(Removed for KU) TtOW! - Chapter 127 - Terminate the Scheme!

Author’s Note:

Political scheme, terminated!

So at first, I wanted 00P to sweat a bit more. I was hoping to have Estrith get provoked and get in trouble for acting violently (with the dirty guards onsite conveniently ‘forgetting’ to mention the whole trafficked pup situation), Balbus would have her arrested and try to turn opinion in the Senate against ‘the violent barbarians attacking innocent merchants’ as a result, while 00P would struggle to figure out how to help Estrith while maintaining cordial relations with the Empire (and so respecting local laws), only for Agedia to show up with the evidence and turn the situation on Balbus instead. 00P would further realize vulnerability to situations where she may not want to immediately terminate her foes and so have some growth from this.

Only…it didn’t work. I couldn’t think of a legitimate reason to remove Estrith from 00P’s side without 00P following along close enough to intervene and there’s nothing really a politician could do to force them to separate. And I couldn’t think of a way to produce the scenario if 00P is actually present when the altercation happens.

So I gave up, and decided to go with the OP isekai protagonist solves the issue with their cheat skills instead! Yay OP cheat powers making political schemes entirely irrelevant! I mean, I was struggling to even think of a scheme that could possibly have any effect on a super OP cyborg with diplomatic immunity and absolutely no concern for her public image beyond maintaining access to the library. Provoking Estrith into violent assault with a kidnapped Dobhar pup was the best I could come up with that wouldn’t either just fail outright or result in immediate termination. Well, schemes that result in immediate termination could hypothetically complicate 00P's relationship with the Empire, but then the schemer has to be willing to get terminated or be stupid enough to believe that they won't get terminated.

Eh, well, not sure I’m fully happy with how this played out but the story goes on either way!

It also feels a bit strange to have an anti-slavery Roman Empire, but eh I find the way slavery is handled to be one of the more troubling aspects of many isekais, and I didn't really want to address that aspect in this story...binding magical dungeon contracts and invasive cybernetic implants aside. I do, in fact, have a lore reason why fantasy Rome doesn't like slavery (a lot of pre-Empire human civilization started as slave revolts against demon lords and elvish empires so most humans are historically hostile to slavery), and well, I guess there's a reason they've normalized necromancy. The undead are even cheaper!

So yes, fantasy Rome may have employees with life-long not at will contracts, debt structures designed to be unpayable, conscription and corvee labor, mandatory resettlement of immigrating tribes, and maybe some prisoners with jobs, but definitely no slaves! But the gladiators are all professionals here and 00P isn't buying people, so it's ok!

Anyways!

Can any schemes threaten the OP cheat protagonist with diplomatic immunity? Can former Senator Balbus appeal to the Empire after scheming against said Emperor's friend? Will Agedia ever forgive her uncle? Tune in next time, to find out!