How did it come to this…?
I was currently wallowing in regret.
It was only a few days ago that news of a new ruin discovery reached us.
We hurriedly organized an exploration team and set out yesterday.
And then, just moments ago, a magnetic storm that hadn't even been in the forecast sent our transport ship crashing onto an uninhabited planet.
Kevin and I were at a total loss.
We had been separated from the Imperial Guard Knight Order…
Well, we fell together, but our actual landing points seemed to be quite far apart.
At the very least, my machine, Massacre Night, was intact.
And then there was one other unit.
[Maiden of Jade Water]
This was the new Exclusive Machine I had built specifically for Kevin.
It was a prototype born from a strategic review within the Imperial Space Marines.
Until recently, the general consensus had been, "Isn't AI good enough for this?" but…
Thanks to the efforts of Kevin and Nina-san, the strategic value of drones and remote-controlled weaponry had skyrocketed.
Specifically, it had been discovered that the Female-type Zork possessed the ability to operate a massive number of individual units in parallel as a Zork Mother.
This discovery was significant enough to rewrite the military’s entire playbook.
Her compatibility with a Tsume-shogi Type weapon operator like Nina-san was particularly exceptional; it was believed that the greatest effect could be achieved by pairing such an operator with a Humanoid Fighter.
To put it simply, the reason we students were able to defeat the Zork was because our pilots were at an Inhuman Level, combined with the brilliant performance of Nina and Kevin.
In my opinion, the "perverted" nature of our development team’s capabilities also played a role.
Like when they rolled out the Bolt Thrower, which was borderline defective if you weren't careful.
Or how they managed to manufacture armor plating out of Zork exoskeletons.
At any rate, there was no denying that this excessively unconventional equipment had been a massive success.
I had nearly died many times, but it was an undeniable fact that I had been saved by that same weird equipment just as often.
In line with these developments, there was a growing need to protect drone operators and extend the communication range of their units.
The [Maiden of Jade Water] was developed to meet those needs.
It was a machine specialized for self-defense and drone control—essentially, a unit designed to compensate for Kevin's weakness of being unable to dodge attacks during simulator multiplayer.
With this, he was now able to consistently win against two opponents at once during Zork Mother battles in the simulator.
So, just as I thought we were about to conduct a field test for Kevin and his new machine, we suddenly found ourselves stranded.
We really do attract nothing but trouble, don't we?
I pulled a batch of Sweet Potato Yokan I had made yesterday out of the storage container.
I was in a complete picnic mood.
"Hey, Kevin. Want some Sweet Potato Yokan?"
I spoke to Kevin, who was currently clad in a custom-made Combat Suit tailored to fit his chest.
Kevin was absolutely fuming.
"Honestly! What were you thinking, bringing that along!?"
Despite his protest, he immediately started munching away.
I had made sure to sneak plenty of food into my Exclusive Machine's storage containers.
Judging by the situation, it looked like it would take Raven-kun’s rescue team at least a full day to reach us.
"You know, Kevin, this is the first time I’ve ever crashed because of a magnetic storm."
"Forecasts rarely miss, after all."
Hmm, I had a feeling this was intentional.
Well, whatever. More importantly…
"Hey, you there. Want some Sweet Potato Yokan?"
When I called out in the Chronos Language, an arrow suddenly came flying toward us.
As if something like that would ever hit us; we can catch bullets, for crying out loud.
I snatched the arrow out of the air and tossed it aside.
Kevin did the same, catching an arrow while continuing to eat.
"It’s useless, so stop shooting. If you have something to say, just say it."
"W-Who ARE you!?"
Ah, broken speech.
The official language of Magellan is the Chronos Language.
It wasn't that they didn't understand me; it felt more like the Chronos Language had mutated here.
This was a problem. This was an unmanaged planet.
"Yo. I'm the Grand Duke of Chronos, Leo Kamishiro Chronos. Nice to meet ya!"
"U-Ugh…"
Someone emerged from the bushes.
A Beast Race?
I thought so for a second, but they looked much closer to actual animals.
"Demon King fall from sky!"
A crude spear was pointed at me.
That’s dangerous.
Hup!
I snapped it with a Hand Knife strike.
"Ugh, monster!"
"You’d think that at first glance, wouldn't you? We're used to it, though…"
Kevin was being surprisingly biting.
"Here, you want some?"
I held out a piece of Sweet Potato Yokan.
"Potato…!"
He snatched the Sweet Potato Yokan away.
He began devouring it greedily.
"Tasty. Me, Mukari."
Mukari-kun, huh?
Contact established through the power of snacks.
"Where are you guys from?"
"Village ahead. Demon King soldiers appeared. We ran away."
Hmmmmm?
I thought he meant us when he said "Demon King’s soldiers," but… you’re telling me a different group has come to this planet?
"Kevin…"
"They’re probably Magellan remnants. Most likely."
Things suddenly started smelling fishy.
I headed toward the village on foot with Mukari.
I scouted from a hill overlooking the village using binoculars.
Yep, I spotted a Magellan Humanoid Fighter.
It was an old Latarnia-made model from back before the merger with Chronos.
Well, if it’s come to this, I have no choice.
I contacted Raven-kun.
"Raven-kun, it's Leo. It looks like Magellan remnants are attacking the locals. I’ve spotted old Magellan Army units in the village."
"Wait—Lord Leo! Please, whatever you do, do not engage! I’m heading there with the utmost urgency!"
Raven-kun sounded more panicked than I had ever heard him.
But it couldn't be helped, right?
Bad guys have to be punished.
I had officially entered His Highness Mode.
Now then, how should I handle this?
"Mukari-kun, do you have any other friends around?"
"I do… but, not tell outsiders."
"I have food."
"I understand."
He was easy.
I pulled food from the container and had Kevin's drones transport it.
Hahaha!
As expected, food is the true universal currency.
Guided by Mukari, we arrived at the camp where the people who had fled the village were hiding.
They were wary at first, but they calmed down immediately once I started distributing food.
"H-His communication skills are way too high…"
Hey, I am the Grand Duke of Chronos, after all.
I couldn't survive this life if I didn't have the sunny personality of a protagonist from a high-tier visual novel.
I kept handing out food while listening to their stories.
"House burned down…"
"Yeah, yeah, that’s awful… Here, have some more."
"Uugh, you good guy…"
"H-He’s already won them over… What on earth am I being forced to watch right now…?"
Kevin looked completely appalled.
I didn't really get it either.
However, interacting with the locals is important. You understand, right?
And two hours later…
"Long live the King!"
"He became a King in just two hours!"
I wonder why that happened?
For some reason, just by handing out food, I had been officially recognized as their King.
Well, whatever!
Let’s just go with the flow!
"Alright, everyone! Let's go take your village back!"
"Awoooo!"
And that was how we ended up on a mission to reclaim the village.
By the way, when I reported to Raven-kun that I had "somehow become a King," he simply replied, "I figured you'd do that eventually."
What is with this complete lack of trust?