#1041 Remaining in Obscurity for Life

The Most Capable Minister of the Mermaid Kingdom, Midrocon.

My woes began right when the king swapped out.

With the new reign of King Arowana, there was no room for me.

Not only was I dismissed from my position, but I didn’t even get some honorary title to relax into.

After everything I did as Prime Minister, I thought I’d at least get a fancy title that’s all show and no work, but nothing.

Curse that King Arowana...!

Do you not realize who kept your father’s kingdom running so smoothly all this time?

And so, with no title, I had no choice but to step down and wait for my time to return.

But it won’t be long, I’m sure of it.

After all, the person they chose to replace me as prime minister is a complete joke.

The Witch of the Abyss, Zoth Syra.

Anybody’s ears would perk up upon hearing that name.

That witch!

She’s notorious for dabbling in forbidden magic and she’s a wanted criminal!

And yet, with his very first royal act, King Arowana pardoned her crimes and welcomed her into his court.

That, I could maybe tolerate. But then, in a moment of sheer madness, he made her the prime minister.

My replacement?!

Is this some kind of sick joke?!

Do they think being prime minister is so easy that even a criminal could do it? Unbelievable!

But this might actually be a golden opportunity.

There’s no way that someone like her could handle being Prime Minister. Things will fall apart.

When that happens, the entire kingdom will come crawling back to me!

— “Only Midrocon is worthy of being Prime Minister!”

— “The new king will have to own up to his mistake and reinstate Midrocon!”

Oh yes, I can hear it now!

I’ll be right back in my rightful place, sitting on the prime minister’s throne, in no time!

Such a flawless plan!

Of course, King Arowana will need a bit of punishment for this blunder.

...I know. I’ll make him divorce the current queen and, as a condition for my return as Prime Minister, marry my daughter instead! She’ll be the new mermaid queen!

With that, my position will be unshakable, and no one will ever dare to think about ousting this brilliant Prime Minister again!

Mwahaha! It’s always after the darkest hour that the greatest opportunity for a comeback arises!

This hardship will only last for a little while longer.

Just until that criminal throws in the towel and steps down as Prime Minister!

And once I’ve weathered this storm, I’ll be back in the seat of power, where I belong!!!

And so I waited...

One year…

Two years…

Three years…...

No matter how long I wait, nothing’s happening.

What gives?

How much longer am I supposed to sit here twiddling my fins?

I thought for sure that Zoth Syra would mess everything up. But somehow, her government is… still running smoothly.

Rather than simply running smoothly, it’s thriving.

Every day, she’s getting more praise, and the kingdom’s becoming more efficient than ever. She’s sweeping away all the corruption and inefficiencies left from the old reign.

...Huh?

What kind of nonsense is this?

Those fools reporting to me—can’t they explain things more clearly?

Anyway, as unbelievable as it sounds, that ex-criminal seems to be doing a decent job so far without any major slip-ups.

What? You’ve got to be kidding me!

That’s the old job I worked so hard at!

Huh? Oh, you think if I managed to do it, anyone could?

Who said that?! Show yourself!

But apparently, this ex-criminal has gone even further, overhauling the entire administration of the Mermaid Kingdom and fulfilling the Prime Minister’s duties to the letter.

Ugh, just hearing these rumors makes my blood boil.

At this point, people have completely forgotten she was ever a criminal. They’re calling her a legendary Prime Minister.

They’re comparing her to Lucife Focale, the famous Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom, saying things like, “If Lucife rules the land, then Zoth Syra reigns over the sea.”

Back when I was in charge, they used to say, “If Lucife rules the land, well, there’s nobody particularly remarkable in the sea…”!

What’s the deal with that?!

How is this criminal getting more praise than me, the greatest Prime Minister this kingdom’s ever had?!

As if the frustration wasn’t already hard enough to bear, something else had me pulling my hair out even more.

Every time that ex-criminal made a new policy move, my position seemed to shrink a little.

Even after stepping down, I still had plenty of hidden influence, thank you very much.

A ton of the people I promoted during my time in office were still running the show in the heart of the merfolk kingdom.

Connections are power, after all.

As long as I had my network of loyal minions propping up the kingdom, neither King Arowana nor that ex-criminal could afford to treat me lightly.

But what’s going on here?

Day by day, my key players were vanishing from the government, one by one.

Some retired. Some quit “for personal reasons.”

Others were demoted or exiled to backwater posts. And some were arrested, or taken down along with their entire factions in one big sweep.

Wait, are you telling me all the people I had in my pocket are just... disappearing?

Does that mean my influence is fading along with them?

What in the world is going on here?

Why is this happening to me?!

...Huh?

Oh, they were all hired through nepotism or bribery?

And since they didn’t have any real skills, they were the first to be tossed out in Zoth Syra’s reforms?

Like I care about that!

No, no, the real issue here is that they’re erasing my presence from the kingdom’s power structure!

How am I supposed to become Prime Minister again if I don’t have my people in place?!

What do you mean there’s no future where I become Prime Minister again?

What are you talking about?!

And who’s saying all these things to me, anyway? Oh, it’s my daughter.

The one I specifically told not to get married until I arranged for her to become Mermaid Queen, and yet she went and got hitched behind my back.

And to whom, you ask? A nobody! Some regular citizens with no political ties! Not even a useful pawn!

My brilliant plan to become the father of the Mermaid Queen was shattered! And on top of that, she’s made some pointless marriage that does nothing for my hand in this grand game! What was she thinking?!

...But when I confronted her about it, all she said was:

—“I’m not sinking with you, Dad.”

Then she waltzed off to the countryside with her new husband.

What the heck?!

At this rate, I’m going to fade into obscurity, forgotten by all, and my dreams of returning to power will be gone for good!

Isn’t there anything?

Anything at all that can save me from this?!

Will no one come to rescue me, the greatest Prime Minister in history?!

Is there no god in this world?!

Just as I was about to reach the peak of my despair...

My salvation finally arrived.

***

“Ex-criminal taking a break?”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Ex-criminal? Oh, that slimy Prime Minister Zoth Syra is apparently taking a leave of absence.

And not just for a day or two.

A whole few months off.

Ridiculous!

The Prime Minister is an irreplaceable position. Taking months off proves once again that the ex-criminal has no sense of responsibility for such a crucial role.

But why such a long vacation?

Maternity leave?

Hah! Even more absurd!

Letting a country’s leadership slip just because of some baby? What a laugh! This just shows that giving such important roles to women was a mistake in the first place.

Sure, it’s unfortunate for the Mermaid Kingdom to have the government grind to a halt for the sake of one measly baby. But to me, this is a sign that my comeback is in the making!

With the ex-criminal out of the picture, even if temporarily, the only person suited to fill that void is none other than me, Midrocon!

I’m the one who’s held the Prime Minister position before, and I executed my duties perfectly!

Time to make my move!

Get me an audience with King Arowana! I’ll personally step up and claim the vacant Prime Minister seat left by that criminal!

The King must be in a panic right now, with such a sudden vacancy.

Surely, he’ll see the brilliance in using me to fill the gap.

And once I’m back in the Prime Minister’s chair, I’ll make sure that ex-criminal never returns!

The future of the Mermaid Prime Minister is clear—it’s me, Midrocon, and no one else!

Ah, the path to glory is in sight!

Charge forward with everything I’ve got!

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oh, it seems i missed 1039 TT will upload in a couple of hours (along with the other baclogs pending from last week)