"Chronos Army, march!"
Now then, let me explain the current operation.
Latarnia was sitting this one out.
They were a country where slavery still lingered, after all.
Well, slavery itself was practically extinct there now. It was much easier to use disposable dispatch workers or non-regular employees, weren't they?
Naturally, the buying and selling of children was prohibited. You couldn't exactly build friendly relations while doing that.
However, they had made an informal request for us to consult with them if any Latarnians were found.
You see, some parents would even sell their own children. The point of the conversation was that the child’s future was what mattered most.
Fortunately, while Latarnia was sticklers for protocol, they weren't stupid enough to use children as bargaining chips.
Even the Proone had left an opening to save their kids.
So, the request was strictly a "let's talk" kind of thing.
But since the current administration didn't want to touch the subject of slavery, they officially declined to participate in the operation.
Major powers always seemed to come with a mountain of taboos and headaches.
Moving on. Magellan, now a part of Chronos, was joining in.
I didn't exactly force them; they likely just had a desire to be on the side of justice.
Our neighbor, the Taikyoku Nation, was participating because there was a high probability their own citizens were involved.
Shiyun, currently taking classroom courses at the Imperial Officer Academy, was also commanding a fleet this time to earn her practical training credits.
A Proone Officer Academy Student was participating as Shiyun's assistant.
It would count as credits for their Ship-handling Practical Training.
The Ogre God Nation Forces weren't about to miss a fight.
They joined in with gusto.
"Big Brother Leo! We’re moving out!"
"A brawl! It’s a brawl! ♪" they cheered.
I mean, no matter how you sliced it, we were clearly the ones in the right this time.
Child consultation centers and Emergency Medical Teams from Chronos and the Galactic Empire were on standby.
Now then, as for the operation... I wanted to say "Humanoid Fighters," but rescuing the children took priority.
The most suitable person for an infiltration mission... was obviously me.
I’d perform an Atmospheric Entry on a motorcycle and act as a one-man soldier—wait, don't rush in alone?
Fine. We went in together.
As such, I split everyone into teams: Melissa, Claire, Eddy, and Ren.
Once I recovered the hostages, they would be the ones to storm the front.
Wifey and Shiyun would handle the ship-to-ship battles against the enemy warships.
Raven-kun, the Minister of Military Affairs, took command of the Chronos fleet.
The vice-captains and those below them participated in the infiltration mission as my Imperial Guard Knights.
First, we scouted with Kevin’s drones.
Kevin was the General Manager of the Scout Squad and also served as a Medical Team Apprentice.
I worried about her overworking, but we were short on talent elsewhere.
Kevin launched various drones packed into small missiles into the atmosphere.
Then, the missiles were dismantled in planetary orbit, scattering the drones across the planet.
A considerable number of drones were damaged, but that was within expectations.
Once they entered the atmosphere, Bird-type Drones mapped the general terrain and buildings.
After creating a map, we searched for the hideout using Dragonfly-type Drones.
Once we reached that point, we infiltrated further using even smaller spider-type drones.
"Leo, hostages found."
"Copy that."
I performed the Galactic Empire Space Marine specialty: Atmospheric Entry on a motorcycle.
It was certainly difficult for radar to track and was an effective method, but...
It really was the peak of disregarding human life.
Sure, accidents were rare, but still...
Even the Ogre God Nation people hated doing it.
I grumbled about my dissatisfaction the whole way down during the Atmospheric Entry.
I hated that I was actually capable of doing this.
I approached the facility on the bike.
I stopped in a position where the enemy sensors couldn't detect me and entered the facility on foot.
Inside, there was a massive number of Pirates.
"...Seriously, what is up with that Archduke of Chronos? He’s nothing but a nuisance to our business."
A few men in the warehouse were grumbling while moving cargo.
If what they were carrying had been organs, I would have slaughtered them on the spot without a Trial.
However, the cargo was marked with identification numbers in digits and Latarnian Characters.
When I sent the images to Latarnia, the reply came back: "It is drugs."
If it’s drugs, I guess it can't be helped...
Wait, as if I’d say "If it’s drugs, it can't be helped!"
I could have burned it all right there, but I endured. Instead, I tagged them with markers.
They would be seized later and serve as evidence for the Trial.
That was fine, but the idiots blocking the hallway while complaining were in the way.
I managed to avoid them and...
Oh, look, a Ventilation Duct!
I entered the sector where the hostages were being held through the Ventilation Duct.
I instructed my Imperial Guard to suppress the area, with only the vice-captains following me.
"Are you guys okay? Can you keep up?"
"I-it is no problem, sir."
Well, if they said so themselves, then fine.
I reached the hostage sector through the ventilation duct and issued instructions to Claire and the others at the same time.
"Claire, I've infiltrated the hostage sector. Please begin the Pirate extermination."
"Understood."
I heard a chorus of "Woof woof woof bark!"
Ren and Pleasant Companions must have made their entrance.
The hostage sector was full of cages where children were imprisoned.
Good grief, collecting this many kids...
Does it even make a profit?
Sure, there were probably a fair number of perverts like Maro out there. But you couldn't run a large-scale business on a black market that couldn't be made public. You’d have a better chance of winning by running a transport business in a danger zone.
Were they so stupid they didn't understand that?
I ordered the Imperial Guard to protect the children while I opened a terminal and plugged in a connector.
"Fairy-san, go ahead and do it."
"Roger that~!"
I snatched the data from the system and ordered a withdrawal.
"Alright, carry the children out."
There were few injuries among the kids this time. None of them were on the verge of death.
Thank goodness for that...
Or so I thought.
"Leo-kun... please prepare yourself before you listen. These children were being used as materials for human experiments."
A vein throbbed on my temple.
"Regarding Lou-chan... it seems she was sold from this very facility and ended up in that form."
"Wait, wasn't it an Ancient Ruins?"
"They were using the facility until recently! It was a Technical Resurrection Project to bring back the technology from that era!"
"Wait a minute. They were even more heinous than I expected... Claire, did you hear that?"
My blood pressure spiked so hard I felt like the blood vessels in my brain might snap.
"Yeah! I'll slaughter them all," Claire replied.
The sounds of heavy explosions began to echo. I wasn't going to show any mercy anymore.
"All forces, attack!"
No more mercy. I had assumed they were sold due to poverty or taken as collateral for debt. But I was wrong.
These enemies were just doing whatever they damn well pleased.
"Wifey."
"I know. I won't let them escape."
The pirates must have sensed the raid, as their warships began to take off.
I drew my usual Wooden Sword and stepped out in front of the enemy while smashing through doors.
"E-eek! It’s the Archduke! He’s here!"
Oh, am I a celebrity? Even the pirates knew my face.
"Nuhahaha! Come on then!"
I swung my sword, punishing the pirates. I broke everything from their limbs to their collarbones and ribs, making sure to leave them just Barely Alive.
"T-the guns aren't hitting him!"
"He's too fast! How are we supposed to defeat something like this?!"
"I'm getting out of he—Gubuh!"
I busted through doors and beat the living daylights out of the guys with guns. Many were sent crashing through walls. Many were embedded into the ceiling.
Finally, in the most luxurious room at the very back, I found the moronic boss. He was a middle-aged man shaped like a meatball.
"Y-you! Don't you dare mock m—Gyaaaaaaaaa!"
I snapped his limbs in an instant and followed up with a home run.
The 'Barely Alive but Haunted by My Nightmares for Life Combo' landed perfectly.
I didn't even have enough composure left to tell him he was going to be the ball. I would leave his mouth intact for the interrogation and Trial, but he didn't need anything else, right?
"Talk. Who is your backer?"
"D-don't kill m—..."
"I won't kill you. I'm going to put you on Trial properly and have you sentenced to death."
"P-please..."
"No, that's not allowed. You will die. But if you tell me who's backing you, I'll go kill them too."
The scoundrel screamed through his tears, but I felt no sympathy.
"If you won't talk, I'll just end it here."
I slowly leveled my Wooden Sword...
"Wait! Lord Leo, stop!"
I was held back by my Imperial Guard. Melissa had arrived as well.
Then, Melissa held my face between both of her hands.
"Calm down, Captain. Your Jester's Ability is weakening. Listen, okay? The Jester converts hope into power, right? You mustn't kill!"
Having it pointed out by Melissa, my sanity finally returned.
"I see... so I was angry."
"Yeah. Though you're still cool when you're like that, Captain!"
When told that by my fiancée, I had no choice but to settle down.
"Thanks. Secure everyone!"
Once I regained my composure, a message came in from Wifey.
"All ships have been captured!"
As expected of Wifey.
It seemed... I really was the kind of man who was no good without them.