Ch.183This Place is Safe! (3)

# Chapter 183: It’s Safe Here! (3)

“…”

The black suit I’m wearing doesn’t show much staining, but perhaps it’s because I’m wearing a white dress shirt underneath.

“Minister, your shirt color looks nice today.”

“Shut up, Riel.”

I’ve suddenly evolved into a rare specimen possessing a coffee-colored dress shirt.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“What the hell are they doing up there to cause vibrations like that?”

I was more curious about the nature of the tremors we just felt.

In response to my question, Riel, shaking her antenna-like headset appendages wildly, said:

“Please wait a moment. Due to the recent impact, part of the internal network is experiencing errors and I can’t connect.”

Then, just a few seconds later, Riel shook her antennae even more vigorously, turned her head sharply toward me and spoke.

“I found out, Minister!”

“Well, what’s happening?”

But at Riel’s next words, not only I but even Ambassador Samiya, who had been watching from behind with a peculiar gaze, couldn’t hide our astonishment.

“The former Pope’s loyalists have blown up the Ambassador’s limousine in front of the Diplomatic Executive Building with anti-tank missiles and are storming through the main entrance!”

“…What?”

“…”

Who did what now?

——————————————–

Meanwhile, at the same time, in front of the Diplomatic Executive Building’s main hall.

“Waaaaaah!!!”

“These crazy bastards.”

The security department of the Diplomatic Executive Building was in chaos due to an untimely large-scale terror attack… no, assault.

“Don’t let them inside under any circumstances!”

“We’re running out of bullets! Quickly get more from the internal ammunition storage! Hurry!”

They had blown up the Prosnack embassy limousine at the main gate in broad daylight.

When they attacked the Prosnack Marine Corps’ armored vehicles in front and behind with anti-tank missiles, it seemed like the work of an extreme anti-Prosnack gang or group, but…

“The culprits who assassinated His Holiness the Pope are right here! Don’t back down!”

“What nonsense is that?!”

“All of this is being carried out according to sacred will! Sweep away all those heretics!”

“But we’re the same denomination as you?!”

It turned out to be the Papal State.

Moreover, it was the true loyalists of the former Pope who was supposedly annihilated quite some time ago…

No, those who followed the now-excommunicated Alexander.

These fanatical zealots were attacking the Diplomatic Executive Building, bringing along other fanatics and anti-Prosnack groups.

“Damn, what about the Prosnack armored vehicles that were at the front?”

“They fled to avoid the anti-tank missiles and haven’t been seen since!”

The problem was that these guys had truly caught everyone off guard.

“Damn it, they had to target a time like this.”

Just tens of minutes before the attack.

A significant number of Purge Unit members, who were responsible for the actual military force of the Diplomatic Executive Building, had left their posts on the Minister’s orders.

Of course, they didn’t constitute the majority of the Purge Unit, but…

-Ratatata! Bang!

“Duck your head, you bastard!”

“Ugh!”

Seeing bullets and lasers flying overhead or chipping away at hastily erected barricades…

From the security personnel’s perspective, their longing for the absent Purge Unit members only intensified.

“These lunatics, attacking a place full of civilians and foreign press!”

Moreover, the security personnel were severely underarmed compared to the attackers.

-Bang! Bang!

-Dudududududududududu!!!

“Argh, insane.”

The security personnel were equipped with just pistols, and only a few had rifles.

Meanwhile, the papal zealots attacking the place were armed with machine guns, adhesive explosives, and various bombs—the maximum firepower individuals could acquire.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that the security personnel stationed at the Diplomatic Executive Building were at a disadvantage in every aspect compared to the zealots carrying out the current attack.

-Kwaaang!

“Aaaagh, my arm, my arm!”

“Shit, why is that thing popping out here?! Everyone evacuate!”

They even deployed autonomous guided spider mines with main battle tank-level firepower.

No matter how fortified the Diplomatic Executive Building was, it would be difficult to hold out for long, but…

“Good, just a few more times and it will collapse!”

“But that was our last spider mine, sir.”

“…Huh?”

Fortunately, given the circumstances of the zealots who had been hiding underground all this time…

Military supplies like autonomous guided spider mines weren’t easy to come by.

Of course, running out of spider mines didn’t create any hesitation in the offensive of the Papal Guard (self-proclaimed).

“Advance! Death to the traitors who sided with Prosnack and assassinated His Holiness the Pope!”

“Death to them!”

They continued to push forward, doing their utmost to plant bullets and grenades in the heart of Arto, their sworn enemy.

——————————

And amid this sudden situation and chaos, some were expressing surprising joy.

“This is a scoop! Big enough to make headlines across the Galactic Federation!”

Of course, their identity was none other than…

-Pababababat!

“Aaaack, senior! Isn’t this too dangerous?!”

“Shut up, junior! This moment is the prime time I’ve been dreaming of!”

Some journalists and media personnel who had come to write political articles had suddenly awakened as war correspondents in the unexpected battlefield.

Most of the press corps had been secured in shelters inside the Executive Building by security personnel, but…

These individuals, judging the situation to be their “scoop” as they claimed…

Despite the restraints of security personnel, they were deliberately filming the entire situation in real-time amidst the rain of bullets and beams.

Of course, this awakened state didn’t last long…

“W-wait, I’m a journalist…”

“Coming here to write articles about this place, you must also be in league with that evil one!”

“Pro-Prosnack sympathizer! Die!”

Having been discovered by zealots who had lost their reason with crazed eyes…

And somehow becoming targets of the Pope’s loyalists who had developed a tendency to attack mindlessly…

“It’s dangerous outside the shelter.”

“Agreed.”

Their burning ambition to gain fame and scoops as war correspondents had vanished, and they now showed the appearance of docile sheep entering the shelter as instructed by security personnel.

——————————–

And right after receiving all this information from Riel.

-Dingaling♬

[Pause]

[Event: The Pope’s Final Outburst]

[Surprisingly, despite your and the reformed Papal State’s extensive purge and extermination operations.]

[The Pope’s loyalists who managed to survive have been sharpening their blades of revenge through connections with various anti-government organizations in the capital’s underground network for a long time.]

[And finally, that blade is being swung at you today… however.]

[For some reason, the ‘loyalists’ who should be leading these zealots don’t seem to have any competence.]

[But the important point is that if you fail to defend the Diplomatic Executive Building from them, it’s clear that not only your and the Empire’s dignity but also the launch of the Interstellar Security Treaty Organization (ISTO) will be in jeopardy.]

[Quest: Protect the Diplomatic Executive Building from the zealots!]

[Current occupation rate: 10%]

[Game over if the occupation rate reaches 100%.]

‘That damn Alexander, son of a bitch.’

I felt myself shudder at this massive insult worthy of the son of that bastard former emperor.

‘A tiger leaves its skin when it dies, and the former emperor’s bloodline leaves me a massive insult when they die…!’

Of course, Artlaia is excluded from that bloodline.

The former emperor’s bloodline was probably utterly defeated by the overwhelming genes from the maternal side and didn’t even manifest, I’d say.

Anyway, the important point was that the mess our Alexander had created was now moving directly and rushing toward me.

‘People avoid it because it’s filthy, not because they’re afraid.’

[Pause Released]

I released the pause and then…

“…Didn’t you say it was safe here?”

Ambassador Samiya, whose limousine had been destroyed just seconds after my bold declaration of safety, showed an attitude full of doubt toward my words, but…

“Ambassador Samiya, I apologize, but we are indeed safe.”

I responded to the ambassador’s attitude with an indifferent tone and gestured toward Riel and Meteorun, who had come down as escorts.

And when the two approached…

“Deal with the attackers as quickly as possible, but try to capture a few if possible.”

“Understood, Minister.”

“And Riel, call Levia and Ash at the Orbital Defense Command right now and tell them to descend.”

“To this location?”

“Yes.”

“What should I tell them to do when they arrive?”

I sincerely wanted to show these damn pseudo-zealots the taste of a precision orbital bombardment from the Dark Ages, but…

Since I couldn’t risk accidentally blowing off the heads of foreign press members…

“Tell them to stand by for now, but be ready to attack at any moment.”

“Got it.”

Having made all preparations, I roughly estimated the position of those who would still be causing all sorts of trouble above.

I glared at that location and expressed my irritation.