Volume 11 Chapter 20 Takumi-kun Puts on an Act
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I had a mountain of things to get done today.
First on the list was meeting with Councilor Gandolf and Kanare-san. Gandolf-san was the head of the Craftsmen’s Union, but he’d been a soldier once too. When I reached out, he said he’d meet me at Kanare-san’s station. Kanare-san was a battalion commander in the Autonomous Government Army—the number two there. The regimental commander and councilor, Noshisshi, was just a dimwit coasting on his family name, but Kanare-san, who’d come from a farming village, had a good heart and an even better reputation.
Looking back now, I could finally see just how much Kanare-san had been looking out for us. Sure, we’d been treated as the military’s little “magic stone mining division,” but he’d never once charged us rent for our base. Not once.
And he’d given us starter gear—even if it was second-hand—and tailored training to match each of our Skills. Thanks to him, our squad had stayed stable enough that I never had to constantly reshuffle it. If I was being honest, Kanare-san was the one factor that set this life apart from my past runs, even from the First Emperor’s time. That difference alone had changed our fates.
Back then, half my classmates died in the first week. The same idiots we had now had treated the Labyrinth like some video game and never came back. When I led a rescue party, Chinatsu-chan died. That memory still stabbed at me. Killing the girl who’d just confessed to me? Yeah, that had been hell.
”…So that’s the situation. I’m sorry, Kanare-san. But I need the elite troops under your command. You can have everything except the Agilaus Staff as spoils.”
”I see…”
”Hold it, Battalion Commander Kanare. You said your name was Takumi Nasu, yes?”
Gandolf-san cut her off. At this point in time, he didn’t know me yet. We’d only started working together after I’d gained my reputation as McGaref’s so-called ruler.
”I know Kanare cares about your group. But if you’re requesting reinforcements, you should be going to Councilor Noshisshi, not me. Why bypass your commanding officer?”
”Because the ones I trust are Councilor Anne, Councilor Ralph, and Councilor Gandolf.”
I said it straight. Gandolf-san, unlike Anne-san—who controlled the shadows and the markets—was a man of McGaref’s public face. Politically, he leaned toward independence. More precisely, he wanted to cut ties with the Quvarian Empire altogether.
”And what’s your evaluation of Mafat?”
”Trash.”
”And Noshisshi?”
”An idiot.”
Kanare-san’s eyes went wide. In her mind, I was probably still just a meek little shepherd dog. But here I was, not only knowing the political setup of McGaref, but judging it.
As I expected, Gandolf-san threw his head back and laughed.
”You call a councilor trash and an idiot, do you? Give me your reasons.”
So I laid them all out—their screw-ups, their failures. All the little stories Gandolf-san himself had told me back when I’d gone to negotiate with Sheryl. His chuckles turned into a deep frown the more I went on.
”Kanare, what is he?”
”All I know is that they appeared on the outskirts, from another world.”
”That can’t be right. He knows too much.”
Oh, there it was—the killing intent. I’d gone past “curious stranger” and landed squarely in “dangerous individual” territory. Not unexpected. If I wanted Gandolf-san in my corner, I had to prove I had teeth.
Same for Kanare-san. I needed her troops, but if I killed Noshisshi, who knew what would happen to her standing. Last time, there’d been a war on—an emergency. It had been Anne-san and Gandolf-san who’d done the actual deed.
”Fine. I’ll tell you who I really am, Gandolf.”
”…Hm?”
I shifted my tone on purpose and let my aura flare. This was the pressure I’d inherited from the First Emperor version of me. To them, it must’ve felt like I’d completely transformed—especially to Kanare-san. I probably didn’t even seem like the same person.
”Anne doesn’t know. Ralph doesn’t know. Even Marina doesn’t know. This stays in this room.”
”Takumi…san?”
”Gandolf. You’ve heard the name Takumi before, haven’t you?”
Shock spread across Gandolf-san’s face. I was voicing a secret that should have only been passed down orally within the council, never written.
”I am the rightful ruler of McGaref. You’ll keep running it on the surface for now—but the real power comes back to me.”
”What is the meaning of this, Councilor Gandolf?”
Kanare-san wasn’t a councilor. She didn’t know the truth. She didn’t know that the council had betrayed the McGaref royal family, handed them over to the First Emperor, and seized control. McGaref’s history was written in blood.
’Takumi-sama. Please take care of McGaref.’
The words of the kingdom’s first princess flashed through my mind. Back then, as the First Emperor, I’d violated her—took all three of her virginities—and her mother, the Queen, and her younger sister had already leapt to their deaths. She’d stood on the castle wall, my seed dripping from her, hands still tied behind her back, and looked back at me with a calm smile.
’You smile like that at the man about to kill you?’
’Yes. Even if we die, the people of McGaref will live on. Please, give them peace and prosperity.’
And before I could answer, she’d stepped backward off the wall. Gone.
How poetic. A thousand years later, here I was, finally trying to keep that promise.
”Got it yet? I’ll annex Quvar. It was mine to begin with—I’m just taking it back. McGaref will eat Quvar. Isn’t that glorious?”
”No, wait. Even if that were true, why should we hand back the power—”
”You’ll see soon. One by one, you’ll get results. Maybe even Katarina’s and Mafat’s corpses by tonight.”
The killing intent faded. In its place was just bewilderment. No surprise—what had looked like a harmless stray dog was suddenly baring fangs like a lion.
”For now, Kanare-san, put together a team. I want you supporting Ginga-kun’s squad. Haruka-chan will ‘destroy’ the guardian. Marina-san is already getting us the expendable staff we’ll use.”
”Uh—y-yes.”
”Councilor Gandolf, I’d like you with me when I meet Priest Korn. Anne-san and Ralph-san are already moving to abduct Mafat. To kill him again after resurrection, we need control of the church.”
They were both looking at me like I’d grown horns. I didn’t have time to convince them gently. I had to secure McGaref as fast as possible before involving other countries.
”Councilor Gandolf. Takumi-san—just what is he?”
”…I’d rather let him say it. I still can’t quite believe it myself.”
Oh? A little more formal now. Promising. I’d handled this well—just like with Anne-san.
”Then I’ll tell you, Kanare-san.”
I flared my aura again. The contrast was extreme—useful, but tiring. It was me, but not me.
”I’m the First Emperor.”
”…First…Emperor?”
”Yeah. I took Quvar from Raphastia, renamed it the Quvarian Empire, expanded the lands. And I crushed McGaref and ruled it. The First Emperor of Quvarian Empire—Takumi Nasu. That’s me.”
I let a slow smile spread across my face—the kind a ruler gave his subjects.
—
”Hey, hey, Takumi-chi.”
”What’s up, Kahoru-chan?”
”Isn’t that like… cheating? Straight-up fraud?”
”It’s not cheating. It’s literally me.”
”Wow, you really just said that out loud. But hey, wasn’t McGaref destroyed by the Quvarian Empire? You never thought they’d want revenge?”
”The council were the traitors, remember? Besides, my First Emperor aura is intense.”
”What, like scary enough to make weaklings faint?”
”Kahoru-chan, you can’t just say that—seriously!”
Notes:
• Kanare – The stern battalion commander, who once led Chinatsu, shares a solemn mission, his eyes reflecting battlefield memories.
• Chinatsu – White Wall — Black hair, B-cup. Adventurous, masochistic, Takumi’s first slave & lover. Master of Asakura-ryu Iaijutsu, wields cursed sword Chisame (blood-powered). 12th-ranked fighter, close to Hikari. First appears in v1c1 Prologue.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Ralph – Shiori-chan’s foster father; eccentric; treated the mc to the brothel.
• Anne – Grandmother of the councilor representing the Market in McGaref.
• Quvarian Empire – Ruling kingdom. Harsh world, restricted freedom.
• Sheryl – Second Princess of the Quvarian Empire, a striking beauty with red hair. Initially appears as a diplomatic envoy, but she is a reformer within the empire, seeking to atone for Quvar’s past betrayals, particularly the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. Sheryl is highly intelligent and politically savvy, using her position to gather secrets and undermine the empire’s plans to destroy McGaref. She is also a slave to Takumi, bound by enslavement magic, and tasked with sowing chaos within Quvar. Despite her circumstances, she maintains a sense of duty and hopes to bring about change. First appears in v6c26.
• Marina – Ranka’s older sister. The formal owner of Merchant Guild Katarina.
• Haruka – Witch of Destruction — Silver-haired, F-cup. Former class vice-president, now a powerful witch. Wields the Agilaus Staff, capable of devastating ritual magic. Became the world’s strongest after acquiring the ‘Dark Emperor of the Abyss’ as a familiar. Exhibits exhibitionist tendencies, often seeking public intimacy with Takumi. Deeply devoted to him, balancing her role as a leader with her desires. First appears in v1c1 Prologue.
• Priest Korn – Humble cleric of McGaref who stepped in to manage the church’s duties after Councilor Mafat’s disappearance. Loyal to the city and respected despite lacking political cunning, he stabilized resurrection rites during the siege. First appears v9c30. Reminder: Steady priest who filled the void when betrayal left chaos.
• Raphastia – A once-renowned general who now serves the First Emperor in the underworld army. He is referred to as a ‘Holy Corpse,’ indicating his undead state. Raphastia retains his self-awareness and will, which is unusual for the undead, and his loyalty to the Emperor remains unwavering. He is described as having a raspy voice and is one of the key figures in the Emperor’s command post. First appearance in v9c8.
• Kaho – 3rd Army leader. Worried, ceremonial magic.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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