The hero of Mynoghra, Atou of the Filth, was wrapped in unprecedented tension.
It was hardly surprising—after all, it had only been recently that Mynoghra was suddenly attacked by Brave Questus's Demon Lord army, resulting in the critical loss of a hero.
But the most important matter was the change in her master.
He had shed the leniency he'd possessed when they first came to this world, and on that day, he had shown such fury that even Atou felt fear.
Of course, Atou had fought alongside Takuto through thousands of battles. Even though those had been events within a game, she had sensed Takuto's anger on several occasions.
But the first genuine rage he showed since arriving in this world gave Atou the feeling that the man called Takuto Ira had fundamentally changed, and it was this that produced the spine-chilling tension she now felt.
(Perhaps things cannot remain as they were before...)
Atou felt a slight ache in her chest at the thought of those gentle, peaceful days being lost.
But there was no turning back.
Isla, defeated despite possessing such power. The disgrace of having allowed her master to be endangered while she herself was present.
And the clear threat in this world.
These facts tightened Atou's heart, and with strong resolve, power surged through her body.
The crisis had passed, and she had been given another chance to seize the next opportunity.
That was precisely why a second failure must never occur.
Impossible.
Because she was the hero, Atou of the Filth.
The supreme hero said to annihilate all enemies, and eventually even herself.
She would destroy Takuto's enemies. Without fail.
Shedding every last trace of her former softness, harboring nothing but fanaticism in her eyes...
"Great King Takuto Ira! Atou of the Filth, reporting!"
Atou threw open the door leading to the throne room where the king sat.
...However.
"Ugh, I want to die..."
"There, there..."
"We want you to cheer up, Your Majesty."
The owner himself, Takuto Ira, was sitting on the floor with his knees drawn to his chest, radiating an aura of despair, while his twin sisters tried to console him with gentle pats.
"Ta-Takuto-samaaaaa!!!"
"...Atou. I want to die."
Without looking at Atou even once, Takuto buried his face in his knees and declared this as his opening remark.
Any resolve he might have held moments ago had vanished. Atou, sensing that something utterly disastrous had occurred in a completely different sense, rushed over to Takuto.
"You mustn't! You mustn't die, Lord Takuto! What has happened? Please, tell this Atou everything!"
Timidly, Takuto raised his face, fixing his gaze on Atou.
For a while, he moved his mouth wordlessly as if trying to say something. But soon, the light of will in his eyes faded, and just like before, he buried his face in his knees again.
His spirit had been broken.
"Lord Takutoaaaa!!!"
Unable to comprehend the situation, Atou could only shout out in despair.
The greatest hero of Mynoghra was nowhere to be seen.
Well, perhaps it was inevitable, given that the 'greatest' player of the 'Eternal Nations' was in this state...
"There, there, good boy, good boy. Baby, baby."
"Sister. Um, I think calling the king 'baby' might be going a bit too far."
"It's fine. I'm a baby right now. I want to start over from before I was even born."
"There, there, baby, baby."
His older sister Meiaria kept happily stroking Takuto's head.
The younger sister Cari seemed less enthusiastic about it than her sister, probably thinking it was a bit much.
Noticing this younger sister, Atou beckoned Cari over without Takuto noticing and whispered to her in a conspiratorial tone.
"(Wh-what happened to Lord Takuto, Cari!?)"
"(I-I think it would be better if it didn't come from Cari's own mouth...)"
"(Guh, grrr... But! Lord Takuto won't tell me! This is a grave situation!)"
"(Why don't you try doing a 'there, there' like the big sister?)"
"(...Eh?)"
"(If you do that, I think the king will surely feel like telling Atou too.)"
"(Th-that's... something I, Atou, a hero and Lord Takuto's trusted subordinate, absolutely cannot do!)"
Unable to hold back, Atou raised her voice as she rejected Cari's proposal.
"(There's no way I can do that!)"
Atou rejected the idea again.
Her loyalty would never allow such disrespect toward Takuto.
"...Lord Takuto~! Th-there, there~! Atou, your Atou, is right here~"
In the end, Atou ended up stroking Takuto's head herself.
Honestly, she was incredibly curious. She had the pride and dignity of a hero, but more than that, she couldn't resist the sweet temptation of petting Takuto's head.
Moreover, at this moment, plenty of indulgences were on hand as well.
Repeatedly muttering excuses in his own mind—excuses aimed at no one in particular, all in the name of boosting Takuto's spirits—Atou made no effort to hide the corners of his mouth curling upward, clearly savoring the act of spoiling Takuto.
But there were times when what was plainly just an act meant only to please Atou actually worked.
Having his head patted by the person he trusted most, perhaps a sliver of Takuto's wounded pride had recovered.
Once again, a light of will returned to his eyes, and Takuto finally lifted his face.
Atou's wish had been granted.
Still, as of this very moment, she was patting Takuto's head.
"Ugh, Atou..."
"Wh-what happened, Lord Takuto? Please, tell this Atou everything."
With an expression somewhere between rapture and daze, Atou continued stroking Takuto's head.
It was then, directed at her, that Takuto finally began to speak of the reasons for his low spirits.
...
..
.
"In other words, Lord Takuto got a bit too carried away with his declaration the other day... is that it?"
"Yeah. Well, honestly, the situation was so awful I kind of snapped, but even so, I definitely got way too full of myself..."
What Takuto recounted to Atou was about his declaration from the other day.
He described the entire incident as an overreaction—the day when every subordinate was gripped by fear, and the reality that Takuto Ira was the Doom King who would bring about an apocalypse was re-forged in their minds.
Undeniably, since that day, a subtle awkwardness could be felt among the Dark Elves.
Even the hero Atou had been bound by tension until just now.
For someone of Mortar's and the Dark Elves' standing, no matter how important they might be to their nations, such directness must still be difficult to endure.
If the Takuto before her now was truly the Takuto she knew, it was only natural to conclude that his attitude that day had been a mistake.
"Sigh... to think you'd boldly say something like that at that very moment. Spreading your arms wide and declaring world conquest... it was just, it was just too much..."
As he tried to continue, Takuto once again buried his face in his knees.
From the sounds of "Aah" and "Ugh," he seemed to have fallen into a deep self-loathing.
"Oh, oh! The king said it before. Chi, chi, chi-bou?"
"Chunibyo? Ah, that's a disease, big sister. People afflicted with that illness create many terrible memories called their 'dark history'."
"Poor king."
"Guhhhhh!!"
"Stop it, both of you! You're putting strain on Lord Takuto's heart!"
The innocent twins delivered the finishing blow, and Atou hurried to throw out a lifeline.
If this continued, Takuto might retreat into his own world again.
Still, understanding the reason for his dejection brought Atou a profound sense of relief.
"However, I am relieved. You see... the Takuto from the other day was a little, well—"
"Scary?"
Before she knew it, Takuto had raised his head and was gazing intently at Atou.
For a moment, Atou was startled by his completely changed demeanor, but she remembered she needed to answer the question and gave a slight nod.
"Y-Yes..."
What kind of reaction would she receive?
With a hint of unease in her heart, the response she received was the same gentle smile as always.
"Yeah. You're right, it was scary. I'm sorry, Atou. And also... I apologized earlier, but I'm sorry to you two as well. It's hard to voice your opinions when the king is frightening."
Takuto began speaking smoothly, as if the earlier gloom had been a lie.
It seemed he had had quite a thorough talk with the sisters before Atou arrived.
The matter of Isla could still be a lingering sore between them. The fact that they had been able to speak it through with their sisters to mutual satisfaction held important implications for the future governance of Mynoghra, Atou thought.
Because... these two were already heroes.
"Yes. Mary prefers the current king. Your older sister feels the same, right?"
"Yeah. I like a king who isn't a middle-schooler with a complex~"
"Hunguuuu?!"
"Stop it!!"
But the new heroes were a bit willful.
Of course, there was no malice between them. However, the two still didn't fully understand that innocence could sometimes hurt people.
Did this mean he'd have to comfort all three of them this time? Watching her master's reaction with a mix of apprehension and anticipation, Atou saw Takuto stand up, as if bringing one matter to a close.
"Well, anyway. It's certain I'll get serious, though. World conquest... isn't a lie. Once I've decided to do it, I'll achieve it by any means necessary."
As he declared this, Takuto exuded a strange charisma, even a certain sacred quality that made one want to follow him naturally.
"I made a promise to them too. Let's work hard together."
"...I won't let anyone else die."
"Carrie and the others are no longer just beings to be protected."
The sisters, too, held a strong resolve within them.
The glimpse Atou had seen that day of the twin girls, driven to the brink of madness, had not faded in the slightest.
Still screaming in the depths of their hearts.
And from now on, that scream would be directed at the world with clear purpose.
That day, the nation of Mynoghra had truly been reborn.
"Takuto..."
Atou murmured, her expression blissful.
It was the face of a subordinate who had reconfirmed her lord's greatness. To some it might look like a lovestruck maiden, to others a zealot before her god.
Before long, Atou quietly performed the bow of a vassal, her expression now free of whatever had possessed her before as she repeated those fateful words.
"My name is 'Atou of the Filth.' A child of mud destined to destroy the world. Henceforth, my body and heart are yours. Let us fall together, all the way down. My king."
"...Right. Pleased to be working with you, Atou."
For the two of them, those words had been repeated thousands of times, yet still carried tremendous weight.
As if reaffirming their bond, their gazes met.
Before long, without a word, they took each other's hands and drew naturally closer...
"Takuto..."
"Atou..."
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
As if timed perfectly, an intruder burst in.
Scuttling forward with its limbs rustling busily, the subordinate appeared before them. Atou's displeasure was plain on her face.
"What is it, insect? We were having such a perfect moment... Do you have a disease that compels you to disturb me and Takuto or you'll die?"
"More importantly, Mary and the others were here too, but you completely ignored them."
"Don't get in my way—"
"Chirp!"
"Ah, it's finished. Good work, Long-Legged Bug."
What appeared was a Long-Legged Bug.
A scout unit within Mynoghra, it was overworked beyond its reconnaissance role due to its high mobility and low production cost, making it in a sense a popular subordinate.
With its expression still unreadable as ever, drooling from its mouth, he or she ignored Atou completely and headed straight for Takuto.
Given that Takuto was asking questions to confirm something, it seemed to be a report regarding some command.
While watching the exchange with a disgruntled expression, feeling unsettled, Atou suddenly noticed a large basket tied to the Long-Legged Bug's back.
"Takuto, sir? What is that basket the insect is carrying? Now that I think of it, you have been mass-producing quite a few Long-Legged Bugs these past few days..."
Atou remembered that Takuto had used precious national reserves to produce the Long-Legged Bugs.
Understanding that he had even resorted to emergency production with limited mana, she grasped there was an urgent task.
However, what she had initially assumed were cheap reinforcements for national defense seemed to have been created for a different purpose.
It was just as Atou asked Takuto, and he opened his mouth to answer, that his sister Mearia seemed to have found something. She fumbled around near the Long-Legged Bug's head, then held out a coin shining gold toward Takuto.
"King. This."
"...Hmm? Ah, it was stuck to you, was it? Long-Legged Bug, this is important money, so be more careful next time, okay?"
"Chirp-chirp-chirp!!"
"Mm. Very good."
Gleaming in Takuto's hand was, if Atou's knowledge was correct, a gold coin from Brave Questus.
The currency circulating in that world was expelled in set amounts as an RPG system mechanic when monsters were defeated.
The war against the Demon Lord's army was immense, if brief, and the vast quantities of gold coins it produced stemmed not just from the number of fallen enemies, but from their quality. By now, the area around Dragontan, which had become a battlefield, and the southern reaches of the territory under Mynoghra's control were surely lined with mountains of these coins.
One such coin lay here.
Atou had fought countless battles alongside Takuto and could infer his thoughts to a degree, but ultimately, she was merely a piece moving as the limbs of her master. It would be troublesome if he displayed wisdom far beyond her own capabilities.
Growing increasingly flustered, Atou fixed Takuto with a pleading gaze.
"Takuto? What exactly are you... I really need you to explain soon, or I won't know what's going on either."
"Haha, sorry, sorry. You're right, I still haven't explained that part."
With a slightly apologetic smile, Takuto flicked the coin skyward with his finger. It spun in the air, tracing a small arc over his head, and then, instead of landing neatly in his waiting palm... it fell to the ground.
"..."
"Well... seeing is probably quicker than explaining. Alright, let's go to the center of the town. You two come as well."
"Understood."
"Mmmkay."
Takuto quietly picked up the coin and seamlessly resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.
Even Atou and her sister, used to his ways, couldn't bring themselves to remark on it. Honestly, it would just be a hassle if he withdrew into that state again.
"Come on, Atou, hurry up. We'll leave you behind!"
"Ah! Please wait, I'm coming right away!"
Snapped back to her senses by Takuto's voice, Atou hurriedly trotted after him.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Atou felt a faint joy in the fact that their relationship remained unchanged from before. The unpleasant tension he had initially felt had vanished, wherever it had gone, leaving behind only a strong resolve to dedicate himself to the king.