#1040 The Mermaid Prime Minister Reminisces

I am Midrocon. 

Mermaid Kingdom Prime Minister Midrocon! 

...Well, former, that is.

Former Prime Minister Midrocon. 

I once ran the kingdom’s affairs and was a trusted right-hand man to King Nagus.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I pulled all the strings in this place back in the day. 

If I said “right,” everyone looked right...

If I said “black,” even white would be considered black. 

If I said “flounder,” then a halibut was also a flounder. 

Everything went according to my will! What a marvelous world it was!!!

...But that’s all ancient history now. 

One event flipped my springtime of power into a blizzard of bitter cold. 

That event was the changing of the throne. 

For years, the wise King Nagus had relied on me as his right hand. 

But then he decided to step down and pass the crown to his eldest son, Prince Arowana. 

New king, new era. 

Still, I assumed my position as Prime Minister would stay intact. 

Why? Because I’m brilliant.

The young and inexperienced King Arowana would obviously need my exceptional support.

And who better than me, Midrocon, the man who’s been at the heart of politics since his father’s reign? 

Come on, King Arowana! 

Think of me as your second father and lean on me for advice. 

Policies, ceremonies, the very fabric of the nation—I’ll teach you everything! 

I’ll even pick your queen for you! 

How about my daughter, for instance?!

What’s that? You’re already married? 

Well, then just divorce her and marry my daughter!

You won’t find a better match. You’ll love her! 

Anyway, as long as you listen to me, everything will go smoothly! 

Like King Nagus before you, you’ll peacefully reign and retire. 

If you want to stay on the throne, follow my lead!

Such is the mark of a wise ruler! 

Or so I thought… 

“You’re fired as Prime Minister.” 

That’s what they told me the day after King Nagus announced his retirement. 

I was convinced King Arowana would beg me to stay on as Prime Minister, but instead… 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttt?! 

I screamed.

“What’s with the surprise? It’s only natural. A new king means a fresh start for the kingdom. This is the perfect time to sweep away old baggage, don’t you think?” 

The one who said this was none other than Queen Mahi Kanne, King Nagus’ wife. 

Wait, if the king retired, does that make her the former queen too? 

Please wait a moment.

Your logic makes no sense! 

Sure, sweeping away old baggage is fine, but what does that have to do with firing me? 

I’m totally unrelated to this “baggage” you’re talking about, no?

“Oh, don’t play dumb, dear. You’re one of the old relics that needs to be swept out. Do I really have to spell it out for you?” 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttttt?! 

Are you calling me, who worked tirelessly for the good of the Mermaid Kingdom, an “old relic”?! 

“Old relic”—as in outdated, harmful debris?! 

Calling me a nuisance is outrageous! 

King Nagus had such a peaceful reign, and now you’re tarnishing his legacy?! 

“What ‘tireless work’ are you even talking about? The only thing you did as Prime Minister was fatten your own pockets.” 

Wha—?!

The queen didn’t even flinch with that brutal takedown! 

“During my husband’s reign, you were the biggest stain on his rule. He only gave you the position because he owed a huge debt to your family when he married me. To repay that, he had to make you the prime minister.” 

What’s with the tone of delivery?! 

It’s like you’re implying he appointed me out of obligation! 

“That’s exactly what it was. We had no choice. You were useless, and we ended up doing all kinds of unnecessary work that we shouldn’t have had to do just to cover for your incompetence. It was so inefficient.” 

Queen Mahi lets out a deep, exhausted sigh. 

Stop sighing like you’re fed up!!!

“Do you have any idea how many times we’ve thought about firing you? But that’s the tricky thing about you. Yes, you were useless, but not quite useless enough for us to dismiss you without raising eyebrows. And your shady dealings… well, let’s talk about those, too.”

Shady dealings?!

What in the world do you mean by that?

There’s no one as loyal and upstanding as me in all of Mermaid Kingdom!

“Oh, did you really think we didn’t know? You used your position as prime minister to appoint your relatives to cushy jobs, and you’ve been taking bribes from other officials. It’s such small-scale corruption. If you’d been just a bit more ambitious with your crimes, I could have had you publicly executed, but alas, you never gave me the pleasure.”

Wha…?!

Impossible! I was certain I covered all my tracks!

If you knew all of this, why didn’t you expose me and demand my resignation?!

“Oh dear, you’re still not getting it, are you? We let you believe you were in the clear, hoping you’d get cocky and step up your game. We were waiting for you to do something big enough to fire you.”

—But you were such a letdown.

The queen sighs dramatically.

“You’re either too timid or too dim-witted to pull off any grand schemes. You just stuck with your petty misdeeds, not even getting better at being bad. Darling and I spent so much time figuring out how to keep all your mediocre cronies in harmless positions.”

No...!

Without me, this kingdom would fall apart! My brilliance as prime minister was... completely unappreciated by both the king and the queen?!

“In hindsight, we should’ve nipped it in the bud and given you a little warning. But no one expected you to survive through Darling’s entire reign. Still, this is it for your career as a civil servant.”

Her earlier words ring in my ears.

...I’m fired?

“With Arowana’s new government coming into power, this is the perfect time to get rid of you. It’s annoying that it’ll look like you’re gracefully retiring after serving your role as prime minister, but I’ll give you this—you did manage to weasel your way out quite well.”

B-But!

But Your Majesty just said so earlier!

That you owe my family a great debt!

“Oh, Darling and I owe that debt. Arowana has nothing to do with it. That’s one of the perks of a new regime. He gets a fresh start without inheriting the baggage.”

You’re calling me baggage?!

Me, Midrocon, the brilliant prime minister who upheld the reign of King Nagus?!

Queen! Please reconsider!

I could be invaluable to King Arowana!

If you let me stay as prime minister, the kingdom’s peace will be guaranteed for generations!

“Don’t you dare.”

Eek?!

Terrifying!

The queen’s radiating pure menace?!

“You haven’t forgotten your most recent blunder, have you? Because of your meddling, sweet little Platy had to marry someone on land. Did you really think I hadn’t figured out that was your fault?”

Th-That’s...!

All for the peace and prosperity of the kingdom…!

“I’ve tracked the money flowing to you from the Demon Kingdom. Not to mention, you were trying to squeeze the Human Kingdom for more, which almost led to both nations turning against us. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is not being able to punish you for nearly starting a war...?!”

Wh-What do you mean?!

“Even after the saint intervened, there was still debate about Platy’s political marriage. We couldn’t punish the negotiator—you—without causing public outrage. Then, just as things settled, our relations with the Demon Kingdom began to improve, so firing you then would’ve disrupted the whole peace process!”

My Queen… please calm down…

Everything worked out fine in the end, didn’t it?

“You’re infuriatingly good at making everything fall into place, I’ll give you that...! And because you do it without even realizing it, it’s even worse! But today’s the end of the line, dear. You’re a relic of the old era, and it’s time for you to step down, alongside me and Darling. This is your final act of service to the kingdom!”

Wait! Please wait!

If I’m removed, who will become prime minister after me?!

There’s no one in this kingdom more qualified than I am!

Please, I beg you to reconsider!

The kingdom still desperately needs me, Prime Minister Midrocon!

“There has never been a moment when we actually needed you! …But rest assured, Arowana has already selected the perfect person for the job. With them as prime minister, the Mermaid Kingdom will be in excellent hands.”

Impossible!

There’s no one in the kingdom more suited to be the prime minister than me!

I am the greatest prime minister there ever was!

And yet, as I stood there in disbelief, the name of my successor was publicly announced.

The Witch of the Abyss Zoth Syra.

What?!

But she’s a wanted criminal!