#618 The Mermaid Prime Minister’s Capabilities

I am Isaki the mermaid, a civil official working at the Mermaid Palace.

Currently, the pillar of the Mermaid Kingdom is busier than ever due to the recent regime change that came with the succession of King Nagus’ son, Arowana, to the throne.

This gave rise to the new Mermaid King Arowana. 

On ascending to the throne, he first began to abolish the old evils.

During the previous regime, the populace exploited King Nagus’s generosity to fill their pockets. The first thing to be done was to thoroughly eliminate the corruption that plagued the nation.

This was accomplished through a reform to sweep away all the dust that had accumulated during the long reign of the previous king.

The righteous people who stood against the corrupt but were silenced and relegated to the shadows because of their weak power praised King Arowana to the skies.

His Majesty King Arowana is truly the standard-bearer of a new generation!

But even such a king comes with his imperfections. 

Some of his policies are outright wrong.

I myself have a sincere belief that King Arowana has made a huge mistake, and that is...

The prime minister he elected, who’s also right in front of me—Zoth Syra!

* * *

“We have received a report from the Imperial guards. They have succeeded in capturing Gedu, the former Imperial Chief.”

“Hm.”

Since I have been selected as the Prime Minister’s head secretary, I have to face this woman every day, whether I like it or not.

It’s righteous indignation!

Why should a bureaucrat of the venerable Mermaid Kingdom employ a witch and bow down to her?!

The woman who now sits in the Prime Minister’s chair is a scoundrel once known as the Witch of the Abyss.

She is one of the Six Mad Witches called the most atrocious magic potion users.

In fact, she’s the oldest and most cunning of the witches. Having scorned and ridiculed the laws of the Mermaid Kingdom, she is the worst of them all, yet she was never captured once. 

And now, that same wanted criminal is our prime minister.

The prime minister is the most important position in the nation—they are in charge of administrative duties on behalf of the king. 

How could a wanted criminal fill such an important position?

It’s preposterous for the wise and great King Arowana to have made such a blatant mistake.

I, too, have pride as a mermaid bureaucrat, and to honor such a criminal as my superior is far more humiliating than bowing to the now-ostracized corrupt party.

I didn’t endure years-worth of dread of my relegation by punishing injustice and being treated like an enemy to be in this kind of situation!

“You say Imperial guards, but the people who took command in the field were Hendra and Lampeye, right? They’re the only reliable ones who can do things thoroughly when put on the front line.”

“Y-Yes...!”

Her fair arguments annoy me so much!

If she’s right, I won’t be able to raise any objections, damn it!

“But the former chief Gedu was also careless. I never thought he’d attempt to stage a coup...!”

“That’s how cornered he must have been. Normally, a man wouldn’t have taken such a risky step himself but would have prepared a sacrificial pawn and let them take the blame.”

“He must’ve lost his composure if he decided to take matters into his own hands without considering that.”

“When Arowana returned from his pilgrimage, a lot of disturbing elements were exposed and apprehended. Gedu must have lost most of his available resources in the process. Do you know what this means, Isaki?”

“U-Um...”

Don’t just suddenly start talking in riddles!

What do you mean by ‘what this means?’ The question is too vague!

“You don’t know, huh? Sigh...”

“Please don’t say ‘sigh’ yourself...”

“This means that that boy’s purge is now in its final stages. Gedu was the mastermind behind all the injustices during King Nagus’ reign. He escaped all kinds of scrutiny, but now he has finally been brought under control. Simply put, the core has collapsed.”

“I-Indeed...!”

Gedu’s arrest didn’t happen in a single day.

There was also the mass arrest of rebels playing villains during King Arowana’s time as a prince. 

This had taken away all of Gedu’s pawns, and he saw no opportunity to take advantage of a peaceful reign. Over time, he lost the ability to make rational judgments due to impatience and frustration.

It was as if they let the fish swim as it pleased and waited for it to tire before catching it rather than pulling it out of the water as quickly as possible.

I shudder to think that it was not His Majesty Arowana himself who plotted this but the witch in front of me.

She governs the politics of the Mermaid Kingdom without a hitch and simultaneously can eliminate her enemies’ conspiracies to perfection.

And not just that, she continues researching magic potions as a witch to this day, which makes her even more impressive.

Just how much more capable can this woman get?

“B-But, Your Excellency, this gives us some leeway, doesn’t it? If Gedu is found guilty, we can say that the old corrupt party has been eliminated, thus completing one of your projects and giving us more time to scout for resources...!”

“I can’t have my head secretary have such bigoted opinions of all people, Isaki.”

“Pardon?”

“The real disaster begins here.”

A witch found fault in me?

What in the world did I do wrong?

“Sure, we’ve taken down Gedu and eliminated the corrupt party. But that is precisely why we have to move on to the next project as soon as possible—training new personnel.”

“Ah...!”

“Corrupt or not, human resources are still human resources. Without them, there will inevitably be a void. If this continues, the Mermaid Kingdom will be left with a pure lack of workforce.”

“T-That’s true...!”

T-Then, wouldn’t it have been more efficient to have the new personnel ready before proceeding with the political purge?

“It’s the same as the process of creating homunculi. If new cells are injected without removing the contaminated cells, the contamination will spread—it’ll be all for nothing. Cleaning the tank first before inserting the juvenile fish is the right order of doing things.”

It’s as if she had seen right through me!

“The point is, we have to work more than usual for a while. It’s also a bit of a bummer that Hendra is the only one of the Arowana’s personnel that can be used, except for the witches. It’s going to take some time before we can rest easy.”

“With all due respect, ma’am! I will work as hard as I can!”

“Mm, good. Keep that up.”

Damn it, she’s only taking in half of what I’m saying!

As frustrating as it is, I must admit this witch is supremely talented.

The insight and speculation she expressed were right on the mark, and after some brooding, she has a clear vision of the next steps that need to be taken.

The more I work under her, the more I realize that she is at least worthy of being the prime minister.

But I refuse to be convinced!

She’s a witch, after all!

“I must say, Secretary Isaki. You’re a twisted person yourself.”

“P-Pardon...?”

“You were stationed at the hinterlands after refusing bribery and destroying one of the corrupt party’s money-making schemes. After years of being kept in a low position, you were again restated here after the political upheaval. I just find it ironic that decent people like Hendra are nurtured only outside the Mermaid Palace.”

“I-I’m honored to receive such praise...?”

“However, if you had apologized at the time, be it against your will, you wouldn’t have had to suffer something as harsh as a demotion. You seem to hate us witches, but you yourself are as rebellious one, hm?”

She saw right through me...!

She could tell that I despised her likes deep down...!

“I must confess, then, that my rebelliousness is essentially different from that of you witches.”

“Huh.”

“You are against the system simply because you are outlaws, aren’t you? I am different. I don’t want to do what is against my justice.”

“There it is, the word justice! Hohoho!”

Don’t laugh.

Seriously, this is why I can’t accept witches.

“I became a government official partly because of family policy. Still, I take pride in this job because of a story I heard about a legendary official during my apprenticeship.”

“Hm?”

“There was a civil official who once served at the Mermaid Palace decades ago—a woman of pure and innocent spirit intolerant to injustice. She was highly competent and created various efficient systems, eliminating corruption from the mermaid bureaucracy and managing an excellent organization.”

In those days, she was nicknamed the Talented Woman of the Ravine in praise of her intelligence and bravery!

“I have always admired the Talented Woman of the Ravine! I have been striving day and night to become an excellent bureaucrat like her! That’s why I can’t allow myself to get involved in any wrongdoing!”

“Hmm?”

The prime minister flinched!

She may be the Witch of the Abyss, but I guess this means that for the truly virtuous, even the mere mention of the rumor will make her shy away!

“...S-So, what is this Talented Woman of the Ravine doing now?”

“I heard she retired from the government long ago. It was inevitable that she would clash with corrupt forces because of her purity and unselfishness, after all...!”

The mermaid bureaucracy at that time was even more corrupt than now in King Arowana’s reign, so it must’ve been even more intolerable for the Talented Woman of the Ravine, who valued integrity.

If she had continued to serve at the Mermaid Palace, it would be no surprise if she were Prime Minister now instead of this witch.

And if possible, as a government official, I could’ve also met the Talented Woman of the Ravine in person...!