Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1204 (First Update) - The Tacit Understanding Between Women

The relationship between the Emperor and the Regent in Latvia resembles that of a president and prime minister in a responsible cabinet system. However, in reality, Stephanie Malik, as the head of the Ministry of the Interior, actually held the traditional role of prime minister. The Regent was the emperor's shadow, wielding all of the emperor's authority when necessary. The emperor not only possessed real power but also the power to remove the Regent—although he wouldn't actually do it, he did legally possess such power. Therefore, the Regent was not only accountable to the emperor but also commanded the War Council, composed of officials from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and other departments.

The Wild Combat Group is legally a special law enforcement force under the jurisdiction of the War Council's Legal Department, similar in status to the law enforcement teams of the Ministry of the Interior's tax department. They appear to be ordinary special police units. However, this is merely a smokescreen; typical special police units do not possess armored vehicles or rocket-propelled grenades.

The actual control of the Wild Chapters was held by the Regent and the Emperor, rather than being delegated to the bureaucratic delegation composed of mortals. The War Council's resolutions were passed very efficiently; these mortal officials, aside from some tasks requiring initiative, were essentially electronic stamps of the Emperor and Regent, offering no objections to their proposed bills.

The Political Consultative Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the War Council included delegations of provincial governors from various former Yugoslav states. They would propose bills to the Emperor and Regent that were favorable to the provinces under their control, but they did not have real administrative and military power. Their role was similar to that of the Senate and the House of Representatives, but without voting rights.

Correspondingly, Wakanda and the Martian Foundry held a higher position in this system than the provincial rulers. The emperor distrusted these elected officials, who had no ability other than competing for votes, and thus stripped the provinces of their military mobilization and administrative powers. Their role was to maintain the legitimacy of provincial control, a function that would weaken and eventually disappear over time, replaced by new officials from the lower ranks who would eventually become the rulers of the provinces.

While this system boasts high efficiency, its drawback lies in the fact that its flat management structure imposes an unbearable administrative burden on the regent and emperor. It's commonplace for both the emperor and the regent to wake up in the middle of the night to handle official business, and it's not uncommon for them to work for days on end without sleep. If it weren't for their supernatural abilities, anyone would have died from overwork in such a situation—fortunately, this situation is gradually improving with the discovery and promotion of talent, and the emperor and regent are unwilling to waste all their time on administration; they have more important matters to attend to.

The Royal Guard deeply infiltrates and oversees the entire system's operations. Its influence extends to the Regent's assassination squad, seats in the War Council, and the mobilization of regular troops within the Ministry of Military Affairs. Their duties include overseeing and managing administrative decision-making, anti-corruption campaigns, assassinations, military logistics, and law enforcement. Even the Wild Chapter's recent acquisition of the large-scale bombing authorization document was ultimately handled by the Royal Guard, acting as the Emperor's representatives, accompanying Silver Sablinova to the Ministry of Justice office. After the document was stamped with the Emperor's electronic seal, it was handed to the Wild Chapter, bypassing the decision-making processes of the Ministry of Justice and the War Council.

"So where's my lavish lunch? Where's my platinum caviar?" Silver Sablinova seemed very indignant. With almost no political sense, she obviously didn't realize the political implications of the Imperial Guard's accompaniment and the electronic seal. Generally, only the Regent and the Imperial Guard could earn the Emperor's trust in such a way, so it was quite special that Silver Sablinova and her Wild Order temporarily possessed such privileges.

If the Wild Chapters are forced to use their mass bombing authority and deploy weapons like cluster bombs, it means the situation is so dire that destructive measures must be taken to clean up the contamination. The Emperor's electronic seal signifies that all of the Wild Chapters' actions are within the bounds of legality, and whatever they do, the Emperor, not the Wild Chapters, is responsible.

But Silver Sablinova didn't see it that way. After the Emperor had previously persuaded (or threatened) her to abandon the warlordism of the Wild Warband, he had even taken her to sample the creative cuisine of a French chef brought in from the Immortal City. This relaxed atmosphere of equal exchange, like conversation between friends, was one of the reasons Silver Sablinova ultimately accepted the advice. Even though she knew that the Emperor and she could never be friends, the fact that even the pretense of friendship was no longer maintained greatly displeased "Silver Sable" Silver Sablinova.

“My lord has temporarily changed the plans. The report is complete; you can receive the appropriate service in the castle dining room,” Amon said calmly. He had intended to leave after leading Silver Sablinova to the dining room, but he stopped. “I don’t understand why you are dissatisfied, Lady Sablinova,” the guard said, bowing his head. He did indeed have many questions; after all, he had only recently joined the Guardians, and his past life had been nothing but training. For the Guardians, interpersonal relationships were not an emotional necessity, but rather a flat organizational structure that promoted independent thinking. “Tell me, I believe the Emperor will accept your suggestion; you are important to all of Latvinia.”

The Emperor carefully examined the map and bloodline genealogy of the Balkan vampires drawn by Wanda Maximoff, and then handed it over to Hammurabi for archiving. Hammurabi then passed it on to the intelligence officer of the Guardian Order, who classified the documents and then handed them over to the Order's scribes for copying and uploading.

Meanwhile, an order was issued from the Emperor's office. Approximately half an hour later, Victoria Hand, patrolling on the Sky Carrier, and the Fire Knights stationed on the North Macedonian border, would be able to access files within their authorized permissions in the database. Afterward, Victoria Hand could coordinate with the Wild Chapter to deploy ground attack aircraft to support the mission. Fire Knight Legion Commander Malcolm would, as ordered, dispatch a Fire Knight attack squadron to the Wild Chapter's military base to rendezvous with the Wild Chapter soldiers who would participate in the next clearing operation and conduct coordination training.

The process was somewhat cumbersome. Liaisons from the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of the Interior moved back and forth in the office, phones rang incessantly, and orders and messages were relayed to the desks of those in charge. By the time all this was completed, the Emperor had been working at his desk for over ten minutes. When he finally looked up, he saw Wanda Maximoff still sitting in the chair opposite him, a smile on her face. Since she hadn't entered the office through the normal entrance, most of the other department heads, except for a few with good memories who might recall seeing her on television, didn't recognize her.

"Would you like to come back to the manor together? Bayonetta would love for you to come and play with Milia there." The Emperor looked up, putting down the data tablet and command templates he used to issue instructions. "You've been in the underground research facility for far too long. I think you can rest for a few days at the manor; everything you need is there."

"Have lunch first," Wanda said with a smile. For some reason, she seemed happy; even the long hours of work hadn't dampened her spirits. "Your lunch break has already lasted twenty-three minutes, and you have to start work again in seven minutes. If I were to call Bayonetta right now, what do you think would happen?"

"When did you exchange phone numbers?" The Emperor blinked. He looked at Hammurabi, but the guard shook his head, indicating he knew nothing of what had happened at the Oxfordshire estate—it was the Emperor's private property. "How come I know nothing about it?"

"You underestimate the unspoken understanding between women, teacher. So I suggest you accept my proposal, have lunch first, and then we'll go to the manor after work today."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)