"Mm-hmm. Excellent. Truly excellent. But I reject your proposal."
"…Huh?"
At Takuto's words, Vittorio let out a startled cry.
He couldn't understand what his master was saying.
No, he understood the literal meaning. But why Takuto would say such a thing was utterly beyond him.
"No, really. You sound just like the Vittorio I know. I'm glad you're speaking from the heart."
"Why…?"
For a strategist to ask 'why' is a foolish act.
To ask for an explanation about a situation one cannot understand, especially from someone you're not trying to manipulate, is equivalent to admitting one's own defeat.
Vittorio understood this of course.
Yet, even understanding this, those words were all that came out.
"Oh? Did you think I would say yes? Well, it's true that this vile tome defines you as the subordinate I trust most. It's written that you are the only one whose words I will listen to."
You're greedy, aren't you—Takuto added with a faint smile.
His words were true. And they were the reason Vittorio had been so confident and delivered such a lengthy speech before him.
Takuto had regained his consciousness through the power of perception generated by the followers of the Ira faith that Vittorio had founded.
This meant that the settings of the vile tome had unquestionably reached the Nameless Evil God, and that, as written, Takuto would take Vittorio as his primary subordinate and heed his words.
But it was more than that. Vittorio had demonstrated many stratagems.
By creating the massive second domestic power base of the Ira faith, he had greatly bolstered Mynoghra's national strength, and he had shown himself capable of wielding a tool of control like religion—a tool unbound by the constraints of the state.
And while it was hindsight, by creating the formidable enemy of the 'Diary Saint,' he had manufactured a situation where their previous military strength would have been woefully inadequate.
To reject the existence of the inviolable Ira-Takuto as depicted in the vile tome was, by any rational measure, difficult to comprehend.
Moreover, there was no way Takuto Ira would deny the strategy of Vittorio, his most trusted first subordinate. That was how he had arranged it.
Something… was very wrong.
Vittorio's eyes wavered. An impossible notion began to dominate his mind—that his strategy might crumble from its very foundations.
"I sensed it from the start. Your behavior, while certainly admirable, felt… restrained somehow. Just as you came to distrust my abilities, I felt a similar distrust from your actions."
Takuto spoke.
It was as if he had seen through Vittorio's strategy all along.
But that was wrong. From the moment Takuto awakened, he had been continuously transforming into the very image of Takuto Ira that Vittorio envisioned.
How could the Takuto Ira who considered the "Hero of Slip-ups" his first confidant possibly entertain such thoughts?
And was that not precisely why, during their last audience, the Mire Atou had not been present?
To demonstrate to all, inside and out, that his chief advisor was Vittorio.
Yet, as if to mock Vittorio's confusion, Takuto continued with a remarkably light tone.
It was the casual ease of one catching up with an old friend.
"Well, admittedly, my strategies were often rather pathetic, and I underestimated the situation and failed on occasion. I imagine that disappointed you. So, on my end, I also took various countermeasures."
Wrong, utterly wrong.
Something was going terribly wrong. Vittorio's mind raced as he desperately reviewed every action he had taken thus far.
But there were no errors, no failures to be found.
Where, exactly, had Takuto learned of his strategy and prepared his counter?
Astonishment, shock, and a strange, certain joy filled Vittorio as he waited for his lord's words.
"Ah, previously, you always said a 'Plan B' was essential. Do you recall?"
"Y-Yes, of course. I have not forgotten."
Second plan. A contingency measure.
In any operation, unexpected events may occur. A strategist's duty is to prepare countermeasures for every eventuality.
What Vittorio had prepared was Yonayona, the proxy pontiff.
In her case specifically, she was meant to take control of the Ira Church on his behalf should Vittorio become unable to manage its activities due to some unforeseen problem.
In that sense, the position of proxy pontiff was an accurate description of Yonayona's role.
But Takuto was probably not referring to Yonayona. He was speaking of the principle that all endeavors require a backup.
His intention was therefore—
"I see, that's good. Then you should be able to understand this."
The figure of Takuto before my eyes blurred.
Replacing him was an abominable infant. It was one of Takuto's powerful subordinates, a creature possessing the ability of mimicry.
"Admittedly, the problem arose because I, as Takuto Ira, overused the power of the 'Nameless Evil God.' Your strategy was truly brilliant, I must concede. However, I was not entirely without a contingency plan for this situation. I had, in fact, taken precautions."
From the infant's mouth flowed Takuto's words.
To see through mimicry requires an ability of comparable level. Vittorio possessed the same power, but unfortunately, discernment was not his specialty.
It would be a lie to say I hadn't anticipated this at all... but his precise intent remained unclear.
"So, the 'failure'!! Mimicry ability! But why!?
No... if that's true, then the foundation crumbles.
The teaching that forbids idol worship. The absolute doctrine stating none but Takuto Ira must be revered.
A dispersion of recognition toward the divine occurs, creating room for interpretation.
And I, the very founder of the Ira religion, was the one who did it!
"Y-You deceived me!?"
At those words, Takuto lets out a soft chuckle.
Spoken by the <Failure>, it's unclear where the real Takuto resides, but he is likely monitoring our situation at all times.
I had heard Takuto's leadership abilities had not yet returned, but that too must have been a lie from the start.
"Our battle of wits always excites me. It's nostalgic, really. I used to clap my hands with glee every time I guessed one of your plots."
The situation has completely reversed.
All of Vittorio's schemes are sealed, and Takuto's victory is all but assured.
The hero of the slip of the tongue has almost no means to turn things around now. He has no idea what the other side is capable of.
Even Vittorio would not harbor the naive thought that he could play a winning hand from this position.
"But! Even so, it does not satisfy me! The reinterpretation I performed must have reached you for certain! Otherwise, your body would still be unconscious! You could not have devised such a scheme! I am! Your one and only trusted confidant!"
"You were correct to surmise my loss of consciousness was due to the <Nameless Evil God>'s ability. It's not wrong to consider it a trait that constitutes me, much like the Ruin King or the leader of Mynoghra. However, the one misconception you have is that this applies to Takuto Ira, not to Takuto Ira."
At those words, Vittorio inhaled sharply.
He now grasped the general situation. But it was a truth that delivered a crushing humiliation.
If Takuto's words were fact, then Vittorio had been nothing more than a man dancing alone from the very beginning...
"You should already understand to some degree, shouldn't you? That this world possesses a kind of multi-layered structure."
Slowly, he nodded.
Vittorio roughly understood that there existed a certain kind of absolute, insurmountable wall for beings in this world.
For example, beings native to this world, such as Dark Elves, could generally be defined as equivalent to or lower than standard game NPCs.
Conversely, reincarnators like players were upper-level existences, and the gods who seemed to have summoned them into this world occupied an even higher position.
Though there were no definitive boundaries or visible differences between them, they could be distinguished by the overwhelming disparity in power.
"Ira Takuto is nothing more than a personality within 'Eternal Nations.' And that is merely a part of the higher-level existence, Ira Takuto."
The Nameless Evil God was merely one aspect of Ira Takuto, the top-ranked player in 'Eternal Nations.'
Just as a chess piece cannot attack the player moving it, a lower-level existence faces tremendous difficulty in directly influencing a higher-level one.
Even if the existence of Ira Takuto were to vanish, the human being Ira Takuto would not disappear.
This was especially true if it concerned spirituality or the meaning of existence...
That was the law of this world.
"In other words, from the very beginning, even if Ira Takuto were to lose his personality to the power of the Nameless Evil God, it wouldn't have affected me."
Since coming to this world as a reincarnator, Ira Takuto had always conducted himself as a player of 'Eternal Nations.' That made him the leader of Mynoghra, the King of Ruin, and the Nameless Evil God.
But his essence was, after all, Ira Takuto.
A gaming enthusiast with a limited lifespan, who had cleared numerous playthroughs alongside his most beloved favorite character.
That was the human named Takuto, his unshakable core.
"Still... perhaps because he spent so long as a leader, he did need a little propping up."
Takuto losing himself was, in truth, akin to car sickness.
Getting so immersed in a game that one confuses the game's characters with oneself. Just as some people suffer seizures after watching a shocking movie, Takuto was also temporarily swayed toward the nature of the Nameless Evil God under the influence of the concept of Ira Takuto.
But... even that was an anticipated event within Takuto.
And there was only one countermeasure.
"For instance... the child I trust most, the one who's replayed the game tens of thousands of times and knows me inside and out, keeps telling me about our memories together — about Takuto Ira — reminding me of who I am. Something like that?"
That Atou was by his side.
That Atou, whispering memories to him as he lay prostrate on the floor, awakened the essence of his being and freed him from the curse of Takuto Ira.
Though it sounded like a whimsical fairy tale, as Takuto had predicted, his recovery proved remarkably swift.
Of course, there was a high probability that Atou would do as much.
Because if their positions were reversed, he would do the same.
Takuto's revival was not the result of Vittorio's scheme. The timing had merely aligned by chance — in truth, it owed everything to Atou's devotion.
Too embarrassing to put into words, but an immense trust lay there.
"One who possesses surpassing cunning over all others, who has never been deceived by anyone. One who manipulates everything and laughs it all to scorn. But that also means they have never once been deceived."
Click, click — footsteps.
The door creaked open and someone entered, but the dazed Vittorio didn't even have the energy to turn around.
"Those are precisely the ones who are easily caught off guard in unexpected places. The pride that they cannot be deceived becomes arrogance, and that arrogance is what destroys them."
Could this even be called arrogance?
Defeat had been decided from the very beginning. Before he was even summoned, the scheme was already in place, its preparations perfected to the last detail.
Even for Vittorio, turning this around was next to impossible.
Just as the past could not be altered, there was no opening to exploit in a completed revival.
"Quite right. Let me state the conclusion plainly."
A voice came from behind.
Ah — this is it. This voice.
The singular artistry of controlling Vittorio alone, of making him dance in the palm of one's hand.
He was to be the hero of eloquence, one who would hoard all knowledge and mock everything with that cunning tongue, and I shall demonstrate such a master.
“Afater all, the entire scheme was engineered so that everything would be resolved if only Atou were present.”
A hand lightly alights upon my shoulder from behind.
Tears stream from Vittorio’s eyes.
That his long-awaited lord stood before him brought him more joy than anything else; and indeed, the lord he had believed in was truly a great existence just as he had believed.
Ah, sooner, sooner—speak the words.
Let me taste the humiliation of defeat.
“You are the second plan, Vittorio. It seems your turn never came, though.”
Takuto, approaching from the front, fixes his gaze upon Vittorio.
The words, spoken so gently, were more precious than anything.
To hear these words for the first time from the lord who stood before him.
The taste of defeat drove Vittorio to a madness stronger and more absolute than any other.