I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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Unfortunately, I’m no longer planning to just take it lying down.

“Is there anything anyone wants to say? You all look a bit under the weather.”

It’s unavoidable, considering everyone’s age; after all, poor complexion can’t be helped.

“Your Majesty, I heard you’ve been the target of numerous bomb attacks recently.”

Well, isn’t that right? It’s not just one or two; it’s been a lot. Probably more than I faced before heading to the Middle East. Looking back, all I can think about is how I never want to feel that horrible pain again.

“Well, that’s true.”

Suddenly, I felt a sense of responsibility and turned my head away.

I’m sorry about that. Ahem. But it can’t be helped.

For me, that was the best I could do.

“That’s not just ‘true.’ This is quite dangerous.”

“Yes. No matter how fine you seem, we need to make sure that you won’t be targeted for attacks. If this continues, it could lead to strange precedents.”

Hearing it laid out like that, I can see their point.

Right. Whether I live or die, it ultimately ties back to the authority of the Tsar.

I faced countless terror attacks in the Middle East.

Just this fact alone would make the citizens anxious.

But then again, there won’t be much chance of that happening now.

I’m not some weirdo who takes pleasure in dying, nor am I someone who enjoys stabbing each other and trading blows for fun.

“Your Majesty, it’s time you settled down.”

Settled down? I am already settled down.

“Settled down? If someone heard that, they’d think I’m wandering around without a purpose.”

It’s not like I’m doing this on purpose.

I would have liked to be as considerate as possible, but I’m not going to stabilize everything and wash my identity to end up as Anastasia II or III.

I hope the world gets a little better, at least.

In that sense, I will take a look around the world.

Only after that, when things have settled, will I be able to have some fun.

“Nonetheless, Your Majesty, you are the Tsar of this country.”

“Moreover, you have already accomplished enough to leave a mark for a thousand years.”

Oh my, a thousand-year mark.

Saying that makes me feel incredibly embarrassed.

Of course, it’s true that I’ve dealt with those who dared oppose the Rome Treaty by now, but still, there’s no denying the feeling.

If it bothers you, wouldn’t it be better to pressure Vladimir to ascend? Then I would be comfortable, and the Duma would be too; it would be great.

I really need to be careful not to actually become the Emperor of Humanity.

I have dreams of leisurely traveling to Romanov villas around the world.

In that case, this trip to Japan would be the first step.

Western Japan has been developing its tourism industry quite a bit.

It seems like the tourism industry is being pushed by Western Japan. It looks like they’re making efforts to bring in cash from everywhere.

From that perspective, I can give them some credit.

“Your Majesty, are you really going to Japan?”

Why? Is it strange that I want to go to Japan?

But after this trip to Japan, isn’t it time for some manned spacecraft to be launched soon?

“Wouldn’t it be about time to launch those spacecraft after your return?”

Around that time, won’t they be launching those spacecraft?

I can enjoy a trip to Japan while also getting work done. I’m not going there just to work. I plan to have some fun while I’m at it.

Last time, I went to Korea, so this time, how about crossing the sea to Japan towards Primorsky Krai?

“Still, Japan is really far.”

“Isn’t it close if you take the train from Siberia? You could ride the train straight to Vladivostok and then head straight to Western Japan by sea.”

Either way, getting there by the Siberian train wouldn’t take long, would it?

Then, surprisingly, it might be quick.

I prefer to just stay in Moscow, but I can’t afford to leave things in limbo.

“Whether you can call it quick is debatable.”

Having been there several times already, I strangely feel nothing at all.

I used to enjoy the apocalypse world in the original history too; it’s all too predictable.

“You need to directly support Mutaguchi Renya to prevent unrest in Japan.”

Preventing the upcoming unrest in advance. But I’m curious about that.

How warmly will our Mr. Morozov embrace me upon my arrival!

“Your Majesty, that is absolutely not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Supporting him from here through radio or television would be enough. It’s not fitting for His Majesty, the Emperor of Rome, to travel all the way to those faraway islands. This has already been raised several times from the Roman Headquarters. More than anything, wouldn’t it be more symbolic for Your Majesty to do it than for Grand Duke Vladimir?”

So, I’m supposed to tell Vladimir to ascend the throne.

Seriously, how long do I have to stay here?

I was about to say something, but everyone looked so exhausted that I kept my mouth shut.

This is why the Puppet Emperor is bad; you can’t do what you want freely.

“Tch. What a shame.”

I clicked my tongue and puffed out my cheeks.

Does this mean I really won’t be going?

Alright, let’s think positively. It’s probably not a good idea for the Roman Emperor to go and hug people personally.

As a representative of the Rome Treaty, I’ll express my admiration for Mutaguchi Renya’s judgment publicly on air.

I can also state that I’m providing the necessary support for peaceful reunification.

But, you know.

Seeing them trying so hard to dissuade me makes me think there’s something else going on.

The Duma isn’t full of fools; they must know that Asia is safe.

“But if they’re going to this extent to stop me, doesn’t that mean something’s going on in Europe?”

That’s the feeling I’m getting, isn’t it?

Just when I was finishing up things in the Middle East, are they stirring trouble in Europe again?

“It’s not so much trouble as it is a bit delicate. Originally, this is not something Your Majesty needs to worry about personally.”

Still, I need to evaluate it.

If I evaluate it at all, I’ll have to confirm what’s going on.

Anyway, I decided to check what the news was.

“Your Majesty, today’s agenda is about this.”

Today’s agenda is directly related to France.

France is part of the Rome Treaty Organization, but its condition doesn’t seem great.

They’ve integrated Algeria, but what’s the problem?

Is it because the mainland is split up by Britain and they’ve lost Burgundy?

Honestly, Burgundy has already declared its independence from France.

“France and Burgundy? Now, it seems there’s only the Self-Defense Forces left, right?”

What can a bunch of Self-Defense Forces do?

They’re already separated and part of the Rome Treaty.

Even if they harbor grievances, what can they do?

Burgundy has also been quietly pushed from behind.

“They’re apparently saying they need to establish one France. Of course, Burgundy is resolutely refusing. But I believe they’ve made several requests for unification to the Rome Treaty Organization.”

“One France, huh?”

But that’s just not feasible.

Has France gone backstabbing one too many times?

Ah, of course, it may only feel like one or two times from our perspective, but the revolutionary country of France! It still carries an image of treachery.

It’s been years and they’re already clamoring for unification. We need to lock things in, dividing between France and Burgundy while keeping them within the confines of Rome.

“And there’s also the issue of rebuilding the devastated Paris.”

“Well, that’s good. Paris needs rebuilding.”

It seems they’ll have to spend quite a bit of money to restore the crushed Eiffel Tower and so on.

“However, the cost of the reconstruction won’t be trivial.”

“That’s for sure. It’s all because of General Pétain, isn’t it?”

Why is everyone looking at me so strangely?

Isn’t it General Pétain who dropped the nuclear bomb? I didn’t do anything of the sort! The French dropped it on their own capital while riding their planes.

The most damage we caused was to Belgrade in Yugoslavia, Sendai in Japan, and Nanjing.

“More than that, recently.”

“Recently?”

“I’ve heard there have been ground issues, and it seems several million bones have fallen in the catacombs. It’s confirmed that many from the French Commune living there have died.”

Were the French beggars living there?

“Ground issues, you say?”

That’s horrifying. If the catacombs are in ruins due to ground issues, does that mean the skulls are all visible or something?

What’s certain is that the catacombs must have collapsed, and all those bones that were packed in there are now mixed on the ground.

“Perhaps it’s from the recent nuclear bomb’s aftermath? Not to mention that during the Battle of Paris, our shelling mainly affected the land where the catacombs were located, weakening the ground.”

“How could General Pétain make such a decision that leads to this outcome? Tsk tsk.”

Under General Pétain’s firm decision, communism was wiped out, resulting in such consequences.

The catacombs are where millions of skulls are located.

All due to that terrifying old man Pétain causing this calamity!

What if the bomb wasn’t dropped there? Who knows what could happen instead?

In that agenda, I read about the part regarding Paris’ reconstruction and the victims buried in these catacombs.

The number of deceased is surprisingly high, isn’t it?

“Commune? By any chance…”

“Victims of the bombing in the last war. They lived in the catacombs.”

So, the bomb victims were living in the catacombs.

How pitiful indeed.

Isn’t it something to be especially miserable to live in such a place?

One should live according to common sense. I don’t think I could live in a place like that, no matter how close to dying I might be.

Or did they just voluntarily go for a grave?

“Common sense dictates that if one wanted to continue living, they would typically know they were destined to die but still would run out of the city to ask to be saved, right?”

If they managed to keep living in the catacombs like that, it feels like they’re determined not to give up on the revolution, even if they end up like this. Couldn’t it be?

They brought this on themselves, after all.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What a true red ending for them. They brought it upon themselves. Be sure to process the radioactive corpses with lead, since they might just spew radiation.”

It’s not that serious, but we should treat them appropriately while warning about the danger.

Those dead reds could be leaky radiation machines, so let’s just coat them in lead and firmly warn about the dangers of the atomic.

“I’ve heard that even red weapons were discovered.”

“So they were planning to jump out and harass us over there.”

“Yes, just in case. They already found operational plans, dates, basic supplies of water and food. It seems the surviving reds have been using this to stay alive.”

How pathetic.

Would anyone really want to do that in a graveyard full of skulls?

I’ve heard that scale is truly vast.

The French really baffle me.

“Isn’t it absurd that catacombs exist in the first place? Why was such a thing built? It looks like they stacked up skeletons.”

“There must be some peculiar aesthetic sensibility unique to the French that we don’t understand.”

Honestly, I don’t completely grasp it either.

It came about as a result of urban beautification policies that merged all of Paris’ cemeteries.

Plus, when you add the Black Death into the mix, it gets even crazier.

I can’t say it’s completely unjustifiable.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s unexceptional.

“If that aesthetic sense further develops, we’ll have ourselves a catacomb built for the living. Hahahaha!”

The White Army mocked the French sense of aesthetics.

If they renovate it, it might be even funnier. The area of those catacombs is far larger than expected.

Reflecting on this, I felt something strange.

What if there are still some unscathed survivors inside?

Real red comrades, you know?

“Seriously, are there no reds genuinely fighting against us?”

“There haven’t been any that I know of. But most of them were buried alive in the catacombs. Of course, the exact numbers are still being determined.”

But they do claim they handled all those.

“The communes left now are just real victims of radiation exposed to fallout, roaming around the areas that haven’t been buried yet.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Man, would I really want to walk around in that skull-filled graveyard?

Punished communes and skull-filled graveyards. A fitting duo.

“What about the existing survivors from Paris? I mean the ones who survived outside when the bomb went off.”

I originally just left it to France, but I’m curious what happened to them.

“Most have been processed, except for a few.”

“You’re not saying they just killed them all, are you?”

That would be a bit risky, no matter what.

Even if it’s all Pétain’s doing, this is unacceptable from a Rome Treaty perspective.

It’s not much different from what uncivilized nations do.

Paris, while practically going through the reconstruction entrusted to the Rome Treaty Organization, still required the French government to handle the remaining citizens.

“The French government has isolated them to live in the suburbs of Paris, providing only drinking water and food.”

Goodness. They’re being too dismissive of their own people. Tsk tsk, I should have seen this coming when they decided to drop the bomb.