“To begin, I would like to address the outcome of our latest battle with the Qualian forces in the ruined zone of the former Divine Nation of Lenea,” Emle explained. “Some sort of awakening occurred in the Scribe Saint as a direct result of her battle with Lord Vittorio. We failed to take control of the Southern Province as originally planned. On the bright side, the Trade City of Seldoch, which borders the Lawful Continent, was successfully absorbed into our empire. We have taken control of the entire region, and it now acts as a buffer zone against Qualia.”
“Yeah, that fits with Vittorio’s report and the information we were able to confirm ourselves,” Takuto said. “The Scribe Saint is a loose cannon we need to be cautious of, but it appears she’s uncontrollable, so there are plenty of ways we can handle her.”
“Qualia likely has their hands full rebuilding the ruined region of the former Divine Nation of Lenea, so it seems safe to assume they won’t directly interfere with us anytime soon,” Atou said.
Gleeful Spin Doctor Vittorio’s covert attempts to seize the territory left unclaimed by the ruined Divine Nation of Lenea brought major changes to the continent as a whole, and to Mynoghra. One such change was the acquisition of a new territory for Mynoghra: a major city bordering the Lawful Continent and parts of the Divine Nation of Lenea itself. This was a tremendous achievement that increased Mynoghra’s national power, but also brought a whole host of issues.
“Speaking of which, I’m curious about the newly obtained city,” Takuto said, hesitating before asking his next question. “So, uh, how are things there?”
“I’m afraid your fears are very much founded, my king… It’s quite the bed of chaos,” Emle said.
“I knew it…”
The biggest issue was that the territory they had acquired was simply too large to be managed effectively. Takuto was forced to face the truth he already knew. It was both a happy and headache-inducing problem to have.
“We’re rushing to train personnel, but expansion is outpacing us in spades. I believe this will be the chief problem brought up at the next meeting,” Emle explained.
“I can see why. We only just recently got a handle on things in Dragontan,” Atou said. “If we’re not careful, it may exceed the current population of Mynoghra.”
In the game, when a city is incorporated into your empire, it falls into chaos for a few turns, but this is chaos on an empire scale… Takuto gazed blandly into the distance as he scoured his memories. He’d been made all too aware of how different the game was from reality, but he’d never expected the main difference would be the paperwork. Then again, even the advanced science, technology, and administrative systems of his prior world struggled to resolve this ever-present issue completely.
People loved to tout how human lives would be completely changed once commercial AI got on track, but he doubted the eternal bond between man and paperwork could ever truly be severed.
“I think applying makeshift solutions to the problems as they arise is our best option right now,” Takuto said. “Fortunately for us, the residents of Seldoch are all members of the Cult of Ira. They’re subservient to Mynoghra, so let’s take our time to make some adjustments and integrate the governing systems that were previously in place when it belonged to Lenea. It’s a great way to put Vittorio to work on something while we’re at it.”
“Ha, you think that clown will work?” Atou asked, not hiding her scorn for Vittorio from her voice.
“I’ll make him work. Even if I have to force him.”
Vittorio was uncontrollable by design. This was one issue where Takuto was glad to see some discrepancies between the game and reality, because at least this Vittorio was somewhat willing to listen. Emphasis on the somewhat. He probably would’ve been utterly impossible to get under control if Takuto hadn’t recently shown him who was boss.
Vittorio was a pain to deal with, but his talents spoke for themselves. Especially on the Domestic Affairs front. His skill set specialized entirely in getting under people’s skin, but manipulation and Charisma-based skills required a high level of intelligence to properly execute, so he came equipped with the wisdom to match his skills. It was no fluke that he was running the Cult of Ira behind the scenes.
“His smarts are the only thing he has going for him, after all,” Atou said. “He would actually be useful to Mynoghra if he’d just stop creating more problems than he solves.”
“Well, that’s just part of his charm,” Takuto deflected Atou’s complaints.
Thick lines creased Aou’s brow; it sounded to her like he was defending Vittorio. Oh shoot, this is a telltale sign I’ve soured her mood, Takuto quickly realized. He started putting together what he’d say to make her happy when a knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
Atou and Emle exchanged looks and nodded. Emle went to open the door. Elder Moltar stood on the other side.
“Pardon the intrusion. Your Majesty, a problem we can’t resolve on our own has cropped up. A traveler staying in Dragontan is seeking an audience with Mynoghra’s king.” Elder Moltar shot Emle a withering look when he saw the half-eaten sweets lining the council room table.
I better come up with a good excuse for her later, Takuto thought, pitying the future that awaited his aide. Meanwhile, Atou sought more information from Elder Moltar.
“There should normally be no reason for the king to meet with a complete stranger, so I assume there’s more to this traveler, Elder Moltar?” she prompted.
People came day and night seeking an audience with the king of Mynoghra. More than a few people were arrogant enough to try to strike a deal with an evil being. Dragontan was rife with merchants, mercenaries, bards, and people of unknown origins struggling to catch a glimpse of Takuto. Dealing with those people not worth the king’s time fell to the subordinates under Elder Moltar. They were all turned away at the door, naturally.
Elder Moltar coming in person to report on this traveler meant he deemed it a matter of importance.
Who in the world could it be? Takuto couldn’t think of anyone important who would want to make direct contact with him. What name will surprise me now? Takuto waited for his trusty sage to utter that name, feeling a wave of excitement course through him.
“I’m afraid so,” Elder Moltar nodded. “This traveler is clothed in an attire unlike anything we have ever seen before, but he carries himself like an elite warrior. What caught our attention the most was that he refers to himself as the Hero.”
Deep lines creased Takuto’s brow. Great, looks like I’m going to have to put the Botchling straight to work as my body double. He couldn’t even let out an annoyed sigh with Elder Moltar standing before him. Not like sighing would make the situation better…
Takuto realized that the wheels of fate were turning at a much faster speed than any of them imagined.