Shiyun immediately pointed out that the massacres were the work of the Ghouls, pleading with the Taikyoku Nation Army to cease their slaughter at once.
Simultaneously, she issued a call for the people to rally to her side.
Witnessing her resolve, Latarnia pledged its support—not just as an ally, but as a nation.
This was a massive development.
Things moved even faster that night when the King of Latarnia announced his abdication. I didn't know much about the man, but apparently, he had health issues. He stepped down to take responsibility for the current crisis.
And so, the new King of Latarnia was introduced.
"I offer my greetings to Galactic Empire Emperor Veronica-dono."
He was a man who appeared to be in his thirties, possessing the slender build common to Latarnians and long, golden hair. His tone was incredibly composed. Apparently, he was unmarried. It was frankly terrifying to think that a man this refined was treated as the 'Demon King of Dark Loans.'
Even though he was older, Wifey took the seat of honor since she had been a head of state longer. It was a matter of foreign culture that I didn't quite grasp, so I’d simply been honest about my ignorance and let Latarnia handle the seating arrangements.
Saria was also present as the representative of the Ogre God Nation.
As Wifey’s groom, I served as both her vassal and her most trusted knight. I took my place standing beside her. Looking at us, I couldn't help but feel like we were children playing at a student council meeting. We lacked presence. I suppose it couldn't be helped, considering we weren't even twenty yet.
Saria was just over twenty herself. Unfortunately, Kirti-chan was absent because they hadn't officially registered their marriage yet, but she was busy working outside as the Captain of the Ogre God Nation Security Squad. Saria, meanwhile, actually looked the part of a leader. It was a little depressing.
While Latarnia was a monarchy, it operated with a National Assembly. The legislature was the assembly, the judiciary was the courthouse, and the executive was the King.
Whoa, the separation of powers! That was straight out of my introductory law books!
In the Galactic Empire, the legislature and judiciary functioned similarly, and the Lords handled the administration, but the Emperor was an existence that transcended all of them.
Note: The Fairy's intervention was permitted without limit.
In the end, weren't the people who controlled the rules—the law—the strongest? It was just like the dealer in a gambling den. I couldn't see any way to win against the Fairy. However, the Fairy would eventually suffer a personality collapse if humans weren't around simply because they'd be too bored. We lived our lives protected by the whims, laziness, and otaku-fueled interests of the Fairy.
Given the circumstances, the Ghouls resorted to spreading conspiracy theories. Or rather, they had nothing else to cling to. They circulated rumors that Shiyun was merely a puppet for Latarnia, and that Latarnia’s true goal was revenge against the Taikyoku Nation.
If you didn't know the truth, I guess that logic tracked. They were the 'Dark Loan Nation' viewed as ultimate villains, after all. But for those of us who knew the reality, it was a joke.
In Latarnian culture, a promise was the most sacred thing. If Latarnians were caught in the crossfire or killed in a counterattack because of a pointless quest for revenge, the government would be breaking its core promise to 'protect its people.' The recent self-destruct attack had caused enough of an internal uproar to force the King to abdicate. There was no way they would risk everything for revenge; it simply wasn't worth the cost.
Besides, the government had never promised its citizens that it would seek vengeance for the era of slavery. It wasn't in the Latarnia Constitution, nor was it in any official records of the kings' speeches. In short, while the Latarnian citizens were terrified of the Ghoul parasites, they had no intention of dragging the entire Taikyoku Nation down with them. They only wanted the Ghouls dead. Even I was scared of those things, so I couldn't blame them.
Furthermore, the Taikyoku Nation had just backed itself into a corner. It was likely their greatest strategic blunder yet. The Huanglong-class was a massive battleship that must have carried a crew of ten thousand. They had detonated the reactors and blown up the entire ship along with everyone on board. Since a normal crash wouldn't produce that much power, it must have been a calculated move involving multiple reactors.
There was no way every single person on that ship was a Ghoul. A significant number had to be ordinary soldiers, and they had been wiped out by their own side. If you did something like that, you couldn't expect the military to stay loyal.
As if on cue, rebellions ignited across the entire Taikyoku Nation. A righteous cause had finally been provided. The Revere the Emperor movement erupted everywhere. Posters of Shiyun in her formal portrait were plastered over every wall, while police and soldiers desperately tried to tear them down. When the protest movements were fired upon by humanoid fighters, they simply went underground.
Defectors from the military began organizing these underground cells, escalating the resistance into a full-scale movement. Armed with makeshift guns and blades, they would approach soldiers, stab them from behind, and then vanish as if nothing had happened. That became the new daily life in the Taikyoku Nation.
Terrifying. They didn't even bother with Molotov cocktails anymore. It reached a point where officers couldn't even step outside safely.
Following my meeting with the new King of Latarnia, I held a press conference. I kept it brief and avoided saying anything unnecessary.
"I mourn the deaths of our Latarnian friends."
That was it. Hey, don't expect a moving, grand speech from a young foreigner. Wifey, on the other hand, had a prepared manuscript and delivered a truly touching address. I’d definitely been outclassed. Or so I thought, but apparently my man-of-few-words approach actually went over well with the public.
Afterward, General Woo acted as Shiyun’s direct representative, negotiating tirelessly to persuade regional Revere the Emperor factions to join a cooperative battle. That old guy... was he actually some kind of political genius? Thanks to his efforts, nearly half of the Taikyoku Nation's regional army joined Shiyun's cause.
Tatiana spent her time installing barriers throughout the Revere the Emperor territories. Shiyun attended the installation commemorations, using the opportunities to greet and win over the local lords. That had been Wifey’s idea. One-oh-one also participated in various events as the Queen of the Zork, and Saria spent his days making public appeals for friendship. (The former Great King was still on the run.)
They were supposed to be the leaders of their respective races, but in reality, they were doing the equivalent of grueling door-to-door political campaigning. Still, the war was progressing exactly as planned.
Because of the Ghouls' actions, planets were now refusing to cooperate with the Forbidden Army, leaving them unable to even resupply. By the time we had occupied a third of the Taikyoku Nation, the number of deserters spiked. No one wanted to be forced into a suicide mission. The Ghouls tried spreading lies that the Galactic Empire would torture and kill any prisoners, but no one believed them. The people knew exactly who the real butchers were thanks to the Latarnian broadcasts. No one would help the Forbidden Army now.
And so, the Taikyoku Nation began to collapse under the weight of the Ghoul takeover.
"What are we going to do about this?"
I asked Shiyun directly while we were in the dining hall. She looked deep in thought.
"Ah, Shiyun-san. Want some fruit?"
I started peeling an apple for her. Oh, I think I still have some dried persimmons left, too. One-oh-one... don't look at me with those puppy-dog eyes. Fine, I'll give you some, just wait!
"Tatiana, you want the same as everyone else?"
"Roger that, ssu!"
"Leo-sama... something is strange," Shiyun said suddenly.
"What is?"
"This seems far too sloppy for the First Consort."
"Hmm?"
"The self-destruct mission, the loss of military cooperation, the clumsy suppression of the protests... if it were the First Consort, she would have handled this much more effectively."
"Maybe she's being held captive by the Ghouls?"
"General Lao is with her, so that's unlikely. It is almost as if... she is doing this on purpose."
Shiyun trailed off, lost in thought.
What was that supposed to mean? When things got this confusing, it was time to call Wifey and the Fairy. I was way out of my depth here!