Unlimited Ambition

I sighed softly, secretly regretting why I hadn't knocked her unconscious with a stick back then and brought her back to the Chinese Federation.

I nodded and said, "If it is your request, I am willing. I can save Japan for the sake of the Crimson Moon Lotus."

Hua Lian had just breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn't hear me tell her to get up, so she remained kneeling.

Two hours later, I sighed deeply, stood up, and helped her up.

“You are not Hua Lian,” I said.

She looked at me, not understanding what I meant.

“If it were Hua Lian, she would stand up on her own,” I explained. “What’s standing in front of me now is nothing more than a walking corpse wearing her skin.”

Hua Lian wanted to say something more, but found her body suddenly cold, as if all her strength had been used up. Looking down, she saw her lonely Heaven-Reliant Sword.

"I don't want to see you again, you masked zombie."

Hua Lian's mouth opened and closed, but she didn't say anything more. As I drew my sword, she fell silently to the ground.

"Someone come here." I took out a silk handkerchief and gently wiped the bloodstains off the sword.

Several maids came out upon hearing this. They showed no surprise at seeing Hua Lian lying on the ground.

“Carry her down and bury her next to the lonely cemetery… The inscription on the tombstone reads, ‘Tomb of my beloved wife, Hongyuehualian.’”

Several maids bowed and then took Hua Lian's body away.

"Dead? Whether in spirit or body, I killed him." I muttered to myself, shaking my head and giving a bitter smile.

Chapter Forty: The Division of the EU

The situation in Japan was quickly resolved. Following central arbitration, it was decided that Todo and Katase would serve as the first prime ministers of eastern and western Japan, respectively, for four-year terms, with a maximum of three consecutive terms. After their terms ended, the future of Japan would be decided by a collective vote of the Japanese people.

Meanwhile, due to the recent war in Japan, there is a severe population shortage. The Chinese Federation has decided to organize official immigration to the Japanese archipelago to replenish Japan's population. At the same time, a large military base will be built in Japan to guard against a potential resurgence of Britannia.

Another appendix states: The Fuji Sakura Mine is nationalized. Private individuals are prohibited from any mining operations; violators will be sentenced to death and all their property will be confiscated.

Todo and Katase then realized that they had fought so hard that they almost caused the Yamato people to become extinct—but in the end, I got all the benefits.

Originally, Todo had hoped to use Hualian's relationship with me to have her put in a good word for me, but a few days later, news came that the special envoy from Western Japan had behaved inappropriately during his meeting with the Prince of Wei and had been tortured. Todo gasped in shock, thinking: The wolf of the far north is so cold-blooded; there's probably no room for maneuver in this matter.

After that, he became disheartened and began to give up.

Katase was even worse; when his demands were not met, he secretly contacted Britannia. When the truth was eventually revealed, he was beaten to death by an enraged Britannian populace.

But these are minor matters; I don't have time to worry about them. Kaguya, too, is disheartened and has given up on her plans to revive the Japanese Imperial Family. Her greatest wish now is to conceive successfully, preferably a boy. She's been trying incredibly hard every night.

Incidentally, Kagura and Tenshi get along quite well. Perhaps it's because they're both lolis and belong to the same race?

Besides, I also brought C.C. and Violetta into the Forbidden City. C.C. remains locked in the basement. Violetta, on my recommendation, became a lady-in-waiting to the emperor, occasionally sharing his workload (in bed).

And so, everything in the Chinese Federation returned to normal. Under the blessing of the Geass aura, they diligently healed the wounds inflicted by the civil war and accumulated strength.

Oh, speaking of Geass, it seems the negative effects CC mentioned have already begun. Now, my left eye is naturally in Geass mode without me even needing to activate it. This feeling is quite nice, as if everyone around me has suddenly turned into treacherous officials who only report good news and hide the bad—but these treacherous officials don't embezzle or accept bribes, working 28 hours a day, 16 days a week. They're absolutely working themselves to the bone.

At this rate, I think the Chinese Federation's national strength will surpass that of Brittany in just a few years.

However, there was one thing that made me uneasy: Black's whereabouts were unknown.

Although Japan was in chaos during the war, and countless people died without leaving their names, I don't believe he was someone who would die so easily. CC must have possessed a lot of intelligence, but unfortunately, after discussing Black with her, she turned on me and wouldn't say a word. Every time, she infuriates me, and I almost forced myself on her.

And so, a year later, both Brittany and the Chinese Federation had healed their wounds. The two behemoths exchanged a glance, sensing that neither was easy to mess with. But wolves need to eat meat, so what could they do? As a result, both set their sights on the EU.

The EU is now in its twilight years. After losing much of Africa to Britannia, its resources are dwindling. It's barely surviving now, relying solely on its long-standing foundations. The fighting along the El Alamein front was devastating; the EU almost couldn't even afford compensation for its fallen soldiers.

This time, they've been targeted by both Brittany and the Chinese Federation. It's clear to everyone that the EU is finished.

The EU's territory is far larger than the Japanese archipelago. Brittany knows that it's currently a three-way power struggle—two strong and one weak. It can't afford to take everything for itself. Therefore, the Imperial Chancellor, Schneider, contacted me beforehand, saying that we should discuss where to start and how to divide the spoils.

So both sides decided to choose a place to have a proper talk. But as mentioned before, I wouldn't feel at ease going to Brittany without bringing an army of tens of millions. Schneider felt the same way. And so, the two sides negotiated over a location. This negotiation lasted for nearly a month. In the end, neither side got impatient, and they finally settled on a location—the Pacific Ocean, where each side would send their battleships there, so neither side would suffer a loss.

And so, the two sides met. After their fleets collided and exchanged congratulatory messages, the two yachts simultaneously approached at 5 km/h. Having recently honed my inner strength, my eyesight was exceptionally sharp, and I spotted it immediately. Standing at the bow was not the prince on a white horse I had imagined, but rather Princess Cornelia of Britain, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

The ship drew a little closer, and Cornelia spotted me, but made no comment and went back to her cabin.

Seeing his younger sister return listlessly, Schneider, despite their fierce rivalry over the crown prince position, felt a pang of sympathy and couldn't help but secretly resent his sister.

It's not good for a girl to be constantly brandishing weapons. She's almost thirty and still has no prospects… Sigh, it's so worrying. She's a failure as a person, and even more so as a woman. Men are all like children, they need to be coaxed—and Cao Mengde is both a man and a child. He needs a mature and charming woman like you to comfort him. But look at you, you're acting like a child too, sulking with him. Do you think you can win?

When the two yachts slowly came together, I ran across the gangplank and entered the Brittany conference room—but Cornelia was nowhere to be seen.

This made me a little angry, and I snorted inwardly. The ensuing negotiations were extremely uncooperative. They glared at me coldly, finding fault with everything. Then Schneider asked, "My friend, you're a professional soldier; you're the most qualified to speak on how to fight this war."

I'm thinking about how to fight. It would be best if you guys fought first, and then I'll go in after you're done.

That's exactly what I was thinking. But then I said it in an unusually "tactful" way.

But Brittany wasn't stupid either. They said: "We'll fight together, on the same day, at the same hour, at the same minute, at the same second—we'll declare war together. That's what I call fair." I chuckled: "Hahaha, you Brittany have been fighting the EU for so many years, and you've never seemed so cautious before. Why are you so timid this time?"

Schneider smiled without saying a word, inwardly cursing, "If the Prime Minister of the Chinese Federation were still that dead eunuch, would I need to care about you? Just do what you're supposed to do. After destroying the EU, you'll be next."

However, this empty talk didn't last long. The two sides eventually signed an agreement. Of course, it's still a secret agreement; it won't be announced until three months later, after both sides' armies have completed their mobilization—along with it, the first wave of intercontinental ballistic missiles from both sides will be sent to the EU.

"In other words, the Iberian Peninsula, France, the British Isles, Iceland, Morocco, and the Apennine Peninsula belong to Brittany;

Russia, Poland, the Baltic states, the Balkans, Scandinavia, and Turkey belong to the Chinese Federation. Germany, based on its own capabilities, will use the de facto military demarcation line as its future border. Is that correct?

I nodded, acknowledging Schneider's statement.

“And what about Egypt?” Schneider asked.

I rubbed my nose: "Egypt belongs to us."

“No! Egypt is extremely important to us; it is the result of years of fierce fighting,” Schneier refused.

"Can't we just give up what we've gained after years of hard work?" I asked rhetorically.

Upon hearing me mention this, all the Bretons present looked rather grim. The situation with the Japanese archipelago was indeed unfortunate, yet the final outcome was exactly as I predicted. Bretonia lost the territory it had gained through years of fierce fighting. And what subsequently swallowed Japan was none other than the greedy wolf sitting right before them.

"Brittania will never back down, no matter what!" Schneier said resolutely.

"Since that's the case, then I'm willing to take another step back and use the current El Alamein front as the border, how about that?" I chuckled and said something that was just as embarrassing as before.

As a result, a few impulsive Breton officers, in a fit of rage, tried to rush over and beat me up. That's not how you insult someone. Bretonia has been fighting at El Alamein for ten years without making any progress. The entire Breton military is ashamed of this. The whole army is burning with rage, wanting to defeat El Alamein and wash away this humiliation.

So what are you saying, that we should use this battle line as our border? Doesn't that mean that even if we wipe out the EU, we still won't be able to cross this battle line? Killing someone is one thing, but you're taking lives.

I chuckled coldly, watching the group of red-faced, throbbing Breton officers, thinking: Charge at me, charge at me and I'll have a reason to draw my sword.

Unexpectedly, instead of the Britannian officers rushing over, someone I couldn't draw my sword pushed open the conference room door.

"Brother Schneider! We absolutely cannot agree to him!!" Standing at the door was Cornelia, my ex-fiancée who had just been hiding from me.

"Cornelia?!" Schneize and I exclaimed simultaneously, one with joy and the other with fear. I was joyful to finally see her in person. Schneize, however, was afraid that his younger sister's fiery temper might disrupt the negotiations.

"The Alamein front is where countless of our heroes perished! Even for their sake, we cannot surrender Egypt to others! Brother, do you intend to betray our country again, like the Japanese archipelago?" Cornelia's voice was sharp and stern, her words carrying immense weight. Schneider was rendered speechless.

Although even if Schneider hadn't voluntarily ceded the Japanese archipelago that time, Britannia wouldn't have been able to hold onto the exclave and would have had to pay a price of millions of troops, the general public was short-sighted. They only saw Schneider selling out his territory, but didn't realize how many Britannian soldiers he had saved.

Once the label of traitor is put on you, it's hard to get rid of it. Schneider smiled bitterly, speechless.

Chapter 41 The Day the True Demon King Awakens

Enough, enough. It's just a tiny Egypt. It doesn't produce cherry blossoms or gold. I'll give it to you.

I'm doing this for your sake.

I looked at Cornelia and sighed softly: "Just as Princess Cornelia said, I am willing to cede Egypt to your country."

To my surprise, Cornelia was not appreciative at all: "Egypt was won by our soldiers through bloody battles and has nothing to do with your country."

I laughed, but there was a hint of resentment in my laughter: "Is that so? Completely unrelated, what a fine example of completely unrelated." Then I stood up: "In that case, let the representatives of both sides sign, and I'll be leaving after that."

Schneider sighed inwardly, naturally understanding the second meaning of my "completely unrelated" statement. Seeing that I was about to leave, he advised, "We have prepared a banquet; it's not too late for you to go after you've eaten."

I shook my head and teased, "Brother, you really dare to keep me here? Aren't you afraid people will say that you're befriending foreign ministers with ulterior motives?"

Schneider smiled wryly and remained silent, then stopped trying to persuade him.

So, we printed out two secret agreements, which were signed by both of us. Afterwards, the two sides shook hands one by one. Only when it was Cornelia's turn, seeing her reluctantly extend her hand, did I snort, withdraw my hand, and turn away. Leaving her there almost made me lose my temper.

“Sister, it’s not that I’m criticizing you, but you really went a bit too far in this matter…” After I returned to our ship with my entourage, Schneider sighed softly and turned to say a few words of advice to his sister.

“Brother, there’s no need for further words. He also shares in the fate of our soldiers who died in Japan.” Cornelia feigned disdain, but her heart ached terribly.

"Quick-acting heart medicine! Does anyone have quick-acting heart medicine?! Quickly, bring it to me!!"

When I got back to my ship and saw that the Britannians were out of sight, I suddenly fell to the ground, clutching my chest and screaming.

“That master… that medicine won’t work for angina.” It was Viletta who said this. She had been taking care of me (and warming my bed) during my time at sea.

"Whatever." I lay down on the deck. Immediately afterwards, I felt dizzy and "fell asleep."

※※※

When I woke up again, everything around me was a white blur. Thank goodness it wasn't a morgue. At least I wasn't dead. I straightened up, stretched my arms and legs, and felt pretty good.

A quick mental recollection brought back memories of that day. I felt a surge of resentment towards Cornelia for her heartlessness. Touching my stomach, I realized I was a little hungry. Looking around, I realized this wasn't the ship's cabin. They must have already returned home. That means several days had passed. No wonder.

With that in mind, I pressed the doorbell next to the hospital bed.

"Master..." The first to rush in was Viletta, on the verge of tears. It's ironic considering she was a completely different person before her breakdown.

Immediately after, the princess and Kagura ran in, surrounding me and asking after me. The princess, in particular, clung to me and wouldn't let go. She's fifteen years old, but she's still like a little kid.

Looking at these women surrounding me, for some reason, I thought of CC again. Should I let her out? If I did, would she also surround me like the little girls at times like this?

After a short while, Tenshi and Kagura continued to tease me. Viletta, however, seemed to have thought of something. She went outside and returned a moment later with a bowl of rice porridge.

The emperor glanced at her weakly and handed the bowl to the little princess. The little princess accidentally broke the bowl. And then, tragically, I was the one who ended up being the one comforting the little princess.

Okay, thinking about Schneider's situation a year ago when the incident happened on Kageshima, I feel much better. There are plenty of people in this world whose lives are more tragic than mine. What do I have to be afraid of?

After fussing around for a while, I finally managed to eat something and regain some strength. The little princess wanted to stay with me, but Kagura persuaded her to stop, telling me to rest. The little princess thought for a moment and then told me to come see her first once I was better. Only after receiving a positive reply did she reluctantly leave.

I'm sorry, little girl, I lied to you.

After confirming that they had really left, I jumped out of bed, checked myself again to make sure I was alright, and then happily pushed open the door to the ward—oh, so I'm still in my Wei Prince's mansion. It's just that this consultation room hasn't been opened since it was built. That's why I didn't know.

"Oh, I see. Setting this up is really convenient." I thought to myself as I walked to the basement door... "Where's the guard?"

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me. I immediately opened the basement door, rushed inside, and then entered the password at the door to the room where CC was being held. The massive alloy door slowly opened…

No need to guess anymore, I looked at the wall next to me with a huge hole in it. I almost fainted again. In a daze, I walked into the basement. I could faintly smell blood. I squatted down and rubbed some clotted blood between my fingers... This smell, hmm, it's definitely CC's, it smells like pizza.