49 Apocalypse Rules

"Princess, am I coming with you?"

Sikokun looked at the magnificently dressed Yelena before her. Today was her grandmother’s birthday, and they were holding a family banquet to celebrate.

Yelena gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Meticulously dressed for the occasion, she was even more radiant than usual.

"Just drop me off at the manor," Yelena said. "You know what my grandmother is like. She’s always preferred peace and quiet."

"Yes."

Yelena’s grandmother was famous in Sisiya’s highest circles for her eccentric temper. It was hard for others to imagine that someone of her status and wealth would only have one or two maids and a gardener by her side.

Meanwhile, people in Sisiya one or two ranks below her had households with at least a double-digit number of servants.

"So, does that mean that besides you, Princess, the only others at the birthday banquet will be Madam Konia and your brother and father?"

"That’s right."

"I will wait at the manor gate," Sikokun said. "If anything happens, contact me immediately. I’ll be at your side in an instant."

"Anything happens?" Yelena looked at Sikokun’s reflection behind her. "It’s just a birthday banquet. What could happen?"

"You know it’s early December. We’re in a critical period. Even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we must be careful."

"...Right. I’m ready. Let’s go."

The two left the residence, and Sikokun drove Yelena to one of the Konia Clan’s manors.

On the way, Yelena said, "We’ve done well lately. In terms of handling official business, including our contacts with certain personnel, we should be ahead of my brother."

"Yes," Sikokun said. "Your support within the circles is quite high now. If all goes as expected, you will be the one to take over Mr. Konia’s position on the first of next month."

Yelena gazed out the car window. Although she was only seventeen, being born into a family like hers had given her a psychological maturity far beyond her years.

Just then, she saw some Sisiyans on the street outside, drinking and taking deep breaths, their expressions rapturous.

Yelena’s gaze shifted. "Sikokun, there are a lot of people in Sisiya affected by the spores, aren’t there?"

"Yes, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Even the ever-strict North Star can’t handle this rule. A nation of drunkards like ours stands even less of a chance."

"..."

Yelena was reluctant to admit it, but Sisiya was a country where nearly everyone drank, from men to women, old to young.

At least half of all adults had a serious drinking problem.

Excessive drinking undoubtedly fogs the mind. Now, with the added influence of the spores, the consequences were sure to be disastrous.

But a dependence on alcohol was etched into the very bones of the Sisiyan people. The country’s climate was too cold. Many people didn’t drink because they enjoyed the taste, but simply to warm their bodies.

Following this example, it only took a generation or two for drinking to become an inherited way of life.

"The North Star’s response was to set up management zones." Sikokun laughed, her tone cold. "Probably in preparation for mass executions."

"Mass executions..."

"I guarantee it, Princess. If the Parasites turn into some kind of monster in the future, the North Star will eliminate the threat immediately. You know how efficient they’ve always been."

"If the Parasites are monsters that threaten humanity, then that course of action is justifiable," Yelena said, not objecting.

"True. We should probably do the same, but..." Sikokun shrugged. "There are too many people here who’ve accepted the spores. We couldn’t possibly round them all up."

"Besides, our government departments are too inefficient," Yelena said with a frown. "Even small matters get delayed again and again."

"I heard that over in Soloma, they’ve completely replaced their law enforcement with robots," Sikokun mentioned. "It was probably for efficiency’s sake. After all, besides obeying orders, robots don’t overthink things, don’t do more than they’re told, and certainly won’t intentionally drag their feet... Maybe all the countries in the Human Federation will do the same in the future."

"..."

’Replace all of law enforcement with robots?’

Yelena couldn’t agree with such an approach.

It meant that if a decision-maker gave a wrong order, robots that executed it without a second thought would only cause irreversible, disastrous consequences.

"There’s one more thing. I just received this news today," Sikokun said. "Soloma and the North Star have postponed the launch dates for their two manned rockets to next January."

"Are they worried about the influence of the rule?"

"Yes. The concern is that the astronauts might be parasitized. As you know, if something were to happen in space, the people on the ground would be completely helpless."

They talked, and ten minutes later, a rustic-style manor came into view.

Sikokun drove to the main gate, got out, and opened the car door for Yelena.

"Remember what I said before we left, Princess." Sikokun once again pointed to the purple stud on Yelena’s right earlobe, which concealed a portable communication device.

"Contact me immediately if anything happens. Also, if the signal is lost for more than fifteen seconds, I’m coming in right away."

"Understood."

Yelena walked into the manor. Sikokun watched her go, then suddenly raised her gaze and glanced at one of the manor’s windows.

Behind the window, Rijeka lowered his binoculars and snorted. "What a sharp one."

"Lord Rijeka, has your sister entered the manor?"

From the shadows in the corner of the room, Rijeka’s confidant, Gaelic, asked.

"Yes. She came in by herself, but that woman, Sikokun, is waiting at the manor gate. She must not trust the situation. And it seems she saw me."