How Long Do I Have to Stay a Pushover?
How Long Do I Have to Stay a Pushover?
The passing of the Great Empire's Sun, Cain De Lawrence, went down like this.
"Kyaaa!? A scary wild bear has appeared, Your Majesty!"
"Do not worry, Young Lady. This Cain De Lawrence will surely protect you."
"!? You must not, Your Majesty! Please take cover behind the Knights!"
"Move aside! Are you telling me to turn tail in front of the Young Lady right now!? I'll turn that mere bear into a fur rug right here and now!"
[Gueooooh!]
"Keuaaaat!?!?"
...... Is he a fucking dumbass?
Boxing a wild bear just to hit on some girl?
He should've just claimed he died taking a nap instead.
Then at least I wouldn't be so embarrassed.
I couldn't even lift my head up from shame during the whole funeral.
"His Imperial Majesty, Dante De Lawrence, the newly ascended Sun of the Empire, is entering. Everyone, please rise."
"""We greet Your Majesty."""
"Then, we shall now begin the 527th Cabinet Meeting."
Yep, so? How did things end up like this again?
I know the reason. Because I'm the only sacred bloodline left carrying the royal blood.
Given the absurd nature of the death, the ascension had to happen swift and fast.
So that the chaos could be swept under the rug as quickly as possible.
It was so surprisingly practical that I couldn't believe it was a decision made by this foolish empire, so honestly, I was a bit touched.
'As if!'
What the hell happened? Why did Cain die?
Seriously, I have no damn clue.
Could it be that? The trope where a character who knows the original novel enters that world and changes the plot?
That makes no sense.
To Cain, Dante was less than an insect. So I did absolutely nothing extra and only changed Alice, who was directly tied to my death flag.
So was Alice changing the cause, you ask?
Absolutely not.
Cain De Lawrence has the bizarre setup of being a tyrannical bastard who has never shown an ounce of interest in women, let alone harmed them.
He didn't even recognize Alice, who was always following right behind me, so influence my ass.
I swear on my life, none of my actions touched the original story.
............
No, seriously, why did you fight a bear, you fucking dumbass!?
"Then, Your Majesty. We ask for your approval."
"...... Ah? What approval?"
"...... Haaa."
Coming back to my senses, I see the Commander-in-Chief in charge of the Empire's military.
He wraps his hand around his forehead and lets out a loud sigh as if wanting me to hear it.
"Please focus a bit, Your Majesty."
"......"
"This is a cabinet meeting that decides the major affairs of the state. If Your Majesty fails to get a grip, the nation will shake that much more."
For words directed at the Emperor, it was quite an explicit rebuke.
Besides him, other retainers openly mocked me, saying they were worried because someone like that was emperor, or that they knew I'd get scolded.
Well, because I'm just the incompetent second son.
A puppet emperor forced onto the throne because of the emergency.
All they want from me is a simple "Yes, do as you wish," no matter what they say.
My head's already bursting with complicated thoughts, but they really excel at pissing me off.
"Patience, patience. It's my first time being emperor, so that could happen. Uh-huh—so? It says here that you want to permanently station the newly reorganized 4th Knights Order in 'Lake County'?"
"There is intelligence that magical beasts have recently begun to swarm there. If it falls, the damage could spread uncontrollably. We should prepare beforehand."
"Rejected. Next agenda item."
"Thank you for your wise choice—... Pardon?"
The Commander-in-Chief, who was half-heartedly bowing his head, freezes.
Not only him, but the atmosphere of the meeting hall, which was previously no different from a noisy marketplace, instantly freezes over.
Everyone is staring at me with the exact same expression.
Rejected.
Rejected?
...Rejected?
It was a word they thought would never come out of the mouth of a pushover emperor.
An incompetent second son, a man who merely possessed royal blood.
What could someone who hasn't even learned a single lesson of monarchical studies possibly know?
They thought if the retainers just fed him plausible words, he'd get scared out of his mind and grant approval for anything.
They must have misheard. It was a word with a similar pronunciation, so they must have all misheard it together.
However.
"Did you not hear me? I said rejected. Next agenda item."
Far from taking it back, it was a repeated rejection.
Taking several seconds to barely grasp that fact, the retainers' jaws drop one by one.
"Y-Your Majesty?"
The Archon doubted his own ears.
"W-What... Ha!?"
The Chief Justice's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
"R-R-Rejection, Your Majesty?!"
The rejected Commander leaps up from his seat.
His huge frame glares fiercely as if he might pounce right now.
"Are you saying you're rejecting a crucial advice that involves national security right now?!!"
"A crucial advice involving national security? Did I hear wrong? Or did I fail to get the Commander-in-Chief's joke?"
"A... joke?!"
"Looking at your face, you seem serious. Then let's look at the screen together—ah, there's no screen here. Regrettably, let's do it the analogue way."
Roughly pulling the empire's map placed on the table, THUD! Stabbing a dagger into it. Just that alone made several people flinch.
"The 'Lake Territory' claimed by the Commander. It's blocked on all sides by rugged rocky mountains, and the entrance is just a single narrow gorge. It's a natural fortress where just 300 ancient Spartans could hold off tens of thousands."
"U-Uh?!"
"And yet you want to permanently station the empire's top elite knight order there? This isn't a strategic deployment, it's just sending them on a luxury military camping trip using tax dollars."
The Commander-in-Chief, who was bristling with hostility, widens his eyes at the pouring words.
His lips quiver slightly, and the muscle beneath his eye twitches.
Because it was spot on.
The terrain, the structure, the advantages gained, and the winning rate. As someone who had commanded countless battlefields, there was no room for him to refute.
This is that second son whose presence was barely even known?
Standing stiff with a dumbfounded expression, the Commander snaps back to reality with a Gasp!?
"B-But the private soldiers there are far too weak! Should it fall, the damage could spread across the entire Empire!"
"Did Count Lake personally send a letter asking for troops?"
"T-That is...! No, but..."
"In the first place, let's say it really is dangerous there. But defending the territory is the default responsibility of that land's lord. That's why he was given a domain, and that's why he was granted a title."
"Ugh..."
"Do you know what I especially don't get? If he's an incompetent lord who can't handle something so obvious, you should propose replacing him with someone else, not deploying a knight order that ought to be exerting their power on actual battlefields."
I tap annoyed on the table toward the frozen Commander.
"This is a cabinet meeting, Commander-in-Chief. Get your head in the game."
"......!?!"
Having his insult returned right in front of everyone, the Commander-in-Chief's face turns bright red.
"Just... just since when did you become a military expert to act like this!"
"Last night. My maid happens to be pretty capable. Thanks to her, I pulled an all-nighter reading all the files she fetched."
"That makes no sense...!"
"It's the truth, so deal with it. Furthermore, the newly established 4th Knights Order will be dispatched to the northern border, which is currently busy with magical beast subjugation. That is all."
The Commander's face, which looked ready to explode a moment ago, now turns pale blue.
"W-Wait, Your Majesty!"
"Why? Assigning a powerful knight order to a place with powerful enemies—isn't that a truly rational plan?"
"T-That may be true, but...!"
"If you really want to send troops to Lake County, dock your own salary to hire private mercenaries, or just be honest and say, 'My grandson is in that knight order~'."
"!?!?"
The Commander falters, as if shocked at how I knew that.
I have my ways. In fact, this was the very reason I waited for you to speak to me in the first place.
Truthfully, I could have let it slide around this point.
The world doesn't run solely on justice. Who would sit in a position of power laden with responsibility if they couldn't even fulfill their self-interest?
But I won't back down.
Cain died, the original story went off the rails, and I became the emperor.
I have to take care of everything myself.
Everything that will happen in this kingdom from now on, I have to handle it all.
Fuck...
Then I can't stand it anymore either. Just because I played nice, do these bastards really take me for a pushover?
For the sake of my own safety, I'm going to tear this shitty empire completely inside out.
"...... I cannot accept this."
Trembling with clenched fists, the Commander-in-Chief sits back down.
The elderly old man crosses his arms like a child and turns his head away with a Hmph!
"I do not know what kind of misunderstanding Your Majesty has, but the 4th Knights Order will be sent to Lake County as scheduled."
"Can I take those words to mean you are refusing an imperial decree?"
"That is utterly absurd. This old man is merely attempting to uphold the late Emperor's will."
"...... Hmph~"
"The late Emperor cherished Lake County particularly. How could one call oneself a subject without protecting such a domain?"
I'll admit the excuse was skillful. And blatant.
What are you gonna do if I push through with it? A mere puppet emperor. I am the Commander-in-Chief of this empire!
He was a truly easy man to read.
"Your loyalty is touching, but the bottom line is you won't obey?"
"Strike off this old man's head instead. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Empire, I fear nothing—"
Seogeok—!
It was a sound that could even be called refreshing.
Like slicing through a radish—no, even lighter than that.
The Commander's head, launched into mid-air, spins in a large arc before dropping to the floor.
And a beat late, the decapitated body collapses with a Kudang! Tang!
"...... Huh?"
No one could react. Their faces showed that while their eyes saw what just happened, they couldn't comprehend it.
Standing in front of the rapidly spreading pool of blood was Alice.
She casually wipes her bloody sword with a cloth, as if she had just finished doing the evening dishes.
The brief silence collapses in an instant, starting with the pale-faced Archon.
"Th-This crazy...!"
"T-The maid! That maid bitch just slashed the Commander-in-Chief!"
"Right now! Bind that wench right now! Imperial Guards! Where are the Imperial Guards?!"
"She's definitely out of her mind! How dare she in this sacred cabinet meeting hall!!"
Some spring up from their seats, some scream toward the doorway, and some point fingers wildly.
I quietly raised my fist right then and there, and slammed it down onto the table.
THUD!!
"Everyone, sit back down. While I'm still asking nicely."
"......!?!?"
I didn't even raise my voice. I merely spat it out calmly.
Yet the retainers, who were thrashing about like wild animals until a moment ago, freeze in their tracks.
Looking around at each other with paled faces, they sit back down in their seats.
Looks like the message was delivered clearly.
That the crazy maid killing the Commander-in-Chief was none other than the command of that crazy Emperor.
"To clear up any potential misunderstanding, my maid just disposed of a rebellious element."
"R-Rebellion...?"
"Yeah, rebellion. How dare he use the late Emperor's name to defy an imperial decree, and on top of that, move the military as he pleases?"
I chuckle as I look at the terrified retainers.
"If this isn't rebellion, then what is?"
Step one of tearing down and rebuilding the empire.
Garbage cleanup, and imprinting terror.