For some reason, I found myself tied to a cross, surrounded by members of the Kamishiro clan brandishing torches.
It was a full-blown insurrection.
Yet, even my Chronos Imperial Guard Knight Order completely ignored the scene, muttering things like, "There goes the King again," or "It's the King; he'll be fine."
I suppose my daily behavior was finally catching up to me.
"I was... really looking forward to the tournament..."
A girl from the Track and Field Club pointed a spear at me.
Stop! Cut out the Gokumon routine!
And you, Baseball Club!
Don't you dare draw targets on my chest and stomach!
And that heart mark on my chest is just aggravating!
"Alright, I get it! I promise we'll hold the sports tournament!"
"Yeahhh!"
A roar of triumph erupted from the athletic crowd.
Then, a group of people wearing masks started roasting me with their torches.
Stop! I'm not a piece of dried squid!
And you, at the front! You in the Tiger mask!
That's you, Claire-san, isn't it?! Please stop! I'm begging you!
"The pro-wrestling... exhibition..."
"We'll do it as part of the sports tournament!"
"Leo, that's a promise."
Man, she was terrifying.
"I'll leave it to the Chronos Court to decide if a promise made under these conditions is even legal... Ack, stop! Stop the burning at the stake!"
I was only joking!
Thus, through this insurrection, I was coerced into promising an Autumn Sports Tournament.
I went to cry for help at the headquarters of Kamishiro Group Chronos.
In a proper democracy, people would be screaming about conflicts of interest, corruption, and bribery.
But this was our company! Besides, we were the ones allocating work to local Chronosian businesses.
It was true that the Kamishiro Group was a foreign entity, but except for a few at the very top, the staff were all Chronosians.
In practice, they acted as a bridge to private companies that we, as the state, couldn't keep track of.
It couldn't be helped. So many ghost companies were still out of commission after being devastated by the locusts.
There was a wealth of information that could only be navigated through private-sector networks—especially when it came to general contractors and event organizers.
Ultimately, we needed a company that could say, "We have work! Everyone who wants a job, follow us!"
Besides, it was me and the Kamishiro Group who shouldered the responsibility for these projects.
And so, the plans for a fun sports festival began.
I secured the same venue we used for the culture festival and dumped the entire kitchen car plan onto someone else.
What? The Pirate Guild wanted in too?
Fine, but if they committed even one crime, I'd personally lead the raid on them. Oh, they were working as showmen now? And they had a legal company for it?
I see... Well, tell them not to cause any food poisoning. If they did, I’d treat them as the villains and kick their teeth in without hesitation. Got it?
"Yes, sir!"
That was a good, firm answer.
I passed the security plan off to Rikochi, then checked in on Kevin for the medic logistics.
"I feel like I'm going to die from studying for the national exam..."
Right, sorry. I'll handle that part myself. It was the National Medical Examination, after all. I promised to bring him some treats later. He asked for fruit, so I noted that down.
"Also, bake me a cake!"
"Roger that. I'll consult Nina-san!"
I could bake, but Nina-san was the expert on glittering cakes for girls. If I did it, the whipped cream would probably end up having offensive capabilities. I decided to order some maraschino cherries, dragées, and chocolate sprinkles.
I figured I might as well make some chocolate-covered bananas too, so I started filling out the application for a shop stall.
I was fully intending to run a booth myself until—
"Absolutely not."
Claire summoned me and shoved my application right back into my face.
"I... am so sad."
"A head of state does not run a street stall!"
"Ugh... but I want to cook... Before the food liberalization... I took a correspondence course in candy craft."
I had signed up for it on a whim back when I was starving. I had already mastered animal shapes! I was proud of that.
"You can use the palace kitchen!"
"Woo-hoo! I'm going right now!"
I skipped all the way to the kitchen and got to work with my Japanese scissors and a burner.
As I thought, I loved this kind of delicate work. It cleared my head and allowed me to see current problems more objectively.
"Here, a rabbit!" I said, handing one to the palace chef.
"...Your Majesty, this would actually sell."
"Fuh-fuh-fuh..."
The moment I entered the kitchen, One-oh-one appeared. It was practically a superpower at this point. I made a Shiba Inu and handed it over.
"Thank you very much, de-arimasu!"
Tatiana and Shiyun showed up as well. I crafted a swan for Shiyun and a goldfish for Tatiana.
"W-Wow..."
"The quality is incredible!"
"Fuh-fuh-fuh, never underestimate the concentration of a man who has stared down starvation! Gwah-hah-hah!"
And so, preparations for the sports festival moved forward.
Separately, there was work to be done. I held a meeting with Eddie.
"Regarding those flying the Proone flag, the pilots were Chronosians—all of them veterans. They were men who resented the Colonel—well, His Excellency the General now—and had deserted the military."
"I mean, I get it. People are bound to be upset when their head of state is a foreigner."
"No, Leo. It seems they actually accept you. Their testimony was that 'placing that incompetent Colonel in charge after his uselessness during the locust disaster was simply unforgivable.'"
"Wait, why? Why is my approval rating among Chronosians so high? I'm a foreigner."
"It can't be helped. You're a fierce general who always wins and you're skilled at diplomacy. You don't rule with tyranny. You're the kind of King who explains risks and discloses information. Besides, you've always had a reputation as a man of character for protecting the hated Proone people. You're seen as something of a softie. In that same situation, even I would have chosen to wipe them out."
"So my past choices have come back to haunt me!"
I had intended it as the protection of an endangered species, but I suppose normally, one would have just eliminated them. Still, I hated the idea of being known as a merciless butcher who destroyed every enemy. It would only make things harder when trying to convince other factions to surrender in the future.
No one surrenders to someone with a track record of total annihilation. It was better to be thought of as someone who was soft on those who gave up. For the Galactic Empire, I could spin it as a heartwarming story to satisfy them. The member nations of the Battle Dome had asked for aid in exchange for their cooperation, but I had planned to help them from the start anyway.
By giving them work, we had reached a point of being "comrades who don't necessarily understand each other." I had to stand my ground on certain things, of course. Now, it seemed my mercy was viewed as a "troublesome quirk," much like the Latarnians' obsession with promises. That felt like a decent enough result.
"So, who provided the support?"
"The primary funds seem to have come from the fugitive merchants—the ones involved in smuggling prohibited goods, illicit wealth accumulation, and price-gouging supplies."
They were the ones I had cracked down on quite severely. Since they had pegged me as a softie, they were likely shocked when I moved against them so thoroughly. Quite a few had managed to flee the country, unfortunately.
I never took a grudge over food lightly. I had no tolerance for looters, and I had crushed anyone importing drugs or weapons. I could overlook a little bribery, but the idiots who tried to turn bribery into a formal system had been sent straight to hell. Having realized I was serious, they had used what remained of their fortunes to seek revenge.
"What about the Zen God Race?"
"We can't find a lead. If anything, they're becoming a problem in Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation. Both have approached us wanting to offer formal apologies."
"Ugh, what a pain."
I knew neither country was actually at fault. Once something entered the world, it was inevitable that it would be diverted or resold. It was just exhausting to deal with.
"Let's just focus on the sports festival for now..."
And so, the investigation was temporarily shelved.