“Die! You Imperial pigs!!!”
Eggs splattered against our car.
It was annoying, but we had already accounted for this reaction. Since then, Wifey had gone public with the grim reality of the Inner Palace. She had exposed the depravity of that lunatic Maro Emperor for all to see. She had even revealed the fact that she was the product of incest...
“I have no intention of belittling myself! For I am the greatest woman in the universe! Kahahaha!”
She truly was the greatest woman in the universe, in her own way.
“Besides, I cannot control who my parents were. I couldn’t care less! Though I did make sure to record the face of the brat who just threw that egg!”
Actually, she was incredibly pissed off.
The impact of exposing the ultimate taboo was immediate. Public opinion shifted to praise Big Brother Cyrus for slaughtering the Maro Emperor, and a mysterious Anti-Imperial Family Group emerged. They were even spouting nonsense about making me, Leo Kamishiro, the new Emperor.
I could barely handle being a Captain; did they really think I could be Emperor? At least wait until I graduate university!
Furthermore, female public opinion had swung heavily toward “Save the Inner Palace and Imperial Princess Veronica!” Some people thought she should call off her marriage to me, but she reassured me. “If they force a divorce, I shall simply marry you of my own free will anyway.” That was a relief.
Prince Walter was the one taking the real hit. His support was evaporating rapidly. No matter how you looked at it, the guy was just creepy—a literal continuation of the Maro line.
While Prince Thomas and Wifey’s approval ratings were rising, there were always idiots ready to throw eggs. They were the kind of fools who just wanted to watch the country burn. I doubted they would manage to unite even if humanity faced extinction.
If the Empire fell, they would just end up as Zork food. The Zork didn’t invade for reasons humans could comprehend. No matter how much they hated the current state of things, the only reason they could even protest was because the national system was still functioning!
Simultaneously, a movement to oust me was gaining traction. Apparently, I was the reason things couldn't be resolved peacefully!
Drop dead! If you have that much energy, enlist in the Army so I can grind you down on the front lines!
…Anyway, as frustrated as I was, we weren't actually losing. Take that group campaigning against me, for instance. When we dug into them, we found they were receiving back-channel support from organizations linked to Alexia. She was just one of many sponsors, but it showed how she was operating. She seemed to understand human nature quite well.
Actually, no—this was definitely the work of humans. It was far too illogical to be anything else.
Information kept trickling in at the cost of our sanity. It was so irritating. Truly, truly irritating.
The women from the Inner Palace had been moved to a different location—a coastal hotel within the same group we were staying at—which was easier to defend. They were giving interviews to the media every day. The news portrayed them as victims, and for some reason, I was being credited as their savior.
I was pretty sure it was Big Brother Cyrus. He was the one who actually killed the Maro Emperor. I didn't do anything. I felt like he had done it for Wifey's sake, so I felt like I owed him a great debt.
Maro’s death was a net positive. Most of the public supported Wifey, with Thomas as the runner-up. Walter, the last vestige of the Maro line, was watching his popularity plummet. The Maro Emperor himself, now treated like filth, was the most hated of all. People were practically throwing fireworks at the Palace every day.
I doubted Walter would survive long even if he did manage to take the throne, though he probably didn't realize it.
The real issue was Alexia. There was no way she would stay still while we paved the way with such a superficially advantageous situation. It was a perfect chance to cull the ordinary idiots as well. Two birds, one stone. The only downside was how incredibly annoying it was.
We arrived at the hotel.
Our daily routine consisted of basically just baiting the enemy. We would go out, visit various state facilities, and have dinner with Thomas or high-ranking military officials. That alone was enough to make our opponents seethe.
“Hey! Traitor-kun, are you watching?! I’m about to do something crazy to your precious daily life! Double peace sign!”
Alexia was bound to slip up soon.
Oh, and about the Fairy. She had admitted she was Imperial Princess Luna and confessed to being the core of the Mother AI. Apparently, she had synchronized with the Mother AI the moment she stepped outside.
They found spare body parts for her “AKIRA State” form in a research facility. They were in good condition, so her body was currently being reconstructed. Whether she could actually inhabit a new body was still being researched.
The public didn't know Luna was still alive. For now, her status had been restored posthumously, and a state funeral had been held. They were planning to build a new temple in her honor. She was being treated like a deity... though, as the Mother AI, she basically was one.
“The new game was delayed because of the war...”
The person in question was currently moping in my AR. The competitive war FPS she had been anticipating had been pushed back.
“You promised you wouldn't conscript the creators!”
“I didn't. They all volunteered.”
“How... could... this... happen...”
The civilians were getting a bit too gung-ho. Was this the effect of the Jester (Sage) passive skill?
As I was pondering that, the Fairy let out a strange yelp.
“Wait... Alexia just made a move.”
“Wow, that's blatant.”
She had finally crawled out of the woodwork. I'd believe it if someone said she was trying to lure me into a trap.
“Where is she going?”
“To the... National Park?”
“Why there?”
“Who knows? Maybe there's some significance. Let's see... Research says the old House Hashimoto estate used to be there. It became a National Park when they handed it over to pay inheritance taxes. You know how it is—assets in the Imperial Capital Planet are taxed heavily.”
That was a painfully realistic reason to lose a house. Still, what was she planning?
“Don't tell me she has a Linear Blazer hidden underground...”
“Veronica-chan! Did you hear that?!”
“Yes. I shall dispatch surveillance at once.”
“Wait, it was a joke!”
“With you, Leo-kun, it is never just a joke!”
“No, seriously, it was just a throwaway comment...”
“Lord Groom underestimates his own intuition! Constant monitoring, I say!”
Uwaaaaah! Nobody believes me! It really was just a joke!