On the day the holy and demonic forces settled their score,
Takuto and his group returned to the Great Cursed Realm where Mynoghra's capital resided, finally allowing their strained tension to ease.
"Takuto-samaaaaaaa!!"
However, Takuto still had work remaining.
This meant consoling his core subordinate, who was collapsed in tears from the shock and self-reproach.
"This Atou, a lifelong disgrace!! I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit!!!!"
Takuto didn't know what to do with Atou, who was crying loudly while shedding large tears.
On top of that, she was hugging him tightly, making his confusion all the greater.
Normally, she would be flustered and panicked, but right now he didn't even have the luxury of that, needing instead to worry about his own eardrums.
"N-no... it's fine. Really, it's fine. Besides, punishment? There was no other choice back then. There's absolutely no reason to punish Atou."
Takuto managed a dry smile as he said this.
Atou, sharp-eyed as always, noticed how worn out he looked, and began to cry again, her tears growing even larger.
"That you are so exhausted! For my sake! For my sake! I am so sorry!!!"
"If... if you think that, then please let me rest a little..."
He was certainly tired, but more than anything, he was currently in a state of accumulating mental strain.
He understood why Atou was so shocked, so he couldn't bring himself to be harsh, but honestly, what he really wanted was to be allowed to rest.
"Uuu, uuuu... But, I am truly glad."
Whether or not she sensed his inner thoughts, Atou spoke while looking up at him with teary eyes.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Normally, such a gesture might make his heart skip a beat, but Atou was currently a mess of tears and snot, making it slightly lacking in sentiment.
Still, he couldn't help but smile, making sure not to forget his concern for her.
Above all, Takuto himself had a certain matter he'd rather not have noticed.
"When I was facing you, Takuto, the feeling that you were completely not yourself was incredibly strong. That's what truly frightened me..."
This wasn't the first time Atou had sensed something terribly different within Takuto, something alien to the person she knew.
From time to time, she'd feel that way, an unsettling conviction that the being called Takuto was not the person she knew.
That was precisely why, when Takuto possessed the abilities of the Hero "Nameless Evil God," she couldn't help but wonder if that heroic form was his true self, and the Takuto she knew was merely a facsimile.
Looking back on his words and actions as a Player, she could see that judgment was wrong...
But at that time, the feeling that her assessment was correct had seemed utterly real to Takuto.
Perhaps sensing her thoughts, he gently wiped the tears from her eyes with his finger and explained in a soft, almost childlike tone.
"Ah, that. Or rather, since you had the highest combat ability in that situation, I had to suppress you somehow. I put on a little act."
Truth be told, this plan had been incredibly risky.
The fact that Takuto possessed the "Nameless Evil God's" ability to mimic the powers of those he had once seen was a stroke of fortune in this series of battles.
But the cost was somewhat immense. The headaches he occasionally showed during combat were part of it, as was the profound fatigue and lethargy he now felt, a sensation as though a fundamental power was being drained from him.
If the opponent had taken just a few more turns... if their turns had been more numerous, his mimicry ability would have reached its limit and the tide of battle would have turned.
Yet it was by overcoming even such dire straits to achieve victory that Ira Takuto truly earned his name.
"I'm sorry, Atou. Even if it was part of the plan, I deceived you. Please forgive me."
Even so, deceiving Atou was an outcome he deeply regretted.
Thus, he offered a sincere apology.
"No, no, no, no! Not at all! I'm the one who is wrong!"
Hearing this, Atou panicked theatrically, as if terrified by the very suggestion.
For her, it was a personal failure—letting the enemy take the lead—and having Takuto handle things and settle matters for her until the very end.
This utterly crushed her reputation as a hero. Rather, she was the one who should have been apologizing, yet to be apologized to in this way was far beyond her expectations.
"No, no, no, no, I’m partly to blame too! There was a smarter way to handle it!"
Conversely, Takuto was equally taken aback.
All of his subordinates acted under his direction, as their leader.
Therefore, all responsibility ultimately converged on him. Having been presented with such a clear example as Brave Questus, he thought it was precisely he who deserved criticism for letting another game faction take the lead.
After that, it was a back-and-forth of "No, I should apologize" and "No, I must," an exchange of courtesies and apologies.
Eventually, they both laughed of their own accord and agreed to let it go, reconciling.
With that, everything was settled.
Starting tomorrow, their usual hectic yet enjoyable days would resume.
So just for today, she wanted to lean on Takuto a little more than usual…
The moment Atou smiled at her own master.
“…Huh?”
“Lord Takuto?”
The light of wisdom she had always perceived in Takuto’s eyes had vanished.
“Um… who are you?”
Her master was gazing at her with puzzlement.
◇ ◇ ◇
What happened next was a shock and a tragedy for Mynoghra beyond anything it had faced before.
Ira Takuto, the king of Mynoghra, fell into a state of amnesia from that day onward.
Unable to recall who he is, nor where this place is, nor who the other person is.
Though he could remember languages and the names of objects to some extent, all memories of people and episodes had completely vanished.
Moreover, he had begun to spend most of his time in a deep sleep.
Takuto’s bedroom.
In the dimly lit room, Atou, her expression utterly gaunt, could only stare at Takuto’s sleeping face beside her.
"Enter," she said after a perfunctory knock, granting permission to enter. The one who appeared was the elder Mortar.
Though not as much as Atou, he too was haggard, clearly under intense stress from this situation.
"How fares His Majesty’s condition?"
"Unchanged. He remains bedridden, and even when he wakes, he seems to barely recognize me anymore."
Mortar showed relatively little composure, likely because he had once witnessed Takuto’s resurrection firsthand.
No matter how deep the despair, it was merely the shallow judgment of a Dark Elf working within the limits of his meager knowledge.
The king would surely appear again one day, just as he had that day. Somewhere, he held that conviction.
Therefore, he had prioritized solving the immediate situation by focusing on the cause of Takuto’s memory loss and stabilizing the nation.
"What on earth happened to His Majesty... My subordinates are investigating, but the cause remains unknown."
"No, it is most likely due to overexertion of his power. Everything... is my failure."
"Atou..."
Mortar had also considered that possibility.
Currently, they were researching dark sorcery to help Takuto regain his strength, using every means to acquire various texts.
Of course, he had no intention of blaming Atou. It was Takuto, as king, who had made the judgment.
Then the subordinates must support that decision above all else.
"I am powerless. I don't know what to do in a time like this. I can only tremble... Yet Lord Takuto, even in such a desperate situation, he saved me."
Elder Mortar had come here partly to check on Takuto's condition, but in truth, she was seeking Atou's aid to do so.
It was on a day when Takuto, who had fallen asleep, had briefly regained a fragment of his former memories, that she was granted the authority to lead Mynoghra. In other words, this meant she had become a temporary leader, empowered to exercise various authorities concerning subordinates and the construction of facilities.
That authority was needed now. In case Takuto's recovery were to be long, she had a duty to bolster the nation's strength. Additionally, an urgent investigation was required into the state of Renea's kingdom and the Saint. Honestly, a leaderless situation was a dire one.
But judging by Atou's condition, that too seemed difficult. The current her looked utterly drained, with none of the composure needed to guide a nation.
"I can't do it..."
Only weak words seemed to come from her now. Yet, her next words defied Elder Mortar's expectations.
"—So, I will ask him."
"Him... whom?" Elder Mortar echoed back, asking.
The despair vanished from Atou's eyes, replaced by something that looked like a new resolve.
Slowly, Atou gently stroked Takuto's cheek, then quietly stood and turned to face Elder Mortar.
"Hero Vittorio."
And from her lips, Elder Mortar—or rather, every single Dark Elf—heard a name spoken for the first time.
"Happy Tongue Vittorio. Master of underhanded tactics and scheming, the one who would be most effective in a situation such as this—"
Yes, that is the new hero.
The Dark Elves knew nothing of it, but those who originally belonged to Atou's Mynoghra knew them all too well - impossible not to.
"He is the worst and most vile hero in Mynoghra's history."
The most infamous hero in the entirety of "Eternal Nations".