The Saint Operation was officially underway.
The plan was remarkably simple.
It was essentially a case of trespassing and flipping a switch without asking for permission.
It was much the same as technical school students sneaking into their school at night because they wanted to use the shaping printer. (And usually, they just ended up making something stupid.)
The only real difference was whether or not there was a grand justification for it.
First, we had to head to the resistance faction that was constantly shouting "Revere the Emperor."
Depending on how the negotiations went, it might not even end up counting as trespassing.
Still, you never really know if people waving a banner of "Revere the Emperor" are actually sincere.
It could easily just be a convenient slogan used to criticize the government.
If the Imperial Family was seen as weak and lacked support, they might even think it was fine for them to become the Emperor themselves.
I couldn't really blame them for thinking that way.
If that happened, so be it.
I would just have Shiyun live in the Empire.
Even if that were just my own selfishness talking, I should have the power to force that selfishness through at this point.
If that didn't work, she could just become a daughter of the Ogre God Nation or Latarnia.
I intended to face this meeting with that level of resolve.
The parley was held very close to the planet where the ruins were located.
They told us to come directly to them.
The location was a building within a settlement.
Apparently, their hideout was inside.
I acted as the primary guard, and for the guards' guards, we had Raven-kun, Eddie, Isono, Nakajima, Melissa...
For some reason, even Katori-sensei tagged along.
One-oh-one was assigned to guard Tatiana and Shiyun.
And guarding One-oh-one was the Female-type Zork Army led by Kevin, along with the people from the Republic.
In other words, the Zorks were our security.
I had a feeling this group alone could take over the entire planet, but I'm sure it was just my imagination.
Once we reached the village, a soldier guided us to the building.
Wearing my traditional attire, I stood at the head of the group with a stern expression.
Then, Shiyun spoke up.
"I am the Taikyoku Nation Third Prince, Shiyun."
Shiyun was also dressed in Taikyoku Nation traditional attire.
By her own request, there was no palanquin.
"I am the Taikyoku Nation Third Prince, but I am also simultaneously a soldier of the Galactic Empire."
She'd really grown up, hadn't she?
This "big brother" couldn't stop the tears of pride from welling up.
By the way, the reason I kept Shiyun as a soldier of the Galactic Empire was so that if they ever demanded we hand her over, I could flatly refuse by saying, "She belongs to our military."
I'd thoroughly prepared the ground for that.
I'd managed to squeeze her name into the rolls of the Imperial Officer Academy as a government-sponsored international student.
She was officially in the same class as Tatiana and One-oh-one.
And since we didn't have diplomatic relations with the Taikyoku Nation yet...
Well, we'd already established diplomatic ties and formed alliances with Battle Dome, the Ogre God Nation, and Latarnia, hadn't we?!
We'd even established relations with Proone after exchanging documents with their representative.
I was even properly paying the land lease fees for the planet.
I had Raymond-san twist the law every which way, and I'd made the bureaucrats work their tails off.
Hahaha!
Our plan was flawless!!!
While I was lost in those thoughts, the representative for the resistance side stepped forward.
For some reason, the Masked Man was with him.
Maybe it was just to balance the numbers since we'd brought such a large crowd.
"I am Woo of the Citizen Army. Formerly, I was appointed as a general of the Latarnia Area Army."
"It is a pleasure to meet you,"
Shiyun replied.
Woo... Let's call him General Woo.
He had a muscular, bearded face with a bit of fat on it.
His appearance was the very definition of a strapping hero.
General Woo and the Masked Man both knelt and performed a gongshou.
"There is someone I would very much like the Third Prince Highness to see. Come, remove your mask."
The man took off the mask.
He was a young man wearing an eyepatch.
"B-Brother!!!"
"Eh? The Prince?"
"Ah, no, that's not... wait. Leo-dono, allow me to introduce him. He is the eldest son of my birth family, Finn."
Shiyun's voice was trembling as she spoke.
Tears began to wet her cheeks.
Her birth family... o-oh?
Ah, the General's house...
"Your Highness. It has been a long time."
He was crying as well.
"Even if just for now... may I call you Brother?"
"Of course you may!"
It was truly moving.
And so, the third wheels decided to beat a hasty retreat.
"Melissa, One-oh-one, Tatiana. Can I leave things here to you?"
"O-Oh! Leave it to us!"
"General Woo, I know it might be difficult to leave them entirely alone... but I'd like to give them as much privacy as possible with only the minimum guards. They must have so much to talk about."
"I am truly grateful for the consideration shown by a foreigner. Come, let us go."
At his invitation, I headed outside the building.
The rest of the men, including Eddie, Isono, and Nakajima, followed in a line.
Outside, Katori-sensei was already holding a drinking party with the soldiers.
I had to take my hat off to the old man's overwhelming extroverted energy.
"Sensei... what exactly are you doing?"
"Hmm? Diplomacy."
"Gyahahahaha! Grand Duke! The Galactic Empire sure has some interesting people!"
A drunk soldier laughed.
"...I'm terribly sorry about this."
General Woo was blushing, his face full of relaxation.
"I'm kind of sorry too..."
I blushed as well.
Honestly, these old men were already buddies.
Katori-sensei was even singing a Taikyoku Nation song that I didn't even know.
Is this... what they call... the communication skills of a Taijin?
"Hey, hey, Leo-kyun. Bring us some more booze~"
Ah, geez, I have no choice!!!
I contacted Wifey back on the battleship.
"Wifey! Send some alcohol down here immediately! And some snacks too!"
"A-Ah, Lord Groom... you certainly have it rough..."
I don't know how it happened.
The emotional reunion between siblings had somehow turned into an old men's banquet!!!
"I've put in the request for the alcohol delivery. General Woo, is it alright if the transport lands here?"
"O-Of course. ...I'm sorry for the trouble we're causing you."
Hahaha.
It's fine, it's fine.
"The Empire's alcohol is on its way!!!"
"I asked for some from Latarnia too! And snacks!"
"Yahoo!!!"
It was a complete mess.
But that was fine; I felt like I'd gained a good understanding of General Woo's character.
General Woo was the kind of guy who was relied on so much by his subordinates that he just couldn't say no to them.
"I am truly sorry, but... I feel a profound sense of affinity for His Excellency the Grand Duke."
"I feel the same way."
We were basically Besties now.
But it was a good thing.
This was a space where a Jester could survive.
As long as there is hope present, Jesters are capable of being unreasonably strong.
I spent some time talking with the soldiers of the Citizen Army.
I asked them why they had risen up.
Apparently, their unit had almost been used as bait for the Ghouls.
They had been on the verge of being wiped out when the Latarnia Aid Unit saved them, leading them to join the Citizen Army.
There were many people there with similar stories.
Others said they wanted to avenge their families or take back their homes.
Since we had been fighting a war to reclaim our own home until quite recently, we couldn't help but sympathize with them with everything we had.
It was one "I totally get it!" after another.
Eventually, the supplies arrived, and the wild party continued.
Shiyun and the others finally emerged from the building.
The girls were busily looking after Shiyun, whose eyes were still swollen from crying.
"I'm sorry about that. This time, we'll..."
"Hold it right there, boys~. No touching~. It's okay, Captain, just leave her to us."
Melissa laughed.
Shiyun managed to break into a smile as well.
I slipped away from the banquet and went with Tatiana to activate the ruins General Woo had guided us to.
Things had been remarkably easy up to this point.