We were doing something terrifying right then.
I was reaching for my final resort.
It was potent medicine—something I had truly hoped to avoid.
But...
I wore a grave expression as I spoke.
"Claire... I want you to become the Head of the Magellan Autonomous District."
Claire’s face lit up with joy.
I had decided not to fully integrate Magellan into Chronos; instead, it would be an autonomous district. And I had appointed Claire as its head.
To be clear, it wasn't because she was my fiancée. It was because she was the Kamishiro Squad's agriculture specialist—a talent with a mountain of achievements to her name.
However, there was that earnestness of hers... or rather, that habit of hers where she ended up constructing "bright dystopias."
Well, it wasn't as if anyone actually ended up unhappy... and she was the absolute strongest when it came to governing agricultural planets.
I suppose governing Magellan would be impossible for anyone else. Yeah.
With that in mind, I left the governance to the highly motivated Lady Claire.
It was a planet that produced rice, after all. That’s right, rice... a primary production center.
"Claire... don't overdo it, okay?"
"Of course not."
And so, one problem was solved.
Next was dealing with the circles that couldn't be reasoned with.
That, however, was simple: I would just leave them alone. I wouldn't help them, and I wouldn't trade with them. Magellan could do whatever it wanted.
At that point, even more regions defected to us. They decided to become Children of Chronos.
Good grief, even the industrial zones?
"The men will manage those," Isono told me.
"Then what am I supposed to do!?"
"Diplomacy and military affairs. Go eat a potato and calm down."
Ah, right. Diplomacy and the military.
I heated some sweet potatoes in an earthenware pot lined with foil, turned off the heat at the right moment, and let them sit until they reached peak sweetness. Once they were ready, I warmed them up again. The perfect roasted sweet potatoes were complete!
"It is the potatoes, de arimasu!"
One-oh-one appeared and plundered my stash.
Heh heh heh... I am the Archduke of Chronos! Do you think I didn't anticipate this?
"Oh, I'll take one too~"
Then Melissa plundered them as well.
Nuu! The crystallization of two hours of my hard work!
Fine. I'd just make them again.
"Potato, potato~♪"
Since I had nothing else to do, I danced. Yay. Whoo-hoo.
Then, the expected development occurred.
"Planet Elcano has been attacked by the Magellan remnants!"
"One-oh-one... I’m counting on you... to look after my potatoes..."
"We'll share them with everyone, de arimasu! Tatiana! Shiyun! Come eat potatoes, de arimasu!"
Goodbye, my sweet potatoes... Until the day we meet again...
Being the Archduke of Chronos—that was the manly path of endurance.
"To the conference room. I'm coming along too~" Melissa said, following me.
Waaaaahhh!
The conference room was packed with the heavyweights of the Grand Duchy of Chronos—the members of the Kamishiro Squad.
"Hey everyone. I want to crush Magellan and eat some potatoes."
"Captain... your true feelings are leaking out."
"And the damage?"
Eddie projected the feed. The fleets were staring each other down, and the shooting had started.
But... they were firing at each other from a massive distance. They weren't going to hit anything like that.
"I have no idea what either side is trying to do. Uh... Latarnia Ministry of Foreign Affairs? I need an explanation."
I contacted Latarnia, as I always did when in trouble. The response was cold.
"Their proficiency is simply low. This is just the kind of nation Magellan is."
Ah, yeah. That felt nostalgic. It looked exactly like the Galactic Empire back when the Duke Association had been running things.
It was a farce. A performance staged in the hopes that someone would step in and stop it.
What should I do? I felt like nothing would happen even if I just watched.
...But I could use this.
"Record the video and notify the relevant nations. Magellan has begun an invasion of regions seeking annexation. As their protectorate, we will defend them. Chronos Defense Fleet, go teach them how harsh the world really is!"
We weren't the aggressors here, after all!
"Understood!"
The attack by the Grand Duchy of Chronos Army began. I’d stopped caring about whether it was technically an invasion. If they provoked us, we'd slaughter them. Saying it was "just a joke" wouldn't fly.
Now, time to watch our forces fight...
Or so I thought, but when I looked at the display, it was already over. The crews were already abandoning the disabled Magellan Warships in escape pods.
"Your Majesty. Shall we pursue?" Raven-kun asked.
My voice came out sounding a bit hollow. "Leave them be."
They were way too weak. Was it just that no one had bothered to take them over because their national character was annoying and their location was mediocre?
Suddenly, a transmission from the Prime Minister of Magellan flashed on the screen, his face in an extreme close-up.
"I will not permit this invasion of our country! You piece of trash!"
At that moment, my stress finally snapped. My voice dropped an octave.
"Do you desire total war?"
"T-Total war!?"
"Your repeated military provocations... you want total war, don't you? Fine. I'll show you the power of Chronos. Melissa, turn Magellan into scorched earth!"
"As my beloved Majesty commands."
"Wait, hold on... we're the victims here..."
"And?"
Then Latarnia cut into the channel.
"Latarnia shall assist as well."
And Shiyun also cut in.
"Of course, my Taikyoku Nation will provide support."
Finally, Saria appeared, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.
"The Ogre God Nation will assist too."
"Eh... well... you see... we just wanted our territory back."
"Negotiate for it yourselves."
"And if possible, some aid..."
"I refuse."
The situation was simple now. I just had to be as barbaric as they were. I had to stoop to their level.
"P-Please stop the att—"
"I will show no mercy."
"Those liars from the Zen God Race! They said the Archduke of Chronos was a softie! He’s a member of a Warrior Race!"
Ah, I see. They were egged on by the Zen God Race. Still... to collude with the people who scattered the Locusts? Were they morons?
"Ah, wait... what? A coup? A mob is surrounding the building?"
Something was happening on their end.
"U-Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
I heard screams and saw flames.
The Latarnian Ambassador and Shiyun both held their heads in their hands.
"Lord Leo... it appears to be a coup. I believe the President is dead."
Things were moving so fast I couldn't keep up.
"Which means...?"
"...Magellan has fallen."
And so, the incident later known as "the enemy nation that destroyed itself while I did nothing" came to an end.
"Umm, what should we do now?"
Shiyun looked at me with an expression like a girl admiring a star athlete from the soccer club.
"Let's just annex them into Chronos."
Well, I hope it all just ends like this.
I was kind of forgetting about the Ozen Alliance, though.
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