The meeting had descended into chaos.
It was only to be expected. In Latarnia, with its rigid culture of accountability, protecting its citizens was an absolute mandate.
In contrast, the Taikyoku Nation, where the price of a human life was set considerably lower, was primarily concerned with preventing the locusts from spreading to other planets.
And then there was the matter of Tatiana’s safety, which was non-negotiable. To be blunt, we were nothing more than third parties in this mess.
The foreign ministers of both nations were at each other's throats, nearly coming to blows over whether or not to incinerate the planet’s surface. I simply ignored the shouting and sipped my tea.
The Latarnian Foreign Minister—a man who had only recently taken the post after the King’s abdication forced a total cabinet resignation—turned to me.
“Latarnia formally requests the dispatch of the Saint!”
“That’s fine, but ensuring her safety is an absolute requirement,” I replied. “There is no replacement for Tatiana.”
“Guh...!”
I’d like to say I’d completely dismantled his argument, but I was really just stating the obvious. Given her religious significance, if the Saint were to be seriously injured, the Foreign Minister’s head would quite literally roll. Even if we didn't lift a finger, his own citizens would likely hunt him down.
Then, having caught wind of the discussion, the Ogre God Nation barged into the meeting, despite having no direct stake in the Chronos situation.
“We oppose putting the Saint in danger!”
Good grief, how tedious.
Before I knew it, the conversation had veered wildly off-course, turning into a debate about increasing Tatiana’s security detail. You guys... you definitely colluded on this beforehand, didn't you?
For the time being, we agreed to increase the number of guards. The problem was that Tatiana hated being coddled. Her intuition was so sharp that even if I assigned her a master of stealth and infiltration, she’d sniff them out immediately. Since she got along well with the humanoid Zorks, I figured I might ask the Female-type Zorks to handle it.
Tatiana aside, the question remained: to burn or not to burn? I stayed in close contact with my employees on the ground. Cervantes and Count One-Two-Three had both installed air-raid shelters underground, and my staff had been practicing meticulous evacuation drills based on the Imperial standard—meaning once every six months since childhood.
Thanks to that, they were all safe, having successfully ushered the customers into the shelters. They had already moved supplies and materials down there, so food and basic necessities weren't an issue. However, when I looked at the projected property damage for the shops...
Waaaaaaah!
Since this was technically an act of war, I wondered if Latarnia’s insurance would even cover it. Furthermore, among the Taikyoku Nation’s storefronts, only the major chains had installed shelters. The expected losses were staggering.
Latarnia had been proactive about underground shelter construction, so the Latarnia Bank and its loans were likely safe. The smaller shops, however, were in serious trouble.
And so, we remained stalled at the Flower Planet. The rescue operation was officially led by Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation. The most I could do was check in with the Pirate Guild.
“Hey there.”
Once the unproductive meeting finally broke up, I contacted Oliver.
“Big Brother Leo! It’s been a while-ssu.”
“Everyone’s taking refuge in the underground shelters, but we can't get to them because of the locusts,” I explained. “We could try a forced descent with tanks or Humanoid Fighters, but there’s no way to extract everyone and get back out. A transport aircraft would just be swatted out of the sky.”
“So, are you going to burn it all down?”
“If Latarnia incinerates its own citizens, the new King will be forced to resign before he even gets settled.”
“They’re starting with that annoying talk again. Big Brother Leo! You’ve gotta give 'em a scolding!”
Honestly, what does this guy think I am? I was just a third party with no real skin in the game.
“It can’t be helped. Latarnia grew out of a resistance movement from the slavery era. They either live together or die together. That’s what it means to be Latarnian.”
“And yet they still have slavery in that country! It’s crazy!”
“They all want to abolish it, but apparently, they just don't know how to transition away from it.”
The Galactic Empire was in a similar boat with the aristocracy. Even Wifey had been saying she wanted to step down as Emperor before public opinion turned against her. But the territory was so vast that centralizing power was an impossible game, and no one had come up with a better political system yet. The scale of Chronos was probably the upper limit for a functional democracy, and even there, the Senate seats were mostly hereditary. In Chronos, the families of the senators acted like self-important 'high-class citizens' and threw their weight around.
I wonder what freedom actually is? I mused. Despite being a Grand Duke, I was a laborer who held both a Large Vehicle License and an Electrical Work Qualification.
“Anyway, we’ll continue checking things from our side,” I said.
“In that case, use the satellite comms. Here’s the access code Latarnia gave me.”
“Is that okay-ssu?”
“It’s fine. It’s only for temporary use. Besides, Latarnia and Taikyoku both know I’m in touch with the Pirate Guild. They’re probably both secretly hoping I’ll handle things this way.”
“...Big Brother, can I ask you something?”
“What’s with the sudden formal tone?”
“Would you consider becoming the Boss of the Pirate Guild? I’m being completely serious.”
“You’ve clearly run out of booze! I need to bring you back to your senses—I’ll send some alcohol over right now!”
“Don't talk about me like I’m some kind of alcoholic! I’m serious. If it’s Big Brother Leo, the Pirate Guild would actually stabilize.”
“No—thank—you. I happen to be the No. 2 of the Galactic Empire, in case you forgot.”
“Damn it! Why is a guy so perfectly suited to be a pirate stuck being a noble?!”
“Just check things out on your end, okay? And as always, the Kamishiro Group is open to taking in former pirates. If anyone wants to go straight, tell them to call the office.”
“Understood-ssu.”
My meeting with the pirate concluded. Was he insane? If I became a pirate, Wifey would divorce me in a heartbeat.
I pondered this while boiling noodles in the dining hall.
“Lord Groom... you even know how to make ramen...?”
“Sometimes you just get a craving. I can't simmer pork bones without people getting angry at the smell, so it’s soy sauce flavor today.”
It was a mock ‘Soy Sauce Ramen School Cafeteria Flavor,’ with a broth made from kelp, seafood, and meat. The meat used for the stock became the charshiu. I added naruto, menma, and seaweed...
Hehehe.
“It’s delicious... It’s strange. Even though it’s my first time eating this, it tastes nostalgic.”
“This is that, isn't it? Station soba ramen. The kind from a private shop on a local railway line.”
Isono, that bastard, had seen right through me.
“Heh heh heh... I! Will not! Resist my hunger!”
It was the flavor I remembered from a long-ago vacation to the Imperial Capital. I had painstakingly reproduced it.
“Captain, can you give me this recipe? I want to serve this at my parents' place.”
Melissa gave it her full approval.
“...I want to eat tonkotsu too,” Claire murmured.
“Nina-san and Kevin are currently working on getting permission for that.”
It might have seemed insensitive to feast while others were suffering, but you had to eat when you could. Right, Tatiana?
When I looked over at her, she was eating in total silence. It seemed she liked the flavor. One-oh-one and Shiyun were also completely lost in their bowls.
“So... what’s the word on the bombing?”
“They’re going through with it. Apparently, the high-ranking officials in Latarnia reached an agreement once they all promised not to play the blame game afterward.”
In the end, it seemed they couldn't produce an effective insecticide. They didn't even know if one would work. Therefore, the only option left was orbital bombardment.
Well, things were getting interest—actually, no, not really. This time, I think I’ll just sit back and watch how it all unfolds.