Chapter 6: Travel
THE hectic yet fulfilling Domestic Affairs time passed Takuto by in the blink of an eye. In its place, the day of the All-Faction Conference was fast approaching. Naturally, it was taking place in unfamiliar enemy territory. Arriving early with plenty of time to spare was crucial to gathering information.
Takuto was currently traveling to the meeting location indicated in the missive delivered to Mynoghra by the Succubus Army’s envoy. Three companions joined him on this journey. The first was his confidant, Atou. Followed by Hero Yu and Slave Girl Ai—the RPG duo he’d formed a temporary alliance with.
Although it bears mentioning that this Takuto was actually his Botchling body double, and Atou was actually Vittorio in disguise. They hadn’t informed the RPG duo about this arrangement, and saw no need to. After all, the real Takuto was back at Mynoghra’s Palace concentrating on controlling the Botchling and giving instructions to Vittorio.
The party of four was in the northwesternmost part of Mynoghra’s newly acquired region of Seldoch. The central mountain range dividing the Lawful Continent ended there, making it a key interchange between Qualia and El-Nah. A simple, paved road ran from there all the way to the Elven Forest looming in the distance, subtly attesting to the importance of this route.
But no matter how vital a transportation hub this location once was, it no longer showed any signs of its former traffic. As part of Mynoghra’s domain, located on the border with a country dominated by Succubi, it was now one of the most dangerous regions. Any merchant with common sense would hesitate even to mention it, let alone go near it. Which was why Takuto’s party of four was the only ones walking down the road that was easily wide enough for several carriages to pass through.
The voice of the King of Ruin echoed through the quiet, abandoned trade route. “From here on out, we are entirely in their domain. Well, this is supposed to be a meeting for all the factions, hosted by the Succubus Army. I doubt they will spring a surprise attack on us right off the bat, but we should stay on guard just in case.”
“Yeah!” Yu agreed heartily. “We’re traveling as a small party this time, so we can always just flee if we come under attack. I have more than a few escape spells in my arsenal. I’m sure we’ll be fine!”
“That’s right! That’s right! No enemy is a match for Master!” Ai cheered.
“I hope so. Anyway, we’re supposed to meet up with our guide a little farther in, so let’s go on foot up to there,” Takuto said.
Their party consisted of the bare minimum number of people. Since he didn’t know what lay in wait, Takuto didn’t want to endanger a single Dark Elf. It might’ve seemed strange with Takuto and Atou attending alone, but it appeared more natural with Yu and Ai accompanying them. Everyone would view it as an agreement to participate in pairs.
“But, King Takuto, what exactly is the intention behind this supposed All-Faction Conference? Whether it’s a trap or a setup to foster friendship, they seem to be going a tad overboard…”
“Inviting all the factions has the advantage of speeding things up, whatever the reason. This is one of those things where we won’t know the answer until we pull back the curtain and take a look…”
Vittorio had posed his question disguised as Atou. He was so frighteningly skilled at pretending to be Atou that it left Takuto feeling uncomfortable.