How To Be Misunderstood as a Villain in a Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter 21. The Art of Deceiving One Another (10)

* * * * *

The next day.

Ambassador Arthur Minsk came to see Virginia, his face red. Seeing Virginia looking even more arrogant than usual, Arthur spat and questioned her.

“Should I call you Mr. President now?”

It was an aggressive tone even to the average person. Given that Arthur was a diplomat, it was also a warning and protest that ‘Minsk is very upset about the coup in Elsa.’

“No, Mr. Ambassador. Please call me Acting President. I have a duty to protect the liberties of the people and maintain order until a democratically elected president emerges.”

“Oh, is it ‘maintaining order’ to lock up a perfectly healthy president and his entire cabinet at home because they’ve been infected with the coronavirus?”

Even though it was an obvious provocation, Virginia remained as bashful as a college student.

“The infection is real. If you are really curious, it would be good to visit them in person. By the way, before that, would you like to experience the ‘advanced medical care’ of our Disease Control Center? We can check whether Ambassador Arthur has been infected with the crovirus, whether he has antibodies, and even the level of resistance. It is the same test that the former President also received.”

“No, I’ll get it in Minsk! If I get it in Elsa, I won’t be covered by health insurance. By the way, you said you were a president elected through democratic procedures. Does that mean you’ll hold elections?”

“Of course. The flower of liberal democracy is elections. However, elections cannot be held properly in a situation where zombies are running rampant on the streets and the crocodile virus is spreading everywhere. Therefore, the duty of the National Military Police is to establish ‘public safety’ and ‘household unity.’ As I said before, I will carry out that duty very faithfully. It is difficult to say for sure, but I think we will be able to hold normal elections in about three months.”

So, Virginia meant that she would be dictatorial for at least three months. Arthur thought for a moment. A general election in three months? In Elsa’s situation, where electricity and water were cut off at random times and the communication network was unstable, it didn’t seem strange that a general election would be held in six years.

“That’s nonsense. How?”

“We plan to restore the water supply, stabilize the electricity supply, and keep the communication network as strong as possible. To do that, it would be better to relocate the citizens scattered throughout the region to the capital where the industrial infrastructure is developed.”

“Are you saying that you will forcibly relocate the citizens now?”

It was a story that Arthur could not understand. Everyone in the world knew what Elsa had done to preserve her country. Even the veterans of the National Gendarmerie had formed illegal vigilante groups to protect their villages after returning home.

But now, Elsa’s acting president has declared that he will gather all of Elsa’s people to the capital. To Arthur, this doesn’t seem much different from declaring a civil war.

‘Oh, is this what they were aiming for when declaring war?’

When rumors spread that the Minsk army was coming, the people of Elsa would naturally seek refuge in the safety of the capital. Arthur, who had read Virginia’s plan, changed his attitude.

“You have a big job ahead of you, Mr. President… Your Excellency the Acting President. What assistance can you provide from Minsk?”

Virginia bowed her head politely.

“I will not forget the help from Minsk. I think one military cargo plane would be enough. If the Ambassador wants, two would be fine. You can send them to Elsa Capital International Airport.”

“Oh, would it be rude to ask what it’s for?”

“Well, the Ambassador, his family, colleagues, and subordinates will have to return home on that plane.”

Arthur opened his mouth so wide that it seemed as if his jaw might be out of joint. Virginia hesitated for a moment, and then, fearing that she might have come across as weak, she stood up with dignity, leaning on the desk.

“And we will also be sending the National Gendarmerie to ensure that the citizens of Lorraine can participate in the Elsa presidential election.”

Lobarten. Minsk Territory, with a direct highway to Minsk City.

“Ha. Ha. Huh. Your Excellency, Your Majesty. Even if a toddler could read a map, he would know that this is Minsk, not Elsa.”

“Your Excellency, you have misunderstood something. You don’t draw a territory by looking at a map. You draw a map by looking at the territory. The map you are looking at is the wrong map. Adjutant, bring me a map to give to your Excellency.”

Two officers came in carrying a man-sized folding table. When they unfolded it, a map large enough to fill a table for six was revealed.

There was no Minsk or Römer on that map. It was all ‘Elsa’s land’.

“This is a new map.”

“Virginia…! Are you crazy! Are you crazy? Are you going to bring the world to war? And do you really think you can survive an all-out war between Elsa and Minsk?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

With a movement as natural as taking a pencil out of her pocket, Virginia pulled out the pistol at her side. It was long enough to make one think it was a hunting rifle, but it was definitely a revolver. And its drum was full of bullets.

“I’ll give you four days. You and your embassy staff can leave this land. I don’t know if your brilliant Minsk Air Corps can avoid a zombie bird strike or not, but I’ll allow you two transport planes. Traveling by land will be very dangerous.”

“I regret it.”

Arthur frowned as if spitting out the grass that had gotten stuck in his mouth. Virginia nodded.

“That’s right. I regret it.”

“what?”

“I should have done this earlier, but I’m just being too lax. But I won’t push you too hard. The ‘Tree Sap’ whiskey was pretty good. And while I’m at it, I’d like you to tell Noy Sedu I’m sorry. I was interested in your proposal, but I’m sorry I can’t accept you due to the limited number of people I can select.”

Arthur was confused. He was as confused as the day he received the executive order, ‘You, Elsa, go to the diplomat’. Virginia’s words were strange. He had expected her to reject his proposal, but the reason was not ‘It’s not time to get married yet’ or ‘I don’t like you’, but ‘The number of people we can select is limited’.

“Th, that word…?”

* * * * *

Camilla continued to scroll down her mouse, muttering gracefully without taking her eyes off the monitor.

“Crazy b*tch.”

Even Cassandra, who usually felt uncomfortable with such words, nodded quietly. She was reading a paper newspaper published for the upper class and an internal military newsletter published for those who still had access to the Internet.

My face was in that newspaper.

As always, I was planning on teasing her a little, giving her some medicine, and then hanging up the phone. But then Virginia started unbuttoning her shirt, one by one, for some reason.

Virginia went down another notch, as if her sternum was dangerously visible. Then she threw back her military police coat and pressed her shirt against her chest. Her assertiveness stood out.

– Want to see?

There was no time to hesitate. It wasn’t that I had to see Virginia’s chest, but for Elsa’s peace. Naturally, the screen was being recorded along with the sound.

Virginia was a hope for the citizens of Elsa, and a general full of fear and charisma for the military. If a video of her flirting like this were to spread, she could instantly become a laughing stock.

Anyway, it was a good thing for me.

“It’s not free, is it?”

– Let’s do this. I show you my chest, and you show me your face. One, two, three. At the same time. Very briefly.

I could have tolerated it if I hadn’t spread the gap between my two fingers.

“One, two, three.”

Virginia pulled down her shirt, but didn’t take it off.

I also lowered the bandana just below my lips and didn’t put it all out.

– I knew it.

“I knew it.”

The conversation ended with them both raising their hands to each other.

But then they took my face that appeared at that moment, photoshopped it, and put it in a newspaper as big as a door.

＜Breaking News. Acting President Virginia Helford Announces Marriage. Who is the Groom?＞

– Acting Virginia revealed that she filed for marriage registration just yesterday. In a regular briefing, she… did not reveal her detailed identity for the sake of confidentiality, but she is leading a group of survivors in the Midwest and will soon be returning to the capital with them all, which has become a hot topic… .

This crazy b*tch even scanned our marriage registration documents and put them in the newspaper. Of course, mine was fake, but Virginia’s was in her own handwriting. She even took a picture of herself holding the marriage registration documents in front of the courthouse.

No matter how you look at it, the article below is much more important.

＜Breaking News. Ambassador Arthur Minsk confirmed to have left the country… Declaration of war in sight.＞

“A married man… A married man… What does that mean?”

Cassandra muttered in a daze.

“We should burn down the courthouse and tear up the papers.”

Camilla somehow felt like she had gone back to her days in the Liberation Corps.

“A delicious married man for dinner tonight.”

Leticia just went crazy.

“Please don’t do that. What kind of marriage is that? I never approved of it.”

“Do you think Virginia is the kind of person who would ask others for their opinions?”

“No. What did you say to that crazy woman?”

“… That might not be it.”

I wondered if Leticia had gone crazy once more. They say that if you turn 180 degrees twice, you’ll come back to where you started, so could the same thing have happened to her?

“What are you talking about?”

“Virginia is a Römer noble, right? Marriage to a Römer noble means something else. It’s like a non-aggression pact. So, Virginia is basically telling the world that she won’t attack you. In other words…”

It’s like saying to Minsk, ‘My husband is here, so you shoot him.’ On the contrary, it’s like declaring to us, ‘If you don’t want to have an all-out war with Minsk, you’d better come to the capital.’

It was a gamble.

“… What should I do now?”

Camilla fell limp like a doll with its strings cut off. I held her still. Camilla struggled a little, but eventually she buried her fingers in my shoulder like a cat.

“I won’t give you to that crazy woman.”

“What does Roemer mean?”

“huh?”

A surprised Camilla turned away from me. I asked again.

“What does this marriage declaration mean to Römer? If marriage means that much to the Römer nobles, it doesn’t seem like something they can decide on their own.”

Leticia answered my question bewilderedly.

“Oh, that’s right. I think I heard from my brother that it usually means forming an alliance between families.”

“Do we still have internet access?”

“Oh, yeah. Right?”

“I already filmed all the videos.”

“Oh, no problem.”

Then there’s nothing to worry about.

I sat in front of the computer.