Latarnia claimed they were protecting their own citizens and dispatched a fleet.
Apparently, tens of thousands of their people worked in local financial institutions. I’d assumed it was just small-scale consumer lending, but it turned out to be mostly securities firms and investment banks. An all-out war had been a real possibility, but it was somehow avoided.
The Taikyoku Nation made the rational decision that picking a fight with Latarnia over money was a bad idea.
Wow, how wonderful! Latarnia-chan was so reliable!
We planned to enter the area alongside Latarnia using ships borrowed from the Thomas Fleet. Our goal was to retrieve Prince Min under the cover of the general chaos. First, we docked with a Latarnia vessel to receive identification tags for their military.
Technically, their ships weren't much different from ours. If they felt cramped, it was likely due to the excessive amount of supplies they were hauling.
Won't we just end up dumping this stuff on the ground?
The planet where Min was located was close to Latarnia’s territory, wasn't it?
"On the books, we're calling this 'support for the local residents,'" someone explained.
I see. Hearing that, we loaded up a massive amount of supplies ourselves and set off. The trip was expected to take about three days. Wifey stayed behind.
For this mission, the military academy students and the Imperial Guard Knight Order would take the lead. It was, after all, a strictly humanitarian mission. One-oh-one stayed home, but I brought Tatiana along. My only reason was that Jester's Intuition was whispering to me. There was no logic beyond that.
It was a request from the Ogre God Nation, which had joined the fleet. On paper, we were under Latarnia’s command. That was fine by me. I was just glad to be participating.
The first problem cropped up an hour after our departure.
"Leo-kun, I’ve got a pirate signature! It doesn't look like it's from Lord Eyens’ group."
I was glad I hadn't taken off my Combat Suit yet, even though I'd been wearing it for half a day. The ship was clearly an old Destroyer. Its hull was covered in scars from previous battles.
...Fix your ship properly, guys.
A civilian might have been intimidated by the look of a "battle-hardened veteran" ship, but we were professionals. My only thought was that they were idiots. We’d repaired countless warships and Humanoid Fighters. We could do sheet metal work and painting in our sleep! Ren especially had been a mechanic before becoming a Sniper, so she was actually better at it than me.
You think I'll be fooled by that crap? Beat it!
I tried to launch in my fighter... but I was immediately intercepted by Eddie, Isono, and Nakajima.
"Leo, stay! You're the commander, damn it!"
They hauled me off to the command room. Aww, I’ll get fat if I don’t get some exercise!
"Should we attack the Pirate Ship~?"
"Fairy-san, tell the whole fleet to commence the attack~"
"Oka~y."
A moment later, a call came in from the Latarnia Commander. The man, whose face belonged in a Yakuza movie, was absolutely livid.
"Attacking a humanitarian fleet is the height of cowardice!" he bellowed.
Veins were bulging all over his forehead and temples. I was genuinely worried about his blood pressure. I really didn't need him collapsing from a brain hemorrhage in the middle of a mission.
"Ah, right. Yes. We'll handle them here, so Latarnia should go on ahead," I said.
"We shall also participate in the attack!"
Figures. Latarnia went into berserker mode and started chasing the pirates. It wasn't even a contest. Despite their appearance, they were a major power on the level of the Taikyoku Nation. They just started spamming missiles like crazy. Latarnia’s strategy didn't involve using Humanoid Fighters to secure territory; they preferred turning everything into a vacant lot with missile strikes.
Up until then, I’d been doing my usual whining about how I had to be on the front lines to feel alive. But then, things took a turn.
"Leo-kun! An ambush! The registration is... Ghoul! The ship is... a new Taikyoku Nation vessel built for war against Latarnia!"
Just as I thought. The Ghouls were here to stall us. That was all the answer I needed. The Ghouls were attempting to take over the Taikyoku Nation. I just didn't know how deep the rot went.
"Claire! I can go out now, right?"
"Fine, I get it!"
"Latarnia Commander! That Ghoul Battleship was built to fight you. We’ll hold them off here! You need to head for the destination!"
"B-but...!"
"Just go! Don't waste your missiles here! Save Prince Min and the civilians!"
"Understood!"
I cut the transmission. Yessssssssssss! I practically skipped toward Massacre Night. Massacre Night-chan, Papa’s here! I hopped into the cockpit smoothly.
"My Lord! Raven's Squad is sortieing!"
"Don't get hurt!"
"Yes, sir!"
As we launched, a communication came in from the Ghoul Ship.
"So, you are Leo Kamishiro. I am Taikyoku Nation Intelligence Department First Lieutenant Anan Quan. I won't let your schemes succeed!"
He was probably talking about the rescue.
"Schemes? You mean the humanitarian rescue—"
"Not that. You intend to use the Ogre God Nation’s Saint Tatiana to perform a Reenactment of Myth."
Wait, what? What was he talking about?
"Our founder, who rules heaven and earth, created the Taikyoku Nation. The Ogres, who slaughtered one another, were banished to the hell that is the Ogre God Nation. However, a Saint who saves the Ogre God Nation can forgive their sins, allowing them to return to the Taikyoku Nation once more. That is our myth."
I hadn't heard a word about that. There was nothing like that in the data we had on the Ogre God Nation.
Oh crap... the Ogre God Nation probably forgot all about that! Those people only cared about who was strong and who was weak. Researching Taikyoku mythology had been way down on our priority list! Researching Latarnia and the Ogre God Nation themselves was much more important.
I had no idea that was a thing!
"S-so, you found me out?" I stammered, deciding to play along for now.
"It's a pity, though! The Taikyoku Nation already belongs to us Ghouls! You can't save the Ogres or the humans! Victory belongs to us!"
Uh-oh. Now what? I’d only brought Tatiana along because of a hunch.
...Actually, wait.
"You fools. Do you really think I, the man who destroyed Proone through political maneuvering alone, would come here without a plan?"
Total lie. A complete bluff.
"Even if you have a plan, it ends when I kill you! Men, attack!"
Heh heh heh. You fell for it. The Ghouls were already dancing in the palm of my hand. Now they could spend the rest of the fight wondering what my master plan was!
I’ll call it the Samejima Incident Operation.
Still, that was some good info. I’d have to make sure Tatiana worked extra hard for us!