Ch.29Why have you forsaken me?

# Chapter 29 – Why Have You Forsaken Me?

[PAUSE]

‘Calm down, there’s still hope… Gak is still alive!’

Though it was sudden news, from Artraia’s perspective, it was certainly worth reconsidering Gak.

After all, unlike the present, there was once a time when relations were so hostile that the Empire was at war with all surrounding nations.

The people responsible for creating that past were the members of the Diplomatic Ministry during the previous emperor’s reign.

Unfortunately for the Diplomatic Ministry, they never had the opportunity to show that they had reformed since then.

Normalizing diplomatic relations and building friendly ties with other nations was, honestly speaking, handled almost entirely by me and the Execution Ministry, leaving the Diplomatic Ministry with little to do.

Meanwhile, corruption issues kept piling up and exploding one after another.

The decisive blow came when I exposed the previous head of the Diplomatic Ministry as the leader of a foreign spy network, causing the ministry to implode.

After Artraia’s wrathful purge, the surviving personnel regrouped, and the new minister tried to rebuild the collapsed overseas HUMINT networks, but…

Perhaps the new minister felt too much pressure from the situation.

He attempted to enhance his intelligence through brain modification—a practice strictly prohibited in all countries.

But something went wrong, and his intelligence actually deteriorated, forcing him to be removed from his position.

The current state of the Sebelli Empire’s Diplomatic Ministry could only be described as a total disaster.

On top of that, diplomats were caught accepting bribes.

A long-retired former ministry executive was caught trying to secure a high position for his incompetent son through the nobility’s information network.

“…I have failed to repay His Imperial Majesty’s grace. What reason does this old man have to live?”

“He’s insane.”

And then he even attempted suicide after being caught.

Even Artraia, who was practically a sage thanks to his personality pouch, apparently couldn’t stand by and watch such misconduct any longer.

But did it really have to be done this way?

“…So with this organizational restructuring, the Diplomatic Ministry and Execution Ministry will be merged to create the new Diplomatic Execution Ministry…”

And strictly speaking, why merge the Execution Ministry, which operates in the shadows, with the Diplomatic Ministry, which works in the brightest of spotlights?

“This doesn’t seem good, Riel.”

“One fortunate thing is that the head of the new Diplomatic Execution Ministry hasn’t been decided yet.”

This must be what they mean by a blessing in disguise.

“And regarding what you’re worried about, I heard they’ve appointed a new minister for the Diplomatic Ministry?”

“Oh… a new minister? Do we know who it is?”

“No, they just announced that a new minister was appointed, but there hasn’t been an official announcement yet, so I don’t know either.”

At Riel’s words, my mind began rapidly running simulations about the future.

[PAUSE]

‘Come to think of it, isn’t this actually a good opportunity for me to step away from the leadership position while still getting everything done?’

Having paused time to think more carefully, I began to feel hopeful about the future.

‘After all, the Execution Ministry’s existence is meant to be in the shadows, and on top of that, a new Diplomatic Minister at a time like this…’

Looking at it from another angle, isn’t this a move to place the new Diplomatic Minister as the head of the new Diplomatic Execution Ministry?

‘Artraia, I knew I could trust you.’

Of course, this might just be my wishful thinking running wild, but it’s quite a plausible scenario, isn’t it?

‘There’s no need to reveal to other countries that their diplomatic department is in shambles, while still being able to utilize the accomplished Execution Ministry.’

Of course, it could vary depending on who the new Diplomatic Minister is and how much experience they have.

‘Perhaps I could oversee the actual operations while mediating conflicts between the existing Diplomatic and Execution Ministry personnel.’

As that thought crossed my mind, I couldn’t help but sigh.

‘That would mean my workload would double.’

But no matter how I looked at it, I didn’t think I would become the figurehead of the new Diplomatic Execution Ministry.

…Even though I’ve involuntarily become public property over the past year or two, with my name and face sold to the media, I’m fundamentally a person of the shadows.

Besides, if they were going to merge two departments, they could have at least informed the people in charge beforehand.

That would have given us time to mentally prepare, at the very least.

‘It’s not like I can defect from the Empire…’

Of course, I could defect if I really wanted to.

After all, the main quest’s objective was “the victory of the Holy Sebelli Empire,” not “Arto’s victory.”

So as long as I’m in this world, I need to work for Sebelli’s victory, no matter where I go, watching Sebelli’s flag.

‘Is this what they mean when they say there’s no paradise where you run away to?’

After indulging in all sorts of delusions and overheated fantasies for a while.

I finally came to my senses and decided to resume the conversation after disabling the pause.

‘Wait, what were we talking about again?’

Of course, right before disabling the pause, I forgot what I was talking about and had to spend more time paused to recall it… but let’s just ignore that embarrassing detail.

[PAUSE DISABLED]

“A new minister…”

————————

After I summarized the thoughts I had organized while fantasizing in the paused space.

Having finished my lengthy speech, I drank some water to soothe my dry throat, and Riel nodded in agreement with my opinion.

“You’re absolutely right, Minister. Most people don’t even know what the Execution Ministry does anyway.”

As a minister, I had to admit that Riel’s words were the undeniable truth.

‘I don’t really know either.’

Honestly, even though I’ve been the Execution Ministry’s minister for several years now.

I still couldn’t quite grasp exactly what kind of organization it was.

Of course, this issue stemmed from the inherently ambiguous nature of the Execution Ministry itself.

‘From the beginning, it was created by successive emperors to be similar to their personal guard, but not as openly active.’

As a result, every time a new emperor ascended to the throne, the ministry’s structure and scope of activities would change drastically.

And for that reason, by the time of my tenure, it had become something truly close to an “all-purpose” organization.

Sometimes it managed foreign diplomacy and spy networks in place of the Diplomatic Ministry.

Other times it supervised other government departments.

And sometimes it functioned like an intelligence agency, dealing with internal spies.

Internally, it was filled with civil servants, crazy special forces operatives, and all sorts of strange individuals.

Even the minister himself gets dispatched to suppress rebellions or sent to foreign countries to clear the previous emperor’s gambling debts.

From top to bottom, it was an organization that thoroughly embodied the identity of something without any fundamental purpose.

“Hmm, you’re right, Riel.”

“Seeing how long you were lost in thought, I guess you also had nothing to say about the state of the Execution Ministry.”

“…Yeah.”

“Me neither.”

It was quite something that the top two of the Execution Ministry (the vice minister is just a slave) ended up lamenting their situation together.

—————–

After complaining for quite some time.

With a calmer mind, I sank into my personal sofa and said:

“By the way, when is the official announcement for the organizational restructuring?”

“Uh… next week.”

“…That’s fast.”

At Riel’s answer, I unconsciously pulled myself up from where I was buried in the sofa.

“Though the outcome will likely be as I predicted, there’s still a mountain of preparations to make right now.”

“Still, don’t you think it will proceed relatively simply this time?”

“…I wonder.”

-Ding♪

But just as I was about to agree with Riel.

Before my eyes, with its characteristically cheap alarm sound, time automatically paused, and a new event window appeared.

[Event: Establishment of a New Ministry.]

[The Emperor of the Holy Sebelli Empire, Artraia, has decided to no longer tolerate his empire falling behind other nations.]

[To that end, he has resolved to devote all his efforts to a major organizational restructuring and to eradicate the vermin eating away at the empire.]

[Option 1: Uphold the Emperor’s will.]

[Option 2: Pursue your own will.]

And it presented me with incredibly vague, confusing options.