Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

But now, it was almost over.

Sure enough, Henry Chase’s death had thoroughly intimidated the rest of them.

Colin Koenig frowned but said nothing.

Come to think of it, he’d never had a very good impression of Henry Chase.

When he first took his post, Henry Chase had been quite arrogant for a time, showing little respect even to Leo Joyce and occasionally disobeying orders.

Fortunately, Leo Joyce was a man of cunning. He supported another individual, making him a vice-division commander. This person was a master at winning people over and quickly gained popular support, causing Henry Chase’s reputation to plummet. Leo Joyce then found a few opportunities to sideline him. Only then did Henry Chase learn his lesson and become ”smarter.” At the very least, he began to act with the utmost respect toward Leo Joyce on the surface, following every order without question.

But at his core, he wasn’t one of Leo Joyce’s people, so he and Colin Koenig never saw eye to eye.

Colin Koenig had now come to a realization.

Maisie Joyce was dead set on taking the position of City Lord.

’That being the case, why should I stand in her way?’

’All things considered, aside from her gender not being what he’d expected, Maisie Joyce wasn’t lacking in any other respect. Besides, she was City Lord Joyce’s sister... With that connection, anyone who had been promoted by Leo Joyce—someone like himself, for instance—couldn’t afford to ignore that fact.’

’Since he was already entertaining the idea of accepting her, he felt her ruthless methods were not entirely unjustified.’

His expression quickly softened.

Maisie Joyce took the hint and immediately had the soldiers beside him stand down, inviting him to take a seat.

With Colin Koenig having made his stance clear, the five ministers had nothing more to say. Minister Warren from logistics, in particular, couldn’t help but offer a few words of praise, lauding her strategy, her capability, and so on.

Maisie Joyce smiled and inclined her head.

The few who were still holding out couldn’t help but curse inwardly, ’Spineless, unprincipled cowards!’

Maisie Joyce’s gaze grew colder. ”It seems a few of you still refuse to give up. Or are you just shy? No matter. I’ll help you take care of the extra baggage!”

With a light wave of her arm, their assistants met the same fate as Henry Chase, not even managing to utter a sound.

The stench of blood soon filled the conference room.

After a few minutes, Maisie Joyce spoke again. ”My patience is wearing thin...”

”My uncle agrees!” Donovan Archer, the Archer Family’s candidate for City Lord, suddenly declared. ”For a great woman like Miss Joyce to become our City Lord is a blessing for all of Southreach, and for our Archer Family as well! Southreach is currently in a perilous position, with the threat of a Zombie siege before us and a covetous Central City at our backs. Only with a capable leader like you can we stockpile supplies in these trying times, ensure no one goes hungry, and allow everyone to securely perform their duties to protect our city! Any person with a brain would support you as City Lord, so how could my uncle possibly be unwilling? He was only silent out of consideration for the other clan elders.”

As he spoke, he turned to Quincy Archer. ”Uncle, I know you value the ties between our families, but choosing a City Lord is a matter of life and death for the future of Southreach. Let’s be honest. What are your thoughts?”

Quincy Archer’s old face flushed. He couldn’t understand how his normally quiet nephew had suddenly become so eloquent and thick-skinned. Not only had he extricated the Archer Family from the predicament in one fell swoop, but he had also put the other three clan leaders on the spot... But one thing was very clear: if he refused, he and his nephew likely wouldn’t be leaving this place alive today...

So, after only a moment’s hesitation, he bit the bullet and said, ”Yes, you have a point. This is all very sudden, but upon reflection, Miss Joyce is indeed an excellent choice for City Lord.”

’The Archer Family had ranked last among the four great families for years. While this was partly due to a lack of promising descendants, wasn’t it also because he, the Clan Leader, had always been content to avoid mistakes rather than achieve merit, never willing to take the lead? Now, for the first time, he had taken the lead among the four families. Beyond the embarrassment and discomfort, he felt a secret sense of satisfaction. Even though it happened under duress, his family was the first to support Maisie Joyce. Once she became City Lord, she wouldn’t treat the Archer Family poorly, if only to counterbalance the other three families. In ancient times, this would be considered the great merit of backing a new ruler, wouldn’t it? With the City Lord’s backing, the Archer Family might not remain so obscure.’

The more he considered it after speaking his words of agreement, the more convinced he became. His confidence grew a little stronger.

Maisie Joyce smiled.

”Thank you for the praise, Uncle Archer. I’ve always seen how magnanimous you are in your dealings. Rest assured, the young men of your family are all promising. Especially Brother Archer...” She turned to Donovan Archer. ”Southreach is in dire need of capable people. In my opinion, why don’t you spend some time learning at Division Commander Preston’s side? What do you say?”