#1174 Operation: Crying Red Ogre

The tea party I, angel Songokofun, am watching over has finally kicked off.

“Welcome, and thank you for coming. May I see your invitation?”
“Lady Bleach from the White-eye family. Allow me to show you to your seat.”

Those Puffer Children are doin’ a pretty smooth job over at reception, huh?
Big Sis Puffer's been personally teachin’ them, so they’re definitely not just clueless little rich kids.

As for all the merladies who got invited...

“Oh my, it’s been so long since we’ve had a tea party hosted by Queen Puffer. I’ve been looking forward to this day forever.”
“Indeed. Her Majesty Puffer had been taking a break to prepare for the birth of her second child.”
“But now that she’s attending a public event, she must be back in good health. Word is the child is growing up strong, so it’s truly wonderful news for both mother and child.”

...They start chatterin’ away the moment they enter like so.

“Still, the birth of a second royal heir in the Mermaid Royal Family... such a joyous occasion, isn’t it?”
“Truly. Usually, every generation of royalty faces some succession drama, but this current king and queen handled things so swiftly that the public barely had time to fuss.”
“Less than a year after their marriage, Her Majesty was already expecting, then she gave birth to a son who became the first heir. Children are blessings, of course, but to have everything fall into place so flawlessly almost makes me think Queen Puffer’s amazing competence had something to do with it.”
“And in fact, she is the epitome of competence...!”

All the gossip I overhear is pretty favorable toward Sis Puffer.

Fweh, I was all braced for some nasty rumors, but Sis Puffer’s got some popularity goin’ on.
I’m not surprised, though!
She’s known as the Witch of the Bitter Cold, so she already has the mad skills. She’s super gorgeous, too, with a big-sis vibe n’ a heart of gold!
She’s perfect for a queen in terms of vision n’ intelligence, plus she handled the critical heir problem in a flash, even having a second child right away.

How many queens in history have ever been that flawless?
Probably just a tiny handful.

We should all be super grateful we get to live in the same era as such a rare, top-tier queen!!!

“My, my, we mustn’t spoil our young queen too much, you know.”

Oh?
Suddenly, the murmur of gossip around the tea party starts changing tone.

“Young people are so quick to get cocky. They’re best kept in line with a good dose of strictness. It is the duty of experienced seniors to correct and guide those who are prone to mistakes...”

The one spoutin’ off that nonsense is an older merlady, standin’ out among the crowd with her wrinkled face n’ plump figure like an old biddy.

“Madam Nuitsubo... I see you’ve decided to attend.”
“Yes indeed. While Queen Puffer may have satisfied the bare minimum required of her as Mermaid Queen, if she becomes content with only that, the progress of our entire kingdom will be held back. She must push herself harder, harder, harder, harder, and even harder.”

So she says, takin’ a puff on her pipe n’ blowin’ smoke.

Hey, lady! This tea party is strictly no smokin’!!!

Her words totally pour cold water on everyone’s pleasant chatter. One of the guests, apparently fed up, decides to speak out, though a bit hesitantly:

“Even so, Queen Puffer has fulfilled her duty as queen better than anyone could hope. She safely gave birth to the heir we all worried about most, and just recently she also brought the royal princess into this world...”
“Yes. She’s managed to pull off one of the biggest responsibilities for a woman, twice now, with no setbacks. I don’t see any fault in Queen Puffer at all.”

Oh, these merladies are holdin’ their ground, aren’t they?
Good, keep it goin’!

But the auntie keeps puffin’ away, staying snide...

“The second child was a princess... that’s where she went wrong.”
“What did you say?”
“A girl can’t serve as a spare heir, can she? In this world, anything might happen. Even Prince Moby Dick, the first-born, could lose his place as heir for any number of reasons. In preparation for that, one more male heir would be ideal. Yet after all that hardship in childbirth, she only managed a girl. What a waste.”
“Y-You insolent—!”

The merlady challenging her is close to blowin’ a gasket.

“Madam Nuitsubo! That remark was entirely out of line! Prince Moby Dick and Princess Guppy are royals of the highest standing! How dare you speak so rudely of them...!”
“Oh dear, am I wrong? I’m simply voicing my concern for the Mermaid Royal Family. It would strengthen the lineage to have at least one more prince. Don’t you agree?”
“Th-That’s...!”
“King Arowana should stop fixating on just one queen n’ welcome a royal concubine as well. I hear that distant Demon King on land has taken a second wife, vigorously producing heirs. Our king ought to learn from that, don’t you think?”

She’s sayin’ whatever she pleases.

Shut up, shut up, shut up!
Big Bro Arowana is totally in love with Sis Puffer. There’s zero chance he’d cheat on her!

“Madam Nuitsubo... So she really came.”

Whoa!
L-Lampeye?! Don’t sneak up behind me without a sound like that!

“She’s from one of the highest-ranking mermaid noble families, on par with my own Betta house in antiquity and status. That means she can get away with voicing her opinions, even to the royal family. Hence why everyone’s hesitant to argue with her.”

So that explains why she’s so brazen.
N’ that flabby figure just adds to her aura of pushiness.

“She’s the lady of the family and uses her house’s prestige like a club every time we have a large gathering, spouting off all sorts of remarks. She’s infamous enough that people in high society avoid her, but since she hasn’t broken any actual laws, there’s no easy way to punish her.”

But that’s too lenient!
If she’s a troublemaker, just slap some trumped-up charges on her, lock her up, n’ torture her till she squeals whether she did it or not!

“That would be a reign of terror. Ever since King Nagus, the Mermaid Kingdom has had a tradition of tolerating the people’s voices. King Arowana continues that tradition. A subordinate cannot overturn the policies set by the sovereign.”

Ugh...
Politics n’ rules sure are a pain in the butt.

“Still, that doesn’t mean we should just let Madam Nuitsubo continue her slander unchecked. My own house, Betta, is of equal rank to hers, so I’m probably the best candidate to approach her. I’ll step in.”

Hey, hold up, Lampeye.
How about ya let me handle it?

“You, Songokufon? I have a bad feeling about this.”

Hey, I’ll take that as a direct insult!
But do ya really think ya can rein in that loudmouthed old hag any better than me?!

Well, just watch.
I’ve actually got homework Sis Puffer assigned me.
I gotta put on a lil’ show for everyone at today’s tea party.

Now’s the perfect time to start!

“Do you plan to stir up some fuss and bury the tense atmosphere?”

C’mon, I’m not that crude!

Actually, the event I cooked up is specifically designed to shut down blowhards like that old woman.

“Huh. Interesting. Let’s see what you can do.”

Heh heh heh!
Then let the top minion of Sis Puffer, Songokufon, take the stage!

Greetings, esteemed ladies! Thank y’all for comin’ to Sis Puffer’s tea party!
To liven things up, I, Songokufon, shall perform a special show!

“Oh my, who is that girl? She’s flying in the air!”
“I hear she’s connected to Queen Puffer somehow... Maybe from her training on land? Her Majesty does have extensive connections.”

Fahahaha!
It’s not every day ya see an angel, so I’m hoggin’ the spotlight!

Angels are rare, so just showin’ up can wow a crowd!

“My, what a tacky little girl. Associatin’ with someone like that only tarnishes Queen Puffer’s refined dignity.”

Grrr, that wench again...!
But I can keep my cool. I’ll hold my breath like a predator before pouncin’.

“Ahem, in honor of my beloved Sis Puffer, I’m gonna treat ya to a certain spectacle today.”
“Oh? And what exactly can a lesser creature do for the Mermaid Queen? Don’t overestimate yourself, child.”

Jeez, her mouth never stops.
In that case, I’ll give her a special treat.

“A massacre show!”
“Huh?”

Time for a grand purge of all the fools who dare oppose Sis Puffer!
No worries! Us angels wiped out entire civilizations in the past, turnin’ the land into a sea of fire.

It’s totally a cinch to vaporize a few hundred troublemakers with my pinky.

“Wha...? Wh-What nonsense are you spouting...? Eeeek!”

The woman’s face twists in terror.
Sure, starin’ down the barrel of my Mana Cannon, it’s only natural to sense the Grim Reaper.

Well then, dear rebel, who dares slander Sis Puffer...
Ready for repentance?