I scrambled to cook the apples, performing a "hot oden" comedy routine as I shouted, "This is hot!" while polishing them off.
After changing into my combat suit, I boarded Massacre Night and waited. If we weren't sortieing today, they would have just told me to stand by. For a pilot, the majority of a mission was spent waiting. Humans simply couldn't fight for that long. You could only maintain peak performance and fight at full strength for a few minutes. If you managed your breathing, maybe two hours at most. Even at half power with proper breaks, continuous operation only lasted a few hours. Even simple tasks led to mistakes if you didn't rest. Even bipedal humans, despite their superior stamina, had their limits. I hadn't been able to move for a while after the battle with the Zork Mother, either.
So, I relaxed in the cockpit. I had no intention of eating my baked apples in here, though. A craft where someone ate inside would eventually require pest control, and I was firmly in the "never eat inside" camp. The only exceptions were nutrition bars and drinks when I had no choice. Even then, if I could step out, I would. I had no desire to work in a cockpit crawling with pests.
Instead, I killed time with cultural activities.
"Nnya, ngo."
When I pronounced the words, a circle appeared on the screen. Correct. I was studying with a Latarnia Language self-study app. From the perspective of the Latarnia Language, the tongues of the Ogre God Nation, the Taikyoku Nation, and the Chronos Nation were all derivatives. As long as you knew Latarnia, the others were just different dialects. However, the Ogre God Nation and Chronosians couldn't understand each other at all. Apparently, they couldn't even make out the sounds. The same applied between the Taikyoku Nation and Chronos. Latarnians, however, could communicate with everyone. Thus, we treated the languages of the three surrounding nations as offshoots of Latarnia.
We had translation machines, of course, but the fact that I’d put in the effort to learn the language myself would go over well with the locals. Not just shallow greetings, but daily conversation—ideally, being able to chat enough to shop at a store. It left a good impression, so I was doing my best.
As I finished a lesson, a message came in from the Fairy.
"Leo-kun, negotiations with the Planetary Provisional Government have been finalized. It’s time to move. Please board the transport aircraft."
"Got it."
I boarded the transport and we departed. The operation overview arrived shortly after. The Edge Squad was assigned to Tatiana’s escort. Since Tatiana’s survival rate on the battlefield was lower than mine, she had Isono, Nakajima, Melissa, and Ren guarding her. Claire, Rikochi, and I would handle the ruins investigation amidst the chaos, acting as guards for Mr. Berger and Kachiya. Kevin would participate remotely, while Edge’s team and Nina-san were on standby to guard the Wifey. I did this because I trusted Edge and his team... but if I'm being honest, Edge had a real talent for command. In other words, I planned to make him a sub-leader for the fleet and push—ahem, "work-share" most of my duties onto him. All for my own sake!
We arrived via the transport aircraft. This time, the spaceport was operational, as the Planetary Provisional Government had occupied it. For now, Tatiana and her team were setting up the barrier while we headed for the ruins. If the Chronosians or the local provisional government attacked, we planned to retreat in our humanoid fighters. We were essentially stepping into a potential trap on purpose.
When we reached the ruins, the local residents welcomed us... actually, that’s a lie. We handed over the supplies we brought first. Since food distribution had ground to a halt, the food and water we’d purchased from Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation were vital. Latarnia had a relative surplus, but the Taikyoku Nation was currently in its own state of chaos. Since the water facilities had been restored, water was our main cargo. The Taikyoku Nation Army was handling the restoration work for the water facilities. Their soldiers were being hammered by public opinion back home due to the Ghoul incident, so they wanted to use this international contribution to advertise themselves as an "advanced nation in anti-Ghoul measures." Latarnia was the same. Their military was managing infrastructure restoration and shelters. The Ogre God Nation hadn't suffered much from the Ghouls, but they were participating in peacekeeping to maintain relations. It had turned into a strange, impromptu International Aid and Cooperation Corps. I didn't mind. Even if the motives were cynical, the results were good.
We handed over the goods, completing our official duties. Then, we began investigating the ruins under the guise of "searching for the root cause of the Ghoul problem"—which wasn't exactly true, but wasn't a total lie either.
"Well then, Mr. Berger, if you please."
"Understood."
Since we weren't archaeologists, we stood guard to stay out of their way. To inject some money into the local economy, we hired local construction companies to set up fences and other structures. We stuck to security. Being military police, Rikochi was in her element. She gave sharp orders to her subordinates. As expected of a Lieutenant Colonel—she left me with nothing to do. I didn't get the feeling we were about to be attacked by people suddenly speaking Spanish like last time, so I started doing some Marine Corps Calisthenics to kill time.
One, two, three, four...
Soon, the other bored soldiers gathered to join me. It wasn't an order; they were just bored. Then the construction workers on break joined in. Finally, someone from the construction company called over the local Youth Association to participate. Calisthenics alone wasn't enough to fill the time, though.
"Leo-kun, what are you doing?"
By the time Rikochi asked, I was in the middle of a soccer match between the locals and the soldiers. Since I knew some Latarnia Language, I acted as the interpreter.
"Just building rapport with the local construction guys and the Youth Association."
"Are you some kind of communication monster?"
"Rikochi, I promised the local aunties I’d help them cook, so can I leave you in command?"
We had large pots, so I decided to make imoni. I already knew the local Chronos cuisine; there weren't many major differences. A soup and a staple grain would be perfect. I’d researched their taboos, too. They weren't fans of insects. Shrimp? This was a landlocked planet, so that was a no-go. Apparently, they couldn't tell them apart from bugs. Fair enough.
"The way you just slip into the circle of local housewives... you really are a communication monster, aren't you?"
Is that so?
"I’ve definitely decided that you're the one person I never want to make an enemy of, Leo-kun!"
The army of aunties arrived, and their families brought along local ingredients. I wanted to avoid any accidents with mushrooms, so we used commercial ones from Latarnia. I told them they could bring alcohol as long as things didn't get rowdy. And so, the banquet began.
"Hahaha! As expected of His Excellency, Grand Duke Leo! Normally, rural Chronosians are said to be quite prickly!"
Really? They seemed more open than the people in the Duke Association's lands to me. Thus, the ruins investigation proceeded without a single hitch...
Or it was proceeding! Up until this point!