Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Incompetent Minister Wants to Retire
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Clemente Oris, the Minister of Intelligence for the Labor Kingdom, scowled with a deep and visible resentment as he headed toward the grand conference room prepared by the Fraus Holy Kingdom.
‘That damn Barrmut, always Barrmut. I am utterly sick and tired of hearing that name.’
In truth, he had been trapped in a foul and abrasive mood ever since the moment of his departure from the Labor Kingdom.
The First Prince—no, now officially elevated to the status of Crown Prince—Siegfried Labor had personally sought him out and earnestly implored him with a grave warning.
Never, under any circumstances, should he attempt to confront or provoke Minister Barrmut.
Unless it was a critical matter that could directly harm the kingdom, he was instructed to agree to whatever was said, unconditionally and without hesitation.
‘I am the intelligence minister of an entire sovereign nation myself! Even if Barrmut is exceptional, he is still merely human—there can only be so much difference between us—and yet the former minister and now even His Highness the Crown Prince...!’
Clemente, who had been newly appointed to the kingdom’s intelligence department through a web of internal politics, influential connections, powerful backers, and vast sums of gold, was profoundly dissatisfied with everything around him.
There were countless intelligence ministers scattered across the continent, but if you asked for the one name that defined the role, it was invariably Erwin Barrmut.
His very name had become a formidable synonym for the profession itself.
‘Rumors always tend to get wildly exaggerated. Today, I shall strip away all that false, glittering gilding and reveal the truth!’
This was the final glimpse of spirited, albeit misguided, determination from the rookie minister Clemente, who harbored a plan to demolish Erwin's reputation within two minutes of the meeting’s start.
“Then, let us officially begin the First World Intelligence Ministers’ Conference. Please take a moment to review the comprehensive materials provided in advance by the Empire, and if you harbor any opinions, feel free to raise your hand and speak.”
With those formal words from Saintess Faust, who was chairing the momentous meeting, the conference finally commenced.
Ah, I can feel how incredibly nervous I am right now.
Can I truly hold my own and maintain my composure among all these seasoned, veteran ministers?
No, I don't have any grand plans to shine or impress anyone here. I just hope, with all my heart, that I do not bring any form of shame upon the Empire.
The meeting began, presumably to allow everyone to grasp the complex contents of the materials distributed by the Imperial Intelligence Department, but for a while, all that could be heard was the rhythmic rustle of turning pages.
Then, someone suddenly flipped through the documents with a dramatic flourish and raised their hand high to request the floor.
“Yes, Minister Clemente Oris of the Labor Kingdom. Please, go ahead and speak.”
The Labor Kingdom—that is the very country of Prince Siegfried.
I had only heard stories about him before, so feeling a strange sense of familiarity amid my mounting tension, I turned to look toward the speaker. For some inexplicable reason, Minister Oris was glaring directly at me with intense eyes.
What is this? Did I somehow do something wrong without knowing it?
“Thank you, Saintess Faust. Allow me to voice my thoughts. Everyone, I urge you to listen closely. This entire affair is nothing but a grand scheme orchestrated by the Imperial Intelligence Department!”
Huh? A scheme?
What on earth is Minister Oris actually talking about?
Feeling a sudden wave of uneasiness, I fidgeted with my fingers as I listened intently to the accusations he had to say.
“A secret society called Oracle never actually existed from the very start! The Empire has fabricated a nonexistent, shadowy organization to sow the seeds of fear and summon us here today. All of this is to create a convenient pretext for meddling in the affairs of other nations!”
Minister Oris spread his arms wide with theatrical flair, as if he were expecting a round of applause, but unfortunately for him, not a single person responded.
He is going to feel quite awkward just standing there like that, so I figured I should at least offer him a polite clap.
“Hmph, what is the meaning of this, Minister Barrmut? Does that gesture mean you actually agree with my assessment?”
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but no, it does not.
Hmm, what am I supposed to do now? Even if I tell him that I saw the evidence with my own eyes, he probably won’t believe a word I say.
After a moment’s careful thought, I offered him a friendly, practiced smile in an attempt to build some rapport.
“So, to reiterate your point, Minister Oris—is it that you do not trust the Empire’s word?”
“Of course I don't? There is absolutely no logical reason to trust it in the first place...”
“Then you should leave this room immediately.”
“I beg your pardon...?”
Not even bothering to read the materials provided and coming off as so oddly aggressive from the outset—it was clear to me that he didn't actually want to attend this meeting.
I truly get it. How many times had I desperately wanted to bolt from my own intelligence department meetings myself?
So, let us try to help Minister Oris out of his predicament here.
“Everyone gathered here today acknowledges that an organization called Oracle exists and views it as a significant threat to the world. If your personal thinking differs so fundamentally, there is simply no need for you to stay here against your will.”
It is perfectly fine. People are allowed to have different views and perspectives.
He probably only traveled all this way because his sovereign country ordered him to do so.
I know all too well the crushing agony of being forced into something you don’t want to do.
“A-are you attempting to insult the Labor Kingdom right now?!”
“Insulting you? Hardly. I am merely stating that there is no logical point in staying if our views do not align in the slightest.”
While I was at it, I figured I should extend that same courtesy to any other ministers who might have been dragged here unwillingly. I scanned the entire room as I spoke.
“The same sentiment goes for everyone else present. There is no need to participate forcibly in these talks. If you do not agree with the premise, just leave. With the line between enemies and allies so unclear, leaving might even be the better choice for you.”
As obvious as it was, not all the nations represented here today actually got along with one another.
Some had been locked in bitter war until very recently, while others called each other brotherly and allied realms.
Discussions should happen among those who see eye to eye. There is no need to bicker in such a hostile and unproductive atmosphere.
“Now then, before we proceed in earnest with the agenda, those who wish to leave, please do so now.”
Not a single minister in the large conference room budged a single inch.
Minister Oris, who had ignited this entire situation, found he couldn’t even breathe properly anymore.
Minister Barrmut had stated that the line between enemy and ally was fundamentally unclear.
In other words, he was implying that any nation might currently be cooperating in secret with Oracle.
He’d continued with a chilling edge: that leaving would be the better and safer choice.
Which meant any minister who dared to walk out now would mark their nation as the Empire’s clear and definitive enemy.
‘As expected of Erwin Barrmut. He has expertly turned that fool’s outburst into proof that doubting the Empire equates to siding with the global enemy.’
The more seasoned and veteran ministers could not hide their silent admiration for the move.
‘Incredible! So this is the true power of the [Iron-Blooded Minister]...!’
The less experienced ones among them showed a raw awe mingled with a paralyzing fear.
It was inevitable. Normally, no one short of a king, an emperor, or a crown prince could unilaterally declare another nation an enemy.
Being officially labeled an enemy implied the immediate possibility of a full-scale war.
Especially for a mere minister to decide a nation’s foes—such a daring precedent simply didn't exist in all of recorded history.
Except for this one man. Everyone except for Erwin Barrmut.
‘I knew he possessed the Emperor’s absolute and unwavering trust, but I never imagined it was to this terrifying degree.’
In that singular moment, every minister present had to drastically revise their perception of the man.
Minister Barrmut’s words were not those of an equal peer.
They were the heavy, absolute words of the Imperial Emperor himself.
“I-I...”
Cold sweat poured from Minister Oris’s body in a nonstop stream. He’d finally realized the magnitude of what he’d done.
If he walked out of that room now, the Empire and the Labor Kingdom would become formal enemies.
Even if there were ulterior motives, the fragile peace—barely secured by sending Crown Prince Siegfried himself—would vanish instantly. In the worst case, it could spark a devastating war.
The world’s two largest and most powerful nations.
Locked at war.
All because of his own idiotic and impulsive slip of the tongue.
“S-sorry, Minister Barrmut! I-I presumptuously and foolishly misspoke...!”
“Misspoke? I do not see it that way. As I said, you are free to leave if you want to.”
“N-no! Absolutely not! I will stay!”
Frightened that Barrmut might drag him out of the room by force, Minister Oris scrambled back to his seat and frantically hectored the stern Saintess Faust.
“P-please, start the meeting at once!”
“...It has already started, though?”
“T-then reconvene it immediately!”
Saintess Faust nodded her head reluctantly at the desperate words of Minister Oris, who looked on the very verge of—or was already—shedding tears.
“Very well, let us proceed. Does anyone else wish to speak on the matter?”
The conference continued at a brisk and professional pace.
For the most part, the flow consisted of foreign ministers questioning Erwin after reading the materials, and he responded without a moment's hesitation while subtly stoking the fire of vigilance against Oracle.
“[Wraith of the Black Swamp] and [Thunder Dragon]. These two are the only confirmed figures among those presumed to be at the executive level, but there are likely others just as formidable hidden away.”
Both were infamous and legendary figures, renowned for better or worse in various ways across the continent.
A single one of them could lead an average organization on their own, so if such powerhouses had banded together, it meant an utterly unignorable and lethal force.
As a direct result, several historic treaties were forged that very day.
Ignoring the legal minutiae, the key points were established as follows:
First: Oracle is officially designated as a ‘World Public Enemy’.
Second: All signatory nations will freely and fully share any information related to Oracle.
Third: Any nation discovered cooperating with Oracle will likewise be treated as a World Public Enemy.
“Haa.”
Once the final conclusions were set in stone, the ministers let out a heavy sigh in unison.
The Empire had successfully gotten its tail once, so no fool would dare make a move immediately—but from here on, the entire world would react to the pursuit of Oracle.
And the one who’d orchestrated that worldwide reaction was none other than the Empire.
Imperial Intelligence Minister Erwin Barrmut.
He had successfully positioned the Empire to lead the entire world’s order.
This massive momentum wouldn’t be shattered easily by anyone.
The First World Intelligence Ministers’ Conference drew to a solemn close amid the ministers’ quiet laments over being forced to share an era with such a monster.
Finally, I will be heading home tomorrow.
It had only been a few days since I arrived, but with the conference and all the miscellaneous tasks, it felt like ages had passed.
It makes me realize anew: absolutely nothing beats the comfort of home.
After I finally retire, I shall hole up there and never take another step outside.
Man, I’m really starting to get sleepy now. I have to sleep soon to be ready for the early departure.
I washed myself up and was about to hit the hay when a sharp knock suddenly sounded at my door.
Who is it at this hour?
“It’s Johanna.”
?
Why on earth is the Saintess standing at my door this late at night?
Extremely puzzled but thinking maybe something urgent had happened, I opened the door.
Saintess Faust stood there in the hallway entirely alone.
“What is the matter?”
“Well... May I come inside for a moment?”
Come inside?
Well, it’s undeniably rude to leave a lady standing outside in the cold.
Wait—bringing a young unmarried woman into my room at night, is that proper etiquette?
While I pondered which rule of etiquette mattered more, Saintess Faust simply waltzed right inside on her own accord.
What exactly is this situation about?
“D-don’t just stand there by the door—why not come and sit over here?”
She strode to the inner room, plopped down casually on the bed, and beckoned me to sit beside her.
So, what exactly is the deal with this strange situation?
I sat down on the edge next to her anyway.
But the Saintess kept her lips tightly shut, fidgeting restlessly with no sign of saying anything at all.
“If you have nothing to say, I would truly appreciate it if you left.”
“N-no, it’s not that I have nothing to say. I just... get a little nervous in your presence.”
“Nervous?”
As I wondered why that would be, Saintess Faust suddenly—and very carefully—slipped off her outer garment.
Hidden beneath was a sheer, delicate negligee that left very little to the imagination.
Pink, huh. That's a choice.
Aren't you cold like that?
Fraus was a warm country, certainly, but the nights here still got pretty chilly.
“Even a saintess gets cold sometimes. If it’s not too much trouble, could you maybe hold me just for tonight... Gurk?!”
Saintess Faust gasped for air as she was suddenly hoisted up by the throat—by a woman in an owl mask who had emerged silently from the shadows.
...No matter the circumstances, don’t most people usually press a dagger to the throat instead, Christina?