Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1345 Mandatory Resolution (First Update)

The Cheshire Cat can swear that it never instilled in Miria the idea that its owner left home to hunt. When Bayonetta held the phone next to its head, it immediately began to defend and repent to its owner's image, including how it knocked over the plates every morning, jumped on the sofa to sharpen its claws, and opened the refrigerator to steal fish.

It also barked loudly at Joan of Arc, accusing her of not being the only one who had secretly opened the refrigerator. Joan of Arc would also sneak ice cream at night, and when the Cheshire Cat, who liked to roam around late at night, discovered her, she would give her a scoop of ice cream and then, while the cat's brain was frozen, throw it out the window, where it would crash into the bushes. Although this angered the cat, the Cheshire Cat couldn't resist the sweet, milky smell emanating from the fat. It was a temptation that no cat could resist; just one bite, and past unpleasantness would be completely forgotten, and the next time the same thing happened, the same result would occur.

The Cheshire Cat realized he had been tricked.

The witch was playing a video of her master's phone call earlier, which she had already watched before, but she was busy enjoying the snacks the witch offered and completely forgot about it a few seconds later. Bayonetta put down her phone, turned around, and threw a pillow at Jeanne. Those ice creams were handmade ice creams the Emperor had brought back from all over the world; they had agreed to enjoy them on the windowsill after their pleasure. Jeanne hadn't been able to resist sneaking snacks and had accidentally, or rather, casually, stuffed the ice cream into her stomach, which was why Bayonetta was so angry when she discovered the ice cream was missing in the morning. However, the Emperor had already left for work and hadn't witnessed Bayonetta's unusually direct anger.

She spent the entire day trying to find the real culprit, and she monitored everyone who came near the refrigerator.

The Cheshire Cat immediately took advantage of the chaos, tucked its tail between its legs, and fled the scene, hiding behind Milia, who was holding a sponge sword. It watched with wide eyes as the pillow fight intensified in the living room. The girl was clearly disappointed because her adoptive father had promised to come home early to play "sword fighting" with her—a game using children's toy sponge swords to attack each other. The main purpose was to train Milia's ability to judge distance and her footwork. For a child who couldn't yet undergo extensive aggressive training, this experience would allow her to quickly master various close-combat techniques in the future and achieve excellent results in practical training. After all, distance judgment is the most basic yet most difficult skill to master in close combat; even the Emperor and the Witch frequently used it in their battles. They all hoped that Milia could excel in it.

However, they wouldn't put too much pressure on her now, and Milia simply treated it as a way to vent her energy through a competitive game. For the girl who was gradually becoming familiar with the manor and increasingly mischievous, this game was just another fun activity besides chasing sheep, hugging bear cubs, catching shrimp, and fishing every day. Although her adoptive father's absence made her a little disappointed, for a girl who looked six or seven years old but was actually only two or three, she would find ways to amuse herself, especially in the fleeting time before being forced to sit at the dinner table.

The Cheshire Cat that kept rubbing against her legs was her new toy.

Bayonetta kept sending him messages and pictures.

The initial image showed Milia chasing the Cheshire Cat around, brandishing a sponge sword. The gray cat was just a long, dark shadow in the photo, nothing visible except for its elongated, bright eyes. Next was a girl struggling and wailing in her arms, followed by Milia sitting dejectedly at the table with an equally dejected Joan of Arc, and then a smug selfie in front of them by Bayonita. The Emperor would occasionally glance at his data tablet, send a message to Bayonita, and put it down. He repeated this process every few minutes, even when there were no new messages, seemingly ignoring the reports from the Hungarian provincial officials.

However, this also relieved those people.

Some people had come into contact with the Emperor during the ceremony, when he personally landed in Budapest to carry out the decapitation strike, his imposing presence almost blinding. This is a statement, not a description; that night, illuminated by the sky filled with assault transport ships, the Emperor's face was indeed difficult to discern. However, this time the Emperor appeared to be just a taller, ordinary person. While he still exuded an indescribable aura of authority, it lacked the unapproachable, almost divine majesty of the past. Instead, there was an atmosphere of tranquility, like a towering, continuous mountain range covered in snow and black rock.

The emperor did not take away their original power; in fact, he eliminated all electoral competitors and granted them control over the entire Hungarian province. However, if their power failed to fulfill the duties bestowed upon them by the emperor, he could revoke it at any time. As expected, the official who couldn't live without powered armor, Regent Viktor von Dum, should have arrived at the former parliament building and current governor's residence in the Hungarian province, not the emperor wielding a sword and leading his royal guard.

The emperor did not accept excuses, weakness, or shirking responsibility; he only demanded that you fulfill your duties. If you could not, he would find someone capable to take your place. Although the Hungarian provinces had resisted the reorganization of the administrative departments, they were powerless to resist the overwhelming force initiated by the emperor. Many core departments and functions were replaced, and many departments were simply abolished or merged. It seemed that overnight, many people's positions were ranked, and the past practice of lobbying to promote a particular bill completely disappeared.

There was no lobbying, only commands and cooperation.

Although the EU, in an effort to divide Latvia, still refers to Hungary as a country rather than a province, it is no longer a democratic nation. In the eyes of some fools, the world is a struggle between autocracy and democracy; authoritarianism is seen as pure evil by many Europeans, yet they praise and admire historically ruthless tyrants, singing their praises. To others, the emperor is merely handling official business on a dashboard. However, everyone knows that a blizzard is about to strike the towering mountain peaks hidden behind the clouds—the emperor's schedule this afternoon was public, and the arrival of war criminals from the UN's former Yugoslav war tribunal in the royal capital was big news, generating a strong reaction in the Poh region and greatly displeasing the emperor. Now, no one knows how many people this storm will affect, or how widespread it will be.

Over 20,000 Romanian officials and civilians have been imprisoned and executed under the Emperor and Regent's purges, and this number continues to rise. While corruption, collusion between officials and businesses, and organized crime have been significantly reduced throughout Romania, many fear the Emperor will not stop his purges and may even intensify them. Learning from Romania's experience, officials in the Hungarian province worry that this could escalate to the scale of Stalin's purges in the Soviet Union, as the prepared arguments for Regent Viktor von Dum have proven completely ineffective against the Emperor.

"I need the provincial legislature to pass a resolution that all members must participate in the vote."

The Emperor only looked away from the data board after most of the high-ranking officials of the Hungarian province had entered his office. He had listened to reports for hours and reviewed investigative reports compiled by the Guardian Order's intelligence department, the defense intelligence department, and the Ministry of Justice's oversight committee. If he wanted, he could even hear the whispers some officials exchanged in bed with their lovers—no need for eavesdropping devices; smartphones were the best tool. Without a Faraday bag, even with the phones switched off, eavesdropping and surveillance were possible, and obtaining emails or recorded calls was effortless. These high-ranking officials were elected officials, essentially vote-getting machines rather than state tools; they weren't even aware of the latter, and therefore had no sense of secrecy whatsoever.

"Until the vote is completed, all functions will be temporarily performed by other officials," the Emperor said. "You will have water and bread, but that's all. I will wait here for your vote results."

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(End of this chapter)