Before long, Takuto’s palace is finally completed, marking the start of his kingdom’s true advancement. He is thrilled—he’s always dreamed of having a grand palace. Atu reassures him that one day it will grow so large it could “pierce the heavens.”
However, all this talk about the palace makes Atu realize something important: despite being king, Takuto still doesn’t have a single attendant. It would be strange for a ruler to have no personal servants, so she asks if he has any preferences for one. Takuto, somewhat sheepishly, says he’s fine with anyone as long as they’re easy to talk to—he admits he’s a terrible communicator. In fact, he hasn’t had an actual conversation with any of the dark elves since arriving. Atu suspects this is mostly because he appears to them as a mass of negative energy.
Regardless, Atu promises she has the perfect plan. Takuto is uneasy about how enthusiastic she is but decides to see what she comes up with. Without hesitation, Atu summons Gia, Moltar, and Emle, ordering them to gather all the young girls in the village “because the king desires them.”
Both Takuto and Gia are stunned by this command. Gia, wanting to give Takuto the benefit of the doubt, asks Atu why she’s making such a request. Atu explains—though poorly—that she chose young girls because she thought it would be easier for Takuto to practice speaking with them. But instead of saying it plainly, she boldly declares that Takuto “likes young girls,” making the situation sound far worse.
Alarmed, Takuto quickly stops Atu before she can make things worse, insisting she explain the truth without making him sound like a degenerate. Once Moltar and the others hear the real story, they are relieved to learn that Takuto simply wanted a servant who would be easy to talk to. He suggested children because the kingdom is short on laborers, and he didn’t want to take away capable workers from important tasks. Young children, who can’t contribute much yet, seemed like the best option.
Impressed by his thoughtfulness, Moltar and the others agree to bring him the children. Takuto looks forward to finally having people to converse with. Unfortunately, there’s one major flaw in his plan—he still looks like a walking calamity to normal people. The moment the children see him, they burst into tears.
Feeling awful about the whole incident, Atu asks Moltar if there are any children who wouldn’t scream at the sight of their king. Sadly, given the circumstances, Moltar can’t think of anyone suitable.
Gia suddenly speaks up and asks if Takuto has met the twins yet. He admits he hasn’t introduced them before because he didn’t think they’d be appropriate attendants for a king. To put it bluntly, they have a troubled past, and he worried they might offend Takuto in some way. But given the current lack of options, Takuto tells him to call them in anyway.
A few moments later, the twins arrive at the palace, introducing themselves as Kuria and Maria. While Kuria speaks with proper respect, Maria talks to Takuto casually—almost like he’s an old friend. Atu can tell at a glance that these two have been through a lot. She asks Kuria about the sores on her body. Kuria explains they were caused by a disease, and Moltar elaborates that she once suffered from a plague. Though cured, the scars remain.
Atu then asks what happened to Maria. Kuria hesitates, but finally says her sister went through something “very cruel” and has never been the same. Before Atu can press further, Maria blurts out, without hesitation: “I ate my mother.”
This is far worse than Atu imagined. She turns to Moltar for an explanation. He admits it’s not something he’s proud of, but it was the only way. The dark elf tribe will never forget the noble sacrifice their mother made for them. Takuto recalls that when the elves were driven from their home, they had to cross treacherous terrain for a long time. Starvation was inevitable, and sacrifices were made. Being forced to eat her own mother shattered Maria’s perception of the world.
While the trauma seems to have stripped Maria of fear toward Takuto, Atu isn’t sure she’d make a good attendant. But before Atu can voice her doubts, Maria walks right up to Takuto and says he looks white to her—a stark contrast to the “embodiment of darkness” most people see. Intrigued, Takuto asks if she’d be willing to become his attendant and take care of him. Maria says she’ll do her best. Impressed, Takuto appoints her as his servant and even a candidate for leadership in Manara.
Atu is astonished—this is the longest conversation Takuto has had with anyone besides her. Still, Kuria remains quiet, so Takuto asks her thoughts. Kuria replies that, as Maria’s little sister, it’s her duty to always stay by her side. If Maria wants to serve Takuto, then she will too. Pleased, Takuto officially puts them in charge of looking after him.
However, Gia and Moltar seem uneasy. After the others leave, Moltar privately tells Takuto that ever since their mother’s death, the twins have been completely numb—unable to feel even a shred of emotion. Serving him will come with challenges, but Moltar asks that Takuto treat them with patience until they can heal.
Later, Maria and Kuria begin their duties. Problems arise almost immediately—Maria, trying to bring Takuto a glass of water, trips and spills it all over him. Kuria rushes to wipe him down and apologizes, explaining this isn’t the first time Maria has done something like this. Takuto reassures them that he isn’t upset.
A few moments later, Atu enters and is clearly disappointed to see another blunder. She scolds Maria, but Takuto tells her to go easy on the girls. Atu can’t stand their constant mistakes, but if Takuto doesn’t want to punish them, she has no choice but to let it slide.
Atu tells Takuto that he has a meeting to attend, and as his attendants, Maria and Kuria will be required to join him. She warns them to be on their best behavior.
The meeting begins shortly after. Emil gives the first report. As head of the construction department, she notes that with the palace completed, they now have many workers available and a surplus of resources in storage. She proposes beginning another project immediately. Takuto and Atu agree and instruct her to start building a clinic as soon as possible. Health and safety, they decide, must be a priority for the people of Manara. Emil accepts the order and promises to begin at once.
Since Emil is also responsible for resource collection, she continues with that report. Food and material gathering is going smoothly, and thanks to Takuto’s abilities, they have been able to acquire goods the dark elves could never produce themselves. However, this process consumes a great deal of his mana. They will eventually need to find other means to obtain these necessities—relying on emergency production too often isn’t sustainable. Takuto tells her it’s fine for now, but they must begin prioritizing projects and research that will increase his mana recovery.
Atu thanks Emil and calls on Moltar for a magic research update. Moltar proudly announces that he has successfully developed military magic. At present, he is the only one capable of using it, but with training, others could learn as well. There’s even a possibility they could harness the “ruined mana” generated by the palace for powerful spells. Still, since Takuto has no interest in starting wars, such magic may not see much use. For now, Atu orders him to focus on researching the six major elements of the magic skill tree, as those will most benefit the nation’s growth.
Finally, Gia reports on the army’s status. They currently have five scout bugs, which have been mapping uncharted areas of the Cursed Land. The terrain beyond the forest is mostly open plains, making it risky to explore without being spotted. Given that stealth is one of Manara’s top priorities, exploration has been limited. Atu decides that’s acceptable, since they already have a complete survey of the forest. She orders Gia to reassign the scouts to routine perimeter patrols. Gia hesitates, concerned about weakening their reconnaissance, but Atu assures him she can handle any threats. Besides, she and Takuto have already decided to create a new hero. Takuto confirms he will be summoning Ela after all and asks if the necessary resources have been gathered. Moltar says the lumber and rations are ready, though the large mana requirement is still an issue. After some debate and compromises, the meeting concludes.
Takuto leaves pleased with everyone’s dedication. On his way back to the throne room, Maria bumps into him, scattering the meeting documents across the floor. Kuria quickly apologizes on her sister’s behalf and kneels to gather the papers, but in the process, they accidentally tear one in half. Expecting him to be angry, they look up nervously—yet Takuto simply tells them not to worry and continues to his throne.
Then Maria suddenly asks, “Are you a bad person?”
Since his alignment is technically evil, Takuto admits that he is. Maria presses further: if he’s a bad person, why hasn’t he killed them yet? They’ve made constant mistakes—errors that, under most rulers, would mean execution—yet he shows them mercy. They simply can’t understand why.
In response, Takuto asks them what they think the difference is between a good person and a bad person. To Maria, the answer is simple: a good person only does good things, and a bad person only does bad things.
However, Takuto tells Maria she’s only half right. A good person is indeed someone who must always try to do the right thing—they can’t lie, steal, or kill without reason. But a bad person doesn’t necessarily have to always do bad things. Bad people are selfish by nature, simply doing whatever they want without regard for others’ feelings. In Takuto’s case, what he wants is to be kind to them. So there’s nothing wrong with being lenient when they make mistakes.
Besides, he already knows they’ve been messing up on purpose in an attempt to make him angry. Maria and Kuria admit that they were hoping he’d eventually lose his temper and kill them, because they don’t believe they deserve to live after what happened to their mother.
Takuto understands why it’s hard for them to forgive themselves, though he can’t personally relate to their experience. Still, he believes their mother made her sacrifice because she wanted them to survive. He tells them that they are free now—and the best way to honor her memory is to live their lives to the fullest, ensuring her sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Moving forward won’t be easy, but he promises to stay by their side every step of the way.
The two break down in tears at his words and hug him tightly.
A few hours later, Atu walks in and finds them both asleep on Takuto’s throne. She feels a twinge of jealousy at how close they’ve grown to him, but she has more pressing matters to discuss. She informs Takuto that the report on the nearby city is complete.
The city is called Draanten, part of the multi-racial neutral nation known as Foron. Because Draanten hosts many different races, Takuto believes negotiations with them should be straightforward. Still, he’s concerned by the fact that the city was built in such a remote location.
Atu explains that the reason is a dragon vein mine—an incredibly valuable resource, as dragon veins naturally produce mana. She recommends securing it as soon as possible. The report also notes that Draanten is currently under attack by barbaric forces, including ogres and goblins, and the city’s defenses are faltering.
Takuto asks whether Draanten has received aid from its homeland. As far as Atu knows, no reinforcements have been dispatched, so the situation continues to deteriorate. Given the state of the city, Takuto assumes there must already be refugees. Welcoming those refugees into Manara could both boost their population and foster goodwill with Draanten—and in time, they might be able to claim the dragon vein mine for themselves.
