#1259 Prime Minister Battle Royale 

There are just way too many things to question here. 
Actually, that’s all there is. Things to question. 

The part about the Dragon Emperor and his wife founding a kingdom of dragons...fine, maybe it sticks in the throat a bit, but I can swallow it. 
Gathering all the living dragons to make a grand declaration of nationhood...okay, sure, maybe that’s something humans have done once or twice in history, too. 

But...deciding it all with a fight afterwards? I don’t get it! 

I DON’T GET IT!!! 

It makes little sense I have to shout it twice. 

I just don’t get it at all! 

“So, for example, Saint... What do you call the one who ranks right under the ruler?” 
“Uh... a viceroy, maybe?” 

Well, technically it changes depending on the era, region, and politics, but...! 

Sometimes the one right below the king is the queen herself, too... 

“Yes, exactly! As the Dragon Empress, I’d naturally be my husband Ardheg’s second-in-command, the highest authority under him! ...Wait, no, that’s not what I meant!” 

For some reason, she does her own setup and punchline. 

“I mean the one after that! If you exclude royalty and just look at common nobody, who’s the number one then?” 

What kind of phrasing is that?  
A “common nobody” and “the number one” in the same sentence is contradictory.  
But if we’re talking about someone who stands at the peak of the nobility, then... it’s the prime minister, right? 

“The prime minister?” 

Right.  
In human society, there’s the Demon Kingdom’s Prime Minister Lucife Focale, or the Mermaid Prime Minister Zoth Syra. 

They represent the nation’s ministers, support the ruler in governance, and sometimes even govern as a proxy in their stead. 

The number two of the nation. The ruler’s right hand. The royal advisor. 
That’s the prime minister! 

“Bene! That’s perfect! We’ll use that! All right then, dragons, here’s what we’ll do!” 

Bloody Mary takes a breath, lets the silence hang, and... 

“From this moment on, you’re all going to fight to decide who becomes Dragon Prime Minister!!!” 

Great, now we have a goal. 
Not that this makes any sense at all! 

“The dragon right below the emperor, the number two dragon! You’ll all fight over it! To found this nation, we must decide who the top vassal is, the strongest among our kin! Kill each other if you must!!!” 

...Why?! 
Why kill each other?! 

I was already at the breaking point trying to process this whole dragon-empire thing, and now they’re stuffing in even more nonsense?! 

Why fight?! Why kill?! 
Why not settle it peacefully through discussion, or an election, or maybe a leadership vote?! 
Isn’t that the normal way?! 

“...That is simply the nature of dragons, Lord Saint.” 

Ardheg?! 
You’re the Dragon Emperor here! Shouldn’t you be bringing order instead of encouraging chaos?! 

“No, this is how dragons are; creatures driven to battle by instinct. Perhaps it comes from our ancient role of striking down arrogant gods, or perhaps it’s a lingering remnant of the instinct that drove us to fight to the last and claim the title of Geyser Dragon...” 

But that era’s over! You’re supposed to be moving into a new stage! 
Throw that out! Leave behind the old ways!!! 

And the other dragons gathered here must think this is ridiculous too, right? They wouldn’t actually accept a senseless battle royale...! 

“...How interesting. Let’s do it.” 

They accepted?! 
The call of instinct triumphs!!! 

“I already gave the Geyser Dragon’s seat to Ardheg, but now there’s a second throne on offer. If so, then I cannot resist claiming it! I—Glintz Dragon Charles Arts, once ranked second among the Decem Dracones—shall take the place of the Emperor’s right hand!” 
“Hold it right there!” 

And now the others are getting fired up, too. 

“The past order doesn’t matter! Everyone’s equal now! Which means even I—Crowley Seema, once ranked tenth of the Decem Dracones—have a shot at this!” 
“And I, Rose, once fourth!” 
“And I, Browdy, once fifth!” 

The voices rise one after another that it’s terrifying. 

“Hah... then I suppose I’ll join in, too. I’ll teach these spineless new-generation whelps the terror of the Primordial Dragon Emperor!” 

Typhon?! You’re here, too?! 
Ever since you started running that dungeon farm, you’ve really opened up socially. 

“And not just me. Alexander’s here, too, Look over there.” 

Huh? Seriously?! 
He really is... and he’s in his human form drinking with the former Geyser Dragon, Al Gor! 

This has turned into a massive dragon reunion way beyond what I imagined! 

“That’s just how fired up that couple is. Honestly though, it feels like they’re letting the excitement get to their heads.” 

Yeah, I think so too. 
Deciding the second-in-command Prime Minister through combat... how is that any different from the old days of killing each other to determine the Geyser Dragon?! 

You’re supposed to be forming a nation, an orderly society, and instead you’re regressing into a violence-ruled wasteland! 

“All right, here I go! Dragon Typhoon!” 
“For the sake of my beloved wife Tequila, I’ll seize the name of Prime Minister! Crowley Shimanogawa Great Flood!!!” 

And just like that, the great dragon brawl erupts! 
No prelude, no rules. Just a free-for-all, Super Dragon Smsh Brs! 

Waaah, stop stop, stop! 
The fight’s going to spill over to us! Do you realize where we are?! This is the farm! A place where we live quietly in peace! 

And you want to wreck it in the crossfire...?! 

“You bastards really think you’re ready to face my wrathhhhh?!” 
“GYAHHHHHHHHH!” 

A thunderous roar shakes the earth. 

Looking up, I see Veil...She’s in full dragon form, descending with the brilliance of dawn.  
Her appearance is nothing short of divine. 

“I finally got Junior, Norito, and that idiot couple’s kid to fall asleep, so I left them with Platy and came here. So it was you making a racket in someone else’s houseeee!!!” 
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!” 

That’s Veil for you. 
Just one roar, and even dragons tremble. 

Power-wise too, excluding Alexander, Veil is hands-down the strongest dragon alive. Her position is utterly absurd. 
Honestly, why isn’t she the Geyser Dragon? 
I can't help but wonder. 

“And you two! The ones who started this whole mess!” 
“YES?!” 

She points straight at Ardheg and Bloody Mary, the imperial couple. 

“This is what happens when you try to decide everything on pure impulse! Listen well! Founding a nation is far more troublesome than you think! I know, because I’ve watched Master suffer through the nightmare of nation-building day after day!” 

Veil...?! 

I never thought someone had been watching my struggles that closely. 
The way she puts it almost feels like all my hardship was worth it…! 

“The pain Master endures... It’s on a level so irritating, so endlessly bothersome, that even we dragons couldn’t handle it! If it were me, I’d lose patience in a heartbeat and smash everything to pieces!!!” 

Just imagining it makes her shudder in irritation. 

Thank you, Veil... Just by putting it into words, you’ve made my struggle feel validated! 

...Wait, this isn’t the time for that. 

“Ardheg! Mary! If you really want to build an empire, then you need to understand its hardships firsthand! And that’s why I’ve invited some special guests!!!” 

Huh? Guests? 
That suddenly sounds way too casual. 

“The Demon King, the Mermaid King, and Ritheseus!!!”