It had been several days since Atou departed for Fonkavun, accompanied by Old Mortar and a number of escort soldiers.
With his most trusted partner gone, Takuto had already been driven to despair by Atou's absence.
"Takuto really can't do anything by himself, can he..."
"Ugh, ughhh..."
The setting was the Mynoghra royal palace. The throne room.
Upon the throne, the King sat cross-legged with practiced ease, while Isla, Queen of All Insects, regarded him with an exasperated expression.
The great King Ira=Takuto was, for some reason, receiving a lecture from the very hero he had summoned himself.
"You weren't even awake at this hour? What on earth have you been doing all this time?"
Isla crossed her arms and let out a creaking sigh.
Ever since she took over the role of supporting the King in Atou's place, Takuto's lifestyle had changed dramatically.
Unlike Atou, who was in some ways similar to Takuto in her lax and easygoing tendencies, Isla was more the serious and meticulous type.
Up until now, Takuto had lived fairly much as he pleased, leveraging his authority as King, but whereas Atou devoted her entire being to spoiling her master, Isla would never permit such a lifestyle.
"The King was asleep until noon!"
"And when he still wouldn't get up, Lady Atou and the others like Kyaria would go wake him!"
From the shadow of the throne, the twin girls Mearia and Kyaria popped their heads into view.
It was a grave act of treason against their master, but in this moment, Takuto had no allies.
Resigned to his fate, he beckoned the two over and had them sit on either side of him as human shields.
Takuto was utterly pathetic.
"What a big, big child you are..."
"Ugh, but..."
"But nothing, Takuto? You are the great leader of Mynoghra, the King of Ruin who shall bring an end to the world! How does it look for someone of your stature to sleep until noon and then have girls wake you up? From now on, you will be getting up properly in the morning."
Her tone was gentle, yet carried an irresistible pressure.
If Atou demonstrated her loyalty through complete and utter spoiling, then Isla's way was the opposite—disciplining Takuto's private life and offering sincere counsel so he might develop the qualities befitting a king.
Which approach was correct went without saying.
That said, he didn't have the nerve to complain, and the fault was clearly his own.
He had absolutely no intention of using his royal authority over something so trivial.
"Ugh, I'll try harder."
In the end, Takuto had no choice but to hang his head in shame.
"You can do it, Your Majesty..."
"Big sister and Kyaria will help too!"
Unlike Isla, Kyaria and Mearia belonged to Team Spoil-Takuto, and they seized the opportunity to console the dejected King.
Somewhat soothed by the twins' kindness, Takuto pulled them into a tight embrace as thanks.
Kyaria alone seemed a bit stiff, but even so, both of them had been less afraid of him lately than they used to be.
As he reflected on how surprisingly difficult it was to actually experience the role of king firsthand, Takuto told Isla he was ready to begin the day's work.
"Very well. Then please proceed to the office at once. Oh, but before that, perhaps we should tidy up the— Oh?"
Takuto had just risen to head for the adjacent office.
A commotion of hurried footsteps could be heard approaching, and moments later, a familiar face appeared in the throne room.
"Isla! Is Isla here? Isla!"
"Oh my, Emuru. What's wrong? You're on the verge of tears—such a cute face, going to waste."
Emuru, half in tears for reasons unknown, spotted Isla waiting in the throne room and bolted straight into her chest.
It seemed Isla's massive frame had obscured Takuto from view, as Emuru hadn't noticed his existence at all.
Takuto, curious about Emuru's unusual behavior, gestured to the twin girls to stay silent and quietly listened to the exchange between the aberrant queen and the Dark Elf woman.
"Isla! Gear broke the military equipment again! How many times is this now? The attrition rate is way too high! The budget plan! The budget plan!"
"She may be training diligently, but this is a bit much. There, there—this Isla will give the Warrior Chief a proper scolding. Let's redraw the plan together later."
"Ugh, thank you so much, Isla. Ah, just a little longer like this..."
"My, my. What a big child you are."
Cradled in Isla's secondary arms, Emuru closed her eyes with an expression of pure bliss.
It seemed she had been accumulating stress for some time.
Gear and Old Mortar, freed from what felt like an endless chase sequence, had been running rather wild.
Remembering those rumors, Takuto silently shed a tear in his heart, realizing that Emuru—who had originally served as the war party's adjutant and demonstrated considerable competence there—was likely struggling tremendously.
"Hugs, squirm squirm..."
"Emuru. You didn't even notice the King until the very end."
"He's usually asleep at this hour."
Even if he had stepped out at that moment, Emuru would have been too intimidated—that much was certain.
Takuto himself might not have minded, but she was certainly in no position to deal with that.
With that in mind, Takuto quietly slipped out of the throne room with the twin girls, careful not to be noticed by Emuru.
"..."
In the corridor, Takuto walked along in a daze, lost in thought.
The two girls, sensing the change in their master's distracted demeanor, hopped in front of him and, walking backward with practiced ease, peered up at his face.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?"
"You know, Isla really feels like a mother."
Ever since she arrived, life in Mynoghra had been completely transformed.
She was now even referred to as the Mother of the Nation, and despite her aberrant appearance, every resident of Mynoghra held her in the highest respect.
Anyone who lived as indulgently as he did—letting things slide whenever possible—was invariably scolded, and for those who had worries like Emuru, she also served as an advisor.
As befitting a queen, she was likely adept at winning hearts and managing large-scale personnel. Now, every Dark Elf living in Mynoghra had been under her care in some capacity.
She was probably heading to Warrior Chief Gear next to deliver another lecture about the handling of military equipment.
She was just like a mom. The gentle, dependable, extremely nagging type who's terrifying when angry...
"I get that—"
"I totally get it."
For some reason, both of them felt something deep down.
The two girls exchanged an indescribable look of agreement with Takuto's words.
◇ ◇ ◇
Approximately a quarter of an hour had passed since the exchange that revealed Mynoghra's new hierarchy.
Having finished her lecture to Gear, Isla and Emuru were working on a draft of the next national management plan.
Normally, Old Mortar would have shouldered this responsibility, but unfortunately he was currently in the city of Dragontan, dealing with a barbarian invasion.
The benchmark was the period until Fonkavun's defenses stabilized, but currently there was no clear timeline in sight, and the source of the barbarians remained unknown.
Because the situation could drag on, Emuru had taken over his role.
Under normal circumstances, an impossible volume of work beyond even grueling should have crushed her, but she didn't carry the title of queen for nothing. Because Isla turned out to be far more competent in domestic affairs than anyone had imagined, Emuru's burden had been kept to a manageable level.
That said, for Emuru—who had originally been nothing more than the war party's adjutant—this was still a heavy responsibility.
If her tightly strung nerves snapped, she might make mistakes she normally never would.
"To think the King was there... What a blunder."
"Our master isn't bothered by it at all. Besides, he probably thought you were resting in your quarters as usual, right? In that case, the one at fault is the master who sleeps in every day."
"N-No... but still."
She had been justified in blowing up and turning to Isla for help—cases that seemed to pile up endlessly no matter how many she handled.
It was also true that, seeing the boundless maternal warmth Isla radiated despite her appearance, Emuru had latched onto her and allowed herself to be a bit spoiled, reminded of her mother from days past.
But to have shown such a disgraceful state in the throne room where the King held court—and to have been seen by the King himself, no less.
When she realized this fact, Emuru's face went pale.
But no amount of regret could change what had happened.
On top of that, the fact that Isla herself probably thought nothing of it only deepened Emuru's distress.
"More importantly! Shouldn't we be focusing on something more pressing right now? If you want to clear your name, achievements are the most effective way to do so."
"Y-Yes! Understood!"
Isla was probably right.
What was done was done, but there should still be things they could do going forward.
Emuru answered with renewed vigor, steeling herself, and Isla nodded with satisfaction upon seeing it.
"Oh, right—actually, I was hoping to get your opinion on the next facility to build, Isla."
"Oh? The next construction, you say."
Construction, production, and research in Mynoghra were all currently on hold.
This was Takuto's decision to divert all resources toward Isla's production to bolster defensive forces as quickly as possible—a strategy that prioritized speed of summoning over parallel operations.
This strategy enabled the early deployment of Isla's spawned larvae as labor, but the fact remained that other production and research had fallen behind.
The next facility to be selected required the utmost consideration.
The current situation surrounding Mynoghra. The identified potential enemy nations, and the military forces they possessed. The unknowns that existed in this world, and the dangers they harbored.
Weighing all of these factors, Isla gave her answer.
"Let me see. I'd like to prepare for contingencies with the Living Reeds."
Isla's judgment pointed toward the expansion of defensive forces.
Given the world's considerable threat level, selecting a military-related facility was a foregone conclusion for her, but even so, she chose the Living Reeds over the Drill Grounds.
The Living Reeds—a Mynoghra-unique Stone Wall variant.
This facility was a basic building that provided defensive bonuses to the city.
In addition, the Living Reeds possessed the ability to attack enemy units on their own.
When it came to defense, it was an exceptionally capable facility.
"What about the Clinic? We've been receiving petitions from the citizens. There's no one currently suffering from serious illness, but there are infants with low stamina, so considering the future..."
"Right now, the people of Mynoghra hold a very important position precisely because of how few there are. My adorable children can handle manual labor well enough, but for intellectual work, we need the Dark Elves."
"Thinking along those lines, the Learning Facility would also be a candidate. It doesn't require much labor to construct, so we could get that out of the way first—"
In contrast to Isla's military focus, Emuru proposed something domestic.
Currently, Mynoghra's defensive forces were handled by Isla. In addition, the Longlegs had their combat capabilities enhanced by Isla's abilities, and her combat-oriented spawned larvae were also in reserve.
The longer time passed, the more Isla's combat ability as a hero grew, and if the need arose, they could even recall Atou.
Honestly speaking, when it came to defense, their forces were sufficient.
So Emuru concluded that it would be worthwhile to invest in domestic affairs to balance out the production focus on Isla.
Isla agreed that there was merit to this proposal.
They weren't currently at war with any nation, after all.
To put it bluntly, spending too much on military—an endeavor that produced nothing but consumed resources—was problematic.
Moreover, if national power increased, even maintaining the same budget ratio would yield visibly different results. With that in mind, strengthening the nation's foundation seemed like the top priority.
Furthermore, Takuto's goal was domestic development.
Military strength was fundamentally something that needed only to be enough to protect oneself.
In the early stages, when national power was still scarce, the effect of a single facility could have an outsized impact down the line.
Although the final decision rested with Takuto, that was no reason for them to think nothing through.
As a game character, Isla had extensive experience with domestic management, but as an actual decision-maker, she apparently still lacked sufficient experience.
Moreover, she would ultimately be reporting to Takuto. She couldn't afford to disappoint him with a half-baked proposal.
"This is a tough one."
Gazing at the center of the Dark Elves' town—where life had returned and people bustled about—Isla and Emuru racked their brains.
After several more opinions were exchanged, they were just reaching the consensus that while domestic expansion was important, the threat of barbarians still made it prudent to build defensive facilities first—
when Isla spotted a figure heading toward them from the distance.
"Isla! Are you free right now?"
It was one half of the Dark Elf twins—Kyaria.
The girl's scarred face was a painful sight, yet she wore the marks as though flaunting them, always keeping her scars on display.
While it was hard to understand why a girl of her age—one who shouldn't yet be indifferent to her appearance—would engage in such strange behavior, Isla assumed there must be some story behind it and spoke gently to her.
"Why, Kyaria. What a rare sight. Where's your sister?"
"Big sister is on King duty. She said the King wanted you to come consult with him, but it's not urgent, so it can wait until you're done."
Isla nodded with satisfaction at Kyaria's spirited report.
For Isla, the hero, citizens were precious beings to be protected. Moreover, as one who possessed the Queen attribute, she was incredibly maternal and loved adorable children—quite the contrast with her appearance.
How could she not dote on a child who had delivered such a perfect errand?
Her maternal instincts exploded, and she swept Kyaria up in a crushing embrace with her expanded secondary arms.
"Oh my! I understand the details completely! You did such a wonderful job with your errand! Let this Isla give sweet little Kyaria lots and lots of head pats!"
"Wha—mph! ...Hehehe."
"Lucky~"
Emuru watched the scene with envy, which only further stirred Isla's maternal instincts.
Just as Isla's excitement reached its peak and she considered gathering both of them in a hug—
it suddenly occurred to her to ask this little Dark Elf girl for her opinion too.
"That's right! I should hear your opinion too, since you're a precious citizen of Mynoghra. Tell me, Kyaria—what do you think?"
"...? About what?"
Holding Kyaria up high on her shoulders, Isla explained the situation.
There was a reason behind Isla's decision to ask this girl—still a bit young to be involved in politics—for her opinion.
Unlike the Pseudo-Humans, who formed Mynoghra's base population, the Dark Elves were expected to become the intellectual class of the future.
In other words, scholars, researchers, mages, artists, philosophers... and the like.
As such, unlike ordinary citizens, they couldn't simply be compliant field workers who never questioned anything.
They needed knowledge and the ability to think.
Therefore, she wanted to cultivate such habits from an early age. On top of that, the twins Kyaria and Mearia were among the brightest children of their generation.
She had high hopes that they would think carefully about this question as well.
...
...
"Then the Clinic it is. Either way, it's an essential facility. We'll go with the Living Reeds next."
"Understood, Master. I'll relay this to the relevant parties."
"Can the Clinic heal Kyaria's scars too?"
"With our current facilities, that might be a bit difficult. And the girl herself doesn't seem too interested in treatment, though..."
"If she says it's fine, then it's not really our place to say anything, is it?"
Given the tragedies they had all overcome, one could roughly imagine what had happened to the Dark Elf girl.
But Takuto didn't press the matter further.
It wasn't what she wanted, and above all, he felt it would wound her pride.
And so, Takuto put an end to his attention on the subject and returned his thoughts to another matter—the nation's management.
Perhaps sensing the shift in her master's interest despite no outward change, Isla smoothly steered the conversation to a different topic.
"By the way, Master. What is the current situation with Atou? You've been receiving reports every night, haven't you?"
"Yes, of course. It seems like things are getting quite interesting."
"You mean, she's successfully harvesting abilities from the barbarians?"
"Mm. The yield's exceeding expectations."
Takuto grinned.
Even his black doll's expressionless face couldn't hide his good mood.
Isla rejoiced that Atou was performing even better than expected, and that her own strategy had aligned so well with the barbarian situation.
The world was steadily in motion.
The sudden barbarian attacks. Wherever their cause lay, it remained unknown.
But under this King, any problem would be blown away like dust.
Harboring that almost-certain premonition, Isla shared a creaking laugh with her master.
=Message═══
Construction facility selected.
Now constructing! [Clinic]
Now producing! [Longlegs]
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=Eterpedia═══
[Clinic] Building
All units in the city: Recovery +10% Removes low-tier Illness-related debuffs
The Clinic is a building that increases the recovery rate of all units stationed in the city. It also removes certain debuffs such as Cold, Fatigue, Poison, and Paralysis.
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[Living Reeds] Building
Defense +10% Additional Damage +1
The Living Reeds is a Mynoghra-unique facility that serves as an alternative to Stone Walls. In addition to its normal abilities, it inflicts +1 damage to enemy units during city defense.
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