Chapter 678

The message to the Allied Forces headquarters is not very long. Withdraw all Allied forces and focus on reconstruction. Effective governance is not possible or meaningful right now. What needs to be done will only increase as it is resolved. After issuing the withdrawal order to the Allied Forces, everything was left to Rowan, Louise, and Harriet. The empty palace needs to be filled as soon as possible. Only Charlotte, Olivia, and I arrived at the palace, and the guards opened the way for us. The palace was almost empty except for the important people. Charlotte will take care of the palace affairs since she knows the situation well. The central imperial palace, Tetra, was solemn, quiet, and huge. We only thought about getting here safely, and we were unsure about what to do next. The palace was once unapproachable, but now it is ours, and it didn't feel good. The palace was so huge that it made us feel small and insignificant. The world is much bigger than this palace, and one mistake cannot be undone. Sometimes things will tear apart, sometimes they will come together, and sometimes there will be conflicts.

Just like I am responsible for one of the central pillars, Olivia is also responsible for a huge pillar.

She bears the weighty mission of unifying all believers in the Great God and religious reform.

So, I and Olivia both felt a certain pressure.

"But... we made it here somehow."

Olivia pulls me close and says, "We can't lie and say that only good things will happen."

"....Yes."

"But let's believe that we can do well. We've managed to get this far, so we can manage going forward too."

She, who had rejected religion, had to do what she least wanted to do.

It was all because I had wished it of her.

I had always been the one receiving.

Even now, I am only giving.

"Thank you. Always."

There was no reason not to be grateful to her, so I hugged Olivia tightly.

Just like I was trembling a little.

Olivia, who was hugging me, was definitely trembling too.

But we have to believe that things will turn out well.

Just like how a sense of defeat will inevitably lead to defeat.

Desperate visions will only bring despair.

We have to believe that things will turn out well.

* * *

How much time had passed?

In response to the summons of the bell, Olivia and I headed to the Emperor's office. Charlotte had neatly arranged the documents piled up on the desk and placed them on the right side.

"It's a situation where all we have to do is sit down."

"...Is it really that simple?"

"Yes."

Charlotte knew most of the matters at hand, but Verthus had made sure to hand over everything before leaving.

"Most of the key bureaucrats seem to know what will happen from now on. Just call them and have them do their jobs. Of course, there may be some who are scared and run away. But in that case, we already have someone designated as their successor."

The state affairs are not in a vacuum.

Verthus had already made arrangements to ensure that the situation would be maintained even if I were only physically present.

"But that doesn't mean the situation is good. The absolute famine problem is still severe, and there is resentment towards the Empire, not to mention the opposition and riots that will occur when you ascend to the throne. Those are not problems that Verthus can solve. We have to handle them ourselves."

As the war continued, people were becoming more and more devastated.

We can take over the Empire.

But the Empire on the verge of collapse is burdened with countless problems.

We are not drinking from a poisoned chalice, we are drinking the poison itself.

Taking over the Empire is not easy, and managing it is even harder.

We have inherited a sandcastle on the verge of collapse.

The bureaucrats are still there, so we can operate the Empire through them, but the problem of stabilizing the Empire remains.

If we stabilize the Empire, is that the end of it?

We still have to deal with the issues of the Imperial Directives and the Imperial Provinces.

We have to gain their complete obedience and start helping them to become self-sufficient. "The quick withdrawal of the allied forces brings about the preservation of resources. The existence of Heryat is a great help not only to us but to all people in the world. Heryat has become the greatest magician in history, turning all races including humanity. Charlotte stares out the window in a daze, probably thinking about Berthus. It's fortunate that he escaped because people would have hated the emperor if he had been executed. Charlotte and I cannot be sure if Berthus really thought that way and fled. Christina, Louis, and Anna's whereabouts are unknown, and we need to confirm what happened to them. The work to be done is increasing, and I do not know everything. After the Diane battle, Charlotte managed the affairs of the empire, and the allied forces began to return under the leadership of Heryat. The confusion that will arise from those who reject me and those who have seen me directly in the allied forces will cause numerous conflicts throughout the continent. We cannot handle everything at once, and I hope that the leaders of humanity will perform what I have said properly. For now, I just hope that everyone can eat and live well. The actual governance of them will come next. It was overwhelming just to handle the affairs of the empire. After the withdrawal of the allied forces, the complete end of the gate incident was announced in the empire." "All forces have returned to the imperial capital. And the story of the demon king taking over the empire will also spread. It's a great relief that the chaos has been quelled. But a strange story will suddenly make that relief eerie. The betrayal of the empire and the demon king's rule. It's a story that will eventually be revealed. The black propaganda war begins. The leaders of humanity need to handle the situation properly. The priority is to ensure that everyone can eat and live well. The actual governance will come later. The gate incident has been announced as the end in the empire after the withdrawal of the allied forces. In the conference room of the Central Palace Tetra, Heryat, Charlotte, Olivia, Ailey summoned from the Edina Islands, Liana, Sarkergar, and the four Lord Vampires except Antirianus, along with the Holy Knight Commander Rowen and Louise von Schwarze, were all gathered. The actual role of those who must take on the role of my regime will begin from now on. It would be nice if the Duke of Saengtuan were here, but he returned to his country with his army. He left a message saying he would entrust everything to his daughter. "Honestly, I don't even believe it myself." Everyone in the room nodded slowly at my words. Black propaganda war. It was really too much. It's not more or less than slandering the previous regime to justify the new regime's rule. "But we can't help it, can we?" I nodded my head at Olivia's words. Anyway, whether people believe it or not, it's a good thing for me if more people believe it. "The testimony of those who saw you fighting in the Allied Forces will be evidence." It doesn't even sound like a real black propaganda war. If actual combatants testify to it, we'll gain some credibility, and I agree with Charlotte's words that it's enough. Charlotte begins to explain. "The events throughout the continent are not at a stage where we can intervene. Our first goal is to support and stabilize the entire imperial capital. Many of the forces that have returned to their homeland may eventually have different thoughts. Most of them may refuse to accept our rule as we begin to function as an empire. It could be the result of the position of the rulers or the result of representing the non-ruling class. But there is no force that can invade the imperial capital by force on the entire continent. So their resistance may refuse our rule, but they cannot be a practical threat to us. It will be difficult to secure political legitimacy. But once we make them dependent, obedience will follow. It doesn't necessarily take force to make them dependent. It could come from the power, resources, or technology we have. In the long run, we should make the entire continent dependent on the empire through economic means rather than political or military means. Once their stomachs are full, the moment they refuse to acknowledge our rule, everything will fall apart. Everyone may hate us, but if we make them realize that everything they can enjoy will disappear without us, we can rule them. Fortunately, we have the design drawings for the new warp gate." Charlotte looked at Herriot as she spoke, and Herriot nodded her head. The new warp gate. That's the second button we need to dominate the entire continent. "Our primary goal is to stabilize the imperial capital." "And restore and redesign the warp gates throughout the continent to economically integrate the continent. If we have control over the warp gate, no one can resist us." As a miserable surrender to the demon king, we can live a comfortable life. So we should make them economically dependent rather than militarily. Ultimately, economic prosperity will accelerate the reconstruction of civilization. The moment we have the warp gate, the leash of the entire continent will be in our hands. We briefly discussed the path we need to take in the future. "There may be a need to use force in reality. We also need to worry about food shortages and Edina's problems. So stay in the palace for the time being. We don't know when and where we will need it." The imperial capital is a boiling cauldron right now. As an emergency situation can occur at any time, we need to stay in the palace for now.