Incidentally, regarding the matter of the Moon Art, it seems Bishop Izario of the Holy Light Church has widely publicized it as a miracle caused by an Apostle of the Goddess, signifying that the Goddess watches over us from the heavens.
Additionally, the Manager was introduced as a cat-eared girl who served as the mouthpiece for conveying Raterum’s will to the world.
“Hmm? Jariterum actually has a legitimate representative. Why don’t they mention that?” I thought. But then, that guy is genuinely just a useless brat.
He can’t perform any miracles, and he essentially just drools over Monjirou’s BL novels and eats and sleeps. Bishop Izario’s decision not to reveal such a thing is understandable.
Well, it’s true that the matter of the Moon Art deeply damaged the Great Emperor’s spirit, and it undoubtedly served as the signal for salvation. That attack… changed the world! Even Satoru, who was like a berserker, had his spirit completely broken and purified by it. No matter how immortal or lucky the Great Emperor was, if he was blown to smithereens with a single flick of a finger, it would surely be the end. He was defeated with just the touch of a finger! You’re sharked!
…It seems the Great Emperor, like Satoru, realized the existence of someone capable of effortlessly destroying him, rendering him completely useless.
According to what I’ve heard, he apparently witnessed the moment the moe illustration was drawn on the moon in real-time. His aides found him collapsed, frothing at the mouth, in front of the window, causing a minor commotion.
But then… what else could be done but prostrate oneself? The Great Emperor, having somehow mentally collapsed without anything happening to him and losing everything by doing nothing, is a rather pitiable situation.
Meanwhile, Flannel, the Empire’s Prime Minister and one of its highest authorities, has also locked himself away in his mansion in the Imperial Capital, along with the Great Emperor, maintaining an ominous silence. Aage mentioned that Flannel is a genuine monster who has lived for over a thousand years, not just a hundred… Despite reigning as the Empire’s Prime Minister and being a powerful great magician, he, like the Great Emperor, is in seclusion and doing nothing… I don’t quite understand what he wants, but perhaps he’s finally gone senile.
The Empire is not in a situation where it can afford to indulge such recluses. In fact, the Empire’s state operations are apparently being managed by a joint decision-making body composed of economic bureaucrats like Okura, the cautious military brass, and the old aristocratic clans and regional lords who have seized this opportunity to assert themselves. Well, if the economic bureaucrats, who control the Empire’s purse strings, and the military, which underpins the Empire’s power, return to their original mission of supporting the nation, then it’s only a matter of time before the Empire, which was already well-organized at a high level, is rebuilt. And with the biggest obstacle, the Great Emperor, subdued, it will become a proper country.
And then, there’s a secret pact. If the Great Emperor were to re-emerge as the Empire’s leader, the Imperial Army and the bureaucracy would pool their entire strength to stop him, and the Apostle of the Goddess, transcending her status, would unite that strength to defeat the Great Emperor… That’s the arrangement. Monjirou and the Manager understand this, as does Satoru. Even I, who am not strictly an Apostle, am involved as the one who initiated this.
My own fighting strength is limited, of course, but the Great Emperor’s resurgence must be prevented at all costs. That bastard Great Emperor is undoubtedly like a cancerous cell to this world. If he were to disappear quietly, that would be one thing… but to reclaim his position in the Empire again is absolutely out of the question! Since this chaotic world is about to move in a positive direction, such actions must never be allowed to disrupt its flow.
Actually, this matter has Lord Raterum’s endorsement. That Jariterum… said a lot of pompous things, but in the end, he’s still incompetent. Furthermore, he does nothing and lives a degenerate life, cooped up in the Holy Light Church in Convenience Store Village. When Monjirou brought this up, he surprisingly readily agreed. That decision was delivered to the ears of Apostles worldwide in the form of a divine revelation from the Goddess… And when that day comes, the Goddess herself will issue the order to defeat the Great Emperor to the Apostles scattered across the globe. This is becoming an incredibly significant matter.
In effect… Lord Raterum has become useless after turning into Jariterum, but at least he could deliver a divine revelation to the Apostles, so he’s been put to good use. Monjirou, as expected… even a useless goddess is fully utilized and flattered by him. After her gluttonous lifestyle and constant eating and sleeping, Lady Seleneis became furious and sent her on a pilgrimage to the Holy Light Church. Monjirou accompanied her as if he were her attendant, keeping that wild and incompetent goddess under control. I thought it might be tough for the somewhat clumsy young man, Monjirou, to undertake a pilgrimage with Lord Jariterum on foot, but every few days, I receive a message like, “Can we ask Lord Kuroie to pick us up?!” and I go to pick them up.
Well, since Lord Jariterum always comes back with them, it’s debatable whether it’s truly a training journey. Returning to Convenience Store Village after a grueling pilgrimage of just walking feels like heaven compared to hell. They no longer devour food as a matter of course but offer thankful prayers before eating, often with tears in their eyes, so it seems to be a form of training. Frankly, I think it would be fine to give them a ride to their destination and back, but he insisted, “At the very least, let’s have him walk there himself, or Lord Jariterum will become Lord Dumberterum! So, we must be strict!”… That’s true of the right hand of God… to even reform a useless goddess… he’s truly a saint. But even from my perspective, Monjirou’s mental growth is remarkable.
He used to be just an eccentric pervert… but now he directly confronts goddesses, schemes in various ways, and is becoming incredibly reliable. In terms of ability, he even managed to land a reversal blow in his fight against Leviathan, who couldn’t use his cheat abilities, thus aiding my victory… With the right hand of God, it should be easy to save one or two otherworldly worlds, and it’s certain he can make useless goddesses useful. I really think… Monjirou is a god… Nevertheless, the divine revelations from Lord Jariterum never reached my ears. I’ve been reminded once again that I’m treated as an afterthought, not an Apostle, but I think this is a minor issue. Damn it! In the end, that Jariterum guy! That’s how it is until the very end!
Now then… The ceasefire negotiation conference proceeded as planned, calmly, and the talks progressed to the highlight of the peace conference: the ceasefire declaration by the mediator, Lady Kuroie.
“Now, in my name, Romeo Clan Veran Croix, I hereby acknowledge that both nations have pledged to end their long-standing conflict and build a peaceful relationship henceforth! Both nation representatives, please come forward… and after signing your respective ceasefire declarations, exchange a firm handshake as a symbol of peace between the representatives. Upon witnessing this, I shall declare this ceasefire officially established in my name!”
She’s smoothly reciting the lines exactly as we rehearsed. Well, we did rehearse together quite a bit. She stood boldly, completely unfazed by the gazes of the many onlookers present as witnesses. Lady Kuroie has truly become magnificent. She even exudes an aura of royalty… As planned, Baron Theodore of Rumelia and Ms. Miria signed the ceasefire declarations. They exchanged the documents in front of everyone present, then shook hands firmly after signing. Afterward, they even embraced and clapped each other on the shoulder. The other attendees also erupted in applause, signifying their agreement. Although staged, the reconciliation and embrace of those who had long been in conflict was a truly moving moment.
“Very well, I have witnessed it indeed! The ceasefire between both nations is now established. In line with this, my Romeo Kingdom will also pledge to lend its strength, however limited, to the reconstruction of both nations. And I would like to express my deepest gratitude, on behalf of both nations, to Count Okura, the Empire’s representative, who took the lead in coordinating Rome’s withdrawal from Rumelia and became the unsung hero of this ceasefire!”
Okura stood and bowed silently. Lady Kuroie walked over to Okura and bowed deeply to him. As Baron Theodore and Ms. Miria knelt, I, Aage, and Param also stood up and knelt. Okura knelt before Lady Kuroie and lightly kissed her hand… Seeing this, the lay spectators and attendees alike let out gasps of amazement. Not only the representatives of Rumelia and Ormechia, but especially the Empire’s representative, offered a gesture of subservience… This was an exceptionally generous response, considering how the Empire had previously treated Romeo as a minor nation. It eloquently told who was responsible for brokering the peace after the muddy battles that took place here. After all, the secret negotiations that took place beneath the surface of these ceasefire talks were also peace negotiations between the Empire and Romeo, so Okura’s response was, in fact, natural. The Empire absolutely couldn’t afford to make an enemy of Romeo, and they had incurred a significant debt. Okura himself was originally just an official in a provincial town in the Empire, but he had obtained full authority from major figures like high-ranking aristocrats and senior officials. Furthermore, upon learning that his negotiating partner was Romeo’s Margrave, he was granted the title of Count to maintain balance. In that sense, he also managed to get his slice of the pie.
Apparently, he married in the Empire and is now the father of his wife’s two stepdaughters. Thanks to his induction into the ranks of high-ranking aristocrats, his standing as a father has skyrocketed, and he’s been elevated from being treated like discarded junk on weekends to “Dad is the best!” His daughters have also been elevated to the status of noble ladies. Currently, both are attending a primary school for commoners, but their options now include aristocratic academies, and there’s even talk of them being accepted for study abroad at Romeo’s Royal Academy. Their home situation has also improved, moving from a cramped apartment in a state-run housing complex in the frontier to a mansion in the Imperial Capital’s noble district, complete with maids. His family couldn’t be happier. Thanks to the noble pension, which is more than ten times higher than his annual salary as a civil servant, their household finances are overflowing. They even mentioned that their youngest child is due soon, making their lives seem truly prosperous.
Well, that’s what he told me during the informal chat on the side of the negotiations. In essence, I had known him since I was younger, and by association, he had risen in status dramatically. For that reason, Okura was an extremely cooperative negotiating partner. He honestly told me his bottom line, and while understanding my position, he subtly advised me to lower my demands to a more realistic level. As a result, he guided the negotiations to a point where both sides could be satisfied. He even leaked information so generously that I wondered if he should be revealing so much. This allowed me to grasp the realistic line for my demands and understand the Empire’s situation as thoroughly as possible. Mutual understanding between nations is quite difficult. Even at diplomatic gatherings, speaking honestly is fraught with immense challenges. However, since we were friends from our student days, we were able to speak frankly and openly with each other. I can’t quite explain how it all came about, but if this was the Goddess’s doing, even I would be grateful to her. Well, that’s probably just a coincidence, as Lord Jariterum himself didn’t say a word about it. Honestly, it took such a long time to get here, but in the end, it was a highly meaningful conclusion that left no lingering regrets… I must also thank Okura.
As the meeting eventually concluded and the dissolution was announced, attendees began to leave one after another. Okura approached me and extended his hand for a handshake once more. I stood up and shook his hand firmly. The negotiations were, in effect, carried out by him and me, but it ended surprisingly anticlimactically. There are still some minor adjustments and matters to discuss, but the main points have already been agreed upon. Our subordinates will handle the rest, so things will progress smoothly even if we leave them be.
“Senpai Takakura, thank you for your hard work today. Phew, we managed to finish without any major issues… Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
“Indeed… Thank you for your efforts as well. Well then… as I mentioned earlier, shall we go for a drink together after this? By the way, did you come alone this time?”
I found myself reverting to a casual way of speaking, reminiscent of our student days. This was also a message to forget our respective positions and interact as friends. After all, despite our past acquaintance, we were both aware that we were representing our nations during our discussions, so a certain line had to be drawn. But now, the discussions are over. Therefore, as old friends… it’s only natural.
This was a bit long, but I’ve presented it as a digest of the events from Jariterum’s descent to the peace conference, along with the background leading up to it. As this is the final chapter, I’ve tried to wrap things up.
