"Here you go, Lord Isono. Say 'aah' ♪"
Isono’s fiancée was hand-feeding him.
My, how cozy.
...Assuming, of course, you didn't know that he’d been dragged to a dojo and given a thrashing so severe it made even Katori-sensei recoil.
She was a daughter of a prestigious martial house, after all. Give it to him!
"Say 'aah' (Leo, help me...)"
Like hell I would. You brought this on yourself.
Claire was busy taking notes on the various submission holds Lady Hanazawa was cycling through. Please don't try those out on me ♪
Nakajima was getting the same treatment from his own fiancée: "Darling, here ♪ Say 'aah' ♪"
For some reason, I could hear an ominous rumble in the air, but I played dumb. The bastard was shaking like a leaf, but again—it was self-inflicted.
To be fair, both their fiancées were close enough to be genuinely jealous of their idiots' earlier antics. Sure, they had massive personality flaws, but Isono and Nakajima were still heroes. Their little stunt had only been an "attempted" offense, and a laughable one at that. It would probably just be something their families brought up to mock them forever at gatherings.
Compared to guys like Maro or Walter, they were actually decent catches.
...Okay, maybe that was a bit too mean to Maro and Walter.
Regardless, they hadn't crossed the line of being irredeemable.
"Here, Leo. Say 'aah' ♪"
This was Claire-san—no, Lady Claire's version of the treatment.
Since I hadn't done anything to warrant a scolding, I could enjoy the flirting with a smile. I love her so much!!!
In this way, I maintained good relationships not only with my Wifey, but with Claire and the others as well. Everything was going smoothly. The Taikyoku Nation Problem would sort itself out eventually.
Probably.
To be blunt, the Empire had simply provided information to interested parties. We didn't have diplomatic ties or a Diplomatic Channel with that country, so they had no right to complain to us about who we leaked intel to. I didn't care what Latarnia or Lord Eyens did with that information. If the Taikyoku Nation didn't like it, they should have sat down for a talk.
War? We were fine with that, too.
Circumstances had made us responsible for the Proone people for now, but if the Taikyoku Nation wanted to take over their care, that was fine by me. If they tried to lecture us on morality, I’d just shove the whole problem onto Latarnia or the Taikyoku Nation themselves. If they couldn't govern properly, we could just criticize them from the sidelines.
It would be a tragic turn for the Proone, but I didn't care if I sounded cold. My only real responsibility was the happiness of the Imperial citizens. The only reason we were protecting the Proone was because they were a "pitiful race on the verge of extinction"! We didn't actually owe them anything!
It was Latarnia that had pushed them to the brink, while we were the ones who had moved to save them!
But if public opinion shifted to seeing them as "man-eating monsters," we wouldn't—and couldn't—help them. It was better for the Imperial citizens to feel like they were on the "right" side. We were carefully managing that public sentiment.
Latarnia understood us now, so they’d likely avoid any grim outcomes. The real issue was how the Taikyoku Nation would react. I wanted to hurry up and establish a trade relationship with them so we could reach that sweet spot of "they're annoying, but war would be bad for business."
Anyway, that was why I was out today conducting pirate inspections around Planet Proone.
I’d had Lord Eyens’ ships registered as merchant vessels. As long as they weren't hauling illegal goods, we left them alone. "Illegal," in this case, meant "things that were bad for the Empire."
Human trafficking, Proone people being sold for experiments or as pets, illegal drugs—we cracked down on all of that. Otherwise, shipments of weapons, ammo, medical kits, rations, and fuel were allowed to pass. In fact, we were actively funneling them through.
"Hello! Imperial Inspection team here!"
We boarded one of Lord Eyens’ ships.
Why was I personally out here? To keep my edge. I intended to be on the front lines if it ever came down to it. Members of the Former Lily's Gang, who knew the most about the pirate world, were also part of the team.
"Good to see you, sir," a Mohawk Taikyoku Pirate greeted us. He was one of Lord Eyens’ subordinates and an acquaintance of mine.
"Sorry for the trouble. Just the usual inspection."
"Yes, sir."
I had him sign the paperwork.
"No abnormalities!" a soldier reported. I added my signature, and we were done.
Bribes? Not a chance. I’d made it very clear to my soldiers: "If you make my wives angry, I'm cutting you loose."
Despite the routine nature of the inspection, there was work to be done.
"So, how’s the plan?" I asked.
While we "inspectors" were ostensibly checking the cargo, we were actually loading weapons. It was time for a bit of information exchange disguised as small talk.
"We've made contact with the Third Prince. As you suspected, there's no sign of Ghoul Infection."
Good.
"And the Mainland?"
"We haven't pinned it down yet."
The plan was simple: locate the nest. We'd find the Mainland soon enough. Once we did, we’d use the Third Prince as a figurehead to purge the Ghouls. Simultaneously, we’d start treating the people in the Prince’s territory for infection. I mean, seriously—their average life expectancy was a disaster!
The goal was a successful Coup d'etat, but we wouldn't be in trouble even if it failed. If it went south, we’d simply go public with the fact that the Ghouls were parasites and the Taikyoku Nation was on the verge of a total takeover.
If we announced it now, we risked a Total War Scenario between them and Latarnia fueled by sheer panic. There would be no stopping it once it started, and both nations would suffer catastrophic losses. Lord Eyens’ shadow plot was actually the most merciful option.
...What a hellish world.
"You know, Boss Leo, we're real grateful to you," the Mohawk man said suddenly.
"We knew we couldn't stay pirates forever. Anyone who could get out already fled to Latarnia or Parcion."
That made sense. No matter how loyal you were, maintaining a grudge forever was hard. Most people eventually dropped out.
"But since the Empire showed up, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It feels good to have a goal—a way to wrap up our lives. I’ve done plenty of bad things, so I know I won’t die a peaceful death, but..." He gave a boisterous laugh. "I’ve never felt better in my life. I just wanted you to know that."
We shook hands.
"Good luck."
We parted ways. A month after we exchanged those words, he was dead.
The Taikyoku Nation had launched an assault on the planet where the Third Prince was staying.