"King of Apocalypse, Lord Takuto Ira. A most noble and exalted name. When calling upon him, use 'Lord Ira' or 'Lord Takuto Ira'."
Atou's words fell as the band of Dark Elves bowed their heads even lower. For the first time, Takuto's name was proclaimed in this world, engraving itself upon their hearts with awe.
At their demeanor, Atou nodded with satisfaction. It was her own unilateral decision not to allow the use of the personal name for the Apocalypse King, Takuto Ira. She understood perfectly well the significance of addressing him by his given name, and it was precisely because she did that she schemed to solidify her unique position as his closest confidant in this very moment.
So absorbed was she in these secret schemings that Atou failed to notice, but Takuto had not missed it: the instant he heard Atou's proclamation, the tremor that had run through the old, bowing Dark Elf.
"Oh, and my name is Atou. Please strive to avoid using the same honorific for me as you do for Lord Takuto. He is the supreme King, eternally revered and praised. His station is different from mine. In truth, you need not even remember my name."
"Lord Takuto Ira and Lord Atou... Your honored names are firmly engraved upon these old bones. I shall relay this swiftly to my clan and swear to carve them into the very depths of our souls."
"Very well. Then take your provisions and withdraw quickly. Some of these will spoil before long. For my King, producing them is but a wave of his arm, but that is no reason to let them rot."
Her tone made it clear she was already bored. In truth, Atou was rapidly losing interest in negotiating with them. Her entire existence was for the sake of her master, Takuto. She understood this perfectly and desired it thus. Conversations with others held no meaning unless they served Takuto, and she wished to conclude this swiftly and receive his praise.
"W-wait, Lord Atou. We... we were discussing how best to repay the great debt of our salvation. Does our King desire tribute of some kind?"
But it was the chief of the Dark Elves who cooled the fever of her imagined fantasy of being petted by her master. It seemed their business was not yet concluded. Though she furrowed her brow slightly, Atou was not one to have her mood spoiled by something so minor. She tilted her head at the somewhat unnaturally phrased offer.
"Tribute? Hmm. Can you possibly prepare something that would satisfy my King?"
"Haha! It is a source of great shame, but in our ignorance, we cannot even imagine what might bring joy to the great Lord Takuto Ira. We await the King's own word as to what he desires—"
"I see. Then it is unnecessary. You surely lack the means."
With a flick of her hand and a sigh, Atou shook her head.
They had been told to bring tribute, but they were starving refugees—one could hardly imagine them possessing assets. Of course, it was impossible to rule out that they might hold rare artifacts, but even so, Atou prioritized separating them from her sovereign. In the early stages of the game... when a nation's foundation was fragile, even the smallest detail could become a fatal wound. Above all else, Atou was wary that they might bring crisis into Takuto's domain. For instance... that there might be pursuers, given they had been persecuted from their original lands.
"No, but... in that case—"
"...? I said we didn't need it."
"No, I mean..."
"What's with that indecisive attitude? ...? My king is busy. Or are you perhaps—thinking something unpleasant?"
"N-no! It's nothing of the sort!"
Atou's irritation became evident in her demeanor. At the same time, panic was clearly visible on their faces. Unsuppressed, pitch-black killing intent had raised its serpentine head.
Atou's innate abilities—"Hero","Wicked", and"Zealotry"—each provided a multiplier bonus to a unit's base combat power. Furthermore, her additional ability to seize the capabilities of defeated units meant the more combat she engaged in, the more powerful she became.
In contrast, the dark elves were in a state where starvation made it impossible for them to exert their full strength. Against them, even Atou in her current state could handle the situation without difficulty. Therefore, killing these apparent magic and combat units in an instant, and then turning the blade to exterminate the entire dark elf group, would be trivial. And that act of tyranny—if ethical considerations were set aside—was an act of tremendous benefit for both her and Takuto.
(Yep! This atmosphere is seriously bad!)
Takuto quickly abandoned his hopeful wish that this meeting might end peacefully. Fundamentally, Atou was making a fatal misunderstanding about them. Her attitude toward them was extremely dismissive, and from an objective perspective, she seemed like an overworked subordinate frantically trying to manage her king's whims.
Under normal circumstances, even exchanging words would be unpleasant, but he is compelled to act as mediator due to the will of his lord. That is precisely why he wishes to cut the conversation short and finish the troublesome matter quickly. It is only natural for him to appear that way.
Conversely, for the Dark Elves, things are not so simple. For this pitiful group, this negotiation is both their first and their last. And that means it is a turning point of fate that will determine their very survival. Even if they survive this incident, there is nothing after this. They have no source of food, and no guarantee they can find another safe haven beyond this.
Therefore, even if their attitude seems somewhat suspicious, it could be said that their proactive attempt to negotiate with him is an entirely reasonable course of action.
Of course, unlike Takuto, who could analyze everything from a bird's-eye view, it was not blameworthy for Atou to think myopically out of concern for him.
But in the current situation, Takuto had no intention of allowing such petty squabbles to fester.
Having judged that he needed to offer some assistance, Takuto finally made up his mind. With a small clearing of his throat amidst the tension, he raised his voice with all the strength he could muster.
"Atou."
"Yes, my King."
Atou was remarkably swift.
The moment she heard Takuto's voice, she spun around. Moving with a speed reminiscent of a sudden charge, she came to stand at his side, placed a hand on the stone pedestal, and leaned her face close to his.
Her expression, angled toward Takuto where the Dark Elves couldn't see, was pure child. Her cheeks were puffed out in a clear display of displeasure.
It seemed she too was growing impatient with the conversation's lack of progress, for she brought her mouth even closer and began to complain in a whisper only Takuto could hear. (Takuto-samaaa! Those people are terrible at negotiating! Besides, they're plotting something! They're bad people, let's kill them, let's kill them!)
(There, there, calm down.)
Takuto swallowed the words "You weren't much better yourself" that were about to follow.
The first part of her performance had been good, but the latter portion was somewhat lacking.
Mind you, a man who could not converse at all and left everything to a subordinate—a young girl, no less—was more than just "somewhat lacking" in his own right.
Even so, it was an undeniable fact that a miscommunication persisted between Atou and the dark elves.
Atou appeared eager to dismiss them quickly, but as the leader of the dark elves, she could not back down.
Given her attitude, it was only natural she was telling them never to approach again, and moreover, that forceful attempt to cut short the audience itself only intensified their frustration.
It stemmed from a consideration that she did not want to impose unnecessary burdens on Takuto, but it was more than sufficient to accelerate their mutual misunderstanding.
(If we leave this be, they will surely bring harm to Lord Takuto. It is best to slaughter them all at once! Their heads should be displayed on pikes, Lord Takuto!!)
(No, no, wait a moment. Listen, they certainly want to negotiate with us. Even regarding the tribute. See, we are an evil-alignment civilization, right? They are wary because they suspect some hidden agenda, which is why their attitude is a bit strange, isn't it?)
(O-Oh! I see! Hmm...)
(Let's accept some form of compensation that satisfies them. That way they will feel more at ease, and they will probably propose a more in-depth discussion. My, that old man is quite an interesting individual.)
He still wanted to enjoy their negotiations.
That was Takuto's thought. The chance of him being starved for human conversation was virtually zero, but it was certain they had piqued his interest.
Atou, seeing Takuto fluently perceive the truth, gazed at him with sparkling, respectful eyes. The earlier displeasure gone, she gave a confident reply.
(A-As expected of my lord! To have seen through it so thoroughly! And I understand the details. Leave everything else to me. Now, I am off!)
(Ah, wait!)
Atou spun around and returned to the negotiations.
She definitely didn't understand.
Takuto felt that, but bearing the ultimate penalty of being socially inept, he had no choice but to entrust the basic negotiations to her.
"Fufu, I see. So that is how it was..."
With a languid, bewitching resonance to her voice, Atou chuckled.
"Truly. You foolish people are quite troublesome."
Perhaps sensing something unusual in that voice, the band of elves could only bow their heads even deeper.
"If not for my king's words, I would have failed to notice it as well. To think you would lump my Lord Takuto together with the common run-of-the-mill malevolent spirits and wraiths..."
"Oh, n-no, Your Eminence! That is not what I meant at all!"
"Silence. My king's word is absolute. And you should be grateful. My king, taking into account your dark elves' trivial notions, has deemed that this act of beneficence shall be considered fulfilled as a contract. In exchange, we shall accept some form of tribute. Is that acceptable? You are familiar, I presume, with the absolute laws of contract that we speak of? Are you reassured now?"
"Y-yes! I am immensely grateful for your magnanimous consideration!"
Elder Mortar offered no further rebuttal to the speculation Atou had presented, simply showing his gratitude. It was a risky move, for it could easily be perceived as an admission that he had been slighting the king. However, through their brief exchanges facilitated by Atou, he had discerned that she was less likely to incur their wrath than he was.
"Then a price is required. Hmm, a price, a price..."
Atou spun around to face Takuto. Her doll-like, circular eyes pierced straight through him.
Even without words, the message was as clear as day to him. It translated to: "Lord Takuto, help meee!"
(Useless...)
Despite the grandiose declarations she'd made earlier, her immediate surrender of the initiative threatened to diminish Takuto's opinion of her. But to Takuto, Atou was a favorite, so all such blunders were nullified by a special, personal ruling. Ultimately, it seemed Atou would assist in the conversation, but the final decision might still rest with him.
"The outside world."
"My king is interested in the world beyond this realm. You came from afar, did you not? Tell us everything you know about the world outside. Let that be the price for the food, and consider the contract fulfilled. Are you satisfied with this?"
"Oh! In that case, I, Mortar, shall offer everything this old body has seen and heard!"
For the first time, a look of joy crossed Elder Mortar's face. They were likely breathing a sigh of relief, thinking they had gotten off with the cheapest price imaginable. Of course, it should never have been such a matter of consternation in the first place; this was entirely a misunderstanding on their part.
(Why is she so perceptive about everything else, yet turns completely clueless when I leave things to her...)
Takuto considered the reasons behind Atou's oddly reactive response, but however he struggled, no answer came, so he eventually forced himself to accept it as just how she was.
With this, the negotiation drew closer to an end.
However, an event occurred that caused a nagging doubt in his heart.
"Then, please depart from the forest immediately upon completion of the contract."
"Y-yes!"
(I see. She was flustered.)
Though Atou remained oblivious as usual, Takuto did not miss the clear panic shown by Elder Mortar.
Simultaneously, information began to rearrange itself rapidly in his mind.
Judging by their attitude, his conjecture was largely correct. If so, deducing the meaning behind her previous attitude wasn't particularly difficult.
"Your stay will be... permitted for a short while. You will need time to rest your bodies as well, I imagine. But it will not be long. Remember that."
(As expected, being nomads is harsh. Once this round of food is gone, they have nothing to rely on.)
The Dark Elves had stated they were "driven from their lands" during the previous impromptu meeting.
According to the report from the Long-Legged Worm, it was a group of around five hundred, but undertaking a nomadic journey with that size was no ordinary hardship.
The offering of tribute was likely laden with intent to curry favor.
Undoubtedly, they wished to secure permission to settle in this area or establish an arrangement for regular food supplies through this incident.
(That said, having them linger too long here is troublesome for us as well. When building a nation, refugees with different affiliations are nothing but a nuisance. And there's no guarantee they won't bring trouble along with them.)
In 'Eternal Nations', differences in race could lead to various problems.
Of course, the same was true in the real world. Those with different cultures, ideologies, and concepts of good and evil were fated to clash and fight.
He had no intention of committing the folly of merely postponing the inevitable spark.
"Would that His Majesty grant us the right to reside in this forest, there could be no greater joy, but..."
"I cannot grant such permission. This land belongs to our sovereign, Takuto Ira, and my lord desires peace. Ah, and if you do not wish to throw away the life you have so luckily recovered, I would add that it would be wise not to speak thoughtlessly about this place elsewhere."
(They did come seeking residence after all. But the territory of the evil nation of Mynoghra is cursed to begin with. In game terms, it would be an effect where the stats of good- and neutral-aligned units receive a penalty, but what would actually happen was unknown.)
This was the reason he did not explicitly stop Atou when she considered driving the group of Dark Elves from the forest.
Cursed lands favored evil-aligned races. It offered various boons, but as a demerit, it constantly imposed penalties when interacting with neutral or good-aligned entities.
Of course, whether the system would function exactly as it did in the game was uncertain. It might pose no problem at all. There were aspects that needed verification.
Yet Takuto felt a strange, inexplicable certainty that it would somehow apply in this world as well.
Therefore, much as he regretted it, they had to be made to leave.
(Still, it leaves a bitter aftertaste to abandon them so completely. And after I went to the trouble of providing food, having them collapse on the road would be... unpleasant, to say the least.)
Even if giving them food had been done in jest, it was produced with Mana he could not afford to replenish in his current state.
Having gone so far to prolong their lives, would they now embark on a journey with no destination, only to eventually decay and perish?
That, too, left him dissatisfied. It wasn't sympathy so much as irritation at the prospect of his actions becoming meaningless.
"Then... then, great King Takuto Ira, we are most grateful that you have permitted our audience."
"Now then, everyone, we are before the King. Carry the food quietly."
Was there any way to resolve this?
The conference was drawing to a close. Even old Mortar and the accompanying Dark Elf warriors seemed to have no intention of further pressuring Atou and ruining her mood.
Their exhausted expressions spoke volumes.
The King of Mynoghra, who should possess limitless power.
He, the one called the most splendid player in 'Eternal Nations', felt as though he were being branded incompetent for some reason.
"Hey, you lot."
Therefore, when those words naturally came out of his mouth, Takuto understood.
The greatness of the power he possessed, and the power held by the civilization called Mynoghra.
As long as he was willing, a problem of this magnitude didn't even merit serious consideration.
"Come be my citizens."
A solution to everything had surfaced in his mind.
A truly wonderful method that would resolve it all. The self within was certain it was possible.
He even felt like mocking himself for not having done so until now.
But the sight that greeted the confident smile playing on Takuto's lips as he surveyed everyone was a chorus of gaping mouths and eyes that screamed, "What are you saying?"
Not just the Dark Elves—even Atou was directing such a gaze at him.
In a fleeting moment, Takuto understood he had catastrophically failed at communication, reconfirmed his own social ineptitude, and desperately fought back tears threatening to spill over.
=Eterpedia===
[Warlock (Elder Mortar)]Magic Unit
Combat Power: 3 / Movement: 1
<Sage> <Dark Magic Lv1> <Famine>
———
~~A seasoned knight may do the work of a hundred warriors.
But a seasoned magician can do the work of a hundred knights~~
The Warlock is a seasoned magic unit, an upgraded version of the[Mage].
With an adequate Mana source, it can learn Tactical Magic up to Lv2, allowing for a favorable turn in battle.
However, since its combat ability is not particularly high, it generally requires an escort.
Additionally, some magic units may acquire the ability of "Wise Man".
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