"Inauguration as Emperor! Congratulations!!!"
I kicked Isono's butt.
"I'm not becoming one, you idiot!!!"
I didn't say it aloud because Shiyun was there, but the truth was that there was absolutely no benefit in this for either me or the Empire.
It was a nation on the brink of collapse, dominated by powerful Regional Military Cliques.
One misstep, and the whole place would plunge into a Warring States period.
Luckily, the debt to Latarnia was minimal. We had managed to avoid the fate of becoming a plaything for them—and they were ruthless when it came to money.
As expected of such an ancient nation, the finances were a disaster.
They were ruined, but just barely stable enough to keep the country on life support.
This was going to require a massive number of Bureaucrats with no ties to existing vested interests.
The birth of new factions followed by a storm of purges... that was a recipe for resentment.
Still, it was unavoidable no matter who sat on the throne.
That said, the nation had plenty of resources and manpower, so the actual reconstruction wouldn't be that difficult.
The education and scientific standards of the populace were actually quite high—on par with Latarnia's, in fact.
In other words, they weren't much different from us.
The culture, however, was in shambles.
It wasn't because they were muscle-brained like those in the Ogre God Nation or lacked the concept of "fun" like those in Latarnia.
It was just as dull as Proone.
Even so, the Taikyoku Nation must have been a cultural hegemon once upon a time.
The sheer depth of their traditional culture was staggering. The volume of their traditional sheet music alone was terrifying.
Yet the current citizens saw almost no value in any of it.
That's never a good sign.
You should give the citizens a certain amount of pride in their country, culture, and history, and then only prune the branches once they start getting too arrogant.
You don't want them so cocky they start calling their people the "Son of God," but you also don't want them so demoralized that they tear down their own heritage.
The key is to protect your own culture while welcoming outside influences. You have to hold that line to the death, even if people call it a waste of money.
Otherwise, the nation truly dies. Proone's collapse made that perfectly clear.
Proone fell because their insecurities drove them to the opposite extreme!
Reconstruction plans really are a nightmare.
"What do you want to do, Shiyun?"
I asked her directly to see what she was thinking.
"I don't know..."
"Figures."
There was no way she would know. Even Wifey was groaning as she mulled it over.
That was her classic "I have no answer" tell.
One-oh-one was in a similar spot, but that involved owning a planet within the Galactic Empire.
One-oh-one's situation was far less complicated, though.
As for the Galactic Empire colonizing the Taikyoku Nation...?
No thanks.
Just setting up an embassy and letting companies expand into the market would be enough. The ideal was coexistence through mutual Cultural Exchange and trade.
So, I didn't need the country itself. I just didn't want to lose Shiyun, and I wanted the Taikyoku Nation to survive.
Those were the new conditions. Hahaha! Well, whatever happens, happens!
With that settled, it was time to move on. We were headed for an inspection of Planet Proone.
Once their Medical Support and Protection in the Ogre God Nation concluded, the Proone were returned to their home planet.
A coalition of nations previously plagued by the Proone—Latarnia included—dispatched teachers, Shellfish Ecology Scholars, Mental Care Specialists, doctors, and Childcare Specialists.
Latarnia treated them like a Sworn Enemy, but we eventually persuaded them after explaining the chain of events that had nearly wiped the species out.
We laid everything bare, including the grim reality of how they were scorched because they tried to default on their debts.
Most of the children weren't happy about it, but they accepted it as the reality of war.
The younger ones were mostly on our side.
Roughly a third of the older boys—who were hermaphroditic—insisted that the blame lay with Latarnia, the Galactic Empire, or the Ogre God Nation.
And they weren't entirely wrong.
I certainly could have handled things better.
...Actually, I'd been criticized relentlessly for being so "immature" that I ended up handling things too efficiently.
Regardless, it was something to reflect on.
"If you're going to hate someone, hate me. If you get strong, come and find me," I'd told them during a previous visit. They'd just snapped back, "That's not the point!"
What can I say? I'm a muscle-brain; it's the only way I know how to respond!
A tiny minority among them would scream through their tears, "I'm going to kill you all one day!"
I liked their guts. Keep that fire alive. Use that spirit to rebuild Proone.
This was our latest visit, and we'd come bearing plenty of vegetable-based sweets.
"Lord Archduke~"
The younger kids came running as soon as they saw me. We were old friends by now.
The older ones, those who remembered the Holy Proone Empire Era, fled the moment I appeared. To them, I was the stuff of nightmares.
Then the eldest of the gutsy ones approached me.
"Hey! Why did you come here!"
To him, I was the man who had destroyed his nation and taken his parents away. He wasn't exactly in the mood for small talk.
"Official inspection."
"I don't mean that! Why are you helping us? Why didn't you just finish us off?!"
"The fall of Proone was never the goal. The plan was to trade the cure for peace. I even made that offer to the Pope at the time. I didn't know about the unpaid debts to Latarnia or the secret deal with the Ogre God Nation. But at the end of the day, we pulled the trigger. That gives us a responsibility to support you."
I chose not to mention that they were already dying out from the disease anyway. Crushing someone in an argument is never the right move; you have to leave them an out. That was a lesson I'd learned the hard way with Proone.
"Just... leave us alone..."
"Not until the disease is dealt with. Until then, we're sticking around."
"Damn you! I'll get my revenge! I'll become a Pirate, devour you all, and rebuild the great Proone Empire!"
"Being a Pirate won't work. We're already in talks to reconcile with the Pirate Guild."
It was Lord Eyens's parting gift. Apparently, he'd managed to talk sense into the other Taijin. That old geezer! He actually got the last laugh after all! So frustrating!
"Then... what am I supposed to do!!!"
Tears were streaming down the boy's face.
"Keep records. Protect your culture. Strengthen your nation. Grow strong. Find your pride. And if we ever show a moment of weakness, slit our throats. I'll take you on anytime."
I had no intention of getting rid of him.
There was nothing to gain from being cruel, and it would only tarnish my reputation... Okay, I'm lying. The truth is, I felt so bad for them I couldn't think straight.
I'm such a fool, raising a future arch-nemesis like this.
"I-I'll never lose! I'll kill you one day!"
"I'm looking forward to it."
I really am an idiot. Soft—I'm far too soft. This pathetic display was the true face of the man known as the Galaxy's Most Evil Warmonger.