Well, it was time to head back to the ninja unit.
"Auditor-dono!"
The Captain appeared, rubbing his hands together obsequiously.
His behavior was so blatant it was actually annoying.
"What's the status on the Sakamoto Conglomerate?"
"According to our reconnaissance units, they appear to be put up a good fight."
"And what does Sakamoto have to say?"
"Tosa Prefecture is a region where the planets specializing in seafood production are clustered. He is absolutely furious that business has ground to a halt."
I could understand that.
The nations on our side had stopped all imports, after all.
Feral Ghouls were no laughing matter.
It was true that, thanks to Tatiana's cooperation, the technology to eliminate the Ghouls had already been developed.
While a Saint Barrier was out of the question, we could run electricity through someone's body while sending a specific signal to those particular ores, which then irradiated the body with the stored energy.
Even a method as crude as that was highly effective as an Anti-Ghoul measure.
You weakened them with the energy irradiation and then finished them off with electricity.
It became a massive hit.
The devices sold like crazy in the Ogre God Nation, Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and across Chronos.
Furthermore, we created derivative products from the standalone irradiation devices, such as air purifiers and purification tools for altars—the local equivalent of what we'd call Buddhist or Shinto altars. Those flew off the shelves, too.
We were even receiving orders for large-scale industrial versions for factories.
That method involved applying the irradiation to electric dust collectors used in the exhaust systems.
Mind you, there was zero scientific basis for any of it.
And yet, for some reason, we kept getting reports that it alleviated allergy symptoms.
This was despite us explicitly stating there was no scientific foundation for such claims.
In the first place, I thought the whole thing was redundant since we were already installing Saint Barriers around entire cities.
Regardless, even with removal devices available, Lepsitol seafood was likely a dead industry.
The stigma had already stuck.
That was why the Sakamoto rebellion was a situation the central government couldn't handle.
Consequently, we made contact through Mike & Hammer Co.
A formal meeting was arranged with the head of the conglomerate.
Chairman Karen, acting as our Representative Director, met with Chairman Sakamoto.
I stood behind Karen, dressed in a dark suit and a monkey mask, with a Ninja Sword strapped to my back.
Rikochi stood beside me in a secretary-style suit, wearing a Ko-omote Noh Mask.
Chairman Sakamoto had a Renjishi-style Armored Warrior wielding a rifle standing behind him, so while the visual was bizarre, it was considered a normal business proceeding here.
Something resembling a Japanese drum—yet slightly off—was struck, signaling the start of the meeting.
As usual, Karen wore a suit that emphasized her cleavage.
Chairman Sakamoto wore a three-piece suit with a red tie... and his hair was slicked back like a certain securities firm executive.
He looked shady as hell.
And what was the point of the guy on the drums?
Seriously, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Don-do-don! Boeee~!
A Conch Shell... You brought one of those, too?
At least there wasn't a Biwa Hoshi!
Please tell me there wasn't one!
...He wasn't there. Safe.
"Chairman Sakamoto, thank you for making the time for this meeting today."
We bowed.
The Chairman and his Renjishi guard bowed back.
I'll say it again: Lepsitol was like some kind of cyberpunk Japan.
I really didn't know what to make of it.
"Chairman Karen, I am pleased to see you are doing well."
"It is all thanks to His Majesty the Grand Duke of Chronos, who saw fit to take me in."
"Then am I to understand that you are acting as the vanguard for Chronos?"
"You may interpret it however you wish. It is a matter of record that we are restructuring our management with investment from the Kamishiro Group, and I have no way to prove that I am not acting under direct orders."
Even though the ninja standing right behind her was the owner of both the Kamishiro Group and Mike & Hammer Co.!
"You are remarkably candid."
"It is because I have looked upon a true monster. I realized that if someone like me tried to act like a big shot and play games during a negotiation, I would only end up as a laughingstock."
"By 'monster,' do you refer to His Majesty Grand Duke Leo Kamishiro?"
"Indeed. The Grand Duke is... well... his thoughts are so far beyond the reach of someone like me that I cannot hope to fathom them... and yet, the results speak for themselves. He is a terrifying man."
That was sarcasm, wasn't it?
She was definitely pissed off at me for dragging her around all the time.
"Are you suggesting that even our uprising is merely a piece in the Grand Duke's grand design?"
No, it wasn't!
I was freaking out over here!
This was completely unexpected!
Rikochi glanced toward me.
Stop it... This wasn't my fault!
"Well, the Grand Duke's deep foresight is far beyond my meager understanding."
It was a total lack of planning!
I hadn't thought about anything!
I was just winging it and picking whatever option seemed best at the time based on my gut!
I broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as though I were being subjected to the most effective lecture of my life.
"Does that mean we are destined to meet the same end as Mikoshi Trading Co.?"
Definitely not.
As long as you didn't pick a fight with me, nothing would happen!
"I cannot say. However, I believe the Grand Duke is always acting to avert the worst possible future."
No, Karen... I really wasn't thinking at all.
I mean, come on! I'd barely had any time to make decisions since arriving in Lepsitol!
My food poisoning was just the result of me wanting to eat crab.
There was no way I could have predicted a civil war in Lepsitol!
"What are your thoughts regarding Parcion?"
Well, that was the mystery of the Mainland... wait, the answer was already halfway there.
The Parcionians were spreading Ghoul infections, primarily through their restaurants.
It was easy to imagine that the upper echelons of Parcion had already been hollowed out and taken over by Ghouls.
Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation were absolutely livid about it.
Their citizens were genuinely enraged.
Chronos was already poised and ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice.
What did the future hold for Parcion?
"They likely do not have much time left."
I wasn't going to make any definitive claims.
I had no idea what the future held.
After all, those Zorks only went extinct because we'd failed to kill them ourselves.
No one had even known the Proone were on the brink of vanishing.
I couldn't predict how Parcion would react.
They might even have some sort of terrifying trump card prepared.
I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
"And what is your assessment, Representative Karen?"
"We will subjugate Parcion in coordination with Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and Chronos."
"Wouldn't that lead to the collapse of Lepsitol as a nation?"
"No nation currently possesses the human resources required to govern the vast territories of Lepsitol and Parcion. Even the Galactic Empire views the annexation of Chronos as an irregularity. If we can decouple Lepsitol's political structure from the corporations, the country itself will endure."
That much was true.
It was the only way now.
Neither I nor Wifey had any desire for further territorial expansion!
"I see... and what would be required to achieve that?"
"The integration of the Four Great Conglomerates, or the total stripping of their political authority."
Now that was news to me.
Seriously, as long as they didn't become my enemies, they could have done whatever they wanted.
At that point, Chairman Sakamoto began to sob openly.
"Yes... that is it. That is the lifelong ambition of the Sakamoto family. We are allies with a shared purpose! Please, I beg of you, report this to the Grand Duke of Chronos."
"Of course."
O-oh... okay...
I didn't quite follow the logic, but it seemed Lepsitol was now aiming to liberate itself from conglomerate rule.
What was I supposed to do? This was playing out like the most dramatic climax of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and yet I was completely out of the loop.
I didn't actually mind if the corporations were in charge.
Since that was the security hole, I was just planning to use it to stir things up.
And so, Lepsitol set its sights on ending corporate-dominated politics.
While this meeting would later be attributed to my brilliance, I would like to go on the record and strongly deny it.