The terms concluded between Mynoghra and Fonkavun in this conference are as follows:
- Fonkavun shall transfer the town of Dragontan to Mynoghra.
At that time, Mynoghra shall also accept the transfer of citizens wishing to relocate from the town.
- Mynoghra shall provide Fonkavun with new armaments, namely firearms, ammunition, and associated equipment and tactics, free of charge. However, this provision shall become paid once Fonkavun meets the predetermined military strength criteria.
- A highway shall be constructed between the cities of Mynoghra and Fonkavun to strengthen trade and defense between both nations.
- The Dragon Vein Shaft in Dragontan shall be jointly managed, with operations conducted as separately agreed.
- Mynoghra and Fonkavun reaffirm their continued cooperation in addressing threats to the world.
Detailed arrangements will likely be decided at the level of civil officials and officers, but these are the principal points.
On this day, the town of Dragontan becomes affiliated with Mynoghra.
However, recording it in words is easy; carrying it out is difficult.
Considering the various procedures and work required for the transfer of Dragontan, one could say the real effort is only just beginning.
◇ ◇ ◇
In the palace of Mynoghra, the ruler, Takuto Ira, had summoned his trusted confidant, Atou, to hold secret consultations regarding future policy.
Only a limited number of individuals knew that Takuto and his Mynoghra originally stemmed from the game "Eternal Nations."
Until now, Isla had also been part of this circle, but currently, only these two understood that Mynoghra was based on the game system.
Therefore, it was natural that there were matters requiring consultation even while keeping them secret from the Dark Elves, and time was needed to grasp the situation from an overarching perspective, informed by the game's systems.
"Even in the game, changing a city's affiliation through transfer or conquest required a certain number of turns. This might be unavoidable."
The current topic concerned the town of Dragontan transferred from Fonkavun.
The negotiations had gone largely as anticipated. It was somewhat of an over-binding result with Fonkavun, but within acceptable limits from the perspective of strengthening the alliance.
However, time, more valuable than gold, continues to be consumed.
Even though Dragontan was transferred to him, it meant that starting tomorrow, he would be bogged down in miscellaneous tasks, including various handovers, rather than it immediately becoming part of Mynoghra.
"That's right, Takuto. However, since the transfer was peaceful, it shouldn't take too long to restore the city's minimum functions and operate it as a Mynoghra city."
"Yes, that part was really convenient. The people from Fonkavun seem to have accepted it too, so in a way, the city just fell into our lap."
"When you gain a city, there are many more things you can do!"
In 'Eternal Nations,' acquiring a city was broadly divided into two methods. One was to send in your own expedition team to build a city from scratch. The other was to obtain it from another nation in some form.
Both were time-consuming and costly methods, but upon inspection, a peaceful transfer of a city proved to be the most efficient method, both in terms of time and cost.
Takuto showed a satisfied expression for the unexpected gain, but at the same time, he steeled his resolve. "It's going to get busy. We don't know when hostile forces might appear again. Domestic and foreign investigations, strengthening our military power, bolstering national strength, deepening ties with Fonkavun... it'll be incredibly busy."
"But, this feels like the real deal for governing a nation, doesn't it?"
Yes, this was the real deal. One of the sources of 'Eternal Nations'' fervent popularity was city management. Its charm had been fully displayed even in the capital of the Great Cursed Realm's Mynoghra, which he built alongside the Dark Elves, but the scale of the cities was different.
Dragontan's population was currently estimated to be around three thousand. Due to population outflow from war and the transfer, this was the current size, but the city's potential was much higher. He would be able to do more than before.
That said, the crisis was far from over. It was by no means a situation to be optimistic about, but Takuto felt a thrilling excitement welling up inside him.
"Alright, then first, let's consider the defensive forces to send to Fonkavun. We'll prepare the food here, and have the local residents focus on restoring the city."
Emergency production allowed for swift replenishment of forces. The subordinates Mynoghra could produce were still all initial-stage ones, but if he gathered enough numbers, they would form a formidable defense and create a sturdy city.
Furthermore, he would not neglect expanding his existing forces. Citizens who transferred over and had military service would be integrated into new tactics to strengthen his military power.
"Thanks to some unnecessary fool dying, we have plenty of money. Let's press forward at full speed."
There was an overwhelming amount of work to be done. As if driven by some unseen force, Takuto threw himself wholeheartedly into bolstering the nation's strength.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, in the city of DragonTan, it was the very height of chaos. The decision regarding the city's transfer had come abruptly; for the inhabitants, it was a bolt from the blue, leaving them no time even to comprehend what was happening.
Communication amounted to a single posted notice. Even asking the district representative yielded no satisfactory answers.
But the world was changing with dizzying speed.
No matter how much they cried out, it would not wait for them, and people were forced whether they liked it or not to adapt to this upheaval.
"Mommy, I'm scared..."
"Th-this will be all right. The new king will surely be thinking of us."
In a small, makeshift dwelling in a corner of the residential area, a beastkin mother and daughter lived sparsely—and they were no exception. Their distinctive cat ears and tail marked them as feline kin. It was a common story in DragonTan: during the war, the father had abandoned them, and they had scraped by on dwindling savings and the occasional help from neighbors to survive until today.
She had heard from the district representative about DragonTan being ceded to the nation of Mynoghra. Naturally, they themselves would automatically become citizens of Mynoghra. Those who refused were reportedly permitted to leave for the Fonkavun homeland, but they had absolutely no such luxury. They could only be tossed about by the great currents of change.
Today, she had heard from the representative, was distribution day. The new nation, it seemed, would provide food for impoverished residents like them. The pantry was already empty. Resigned to the fact that they would starve if this continued, the mother and daughter desperately suppressed their anxiety and prepared to go out.
"Come now, be good and let's go get our rations together, okay?"
"O-okay..."
The rumor that Mynoghra was an evil nation spread widely throughout the city streets. It was said to be brimming with hatred and anger toward the righteous, never forgiving those who defied it. That rumor—which started from a soldier who claimed to have actually seen the king during a recent summit between the two kingdoms—spread like wildfire among the residents, instilling deep fear.
What would become of them? They had managed to live, albeit in poverty, until now, but there was no guarantee the life ahead would be the same. On the contrary, it wouldn't be surprising if they were made sacrifices for some evil ritual.
They didn't want to think that Fonkavun had sold them out, but considering the town's previously unsatisfactory response to the barbarian raids, only the worst predictions came to mind.
The anxiety couldn't be shaken off. Yet there was no one anywhere who would help them.
The mother took her terrified daughter's hand and opened the door leading outside for the first time in days. She prayed to their ancestors that, at the very least, they would have enough to survive...
"SKREEEEECH!!"
Before the pair's eyes, a colossal insect suddenly sped past at tremendous velocity.
Surprise came before fear. The creature, unlike anything they had ever seen, hurtled forward with single-minded intensity, as if utterly oblivious to their existence.
As the mother and daughter finally grasped that something supernatural had just happened right before them, they adjusted their hair, tousled by the wind generated by its tremendous speed.
There was no lingering terror. The insect in question had already run off somewhere far away and was no longer even visible. Only its strange cry could be heard, suggesting it was still nearby.
"M-mom! A huge bug! A bug!"
"O-oh, it was a very large bug, wasn't it?"
Putting on a vague smile at her daughter's wide-eyed, excited report, the mother began walking in the direction the mysterious giant insect had come from.
She had heard that Mynoghra commanded various wicked monsters.
That insect must certainly be one of them.
It seemed that the aforementioned insect was patrolling the city, and they managed to catch sight of it several times afterward.
It moved too quickly to get a clear look, but it didn't seem to be paying them any attention, so there was probably no cause for concern.
A mother and daughter received the Demon Lord's baptism right from the start.
Their terror was far outweighed by their confusion, but this time, surprise awaited them.
It happened when they emerged onto the city's main thoroughfare.
"H-How incredible..."
"Right!"
The city brimmed with an unprecedented vitality.
Piles of building materials—so vast it was impossible to guess their source—along with various items that appeared to be relief supplies were stacked everywhere.
It was clear these were for rebuilding the city, as former residents of old Dragontan scurried about busily in every direction.
Overseeing them were officials who looked like Dark Elves.
Their unfamiliar attire and air of authority made it obvious they were dispatched from Mynoghra's capital.
The Dragontan the mother and daughter knew had been far more closed-off and, given the circumstances, desolate.
Now, it was like they were preparing for a festival. Even without doing anything, they couldn't help but feel their spirits lifted by the sheer energy.
Whether they noticed the pair's excitement or not, a peculiar procession approached from ahead.
"Hey! Where am I supposed to take this flesh tree?!"
"Umm... where was it again? I think it was—!! Ah! Understood! My thanks for the order, Your Majesty! —It's that district over there! The beastman in civil engineering is leveling the ground."
"Wait, did you just get a command from the King? Damn, I'm jealous!"
"Hahahaha! The King is always watching our work! Now, let's go!"
On top of the wooden cart pulled by Dark Elves sat a tree nearly as tall as a person. It looked vastly different from what they knew, twisting in ways that seemed to defy the laws of the world, even having indentations mistaken for eyes and a mouth. And hanging from this tree were strange fruits, something profane in appearance utterly unfit for human consumption.
"Mother, it's such a strange tree! Tree! ...Tree?"
"Well, something, isn't it? I get the feeling it has fruits you really shouldn't look at... but is it a tree, I wonder?"
It said it was a flesh tree. It definitely said it was a flesh tree.
And for some reason, the tree was dexterously waving its branches, as if greeting the girl with a hand wave. The girl, who had glanced at it, waved back energetically—but did she understand what she was greeting?
Trees singing and dancing are things from fairy tales. In reality, they neither sing nor dance.
Wait... it's actively waving right now, so apparently, I'm the one who's wrong.
Feeling a headache coming on as the mysterious tree was rattle away to parts unknown, the mother continues on with her daughter, who is still waving energetically.
"Let me see, it should be around here."
"Wow! There are so many people, Mother!"
"Yes, let's not get separated."
They soon arrived at the town square.
Just the other day, this place had been piled high with various wartime supplies like swords and arrows for the battle against the barbarian tribes. Now, however, it served as a distribution point where Mynoghra supplied the residents and issued various instructions.
The letters on the information board nearby were understandable even to people of low status like them. After confirming with a Dark Elf who was likely patrolling the area, they lined up at the designated distribution queue.
The mother eyed the front of the line, puzzled by how obediently the townspeople were queuing.
Fonkavun was a multi-species nation, home to people of many different races. Naturally, the residents who had come to be affiliated with Mynoghra were equally diverse.
Their cultures and customs had subtle differences, and above all, their dispositions were completely different.
It was strange how everyone was so obedient now, when they would never have listened so easily before. This puzzled the mother.
"The rations are over here! Come, come, citizens of Dragontan! Subjects of the King! Eat your fill and increase your loyalty to the great Lord of Ruin, Takuto Ira! Wah ha ha!"
"Mama, what about that bird-person?"
"Perhaps they are a soldier of the new nation. Make sure to greet them properly."
"Okaaay!"
The soldier-like figure at the distribution point wore a bizarre outfit. From head to toe, they were shrouded in black cloth, topped with a hood shaped like a bird's head. To avoid exposing any skin, they wore gloves as well. Despite this strange appearance, the soldier distributed the rations to the residents with a lighthearted voice.
Could it be that something hideous and inhuman writhed inside that outfit? Clinging to such an unrealistic thought, the mother waited for her turn.
Coincidentally, the creature matching the mother's imagination was one of the units Mynoghra was proud of—a being known as a Brain Eater.
Of course, the parent and child had no way of knowing this. When her turn came, the daughter cheerfully offered her greeting.
"Good morning! My name is Toto! I'm four years old!"
"A very good morning indeed! I am Shigeru, of the Brain Eaters! A newborn zero-year-old!"
Despite his strange appearance, his cheerful gestures seemed more than enough to melt the little girl's heart. Toto instantly beamed and happily bounced up and down, having taken a liking to this amiable soldier.
"Now, now, for a child who can greet so energetically, we shall provide extra rations! The King bestows the greatest rewards upon model, loyal citizens!"
"Hee hee, thank you!"
"Thank you very much."
Accepting the ration package on her daughter's behalf, the mother bowed politely.
She glanced back, confirmed the line wasn't long, and seemed to make up her mind before asking her question.
"Um... I have a consultation about that. The truth is, my daughter and I have no husband, and with a small child, it's very hard to find work."
Provisions were being distributed now, but that wouldn't last forever. She had to find some way to earn a living, or they wouldn't survive.
She'd considered leaving her daughter at home to go out to work herself, but the danger was too great for a mother to choose that path. With so few soldiers and poor public order, she couldn't dismiss the possibility of encountering human traffickers.
Hoping they might arrange some kind of home-based piecework for her, the mother was met with a response far from what she'd imagined.
"I see! Not my specialty, so I don't understand the complicated stuff! Hahahaha!"
Indeed, a bird-brain. His cheerful laughter was almost refreshing, but it contained not a shred of the answer she sought.
In the first place, he was just a provisions clerk. Perhaps she shouldn't have directed this kind of inquiry to him.
As the mother was about to open her mouth to ask if he could introduce her to someone who could help, unexpected aid appeared.
"There's no need to worry about that matter."
"Oh, who are you?"
"I suppose I'm this bird-brain's superior. The name is Career."
The Dark Elf girl who had appeared unnoticed introduced herself and bowed politely. Superior meant some kind of unit commander? The mother couldn't hide her surprise at someone older than her daughter but clearly not yet an adult holding such a high position.
Whether aware of these thoughts or not, Career smoothly began explaining what the mother had been seeking.
"Regarding single-parent families, households with the sick, or those without a working adult—His Majesty has issued instructions to prioritize provisions for them. Taxes are also waived until Dragontan's reconstruction is complete. After that, reduction and support systems are planned according to the situation."
"Um, what does that mean exactly..."
She was confused by the barrage of complicated words.
The mother had almost no education. Being from Fonkavun, where educational standards were already low, she had never been expected to handle such things in her life.
The mother struggled to keep up with the words coming from a girl far younger than herself, her mind working frantically to follow along.
Apparently her distress showed in her eyes, as the girl before her—Kyeria—nodded knowingly and rephrased her words.
"The king will never abandon those who live earnestly, no matter who they are."
"Ah, yes! Thank you very much!"
She had finally received an explanation she could understand.
A doubt arose—could the king of such an evil nation truly perform such a merciful act? Yet somehow the doubt dissipated, as if it were only natural.
"Everything is thanks to the king, Lord Takuto Ira."
"Yes! We are grateful for the mercy of the great King Takuto Ira!"
She had heard that Mynoghra was a terrifying nation.
They were said to harbor hatred and fury toward the righteous, and to never forgive those who opposed them.
But opening the lid, so to speak—how merciful and generous they turned out to be.
Tears of gratitude threatened to spill from her eyes.
Relief turned to thankfulness, and an overwhelming surge of loyalty to the mercy brought by King Takuto Ira welled up within her.
They were being protected. The anxiety about the future that had weighed so heavily on her vanished as if it had been a lie.
The mother finally felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Ah, what a wonderful nation Mynoghra was.
Even someone as poor and powerless as herself wanted to do something for the country. Driven by a feeling close to impatience, the mother resolved to discuss it with her daughter as soon as they returned home.
She still did not feel much like a citizen of Mynoghra. The world of a parent and child was small, and there was still so much she did not know.
There will be much to learn going forward. Yet there was a certain pride gleaming in the eyes of both parent and child.
"Stop! Let go, you...! Monster!"
...Suddenly, a commotion reached the cat ears of the parent and child.
A quick glance revealed a large bovine beastman being dragged away by another bird-headed one—a Brain Eater.
Had some problem occurred? A feeling of displeasure rose within them, as if their proud and determined mood had been sullied by an inelegant shout.
Frowning as they observed the scene, the daughter Toto raised her voice.
"Sister Karia! What's that person doing?"
"What is it, I wonder? Shigeru, do you know?"
At Karia's words, Shigeru turned his head around and fixed his gaze intently on the disturbance. After a moment, he clapped his hands as if remembering.
"Hmm...? Ah, yes! That is the scoundrel who was trying to extort rations from innocent citizens! I suppose they intended to sell them off under the table for a little coin. They will be skinned alive as execution, starting now."
"So that's what it is. They caught a bad person, so they're going to skin them."
"What!? S-skin them?!"
He spoke of something utterly atrocious with a casual air.
The strange soldier and the Dark Elf girl both displayed attitudes as though this were a perfectly natural act.
There was a nonchalance there, as if they were simply going to take a break and make some tea.
"Yes, yes. If you'd care to watch..."
"Huh? Ah..."
The mother was bewildered. Indeed, criminals were unforgivable beings.
In a situation like this, bandits required severe punishment. Especially to try and extort precious rations—such a crime could easily warrant the death penalty.
But... what about flaying them?
I thought I’d come and see for myself. While it’s common to hear about a criminal’s execution being made into a spectacle, making a skin-flaying into one was something entirely new.
As the mother stood wondering what to do, a small hand tugged at her sleeve.
"Mom! I wanna go see! I wanna see the bad guy getting skinned alive!!"
"Huh...?"
Her daughter had said something outrageous.
Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, her whole body brimming with eager anticipation.
What part of a criminal being flayed alive could possibly be exciting?
She had thought they might finally live in peace, but now she had to worry about her daughter’s future.
"W-well, just for a little while..."
"Yay!!"
Still, everything was a learning experience.
Watching a criminal die in agony might teach her something.
And truth be told, the mother felt a small, private curiosity to see it herself too.
After living such a long and bitter life, surely this much entertainment was forgivable.
With these thoughts, the mother bid farewell to the Carefree and the ration-distributing Brain Eater.
"Take your time, you know."
"Be safe!!"
While lightly scolding her bouncing, buzzing daughter to keep her quiet, the mother made her way to the execution grounds with a faint, unsettling flutter in her chest.
[Brain Eater]Medic Unit
Combat Power: 3 Movement: 1
Anti-human combat +50%
Anti-human treatment +50%
Human urban order +50%
Brain Eaters serve as the medics of Mynoghra.
As a basic ability, they possess the capacity to heal allied units in the same stack each turn.
Driven by a powerful obsession with humans, they wield potent bonuses against humans and their close sub-race relatives, the demi-humans.
However, deploying them in Mynoghra—a realm devoid of the human race—requires specialized strategies, making their operational difficulty high.