Chapter 401 364 – The Nation-Building Game

After Shuna and Shion left with Kagali, Takumi received the adventurer trio.

They had come to take their leave. The main purpose of their journey had been to investigate the situation, and by now, they had gained a fairly clear understanding of what was happening in the Great Forest of Jura. It was time for them to return.

Naturally, Takumi did not try to make them stay. He did not even ask them to conceal the fact that he had founded a nation here.

He would declare war on the entire world sooner or later anyway, so it did not matter if the Kingdom of Ingrassia learned about it in advance.

After the adventurer trio departed, Takumi returned to the bedchamber.

After having some time to calm down, Shizue Izawa had already accepted reality.

Even so, when Takumi arrived, her cheeks were still rosy, making her look incredibly adorable.

But then she remembered that she had already lived for several decades and was practically old enough to be someone's grandmother, so she quickly composed herself and put on a serious expression.

Unfortunately, her cute appearance paired with such a stern look lacked every trace of the cold elegance she had possessed while wearing her mask.

"You seem to be in a very good mood now, Shizue."

"…"

That one simple sentence nearly shattered Shizue's composure.

Barely managing to steady herself, she nodded shyly.

"Being able to live again and face this cruel world in a different way… I've realized that so much has changed."

Shizue let out a soft sigh, a serene smile appearing on her face.

All the resentment and sorrow that had weighed upon her heart had now faded away.

If she could spend the rest of this life with Takumi, Chloe, and the others, Shizue felt she would already be completely satisfied.

"So much has changed, huh? Then has your dying wish changed too? Do you still need me to lend you a hand?"

Takumi blinked and spoke with a teasing smile.

Chloe, who was sitting in Shizue's lap, immediately looked over.

Shizue hurriedly turned her head away and whispered, "N-No, I don't need your help anymore."

"Oh? That's very disappointing."

Takumi shrugged, then added, "In that case, I'll leave the matter of defeating Demon Lord Leon to you personally."

"Uh… ah… mm."

Shizue froze three times and answered with three equally awkward sounds.

So he had been talking about her first wish.

She had thought he meant the second one!

Now she understood. Takumi was clearly teasing her on purpose!

Seeing the cheerful expression on his face, Shizue stepped forward and lightly pummeled him several times with her small fists in embarrassed frustration.

After happily enduring Shizue's little barrage of punches, Takumi seized the opportunity to pinch her smooth, tender cheek before pulling her into his arms.

A soft, fragrant beauty settled against his chest.

The faint scent on Shizue's body lifted Takumi's mood, while the fragrance clinging to Takumi made Shizue reluctant to pull away.

Both of them seemed to share the same thought—You smell really nice—and simply remained in an intimate embrace.

Chloe could no longer sit still after seeing this.

"No fair! Me too!"

She threw herself forward and squeezed directly between Takumi and Shizue.

This time, she truly experienced what it meant to be attacked from above and below.

Takumi, meanwhile, discovered what it meant for big and small to compete for supremacy.

In the end, however, he managed to steer the situation back on track.

And when it came to changing the subject, nothing worked better than bringing up a real crisis.

With a tap of Takumi's finger, a familiar interface appeared before Shizue and Chloe.

"What kind of game is this?"

A kingdom stood in the middle of a vast forest.

Government affairs, warfare, and various other events were listed along the side, making it look exactly like a strategy game.

"Oh, this isn't a game. It's the empire beneath our feet. I just changed the visual style a little. It makes it easier to operate, doesn't it?"

"I see. This one is Aunt Kagali."

Sitting in Takumi's arms, Chloe studied the interface with an innocent expression.

"She's assigned to government affairs, warfare, internal administration… Why is Aunt Kagali holding more than a dozen positions by herself?"

Shizue's expression became equally strained as she looked over the display.

So he was planning to work one person to death?

Even if this really were a game, that would still be inhumanly cruel!

You could not exploit even livestock that badly!

"Didn't I just give her two assistants?"

Takumi pointed at Shuna and Shion, whose portraits were now positioned beside Kagali's.

After briefly explaining where the two had come from, Takumi waved a hand.

"None of that is important. Right now, we have a side quest: the Orc invasion."

"So you really are playing a game."

Shizue muttered under her breath, having completely seen through Takumi's intentions.

Takumi pretended not to hear her and continued explaining.

At the same time, he drew a circle in the air and pulled over a distant spatial image for the two girls to watch.

"My empire currently occupies the western side of the Great Forest of Jura. Setsuna, Kureha, and the others have advanced west and northwest respectively to conquer the Kingdom of Blumund and the Armed Nation of Dwargon."

"In the center of the Great Forest of Jura lies Lake Siss. That will probably be my next target for expansion."

"However, the area currently belongs to the Lizardmen, while the Orc army is advancing toward it from the east with a force of two hundred thousand."

"Two hundred thousand?!"

Shizue was stunned by the number.

She knew that Orcs possessed a very powerful reproductive drive, but even so, they should not have been capable of producing an army of two hundred thousand.

There was already one obvious problem: how were they supposed to feed that many mouths?

Once an army reached that size, transporting food alone became an enormous undertaking.

And moving those supplies required a corresponding labor force. Low-ranking Orc monsters were little more than a disorganized mob and should never have obediently carried out such work.

"A high-ranking majin appeared among the Orcs—their leader, the Orc Lord."

Takumi enlarged the image again and pointed at the enormous Orc Lord.

"What a huge pig!"

Chloe could not help exclaiming.

After seeing the image, Shizue quietly asked, "Takumi, since you can pinpoint their location this accurately, shouldn't you be able to eliminate them directly?"

Shizue understood just how powerful she had become, so in her opinion, with Takumi's current strength, he could absolutely crush every last one of them.

Takumi nodded, then shook his head.

"If I handle everything personally, how are my subordinates supposed to gain experience?"

"What kind of emperor steps onto the battlefield every single day? I finally get to play a proper nation-building strategy game."

"Unless the situation becomes urgent, I have no interest in lowering myself to deal with those people personally."

Takumi's reasoning sounded so convincing that Shizue could not refute it.

From an observer's perspective, however, she felt he was blatantly cheating.

Even if he never entered the battlefield himself, the ability to observe everything from above like this was already enough to completely overwhelm the enemy.

"So, Shizue, how about I appoint you General of the Suppression Army and have you lead troops against the Orc forces?"

As Takumi spoke, a miniature portrait of Shizue immediately appeared beneath the Retainers section of the interface.

With a sweep of his finger, her little figure flew straight into the position of commanding general.

...

For every 50 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.

Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon! [/METARLN]