Ch.99The World Still Turns (2)

# Chapter 99: The World Still Turns (2)

The next morning dawned, but the work at the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency was still far from over.

“Hmm, how is the repair of the Leviathan-class Super Dreadnought that our Minister ordered coming along?”

“I receive reports every midnight, and currently the repair process has exceeded 35%.”

Arto had suddenly become fixated on tracking the repair progress of the ancient vessel he had ordered fixed with more obsession than usual.

“Alina, how are things going over there?”

-“Oh, just fine, Little Quantum Core.”

-“It seems that with so many tech slaves gone, the Technology and Science Agency keeps asking me to calculate all sorts of research work.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re doing well.”

-“Did you need to ask me something, Little Quantum Core?”

“Huh? No, it’s just that the Minister can’t work for a few days, so I’m checking on all our dispatched personnel.”

-“My goodness, I had no idea such a thing happened.”

“Well, it’s classified information, so there’s no need for you to know.”

She was also coordinating with Alina, who had been dispatched to the Technology and Science Agency to replace the graduate students assigned to labor on the ship repairs.

“Gaia, how are you enjoying life there?”

-“Yes, Riel… it’s truly a peaceful and comfortable place…”

After completing her rehabilitation training perfectly.

Now she was dispatched to a food research institute on Ka’Zan’s moon to test and train her abilities…

Or at least that was the official reason, while in reality Gaia was tending to a garden.

Riel was contacting and checking on all the personnel that Arto had been too busy to properly care for.

-“Oh, that’s right, recently the… children I’ve been growing in my garden received great praise from the research institute…”

“Hoeh, that’s wonderful.”

-“So soon, I’ll send them as gifts… to Minister Arto and everyone at the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency…”

“I understand. I’ll let the Minister know when he returns.”

-“…By the way… where did the Minister go?”

But no matter what, there were things that could be said and things that couldn’t.

Riel tried to avoid answering Gaia’s question by being deliberately vague.

-“Why… won’t you tell me… about the Minister…?”

“Ah.”

-“Why…?”

Of course, as a result of trying to brush it off with such vagueness.

Riel ended up having to face Gaia’s sinister and gloomy feelings toward the “Minister,” much to her discomfort.

And after finishing her conversation with Gaia.

“What is our Count Ash doing right now?”

After being picked up from that place filled with unidentified nanomachines.

And after serving as the ultimate weapon in the Warlord’s army.

Managing Ash, the nanomachine collective that had been granted the title of Count by the Empire, was also Riel’s responsibility in Arto’s absence.

Fortunately, when it came to Ash, Riel didn’t have to worry as much as she did about counterintelligence work…

No, she actually had even less to worry about.

“It’s still waiting next to the orbital open-air shipyard where the ancient vessel is being repaired, constantly changing its form.”

“Hmm.”

Without going anywhere on its own.

It simply stuck close to the ancient ship under repair, constantly molding its body like a child playing with rubber clay.

“Tell them to report back if anything unusual happens.”

“Understood, Assistant Riel.”

And after finishing the work related to Ash…

“Minister!!!”

“Please return Alina to us!!!”

Perhaps because Alina, the cheat key of office work, was still stationed at the Technology and Science Agency.

“Rise up, you cursed office workers!”

“Unite together!”

For some reason, civil servants in the heart of the Empire, the epitome of theocracy, were trying to start a revolution by singing red-flavored Fuchsviet-style International songs from the other side of the galaxy.

“The Minister isn’t here right now, shall I handle you myself?”

“Ah.”

“The Minister isn’t here? Well, can’t be helped then.”

While such trivial “pranks” might work when Arto was around.

In Arto’s absence, repeating the same behavior might result in being “seriously” dealt with by Riel in serious mode.

The office slaves who had been trying to start a red revolution in the middle of a theocracy naturally returned to their seats and began working as if nothing had happened.

——————————

However, Riel’s acting administration soon faced a major situation.

“…Wait, could you say that again?”

“We, we just received the news ourselves, but Prosnack’s fleets have broken through Zeltech’s border defense stations and are currently ravaging the entire territory of Zeltech!”

“How is that even possible?”

Logically, when a country mobilizes its fleet to wage war against another country, such movements would be exposed to neighboring countries.

Even if that weren’t the case, the overseas spy network that Arto had spent nearly ten years building would have delivered this information well in advance.

Yet somehow, they not only failed to detect Prosnack’s invasion beforehand.

They only found out after Zeltech’s defense fleet had been annihilated, its entire territory ravaged, and masses of refugees began pouring in.

With this meaning in mind, when Riel expressed her irritation and anger, the overseas intelligence officer in front of her continuously wiped cold sweat from his corpulent body while offering words of apology.

“I’m truly sorry, I have no excuse, Assistant Riel.”

“How on earth did the situation get to this point? Try to explain yourself.”

Under Riel’s intense pressure, the overseas intelligence officer somehow managed to explain how the situation had unfolded…

“…So you’re saying that several of our branches in the northeast were exposed and eliminated, and the intelligence network in the Zeltech region completely collapsed?”

“Y-yes, but while the eastern intelligence network also suffered considerable damage, we lowered the priority of restoring the northeastern intelligence network, and as a result…”

The moment she heard the officer’s continuing explanation.

The irritation and anger instantly vanished from Riel’s face, replaced by complete emotionlessness.

And with this expression, Riel spoke to the officer bowing his head before her, in a voice thoroughly devoid of emotion.

“I see… but who changed that priority?”

“Well…”

“Speak quickly.”

“I changed it, Assistant Riel.”

Riel questioned the officer who only answered after her repeated urging, still speaking in a controlled tone.

“Why did you change it?”

“Well… since we established a cooperative relationship with Prosnack, I thought we could use the resources allocated to the northeastern intelligence network to restore the vast eastern intelligence network…”

Realizing that she was not intimidating him but merely asking questions, the officer began explaining the situation in more detail with a more relaxed tone.

After hearing the results, Riel nodded lightly and then…

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and grab him.”

“Excuse me? What do you—”

-Slash!

Right after Riel spoke.

Before the intelligence officer could finish his sentence, a monomolecular cutter wielded by a purge squad member who appeared from behind cleanly decapitated him.

As a result, a large amount of blood sprayed from the severed neck onto Riel, who was standing right in front of him…

-Thud! Roll…

-Slide… Thump!

Regardless, Riel stopped the rolling head with her foot.

Then she grabbed the hair with one hand and lifted it to her eye level, before speaking in a very calm tone.

“Do you know? Even when a person’s head is cut off, they maintain consciousness for several tens of seconds.”

Of course, the officer whose head had been severed could not respond to Riel’s words, having no windpipe or anything else.

But Riel wasn’t expecting an answer from him anyway.

“So listen carefully before you lose consciousness, and tell those who are likely connected to you via communication to listen well too.”

Saying this, Riel held the officer’s head in both hands and continued.

“I don’t care what corruption you engage in.”

She shifted her blood-covered hands to cup the ears and cheeks of the severed head.

“To be frank, I don’t care at all if you deal drugs locally, traffic innocent civilians, run black markets, or do all sorts of bizarre things.”

And then.

She slightly twisted her wrists holding the head so that her index fingers pointed toward the eyelids.

“But I won’t stand by and watch as you ruin the plans the Minister worked so hard to create with your pathetic corrupt activities.”

-Crunch! Crack!

-Drip… Thud!

With a horrific sound, Riel crushed “it” and spoke with a still expressionless face.

“So ‘you people’ are all being disposed of now. Trash.”

——————————–

Not long after, most of the management positions in the Holy Seveli Empire’s prestigious Diplomatic Enforcement Agency’s overseas intelligence network were replaced with new people.

But since it was an underground matter, it was never reported in the media.

And since Arto himself was not in a position to care about such trivial and miscellaneous matters.

The incident quietly, very quietly disappeared, buried in the flow of time and events, known to no one.