Chapter 35: El-Melloi II Asks the Questions
Half an hour later.
In a KTV near the airport called Starry Melody, inside the deluxe private box at the far end of the third floor.
The duty manager at the front desk and several servers collectively froze the moment they saw Olga Marie walk in.
How could they not recognize that attire, which looked abnormal no matter how one viewed it, and that face which had just appeared in the global live broadcast and was currently ranked first on the trending topics?
"P-President of the Earth..." the duty manager muttered to himself, the walkie-talkie in his hand falling to the floor with a 'clatter'.
Olga Marie glanced at them, ignored them, and walked straight toward the private box Flat had reserved.
As soon as she left, the front desk exploded.
"It's her, it's her! It's really her!"
"Why would she come here? Shouldn't she be busy ruling the Earth?"
"Call the police! No, wait, is calling the police even useful? She isn't even afraid of the army!"
"Run! Quick, run!"
A few seconds later, there wasn't a single living soul left in the entire KTV except for El-Melloi II's party. Even the chefs in the back kitchen fled through the back door clutching their kitchen knives, not forgetting to turn off the gas valves before they left.
Inside the box.
El-Melloi II sat on a single sofa directly facing the door, with Gray standing quietly behind him. Opposite him, across the long coffee table, Olga Marie occupied a three-seater sofa all to herself, legs crossed, elbow propped on the armrest, and chin resting in her palm—striking a pose that said, 'This is my throne.'
Ayaka Sajyou, Zealot, and Sigma sat on another sofa to the side.
Ayaka Sajyou sat bolt upright, hands on her knees, her expression tense. Zealot was like a statue, the aura beneath her black robes almost completely withdrawn. Sigma kept his head down, his gaze fixed on his own hands, lost in thought.
As for Flat and Richard—
"Professor! Mr. Richard and I are going to open a box next door!" Flat poked his head in from the doorway, a brilliant smile on his face. "You guys take your time chatting! Don't mind us!"
"Wait, you two—" Before El-Melloi II could finish his sentence, the door was shut with a 'bang'.
Immediately afterward, a deafening intro blasted from next door, followed by Flat's ghost-like wailing vocals:
"♪~WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS MY FRIEND~♪"
El-Melloi II: "..."
He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and then silently let go.
'Flat, just you wait!'
He instead picked up the lemonade on the table and took a large gulp, trying to use the sourness to clear his head.
"Now then," El-Melloi II put down the glass and looked at Olga Marie opposite him, "allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Lord El-Melloi II, a Lord of the Department of Modern Magecraft at the Clock Tower, and also Flat's mentor."
"I know," Olga Marie said lazily. "That brat Flat mentioned you. Dark circles under your eyes, a face full of misery—your features are quite distinct."
The vein at El-Melloi II's temple throbbed again.
"Thank you for your assessment." He forced a fake smile. "As Flat's mentor, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
"Speak."
"First," El-Melloi II leaned forward slightly, hands clasped over his knees, "you call yourself the President of the Earth and declare your intention to rule this planet. May I ask what your reason for doing so is?"
Olga Marie arched an eyebrow.
"Reason?" She acted as if she'd heard a stupid question. "Does that require a reason?"
"Generally speaking, an action on the scale of ruling a planet ought to have a motive," El-Melloi II explained patiently. "Resources, power, faith, or perhaps a certain ideology..."
"Ideology?" Olga Marie sneered. "Such things are meaningless."
She lowered the hand supporting her chin and leaned forward, her amber pupils locking onto El-Melloi II.
"Listen well, El-Melloi II. I rule the Earth because I need no reason, no motive, and certainly no noble ideology."
Her voice was so calm it made one's skin crawl.
"I want to do it, so I do it. It's as simple as that."
El-Melloi II remained silent for a few seconds.
"Then how do you intend to rule?" He changed the question. "Establish a government? Enact laws? Assemble an army? Or do you plan to use force to suppress all nations and compel them to submit?"
"Too much trouble," Olga Marie curled her lip. "I am the President, not a nanny."
She said matter-of-factly, "There are seven billion people on this planet; I can surely find a few useful ones."
El-Melloi II's expression turned somewhat subtle.
"So your style of governance is... a hands-off manager?"
"Is there a problem?" Olga Marie tilted her head. "A President's job is to set the general direction and grasp the macro strategy. The specific execution is for the people below to worry about. If a President has to personally oversee how many toilets are built, then what do we need civil servants for?"
She made so much sense that El-Melloi II found himself unable to refute her for a moment.
The box fell silent for a few seconds, save for the faint singing drifting from next door:
"♪~AND WE'LL KEEP ON FIGHTING TILL THE END~♪"
El-Melloi II rubbed his temples and decided to try another angle.
"Regarding your global live broadcast today," he said, "do you know what consequences such an action will cause?"
"I know," Olga Marie nodded.
"You knew, and yet you did it anyway?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Olga Marie smiled. "If I'm going to rule, then naturally everyone needs to know of my existence. What's the point in hiding? Being an underground emperor?"
"But by doing this, you will become the public enemy of the entire world," El-Melloi II tried to reason. "All nations will view you as a threat, the Mage's Association will stop at nothing to eliminate you, and the Holy Church will likely issue a subjugation order..."
"So what?" Olga Marie interrupted him, her smile gaining a hint of mockery. "What can they possibly do to me?"
El-Melloi II opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately just let out a sigh.
He knew Olga Marie was stating a fact.
Based on his observations and Flat's intel, with Olga Marie's combat prowess, conventional means were already incapable of posing a threat to her.
"You are strong," El-Melloi II admitted. "But being strong does not mean being invincible. There have been plenty of powerful figures in human history who fell after being attacked by the masses."
"So what?" Olga Marie shrugged. "I'll fight however many come. If I can't win, I'll run; if I can't run, I'll self-destruct—it won't kill me anyway."
El-Melloi II: "..."
He was now certain of one thing.
This Olga Marie was not only strong, but also mad.
A madwoman who completely ignored consequences and acted entirely based on her mood.
Reasoning with such a person was a pure waste of time.
El-Melloi II leaned back against the sofa and pressed his throbbing temples. He felt his blood pressure skyrocketing and his stomach beginning to ache faintly.
"I'll change the question." He abandoned the discussion on the legitimacy of her rule. "What is your relationship with the Olga Marie Animusphere of the Clock Tower?"
"None," Olga Marie answered decisively. "She is she, and I am I. We have nothing in common except for our appearance and name."
El-Melloi II stared at her for three seconds and slowly exhaled.
"I see," he said. "Then, one final question."
He looked up, his gaze turning sharp.
"What exactly are you?"
The question was vague, but Olga Marie understood.
The smile on her face faded slightly, and her amber pupils narrowed as if scrutinizing El-Melloi II.
"I am the President of the Earth, U-Olga Marie," she said, her voice carrying a trace of warning. "That is all. There is no need for you to know anything more."
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat stiff.
Sigma finally raised his head.
He looked toward El-Melloi II and spoke in his flat, emotionless tone:
"Lord El-Melloi II."
Everyone's gaze turned toward him.
"Do you know what a Beast is?" Sigma asked.