The day after the general policy of attending the all-faction conference was decided, Takuto immediately set about handling the backlog of meticulous administrative tasks that had accumulated.
The place he was in was the town of Dragontan. While Selduchi held higher importance, he had decided to finish this one first since it would take less time.
His purpose was to confirm the city's operational status and check for any practical problems.
Stability came before development—that was the policy Takuto currently sought in Dragontan.
Entering the familiar city hall, he told the flustered and apologetic staff member who rushed to guide him to return to his work, and then entered the mayor's office.
"Hello, Mayor Anterize. How are things going?"
He greeted lightly as he entered after a knock, and was satisfied to find Anterize greeting him with a face filled with surprise, but one that looked healthier than in the past.
"Oh! King Takuto Ira! If you had just said a word, I would have come to welcome you! Please, please, sit here. Oh, to think I couldn't provide a satisfactory welcome despite the great king's presence..."
"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who showed up unannounced. Besides, it's nothing that important..."
"Still, to come incognito without an escort... as your subject, I must counsel against it."
"That's fine. This is a shadow clone. It's also serving as an operational test."
"Kyaa! I see... it's a subordinate's ability, then? In that case, I am relieved. Please forgive my unnecessary advice."
Having learned this fact, Anterize finally understood the reason for this strange visit.
Though the king himself had said so, his arrival seemed far too casual, and moreover, Atou, who was always present, was missing.
Had there been some change in his circumstances? Was there a special reason?
He had been pondering this inwardly, but if it was a test operation of a shadow clone, it made sense.
On the other hand, Takuto himself was very satisfied with this exchange.
At this moment, Takuto's true body... that is, the real him, was in his private chambers within the palace of the Great Cursed Realm.
This is a counterfeit, exploiting the shared vision and telepathy with the Bungler to its fullest, conducting itself as though it were actually there.
The drawback was that this left the real person defenseless while doing so, but that was no issue—Atou and the Elful sisters still served as his bodyguards.
Controlling the Bungler did introduce a momentary lag, but for the purposes of conversation alone, it was seamless.
Because of that, it was hardly an exaggeration to say that the one present here was, in a sense, Takuto Ira himself.
(A spontaneous idea that started as a shadow-double scheme, but this is proving more useful than I expected. At the very least, it seems I can make good use of it beyond the full-faction summit.)
In a sense, it was no exaggeration to say he had gained an entirely new power.
This was something already known from prior battles—no matter how formidable the abilities one could wield through the game system, if the player themselves was taken down, it was all for nothing.
In other words, the player was an extraordinarily delicate asset for each faction to manage.
They could command unmatched power, yet being eliminated meant defeat.
Therefore, a player had to conceal their whereabouts as much as humanly possible.
Kuhara Keiji, the TRPG player, was a formidable opponent in precisely that regard.
What had become of him remained unknown, and that was precisely because he had hidden himself away so thoroughly.
It was easy to call him a coward, but that very cowardice was sometimes the most essential ingredient for victory…
He needed to emulate that cowardice.
What he had gained as a result of that emulation was this new shadow-double method.
Takuto was convinced this approach would prove an even more potent tool for Mynoghra going forward.
"Your Majesty, is something the matter?"
A voice suddenly called out to him.
There was no need to confirm who it was—it was Anterize, the city governor.
It seemed that without realizing it, he had once again sunk into the sea of his own thoughts.
Takuto was considering that perhaps zoning out mid-conversation wasn't a great habit, but he still offered an apology to Anterize for making her wait.
"I'm still getting used to the controls, you see. I'll need your continued support. As city governor, you're performing exceptionally well. I'm very satisfied with that."
"Oh my! If this humble servant could be of use, that is a joy beyond my wildest hopes. From now on, please command me exactly as the king desires. I shall stake my life and limb to govern Dragontan."
"Yes. This calls for a generous reward, then."
Fair and consistent rewards and punishments were vital for governing an organization.
Anterize was particularly fond of alcohol, so providing that would please her, which was convenient for Takuto as well. Of course, he also rewarded her with salary.
For those who worked hard, abundant rewards were in order. That was a matter of course for Takuto.
"Hehehe, I look forward to it. Now, what are your plans for today? Fortunately, the city administration has settled down somewhat, so I believe there are no issues troubling the king's mind..."
"As I mentioned earlier, my primary focus is the operation of these shadows. Also, I wanted to check on Dragontan's status in detail. With so many recent problems, management outside the Great Cursed Realm had been somewhat neglected, so I wanted to devote time to it when I could."
That said, in reality, there was probably little to check.
Regarding buildings, after the emergency production phase, there were few structures that urgently needed construction.
Proper operation—meaning the city's management was in a stable state—was precisely Takuto's wish, and verifying that was the true purpose.
In the end, much like his casual visit to Anterize, his visit to Dragontan was essentially a casual inspection, to be frank.
"I see, so that was your thinking. Then allow me to guide you personally. Thanks to the king's orders, the new buildings included, this city has now developed to the point of forgetting its former appearance."
"Are you sure? I dropped by unexpectedly, so if you're busy, someone else can do it."
"No, as I just reported, my duties have settled down, so there is no problem. Besides, to be guided by the king himself is such an honor—how could I possibly entrust that to someone else!"
Anterize rose abruptly from the sofa with a flare of spirit.
He had heard she was somewhat prone to slacking, but this instance seemed less like shirking and more like a result of having genuine free time.
Deciding that was the case, Takuto readily left the tour to her.
Come to think of it, an inspection of the city wasn't something one could do frequently given the current circumstances surrounding Mynoghra.
The quintessential charm of an SLG is surveying a developed city. Seizing this rare opportunity, Takuto braces himself, determined to thoroughly take in the sight of Dragontan, which he expects has grown enormously under his own power.
"Also... if possible, I was hoping to discuss the matter of the Ira religion with Mr. Vittorio directly..."
"G-go easy on me, please..."
His words betray his agitation. The Ira religion Vittorio had established was rapidly expanding its influence. It had now spread across the entire Dark Continent, to the point where its name was known to everyone. This simultaneously meant it brought troublesome issues. Their devotion to Takuto went beyond what the word "fanatical" could describe; even Takuto himself had no idea what they might do...
"Oh, right. Since the opportunity has arisen, shall we also summon Yonayona? Given it's a summons from the King, she would surely be pleased."
"Come to think of it, she was put in charge of managing the Ira religion, wasn't she? How is she doing?"
Yonayona, acting Pope of the Ira religion. She was the unfortunate girl singled out by Vittorio and then dumped with all the troublesome work of the faith. However, since her diligent nature made things more manageable for Takuto when she was at the helm, he had refrained from interfering with this appointment, despite his reservations. The thought of Vittorio possibly taking back management of the religion himself was too dreadful to contemplate.
Burdened with all of Takuto's expectations, Yonayona seemed to be performing admirably, just as he had hoped.
"In terms of administrative work, she shows promise for the future, but her skill in guiding people is truly remarkable. When we have her convey a message, negotiations proceed smoothly immediately—it's genuinely helpful. At this point, the city has firmly established its status as a religious center, and one could say it's now spoken of as inseparable from her, the acting Pope."
"I see. So Vittorio distributed the workload effectively."
"With that in mind, what would you like to do?"
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go ahead and make the request then, since we have the chance."
The Ira religion was the vast system Vittorio had created.
It was no longer confined to the framework of religion, and was stirring up a variety of consequences across the entire continent. While pondering the Church of Ira—that had, by strange coincidence, become inseparably entangled with Mynoghra—and what direction would be best to take going forward, Takuto idly let his thoughts wander.