Chapter 189
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: 174. Signs of Civil War
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Shinohara Castle Annex
There was a separate annex within Shinohara Castle.
This annex was where Shinohara's vassals and the family head gathered to discuss national policies and Shinohara affairs. Today, even the vassals living in the provinces had assembled, creating a solemn atmosphere.
Shinohara Yuzuki scanned the vassals seated in two rows.
These vassals were the heads—or their proxies—of the families loyal to Shinohara. And those families operated the hunter guilds under Shinohara's domain.
In other words, they were the families managing local security across the regions.
Naturally, they would know more about the terrorism than anyone else.
"It seems like deliberately provoking the White Flower Cult that came from Korea is a ploy to drive a wedge between Japan and Korea. What do you all think?"
Shinohara Yuzuki posed the question to her vassals.
"You're right, my lady. Yoo Eun-ha is a war hero, and her skills have already been proven to the world. On a stage like that, it's hard to believe they were truly trying to kill her."
Yeah. That's got to be it.
The vassals thought similarly. In the end, this was an attempt to weaken relations between Japan and Korea.
"Reports indicate anti-Japanese sentiment is rising again in Korea. If it spreads there..."
"Anti-Korean sentiment will flare up here in Japan too."
No matter which side it started on, animosity toward the other country would inevitably resurface.
Ha Jeong-seok would probably exploit the anti-Japanese wave.
"Public support for Shinohara will waver as well."
Then the old dynamics could repeat themselves.
Even if the era had reverted to the past, how could a regime without the people's hearts maintain itself?
So far, things had been manageable, and with the nation's strength—the hunters—under Shinohara, it had been fine. But if this kept up, it would be a problem.
"If you know this, my lady, shouldn't we devise some countermeasures?"
"You mentioned a pattern appearing on their foreheads."
"Yes. Those with the mark on their foreheads have their bodies turn red and explode."
People with symbols on their foreheads. Right-wing extremists, pulling stunts similar to those of Middle Eastern terror groups.
They were attacking families under Shinohara's command.
"Could it be brainwashing?"
"Nothing confirmed yet."
No brainwashing, huh. So the right-wingers were using suicide abilities fanatically on their own.
That meant someone had granted them that power.
The symbols were probably proof of it.
"Hm. Any chance Inosuke is involved?"
"Lord Inosuke? Even if he harbors ill feelings toward you, my lady..."
"Hasn't he always gnashed his teeth at me? Even if he inherited Father's blood, he's still half-sibling at best. If he can't have Shinohara, he'd rather smash it to pieces."
Shinohara Inosuke. He'd competed with Yuzuki for the head position before she took it.
In the end, Yuzuki won, and Inosuke, grinding his teeth in resentment, had left alone for Kumamoto.
Inosuke was more than capable of it.
He'd shown petty tactics during the succession struggle, an obsession with power. Given the chance, he'd even grasp the devil's hand.
"We'll send an inspection team to investigate."
"So, how should we handle this? Speak freely, everyone."
The opinions of the vassals governing the provinces were crucial.
With the terrorism spreading across wide areas, this required their full cooperation.
"I hesitate to say this, as it may be rude to you, my lady."
"Speak."
"This feels similar to the end of the Edo shogunate."
The end of the Edo shogunate—when contact with Western powers coincided with forces openly challenging the shogunate to overthrow it.
But that time and now were different.
"We're not the shogunate, and there's no Satcho Alliance. Yet you say it's similar?"
"History repeats itself, doesn't it? Their boldness suggests backing from someone powerful."
Backing, huh. Yeah, there must be some.
"Backing... The Sins, perhaps?"
"It's possible."
The Sins, out of nowhere.
"Even if not the Sins, if terrorism keeps happening this frequently, Shinohara will shake."
"Then..."
"The royal family and the prime minister are behind the terrorists. You must pull them down."
Pull down the king and prime minister.
Install a suitably young king and appoint a pro-Shinohara prime minister this time.
The issue was that it might agitate the public further.
That was a tricky problem.
"This isn't the old days anymore."
"Times have changed. The Great Cataclysm caused many nations to revert to old political systems."
Quite a few had fully regressed.
"Should we revert to shogunate era too?"
"Look at other countries—even with incompetent presidents, they keep running fine."
"Ah, I see."
Even next door, things rolled on despite an incompetent president.
Besides, Shinohara heirs were educated from childhood. Politics wouldn't be an issue.
Actually, the prime minister was just a figurehead anyway. Maybe it was time to replace him.
"You must decide."
"Yes, my lady. Dissolve the Self-Defense Forces immediately and bring down the prime minister!"
Shinohara Yuzuki tapped her fingers on the desk, deep in thought.
Dissolving the Self-Defense Forces, ousting the prime minister, and reinstating the shogunate.
It was meaningless in practice.
The country was nominally a prime ministerial system, but modern politics on the surface with Shinohara as the shadow shogunate underneath.
"Hm. We do need to deal with the Self-Defense Forces and the prime minister."
The problem was Yoo Eun-ha's group currently in the castle.
Handling them would likely reach her ears too.
"What's the matter?"
"As the family heads know, Yoo Eun-ha is here at the residence."
Even if it was the White Flower Cult, Yoo Eun-ha was also with the Association.
She'd entered officially through them.
"Yoo Eun-ha... Hm."
"I hear you're on friendly terms with her."
Yoo Eun-ha's presence could be a vital bridge between Japan and Korea.
She couldn't afford to look incompetent like Zhang Xuechang or Ha Jeong-seok.
So, she needed to show a decisive purge.
"We can't show her only Japan's ugly side. I'll issue orders to the families: tighten enforcement. Kill terrorists on the spot. Monitor the prime minister's residence and eliminate any incidents immediately."
"Understood."
The Self-Defense Forces needed full dissolution too.
"We'll dissolve the Self-Defense Forces. Haven't our Shinohara hunters already seized the seas?"
"Kisaragi Corporation is handling sea monsters as well."
"Then dissolve them. If they resist, just eliminate them."
This much mercy was enough.
They'd endured plenty so far. Linking the Self-Defense Forces to terrorists now would make dissolution easy.
The media was fully under control anyway. Taking them down wouldn't be hard.
"Understood. We'll deploy Kisaragi hunters."
"We'll watch the king for now. Not the time to touch him. Ousting the prime minister and then the king could shake even our credible Shinohara internationally. Remember this: as long as I, Shinohara Yuzuki, stand, not a single right-winger will remain in Japan."
Her father's reign had suffered from Korea's Yoo Jin-seok, but under her rule, no major incidents would tarnish Japan domestically or abroad.
"""Understood, my lady."""
Yuzuki nodded at the vassals' response.
No more leniency.
She would forge the Shinohara regime into Japan's flawless government.
Yong-yong woke up in the morning and stood with his hands raised alongside Magnut.
The reason was simple. Reina had caught them.
Reina was furious. Even without horns, the elf looked like she had them sprouting.
If she told Rachel about this, he'd be in real trouble.
"Busted flat-out. Did you do wrong or not?"
"We did wrong."
Better to bow his head here.
"If Mom finds out, this won't just end, right?"
She was threatening to tell Rachel? No way.
"No, it could happen sometimes, right?"
"You admitted wrongdoing, and it's only been a few seconds. Now?"
"Well, that's..."
About three seconds?
They said the line between guilt and shamelessness was paper-thin.
"Think about it. You wake up to two lizards hugging with their tails shoved up each other's asses. How ridiculous would that be?"
Yeah, it'd be pretty absurd.
Waking to two dragons asleep with tails in each other's rears? Hilarious.
Especially with love juices dripping everywhere—no way "our tails just slipped in while sleeping naked" would fly.
But he had one excuse.
"A beautiful mother-daughter bond."
"I don't do this with Mom."
Why not? Then he could have a mother-daughter threesome.
"How about trying it now?"
"No way!"
Damn. Mother-daughter bowl off-limits.
Knock knock.
Opening the door to the knock revealed a woman in a neat kimono, bowing her head.
"Who are you?"
"We, Shinohara, have prepared breakfast for our esteemed guests from Korea."
Her face looked familiar.
"Oh, Mariko?"
Mariko, after so long.
He still remembered. Fireball disguised as something? A ninja technique mixed with English.
That had been intriguing.
"It's an honor to meet you again, Lady Yoo Eun-ha."
"Why so formal? We had fun back then."
At his words, the heroines perked up their ears.
Heh, cute. But unfortunately, Mariko wasn't his territory.
Only up to Yuzuki.
"Hehe. Now I'm serving as Shinohara vassal to the White Flower Cult's captain, so I can't be as casual as before."
"Oh, really?"
Kind of a shame.
But he couldn't rape Shinohara Mariko just to get friendly.
She wasn't a heroine; he could say "show your old self for pleasure," but that wouldn't do.
Surprisingly gentlemanly? A refined Yong-yong.
Half vacation, half politics—getting caught messing with Mariko by other vassals would be embarrassing.
"If we meet privately later, I'll ask then."
"Which one's the real Mariko?"
"This is the real me, but I got exposed acting bubbly for Bbeom-mi at first, so... oh well."
Ah, he got that. It happens.
But her being the real serious Mariko was surprising.
No, the woman who did "Fireball" in that disguise pulling off serious mode felt off.
"Ah, that bubbly doesn't suit her, huh."
She was cursed to bubbly mode around Bbeom-mi; Mariko's serious side might harm her.
"Yes. Anyway, shall I prepare Japanese? Korean? Chinese is an option, but as the enemy nation, I assume not. Or Western?"
"Hm, since we're in Japan, Japanese food?"
Japanese cuisine for Japan, right?
Korean every day got boring, Western iffy—Japan meant Japanese.
"I'm fine with anything."
"I want tuna belly."
"Soba with shrimp tempura for me."
"Ramen for me."
"Same as Mom!"
Mariko nodded at the group's orders.
"Understood. Shinohara's finest chefs will prepare it."
Mariko bowed and quietly shut the door before vanishing.
He caught a glimpse of her body before it closed—arousing.
Mariko was pretty hot. Body, kimono lines, all of it.
"Whoa. Mariko's a looker."
"You ogle every pretty girl. Geez."
He whistled at Mariko for a reason.
"That woman's going commando. No panties—that's why she's hot."
From behind in the kimono, no panty line at all.
No bra straps, cleavage too—she was definitely braless and pantyless.
A woman in no-bra no-panty kimono first thing in the morning!
Honestly, Mariko was a step below the heroines but prettier than average, so doable.
Gulp.
Hold it together. Yong-yong, you're a sapient being now. Sapiants don't pounce on no-panty braless kimono women recklessly.
...Once wouldn't hurt, right?