I am Polina.
It happened about a month ago, I believe.
I was walking back after finishing a meeting regarding Latarnia when His Majesty the King of Chronos approached me.
Then came the Diving Dogeza.
"Please, help me with my work!"
"O-Of course!"
I had blurted out my consent before I even realized what I was doing.
I only learned later that the shortage of civil officials had become that dire. For him to go as far as to beg a Latarnian like me, the situation must have been truly desperate.
From the moment I gave that inexplicable answer, the pace of events became a whirlwind.
Immediately afterward, Lord Leo—who had been demoted to Private Second Class—discovered the massive embezzlement of the budget.
If it had been a minor misappropriation, it probably would have ended with the punishment of a few individuals. Even in Latarnia, such things occurred once every few years.
But the scale was on another level entirely.
The entire budget had been treated as private property; not a single credit was being distributed to the public.
Finally, Lord Leo bared his fangs.
With terrifying speed, Lord Leo pacified Parcion, a nation that had been so hostile toward us. He moved through the ranks, purging local civil officials one after another.
Evidently, he was the type of man who required some time to flip his internal switch. But once it was on, he was utterly merciless.
He declared the downfall of Parcion and its official annexation into Chronos.
Without allowing for a transition period, he imposed the Chronos Law upon the land. Using that as his foundation, he relentlessly exposed and arrested those in power, whether they were in the central government or the local districts.
He claimed to be a master of propaganda, yet he never resorted to labeling Parcionians as an inferior species.
Most would have done so; in fact, we Latarnians have been subjected to such treatment for centuries.
Instead, his propaganda focused on the basics: "Cherish your parents and children," "Obey the law," and "Do not cause trouble for others."
He broadcast moralistic dramas like The Unruly Grand Duke and filled the airwaves with content designed for children.
I initially thought that if people were actually willing to listen to such simple things, the world wouldn't be so complicated...
...But perhaps because they also aired footage of Lord Leo annihilating actual villains, his popularity skyrocketed.
The support rate, which had started near rock bottom, climbed like a dragon ascending to the heavens. It reached the point where the people of Parcion were openly saying they were glad to have become part of Chronos.
Naturally, civil wars broke out, but that was where Lord Leo’s brilliance in warfare truly shone.
He gave his enemies no room to breathe, forcing them from power, stripping them of their influence, and crushing their resistance with overwhelming force. He suppressed the revolts while causing almost no casualties among the populace.
The lives of the citizens quickly stabilized.
He had already been working on the reform of the collective farms, but he moved to dismantle the existing organizations all at once. Even though the workers were essentially in a state of serfdom, I expected such a sudden move to cause total chaos... yet it didn't.
It seemed Claire’s reforms had been perfectly calculated.
I wonder if we Latarnians could have achieved such a thing.
No, it would have been impossible. If we were tasked with governing another country, our personal grudges would have taken precedence. Many would have viewed it as a golden opportunity to settle ancestral scores.
In the end, it must be Lord Leo’s character that makes the difference.
He will negotiate until the very last possible moment, but the instant he decides it is futile, he undergoes a total transformation. He unleashes a Storm of Purges—driven not by personal spite, but by a cold, overwhelming passion for the task.
It seemed Parcion had fatally underestimated Lord Leo as a weak-willed ruler.
By the time they understood what they were facing—the sudden Great Purge, the intricate schemes, and their armies being scattered like chaff—it was already too late.
By the time they realized their mistake, they were already being exiled to a primitive planet devoid of civilization.
...His methods shift from one extreme to the other in the blink of an eye!
Thus, Lord Leo spent the majority of his supposed "training period" as a Private Second Class performing the duties of a King.
Soon after, reinforcements of police officers arrived from the Galactic Empire. The plan was to have personnel from Chronos, Parcion, and Lepsitol undergo training to expand the reach of the Chronos police force.
With things finally settling into a rhythm, I reported back to the Latarnian homeland.
Since His Majesty Leo himself told me, "Feel free to spy or do whatever you like," I conducted my report quite openly. My contact was the King of Latarnia—my father.
"Your Majesty. Lord Leo has achieved complete control over Parcion. He has now moved into the next phase: investigating internal traitors."
Since this was official business, I maintained formal speech even with my own parent. I made sure to draw a clear line.
"...Isn't he moving a bit too fast?"
"Rest assured, Father. Even I, who watched him from his side as his secretary, cannot fathom how he does it."
"Hahaha... Perhaps we escaped destruction by the skin of our teeth..."
He was referring to the Proone incident.
We had intervened at the very end of the war between the Galactic Empire and Proone, delivering the final blow to Proone ourselves. We knew the Galactic Empire was going to win regardless, but we felt we could not allow ourselves to be underestimated.
So, we destroyed Proone. We had made the judgment that it would be acceptable even if it made the Galactic Empire our enemy.
Thinking back on it now, I realize how terrifyingly reckless we were being. There was a very real possibility that Latarnia could have ended up like Magellan, Ozen, Lepsitol, or Parcion.
Our unfortunate tendency to be excessively logical had actually worked in our favor this time. Discussion is vital—especially when your counterpart is the Galactic Overlord.
As I was lost in thought, my father spoke again.
"By the way, how are things progressing between you and His Majesty Leo?"
He was at it again.
His Majesty Leo is not a man who lacks for female companionship. Furthermore, his wives are his lovers from his student days, comrades who survived the Zork War by his side. Where could there possibly be an opening to slip through?
"It is impossible. Far from any attempt at seduction, being appointed as his secretary is already a more significant role than I deserve."
"I suppose so... I heard his current situation was a marriage policy forced by the Galactic Empire Emperor and that he was reluctant. It seems his true nature is that of a straight-laced man."
If asked whether a man who wears a floral apron was "straight-laced," the answer would be no.
But there was no doubt that he was sincere. He cherished Lady Veronica above all others, and he never neglected to show consideration for his other wives.
In all likelihood... he will have the Taikyoku Nation in his hands before long. And it won't be through conquest, but through some gentler means.
"To call him 'straight-laced' doesn't quite feel right... he is a monster."
"The diplomats, the merchants, and even the undercover agents we sent in are all saying the same thing. So, what of the diplomatic relations with Rosaria?"
"He has mobilized the criminals to work on the construction of the spaceport. Since it is such a massive project, he claims he won't be bothered even if they attempt a little terrorism."
"And what about that mobile fortress he was building specifically to destroy Parcion?"
"Construction on that is continuing simultaneously. It will likely be positioned as a fort on the trade route to Rosaria."
...I couldn't tell him.
I could hardly admit that the scale of the construction had ballooned simply because of a miscommunication! Or that it only found a purpose because it happened to be ready when the Rosaria visit was planned!
"It... it truly is a display of profound foresight."
"Indeed... he is a terrifying man."
My father forced himself to be convinced... but he still didn't truly understand Lord Leo.
No matter who I asked, everyone eventually gave up and said the same thing: "Well, it's Leo..."
Ah... I wonder what he will do next.
Secretary Polina’s headache showed no signs of stopping.