explain. The corruption, it seemed, was a scar left behind by some plague she had contracted. Even now, after full recovery, the mark remained.
Whatever the reason, Atou decided it was best not to dig too deeply into the matter.
If it posed no threat to the king, then that was enough for her.
"And your older sister—what about her?"
"My big sister—the most beautiful, perfect, and ideal older sister in the whole wide world—something painful happened and she shut her heart away, that kind of thing."
"She ate our mama—"
"Mortar?"
A piercing, suspicious gaze shot toward old Mortar.
She was asking what the sister's words meant.
Of course, the look was meant only for confirmation. From their circumstances alone, Atou had already finished piecing together what must have happened...
"It was an unwilling decision. Their mother was a woman of great pride. Our kind has never forgotten her sacrifice..."
The Dark Elves had been driven to cannibalism by unbearable hunger.
Exiled from their homeland, they had endured a long and grueling journey. Those hardships had forced their kind into the most extreme of choices.
Atou was in no position to judge whether that decision was right or wrong, nor did she have any interest in doing so.
But she could readily sense that it was something abhorrent to them—a decision born of deep anguish.
Moreover, that act of survival had left the two young girls with wounds that could never be washed away...
"So that's why old Mortar was hesitant to introduce them," Atou understood with a nod.
Judging by the fact that their complexions were reasonably healthy, it wasn't as though they were being cast off. But recommending them as attendants to the king—that was another matter entirely.
It was easy to see how this dried-up old man had been wrestling with the dilemma.
Atou was troubled.
In the end, it was the king who would decide, but for now, the authority was hers.
If the girls' qualities as attendants were seen as fit for a king, that could be... problematic.
Still, their fearless composure was undeniably attractive...
"Mr. King, so white—"
Suddenly, without Atou noticing, one of the girls—the older sister, Mearia—had crept right up beside Takuto.
Mearia peered into Takuto's face with her round, curious eyes.
Takuto, showing no particular surprise, answered her question.
"They call it a hospital gown."
"Hos-pi-tal?"
"Yeah, that's right. Do you know what that is?"
"Nope."
The outfit Takuto was currently wearing was, as before, the hospital gown from before his transfer.
He had adorned himself with a few accessories to avoid looking too unkempt, but even so, his attire was a distinctive, predominantly white ensemble.
Perhaps intrigued by the white clothing, the girl stared fixedly at him and nodded as if in deep understanding, murmuring to herself.
Seeing her like that, Takuto felt a sense of warmth and affection. A gentle smile spread across his face as he softly patted Mearia's head.
"Mearia, huh? Will you be my little helper?"
"Mhm—I'll take care of the Mr. King!"
"Oh! The king—our king is actually having a proper conversation with a little girl!!"
Atou felt every last shred of inner conflict vanish in that instant.
Her judgment had been correct.
Her king could indeed talk to a small girl!
If they kept up this rehabilitation, the king's crippling social anxiety would eventually be cured!
In her mind, hiring the twins was already a done deal.
For better or worse, Atou was the type to prioritize practicality and had no interest in superficial appearances.
"Aren't you scared?"
Takuto's attention shifted from Mearia, who was now nibbling on the hem of his white gown, to the younger sister, Karia.
For an instant, a flicker of fear crossed the younger girl's face.
Unlike her sister, she seemed to harbor some genuine apprehension toward Takuto.
Under normal circumstances, her reaction would be the correct one. In fact, seeing her endure bravely despite her fear, Takuto felt moved.
"I-I, as Karia, the younger sister, have an obligation to stay with big sister. If big sister wishes it, then Karia has no right to refuse."
"That's very brave—really brave. ...Then will you stay with me too?"
"I-I leave it all up to you!"
And so, the two girls were decided upon as Takuto's attendants.
Old Mortar and the warrior chief, Gear, both wore expressions of visible relief as they encouraged the unusual pair.
"The king has given his approval. From now on, you two will serve as attendants to our king."
Everything had gone smoothly, and Atou was clearly satisfied.
And Takuto—who had nearly been branded a lolicon not long ago—showed a look of relief at having safely escaped that crisis.
The palace, once so lonely with only Takuto and Atou, had gained a splash of color.
◇ ◇ ◇
Now, let us continue with what followed.
After the two girls began serving as attendants, one might assume Takuto's life would have gained some breathing room.
But what was the reality? Takuto's life had become even more eventful than before.
"Mr. King—drink!"
"Thanks."
"You spilled it!"
"N-no big deal."
Splat. Takuto's outfit was soaked and stained.
It was Mearia's doing. At first, Takuto had been surprised by these mishaps, but now he had reached a state of complete acceptance.
Still, the result couldn't be undone. His once-pristine white hospital gown was now covered in spots.
Even so, Takuto wasn't inclined to make a fuss. He wanted to acknowledge their efforts, and more than anything, he simply couldn't bring himself to get angry at something a child did.
On top of that—
"Oh! Mr. King! Let me wipe your clothes!"
"Thank you."
The younger sister, Karia, would rush over in a panic to clean up, leaving him no choice.
This younger sister, who adored her older sister Mearia from the bottom of her heart, worked several times harder than her sister in an effort to clean up after her—yet she still seemed to feel the same fear toward Takuto.
Because of this, Takuto couldn't quite figure out how to behave around her.
And so this strange routine had become a daily occurrence.
Takuto, diligently being waited on by the girls, would have looked like a helpless older brother from the outside, but in truth, he was caught in a rather vexing situation.
But that day was different.
Usually, the older sister would halfheartedly finish her tasks and then wander off to play outside. Today, however, she was staring intently into Takuto's eyes.
"Mr. King."
"What is it?"
"Is the king a bad person?"
"My alignment is evil, yeah."
Takuto had come to this world as the leader of Mynoghra. Therefore, his alignment was evil. So the answer was as stated.
Of course, the girls were also subjects of Mynoghra, making their alignment evil as well. Takuto tilted his head, wondering what this was all about. He still didn't quite grasp what she was getting at.
"Why don't you kill us?"
"Who?"
"Us."
"Huh?"
"W-well, you see, Mr. King. Big sister is asking why the great king would show mercy to children like us."
Hmm! Takuto crossed his arms and fell into thought despite himself.
Show them mercy? They were his subjects. And children, at that. From the very start, there had never been any thought of punishing them. At most, a gentle scolding.
Killing them? What a frightening notion.
Had he been scaring them that much? Reflecting on this, Takuto answered in as gentle a voice as he could manage.
"Because you're my helpers?"
"Hmm!"
"Big sister is angry because the king is kind despite being evil..."
"Wha—?"
Mearia was getting worked up.
She looked puffed up with indignation, and while Takuto found it adorable, he was also at a loss.
But he had a rough idea of what she was trying to say, so he began speaking quietly, as if explaining to both of them.
She's probably confused about her own alignment shift, Takuto surmised.
"Let me tell you something good. Listen carefully."
Two little heads bobbed in earnest, sincere nods.
"Good people can only do the right thing. They can't hurt others, and they can't steal what belongs to someone else. Murder is absolutely out of the question."
"Mhm!"
"Obviously!"
"So what about bad people? What do you think they should do?"
"They can only do bad things!"
"They're irredeemably wicked!"
Both girls answered in unison, as if it were the most self-evident thing in the world.
Just as Takuto had predicted. And the words he needed to say next were already decided.
"No—you can do anything."
In that instant, both pairs of eyes went wide, shock written plainly across their faces.
Their adorable reactions drew a smile from Takuto, but he pressed on without letting the conversation stray.
"You can do good things, and you can do bad things. You can do something, or you can do nothing—anything is permitted. A bad person, you see, is someone who is incredibly, incredibly selfish and free. They simply believe in what they think is right, they don't listen to others' opinions, and they never look back. That is what truly evil people are."
So it's perfectly fine for me to be kind to you! he added with a playful wink.
"That's not fair!!"
"Of course it is. Because I'm a bad person, right?"
"Won't you get punished someday?"
"If a good person comes to punish you, just kill them first and it's all squared away."
"Whaaaaat?!"
Chuckling bitterly at how smoothly those words had come out of his own mouth, Takuto eloquently expounded on his philosophy.
In the process, something suddenly clicked.
If his guess was correct, it would explain the true intention behind the older sister Mearia's earlier question.
In other words...
"All those mistakes before were on purpose, weren't they?"
Mearia gave a clear, solemn nod, while Karia trembled in fear.
Through their reactions, Takuto's suspicion crystallized into certainty.
"I see..."
Takuto finally arrived at the answer.
She—they—wanted to die.
From his earlier explanations, he already knew that the Dark Elves had resorted to cannibalism when they could no longer endure their hunger.
And that the victim had been their own mother.
Takuto himself didn't fully understand the love within a family, but he understood that their mother had tried to save them out of love.
Whether the people involved themselves desired that fate, however, was another matter entirely.
They had never wanted a future like this.
"Karia and... big sister..."
"Were supposed to die."
In a tone so rational it was hard to believe her heart was broken, the older sister Mearia finished the younger one's sentence.
No—perhaps her heart wasn't broken at all.
Perhaps it was simply that self-directed curse had painted everything black, leaving only an infant's thoughts visible on the surface. That was the impression Takuto received.
"But dying is scary?"
Two small nods came in response.
They couldn't forgive themselves for surviving through their mother's death... They wanted to die, wanted to die so badly, but it was terrifying, and they couldn't bring themselves to do it on their own.
They begged someone to kill them, and in their despair, they destroyed their own hearts and hurt themselves.
They believed that if they did something to anger the king, he would surely kill them—so they sought salvation in death and lived each day accordingly.
That was what the two girls, who had committed the taboo, were like.
Takuto quietly beckoned them closer.
Sensing the cries of sorrow hidden deep within their eyes, he desperately searched for words that might ease the suffering of these pure, innocent, and gentle souls.
"There's a reason you're here. Someone kept your lives going. You know who that is, right?"
"It hurts..."
"It's so painful..."
(Oh, how loved these children are.)
Takuto was suddenly overwhelmed by how precious that realization felt.
What a moving, beautiful love it was.
He himself had never received affection from his family, so some of it didn't quite resonate with him. But even so, he could easily see that these girls and their mother had been bound by an incredibly strong bond.
This love, left as it was, would eventually be lost.
Sooner or later, their hearts would break—truly, irreparably break.
That such a magnificent love should be destroyed over something as trivial as ethics and common sense—somehow, that weighed heavily on Takuto's conscience.
"...What did your mama say to you?"
""Live...""
Of course, Takuto thought. Given the love that existed between them, it was only natural that their mother would say such a thing.
And so he listened sincerely to their words, then delivered his own, imbued with enough feeling to reach their very souls.
"Being bad doesn't necessarily mean being wrong. Your mother did the right thing. And so did you two. Be proud of it—you are here because your mother's love conquered fate."
Those words carried something absolute that the girls could feel.
Unlike a mere person wearing the skin of an evil leader, there was a separate, transcendent atmosphere and majesty that radiated from him.
The two girls were consumed by those words, feeling as though their very souls had been stripped away.
It was as if some colossal being beyond their comprehension had enveloped them, causing their sense of self to crumble.
It was terrifying—and yet indescribably sweet.
The great king erased the self-punishing thoughts that gnawed at their hearts.
Once common sense, ethics, anxiety, and loss had all faded away, nothing remained but their mother's deep, unconditional love.
"Mr. King, we..."
"What... should we do?"
Tears streamed down both their faces.
Were they tears of relief from their troubles lifting, or tears of emotion from truly feeling their mother's love?
Either way, the two girls wept.
Takuto would never know—but these were the first tears they had shed since losing their mother.
"Live however you want. In a way that answers your mother's love. In a way she can be proud of."
Innocent eyes gazed straight into Takuto.
He couldn't tell whether something had fundamentally changed within them.
But noticing that a subtle shift had come over their expressions, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
And so, with the words of their king, the two girls were saved—if only a little.
...
...
...
"Takuto! I'm back from my investigation!"
"Welcome back..."
"Hm? What's the matter?"
"We've gotten along."
Having finished her errands and returned to the palace, Atou took one look at the king and furrowed her brow.
Nothing bad had happened, exactly.
Or rather—would she consider it a problem?
The two girls, who were supposed to be attendants, were sitting on either side of Takuto on his throne, peacefully sleeping with soft smiles on their faces.
"Y-you haven't done anything... inappropriate, have you?!"
The words slipped out before Atou could stop them—a flagrant breach of etiquette.
If anything inappropriate was going on, it should be directed at me! she nearly screamed next, but biting her tongue at the thought of what Takuto would think of her, she clenched her jaw in frustration.
She stared at Takuto with a reproachful expression. She was simply jealous.
"I didn't! More importantly—the report! The report!"
"Ah, pardon me. The investigation into the nearby town that's been underway since the other day has been completed. —It's a multi-ethnic neutral nation called Fonkavun, with humans as the majority."
"A multi-ethnic nation, huh..."
A more cautious investigation had been conducted this time regarding the town closest to Mynoghra.
Per Takuto's desire to maintain a friendly relationship, they had gathered intelligence in a way that minimized provocation and detection.
It seemed the results had finally been compiled.
There would surely be more detailed information, but the general overview could be handled verbally.
Takuto nodded thoughtfully as he organized future plans in his mind, but then he noticed something in Atou's expression and tilted his head.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"It appears there's a dragon vein inside the town."
"Oh..."
Takuto's eyes narrowed slightly.
A nation with a city built on a site where a dragon vein existed.
That meant the nation possessed some form of military technology related to magic.
=Eterpedia===
[Dragon Vein]Map Resource
More precisely called a dragon vein node, this is a location where a star's vast reserves of Mana erupt to the surface.
By securing access to a dragon vein, various magic units gain the ability to use powerful tactical spells.
Additionally, certain heroes become significantly stronger when they have access to Mana. Securing more Mana than rival nations will be invaluable for progressing through the game advantageously.
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