We held an evening party.
It was a massive affair, drawing in lords from across the regions.
Extravagant? No, no, far from it.
It was a gathering where various organizations, lords, and business moguls could converge to discuss trade.
Sure, the bill for the food and alcohol was astronomical, but the results were immeasurable.
The vegetables and fruits served were the latest varieties from the local planets.
The bar was lined with award-winning spirits from regional distilleries.
Even the meat and fish were prime selections presented with pride by local producers.
The guest list included executives from the food service industry, food processing companies, tourism sectors like hotels, and supermarket chains...
Representatives from producer groups were there too, engaged in negotiations at every turn.
Even my own Cervantes was busy handing out samples of products from the Galactic Empire.
There was even a military industry booth... A booth? Well, whatever.
They were exhibiting portable rations, water, and survival kits for civilian use.
The whole thing had effectively turned into a trade fair.
By the way, what the hell was "Grand Duke Brand Yakisoba"?
They were passing out samples of frozen food.
I hadn't heard a word about this, but the distributor was apparently the Kamishiro Group.
Oh... okay then.
And Rikochi, for heaven's sake, don't leave your matchmaking profile in a place like this.
Why on earth are you wearing full armor in the photo!
It made so little sense that not a single person was picking one up.
It was just in the way, so I had it cleared out.
I ordered the Imperial Guard to remove them.
Now, the official reason for this event was "To celebrate the success of the various athletic tournaments and pray for the success of the pro-wrestling tournament."
In reality, that was just a pretext to get the regional lords and business leaders in one room.
High-ranking officials from Magellan had also shown up to solicit donations and investments... but their approach was all wrong.
They needed to project a more enjoyable atmosphere...
Like, if you donated or invested, you’d receive a qualification certificate or a medal issued by the provisional government that you could show off.
You have to play into that wealthy desire to be "not just rich, but a cultured individual worthy of respect"...
Well, whatever.
It wasn't something that directly concerned Chronos.
Besides, relying too heavily on donations would just warp the country’s foundation.
However, since everyone was gathered, I did issue a warning.
I touched on the war between Parcion and Lepsitol, and the terror alert in the capital...
The regional guests, seeing the armored vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, and humanoid fighters patrolling the Capital Planet, finally realized the gravity of the situation.
For me, it just felt like a military parade.
Seriously, everyone was overestimating my intuition way too much!
The opposition party was fuming, shouting things like "You're wasting money!" and "You're mocking the commoners with your elitism!", but ninety percent of the guests were commoners.
As for Chronosian Nobles, the only ones here were the regional lords and my own inner circle!
This was purely a place for business.
But keep at it, Opposition-chan!
Please, kick me off this pedestal!
I spent the evening making the rounds and greeting the guests.
Hahaha!
Authority? I didn't have anything like that!
Normally, men our age would be in the military, getting punched by our superiors for every little thing.
We’d be crying to some non-commissioned officer to fix our mistakes at work.
Then we’d be dragged out drinking, and on the way home, we’d be forced to brawl with some anti-social types alongside the new recruits...
I was really glad I’d moved up in the world.
At any rate, we had no reason to act high and mighty.
The factions from Parcion and Lepsitol weren't present.
So, I figured those topics wouldn't come up.
...Or so I thought.
"Your Highness the Grand Duke. It has been quite a while."
I was greeted by an elderly merchant from Chronos.
We were acquaintances.
I wouldn't say we were close, mind you. I just knew his face.
"It has. Are you enjoying the festivities?"
"Yes, I am enjoying myself immensely. I am well aware that we owe this to Your Highness. ...By the way, there is a matter I wish to bring to your attention immediately..."
"Is it... a scary story?"
The old man gave a solemn nod.
"It concerns Lepsitol. Mike & Hammer Co. has entered a state of armed conflict with Camila McCarthy Co."
"Conflict?"
"Yes. That nation is governed by corporations... a peculiar place where companies possess their own military might. It seems a full-scale gunfight is underway with the armed yakuza of Camila McCarthy Co."
The terminology alone was bizarre.
What do you mean, armed yakuza?!
Was it really such a ridiculous country?
My briefing materials hadn't mentioned anything like that!
I mean, they mentioned they were armed!
But I didn't expect them to be yakuza!
"It seems Mike & Hammer is also retaliating with their private army."
"So... are you saying Mike & Hammer is in danger?"
"I cannot say for certain. It is impossible to grasp the true atmosphere on the ground from here."
Fair enough.
"This is a problem... Karen was my point of contact for negotiations..."
"In all likelihood... there has been a shift in the power balance within Lepsitol."
It was exactly as Karen had said.
Governance by corporations, including military affairs.
Multiple companies with military power vying for control... or rather, the corporations of Lepsitol were essentially yakuza.
I finally understood.
It might look like a high-tech society, but it was a lawless wasteland where might made right.
They had simply draped the veneer of "corporations" over it.
Hoh. So that's how it worked. I see.
"Thank you for the information. I'll go check in with the relevant departments."
With that, I took my leave.
I entered a private room and had my guards wait outside...
"I have a request to make as the Pirate Guild Great Leader..."
I said, summoning the pirates.
I’ve become quite the shady character... poor me.
I eventually met up with Wifey, who arrived later at the party.
She made her grand entrance as the Galactic Empire Emperor.
I just hung around the edges. I was basically in the mascot character slot.
You know, like 'The One Who Recruits a Bespectacled Married Woman to Be a Magical Girl.'
...Actually, even I don't know what I'm talking about.
If the enemy was coming with violence, then I would simply respond with violence.
After all, the military are experts in the field!
It wasn't strictly about saving Karen.
It was about securing my channel for negotiations.
...And I was starting to see where the fire from my "Burning Capital" intuition was going to start.
These things are always scariest when the enemy is an unknown.
Once you know their identity, there are plenty of ways to handle it.
To protect the capital, and to protect my negotiation partner.
I began to weave my schemes.
Wifey looked at my face and broke into a cold sweat.
"Lord Groom... that is a truly formidable and terrifying smile you have there..."
"Hahaha. It's just that a problem I've been mulling over looks like it's about to be solved, honey."
Now then, this lot was just waiting for a chance to pick a fight with me.
It was high time I rounded them up and put them in their place.
Sales data is out.
It is said to be very well received!
Thank you very much!