So, how was the situation in Chronos looking at the moment...?
“Uooooh! For our freedom and equality!”
“Kill the filthy capitalists—those pigs!”
“The filth must be disinfected! Hyah-ha!”
It was a full-blown riot.
...That’s strange.
I’d only given it a little nudge.
At the speed of light, religious groups and suspicious political organizations had armed themselves and started assassinating Senators.
According to the data, this was supposedly business as usual for them, so I had ignored it.
Then, following the same trend of business as usual, Latarnia began a public relations campaign to raise awareness about Ghouls.
This wasn't specifically targeted at the Chronos Nation.
Cervantes and I had secured advertising slots on public transportation on a “one-two-three” count, so we set up digital signage.
And, well, I’d inserted snippets of Latarnian news between the advertisements.
It was framed strictly as a bonus feature for a video streaming service.
The service featured footage from the soccer league established by Latarnia and the Ogre God Nation, as well as pro-wrestling matches from a newly formed organization in the Ogre God Nation.
You could watch them anytime with a subscription.
We simply provided subtitles and dubbing for the Chronos market.
Man, the ads for that service were a hit.
But people won't watch if it's nothing but commercials, so I ran Latarnian news—which I had easy access to—during the intervals.
Of course, I also bought the rights to the Taikyoku Nation's state-run broadcasts and aired those too.
This time, there was zero malice involved.
This wasn't some conspiracy to treat the Chronos Nation like a toy; it was just regular business.
But as it turned out, their views were the polar opposite of the Chronos Nation’s private broadcasting.
Or they contained information that the private stations didn't air at all.
That sort of thing is common enough.
After all, the interests and trends of the Ogre God Race and Latarnians are completely different.
Even between these two countries, which are friendly nations of the Galactic Empire, the news varies significantly.
Each sees the world from their own perspective.
However, in the Chronos Nation, there was a massive disconnect between the information the citizens wanted and the content the broadcasting stations chose to report.
It can't be helped that views differ.
It’s only natural that a university professor and a soldier like me see different worlds.
It’s not a matter of who is right.
Our ways of life are different. That’s just how it is.
But the capitalism of the Chronos Nation was rotten to the core.
The citizens' perspective was nowhere to be found; it had become nothing but propaganda for the sake of the broadcasting stations.
So, I provided multi-faceted perspectives—foreign news, in other words.
I even included the stuff that the private stations intentionally suppressed.
Especially the Ghoul-related news.
The result was a massive, nation-wide riot.
“They finally learned the truth...” No, that’s just the perspective of the Latarnians and the Taikyoku Nation; it’s not your truth!
Regardless, the dissatisfaction of the citizens—who had been kept in the dark about the existence of parasites capable of destroying their country—exploded.
Without any real malice, we had effectively hacked the vulnerabilities of democracy and capitalism.
I mean, I actually stopped playing around with other countries and conspiring halfway through this time.
Even this last move was something decided after serious meetings with the Ogre God Nation, Latarnia, and the Taikyoku Nation.
Sure, news is a perishable commodity, so we couldn't vet every second of it, but there was no way to know their local reporting was that rotten.
Even if we thought things seemed a bit off, that was ultimately just the opinion of outsiders.
We just assumed it was a quirk of the Chronos national character.
How was I supposed to know it was the product of propaganda by the bourgeois class?
My only impression was that they were awfully fond of pushing regional discrimination and mocking the uneducated!
...Apparently, everyone was furious.
First, the broadcasting stations were stormed and set on fire.
Regional government offices were torn down, and luxury department stores and designer boutiques were looted.
For some reason, the Latarnia and Ogre God Nation embassies were surrounded by protesters shouting, “Hold soccer and pro-wrestling matches in Chronos!”
...I mean, there's no way we could hold an event in this climate.
So we gave a non-committal response: “Oh, sure, if you guys are good kids, we might be able to bring them over.”
No one was really at fault here.
But they interpreted “being good kids” to mean “becoming a righteous and legally legitimate government by overthrowing the evil one.”
I can't take responsibility for that!
From there, things spiraled in the blink of an eye.
Riots spread across the entirety of Chronos.
The ruins investigation had to be put on hold.
“As usual, His Excellency the Grand Duke is a master at creating hellish boards!”
Mr. Berger let out a boisterous laugh.
Kachiya was giggling as well.
“As expected of the mutant soldier who wiped out the former Zen God Race. I feel as though I’ve glimpsed the abyss of that terror.”
“No, I really didn't do anything this time! A hellish domino effect just started on its own!”
For once, I truly did nothing!
I wasn't aiming for anything.
It’s just that the Chronos Nation had left its security holes wide open for the whole world to see.
“He's right. Every time I run a national management simulation with Leo, it ends up like this!”
That bastard Isono was snapping at me.
Don't give me that!
You and Nakajima have sloppy domestic policies every single time!
Your tax rates are way too haphazard!
Think thirty years ahead for once!
Claire is strong at domestic affairs, but she leans toward a dystopia. That’s her weakness!
Ren and Melissa are a warrior race, so they were already playing with a handicap.
The only one I can't beat normally is my balanced wifey.
Wifey's national management has no weaknesses.
Everything is well-balanced; everyone has to compromise, but it's equal and transparent.
Every class has its own struggles, but none are unbearable.
She’s merciless toward criminals, but before the law, a criminal from any class is judged equally.
It’s by no means a utopia. It’s a society with many hardships, but it isn't unreasonable.
It's a strong system. Truly.
Basically, I wuv my wifey!
“Well, trying to fight the Captain is a mistake in the first place. I think the real error is making an enemy out of someone who utilizes the entire environment against you,” Melissa said, munching on an apple I’d peeled.
This was an apple imported from Chronos. ...Probably an apple.
It wasn't very sweet.
Maybe I'll try making baked apples.
Since the farmers were struggling because the distribution lines had been severed by the riots, I’d bought their stock directly through Cervantes.
A predatory purchase? As if.
I intend to maintain a long-lasting relationship with them even after the riots settle.
Consistency is key in these matters.
This isn't about short-term profit.
It's about securing a contract for a steady supply of goods. That's what matters.
It’s fine if they eventually break the contract.
I’ll just put out a warning that the people of Chronos are untrustworthy.
But if they keep the contract, I can break into their oligopoly.
As I was rationalizing this to myself, Rikochi rushed in.
She seemed to be in a panic.
“I’m making baked apples, want one?”
There’s plenty to go around.
“Leo-kun, it’s not that! The planet with the ruins! Apparently, they’ve kicked out the Chronos administration and requested the installation of a barrier!”
Wait, I haven't even heard that from the fairies yet.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Look!”
Rikochi projected the news onto the dining hall display.
“Someone help us—!”
A close-up of a middle-aged woman filled the screen.
O-Oh!
“Leo-kun! I've confirmed it on this end too! We haven't received a formal request yet, but it looks like the ruins investigation is back on.”
A message came in from the fairies as well.
Suddenly, everything was in motion.
Which meant... I’d better get these apples in the oven fast...
Otherwise, I’ll never get a chance to eat them...