“THANK you for granting us the honor of being in your mighty presence, O Great One. I am Moltar Cordal Mazaram, chief of the Dark Elf clan you generously bestowed mercy upon.”
A Dark Elf detachment showed up before Takuto shortly after he learned of their approach from his scout. They were led by a weather-beaten old man. He wore his silver hair and beard long and proud, though they were ravaged by the effects of malnutrition.
He lowered himself to his knees before Takuto and Atou, with his battered staff thrust into the ground for support.
Beside him was Dark Elf Warrior Captain Gia, who they’d met yesterday. Seeing as Takuto recognized most of the faces there, they appeared to have selected the same members for this mission.
But having a different leader now changed their demeanor. Or perhaps they’d discussed how to act beforehand.
Atou gave a satisfied nod to return their proper greeting.
“Good. You know proper manners for a Dark Fae. Don’t beat around the Flesh Tree. I can tell you came here for a reason. Out with it.”
“I heard our younglings behaved without manners during your prior meeting. Allow me to apologize and also extend my sincerest gratitude on behalf of my clan for kindly providing us with much-needed rations.”
“…It is only natural for underdeveloped Dark Fae to lose their presence of mind before a mighty being. My king is not so narrow-minded as to let trivial things affect him.”
Manners can make or break certain situations. Those in power are obligated to dole out appropriate punishment for lapses in decorum. Thus, it was only proper to show some displeasure and offer a word of warning regarding their behavior.
Atou, however, was only interested in Takuto and nothing else. One glance in his direction told her he wasn’t bothered by their offense either.
Why would he be when he was a normal young man from a modern land?
He didn’t place much value on strict forms of politeness. Thus, she applied no personal feelings to something he’d determined wasn’t a problem.
As far as this matter was concerned, Atou could indeed be called Takuto’s loyal pawn.
The fact that the Dark Elves invaded the Accursed Lands without permission was left unquestioned, and their behavior was also dismissed as trivial.
In reality, they didn’t actually have the authority to be treating the Dark Elves this way, but Elder Moltar had no way of knowing this as he lowered his head to show his gratitude for their lenience.
“Our entire race is ashamed of our pettiness before your generous benevolence. Please grant us the honor of knowing your name, so that we may pass down the tale of the great debt of gratitude we owe you forevermore.”
Atou turned her head toward Takuto. She was seeking his permission to tell them his name.
He never did give his name during their last encounter. While part of it had to do with his lack of social skills, it was also due to his decision not to provide more information than necessary. But his opinion changed after taking some time to think about it.
Rather than live a miserable life cowering in fear, he might as well grab life by the horns, even if that was the riskier option.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained—that was one life lesson the game had taught him. With that in mind, he permitted Atou to answer them.
Atou had but one thing to do now that she had his stamp of approval. She took a small breath and proclaimed his name with imposing pomp.
“You are in the presence of King Takuto Ira, the Ruler of Ruin, Lord of the Apocalypse. Remember his great and noble name! When referring to him, you shall address him as King Ira or King Takuto Ira.”
The Dark Elves’ heads sank even deeper with Atou’s proclamation.
Takuto’s name was now known, and it became engraved in their hearts along with fear and awe.
Atou nodded with satisfaction.
This was how Takuto’s name first became known in this world.
It was at Atou’s sole discretion she introduced him as Takuto Ira, the Lord of the Apocalypse. She purposely made a point of preventing them from calling him Takuto because she understood the special relationship calling someone by their first name entailed.
By doing so, she drove home the relationship she had with her master before everyone present. And it was because she was busy coming up with such schemes that she missed what Takuto hadn’t—the elder Dark Elf shuddered upon hearing the title she gave him.
“Oh, and my name is Atou. Be sure not to address me with the same formality as King Takuto. He is the Supreme King deserving of respect at all times—I am just his loyal subordinate. You are welcome to forget my name.”
“King Takuto Ira and Lady Atou… I have etched your glorious names into these weary bones. I swear I will impart this knowledge to the rest of the clan so that they too will engrave your names into their very souls.”
“Excellent. Now take your food and be gone. Most of it won’t last indefinitely. Just because my king can produce infinite amounts with a wave of his hand does not justify letting good food go to waste.”
Atou sounded bored with them, which was actually true; she’d already lost interest in negotiating. She only existed for her master, Takuto. She understood that like the back of her hand and wanted it just as bad.
She wouldn’t even care to speak to others if it wasn’t for him. The sooner these talks were over with, the sooner her master would praise her.
“P-Please wait! You see, we discussed how we can repay the King for saving us and were wondering if he wants us to pay tribute?”
The Dark Elf chief poured cold water all over Atou’s wishes to be in her king’s arms. It seemed they weren’t finished talking yet.
Atou frowned and pondered their unusual request since it wasn’t a grave enough offense to upset her.
“You wish to pay tribute? Ha. Can you provide something that will satisfy my king?”
“I am ashamed to admit it, but we are too ignorant to even imagine what might please the mighty King Takuto Ira. May we first hear directly from His Majesty what he—”
“I see. You have nothing we need then. You are in no position to offer anything anyway.”
Atou waved them off, sighing as she shook her head.
They’d offered to pay tribute, but Atou highly doubted starving refugees had anything of value. Of course, she couldn’t completely deny the possibility of them possessing a rare item such as Artifacts. Even with that slight chance hanging in the background, she chose to prioritize removing them from her king’s presence.
At the beginning of the game, when the player’s empire is still in the fragile, foundation-building stage, even the smallest missteps can prove fatal.
Atou was most wary of the Dark Elves bringing their problems to Takuto. In particular, she feared the people who’d chased them out of their territory and continued to hunt them becoming Takuto’s problem.
“We might not be, but…if we don’t—”
“I told you we don’t need your tribute.”
“You did, but—”
“What are you being so elusive about? My king is a busy man. Are you scheming something?”
“I would never!”
Atou’s annoyance showed, eliciting visible panic from the Dark Elves. After all, she didn’t try to hide or suppress the jet-black murderous aura seeping from her.
Atou’s passive abilities—Hero, Evil, and Fanatic—each had the effect of multiplying her basic combat strength. And with her special ability to steal abilities from the units she defeated, she had the potential to grow stronger with each battle.
The Dark Elves, on the other hand, were too starved to make use of their full strength. In their current state, Atou could easily wipe the field with them. If she wanted to, she could cut down the Mage and Warrior units, then go wipe out the entire Dark Elf clan in less than ten minutes.
And that cold-blooded murder would prove very beneficial to her and Takuto if ethics were thrown to the wind.
Yep, this is taking a really bad turn!
Takuto quickly abandoned his wishful thinking that these talks would end peacefully. As it was, Atou had drawn a critically wrong opinion about the Dark Elves. Her attitude toward them was extremely negative, and looking at it objectively, she came across as a subordinate whose life was made more difficult by having to deal with her king’s whims.
Just speaking with them was unpleasant for her, but she had taken on that role per her king’s wishes. Hence, she tried to bring the conversation to a close to quickly get rid of the nuisance. It was only natural for her to view the situation that way.
On the other hand, the Dark Elves couldn’t let things end that quick. This negotiation was make-or-break for the pitiful clan. It was a turning point that would determine their fate. Even if this single encounter lengthened their lives, there was no next time.
They’d no food and no guarantee they would find a safe place to live. Therefore, even if they seemed a little suspicious, it was quite natural for them to actively try to negotiate with Takuto and Atou.
Of course, Takuto didn’t blame Atou for having a narrow-minded view that was laser-focused on him when he could analyze everything objectively from the dais. But he also wasn’t going to permit a battle in their present situation.
Deciding he needed to step in, Takuto cleared his throat and raised his voice despite his nervousness.
“Atou.”
“Yes, my king?”
Atou was quick to respond. She whipped around at the sound of her name and flew to Takuto’s side faster than an arrow. Then she placed her hands on the dais and leaned her face close to his.
Her displeasure was apparent on the cute pouty expression she made sure only he could see. She also seemed frustrated that the conversation wasn’t going anywhere. She brought her lips to his ears so only he could hear her whirlwind of complaints.