The Holy Kingdom of Quolia, Southern Province. The Grand Cathedral of Holy Amritate. In the sanctuary where the chaos had finally subsided thanks to the valiant efforts of the Holy Knights, Erakino and the others were reviewing the spoils of the recent battle.
"We successfully acquired the witch, Atou. We also managed to destroy the Ruin King. All things considered, despite the complications, this was the best possible outcome."
"Yes. Furthermore, we've confirmed our judgment wasn't mistaken. To think a witch possessed such an ability..."
The implication was that the "Siphoning" mind-alteration, which changed an opponent's allegiance to one's own side, had been performed. This meant all the information Atou held was now in Erakino's possession.
Through Atou's interrogation, the secrets of the nation called Mynoghra were being systematically unveiled. It was tantamount to revealing everything Takuto Ira and Atou knew—his origins, the history up to this point, and most significantly, the very nature of the game called 'Eternal Nations'. The result was that all of this was laid bare for everyone to see.
And the information was more than sufficient to leave them stunned.
"Getting an enemy's ability after you kill them? What kind of cheat is that! And you're saying he can still produce more Heroes? Seriously, Soarina, that was a brilliant decision!"
Erakino cast a playful glance toward Atou, who stood nearby with a vacant expression. Atou's mind was completely under Erakino's control. Unlike what had been done with Soarina—releasing consciousness to seek communication—she was treated as a puppet from the very start. This was because Erakino herself had been outwitted by Atou before, and also because both Saintesses had likely said the prospect of turning her would be hopeless. Atou's loyalty to the Ruin King, Takuto Ira, was genuine. Even if they partially lifted the mind control, it was easy to foresee that she would only hurl insults at them.
"With the Ruin King and his vanguard, the witch, dealt with, the Dark Elves are somewhat concerning. We can't guarantee the remaining forces of Mynoghra won't run amok. What's the plan for that, Erakino?"
Fenne began to systematically identify the problem points, stepping in for Erakino and Soarina, who were somewhat buoyed by their success. While she had a reputation for keeping others at a distance, that very aloofness translated into the cool-headedness that now allowed her to make such precise observations. Erakino, for her part, seemed to tacitly acknowledge Fenne's value in covering points they might miss themselves, and at times like these, she listened to her straightforwardly.
"Oh, that's all squared away! Between the Southern Province and Dragontan... hmm, on the Dark Continent side, right? The Master has deployed the enemy units he summoned there!"
"Those low-intelligence monsters you mentioned before."
TRPGs feature a wide variety of hostile characters to color the narrative.
For instance, goblins lurking in caves to ambush adventurers, or dragons guarding treasure deep within mountain ranges.
The Game Master holds the authority to arrange them in various configurations according to the scenario.
Every story rests in the palm of the Game Master's hand.
If that is so, then it would likewise be the Game Master's right to deploy monsters for defensive purposes as the scenario requires.
"Are our forces sufficient? I could have the Holy Knights of my province conduct patrols as well, but..."
"No need for that, Soarina! Besides, we can't burden those fine Holy Knights with trash disposal like this! What we've got here is more than enough, eh?"
In truth, the monsters deployed were among the most formidable available in both number and power. The disadvantage was that they were standard monsters listed in the rulebook rather than individually customized special units—which required consideration of the Game Master's managed resources—which meant that fine-grained observation and control at long range would be difficult and they might be left largely to their own devices. Even so, leaving them be posed no problem since this was the Dark Continent.
Moreover, the Holy Knights of the Southern Province had something truly important demanding their attention.
"Indeed... since we are declaring independence from Quolia, I want to keep the Holy Knights close at hand."
With the annihilation of the King of Ruin as their achievement, they would establish a nation. There was no telling what interference might arise, so they wanted to keep as many Holy Knights with them as possible to protect the country and its people.
"The King of Ruin has been destroyed. Even if left alone, there is no power remaining among the Dark Elves to threaten our nation."
"Right. If only they would simply be... absorbed by Fonkavun or the like. We simply don't have the time to deal with them right now."
The notion that Mynoghra was already a settled matter had quietly taken root among the three of them.
"Then it is time at last."
"Yes, Lady Fenne."
For the dream's sake, it was time to turn their gaze to what lay ahead.
The situation in the southern provinces was extremely precarious. The numerous overreaches and authoritarian purges carried out thus far had already come to the attention of the central government, and no amount of under-the-table dealing could deflect their pursuit any longer.
Inquiries demanding situation reports arrived like arrows every day, and even those tasked with handling them were screaming in exhaustion.
Given that she had already blocked audits from the central government several times using her authority as the Saint, it was only a matter of time before the other side resorted to stronger measures.
Under normal circumstances, she would have wanted more time to lay the groundwork.
But that was no longer an option.
To secede from the Holy Kingdom and build a true nation illuminated by the divine radiance of God.
The time for that had come.
"There is no more time. On the next day of rest, I intend to declare our withdrawal from the Holy Kingdom of Quolia and the establishment of our nation."
Here, another gear in the wheel of fate began to turn.
What kind of result it would bring—neither the Saint nor the Witch knew. All they could do was charge headlong toward their dream.
"Well, it'll be fine! Erakino's here, Soarina's here, Fenne's here. And above all, Atou's here too!"
"Yes, that's right, Erakino. As long as we're together, everything will surely work out. As long as it's you and me... no power in this world can stand against this fighting force and lay a finger on us."
"In any case, it's going to get busy. Now then—let's move the plan to the next stage."
Each of them rose to their feet.
There was a staggering amount of work to be done.
A meeting with Fjord, the High Holy Knight who commanded the Southern Provincial Holy Knights, was necessary. So was issuing notices to the clergy members who had answered their call and joined in governing the province.
Groundwork needed to be laid with trusted figures across various industries, and above all, a mountain of administrative tasks awaited them.
Come to think of it, they hadn't decided on a name for the country yet.
Soarina let out a soft laugh at the realization that she had even forgotten something like that, and promptly turned to consult with Erakino, who was tilting her head in puzzlement beside her.
……
…
——In the conference room that Soarina and the others had just exited, the force of the closing door sent a single sheet of paper fluttering from the stack atop the table to the floor.
Written in careful script upon pristine parchment, it was a transcription of a portion of the ancient Holy Woman's divine oracle.
It was something Soarina had prepared previously to show Erakino when the topic had come up, penned by her own hand.
However, upon the moment of showing it, the response was less than favorable; rather, it was dismissed as an "incomprehensible, mysterious poem." In the end, the two agreed it lacked concreteness and was ultimately worthless, and so the sheet met a swift and unceremonious disposal.
What intention did the god who granted such a poetic prophecy truly hold?
Either way, for them, who had already destroyed the King of Ruin, it was a thing devoid of value. As if to be forgotten, it was buried beneath a mountain of documents.
◇ ◇ ◇
“~~~~♪”
The Dark Continent. A point midway along the route connecting Dragontan and the southern provinces of the Holy Kingdom of Quolia.
A man walked alone across the barren, ravaged land, humming a tune.
The melody, entirely distinct from any musical style in this world, would strike any knowledgeable listener with a potent sense of curiosity.
—"Eternal Nations" Mynoghra Exclusive Theme: King of Ruin.
A tune he had heard many times before. The partner who had, time and again, trampled countless nations and worlds, seizing hegemony over them.
As if recalling the glory he had once built, Takuto hummed the song with a faint air of nostalgia for that past.
Just then, as if to bar his path, a mountain of dust suddenly appeared in his field of vision, and a monster burst forth from it.
“GROOOOAAAAAAAR!”
“…………Urgh!”
What might easily have been tens of meters long, the massive serpentine body was coupled with bat-like wings.
A monster, containing within itself power bordering on brutal and a terrifying killing intent, had suddenly erupted from the earth.
But that was not all.
There were also floating lumps of flesh possessing countless enormous eyeballs, and lizards with sharp faces and fangs reminiscent of deep-sea fish.
These monsters, whose otherworldly nature was immediately apparent, gazed intently at Takuto with eyes burning with a dim, limited intelligence.
There was no escape, anywhere.
Driven by nothing but instinct, the monsters surged toward Takuto, their fangs bared.
Takuto simply stood there, rooted to the spot.