“Yeah, that’s the problem right there…” Takuto sighed.
Takuto was determined to make it work. He was. But there were some areas where reality hadn’t quite caught up with his determination. And that was the problem of assigning the right personnel. He couldn’t keep putting off the decision and hope it’d work itself out. At the bare minimum, it was necessary to appoint a person to be in charge of the region as Elder Moltar suggested. And it needed to be someone capable, so they could more easily promote the policies of appeasing the people and assimilation.
A harsh request for Mynoghra, which was perpetually short on good personnel.
Between the size of the territory, population, and the dangers of it bordering our enemies, a Hero would be best for the position. But I’m not giving up Atou, and Vittorio is out of the question. Isla would’ve been perfect for the job, but I can’t change the past… Antelise doesn’t work either. With how dedicated she’s been to Mynoghra, I don’t want to add to her burdens, and then there’s the matter of her origins.
It was easy to forget, but Antelise was originally the heir to a powerful clan in El-Nah. She ran away from home because she hated the old Elven customs and responsibilities, and she eventually ended up in Dragontan. That made her a bad match with the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals. Takuto didn’t know the state of things in El-Nah, but he knew it was a bad idea to send Antelise anywhere near it.
Who else… Yona’Yona doesn’t work either. She lacks practical skills and experience. Besides, I need her to run around keeping the fanatic cultists in check as their de facto leader. Tying her down to one city is out of the question. Takuto pondered his options.
Oh, what about that former Qualian Inquisitor we recruited recently? Krähe Imlerith was it? Would she work? He considered it briefly before shooting down the idea with a shake of his head.
Krähe didn’t lack practical skill or experience. She seemed like an earnest, hard worker, and her former job had a lot of politics and paperwork involved, so she would be quick to pick up on governing work. But she was a former Inquisitor and a traitor to Qualia. She was bound to provoke Qualia. Besides, Takuto planned to have her lead the Paladins of Ira, Paladins who had fallen to the dark side, so he had to reject her as a potential candidate.
Well, crap. We really don’t have the right person for the job. Anyone else wouldn’t live up to the position in terms of strength or qualifications… If only I could find someone who could at least meet one of the requirements… I don’t see any other options, so maybe we should send promising people on short-term assignments there? Takuto would have to closely check their policies each time, but it seemed like that was the only option at this point. If you want to develop new talent, you need to give inexperienced people a chance to gain experience…
As Takuto was considering all of this…
“Your Majesty.”
“Kingy.”
“We will go do our bestest in Seldoch!”
“Our bestest!”
The Elfuur Sisters, who had been quietly listening to the meeting, suddenly made an unexpected proposal.
Takuto’s eyes rounded at the idea he hadn’t even considered. “You girls will go?” he found himself asking in surprise.
The sisters responded with big nods.
Takuto was bemused by their sudden offer, but he quickly switched to considering the pros and cons of putting the two of them in charge. Ugh, I wanted to keep them here a little longer so they could learn more at my side, but they are almost too perfect for the job.
It made perfect sense for the twins to be appointed as the Overseer of the new territory. They already held high positions within Mynoghra and were being trained to be future leaders, so they more than met the renown and talent requirements. They also held the skillsets and powers of a Hero unit, even if it had been obtained through unusual means.
Being able to appoint the two of them together made them a lot more flexible than appointing only one person. In many cases, having two people in charge tends to create factional dynamics that can lead to the worst possible outcomes. However, considering their relationship, Takuto had no reason to worry about that with the sisters. He was a little worried about the practical aspects, but the girls were smart enough to understand Takuto’s ideas, and it wouldn’t be a problem if he gave them some support personnel.
When all was said and done, appointing the Elfuur Sisters as the Overseer of the Seldoch region would be a godsend for both Takuto and Mynoghra.
After running that analysis in an instant, Takuto concealed his loneliness and questioned the girls, who seemed pumped that this was their big moment to shine. “Are you sure you want to do this? With your power as Witches, it shouldn’t take too long to return home, but you won’t be able to make frequent visits. Will you be all right not being able to see everyone all the time?”
Takuto was the one who wasn’t all right with not being able to see them all the time. The twins nodded again, not seeming to mind or think much about that aspect. Takuto scanned the room. Elder Moltar and the Dark Elves seemed surprised but supported the idea. They seemed to think that the girls should work in a position that was commensurate with their abilities, even if they were still children.
Atou also showed her approval with several firm nods. Perhaps she was delighted at the prospect of being able to be closer to Takuto as his guard with the twins removed from duty. Or maybe another thought powered her support for the idea. Either way, she was clearly not on his side in this matter.
He couldn’t find a flaw in the rationale or strategy of appointing them. The only flaw was the internal conflict caused by his own loneliness…
I suppose I’ve got no choice here, do I? At least it’s not like I’ll never see them again, he tried to convince himself. He was just about to give consent when the twins spoke before he could.
“We wanna prove that we can be even more useful to you, Kingy!” Maria exclaimed.
“We feel that we can become even stronger if we are in an environment where Your Majesty and everybody else can’t easily spoil us,” Caria added.
“Yeah! We’ll get stronger!”
They want to become stronger, huh?
A noble and pure desire drove the girls. But their innocent-sounding words revealed that they were driven by more than that.
“Besides, we cannot accept defeat ever again,” Caria stated.
“They won’t get the bestest of us ever again,” Maria echoed the sentiment.
The image of the battles these cheerful, smiling girls fought in Lenea and the losses they had suffered crossed Takuto’s mind.
Losers lose everything. Even their dignity…
Inspired by their determination never to lose again, Takuto vowed never to forget that same desire.