Once I finished building one spaceport, I moved on to building the next one and a forward base.
You might wonder why I was spacing them out at such short intervals when warships were capable of long-distance voyages. The answer was simple: I intended to let civilians use them after the war was over. With a vast network of colonies, the mere act of running round trips between them would generate enough profit to make anyone laugh all the way to the bank. I wouldn't go so far as to call it the Silk Road, but having this trade route alone would keep the nation fed for a hundred years.
It wasn't some nightmare route plagued by accidents, either. It was a safe passage, rich with work and a growing population that could sustain itself.
I was also planning a Plan B in case the new model weapons failed—an invasion using the sheer violence of numbers. To support that, I needed facilities where warships could be stationed. I had suggested that speed was more important than numbers, given the enemy’s tendency to fire large-caliber beams, but I was overruled. Apparently, this was a line that couldn't be conceded politically. They insisted on a charge in spread formation.
I should mention that we had already tried long-range attacks with missiles and the like, but they were neutralized by beams and destroyed before they could ever reach their targets. The big-ship big-gun doctrine becomes quite a threat when pushed to that extreme.
So, the plan was for me to drift out there, thinking, "It's nothing if it doesn't hit," and if I got shot down, we would switch to the "Give me the best equipment" approach and overwhelm them with the violence of numbers. I bet there were plenty of people who wished I would just die already... Specifically, the ones who were grounded in reality—the faction that wanted me to make my exit before I could commit a fatal mistake.
After all, for people who have achieved a certain level of miraculous success, it's usually a package deal that they'll do something unnecessary in the latter half of their lives and ruin themselves. I didn't want any "Et tu, Brute?" moments. If it were that bastard Isono, he’d probably stab me with a joyful grin on his face. If that happened, I planned to shout dirty jokes repeatedly to ruin the serious mood. I’d greet him completely naked!
Heh heh heh. They shouldn't have underestimated me. I could turn any situation into a gag, no matter the posture.
And so, I deployed the battleships. Normally, the enemy would be wary of such a show of force. Fine, let them be wary. I’d whittle away their resources until there was nothing left.
And this was their response.
I found myself trapped inside the palace in Chronos. The Corpse Eaters couldn't enter the Royal Capital because Tatiana's barrier was in place. It was true that I had underestimated the situation; this was entirely my fault. I also knew they were gathering allies under the surface for some idiotic political maneuvering, but while I monitored them, monitoring everything was impossible.
That couldn't be helped. I couldn't keep an eye on every single person who had reached a dead end in life and snapped. Regulating weapons by law was also difficult. On rural planets like the one Helga was from, dangerous creatures were everywhere; you couldn't live without a rifle. I truly felt we should be grateful to hunters. The conditions for survival differed depending on the location.
This was a situation I hadn't anticipated. First, a mob gathered in front of the palace. I ignored them as usual. I was free material, so getting angry was a waste of time. I mean, the mayor-level officials in Chronos were chosen by elections. At the local city level, the speed at which corruption sets in can only be described as Mach speed. In the blink of an eye, they would turn into a village of evil customs, and a group with mysterious power would emerge despite holding no official titles.
That was why I rotated them every few years to keep things fresh. I had made the planetary governors, who held military authority, into nobles, however. If the worst happened, they were expected to go down with their planet. Because the governors were nobles, those villages of evil customs were dismantled immediately. I wouldn't tolerate them, even if it seemed unreasonable.
Because the system was designed for transparency, I had simply let the criticism go. It was fine. I was willing to listen to criticism. But then, the atmosphere changed. Usually, the people criticizing me were a fixed set of regulars, and if I waved from the palace terrace, they would at least give a slight nod. We were enemies, but we were on greeting terms. Now that I had children, I was trying to act like a proper Taijin.
But that day, there were people I didn't recognize mixed in with the usual members. A chill ran down the back of my neck, so I gave an order to the Imperial Guard.
"There are some strange people mixed in with the protesters."
The moment they heard that, the guards went into full alert mode.
"Contact the police and Public Security. Reinforce the security immediately!"
Oh, there it was—the industry term: "immediately." In this world, that didn't mean "at your earliest convenience." It meant "do it right now, or face a court-martial." This was the one thing you absolutely couldn't defy.
"Requesting details!" Public Security replied.
Amada Security took photos and transmitted them. Simultaneously, pulse rifles were distributed from armories across the palace to everyone, including the chamberlain staff and the maids. Leonidas-kun, Big Sister Uta, and the others also rushed over.
Shutters lowered over all the windows—heavy-duty ones designed to withstand rifles and grenades, though they would still get dented. On the inside, secondary shutters closed to prevent glass from shattering. As the buzzer for a First-Class Alert sounded, the usual protesters spoke with the police, assuring them that they were still on the "safe" side.
The view outside was projected onto the shutters. The surveillance camera footage was broadcast to the dining hall, which was serving as our command center. Lou-chan's Mom and her team put on press armbands and headed outside. I would take care of Lou-chan here. Talk about professional spirit... I really didn't want her to get hurt, so I assigned her an escort. A few members of the press stayed behind to broadcast the meeting from the dining hall.
The person in charge here was Raven-kun. It had been a while since I'd seen him, and he looked haggard. I sat with Lou-chan on my lap for the meeting.
"I will take custody of Lady Lou," a maid wearing light protectors said, taking Lou-chan from me.
"Bye-bye, Big Brother!"
"Don't open the door even if bad people come, okay?"
"Okay!"
She was escorted to the panic room in the palace basement. My children were there, along with my mother and the Auntie Squad. The wet nurses were there too, so someone would surely look after her.
Me? I wasn't going to run away. I wanted to quit being King legally, but I had no intention of fleeing like a coward.
An Imperial Guard member warned me, "Your Majesty. The enemy forces have thrown Molotov cocktails! We are commencing suppression!"
"Acknowledged."
I had no choice but to acknowledge it. My personal will didn't matter; we had to suppress them. Finally, we had clashed.
"Enemy armed forces have returned fire with Repsitore-made rifles."
"I authorize the use of tanks!"
Repsitore-made, huh? Those Repsitore merchants would sell to anyone. Those guys had zero morals.
"It's likely smuggling. Put investigating the Repsitore companies on the back burner. It's a waste of time; they probably don't even know themselves. Ninja Corps! Protect Karen with everything you've got!"
"Understood!"
Karen-san was likely in the panic room with Wifey and Charlotte. Well, they’d really come at us with everything. I saw how it was. This was a war of attrition. If I completed the forward base and set my formation, I would win. It didn't matter if I was alive or dead. That was why they were trying to develop other weapons while shaving away my resources—specifically, by dragging me down with their pathetic, bottom-of-the-barrel schemes.
Hahaha. I’d like to see them try to make it work!