Participation in the conference of all factions.
It was already a decision made in Takuto's mind.
He could not afford to fall behind in intelligence gathering, and there was also the pact with Yuu Kamiya.
There was a very high chance this was a trap set by Vagia, the witch of the Succubus faction. However, even so, there was no way he could let this once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity slip by.
Therefore, Takuto intended to push this decision forward forcibly if he had to.
At the same time, however, it was also true that he possessed means to make his subordinates understand—or rather, to leave them no choice but to understand.
"Now then, due to these circumstances, we have formed an alliance, and due to these circumstances, I am attending this conference. There are many parts I am reporting after the fact, but this issue holds important meaning for me personally as well, so I ask for your understanding that the decision-making process has been different from usual."
"Hah!"
The Dark Elves bowed their heads.
This was not a conference room but the throne hall. It was a maneuver to further impress upon them that this was an order from the king.
The Dark Elves understood this well, too, listening to Takuto's words with even more formal decorum than usual.
"I have grasped the situation. You are heading to the El-Na Spirit Contract Union for a conference on an issue of great importance to the King, and one that has been a concern for some time. We understand this is a matter of state."
"However, Your Majesty! If I may speak out of turn, please permit my remonstrance! This expedition is far too dangerous, in my humble opinion. Of course, there must be circumstances beyond the comprehension of us insignificant beings regarding your relationship with the hero Yuu. But to accompany an unknown partner, whose true nature is unclear, to their very stronghold while our alliance is still new—there are dangers on all fronts, and as your vassal, I cannot in good conscience agree."
Just as Gear said, the danger was high. The risk of Yuu betraying them midway was one thing, but even if he were trustworthy, the designated venue was the capital of the El-Na Spirit Contract Union.
In other words, the heart of enemy territory.
Normally, one would find no vassal who would approve of attending a conference under such conditions.
But Takuto possessed a strategy to overturn that premise.
"Yes, I understand everyone's concerns, of course. That's why I have no intention of going myself this time."
A murmur of confusion rose from the Dark Elves.
What exactly is going on? That is the simple question. "I will be joining all faction leaders in a meeting," the king had stated earlier. But did his next words contradict that? It was a confused groan, an inability to understand his intentions.
Takuto flashed a delighted grin, like a child whose prank had succeeded, and turned his gaze toward the clownish man he had forcibly dragged into today's meeting, as if to say he would resolve the doubt immediately.
"That's the situation, Vittorio. I'm counting on you."
"Huh?"
Vittorio stared back with a look of surprise, as if to say he was caught off guard.
But Takuto cast him a bewildered look, as if to say he probably anticipated this even without being told, and then deliberately explained his own planned strategy to the Dark Elves, giving them an explanation as well.
"No, your ability is precisely for times like this, isn't it? Don't tell me you've forgotten your 'Impersonation' skill?"
Vittorio's "Impersonation" was an ability with the same nature as the "Failed Creation's" "Mimicry." That is to say, it allowed the user to completely become any given person, and moreover, this transformation could not be detected by ordinary means.
In addition, while Vittorio could not perform combat actions, he possessed the ability to revive at his base even if he was killed.
It was no exaggeration to say this was prepared specifically for the high-risk nature of this meeting.
"Oh, w-wait a moment, my god! I have submitted a request to use my accumulated paid leave! I have a family service trip planned for that day, so my schedule is completely full!"
"You can play with people from other factions!"
"Oh my! My heart is slightly swayed!"
The Failed Creation's Mimicry and Vittorio's Impersonation. With this, they could at least plant doppelgängers for himself and Atou. Vittorio would revive even if he died, and even if the Failed Creation was eliminated in the worst case, it was within acceptable parameters.
To reap maximum benefits without bearing any risk. Takuto considered this to be a highly efficient strategy.
He explained it in a way everyone present could understand.
"Wait, w-wait, please wait, Lord Takuto! Huh? Huh? You said... my doppelgänger? That disgusting piece of trash, who makes my eyes nauseous just looking at him, is going to transform into either you or me!?"
Atou, in an uncharacteristic panic, pressed close to Takuto.
She looked half in tears, clearly quite shocked. And understandably so. The relationship between Atou and Vittorio was so bad it could be called worse than dogs and monkeys.
In short, the hero Atou of the filth loathed every single aspect of the being known as Vittorio.
Despite that, playing body double was an absolutely unforgivable act.
If Vittorio refused to transform into himself, he would transform into the Takuto that Atou revered.
Conversely, if he refused to transform into Takuto, he would gleefully transform into Atou and mimic her every move without a doubt.
Either outcome was utterly catastrophic.
And because this was Takuto's decision as king, it could not be denied.
A cornered rat—that was what despair painted onto Atou's face.
"Oh, oh, I see, well then, let's start right aw—"
That such an attitude would leave him open to attack—whose sentiment was that, in the end?
Vittorio, with a smile of genuine, heartfelt bliss that reached the bottom of his heart, suddenly began to move his hands in a strange, bizarre dance.
Then his silhouette began to warp and distort with a crackling sound, and what appeared there was...
"Heh heh heh. How about this, Atou? It's me, your master, Takuto Ira."
A spitting image of the real person, but on the face of Takuto Ira who appeared there was a look of indescribable shadiness.
"GYAAAAAAAH!"
"W-Whoa!"
Amidst a scream so lacking in refinement that it was unbecoming of a woman, Atou collapsed to her knees.
That reaction, one she would never show under normal circumstances, left even Takuto, who had known her for a long time, at a loss for words—not to mention the Dark Elves.
But for the current Atou, the reaction of those around her seemed to matter not at all.
With tremendous force, she lifted her head and, as if ready to pounce, closed in on the fake Takuto Ira—that is, Vittorio.
"W-W-W-What do you think you're doing?! Of all people, you transform into Lord Takuto! It's disrespectful! Utterly disrespectful! Stop that disguise at once!"
"Ehhh? What's that? Lately, my ears are a bit hard of hearing, and I simply cannot make heads or tails of the screeching of a noisy little girl, I'm afraid!"
"Grgh...if it weren't for Takuto's form, I'd have slugged him right now..."
Vittorio, wearing Takuto's form, laughs with undisguised delight.
Atou's tentacles, which had appeared at some point, writhe restlessly as if to say they wanted to strike but couldn't.
This is exactly why I hate holding meetings with these two.
Pushing back the expected end time, Takuto first decides to pacify Atou.
"There, there, calm down, Atou. Besides, I couldn't think of any better strategy. Don't think our safety was bought cheaply with this. You don't want to go through something like that again, right?"
"Ugh, grgh...That may be true. Uuugh, Takuto-samaaaaa!"
Clearly still fuming, Atou clings to Takuto, half in tears, as he tries to soothe her. His gaze then shifts to the Vittorio wearing his form.
The disguise's effect is perfect. Right now, because he was deliberately acting foolish, it was easy to tell them apart, but if Vittorio seriously imitated Takuto, there would be no difference.
He already understood that a system-disguise was normally imperceptible when they were attacked by the TRPG faction.
Unless the opponent possessed an analysis-type ability, this shadow would not be seen through.
At the very least, the Hero Yuu believed the body double he had been dealing with until now was the real Takuto.
The "Failure's" mimicry could also be considered quite robust, much like Vittorio's.
"I am starting to enjoy myself! This summit of all factions. It seems likely to have an exciting and wonderful result!"
Vittorio was getting into it.
The only concern with this strategy had been Vittorio's whims, but it seemed the superlative bait of the all-faction summit had successfully captured his interest.
"However, going alone does seem rather unwise. Should a king attend without attendants, some may come to view him with less respect."
"Another one will be a 'Failure'. That child also possesses transformation, so I'll have them take the form of either me or Atou. Then we can maintain the appearance of a lord and his retainer. The Hero Yuu only has a retainer and himself, so we won't particularly stand out."
If that is the case...the elder Mortar seemed to accept the reasoning.
He could not tolerate the authority of a king being underestimated, but the logic made sense.
However, I thought that perhaps he should bring some subordinates, but Atou asked the question first on behalf of this seasoned sage.
"But Takuto, do we really need to go with just a small group to meet that hero? Dark Elves aside, I think it would be acceptable to bring some subordinates along as a precautionary measure, just in case..."
"But Atou, that would slow us down too much. And considering where we're going now, bringing useless subordinates along would only be a hindrance."
"Don't talk in Takuto's voice and manner! I'll kill you!"
"Mmm! That vulgarity feels so good!"
"Atou, perhaps such language is a bit..."
"Yes! I-I am truly sorry, Takuto!"
"I never get tired of watching this cutting board."
I didn't mind that Vittorio took over the explanation for me. In fact, I was grateful he explained it at all. However, I genuinely wished he would stop goading Atou at every turn. But it was also certain that if I tried to mediate here, it would just end up back where it started, so I decided to forcefully push the conversation along.
"Vittorio. Well, we still have plenty of time, so that should be fine, but just have everything prepared. As for the training in 'Disguise'... well, since it relies on a skill, there's probably no need to worry about it."
The date for the All-Faction Summit was still far off. If we were to believe what the other side said, they were indeed going around trying to talk to every faction, which would naturally take time. That meant we had a window to make various preparations. Strengthening cooperation with Fonkavun, considering future policies, and intensifying information exchange with Yu to gain insights and knowledge they didn't yet possess would all be good uses of this time. There were mountains of events piling up, but it could be said there was still a little more leeway before things became chaotic.
"Hmm, hmm. Then I shall go check on young Yonayona! And how about the great Takuto Ira?"
"Well, I should probably manage Selduchi, the city you acquired. Ah, but I should also go visit Yonayona at some point. It seems certain unnamed individuals are imposing all sorts of unreasonable demands on her."
There are several things that must be done, but the immediate problem is domestic governance.
At the very least, a broad policy should be decided upon. Especially for the city of Selduchi and its surrounding territories, which have newly come under our control.
One shouldn't neglect to feed the fish one has caught, but at the very least, leaving that place, that city, as it was is simply not an option.
It is true that managing such a vast region is a burden, but that also means the potential return is immense.
For Mynoghra to become the sole hegemon in this world going forward, securing its control over Selduchi as a bridgehead was an unavoidable path.
"I shall do my best!"
Vittorio offers encouragement as if it were someone else's problem. Atou, perhaps irritated by that very attitude, glares at him with a fearsome expression.
The Dark Elves uniformly wear looks of exhaustion. It was likely that individual petitions would follow after this.
Of course, the petition would be a request to no longer have Vittorio and Atou attend the same meetings in the future.
They didn't need to ask... but such it was.
"Well, for now, that's the gist of it..."
A few sympathetic gazes are directed at Takuto, who concluded matters with unusually vague words.
He was mentally weary, but decided that having a policy established was good enough.
Takuto told himself that.
=Eterpedia===
[Disguise / Mimicry] Unit Ability
These abilities allow a player to temporarily transform a designated unit to match the appearance of another unit.
The transformed unit will behave as its appearance dictates, but its combat capabilities remain those of the original unit.
By transforming allied units, one can disrupt enemy reconnaissance or investigate enemy forces. By transforming into enemy units, one can survey enemy territory.
These abilities can be seen through by units or buildings possessing the [Insight] type of ability, and will be instantly dispelled the moment [Insight] is triggered.
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