"Religion... This episode had yielded quite a lot. If nothing unexpected happened, the dukes of Victoria would be even less able to help this time."
Meanwhile, over at Deep Pool, their leader Ablana had also been constantly recording the key points from this episode of Yes, Prime Minister. Aside from her favorite line, "History is the story of the ruthless triumphing over the mindless," there were many other lines as well. This time, she had once again gained a great deal.
By now, Ablana practically regarded Yes, Prime Minister as her "scripture." More and more, she saw how unskilled she still was at understanding people's hearts and manipulating politics. Although she and her sister had both studied under Count Warwick, the spiritual leader of the Tarans, the Count clearly had not taught them much about politics.
It could be said that most of Ablana's understanding and knowledge of political maneuvering now came from Yes, Prime Minister. She took notes for every episode, recorded them on videotapes, and watched them over and over. Gradually, she came to understand the core concept of politics—checks and balances.
Balance the situation so that while she possessed the power to decide, those beneath her who also held power could propose improvements more beneficial to the overall interest, while she still retained the final say.
And there was balance and mutual restraint between every department, preventing any one department from becoming too dominant... Ablana had learned many principles of politics from Yes, Prime Minister.
Moreover, this time, she had noticed another very important point in the latest episode. Smiling, she murmured:
"Those Sankta of Laterano value their reputation greatly. Their faith is devout—at least, that is what every one of them says."
"Now that they know of the corruption among those stationed in Victoria's diocese, Laterano, wanting to distance itself from the matter, will absolutely not interfere in Victoria's future situation."
"Taran territory, everything belonging to the Tarans—we are getting closer and closer to this ideal!"
A rare fervor flashed across Ablana's face, leaving the Deep Pool officers beside her, as well as her sister Lavshini, staring blankly. They had always considered their leader a calm, capable, mysterious, and unfathomable person.
But now, Ablana seemed more dangerous in their eyes, and her ambition had become plainly visible. She no longer seemed satisfied with her original wish. After watching Yes, Prime Minister, not only did she feel herself gradually mastering political methods, but her ambition had grown alongside them.
At first, Ablana had merely wanted to restore Taran rule. Just like when she had listened at the Count's home as he spoke of Taran's past, she wanted to inherit the title of "King of Gaul" granted by Victoria and become the ruler of Tara.
But now, after being baptized by Yes, Prime Minister, she had heard politicians casually promise Tara's destruction, and heard how they had crushed Tara.
And... that line which had stimulated her beyond measure—"History is the story of the ruthless triumphing over the mindless"—had pushed her ambition even further.
Yes. Back then, those Aslan had been ruthless toward Tara, which was why they had become the victors and sat high upon the throne.
And now, the Aslan had lost the throne. The throne hanging high above no longer belonged to the Aslan.
Then who... who was the next and only rightful heir? Who else but her could be the sole legitimate successor, the one who could command public opinion and support and rule this country?
Methods, ability, support—she lacked none of them now. As long as Duke of Wellington and his high-speed battleships joined forces with Deep Pool, they would sweep across the land and reclaim all of Victoria's territory!
By then, she would not merely be a queen who had led the Tarans to restore Taran territory from the age of the King of Gaul. She had the opportunity, the status, and the ability to become Victoria's Empress!
Empress! That title held an unprecedented attraction for Ablana now... And Ablana knew perfectly well that the prerequisite for all of this was making the world recognize her legitimacy. She had to let everyone know that she, a descendant of Tara, had returned to Victoria with her supporters to save its people!
"He is a sword—a sword that can place me in that position, silence every doubter, and solidify my throne."
"Get him, no matter the cost..."
Ablana repeated those words under her breath. At that moment, she wished she could charge straight into Londinium, cut a path through the encirclement, and bring Chen Qi out herself. But she also knew that Deep Pool did not yet possess such strength.
Besides, there were too many factions now—those who wanted to kill him, protect him, or seize him. Ablana had not encountered them nearby yet, but she knew very well that Deep Pool was far from the only group waiting for an opportunity to find Chen Qi.
So what advantage did she have that could make Chen Qi willingly leave with her?
After thinking for a moment, Ablana unconsciously looked toward her disguised younger sister Lavshini. When Lavshini tilted her head in confusion, Ablana subconsciously looked herself over as well, then revealed a somewhat peculiar smile.
"Sister, for the first time in my life, I feel that having you by my side is truly wonderful."
"—Sister?"
Lavshini blinked in surprise, unable to understand what her sister meant. Her sister had always valued her highly and placed great expectations on her, but such an abrupt compliment felt rather strange...
"Look, look! Yes, Prime Minister is airing again!"
At that moment, Deep Pool officer Mandragora spoke up at just the right time, drawing everyone's attention back to the television.
Rhodes Island, the Imperial Guard, the Self-Rescue Army... everyone within Londinium had likewise begun watching the final episode of Yes, Prime Minister.
Everyone's thoughts were different now. On Rhodes Island's side, led by Vina, everyone hoped that since this was the final episode, Chen Qi would not pull off another huge stunt, mock even more factions, and make Victoria's already turbulent situation even more unstable...
Ablana, on the other hand, wished Chen Qi would smear Victoria even more, making the current citizens even more disappointed in the former Aslan dynasty. That would make it easier for her to become Victoria's new Empress openly and legitimately.
Although this ambition had not yet fully matured... there was always a chance, wasn't there?
With that thought in mind, Ablana barely calmed herself and fixed her gaze on the television, hoping Chen Qi could give the final episode of Yes, Prime Minister a perfect ending.
Soon, accompanied by the familiar opening music, the contents of the final episode finally appeared before everyone.
The episode opened with TheresIs returning home smugly and announcing to his wife that he had performed brilliantly this time—he had utterly refuted every legislator in the House of Commons who had tried to obstruct his plan to cut military spending.
Theresis was extremely pleased with himself. He believed the day's news would certainly report on his performance in the House of Commons. Yet he was disappointed to discover that the television station's protagonist this time was not him, but a Perro named "Benji."
In the news, a girl who had lost both parents as a child had depended on this Perro since they were young. Now, the Perro had wandered by mistake into an artillery range filled with unexploded shells. The military claimed it could do nothing, and could only hope that the Perro would find its own way out—or starve to death or be blown up in the artillery range.
"I think the military should rescue that Perro." The wife played by the shapeshifter suggested to TheresIs, "You do not understand the hearts of ordinary people."
However, TheresIs claimed he could do nothing about it as well. The benefits of such a matter were simply too small, while it would waste a great deal of money. The Ministry of Finance would never agree, so he brushed it aside.
"Though it is a little heartless... I suppose it is understandable."
At Rhodes Island, Amiya and Kal'tsit watched the final episode of Yes, Prime Minister together. Amiya, who had not joined this elite squad mission because her abilities had not yet fully developed, could not help speaking at the scene on television:
"Disposing of explosives is a job that takes a lot of time, effort, and money, right? Doing something like that for a little Perro really does seem somewhat not worth it... But can't they make an exception?"
"They cannot. The cost-effectiveness is far too low. Neither the military nor the Ministry of Finance would agree. Even if the Prime Minister agreed, it would make no difference." Kal'tsit took a sip from her coffee cup and answered blandly.
"—But I think that Perro will be saved by the end of the story."
This time, however, Amiya had a different opinion. Turning to Kal'tsit, she said, "This is a comedy, after all, right? So there definitely will not be any deaths or injuries. I think that Perro will be saved!"
"...Amiya, this is a political satire. Using such a low-cost incident that does not need to be shown on screen to mock Victoria's government for its inaction—isn't that how this show has always operated?"
Kal'tsit shook her head at Amiya's innocence. In her view, although the earlier plot of Yes, Prime Minister had been absurd, its logic had always been clear. Many decisions had been made to maintain balance, to make a choice that was "not bad."
But Kal'tsit could not imagine how the plot could develop if they went to such lengths for a Perro, so she was extremely confident in her judgment.
"Then how about we make a bet, Doctor Kal'tsit? I bet that in the final episode, that Perro will definitely be saved!"
However, Amiya stubbornly held to her view on this matter. Or rather, she trusted her judgment of Chen Qi. Although he had written a comedy satirizing Victoria, she did not think Chen Qi would deliberately depict something so cruel. That was how she understood Yes, Prime Minister!
"If I win, Doctor Kal'tsit, will you grant Amiya one request?"
After watching Yes, Prime Minister, and seeing everyone at Rhodes Island go to rescue Chen Qi and the others, Amiya had been deeply inspired.
She wanted to lead Rhodes Island, which had now fallen into stagnation and was even worsening somewhat, in a better direction. Even though the Doctor had not yet returned, she hoped that before the Doctor came back, she could give the Doctor a Rhodes Island better than the one in her memories.
Amiya also needed Chen Qi's help with this plan. Furthermore, she could use Rhodes Island's expertise in pharmaceuticals to make Chen Qi an offer he could not refuse!
"...No problem."
After thinking it over, Kal'tsit looked at Amiya's confident expression and chose to agree. After all, she did not know what Amiya was thinking. In Kal'tsit's eyes, although Amiya was the leader of Rhodes Island, and one whom she had personally acknowledged, Amiya was still ultimately a child who needed her guidance.
What excessive request could a child possibly make? If it were that person, Kal'tsit definitely would not agree. But Amiya? Kal'tsit had great confidence in Amiya.
With that in mind, Kal'tsit and Amiya continued watching the television. Soon, as the plot developed, a representative from a department that had never appeared before entered the scene—and the moment he appeared, everyone could feel how serious he was.
The director of the Victoria Intelligence Department had an entirely different presence from the moment he arrived. Even facing Prime Minister TheresIs, his aura did not diminish. When TheresIs asked Manfred to remain and keep a record of their conversation, he said sternly:
"Not this time, Prime Minister."
"Ah... Bernard does not necessarily need to be here, does he?" TheresIs acted as though he had truly been intimidated, recognizing the gravity of the matter. He promptly sent Manfred away for the time being.
Theresis was very surprised by the intelligence director's visit and immediately asked, "I did not receive any paperwork for this meeting."
"There was none. It is too serious." The intelligence director slowly sat down and immediately said to TheresIs:
"Do you remember John Horst?"
"Of course. Your predecessor, the head of the Intelligence Department thirty years ago. He died last month." TheresIs answered knowingly, though he instinctively sensed something was wrong.
Sure enough, the intelligence director explained the reason for his visit to TheresIs. "He left all his private documents to us. We have only just begun examining them."
"Apparently, during the years after he succeeded to the post, he passed government information and intelligence to Ursus for several years."
"—The head of the Intelligence Department? An Ursus spy?!"
When such explosive news came from TheresIs's mouth, everyone before the screen was immediately stunned—especially those with some authority, who understood what this meant and knew how serious the matter was.
Had Victoria's internal corruption really been that severe back then?! If even the director of the Intelligence Department had been an Ursus spy, would Victoria not have been completely transparent to Ursus?
Was Humphrey Also a Spy? Did Victoria Have Anyone Who Wasn't a Spy?
Even though Vina and the others had expected Chen Qi to pull off something huge in the final episode of Yes, Prime Minister, this was not merely a matter of imagination. What ordinary screenwriter would dare write something at this level?!
Especially since Chen Qi's previous satires in Yes, Prime Minister had generally been based on something real. Even when he had not named anyone directly, they had basically been things Victoria had done or things that had happened before.
But this time, Chen Qi had actually revealed that "the director of the Victoria Intelligence Department was an Ursus spy." It was hard for Vina not to wonder... whether Victoria's intelligence agencies had really experienced, or were still experiencing, such things.
After all, Chen Qi's previous satires had never been fabricated out of thin air. Vina also knew that powerful nations sending spies into one another's territories was standard practice, but having the director of the Intelligence Department be a spy was not something anyone would dare make up casually!
"The will said it was a deathbed attack of conscience." On the screen, the intelligence director explained, "But I think he simply wanted to show off that we had never caught him."
"How much did he leak?" TheresIs's first concern was what intelligence the former director had provided to Ursus. Yet upon hearing this, the intelligence director seemed completely unconcerned and said indifferently:
"That does not really matter. Gaul, Leithania, Iberia, Kazimierz—so many powerful nations have spies inside us anyway. One more makes no difference."
"The key point is that he was one of ours."
Having inadvertently revealed an astonishing piece of information, the intelligence director lightly brushed past the intelligence leak and turned his attention to a more serious issue:
"He graduated from the Victoria Royal Guard Academy, entered the Intelligence Department directly, and spent his entire life as a civil servant. Once this gets out, everyone he recruited during his tenure will never be cleared."
"Not only that, we previously launched an internal security investigation into Sir John. The media made a huge fuss about it twenty years ago. Do you remember?"
"I think so." TheresIs thought carefully, while the intelligence director clearly held great dissatisfaction toward the media and immediately rebuked them:
"Completely irresponsible, baseless speculation!"
"But he really was one, wasn't he?" TheresIs was somewhat confused. The media had clearly been right, so why was the intelligence director condemning them?
But to his surprise, the intelligence director became furious the moment the matter was raised and immediately retorted, "Yes, but they did not know that!"
"They knew absolutely nothing about the situation and took no responsibility. They merely stumbled onto the truth by accident."
Clearly, what the intelligence director meant was that such a matter absolutely could not be publicized by the media. Otherwise, the Intelligence Department—which had undergone an "internal security investigation" and determined that the former intelligence director had not been suspicious at the time—or even Victoria's entire Civil Service System, might face attacks from the media.
That would severely damage their authority. Therefore, even if it was true, it absolutely could not be allowed to spread.
"...If something like this really happened, then once the news got out, Victoria's government might collapse two years early."
Even Kal'tsit had not expected Chen Qi to put such a massive revelation on the table in the final episode. Even Kal'tsit had never heard of something like this. Though she was widely experienced and knew what Victoria was like, she still did not know certain details of its internal affairs.
"Doctor Kal'tsit, would something like the director of the Intelligence Department being an Ursus spy... be too exaggerated?"
Amiya, however, was more concerned with the plausibility of the plot. Faced with such shocking news, even she had momentarily forgotten their earlier bet and instead became more concerned about whether Ursus spies could truly infiltrate that deeply.
If that were the case, could Rhodes Island have the same problem internally? Amiya did not want to think in that direction, but spies were something every faction had to worry about, including Rhodes Island.
As the leader of Rhodes Island, Amiya had to eliminate the possibility of such things happening within Rhodes Island. After pondering for a moment, Kal'tsit replied calmly:
"...At that time, many powers stood side by side, and every country did indeed send spies to one another. Under the international circumstances of that era, most nations were hostile toward one another while also trading with one another."
"If the director of Victoria's Intelligence Department had dealings with Ursus, then in that era, it would not have been difficult to understand."
"Why?" Amiya could not help asking. She still did not understand why someone from powerful Victoria would trade with Ursus, whose vast lands were comparatively wilderness.
"—Because of room for advancement, Amiya. Ursus was rapidly developing and expanding at the time. The opportunities, treatment, and prospects it could offer certain people were things that class-solidified Victoria could not provide."
Kal'tsit hit upon the reason Victoria's officials would trade with Ursus, or even become Ursus spies. She continued:
"Many of Ursus's old nobles are not entirely Ursus themselves. Many were people who had followed the former Ursus Emperor on his eastern and western campaigns, earning their current positions through their own achievements."
"I think... I understand a little." Amiya nodded as though she understood but did not fully. Having watched all of Yes, Prime Minister, she remembered how diplomacy sometimes had to make deals with people considered bad, while at other times abandoning good people who refused to cooperate.
Returning to the plot, the intelligence director revealed to TheresIs that the reason the investigation had failed to uncover anything back then might have been that someone internally had covered for the former intelligence director and deliberately failed to investigate properly.
And clearly, whoever had helped clear the former intelligence director was also highly suspected of being a spy and would be listed as a key person of interest.
"Who led the investigation?"
"Sir MacVey, but he was seriously ill at the time. Uh... he had dementia." The intelligence director explained to TheresIs, "So the investigation was handled by his secretary at the time."
"Who was the secretary?"
"—Humphrey Appleby."
When the intelligence director spoke the name of one of the three main characters of Yes, Prime Minister, everyone was stunned. No one had expected Humphrey to be a spy.
"Could it be... Humphrey is going to leave the show? Is Yes, Prime Minister ending with one of its leads exiting?"
"Ah! No! I do not want to see Humphrey get arrested!"
"I really like Humphrey! If he leaves like this, won't we never hear him use long, convoluted sentences to run circles around Hacker again?!"
For a moment, many Londinium residents felt that with the ending approaching, this might be how the show would conclude. They all expressed their reluctance to part with Humphrey's character.
Even if the Bloodborne Archon had lived for so long, he likely could never have imagined that, as one of the most infamous blood demons even among the Sarkaz, he would gain public affection because of a likable role.
Of course, the Bloodborne Archon did not care about that in the slightest. But everyone was now curious—would one of the leading characters, the Bloodborne Archon, leave the show in this way?
Before you continue