It has been several days since Saint Tatiana performed the activation ceremony for the Saint Barrier Device.
Since then, improvements to the device have continued at a steady pace.
Actually, since I have no idea how the damn thing works, I ended up attending a lecture by Kyoko-chan along with the usual gang.
"Essentially, when ESP stimulation is applied to the unknown minerals harvested in Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation, they absorb energy and emit a specific particle that Ghouls find repulsive."
Yeah, I don't get it at all!
"Kyoko-chan! Are you saying some 'unknown something' is being released? Isn't that dangerous?" Isono asked.
In times like these, Isono and Nakajima are incredibly useful because they have absolutely no filter.
"I do not know."
"Wait, what?"
"I said, I do not know. In experiments using local wildlife, the particles passed right through their bodies without any issues."
"But the Ghouls?"
"Their cells are destroyed."
O-oh. That’s terrifying, isn’t it?
"Technically, devices like this have existed for a long time. X-rays are a prime example. Further research into the ore will progress in due time. Brigadier General, please authorize the acceptance of researchers from the Imperial University."
Kyoko-chan was an engineering expert, so while she understood the mechanics, the finer details of particle physics were beyond her.
Research has become way too specialized!
And so, we decided to invite researchers, and we'll scout for young talent through a paper contest as well.
Furthermore, I wanted researchers from the private sector.
In many cases, corporate researchers are actually more skilled and perform more advanced work, especially in industrial fields.
So, I begged the trading company to scout some for me.
I told the trading company, "Please, send me as many new graduates as possible."
I didn't care if they were from the humanities or the sciences.
At this point, we were drowning. We needed civilization analysts for things we didn't understand, lawyers, cultural experts... we were just hopelessly short-staffed.
We were desperately lacking highly skilled professionals!
Plus, if I didn't assign secretaries to everyone soon, someone was going to collapse from overwork.
It’s always difficult for PhDs to find proper employment, so I decided to shove them into the positions that were chronically understaffed.
Furthermore, the women needed court ladies, and the guys needed chamberlains to provide operational support in outer space.
I put out a massive recruitment call for anyone willing to travel this far into the void.
I made sure to tell the graduate students, "They are essentially your subordinates."
My Kamishiro main house alone needed at least a hundred people.
Wait... Wifey... you want a thousand?
You want them to serve as bodyguard maids and handle the care of Shiyun, One-oh-one, and Tatiana? Ah, I see.
Just tell them to come along as if they’re studying abroad!
Please, I’m begging you!
I’ll even hand out titles of nobility right now!
If you want to be a stable civil servant, we have plenty of military posts open, too!
...When I posted the recruitment, the slots filled up in the blink of an eye. The trading company I pleaded with had really gone above and beyond.
Surprisingly, a law firm and an entertainment agency actually showed up!
They said they would handle the management for Tatiana, One-oh-one, and Shiyun.
I’d have them undergo Latarnian baptism—no, training—to beat some spirit into them... or rather, to make sure they learned our ways.
Because they’re the kind of kids who won't learn until they've felt the sting of a mistake!
The lawyers immediately understood the danger of the opposition once they were exposed to Latarnian culture.
Um, I asked if I could work a part-time job at the law firm maybe once a week... Ah, that’s a no? Okay.
What about six days a week? No? Still not the issue? Ah, right.
Taking pity on me, the lawyers gave me an Introduction to Law and the Constitution and a casebook.
I deployed them to Latarnia, the Ogre God Nation, and Proone.
And so, despite the fatal weakness that only Tatiana could activate them, barrier devices were installed in Latarnia and the Ogre God Nation.
Tatiana was run ragged. The court ladies were scurrying about with a schedule managed down to the minute.
Ah, it was true—we really did need a thousand people.
The number of chamberlains was also vastly increased. I didn't even have time to grill yakisoba at a stall anymore.
Almost every night, I attended formal parties, bringing Wifey, Tatiana, One-oh-one, and Shiyun along with me.
I spent my time bowing to various dignitaries—local lords, Latarnian diplomats, Saria...
These were the most exhausting days of my life.
The incident happened right around the time Shiyun and One-oh-one started craving my home cooking over the banquets, and Tatiana lost the energy to complain about her idol-style outfit.
"I want to eat the Napolitan the Commander makes..." One-oh-one muttered.
"I want to eat the Omelet Rice Leo-sama makes..." Shiyun was also looking haggard.
"I'm fine with whatever... Big Bro! Easy on the onions and bell peppers!!"
I think Tatiana is actually the most shameless of them all.
Fine, fine. Napolitan and Omelet Rice coming up.
Oh, look, there are some leftover gyoza. I'll just deep-fry them.
Finishing Move: Mysterious Fried Side Dish Technique Found in Cafeterias!
Ah, there are some frozen shumai left over as well. I'll fry those, too.
That’s the kind of meal I was putting together. You can't really eat at these parties anyway—they’re about as fun as a funeral. It’s hard on hungry kids.
While I was cooking like a worried mother, the alarm blared.
Huh? Again?
"A Huanglong-class battleship is approaching the Latarnia border. Patching in the relay."
Footage from Latarnia National Broadcasting, which I pay a monthly subscription for, began to play. Their programming is boring, but their reporting is accurate. Or rather, they just stream local footage and add dry commentary.
Because they don't do anything unnecessary, they don't draw any hate, but everyone agrees they’re dull. The viewership for the anime channel playing Ikyu-san in the Battle Dome is probably higher than their war coverage.
This time, the Latarnians were fighting back with humanoid fighters. We had sold them the common-sense simulator, after all.
(We are currently developing an even more 'nightmarish' version of the insane simulator. I can't wait.)
Anyway, Latarnia wasn't going to lose this time. They were using new tactics, combining support from humanoid fighters with their usual missile tactics. We felt we could watch without worry.
"Here you go! Thanks for waiting~"
I served the Napolitan and Omelet Rice. It was a massive carb overload, but I figured it was fine for one day.
But at that moment... we had no idea what the Ghouls were thinking. We didn't understand what an intelligent lifeform on the brink of extinction was capable of.
"The Huanglong-class! It's showing a massive energy reaction!!!" the Fairy cried out.
What? This... I’ve seen this before.
It’s Zork!
"Fairy! Contact Latarnia!!! They’re going to self-destruct!!!"
"Transmission sent!!!"
I prayed we would make it in time... but we were too late.
The screen went dark.
On 그날, a Taikyoku Nation planet—a populated agricultural world—vanished.
A planet where Latarnians lived, the Latarnia fleet, and countless lives all vanished in an instant.