A direct assault on the Imperial Capital was out of the question.
Instead, we were liberating the Taikyoku Nation piece by piece. Lately, these liberation operations had become significantly easier. It had become common knowledge that we weren't invaders; our goal was solely to exterminate the Ghouls.
Initially, it seemed the Latarnians intended to ensnare the Taikyoku Nation's people in predatory loans and drag them straight to hell. It wasn't necessarily out of malice; it was simply their culture. The Latarnians had spent far too long being treated as mere slaves. Combined with their excessive totalitarianism, they simply didn't understand the concept of moderation.
Therefore, we framed our discussions around money.
"If you push the Taikyoku Nation too far, they'll just issue a Debt Amnesty Decree," we warned. "Then it turns into a total war, and you'll end up losing a fortune, Big Brother."
Basing the conversation on profit and loss made things easy for the Latarnians to grasp.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" they’d ask.
"The Taikyoku Nation is a major power," I’d propose. "Liberate them, establish trade, and keep the economy moving. Build banks, provide corporate loans, and let construction and trading companies move in. You'll make way more profit that way."
I didn't give them vague suggestions; I gave them numbers. I submitted data from the Empire’s reconstruction during the Zork War to add credibility. Eventually, I even had the administrative governments of the liberated planets award Latarnia the contracts for Spaceport Construction Work.
That was when the atmosphere shifted.
They realized they didn't need to rule directly, even if the region became an economic colony. It was already a certainty that the Taikyoku Nation's upper class and vested interests would fall from power. There was no need for direct occupation. It was enough to secure a livelihood for Latarnian workers and establish strong economic ties.
Wars would still happen, of course, but the trick was to make them view war as a net loss. That was where propaganda showed its worth. We built roads, erected buildings, greased the palms of officials just enough, and projected the image of a Friendly Nation—all while being careful not to let the entire structure succumb to corruption.
Even if we were destined to kill each other decades or centuries from now, we would maintain a friendly facade for now. Since the currently vacant seat of the Emperor would soon be filled, the Taikyoku Nation would officially be recognized as victims of the Ghouls. If we enslaved them now, we'd be hated, and our reputation would plummet. There was no need to repeat the mistakes of Proone, which was destroyed because its reputation was so abysmal.
Now was not the time for conflict with the Taikyoku Nation. I persuaded Latarnia that treating them with a gentlemanly touch was the more profitable path. Since we weren't direct stakeholders in the Taikyoku Nation, Latarnia accepted the proposal without much fuss.
As a result, we gained a reputation among various countries—the Ogre God Nation included—as "the crazy faction that tamed the mad dogs." Personally, I think Latarnia is actually one of the more reasonable groups. With the Ogre God Nation, they’re liable to stop in the middle of a discussion and shout, "Alright, I get it! Let's have a contest of strength to see who's right!" Then either Katori-sensei or I have to duel their representative.
From my perspective, the Ogre God Nation is far more incomprehensible!
With those diplomatic hurdles cleared, I brought the prototype along to a planet without ruins. If the test here went well, we planned to deploy the system on Latarnian-side planets and even in the Ogre God Nation.
Death to the Ghouls!
"...Still. Even if I don't understand the principles, the fact that they could reproduce it is terrifying, isn't it?"
As I stood on the planet's surface, I found myself hesitating. I mean, it was scary.
Tatiana, however, remained perfectly composed. "It can't be helped, Big Brother. I don't even know how a Shaping Printer works, sir."
"Those are complicated, I suppose..."
She probably didn't understand the Reduction Furnace either. Come to think of it, until recently, I was repairing Humanoid Fighters using materials salvaged from Zork shells, space debris, and meteors. I was even making fertilizer from the surplus materials as a side project.
That brings back memories... though I'm still processing rocks and soil from Planet Proone into supplies even now.
Anyway, enough with the heavy thoughts. We had a mission.
"Shall we set up the device?"
"Yes, sir!" Tatiana gave a sharp, athletic response. She seemed fired up.
We started by setting up the tent. Once the supplies were positioned, we got to work. I directed the soldiers while we assembled the equipment. We unfolded the stand and drove anchors into the holes in its legs. It looked like it might blow over in a heavy storm, but I had to make do. This was just a prototype, after all.
Next, we placed the main unit of the Saint Barrier Device onto the base and connected it to the Barrier Generator. Then came the External Power Supply and the Communication Antenna. The whole thing had a distinct "handmade" feel to it.
I connected the computer and initialized the Imperial Army OS. After linking to the Imperial network, I downloaded the libraries and began the compilation. Once the update finished, I rebooted.
I went to launch the application from the console, only for another update to trigger. Checking the date, I saw it had been pushed right before I sortied. Talk about a rush job.
"Tatiana, it's going to take about another hour. Go ahead and take a break."
Was I a combat engineer now? If I let that bother me, I’d already lost.
"Yes, sir."
"There are snacks and tea in that tent. Help yourself."
"What about you, Big Brother?"
"Today, I'm acting as a combat engineer."
Raven-kun and the others looked a bit dejected since they hadn't taken the engineering training course. It was fine, though. Their job was to guard us.
Heavy machinery rumbled in the background. The combat engineers were busy installing a perimeter fence around the base camp. The experiment was only supposed to take half a day, but an attack was always a possibility.
I sat in a folding chair, staring at the console. The download finished, and the OS rewrite began. Finally, it was done. I rebooted the system and ran the Diagnostic Program. All files were present and accounted for.
"Time to start. Tatiana, come here."
"Yes, sir."
Tatiana stepped up to the machine. "Place your hand on the panel."
"Yes, sir."
The moment she touched it, the Saint System roared to life. Crackling sounds filled the air. It felt like it was on the verge of exploding—it was terrifying. The main unit began to shake violently.
"Wait, the temperature is spiking!"
What the hell was this?! I had to stop the vibrations! I reached for the console, but the next moment, a pillar of light erupted into the sky.
The resulting blast of wind sent Tatiana and me tumbling across the ground. We only escaped injury thanks to our Combat Suits.
"T-Tatiana, are you okay?!"
"I-I'm fine, sir!"
A transmission came in from Claire. "Saint System activation confirmed! The experiment is a success!"
"The device is shaking like crazy! I demand a redesign!" I shouted back. Don't fall over now! Seriously, don't!
"My Lord!"
Raven-kun suddenly appeared, piloting a Humanoid Heavy Machinery. He used the machine's arms to clamp the device in place. It finally stabilized.
"Phew... Raven-kun, nice save!"
"My Lord! Please, pull yourself together!"
"N-No, I'm fine. Tatiana, how are you holding up?"
"My strength's been sucked dry... I can't move, sir."
And so, we liberated the planet with our brand-new device.
Note to the Technology Development Department: I'm requesting immediate improvements.