This is about Preparations

27 September 423

Prime Minister John Bukharin.

It definitely had the same awkward ring as Mayor Bukharin and other titles I was bestowed with. It wasn't the worst, but I definitely didn't like being addressed as 'Sir' in such a formal and important manner. Maybe it was something that came after being put on such a higher pedestal for this long. Sure, I never had that much of an interest in a position this high, but at the same time I felt a distinct sense of upset within me now that I was the second political role in the Lugnican Kingdom. My word mattered mostly absolutely until a King or a 'Queen' was selected from the Elections, and that made me incredibly… nervous.

One mistake, one wrong word and things were going down the drain. I needed to be extra cautious and vigilant about what action I took to avoid any issue that could easily bite my butt. If before I could count on the fact I didn't wield this much power, now that excuse had been sparta-kicked out of the window. The first problem I had to handle came as soon as I was appointed.

While Miklotov enjoyed a degree of protection from any attempt from the nobles of influencing his politics due to his reputation and his renowned wisdom, I was the 'new guy' that definitely could do a lot thanks to 'positive pushes' from the 'right guy'. There was no ceremony behind the sudden change of power considering it wasn't anything tied to royalty or that should warrant anything beyond simple acknowledgment and congratulations. Yet that didn't prevent a massive wave of gifts to reach me once I was done with the formal act needed to confirm my current role.

Numerous packages filled with expensive beverages, some old tomes, and even a couple of armors. I didn't touch any of those until I had everything scanned for any scammy and scummy behavior behind these good tokens. Then I would answer those 'delightful' new things I now owned with mere letters that formally confirmed my liking for the kind gifts. I knew way too well that giving out an excessive compliment compared to others was going to give silly ideas to some noble families to try and do more through that supposed foothold.

And the last thing I needed was handling ambitious families trying to get a hold over my powerful role. Like seriously, I was quite certain things just weren't going to stop at gifts. And I was going to hate whatever came next about that topic. I didn't know the crazy things that were around the corner, but I had a clue or two about what possibly I was going to face relatively soon. Nonetheless, it was going to be a tough situation for the time being, but hopefully I was going to build up enough reputation to put those efforts to a rest.

Next was the complicated mess that was the taxation system. Just as I had noticed a while ago, the system itself was a hybrid between common feudalism and a tiny bit of post-renaissance economy. It was going well right now, but it was exposed for any major economic shocks. May it be the sudden passing of a wealthy merchant and the squandering of his riches, or even something like, I don't know, the sudden collapse of a national economy. Like the one in Gusteko. It wouldn't be a surprise that something that bad actually ended up happening knowing who was leading it and I was surprised that it had yet to blow up as far as I could tell from known data.

Which is why I had to bring up a complete revision of the system and put an end to the crippled situation we were in. It was time to introduce something that stabilized and prevented things from falling apart while also increasing the national production and the life expectancy for pretty much everyone in this country. It was a big step that I planned to take just after we were done with the first session of the Royal Elections, mostly because it was too big of a topic to address right now with the preparation of the already massive event I was taking care of.

With these first problems shelved for later, I found another issue in the form of… facing paperwork. It might sound absurd and confusing how something so familiar and somewhat easy to handle compared to a while ago was now giving me trouble. The real issue was that I now had to handle almost a quarter more documents that needed some signing compared to usual. I now had a fraction of what was going to be the future King's job. Signing royal decrees tied to diplomacy and internal affairs. Some weren't even absolute decrees considering that now I had to preside over the various meetings of the sages. Miklotov could just keep around for the more important ones due to the fact his influence guaranteed no cheeky move against his leadership.

But for me? I had to be there all the time. Free time vanished as soon as I pledged to the position, and that was easily causing me no little issues with my precious ones. It was a temporary situation due to the fact I had to personally make sure that the Royal Elections were well-organized and well-staffed for a brilliant event to unfold out of those. Bea was mostly fine due to the fact we spent most of the time together. Alice decided to ask for a role as assistant. It was a big step to take due to her real identity and the consequences that would come out of a possible revelation to the public of it. She was prepared, eager to learn, study and apply her knowledge upon the role of assistant. I wasn't up to try my luck and put her as my vice, mostly because nobody knew who she was beyond being loyal to me and… I really didn't want to paint a target on her back.

Fourier would still come by and check on me once he was done with his lessons, same for Felix with the exception of the catboy using the excuse of checking the Prime Minister within his role as a guard. I also had him, Reinhard and Julius around when it came to ask advice about the military situation. I could have easily relied on Captain Marcus, but the man was too proud of the Status Quo to actually mind the necessity of splitting the Knights in a proper army and a proper police force.

It was something that had sparked quite the heated debate within the high command circles. My predecessor decided against taking part in it, just because he knew that I had to be the one to push for it. The change needed to happen, else the security of the kingdom was going to remain obsolete and unable to legitimately stand up with the passing of time.

The Witch Cult has been around for a long time now, and it was about time we started to take steps into solving this. That and many other injustices that were ignored for the sake of true peace. No more, I thought calmly, we can't tolerate this anymore.

So, for the first grand meeting that I planned to have with Marcus, the need to step up the current state of the military and finally give the knights the proper role of warriors was the priority. The job of keeping the kingdom's road safe and clean was going to be given to better prepared men and women that were best accustomed to the role. I had a couple of ideas, but I had to wait until that meeting before truly daring to bring those forward to someone.

Just as I drew another sigh and stopped with my papersigning, I turned to glance at the origin of a particularly loud whine. Majima was sitting on the floor, looking at me with the saddest look possible and wagging her tail slowly to show how 'sad' she really was.

"I told you that you could go out with the twins. They definitely need someone to play with while I'm busy," I remarked, knowing well enough what she wanted out of this. Since I took this role, I was also unable to personally oversee the familiar's needs beyond ear-scratching, belly-rubbing and head-patting. Food was taken in by servants, and the twins were generally the ones that took her out and around for walks around the capital and beyond. There was a proper amount of guards assigned to them, just to avoid any unpleasant circumstance to any possible kidnapper. I really didn't want to be known as the Prime Minister that preferred to murder any moron of that kind with my bare-hands. I was already known to be a 'scoundrel of a politician' in some circles and… that actually got quite the female interest aimed at me. Nothing too serious, but I really got plenty of mirthful gazes thrown my general way because of it.

Despite my words, Majima huffed. "Can't you just, I don't know, take a frigging break?"

"We're not playing around, Majima. As you can see, we've been working at this entire thing for two days now just so that we are prepared for the Royal Elections," I replied sternly. "Plus, I have to prepare for when Priscilla and Crusch will arrive at the castle so-"

"And done," Alice muttered tiredly, dropping down the last stack of signed paper. I froze, my eyes swiftly turning at the scene and… just now making me realize that without thinking too much about it we ended up clearing up every single piece of document regarding the Royal Elections. I blinked, a little surprised but partly accepting of what I was looking at. We had worked so hard for two long days and the fact we actually got everything wrapped up in this record time was… actually something I had expected. Just not this quickly and this easily. I could only answer to that development with the quiet and quick-paced working that was there until that very moment.

We were actually done and… I felt my shoulders sag as my brain finally reminded me that I was far from fully awake. Sighing, I turned to look at Majima, and I saw her tail wag a little faster than before, clearly realizing what was just said.

"So, you can actually-"

"We can play by the courtyard. I have something that could interest you and give you a challenge," I interrupted calmly. "But you have to also play with the twins since I doubt I will be able to provide you with lengthy amusement."

Beatrice walked up to me and grasped at my arm. "I suppose you really need some time off."

I nodded. "I believe so myself. I hope you don't mind if we move to the courtyard, you can stay under the tree's shade."

"What about you?" Alice asked. "Aren't you planning to rest while outside?"

"I will do so once I've given something challenging to Majima. She has been craving for something interesting to do for a while and I believe I have something that will give her trouble to solve."

The pup huffed. "How much trouble?"

"Enough to warrant a big bowl filled with spiced chickens," I replied mirthfully, having discovered it's her favorite food the moment I tried to give her something large and well-flavored during one of her first meals. In fact, the mere mention of her favorite dish had her drooling and her mouth watering at the delightful price if she won a simple competition I had in mind for her.

First we moved out of the office room and right to where the twins were sulking about. It's been an upsetting amount of time since I shared a lengthy and prolonged session of pure amusement and playing around with the kids and… I wasn't exactly sure if they were really up to it considering how little time I spared with them but-

I was proven wrong when they literally jumped at me and began making demands. They were a little annoyed, reasonably so, but they still gave me a chance to set up things straight. I had to carry them to the courtyard, which wasn't really a task as simple as it was a few years ago. They both grew a little bigger and they weighed distinctly more than the first time I held them both in my arms.

Nonetheless, we were quick to reach our destination and we soon started to set up a peaceful afternoon together. I told Majima that I had set around the castle fifty small white flags with a gray square at the center of them all. Her task was to retrieve the flags without causing any issue to any servants, administrator and noble wandering around, and, if she failed to keep her presence concealed, she was going to receive half the grand prize meant for her.

She was surprised but still fairly fascinated by this difficult situation. I didn't even give her a time limit, knowing that putting too much pressure on her meant getting her nervous and prone to make mistakes. As the pup bolted to find the first few flags, I took some time to play with the kids. Alice joined for a while, eventually sitting down together with Beatrice as both started to read a book together.

The twins were quick to pick tag as their first game. I might be taller and bigger, but I was incredibly slower compared to them, and they played to have as many advantages as possible when it came to this kind of game. I was also fairly tired, and so I had to take breaks in the middle of chases. They knew this, and they gloated a fair lot because of it. IN the end, I could only concede defeat as soon it was time for each of them to singularly give chase to me and the other sibling. They were quick to aim for me, but while I was slower, I also began using magic to aid my escapes. Little obstacles, soft walls, and other things that prevented them from having a fair chance at capturing me. I would still end up taken out, but I got them to work for those wins.

About two hours went by and I felt close to falling asleep. Both Alice and Bea made space for me to sit down and for them to lean onto my shoulders so they could get their comfy pillows out of this disposition. I didn't mind as I slowly began falling asleep due to how tired I really was. There was a sense of quiet and… I could only close my eyes and allow the sleepiness to take me to a dreamless nap.

I was completely clueless that today was going to be the day where both Crusch and Priscilla would both arrive at the castle and try to find me around.

-d-d-d-d-

I felt Beatrice shuffle and wake up, my slumber interrupted by her sudden shifting and my body slowly regaining energy as I felt the sleep had indeed restored a good part of lost energies. A blink, then I ended up staring at my lap where a giddy Majima was patiently waiting for my awakening. A little behind her, all the flags that I had hidden around the castle. I wasn't sure how long it had been, but the first reaction to the sight was to reach out for her head and pat right between her twitchy ears. The pup leaned in for the affectionate gesture, and I felt waking up some more as I heard some snickering unfolding nearby.

I looked to where the noise was coming from and I saw Fourier grinning like a moron together with Felix as both dummies were teasingly looking at me for the current disposition I was in and… beside them there were two individuals I hadn't been prepared for. Crusch had a tiny smile on her pretty face, while Priscilla looked really close to let out a boisterous laugh at the sight she was bestowed with.

I was quickly up and stretching a little bit, with Alice having been awake for a while now and Bea now happily accepting me picking her up as she wasn't unsure of her own footing at the moment. I nodded at the direction of the 'intruders' and properly greeted them.

"I didn't expect you to slack off," Fourier pointed out. "I suppose you were preparing for Crusch and Lady Barielle's arrival."

I actually flinched at the blond's comment, and I could see their respective reactions change at this sight. The girls were confused, while Felix was shaking his head in a moment of panic and… the prince could only snort in amusement at my perplexed look. It didn't take long for the young women to actually ask some more about it.

"So you were… taking a pause? It's quite unusual."

Shrugging at Priscilla's confused comment, I had to answer to that fair point. "With the Elections coming up soon, I had to go through some intense paper-signing to get everything prepared for the occasion. We ended this task just a few hours ago, and I have to thank both Alice and Bea for this."

"It was mostly you," The tallest of the two girls muttered, still smiling at the compliment.

"T-Thank you, I suppose."

Through this exchange, the duchess remembered that I had yet to introduce them both to my newest associate and close member of the family. A blink, a respectful glance now given to the curious but calm spirit and then a nod at the blonde's general direction.

"I suppose you are Beatrice. John spoke highly of you in his letter," The green-haired woman replied. "I hope to share a cordial friendship with you."

The petite spirit nodded back with the same respect. "I hope the same, Lady Karsten. John said you were one of his trusted friends, and I don't see why I should think otherwise, I suppose."

Priscilla hummed, her interest skyrocketing at the reminder presented by her fellow Royal Candidate. If I remember correctly, the orangette did have a particular soft spot of children, especially as cute as Beatrice was.

"The letter said that you were fairly wise and clever. I don't mean to sound… disrespectful, but I also find your appearance-"

"Child-like, I suppose," Bea interjected, getting a nod from the noble woman. "This is my form, and I can't exactly change it without damaging what I am. And it's been too long since I wondered about taking changes, and I grew accustomed to this, I suppose."

Surprisingly tamer than expected. Then again, the girl had mellowed down just enough to be able to tank some teasing thrown her way. Mostly by hanging around with the kids, spending some time with Alice, and helping around with Hannah. She was far from unleashing sassy comebacks or using magic when teased too much, but her patience had severely improved in very little time of being with me.

"But what about the way it will unfold? I don't think it was exactly explained how we are meant to face this important event," Crusch pointed out. "I understand the secrecy but… I reckon some detail on that regard is a must."

"You're correct, but I suppose you two didn't read the proper pamphlet detailing the event, the one that was handed out for the occasion."

I spared a lot of time to make that blasted piece of paper as informative as it could be for those that were interested or taking part in the affair. It wasn't something many were familiar with and the rules weren't known even to the most traditional of families in the kingdom. It was imperative to make something that allowed everyone to be aware of what was really going to happen quite soon inside the castle.

"I believe it was released while we were coming to the capital," Priscilla replied with a sigh, clearly annoyed by this revelation. "Yet, from what I can tell, you still owe us an explanation with how the first session of the Elections."

I nodded and I started to list out the entire situation. There wasn't exactly much to say about the first session. It was an introduction to the entire predicament, but still one that allowed to make good first impressions with the sages, the knights, and the rest of the nation. It was where the candidates were up to prove if they were ready for such a big burden or extremely unprepared and quickly relegated to the role of underdogs of these elections.

The two women listened, but as I went on and on about the rules within this setting and confirming that I was just going to preside and have just limited powers within the handling of the process, I felt someone rather annoying munching at my shoe. Once the pressure started to grate at my nerves and I was done with the explanation, I looked down at Majima.

"Patience really isn't your main strength. That, I think you're showing without restraint."

The pup snorted and, after allowing Beatrice down to the ground, I crouched a little lower to pick her up. Sticking her tongue out, it was clear to me how unruly of a familiar Majima really was when ignored even for just a moment. Despite that, I knew that a deal was a deal and I looked back at the others, deciding to exploit this circumstance to forward a possible idea coming out of this exchange.

"How about we continue this while eating something?" I offered with a calm tone. "From my understanding, you two didn't have the chance to have proper lunch today."

Seeing the two noblewomen nod at my offer, and noticing Fourier looking eager to have something delicious to eat, I found the proposition agreed to and soon we moved to find the closest living room and have some servants get food from the kitchen. At the same time, I had one of the maids go and pick the 'little' treat I had prepared for Majima. At hearing this particular order, the little pup started to vibrate and she was positively shaking in delight when I brought in front of her the big box filled with what was promised to her. One glance, that's all it took for the familiar to make a big jump into the box and become one with the cooked chickens.

The twins and Fourier approached the sight, incredibly amused and curious of what the pup was going in there. I tried to ignore the sight, I really did my best in keeping my attention aimed at both Crusch and Priscilla as I further explained how the Royal Elections were meant to be approached, the manners to take, the rules to be fully aware of…

But I really couldn't stop thinking of a cheeky Majima swimming in the chicken. Why? Well, what I really didn't bring up until this very moment was that the familiar had grown particularly appreciative and obsessed with the way I cleaned her. While she would normally cannon ball into the bathtub and then dry up by shaking around and allowing all the water to fly all around the room, I took initiative early on to show her that I had a drying spell that allowed me to fix the water out of her fur without making a mess out of it. She mentioned that the feeling coming out of this process was addicting, more like in a sense of comfort than else.

Which is why I could tell that the reason why she jumped straight into 'enemy lines', allowing for her fur to get all dirty because of the spices dropping onto it and the tiny pieces of chicken ending up trapped within her maze of gray fur, was to come back at me for having 'abandoned her for so long'. I knew her long enough to know it was the case and… I could feel confirmation through the bond from the amused way she was feeling in that situation.

Sadly for her, I also had a variant of that spell that will make her fur stand all over and make her a pure fur ball. Her vengeance was doomed from the very beginning and she was so hopeful… and so ready for a counter-punishment.

AN

The relationship between John and Majima is fairly similar to the one between Randowis and Puss (his cat). Both at odds most of the time, but incredibly close to one another because of their shots at each other.

Still, Priscilla and Crusch are here now. The only candidates left to come are Emi-tan and Anastasia. The bets are open, how do you think Prisca-chan is going to behave after so long? How is poor Bea going to react when she learns the woman is incredibly obsessed with cute child-like individuals?

...For now, I leave you the Omake!

Omake 20: Capella's Fix (1)

To think that someone like me, the chief of a group of assassins and- and an Archbishop, now has to do this kind of thing!

Of the many things Capella had always been sure of, it was the fact that things were hers to take and use at her own leisure. It was a simple rule that had existed ever since she was born, that had resisted and even worsened by the time she obtained her witch factor, and now she expected it to be implemented now more than ever.

Sadly, there was a flaw within her mindset. Boredom tends to make things easy to bore her after a while, to disinterest her. People, things, pets, slaves, minions, and prisoners. There was nothing that genuinely managed to keep around for long before she needed to look or think elsewhere. Her mind couldn't just stop as she knew that she really needed something to keep her interested.

And so, as she found a source of entertainment in the form of the little pest that got one of her missions messed up because of this bargaining chip that had enabled her to seek more, the woman craved more. More more more!

Much to her surprise, and perhaps delight, due to the fact of how compliant the annoyance actually was, she ended up receiving another package filled with fascinating objects and things. Capella was never the individual that would be surprised more than once, and yet she was as she unwrapped the second package that was sent to her.

The moment she opened it, she knew that it wasn't going to follow a trend or any logical sense with each 'loot boxes'. She wasn't sure why it was called as such, but she didn't care. No, the blonde's mind was aimed at the little vial she found as the first thing within the box. There was a piece of paper attached to it through some sticky solution and she decided to read the paper first. Despite her impatience, she really didn't want to mess this curious tool so soon without knowing what it was.

Her first instinct had been to drink it or have it land on the ground, and she was glad she didn't do either of the choices. The paper was clear, this stink bomb was supposed to be used to prank people with quite the disgusting smell and… Capella confirmed it was absolutely horrifying as a scent to enforce to someone with a heightened sense of smell.

It's going to be fun to prank some of the silly fools that thought they were safe in bad-mouthing me while I'm not around.

Oh yes, the day of reckoning was going to stink for them.

But now, it was time to move to the next toy of the box and… it was another unique one for sure. She unraveled the bizarre thing and she was once more granted a piece of paper to read. Capella blinked, frowning at the words she was reading since… it was definitely a bizarre idea. Something to massage shoulders and neck? How was that supposed to work?

She glanced back at the thing and frowned a little more.

…

Let's give it a try.

Worst case scenario, she might have to end the existence of a cheeky fool trying to assassinate her. And so, wasting no time in wrapping the semi-circular comfy around her petite neck, the blonde waited for an attempt against her life to happen or for something else to unfold.

The strange contraption began to… vibrate. At first she was worried, then she felt the vibration reach her body and… put her through pure bliss. Her entire self was vibrating together with the tool, and her wide eyes dignified a state of satisfaction, with her posture easing to the point where she was lost in the feeling for a little while. Eventually the new sensation was brought under control as she just kept on wearing the bizarre object as it was only bringing her delight.

The next thing, or things, that she pulled out of the box was a set of books that were all labeled 'Jojo Bizarre Adventure Part 1 & 2'. The books didn't have many words, only illustrations with dialogues and… big men. Big men with muscles, abs and… devilish smiles. A mirthful grin appeared on her face as she recognized one of the characters after just checking the first of the many books, realizing that it was the very same from one of the pictures she first received from Bukharin.

A little callback to that? Capella didn't mind. In fact, she sat down and began reading and reading. She wasn't sure how he managed to get his hands on something like this but… it was entertaining. The story was somewhat cheesy at times, but it just felt smoother and tending upon a more bizarre take on the classic hero saving the damsel kind of tale, just like the title suggested. The blonde hummed, feeling particularly happy with her current disposition and forgetting that she had work for today.

By the entrance of the room, both Elsa and Meili stared at the unusual sight of their boss currently busy and distracted, well away from being able to give them attention and a job. The child was confused while the woman shrugged.

"I guess Mama is going to be busy for a while. How about we go and pick up something for breakfast?"

The little girl's eyes lit up at the offer and she quietly nodded while trying to make sense of what she was looking at. It was just like before when she ended up seeing the blonde busy with some images, and… from what she could tell from Elsa's reaction, while weird it was a good thing. A distracted Mama meant a peaceful Mama. And also, a job-free day from the looks of it.

So they left the building and proceeded to find some ice cream to digest while enjoying the beginning of a slow but lovely day together.