The night before a storm can sometimes give people a strange, indescribable feeling.
On this particular night, when rain fell steadily over a part of the southern continent where such precipitation was rarely seen, that uncanny sensation lingered in the air.
"Hmm..."
Mortar the Elder sat at a small, hastily arranged desk in the Dragontan Mayor's office, his gaze fixed on a single piece of paper.
Written in bold, flowing script, the content was a question—something of a homework assignment—from his previous liege, Takuto, issued at the time of his resurrection.
The question was: How did Takuto Ira survive that attack?
With multiple prerequisite conditions, it wasn't something that could be answered easily. Like a riddle of exceedingly high difficulty, it tormented the mind of the wise old man.
"No matter how I think, I cannot fathom it... It is certain the King used some means unknown to us, but what manner of means could allow for recovery from such a situation?"
As if in surrender, he leaned deep into his chair, which responded with a creaking groan of wood.
The candlelight on the table flickered violently, swaying in a larger wave, while the sound of rain from outside flowed into his ears with an almost uncanny pleasantness. The quiet moment eased some of his accumulated fatigue. Before long, Mortar the Elder rubbed his shoulders, signaling an end to his break, and moved to tidy up the remaining work—
"Oh, you're still thinking about that."
A voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Oh! It is you, Your Majesty. Please forgive my disheveled appearance. If you had but called, I would have come to you..."
Mortar the Elder reflexively began to address his lord, then grasped the impossibility of the situation and fell silent.
"Y-Your Majesty! When did you—!"
"Somehow it feels like the second time I've done this, but it's always fun to see everyone get surprised."
Laughing with a hearty cackle, like a child whose prank had succeeded, was the King of Mynoghra, whom he worshipped and served with his very soul and body. The sudden appearance of his sovereign caused Mortar's tension to spike instantly, while a torrent of information and questions whirled violently through his mind.
"Your Majesty. How did you come here? Weren't you currently infiltrating Quolia!?"
The very first question was this.
That Takuto—the one who had infiltrated Quolia, or more precisely, the Divine Light Kingdom Renea to reclaim Atou—was present here was something that could not possibly be considered under any normal circumstances.
There was a considerable distance between the southern continent where Dragontan existed and the northern continent where the Divine Light Kingdom Renea resided.
Even if the two locations were said to be relatively close, it would still take a significant amount of time to travel on foot.
Of course, to compare their king's abilities to those of an ordinary merchant or traveler would be far too disrespectful, but even so, it would normally require several days of travel.
Furthermore, currently, unknown monsters were appearing near the border of the two countries, and the Holy Knights and Fonkavun were on high alert and dealing with them.
To break through such a dangerous zone and arrive here—it felt far too quick and far too casual.
"Well, yeah. I used magic."
At the vaguely suggestive, somewhat distinctive pronunciation of those words,he couldn't help but tilt his head. However, since Takuto said nothing more, the elder Mortar also refrained from asking further questions.
The abyss of magic was endless.
Surely, techniques existed that even he did not know about within his own king.
Convinced by this thought, the conversation moved on to another topic.
"Oh, more importantly, where is everyone? Don't tell me they've already gone to sleep or something?"
"No, they were just taking a break. They should return here shortly... No, if the king has returned, it is a grave matter! I shall call for them at once!"
"Ah, there's no need to rush that much..."
Takuto instinctively tried to calm the elder Mortar, who was acting flustered beyond his years. But the words that followed made him break into a cold sweat.
"Certainly! There are mountains of things I must discuss with you, my king! Time is finite! I will prepare for a meeting immediately, so please, wait right here! Is that clear? Do not go off on your own; you must wait here!"
"Ha-hahah..."
This feels like I'm going to get squeezed dry on all sorts of things.
Ever since that infamous raid, Takuto had driven his Dark Elf subordinates to exhaustion.
Of course, there was meaning to it, and results to show for it.
Still, he had to admit he was now forced to confront the reality he had been averting his eyes from—the inevitable lecture.
...
...
...
"Lord Takuto!! We are so grateful you are unharmed! Please, punish us for our inadequacy!"
"Truly, truly, thank goodness. For a moment, I didn't know what would happen..."
"Lord Takuto, welcome back~"
"Welcome back, it is."
Gear and Emuru shed tears of relief, while the Elful sisters, who had already exchanged mountainous volumes of thoughts, greeted him with comparatively simple warmth.
Several others were also present, including the city’s elven lord Anterize and other high-ranking officials.
Surrounded by this sizable crowd all voicing their joy, Takuto sat down on the sofa with a somewhat embarrassed feeling.
"My, my. It feels like the temperature suddenly shot up, doesn't it?"
Now in a different room—a reception room, currently—the guest sofa was first occupied by Takuto himself. Naturally, the Elful sisters claimed the seats on either side of him.
Opposite sat Elder Mortar and Emuru.
The rest stood in a semi-circle around the sofas, creating a somewhat stifling atmosphere.
Ideally, they should have arranged a slightly larger conference room, but Takuto himself had refused, resulting in this peculiar formation. He judged this arrangement made voices carry better on rainy days, and indeed, the downpour outside was growing heavier by the minute.
It was rather pitiable that only one participant stood during the meeting, but none present were the sort to voice complaints or have such thoughts at this stage.
"Now then... where shall we begin? First, are the preparations I ordered ready?"
And so, the meeting commenced.
The agenda needed no explanation; everyone understood. The seeds of revenge the King had so meticulously sown were finally about to sprout.
"Yes, that is proceeding without issue. Domestic stability is naturally assured, and information control over the citizenry has likewise been managed without problem."
"Regarding the King's absence, there may be some who find it suspicious, but it ends there. The Holy Nation of Renea is scattering unconscionable lies, yet there is no unrest domestically, none at all."
"Mm, thank you."
Emuru and Elder Mortar answered in quick succession.
Domestic control appeared to be in order. Takuto himself, through his authority as leader, had already perceived this through the eyes of his subordinates and citizens, but receiving the reports gave him a deeper sense of confirmation.
He had felt some anxiety about leaving the helm of the state in others' hands, but they had responded well to his expectations.
Though, in the beginning, the elder contingent led by Mortar had been mostly useless, so perhaps the greatest credit belonged to the two young sisters on either side of him...
"As for Fonkavun, they are currently engaged in handling the monsters that have appeared at the border. They appear to have already pushed into the territory of Quolia — my apologies, Renea. How do you wish to proceed?"
"That matter has already been discussed with Pepe, so there's no problem. They'll want practical combat experience and profitable land, and there's no element on our side that would require us to interfere."
Hmm? Several glances shot his way.
The unspoken question was: "When did you conduct consultations with Fonkavun?"
He could have answered, but there wasn't quite enough time to explain that tonight, so Takuto deliberately ignored it.
The means of how it was accomplished were something that could be explained anytime; what was important now was the result of the consultation — that Fonkavun, meaning Pepe, and both nations had coordinated their response.
Elder Mortar and the others seemed to understand this, as they made no further comment. Naturally, they had no intention of detailing the contents of the decision reached by the leaders of both nations.
"The domestic situation is reassuring. Regarding the military front, however — how many rapid deployment units are prepared? I passed along the order to assemble them through Ceara and Mearia."
This was one of the cruxes of the current operation.
"We need at least one unit that can be mobilized immediately."
"Furthermore, because this time we require a certain number, a Dark Elf unit armed with firearms is preferable to individual Mynoghra units with high combat capability."
"Finally managed to prepare everything... Really managed to. Never want to do this again."
"The warrior corps members were fine, but the Bird-Head and Insect-Head started throwing tantrums, saying they only listen to the King's orders, and it was really troublesome. It was nice that the King could just go out on his own like that."
"I-Is that so..."
Takuto remembered that it was nighttime, even if the moon wasn't out, judging by the slightly intense aura around the twin sisters. Having caused them considerable trouble due to his own selfishness, he thought to himself with a wry smile that he must make time to thank and follow up with them.
But, in exchange for their mental strain, the results seemed excellent.
"The details will be explained by this Gear. The armed Dark Elf warrior corps is already fully prepared to sortie. They can move at any time upon your command. Furthermore, specified numbers of monsters under the King's command, such as the Long-legged Insects, have been assembled and are on standby within the Great Cursed Realm."
"Yes, yes. Perfect."
"So, we finally declare war on the Holy Kingdom of Renia and dispatch our army. Please, let this Gear lead the vanguard! To erase the shame of the past and certainly rescue Lord Atou!"
"Ah, I'm planning to have everyone else do something different, so I'll be the one to take back Atou."
At Gear's words, which were flatly rejected, everyone looked puzzled, murmuring "Oh?"
It was typical for Gear to charge headlong into things, but they too had expected an advance toward Renia.
They thought that the Holy Knights prepared by Mynoghra and Renia would clash, and during that, a portion of them would attempt to recapture Atou and defeat the Holy Maiden.
They believed that Takuto's infiltration of the enemy nation was the preliminary investigation for that stage.
But that expectation was completely overturned.
It seemed a grand plan, far beyond their comprehension, had yet to reveal itself.
"But then... At least let us serve as a shield or draw their fire, otherwise we cannot save face!!"
"Yes. I appreciate the sentiment, but honestly, the opponent is a bit too tough for everyone."
Those words hit like a bucket of ice water, dousing everyone who'd been more excited than Gear.
Try as they might to ignore it, when considering this operation—the recapture of Atou and the defeat of the enemy—there was one fact that could not be avoided.
It was the cruel reality that Mynoghra’s forces were incapable of landing a decisive blow against the foe.
"Your Majesty… who are they?"
Elder Mortar, speaking for all, asked the question.
On that day, they had tasted the true despair of absolute helplessness.
They had watched their king be harmed before their very eyes, and seen their own desperate resistance rendered utterly meaningless.
What kind of trickery had been used? What power had been employed?
Takuto’s miraculous resurrection was one thing, but the enemy’s abilities were also shrouded in the unknown.
"They are those who possess the authority of a TRPG. They have powers like mine… but completely different."
"TRPG?"
The softly spoken words were unknown to anyone present.
From the unfamiliar term, they could only deduce it was something from the "Land of the Gods" their king often spoke of, but such a guess naturally provided no answers.
However, for this particular topic, Takuto apparently deemed an explanation necessary. Unlike his earlier brief remarks, he now began to outline the details, albeit hazily.
"Umm, well, it’s hard to explain. How about… they have the ability to judge any action based on the result of a dice roll."
Eventually, the astonishing truth was revealed.
The power of a TRPG was, in essence, the power of gambling.
It framed every action as a game of chance, allowing the intervention of fate as dictated by the dice.
In other words, no matter how much effort or overwhelming strength one possessed, bad luck meant death. Conversely, no matter how incompetent and powerless one was, good luck meant survival.
It was a power that negated all prior conditions, a succession of make-or-break gambles decided in the moment.
It was an authority that the opponent possessed.
Takuto continued to reveal the information he had obtained.
The being called the Game Master. The witch under his command. The holy woman who accepted and joined hands with that witch, and the former southern province of Quolia.
A faction that could even be called an existence similar to themselves, who had changed their players.
That was who they were currently facing.
Naturally, the Dark Elves were deeply shaken.
They already knew there was a holy woman among the enemy, but now they had also accepted a being of magic. That witch and her master were beings equal to gods, just like Takuto.
However, what truly astounded them was the identity of the unknown power of the enemy that had offered no resistance whatsoever on the day their king was attacked.
"In other words, our attacks couldn't reach because that judgment resulted in a failure, didn't it?"
It was far too reckless a gamble.
One misstep, and defeat would have belonged to the enemy—and the probability of that was higher.
But the victor was the enemy. In other words, the enemy had triumphed magnificently in what was tantamount to an endless series of gambles.
That was what the elder Mortar thought.
"No, that was because the arbiter forced a success judgment through."
The reveal of the trick was so unreasonable that it took some time to comprehend.
"The enemy leader, the Game Master, can manipulate any judgment as he sees fit. Even if black comes up, if he says it's white, it's white. No matter how many forces we marshal and advance against him, if he simply judges his own victory, we lose. That's how it works."
Everyone present... even the Elful sisters, who had become witches, were left speechless.
This wasn't a gamble left to the mercy of fate. It was rigged from the very start, with only favorable judgments guaranteed to be made for the other side.
There was no contest. Only a predetermined future of the enemy's victory and their own defeat existed.
"The reason Atou was taken was because of this authority. Normally, no matter how well you roll the dice, it shouldn't have gone that smoothly—but they just wrenched her away."
Only at times like this did Takuto show the expression of a man chewing on bitter herbs. More than his own defeat, it seemed the loss of Atou was what he regretted most. The enemy had been that powerful.
"Your Majesty! Atou—is Atou going to be all right!?"
At the mention of Atou's name, Emuru could finally contain herself no longer and cried out. It was a question that weighed on everyone's heart, and one whose answer all of them anxiously awaited. As a fellow woman—and moreover, one who had been cared for by Atou in all manner of ways while running Mynoghra—Emuru's feelings on the matter were surely all the more acute. Her trembling eyes looked as though tears might spill at any moment, and her words of concern shook with barely suppressed anxiety.
"Atou, huh..."
The quiet words, laden with emotions difficult to put into a name, made Emuru's shoulders flinch. *Could it be—could the situation be even graver than we imagined?* That sickening premonition took hold in her chest. The king had returned safely, and the fact that he had gone to such lengths as infiltrating the enemy's territory to conduct his own investigation had given them grounds for optimism regarding Atou's safety. But that groundless optimism was now fading away, and inescapable anxiety came rushing in to fill the void.
Takuto surveyed Emuru and the others who could not conceal their distress, then explained her circumstances while straining to keep his composure.
"Well, you see—she was breathing in much better air than I'd expected, so I think she's fine on that front."
Eh?
The sheer bewilderment of that single syllable blew away the heavy atmosphere in an instant, and looks that plainly asked *What on earth are you talking about?* pierced Takuto from every direction.
"...My liege? What do you mean, 'better air'?" Old Mortar voiced the question on everyone's behalf.
Deep furrows were etched between her brows, and she stroked her chin beard in a manner suggesting complete bewilderment.
"I was just lounging around every day without doing any work, eating all those delicious local specialties over there..."
Everyone fell silent.
The atmosphere, which should have been solemn, had been thoroughly shattered.
The twins had veins bulging on their foreheads while maintaining smiles, and even Emuru, who had been so worried, held his head in his hands.
The hero whose safety they had all been concerned about had somehow become completely acclimated to the other side.
"If you're not my subordinate anymore, you really are free, huh..."
No one answered her.
For her sake, Takuto refrained from mentioning it, but he had been secretly observing her every move when Atou wasn't aware.
This included the time during the conference with the saint and witch when she had scattered lavish displays of infatuation, and when she talked day and night to the poorly made Takuto doll.
Only Atou herself was unaware. If she found out, she would undoubtedly scream and roll around on the floor in shame, but fortunately, Takuto had decided to take this memory to his grave.
"W-Well! It's reasonable to assume the enemy has driven her mad! We need to get her back quickly! It's pitiful if she stays like this!"
He offered this half-hearted support, but fundamentally, Atou had always been something of a free spirit even when she was Takuto's subordinate, so this claim wasn't particularly convincing on the surface.
Confusion and anger about what she was doing accounted for half their feelings.
Relief and joy that she was safe at all accounted for the other half.
In the end, the Dark Elves decided to accept Atou's eccentricities and focus their efforts on how much they could contribute to confronting the crisis now facing Mynoghra.
"But Your Majesty—how will we defeat the enemy?"
"Indeed, Big Sister. If the opponent wields power like that of a god, our defeat is certain. I see no opening to exploit. Moreover, even though Atou may be unemployed now, she is still on the enemy's side. To bring her back, we would need to break her brainwashing. Unemployed though she may be."
As always, the twins were sharp.
Feeling a bit timid about whether he should have come in the morning instead, Takuto nevertheless conceded that their questions were valid.
The TRPG faction's abilities were nothing short of vicious. What made it truly fatal was that the GM was wielding that power without the slightest restraint.
That authority to adjudicate all phenomena. Originally, it was meant to be exercised with moderation and good sense—but once it slipped free of those chains, there was virtually no means of resistance.
Yes—virtually none.
In other words... though only ever so slightly, there still remained some avenue.
"There isn't much in this world that's truly perfect. When it comes to people, the word 'imperfect' is far more fitting. And even power akin to a god's—as long as it's wielded by human hands, there are always ways to work around it."
In truth, Takuto had succeeded in using a certain method to conceal his actions from the GM.
That very success was what Takuto had desired most in Renea's land—the key to toppling the omniscient authority of the absolute arbiter.
Takuto had... completed every preparation for this operation, and returned here to Dragontan.
"Muu!"
"Huh!? Wh-why?"
From both sides, words of protest rose up toward him.
Wondering what he'd done to upset them, Takuto panicked—yet for once, without anyone spelling it out, he understood the twins' demands all too well.
Namely: it was time for him to reveal the trick.
"You're right. I suppose it's about time we compared answers! Or rather, I have to admit this might have been too difficult..."
As he spoke, Takuto pointed toward old Mortar's chest, then formed a square shape with his fingertips.
Old Mortar pondered the gesture for a few seconds before letting out an exclamation and drawing a slip of paper from inside his garment.
Seeing it placed reverently on the table, Takuto began to speak.
What had happened that day.
What he had done...
...
…
"Now then, let's confirm once more. The primary objective of this operation is the recovery of Atou. Secondly, the defeat of the hostile Saint and Witch."
No one... could open their mouth.
"I will handle the adjudicator's authority that the GM uses. That power has a fatal flaw."
Because they had glimpsed a fraction of the authority Takuto possessed.
"What I want from everyone is to clean up afterwards. Erasing the nation known as Renia, the Kingdom of Divine Light, from the map would be a bit much for me alone, you see."
Comprehension could not keep up.
Whether such a thing was possible was, of course, no question. His power was certainly outrageous, and would surely rival that of the one called the GM. But where did such an idea even come from? That question dominated their minds. It was not something a being possessed of will could easily conceive of.
"Probably, once this operation is over, the entire continent will be in chaos, but oh well. It can't be helped. They were the ones who stole Atou from me, after all."
The only thing they truly understood was this: the being before them stood outside their imaginations, truly an entity akin to a god.
"Oh, speaking of which, since we're at it, let's come up with an operation name! Um... then, let's call it 'Operation Decapitation of the Kingdom of Divine Light'!"
And simultaneously, they realized that within him resided the malice and ill-will befitting the one who called himself the King of Ruin, and above all, a terrifying evil so profound it was difficult to even put into words.
"Be thorough. I am the type to settle all scores properly when I'm wronged."
Here, the command of the King of Ruin was given.
Its name was, as if in bitter repayment, precisely the same method the holy camp had taken.