Purge!
“...Just what exactly are you trying to say?”
As if to prove that a ministerial post wasn’t something you landed by breezing through a part-time job interview, the Minister of Foreign Affairs didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow. A face of pure iron. Watching that high-and-mighty composure, I couldn’t help thinking, Damn, this old bastard’s impressive. Anyone seeing him this unflappable would assume he was simply standing on the moral high ground of an innocent man.
But this time the story was different.
Catch the Empire’s Traitor!
📍 Details: The existence of a traitor leaking classified information has been confirmed.
🎯 Objective: Uncover the traitor’s identity and expel them from the Empire!
📊 Current Progress: 50%
You crossed the line, old man.
While going through the materials Riel had handed over, I’d found a public-interest tip mixed in among them. The tip itself was short and flimsy as hell, but buried inside it was evidence of betrayal so solid it practically jumped out and slapped me.
“I don’t understand what intention you have in saying such things, but...”
“You’re really going to play it that way, Minister of Foreign Affairs?”
“If you have any grievances, I would ask that you submit an official letter of protest through the Foreign Ministry’s proper channels.”
From a distance it probably looked like two men sharing a cheerful little chat in a bright, lively atmosphere. Up close, though, it was just two upright gentlemen trading deep, dark secrets. Ah, what a splendid conversation this was.
One way or another, a stretch of mildly chaotic time passed.
“Well then, if anyone has a useful opinion, please speak up.”
“In that case, allow us to offer our thoughts fir—”
The long, drawn-out countermeasures committee bearing the name Countermeasures Meeting Regarding the Leak of Information on Thalianum Depletion was dissolved in an instant by the authority of Her Majesty Artraia, vanishing into the footnotes of history. In its place a brand-new committee was born.
“Then we shall name the committee the ‘Ztrakhsan Thalianum Import and Transport Countermeasures Council.’”
“It got even longer.”
—Swish!
—Clap clap clap clap clap!
—Clap clap clap clap clap!
...This, this sense of déjà vu!
Even though this was supposed to be science fiction, the distinctive ribbon-cutting ceremony and the thunderous applause for the new committee felt exactly like something out of my previous life’s peninsula nation.
Come to think of it, this random empire has a lot of little Hell-Peninsula vibes lingering all over the place.
Strange as it was... in a way, that was probably why I never got homesick. Small mercies.
After offering my soul’s share of applause, I sat there without much thought until Riel, who had been waiting, quietly approached and asked about the next steps.
“Minister, what are you going to do now, yeah?”
“Hm? Ah, right.”
At Riel’s question I rose from my seat, deciding to head straight back to my “original” workplace. We could have talked on the way, but that wasn’t exactly easy.
The Imperial Palace is crawling with rats and eavesdroppers...
Even setting aside the professional spies, there were countless servants, attendants waiting on ministers and councilors—far too many ears listening. Caution was required.
Holy Sevelian Empire — Executive Ministry.
Unlike the other departments that reeked of pointless medieval-castle aesthetics, the Executive Ministry building had a relatively modern high-rise feel. Walking toward it, I found myself snared by idle worries.
Please tell me those bastards didn’t pull any stupid shit while I was gone.
I’d been stuck at the palace handling this crisis, so I hadn’t had a chance to keep those guys I’d scooped up from all over the galaxy on a short leash. And Riel, who normally kept the Executive Ministry in line when I was away, had been glued to me as adjutant and support...
No, the department heads are there... the Vice Minister should have managed somehow.
But now that I finally had breathing room, the suspicion that had taken root refused to die.
I should just be grateful they didn’t storm the palace thinking I’d been detained.
...Or maybe they already tried once and Her Majesty quietly handled it.
Mulling that over, I stepped through the naturally opening doors—
...Wait, this isn’t an automatic door, is it?
The doubt flashed through my mind and I froze for a split second. That was when the status window’s automatic notification popped up and I was bombarded by a storm of exploding confetti streamers.
A welcome ceremony has been prepared just for you!
The children have left congratulatory messages for the head of the household returning home after so long!
Just enjoy it.
And of course the culprits were...
“Welcome back, Minister!”
“Welcome back!!”
“Oppa-aaaa!!”
“The Minister looked at me! He looked at me!”
“Idiot, he was looking at the decorations, not you!”
A pack of stalker fans more extreme than anything I’d ever seen on YouTube in my previous life surrounding a celebrity. No—worse. Self-proclaimed “Minister’s hunting dogs” launching a welcome initiation of pure overkill. In my eyes they were a live-action yandere obsession drama filming in real time. Officially, they were the Executive Ministry’s Purge Squad: a collection of carefully selected alien races and Sevelians from across the entire galaxy.
Those very people had rolled out a red carpet, hung a massive banner right in front, and were welcoming me like this.
—Bam-pa-ba-bam! Bam-pa-ba-bam!
One corner even had what looked like a military band’s wind instruments they’d clearly stolen from somewhere, blasting away. Forced to endure this ridiculously grand welcome ceremony, my eyes snagged on a single corner far off to the side. There stood the Vice Minister of the Executive Ministry, looking hollow-eyed and thoroughly battered by every kind of sabotage and suffering imaginable.
Ah.
The moment our eyes met and he gave a weak little nod, I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and deny this reality. The poor guy already had enough trouble managing the Executive Ministry civil servants; he never expected the Purge Squad to come back on top of it.
But in the middle of this crisis, a single ray of light descended upon me.
“Can’t you all tone it down, yeah? You’re making the Minister uncomfortable.”
“...!”
“R-Riel, Assistant Riel!”
The instant Riel’s voice rang out from where she stood naturally behind me, our mad-dog Purge Squad members snapped back to normal like puppies scolded by a half-human, half-canine trainer.
“And what is this, yeah? Is the Executive Ministry’s main lobby your personal playground?”
“No, ma’am!!”
“Then why are you running wild doing whatever you want? You harassed the poor civil servants again, didn’t you.”
“Nooooo!!”
“What do you mean ‘no,’ yeah.”
“Yes, we diddddd!!”
Come to think of it, recruitment and management of the Purge Squad had been Riel’s responsibility. Continuous scolding and brainwashing education had apparently turned those mad dogs into something resembling functional people.
Anyway, once that minor incident was over...
“Been a while, but it’s still spotless.”
“Thank you, Minister.”
It had been a full month since I’d last set foot in here, yet the office was so clean it felt like I’d only left yesterday and come back this morning.
“Good work. The place is huge and full of furniture—must’ve been tough handling it alone.”
“It was nothing.”
Even her demure composure felt a million light-years removed from the Purge Squad. The quiet, neat Rixi woman who had taken full charge of the office while I was away—Shethra. I gave her a few pats on the shoulder in thanks.
“That’ll be all, then.”
“Understood, Minister.”
Shethra closed the office door as quietly as possible and left.
—Creeeak.
The familiar feel of an expensive chair—not quite as good as the one at the palace, but still solid. Savoring that sensation as I leaned back, I turned to Riel, who was already standing at attention in front of me.
“Riel, what’s the status on the current Foreign Minister’s various corruption files and the espionage charges?”
“I’ve collected everything just as you requested, yeah.”
The moment she said that, a massive volume of data transferred to my terminal.
—Ding♪
A familiar alert tone sounded, and a status window message popped up, covering the very files I’d been about to open.
Catch the Empire’s Traitor!
📍 Details: The existence of a traitor leaking classified information has been confirmed.
🎯 Objective: Uncover the traitor’s identity and expel them from the Empire!
📊 Current Progress: 99%
✅ Evidence of betrayal by current Foreign Minister Abdul Nahad collected (Complete)
🎁 Note: Successfully expelling Abdul Nahad will surely yield a corresponding reward!
I should have been used to it by now, but the status window’s habit of mixing formal and casual speech still grated on the eyes. Right now, though, it had popped up at the perfect moment to match my mood, so I didn’t mind too much.
“Good. Then that bastard... clean him up as fast as possible, but without any problems.”
“Understood, Minister.”
After giving Riel those orders, I swiveled my chair around and leisurely watched the capital cityscape of the Empire stretching beyond the window.
Ahh, this cool sensation... feels like I’ve returned as the Emperor’s blade—no, as the guillotine itself.
To be precise, I wasn’t simply admiring the view. I was trying to settle the excitement—not quite excitement—of getting back to purge work after so long.