TL: Skye
The next morning, I woke up in the Ministry of Defense duty room to Isabella's greeting.
"Senhor Presidente, gostaria de um café? (Mr. President, would you like some coffee?)"
"...I'm not the president, though?"
"Just trying it out."
She handed me a light brown cup of coffee.
"Thank you."
One sip, and the rich aroma swirled through my nose.
"This smells wonderful."
Coffee was one of the few things I'd come to appreciate since arriving in San Marcos.
'The quality really is excellent.'
The problem was that the coffee industry was the reason the country's food self-sufficiency rate had plummeted.
The landowners who owned the coffee plantations made fortunes, but everyone else's Engel coefficient had shot through the roof.
It was like watching a poor country somehow get even more unequal.
'I need to do something about this.'
I clicked my tongue internally and set down my cup. Isabella pulled up a chair and sat across from me.
"I have a brief report for you."
Looking at a face that reminded me of Jessica Alba in her prime first thing in the morning made my heart skip a beat.
'She's gorgeous today too...'
And her figure was even better. Those curves were no joke.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"N-no reason. Am I not allowed to look?"
"Well... I suppose not."
She handed me a file folder, her expression all business.
"This is a summary of last night's civil unrest."
"Civil unrest?"
"The incidents that occurred between the announcement of martial law and the deployment of troops."
"Ah..."
Right. I declared martial law, didn't I?
Opening the folder, I found a clear breakdown of what the Martial Law Forces had been up to overnight.
"It's all gang-related. And most of it seems to be... murder."
"Yes, it appears they moved aggressively, taking advantage of the gap in public security."
"How was it handled?"
"Commander Pedro rapidly deployed the Martial Law Forces and apprehended most of them."
"......"
Like most Central and South American countries, gangs were a national problem in San Marcos. But I never expected them to act this boldly.
"Do you intend to leave things as they are?"
Isabella asked, her tone firm.
"What do you mean?"
"I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to sweep them all out while we have the chance. Should I just give the order to Martial Law Commander Pedro right now?"
"What exactly do you mean by 'sweep them out'..."
"We roll in with armored vehicles and tanks and turn their territory into rubble. They're nothing but a menace anyway, so we might as well cut out the root while we can."
"No."
What on earth was she thinking?
"On the very first day of martial law, without even trying to distinguish the guilty from the innocent, we're supposed to just kill everyone? Absolutely not."
I made the guidelines crystal clear.
"And the criminals we arrested yesterday need to receive fair trials. No matter what crimes they've committed, they deserve their day in court."
"Hmm, this is such a perfect opportunity to deal with the gangs... Very well. I'll pass that along."
Isabella nodded with a hint of disappointment, then moved on to the next item on the agenda.
"Today, you'll need to convene a cabinet meeting."
"...There are no cabinet members."
"That doesn't mean we can abandon governance. Times like these demand an even firmer grip on state affairs. We have the funeral arrangements for President Juan and the cabinet members to deal with, plus a mountain of other matters."
"Hmm... Then let's summon each ministry's first vice minister. Oh, no need to call anyone from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Those vice ministers aren't up to speed on operations. Come to think of it, I'm not sure the vice ministers at other ministries are any better."
"Good point. This would be an excellent opportunity to weed out the incompetents who do nothing but collect their salaries."
"......"
She was terrifying. I couldn't even respond.
***
At noon that day, people began filing into the underground strategic situation room beneath the Ministry of Defense, now serving as the cabinet meeting room.
Those assembled were the first vice ministers of each ministry. With all the ministers dead from the terrorist attack, these were effectively the people running each department.
They were the type who could afford to put on airs, the kind who walked around with their chins held high wherever they went. But today was different.
Rumors about Yu-jin, the psychopathic killer who had snapped Major General Thiago's neck less than six hours after the bombing, had spread far and wide.
The official announcement, of course, was that he'd died from a broken neck in an accident. But not a single bureaucrat in this room believed that.
Was it really just coincidence that Major General Thiago, who had been planning a coup, happened to trip and break his neck right after meeting with Yu-jin? And that Yu-jin then conveniently appointed Pedro as Martial Law Commander, securing control of the military?
"......"
Tension settled over the underground room. Then the heavy doors swung open and Yu-jin appeared.
On Yu-jin's right was Isabella, her expression cold as ice. On his left, Pedro, the Martial Law Commander who had now become the undisputed power in the military, followed like a shadow.
When Yu-jin took the head seat, Pedro remained standing behind his chair instead of joining the meeting. Isabella sat directly beside Yu-jin, pulling out a thin folder and a fountain pen.
It was a display of total control over the regime. The vice ministers swallowed hard at the sight.
'A dictator worse than President Juan has arrived...!' 'Have I ever done anything to offend him?' 'Will I make it out of here alive?'
Yu-jin found this suffocating silence awkward, but decided to get down to business first.
"Thank you all for coming despite your busy schedules."
His calm voice resonated through the speakers, but no one dared meet his eyes.
"We don't have much time, so let's get straight to the point. Vice Minister of Internal Affairs."
The vice minister in question shot up from his chair, his face pale as a sheet.
"Yes!"
"Has the mastermind behind the attack been identified?"
The question was clearly aimed at the San Marcos Intelligence Agency (SIA), which fell under Internal Affairs. The vice minister broke into a sweat as he answered.
"W-we're doing our best, but we haven't made progress yet... B-but our agents are searching, so if you could just give us a little more time..."
Doing their best. The people under him were looking into it. In other words, nothing had been done.
'Bunch of salary thieves...'
Yu-jin clicked his tongue as he looked at the vice minister.
"Tsk... Fine. Please expedite the funeral preparations. It will be a state funeral, and I'd like it held at the ruins of the Presidential Palace."
"Yes! I'll do my absolute best!"
As soon as the vice minister finished his answer, Isabella raised her pen and wrote something down.
Scratch scratch. Scratch scratch.
Yu-jin paid it no mind and moved to the next matter.
"Let's proceed with that, then... Vice Minister of Finance?"
"Y-yes!"
"Yes!"
This time the Finance vice minister leapt to his feet.
"What's our current fiscal reserve situation?"
"W-well, that is..."
"This should be the most critical information in a situation like this... But you don't know."
"I have no excuse."
"It can't be helped. Please assess the situation as soon as you return and report back. This is urgent, so please make it your top priority."
"U-understood."
When the Finance vice minister sat down, Isabella raised her pen again.
Scratch scratch.
The questions that followed were no different. He asked the Agriculture vice minister about the food situation and received a promise to look into it. He asked the Commerce vice minister whether there were any disruptions to energy imports and received a promise to find out.
'Do any of you know anything?'
Scratch scratch. Scratch scratch.
Watching Isabella write something after every question, the vice ministers came to a realization.
'Wait. Is that...?'
The scratching was far too brief for someone noting down questions and answers. Nine times out of ten, she was writing down names.
Which meant...
'A death list?'
It had to be the new emperor of San Marcos sorting out who to kill and who to spare.
'Creating a death list on his very first day in office...!' 'The rumors that he's worse than President Juan weren't exaggerated!' 'Am I going to get executed just for trying to keep my position?'
The vice ministers' faces drained of color in real time. A few were visibly trembling, looking like they might wet themselves.
Yet not one of them made a sound.
Because Yu-jin sat there with murderous eyes that seemed ready to demand, "Who goes there? Who dares to cough?"
"......"
As the suffocating silence stretched on, Yu-jin looked around at the vice ministers and spoke slowly.
"I'm sure you've all heard the tragic news about Major General Thiago. A terrible loss."
His indifferent condolences nearly sent the vice ministers into convulsions.
He was bringing up the name of the man he'd personally killed? In this atmosphere?
But Yu-jin, San Marcos's new dictator and psychopathic murderer, paid no attention to their reactions and continued.
"I'm not a political person like Major General Thiago was. If anything, I'd say I'm someone who values practical results."
The vice ministers heard something different.
[I'm not political. I just kill people when it makes practical sense.]
"I've listened carefully to your responses today. However, I'm a bit disappointed that most of them were either 'I'll look into it' or 'I'll do my best.' Frankly, it's somewhat underwhelming."
[Every single response today was unsatisfactory. I am disappointed in all of you.]
"What San Marcos needs right now isn't effort. It's results."
[Effort is meaningless. Bring me results.]
"By 9 AM tomorrow, I'd like to receive reports with precise figures on the current status and countermeasures I asked about today. If that's not possible... there's no need for you to attend the next meeting."
[If you fail to submit reports by 9 AM tomorrow, you will be killed before the next cabinet meeting.]
The vice ministers couldn't bring themselves to meet Yu-jin's eyes. They just nodded frantically.
They were certain that the moment anyone voiced a complaint, soldiers would drag them off to the firing squad.
"Well then, that's all for today. I know you're busy, so please return to your work. Thank you for your efforts."
When Yu-jin announced the end of the cabinet meeting:
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.
They began applauding with tremendous enthusiasm.