"Woof… Bark!"
Pochita leapt onto Makima's shoulder, baring its teeth and growling at the five Cabinet ministers.
Makima nodded calmly. "Mhm, I understand."
Ishida Kentaro, Prime Minister, frowned in confusion. She had been so fierce a moment ago—had she really submitted that quickly? Well, it made sense. This was how Makima should have been all along. Yet she continued sitting upright, with no intention of standing.
"If you understand, why aren't you standing?" Ishida Kentaro asked, struggling to maintain composure. As a high-ranking official, he had to project authority even while seething with anger.
Makima's sneer was icy. "Ishida, was I talking to you?"
Clink—
Her index finger extended, and an invisible Control Chain shot out from her fingertip. In an instant, it pierced Ishida Kentaro's forehead. Makima had been responding to Pochita's words: "These Cabinet ministers are pests. Strike hard. For Cael's sake, use Control."
Ishida Kentaro froze, drooling and babbling like a puppet. The other four ministers' eyes widened. Though they couldn't see the Control Chains, they understood something terrifying had occurred.
"Makima! What are you doing?!" Toma Shin, Minister of Defense, roared in fury.
Yuki Tomoda, Chief Cabinet Secretary, clutched his head, glasses nearly falling. "Are you insane? Release Prime Minister Kentaro immediately! He is the highest-ranking official in Japan!"
Tadashi Hasegawa, Minister of Finance, shouted weakly, his voice hollow.
"I told you not to sign contracts with devils! Divine punishment… divine punishment is here! Ahahaha!" Yuki Tomoda crawled under the table, sobbing, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Makima noticed someone preparing countermeasures. "Heh, turns out more than one person wants to die."
Several Control Chains shot from her fingers, piercing the foreheads of the remaining ministers. Their movements froze. Now, all were under her control. No, dogs at least have value; these men were pests plotting against Cael. Unforgivable. They had to die.
"Ishida Kentaro, Shinji Sakagami, Tadashi Hasegawa, Toma Shin—you four, bite your tongues and commit suicide immediately."
"As you command…" The men replied dazedly.
Snap!
In an instant, all four bit off their own tongues. Blood poured from their mouths, their faces twisted in agony, and they collapsed one by one. Without medical attention, death came quickly.
Tap, tap, tap… Only Yuki Tomoda remained, shivering under the table. His suit trousers were darkened—Makima's actions had terrified him utterly.
"Yuki Tomoda, stand up," Makima commanded, voice calm but carrying undeniable authority.
"Okay… okay, I'll listen… just don't kill me…" He crawled out, trembling, kept his head down, and dared not look at her.
"Look at me."
"Okay…"
The roles had reversed completely. Yuki Tomoda realized the harsh truth: in this world, devil power eclipsed political power. His four colleagues were dead because they were fools, scheming with a tiger and paying the price. Ishida Kentaro had been blinded by greed, daring to make a contract with Makima.
The Control Devil was already terrifying, but the contract had elevated her almost to godhood. The contract stipulated that any attack on Makima would harm Japanese citizens instead. One citizen alive, Makima could not die. Over a hundred million layers of protection. The planned assassination by Sawatari Akane was a joke. Makima's only cost was to serve the Cabinet, handling devil incidents and maintaining social order in Japan.
Makima rested her chin on Pochita, speaking softly. "Mr. Tomoda, you are a smart man."
"Is… is that so…" Yuki Tomoda stammered, frozen.
She continued brushing Pochita's fur. "I clearly killed Ishida Kentaro, yet did not violate the contract. Do you know why?"
"I… I don't know."
"The object of my contract was the prime minister. That position is important for Japan. Ishida Kentaro no longer met that condition. I merely eliminated a pest."
"I… I see…" Tomoda wiped sweat frantically.
Makima stood and paced. "I've checked your records. You are steady, 44 years old, Christian, divorced ten years ago, raising your only daughter alone. Even in a position of power, you have not used it for personal gain. Simple, honest. You shall be the new prime minister."
Tomoda's sweat ran cold. He didn't want to be caught in this storm, but she knew everything about him. This wasn't a suggestion—it was an order. Devils override power; obedience was survival. He nodded.
Makima glanced at the four corpses. "As the new prime minister, you can handle this mess, right?"
"Of… of course." Tomoda sat and drafted a statement for the Kyoto Asahi Shimbun:
Shocking! High-ranking cabinet members Ishida Kentaro, Shinji Sakagami, Tadashi Hasegawa, Toma Shin, and others exposed in a massive corruption scandal! Directly-affiliated Devil Hunter Makima revealed their crimes! Witnessing their exposure, the four committed suicide in their office out of fear!
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Patreon = _Zeph