That day's conference didn't wrap up in a single day like the previous ones. Deliberations over fine-tuning the detailed plans proved difficult, and it was decided that discussions would continue the following day.
This was only natural, given that the first two conferences had been little more than meet-and-greets, and this time we were getting into the serious work of aligning our strategies.
On top of that, the Church of Divine Words was pushing for cooperation in areas that hadn't been part of the original plan, so there was plenty to discuss.
The detailed plan for overthrowing the kingdom.
Securing control of the empire.
Cultivating relationships with other nations.
The military advance into the elves' village.
The scheme to lure the Demon race into human territory.
The Demon race's invasion plan for the elves' village.
Once you got into the details, there was no end to it.
In the end, the conference stretched on until the sun went down.
Dinner was provided by the Church of Divine Words, and we were given rooms to stay in.
If I asked Ms. Shiro, I could return to Demon race territory, but it seemed like everyone planned to stay the night.
I settled into the room that had been loaned to me and took a breather.
Before sleeping, I decided to focus my consciousness and forge magic swords until I ran out of MP.
"Hey, Sasanoyan! You awake?"
Just as the first magic sword was completed, I heard Kusama's voice along with a knock on the door.
"I'm awake. Also, didn't I tell you to call me Lars?"
I reminded him while opening the door.
"My bad, my bad."
Kusama showed not the slightest hint of remorse as he pushed his way into the room.
With a resigned sigh, I closed the door.
Kusama was carrying snacks and drinks in both hands, making it abundantly clear he intended to stay awhile.
Well, so much for forging any more magic swords.
"Oh? Is that a magic sword?"
Kusama's sharp eyes immediately spotted the freshly forged blade.
"Yep."
"Hey, hey, Lars — your Skill is something that lets you create magic swords, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Kusama's eyes lit up as he asked, and I confirmed with a nod.
He'd already done his research and found out I was the ogre who'd run amok in human territory long ago.
I'd introduced myself as much when we met.
And from the records of that time, he'd apparently formed a rough idea of what my Skill could do.
"What about your Skill, Kusama?"
"Me? Mine's called Ninja — lets me do shadow clones and ninjutsu and stuff."
I asked on a whim, but Kusama spilled the beans about his Skill without a second thought.
Right. Kusama wasn't the type to keep secrets.
He probably didn't even have the notion that Skills should be kept under wraps.
"Sounds pretty useful."
"Useful is useful, but I'm way more jealous of the magic sword thing. You can only make those from the materials of really powerful Monsters, you know? So they're insanely rare."
Is that so.
I could create them as long as I had MP, so I had no real sense of their rarity.
I treated them like disposable items.
"Hey, hey. If it's alright, could you maybe make me a magic sword too?"
At Kusama's plea, I thought it over for a moment before giving the okay.
I'd briefly worried that flooding the market with magic swords might cause chaos.
But then again, I'd already been manufacturing a huge number of them at Ms. Shiro's request for deployment with the Tenth Army.
Figuring it was too late to worry about that now, I decided to grant Kusama's wish.
I asked what kind of weapon he wanted and began the forging process.
Kusama watched the whole thing with keen interest.
What emerged was a pair of matching short blades.
Since he was a ninja, I'd added dark-element bonus effects to match the theme.
They might not fit Kusama's image perfectly, though.
I named them New Moon and Full Moon.
"Whoa! Thanks! I'll treasure these forever!"
"That's great, but make sure you actually use them. If you don't, they'll just go to waste."
"Roger, roger."
Kusama gazed at the blades New Moon and Full Moon with a wide grin.
He looked like a kid who'd just been given a toy.
If they could make him this happy, it was worth the effort.
I nibbled on the snacks Kusama had brought and waited until he'd had his fill.
"Hey, Sasanoyan, feeling any better?"
Out of nowhere, Kusama asked.
It was a completely random question, but there was no point asking why he'd brought it up.
From the outside, my bad mood must have been obvious enough.
"Yeah. A little, I think."
Our interaction had helped calm the rough edges of my feelings, at least somewhat.
Only somewhat, though. It didn't address anything fundamental.
This aimless irritation stewing in my chest — I doubted it would ever clear up.
"Sasanoyan, why are you so wound up? I might not be the most reliable guy, but I'm happy to listen if you want to talk."
Kusama's uncharacteristically serious voice made me realize just how bad I must have looked.
Talking to Kusama probably wouldn't solve anything.
But I thought it might lighten the mood, so I started talking, bit by bit.
When I'd first heard Ms. Shiro's plan, the very first thing that crossed my mind was an indescribable sense of revulsion.
A visceral, physical disgust that defied words.
It was disgust toward the method of brainwashing.
The same brainwashing that had been the cause of me acquiring
The method I despised above all else in this world — something abhorrent, something that should be spit upon.
And Ms. Shiro used it without the slightest hesitation.
Was using it.
Natsume was brainwashing person after person, and even Natsume herself had been brainwashed by Ms. Shiro without realizing it.
I couldn't laugh at that.
If it were truly necessary, maybe I could have tolerated it.
But Ms. Shiro herself admitted this was an oversight — something she hadn't anticipated.
A careless mistake that would drag people into misery.
Brainwashing made both its victims and those close to them wretched.
I had been brainwashed and forced to kill my own sister with my own hands.
My brother had been brainwashed and made to follow a degenerate path.
Seeing that had filled me with a fury so intense my vision turned red.
In this case, Hasebe-san — once brainwashed — would surely end up miserable.
And Shun, who would be betrayed by Hasebe-san, would be too.
And I was in a position to be complicit in all of it.
No — not complicit. I was in a position to lead it.
Even though I hadn't known the details of this plan, I had chosen to cooperate with Ms. Shiro.
And that choice had already reached a point where it couldn't be undone.
I couldn't suddenly start voicing squeamishness about brainwashing and expect to halt the plan going forward.
I was about to commit acts just as depraved — if not worse — than the person who had brainwashed me.
No matter what reasons lay ahead, the act itself was nothing but evil from the victim's perspective.
I was evil.
The thought made me sick.
And yet I couldn't stop.
I had no intention of stopping.
I mustn't have that intention.
"I don't think you need to overthink it. Right and wrong — at the end of the day, it's just a matter of which side you're standing on, right? So just do what's right from where you stand."
Kusama's take after hearing me out was so straightforward it was almost blinding.
I envied his ability to say something like that with such conviction.
Either way, my personal feelings alone weren't going to stop anything.
In that case, I would press forward to the very end.
Even if it was evil, I would see my cooperation with Ms. Shiro through to the last.
Yes — to the very end.
Kusama: "Reversal Sword Dance — Six-Fold!"
Demon: "Don't do that indoors, you idiot!"