The next morning.
At the Female Chancellor's official residence in the capital of Eastern Japan.
The spacious dressing room was lit so brightly it hurt the eyes.
The Old Witch was past sixty, but she still went to great lengths to maintain her looks. She sat before the mirror.
Several top makeup artists carefully spread thick foundation over her wrinkled, age-spotted face, trying to hide the marks time had left behind.
In the mirror,
her face gradually grew more "refined," but no makeup could conceal the cruelty and spite in her eyes.
She studied her reflection, her mouth curling into a sickening smile.
Today was one of the most important days of her time in office.
She was going to pay her respects to those "evil spirits." It was more than a pledge of loyalty to certain powers; it was a brazen provocation aimed at the great nation across the sea.
"Sato."
She did not turn around. Her voice came out hoarse.
"Yes!"
A sharp-featured middle-aged man in a black suit immediately stepped out of the corner and bowed to her at a right angle.
His name was Koji Sato. He was in charge of security for the visit and was her most trusted aide.
"Any new moves from those rats out there?"
The Old Witch let a makeup artist draw on her eyeliner as she asked the question casually.
By "rats," she meant, of course, the people from the Dragon Kingdom who had been declaring online that they would stop her visit.
"Rest assured, Chancellor."
Koji Sato straightened, his face full of confidence.
"There was a minor disruption to the capital's traffic system yesterday afternoon. It caused several hours of congestion."
"But our cybersecurity department traced it to a civilian hacker group in Eagle Country. It was just a