Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

The room's atmosphere was somewhat dark following the chancellor's sudden resignation.

His subordinates hurried after the former chancellor.

I thought they would stay since Anatia-san was becoming chancellor, but it seemed they prioritized factional loyalty.

"Maybe I should recruit talent from the common people too. I can't exactly pull people from Alsarm… Please help me with that, Yohane-san."

"Understood. I did it before for Her Majesty Tianis, so it should go smoothly. I can't guarantee people will gather, though."

"That's enough."

Anatia-san's radiant smile brightened my mood as well.

"So, what were we all gathered here for?"

"Yupe-nee-san, I did technically become queen, you know."

"I only show up at private gatherings anyway, so what does it matter? Or would you prefer I speak formally? Your Majesty, Queen Tianis."

Her Majesty Tianis shuddered and shook her head.

It seemed her body rejected it outright. It was apparently so revolting it gave her goosebumps.

Princess Yupe let out a smug hmph, looking triumphant for some reason.

How audacious.

"Haah… Well, I suppose I can think of it as having secured my surroundings with people under my influence. As for personnel, I can recruit from the common folk and absorb the royalist faction members who've been getting the short end of the stick. We'll be able to make decisions much faster than before, and the time to implementation will be shorter. It's a major change for both the people and the nation."

"What about the Finance Minister?"

"I'm holding his seal. He said since the budget will pass according to Your Majesty's proposals anyway, he's not needed. I can't figure out what he's thinking, so it's unsettling."

"Well, Father is here, so maybe he thinks it's better to lie low for now."

Looking at the result, the Kingdom was now effectively under Her Majesty Tianis's sole rule.

Not long ago, the opposition had greater numbers, but the situation had changed dramatically.

However, without Anatia-san and Duke Baroba, things might have collapsed early on.

Regardless of how the war with the Church of the Sun God turns out, Duke Baroba will eventually need to return to Alsarm, so the administration needs to be organized to some degree before then.

That said, running a nation feels similar to running a shop, just on a different scale.

Though I'd probably get scolded for saying that.

"We've gotten off track… The reason I gathered everyone is to decide here how we'll communicate with foreign dignitaries. If we each say different things, it could give them strange impressions, and I also want to organize my thoughts."

"Has Commander Mani's unit returned?"

"Yes. They've also submitted their report. Here it is."

A neatly organized report about recent events was placed on the desk.

They'd tried to carry out the enemy soldiers besides the man who called himself Bonfam, but they'd carbonized and crumbled apart.

Some soldiers had found it disturbing.

The report noted that Mani had issued a gag order to calm them.

These aren't normal enemies, after all…

From an ordinary soldier's perspective, they might be more terrifying than monsters.

"I think we should make it clear we're at war with the Church of the Sun God. If we also reveal what they did to us, there shouldn't be any criticism."

"At this point, with both the Empire and Kingdom having withdrawn from the Church of the Sun God, they can't really be called large-scale anymore. Even though they spread across the continent, many nations like Spartia rejected them. There might be some confusion among citizens who are still believers, though."

"We'll just have to spread awareness about that. They originally proselytized by providing charity and free medical treatment, so their influence has been waning as those services disappeared."

The Church of the Sun God's methods had been cunning.

They'd infiltrated people's daily lives, blending in while committing evil deeds out of sight.

Perhaps the nations that rejected the Church of the Sun God had understood this all along.

"I can also use this to explain why I used the magical artifact back then."

"I think you'll gain understanding. How they'll feel afterward is… difficult to say. I just don't want them to have negative feelings. If it affects trade, prices will rise."

"Make price stability the top priority. You can use as much from the national treasury as needed. The people are already anxious about various things, so unstable prices will only make it worse. If riots break out, it plays right into the Church of the Sun God's hands. This attack might have been aimed at that."

I couldn't say she was overthinking it.

Leaders need to anticipate every concern and take countermeasures.

Missing even one could be fatal.

The same goes for running a shop.

"You're such a worrywart. It's so dreary."

Princess Yupe wasn't participating in the discussion, filing her nails while listening.

Her job was to help Her Majesty Tianis with practical work.

She honestly didn't care about the meeting's contents.

If Her Majesty Tianis got into trouble, she'd probably flee somewhere.

The only reason she was being obedient now was because Anatia-san and I were keeping her in check together.

"Just so you know, you'll be attending the explanation session too, Nee-san. After all, you're the most beautiful princess in the Kingdom. You're popular with foreign envoys."

"Oh, is that so? Well, if you put it that way, I can't not attend."

Princess Yupe stood up, looking pleased.

"Anatia-san, is that actually true?"

"… It is. Yupe is quite popular among foreign envoys. Despite appearances, she's skilled at putting on a facade, and when she's being pleasant, she genuinely looks the part if nothing else, so she often entertained visiting dignitaries. You see, Tianis was still too young to participate in high society, so having Yupe step forward at times like this isn't a bad move."

"I see."

I'd thought she was a materialistic woman, but apparently she could be more useful than just extra hands.

"Hey, you. You were just looking at me with that mocking look, weren't you!? Just because you have capable subordinates doesn't mean you can look down on me. I'll show you just how popular I am!"

"Capable subordinates… ehehe. You're a nice person."

"Azu, I don't think that's what she meant."

Alexia, looking somewhat tired, corrected Azu.

Princess Yupe would be a difficult person for Alexia to deal with.