War? Are You Serious?
A war between the Canines and the Simians?
Emperor Importin could hardly believe his own ears.
“What in the world are you talking about? A war?”
His father, the Late Emperor, had achieved the grand unification of the entire continent. Within the borders of the empire he founded dwelt countless disparate races. Peoples who had cultivated radically different cultures and customs were suddenly forced to eat from the very same pot, making it only natural for friction and grievances to blossom at every turn.
Yet the Late Emperor had never wished for these conflicts to be resolved through brute force. During his reign, the tribes had cowered out of terror before his overwhelming martial might, but he knew full well his son possessed no such prowess. He foresaw that if he suppressed racial strife through sheer violence, it would sow bitter seeds of rebellion for generations to come.
It was through that visionary foresight that the Conflict Management Department had been established. And as fortune would have it, the Late Emperor discovered the exact man for the job: Jose.
He was a commoner from the very lowest rung of society, a beggar who had barely scraped by on the streets. Yet the Late Emperor recognized his extraordinary talents and made the unprecedented appointment of naming him head of the newly formed department. From that moment on, Jose served as both department head and conflict manager, sweeping across the realm with relentless resolve to mediate countless disputes. Thanks to his tireless efforts, the Empire had not seen a single war, even after the Late Emperor passed and his son ascended the throne.
“War... Anything but war...!”
Importin had basked in the adulation of his subjects, hailed as the sovereign who ushered in an era of unprecedented peace. He was under the delusion that such praise was entirely his own doing, remaining blissfully ignorant that this tranquility was the deliberate fruit of his father's foresight—and the tireless work of the Conflict Management Department.
“My father united the continent, and not once has a war broken out under my rule... If the embers of war ignite now, what will the people think of me?”
Importin yearned desperately to surpass his father’s legacy. He wanted to achieve a feat even greater than continental unification. It was for that very reason he had recklessly pushed through administrative consolidations under the banner of bureaucratic efficiency. In his narrow view, far too many parasites clung to the imperial administration, drawing hefty salaries for doing nothing. He personally set out to purge corrupt officials and dissolve departments he deemed drains on the imperial treasury.
The intention might have been commendable, but Importin lacked the competence to execute such radical reforms. He possessed neither the depth to read continental politics nor the insight to grasp the true essence of each department’s duties. And so, he made the fatal blunder of dissolving the Conflict Management Department.
Worse still, Importin was now about to play his most disastrous hand yet.
“...Deploy the imperial army and suppress them by force!”
“Your Imperial Majesty! If we do that—!”
“Hold your tongue and do as you are commanded! And ensure that not a single soul ever discovers those two tribes were preparing for war!”
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In a secluded, sunless wing of the Imperial Palace sat a quiet chamber. Beneath its feet lay polished, antique marble, and ornate decorations hung from the walls, yet the lack of sunlight cast a persistent chill throughout the room. This was the residence of Princess Impern, the younger sister of Emperor Importin.
As the daughter of the Late Emperor, she lived quietly in the shadow of her elder brother, who had inherited supreme imperial authority. Now, her face was frozen in shock at the report brought by a trusted retainer.
“A war... is about to break out?”
“Yes, Your Highness... Word has arrived that the Canines have taken up arms and encroached upon Simian territory.”
“How could this happen...?”
“His Imperial Majesty expressly forbade anyone from speaking of it, but I felt it my bounden duty to inform Your Highness...”
“Thank you, Gandalin.”
Deep wrinkles etched the elder statesman's face as he stood before Princess Impern, his expression laden with despair.
“Furthermore, His Majesty has ordered the imperial army deployed to crush them with military force.”
“He did what...!”
Gandalin was a loyal retainer who had handled all manner of imperial state affairs since the reign of the Late Emperor. For some time now, an ominous foreboding had gnawed at his gut regarding the current Emperor’s erratic governance. Decades of serving two generations of monarchs were setting off alarm bells in his mind—a warning that if things continued down this path, the realm would plunge into an irreversible catastrophe.
That was why Gandalin had slipped away from the Emperor’s watchful gaze to seek out Princess Impern. To his eyes, the princess standing before him was vastly better suited for the throne than her brother.
“The Canines are already infamous for their volatile, hot-tempered nature. If we attempt to suppress them with brute armed force...”
“My thoughts precisely, Your Highness.”
Impern easily deduced the geopolitical aftermath of attempting to quell a tribal war with raw violence. Only Emperor Importin, blinded by pride and an obsession with glory, failed to see the obvious ruin looming ahead.
“Gandalin... What should I do?”
“I have a plan, Your Highness.”
Princess Impern looked at him with an anxious gaze. Gandalin lowered his head even further, whispering the brilliant stratagem he had devised.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Ahhh... That hits the spot.”
I let out a satisfied sigh as I stepped out of the bathroom, warm steam billowing in my wake. I had filled the tub to the brim with hot water and spent a luxuriously long half-hour soaking my bones.
Thirty entire minutes!
Back when I was drowning in work, a three-minute shower was the absolute standard. Reflecting on my days in the Conflict Management Department, every passing second had felt like a battlefield. There was always a mountain of disputes on the verge of erupting into bloody violence if not resolved immediately, and I was the sole operative qualified to handle them.
Now, none of that mattered. I didn't have to scarf down dry, tasteless rations anymore; I had the freedom to cook whatever I fancied. Who knew preparing a meal for yourself could be so delightful? I no longer had to fall asleep shuddering at the thought of the morning alarm. Waking up to the sweet melodies of chirping birds instead of a blaring brass bell was pure bliss.
“Now this is what living feels like.”
After drying off and pulling on comfortable clothes, I threw myself onto the soft cushions of the sofa. Today was going to be just like any other day: lounging about the house, reveling in the slow, peaceful life. With that blissful thought in mind, I picked up today’s morning paper. Let’s see what dopamine-inducing gossip the realm had to offer.
Bzzzzz—!
Just as I unfolded the broadsheet, the front doorbell chimed.
Who could that be?
No one ever visited my place. Even if things were spiraling out of control, there was no way that prideful Emperor would swallow his ego so quickly to offer my job back. Puzzled, I hauled myself off the couch and pulled open the front door.
Standing on my threshold was a petite figure cloaked in a heavy traveling mantle, reaching barely up to my chest. A voluminous hood concealed her head, hiding her face entirely in shadow.
“...Are you Manager Jose?”
A woman’s voice drifted from beneath the hood. It was slender and soft, yet carried an unmistakable, refined resolve.
“My name is Jose, yes, but I'm no longer a manager. I retired recently.”
“Then I have found the right person. May I come inside so that we might speak?”
“Before that, might I ask who—”
As I trailed off, prompting for her identity, the woman gently tilted her head back. The face revealed beneath the oversized hood was one I recognized instantly.
“...Your Imperial Highness?”
“May I come in?”
I ushered Princess Impern into the house without hesitation and promptly sank onto one knee.
“To what do I owe the honor of your presence in such a humble dwelling...?”
Daughter of the Late Emperor and younger sister to the reigning Emperor Importin. Princess Impern.
Unlike her tyrannical brother, who disregarded the counsel of his retainers in his desperate hunt for glory, she was known to listen attentively to the wisdom of those around her. However, ever since Importin took the throne, she had rarely shown herself in public affairs. She had deliberately erased her own presence from the court, all to preserve the authority of her elder brother.
That was simply the kind of person Impern was. For the stability and peace of the Empire, she was more than willing to live in her brother’s shadow. So why on earth had such an imperial princess paid an unannounced visit to my home? I couldn't help but feel utterly bewildered.
“Please raise your head, Manager Jose.”
At her gentle instruction, I lifted my gaze. Impern wore a serene, faint smile, yet I could discern the deep anxiety lingering behind her eyes.
She must be here regarding the inter-species conflicts.
There was no other reason for the imperial family to seek me out. I had anticipated that the Emperor would only swallow his pride and send an envoy after the Empire descended into total chaos, but I never imagined someone would knock on my door this soon. And the princess herself, no less.
“Please, take a seat. I came because there is a favor I must ask of you.”
I offered her a chair and took a seat opposite her.
“My home is quite meager, Your Highness. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the Empire's princess would visit the abode of a commoner with nothing but a few minor knacks to his name.”
“Think nothing of it. I have not come today in my station as an imperial princess, but merely as an ordinary subject of this realm.”
Her words were telling. She was, after all, the Late Emperor's daughter. Setting foot outside the palace normally warranted an escort of dozens of imperial knights. Yet Impern had ventured all the way into the commoner quarter entirely alone, wrapped in nothing but a plain cloak. For an imperial princess, such an act was practically unthinkable.
“First, allow me to offer my deepest regrets. I was informed that you retired after suffering profound disillusionment when His Majesty decided to dissolve the Conflict Management Department.”
With those words, Impern bowed her head deeply to me.
I had never spoken with her in private, though I had heard endless praise regarding her virtue. Still, to think she would visit in person and bow her head before me right off the bat.
“Your Highness, please raise your head. It is unfitting for a member of the imperial royal family to bow before a mere commoner.”
“As I just said, I stand before you today not as royalty, but as a humble subject seeking your aid. Therefore, please accept my sincere apology.”
“Even so... I do not believe this is a matter for Your Highness to apologize for.”
Princess Impern was undeniably far superior to her brother in political tact and demeanor. She had surely come to ask me to clean up the escalating tribal crises, yet she chose to lower her head before even uttering her request. It was a textbook demonstration of the most effective etiquette a superior could show to a subordinate.
“No. His Imperial Majesty's decisions represent the Empire itself. As one of its subjects, I have every reason to express my profound regret to you, Manager Jose.”
“If you put it that way...”
Only when I signaled that I accepted her apology did the princess finally lift her head.
“I presume you already know what favor I wish to ask.”
“Yes. I recently read in the papers that the number of inter-species disputes has been skyrocketing.”
“It is no longer a matter of simple disputes.” Impern’s expression turned grim as she continued. “Though it has not been printed in the press... we have moved far beyond minor skirmishes. We are standing on the precipice of an all-out racial war.”
War? Already?
Things had deteriorated that fast? This was unfolding far quicker than I had anticipated.
“Yet there was no mention of such a thing in the papers...”
“His Imperial Majesty has placed a complete gag on the press. Furthermore, he has dispatched imperial troops to crush any region showing signs of conflict through armed force.”
“Good grief...”
My jaw dropped in disbelief.
Press censorship and military suppression? Those were archaic measures completely antithetical to the modern imperial era. I knew the man was incompetent, but I never dreamed he could pull off such colossal stupidity in such a short amount of time.
“That is why, despite the gross discourtesy, I came to seek you out personally, Manager Jose. I pray that my apology can bring some measure of solace to your disheartened spirit, and that you will lend us your strength to prevent this catastrophic war.”
Princess Impern bowed her head to me once more.
It was genuinely pitiful to watch. Seeing her throw away her royal pride just to clean up the foul mess her incompetent brother had made was almost heartbreaking.
Even so, I had no intention of granting her request out of sheer charity. Not for free, at least.
“I can help you.”
“Wait... Truly?”
Princess Impern's eyes widened in surprise.
Watching her reaction, the corners of my mouth curled into a faint, sly smirk.
“On one condition.”