I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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I didn’t expect you’d push this excuse so hard just to get by.

“The bigger crime is mine for starting a war, regardless of whether the children live or die. So, what I’m saying is, from now on, I’ll keep it reasonable.”

If this happens two more times, I think I might really be in trouble.

I hate to say it, but this is truly pathetic.

I must be careful not to slip up myself. Trying to avoid scolding resulted in this mess.

No matter how I look at it, it seems these folks are ready to do anything for me.

Maybe I should throw them a carrot to keep things smooth?

I subtly raised a finger while glancing around at everyone’s expressions.

“Then just this limit—”

A quick survey of the room showed that everyone looked quite displeased.

Seriously, what’s the deal? I’m just saying I’d use it until this point! Did I do something wrong?

“Anyway, Afghanistan is still an option. The route to Iran is already established, right?”

Oh, come on. If you push that button, I’m going to be really sad.

I’m not doing this against my will. It’s all part of survival.

“Alright, fine. From Iran, let’s just dispatch a guard and distribute supplies. That should be enough, right?”

If they don’t allow even that, I’m going to end up crying like a Tsar right here.

“That should be alright.”

Great. Am I just acting out for no reason?

“To begin with, gaining public support through Allah is unrealistic. It works for you, but it wouldn’t for an ordinary king.”

True. An ordinary king wouldn’t stand a chance.

But for someone like me, it seems to work.

Yet, that’s what I find regrettable. I should use as much of what I can to my advantage while I can.

“That said, if we don’t exploit it when we can, it would be a waste.”
“That’s true, but it has to be looked at with a textbook approach.”

A textbook approach? How am I supposed to evaluate this ridiculous situation while putting my life on the line?

“A textbook approach?”
“Yes. In the future, this deification may become an issue.”

Hmm, true. Let’s say the current situation continues, just hypothetically.

What if my deification becomes accepted as a norm in the far future?

For instance, if I’m stuck in a situation where I must remain Tsar until then?

Ugh, picturing it is terrifying.

If that happens, I won’t be able to completely withdraw from this position.

It would be challenging to maintain the Tsar’s position while laundering my identity.

What if the day comes when I meet that old man, and he actually rules like a god, leading Muslims and various religions to come after me?

“O Emperor of Humanity!
Forever protect this Earth!
Please safeguard the cradle of humanity!”

Imagining this is frightening. I realistically don’t have that kind of ability.

By the way, when is that old man really showing up? If he doesn’t show up even in the time zone before I came here, when am I meant to die?

“From now on, let’s strictly limit it to Iraq.”

Only Iraq from here on out.

As for Iran, I can just manage things peacefully with the military.

After all, since we’ve set an example in Iraq, Iran should be able to follow suit too.

After that, we just spun around the areas that Greece had pillaged until Eastern Iraq.

I received several assassination threats, but my elite guard protected me directly.

“Yahhh!”

However, while sweating and serving food in some unknown village, a little kid jumped into my arms.

I saw something glinting in their hand. Yep, that was a weapon.

Fortunately, my guard blocked it.

“What’s got our little one so angry that they pulled a knife?”

I almost thought about smacking them but stopped myself.

No matter what, it feels wrong to strike such a young child.

“Our father died at your hands!”
“The Greek soldiers caused you great harm.”

Seriously, those Greek brats are the problem.

I always say, people should live according to their station. The Greeks are crossing the line.

Even so, it’s beneficial for us since it gives us more to exploit.

“You bad guys! You’re all bad guys!”

They threw down the knife and pointed a finger at me in anger.

Their eyes were red, streaming tears and snot—it was striking.

Those are the kinds who’d go crazy.

“How dare you, Mother Tsar!”

Oh, hey now, don’t get so mad. I’m trying to win the public’s favor here; that puts me in a tough spot.

In moments like this, it’s actually better to turn it to my advantage.

I only said no guns or bombs. A knife shouldn’t be a problem.

I picked up the knife and handed it to the little kid.

“Alright. Stab as much as you want. I’ll take it all for you.”

Just saying that was enough.

Now the only thing left is for our brilliant little one to start stabbing, but unfortunately, this kid just responded with tears.

No matter how much they craved revenge, a child can only go so far.

At best, they might be in elementary school.

“Waah! Waaah!”

I felt pity as I hugged the crying child, wrapping them in compassion.

You should be grateful. There were hardly any kids in my arms back in Russia.

Oh, these little ones remind me of something.

Are there a lot of orphans here or what?

I’m not trying to throw shade, but if there are many orphans, they seem like they’d be quite useful.

I asked a nearby Iranian man who was serving food alongside me.

“Excuse me, are there many orphans here?”
“Yes. The Greek army killed all the resisting adults.”

From the sight now, it looks like there must be a ton of orphans, right?

They killed all the adult men. That’s heartbreaking.

Seriously, those Greek scoundrels are real bastards, aren’t they?

“I’ll provide for these children—food, clothing, and a place for education.”

In doing so, I need to think differently.

Providing food and clothing for the kids, that means handing over everything necessary for survival.

“Is that really true?”

Of course! Wouldn’t it be amazing to raise them into elites?

Imagine the Iraqis becoming elites educated in Russian culture, wearing Russian clothes, and learning Russian ways.

We could create an outright pro-Russian faction. Just think about that.

What if we take in orphans under the pretext of helping them and turn them all into elites?

Just imagining it is delightful.

For Iraq, we could present it as rebuilding what the Greeks destroyed while leaving the king and prime minister intact but pairing them with several advisors from the Rome Treaty to initiate Western-style reforms. Taking the orphans to provide advanced education, turning them into elites to later establish a foothold in Iraq.

Not bad at all.

So, there’s no need for you to feel gratitude.

“I’m a person who doesn’t like lies. This much is necessary. I’ll directly take the orphans to Russia for their education. Meanwhile, Iraq will be rebuilt with support from the Rome Treaty.”

You ought to be grateful to me.

Honestly, an Iraq ruled by a pro-Roman faction would be far better than the current state. It means we can comfortably milk the Hellenistic Federation.

“Indeed, it is Allah.”
“We are immensely grateful to Allah.”

Allah, huh? I’m not a fan of that.

It’s just for our nation, an investment for the future.

“The Greek army has really done a thorough job of destruction.”
“While it’s advantageous for us, it is quite surprising that they’re not just sticking to capturing the capital.”

They’re not just going around capturing cities?

“I know, right? But will this be enough?”
“Our king is on our side, so Iraq should be fine. The issue lies with Iran and Afghanistan, but we lack information about Iran.”

That’s true for Iraq. Regardless, we know too little about Iran.

Thus, we need to gather knowledge.

According to the history I know, Iran is currently a monarchy.

Later there will be a revolution, but of course.

“Iran is currently the Iranian Empire governed by the Pahlavi Dynasty.”
“Really?”

The Iranian Empire, governed by the Pahlavi Dynasty.

Alright. We should consider this part of the original history.

“Pahlavi I established a foundation of prosperity while Europe was embroiled in a great war and brought great wealth to the country. And then, his son Pahlavi II inherited the throne.”

Iran was simply reaping the benefits while we were busy with the great war.

As I pondered, I felt inexplicably angry—this is normal, right?

Maybe it’s only natural for Greece to get hit back.

Then, I want to hear which side Pahlavi II is on.

“Is Pahlavi II anti-West?”
“Not anti-West. Rather, Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh pushed for the nationalization of oil, which resulted in alignment with Iraq.”

I see. So it’s the Prime Minister who’s the problem.

It’s true that Iran had faced some Americanization and Westernization.

“No wonder the British are furious—it’s because Iraq and Iran both nationalized their oil resources.”

In the original history, the nationalization turned relations with the West sour. So, it’s not a false statement.

“Yes. Afghanistan was caught in the middle, invited to the party without a clue. They had to strengthen their ranks to resist.”

So, Afghanistan is just sitting back and getting slapped, huh?

Ah, man. Even from my standpoint, which secretly dislikes the British, I can’t help but feel sorry for Afghanistan.

“So, Afghanistan doesn’t have a reason to be hit. Therefore, we must stop Greece from messing up Iran at all costs. First, let’s look for areas where we can intervene politically. Beria, you have already conducted thorough investigations, right?”

We have to find a way to intervene based on Beria’s findings.

“Yes, Pahlavi II was indeed moving towards reforming the existing Iran. He has even visited Rome Treaty countries several times.”

Oh, really? That’s not too different from the original history, is it?

In that case, something is forming here.

A scent is in the air. The scent of being able to devour Iran!

We can leave the British Mandate of the Levant to Turkey.

“Then it seems similar to Iraq, but I suppose Pahlavi II isn’t a fan of Anastasia.”

Come to think of it, I have heard something.

Pahlavi II purportedly initiated some White Revolution or whatever in Iran, implementing various reforms, but it seems incomplete, leading to an increase in Islamic radicalism.

This has been cited as the cause of the Iranian Revolution.

Particularly, they seized and redistributed mosque land.

Right now, this future hasn’t happened yet. So, perhaps we could take down the Prime Minister and provide all kinds of assistance to the Iranian emperor, incorporating him into the Hellenistic Federation.

Ultimately, a lack of resources was their major issue.

We’ll assist the White Revolution in the style of the Rome Treaty, thus completing the Islamic-Hellenism Federation.

Remove the Prime Minister and start pouring money into Pahlavi II.

Bundle it as a set with Iraq, thereby tying them together with Hellenistic powers.

Additionally, in Afghanistan, we could include stipulations for developing resource extraction—thus ensuring the royal family’s centralization while laying the groundwork for a constitutional monarchy in the future.

Then, we have to worry about Greece.

How far have those Greek bastards gone? The more they progress, the more we can hold them responsible and push them back down.

“Has the Greek army already crossed into Iranian territory?”

I asked Zhukov.

“Yes, they’re reportedly charging towards Tehran.”

Ugh, those bastards are acting like they’re in their prime.

Do they even realize it’s thanks to us that they made it this far into Iran?

Of course, I intentionally let them. But the more I think about it, the more infuriated I become.

“Is it better to persuade Pahlavi II after we’ve sacked Tehran? Or should we deal with Greece first?”
“Seriously, how many people would accept a proposal from a thief who ransacked their home to coexist peacefully? The king of Iraq is indeed a fan of yours, but even so.”

True. Reform is reform, after all.

Even if the king of Iran is friendly toward us, would the Iranians accept the Rome Treaty organization that shields their enemy, Greece?

There might be room for negotiation if it’s only up to the capital, but if we push right up to Tehran, that’s a dead end.

Looks like I’ll have to head to Tehran personally.

To meet Pahlavi II in person and say, “Oh, our Greeks did a terrible thing. I apologize. But in exchange, I will support you strongly as a part of the Hellenistic Federation.”

That should work.

Considering Pahlavi II’s nature, I bet he wouldn’t mind much.

Seeing how fast the Greek army is advancing, whether Iraq is aware or not, it appears they intend to seize the capital swiftly due to my warning, right?

Ah, so Tehran might not be far behind, then?

In the worst-case scenario, Iran might end up being devastated, and Islamic extremists could rise up en masse.

“Let’s start throttling them. Tell them that if they enter Tehran, they’re dead.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Those bastards have enjoyed protection till now, haven’t they?

Even if they’re part of Rome Treaty countries, I’m not leaving room for leniency.

Of course, we nudged them into this position in the first place.