Meanwhile, the King of Ruin let his grief run wild.
“I’m no king, Atou! It’s far too lame to be the King of Ruin with such severe anxiety. I can’t go on living!”
“It will be all right! Even if you can’t speak to others, you’ll be just fine as long as you talk to your Atou, my king! From this day forth, I shall become your exclusive speaker! I shall serve you for the rest of my days, so it’ll all work out in the end!”
“Yeah, but how can an uncommunicative king give orders or negotiate with foreign nations? I need to talk, don’t I?”
Atou fell silent. She paled over failing to have the answers for him.
Tears streamed down Takuto’s cheeks again.
“I want a full life reset. Take my memories too! Let’s restart from scratch,” he moaned.
“It’s not that bad! You needn’t let it trouble you so! Kings don’t need to be verbose. Kings are solitary! They keep themselves above all vulgarity. You’re presenting the image of a powerful man who only speaks to his trustworthy subordinates!”
Had Atou ever raised her voice this loud before?
She projected her voice as loudly as she could to push through her argument and wash away her master’s apprehension. Although her words were just loud and unconvincing, she was fortunate that Takuto Ira was easily swayed by anything she said. As such, her frantic shouting managed to quell his depression.
“Aw, Atou! Thank you for trying so hard to cheer me up…”
“Don’t you fret, my king. We will slowly but surely rehabilitate you. You will definitely become capable of speaking to the masses. You have me! You have me, so please! Don’t think about starting a new game and erasing the past!”
“Yeah. Sorry. I guess I was feeling a little defeated. You’re right, though. I don’t have to be an excellent speaker when I have you.”
“Yes, yes! That’s the spirit. If Eternal Nations taught us anything, it’s that you can solve any problems in life as long as you have power and wealth!”
“Thank you, Eternal Nations. And thank you as well, Atou. I have the best confidant in the world…”
They hadn’t solved a single problem, but they both seemed satisfied with the answer they reached. And while it might be hard for someone else to understand, this conversation managed to tighten their bond.
As they gazed into each other’s eyes, they were filled with a torrent of emotion until they reached peak excitement.
“ATOOUUUUU!”
“KING TAKUTOOOOO!”
The dam holding them back broke, and they shared in a passionate embrace.
“GIGIGYEEEEH!!!”
A disturbing shriek interrupted their intimate moment.
“……”
Still embracing, they looked over their shoulders to find Long-legged Bug oddly trembling behind them, watching them with its rolling eyeballs. They’d no idea what those grotesque eyes were trying to express, but it was horrific enough to shatter the moment.
“Oh yeah, I forgot I summoned him back to base.”
“Honestly, this bug can’t read the room. Shall we just recycle the unit?”
“That’d be a waste of Mana, so no.”
Having the bug present soured the mood—or rather, it brought them back to reality.
Takuto casually released Atou and perched on top of the stone dais. He would’ve rather stayed that way, but Long-legged Bug’s piercing gaze was unsettling. As for Atou, she was understandably upset.
“What do you want anyway, bug? Learn some tact, you blundering insect! King Takuto and I were in the midst of deepening our relationship.”
“GIGYEEH.”
“Hm? Oh, I see. It looks like the Dark Elves are close. They must’ve come to take the rest of the food.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about them.”
As the player, Takuto could sync his mind with the Long-legged Bug and its abilities. This particular Scout unit’s special ability expanded the player’s field of view. The ability worked even in the middle of a complex forest covered by the fog of war, letting Takuto see the Dark Elf clan approach them through its googly eyes.
Apprehension filled him. Like he’d just told Atou, he had serious communication problems. He wasn’t confident he could get through a second negotiation smoothly. But he had someone there to dashingly rescue him from this crisis—his confidant, Atou.
Immediately picking up on why he looked so stricken, she promptly offered a plan.
“An excellent idea just dawned on me. I shall take over any negotiations with those Dark Elves. All you have to do is watch!”
“Really? You don’t mind?”
“Really. Please entrust this task to me. In my humble opinion, you will come across as more dignified by remaining a man of few words.”
“Hmm…Mmm…” he groaned.
Takuto was grateful for the offer. He would love to leave the negotiations to her. But was that really something he should permit? He was King and she his subordinate. He didn’t care about hierarchy, but he worried his attitude about these things might put more of a burden on Atou.
“Or do you find me lacking, my king?”
Atou held her hand over her heart, her expression brimming with confidence that silently told him to trust her.
Takuto was secretly relieved by her reaction and also ashamed for underestimating her ability.
What did he have to fear? She was Mynoghra’s legendary hero, Sludge Atou.
The Hero of Ruin annihilates all enemies and crushes every obstacle underfoot.
The girl of infinite possibilities and limitless power was asking him to leave the task to her.
There was but one answer for the King who’d been given absolute trust and loyalty.
“You lack nothing, Atou. Can I entrust this to you?”
“Hehehe! Your every wish is my command, my king.”
Crimson eyes locked onto him as she swept into a deep bow. Her bewitching expression brimmed with absolute confidence, suitable for a hero who would bring ruin to the world.