The plan had gone smoothly. Of course it had, considering the Demon King was the one who’d thought it up. Since no key figures in this country had any brains on par with his, it’d been bound to work. Plus, this was one of those schemes where we stirred up trouble to get credit for solving it, so we’d made sure we were totally prepared before taking action. The repairs to the destroyed senate building—which, yeah, had been mostly my doing—had finished in just three days thanks to the help of Dwarf King Dodah. To no one’s surprise, everyone now called him “Boss,” including folks from other races.
For some reason, the elves had seemed to be feeling a rivalry with the dwarves, maybe because they’d been doing so much lately. They’d kept demanding that more work get tossed their way, which had honestly been baffling to me and funny to Fynar. But in my eyes, they’d been doing plenty by using their magical skills to do good work all over the place. They’d instructed the military’s mages, helped improve the airships, and even built magic circles to strengthen the foundations of buildings, which was supposed to be the dwarves’ forte. Admittedly, though, those weren’t the kinds of jobs that got the spotlight.
The therianthropes, on the other hand, had been pretty nonchalant as far as work went. “We can’t handle the complicated stuff. If you need a fight, just call us.” That’d basically been their attitude, so they’d pretty much just stuck to guard duty and the like. Which, fair enough. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, right?
And as for the all-important imperial family... Well, we’d successfully isolated them by claiming that they were being evacuated for protection against the latest terrorist attack, and they were now being confined. All part of the plan to cut them off from the rest of the world. We were holding them in a space created by the dungeon’s power, similar to my meadow area back home, so anyone with authority could keep track of their every move. It went without saying that it was also impossible for them to escape. Politically, they’d never had any power to begin with, and on top of that, the Demon King, who’d temporarily exercised his own authority to deal with the attack, was now running most of the country’s affairs anyway, so there wasn’t much they could do.
This latest incident had only reminded me all over again how freaking scary Fynar was. It’d been a while since I’d felt that way. The sheer balls on the dude combined with his “I’ll do what’s necessary no matter what it takes” determination was just incredible. Seriously.
So yeah, those dipshits would probably stay locked up for at least five months, and when they got out, it’d be over for them. Curtains. Fin. The end. And because we had proof of their absolutely heinous crimes, not even they would be able to escape punishment. However, in order to be sure of that, we needed to transition away from the current system.
In five months’ time, we’d be hosting the Magical War Games a little earlier than planned. The Games would include a special event. For that, we needed...
“Finally free again, huh?”
“Hello, Your Majesty. I am indeed, and it’s all thanks to you. As an imperial citizen, I’m truly grateful for your assistance in purging the rot festering in our nation.”
Alveiro Velburn bowed his head. A member of the senate who’d been falsely accused and held captive. He’d been under the Demon King’s protection, but once we’d gathered enough hard evidence, the cloud over his head had lifted, along with his semiconfinement. Man was already back in the world of politics. We’d just ignore that half of our evidence had been, shall we say, fabricated.
It hadn’t been that long since I’d last seen him, but he looked a bit thinner to me. Despite being in what amounted to protective custody, there was no doubt he’d been living in the shadows for a while. He must’ve been pretty exhausted. But his eyes still exuded his strong will, and even though he looked tired, he was practically humming with energy. He had some real spirit. Not surprising for a man the former emperor thought so highly of.
“No problem at all. We just did what we wanted. That’s why we staged the third terrorist attack.”
Although there’d been zero casualties—that asshole, the senate president, didn’t count—during it, our methods hadn’t exactly been commendable. But they’d been necessary, so we’d done what’d needed doing. In a way, you could say we were in the same boat as Cyrus Aegir. Hmm, actually...I really don’t wanna be lumped together with him. That bastard didn’t give a rat’s ass how many ordinary folks died as long as he achieved his goals.
“You had no other choice. Even in this time of change—no, especially because it’s a time of change, drastic measures are necessary. It is the way of things. While we certainly need to be watchful of public sentiment in such times... Well, that is a given for those in our position.”
“True.”
He had a good understanding of this country. And why wouldn’t he? He was a politician with real ability, who understood the difference between reason and emotion. The nuances of life. Maybe because he served the former emperor, the embodiment of logic, for so many years... Whatever the case, it was a rare quality. Frankly, it’d be insanely presumptuous of me to make a high-handed judgment based solely on politics, so I was glad I didn’t have to. He’s the guy. I’ll go with him.
I’d promised Shen that I’d protect this country. And now that it was part of my dungeon’s territory, there was no way my ties to it would ever be severed. I would protect it. This was my domain. I wasn’t letting it go.
Maybe the title of emperor wasn’t all that necessary, then. Whatever form my role took was fine with me. They could even create a new position, something like the “Knight Order Zero,” and I’d be a permanent member.
As a piece who only came into play when it was time to defend the country, in the long run, I’d be doing more harm than good as emperor of Reauxgard. Honestly, though? I was tired of it. Plain and simple. Being a ruler just wasn’t my style. Shen, I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta give it up. I’ll keep protecting the empire, so I hope that’s good enough for you. Which is why—
“Okay, Alveiro. I came to see you today to tell you something very, very important. Listen up.”
“Go on...”
“As the twenty-third emperor, I hereby declare the following: Alveiro Velburn. Become the twenty-fourth.”