Why on earth was there a bounty on my head?
When I contacted the Captain, he just burst into a fit of raucous laughter.
"Gyahahahaha! This is a masterpiece! Listen, kid, being a bounty head is just proof that you’re a top-tier ninja."
"Give me a break, please."
Apparently, having a price on your head was a common occurrence in his world.
And so, those Armored Rikishi had come to test their strength against me. I swear... you Lepsitolians... do you all have the same meatheaded sensibilities as the people of the Ogre God Nation?
Left with no other choice, I went crying to Karen-san.
"Ahahaha... I think it’s impossible to stop them... Anyone can tell at a glance that His Royal Highness is no ordinary man. Since they’re acting out of fear, I suppose you’ll just have to wait until they give up."
Did I really have no choice but to go back to my ninja work? The fact that I was a wanted man was, quite frankly, infuriating.
Hmm...
For now, I contacted the anti-government organization.
"Let's go take care of a slightly difficult mission," I told them.
It was time to start the retaliation.
Would I launch a head-on assault? Not a chance. I wasn't going to do something so tedious.
Instead, I gathered the students from the public university and had them hold a massive demonstration in front of the corporate headquarters. I had them scream about ending the preferential treatment of private institutions.
The citizens had already begun to suspect something was rotten, and with the recent export restrictions, the world was slowly slipping into a recession. That was the reality of it. If a government were in a position to actually lead economic policy, they would prioritize domestic demand. But for these corporations, exports were more profitable—and when they stopped being profitable, they just dumped their technology elsewhere. That’s what happens when the corporations hold too much power.
As expected, the companies had responded with hiring freezes and "profitable restructuring"—a fancy way of saying mass layoffs. That might have worked when the economy was booming, but the rules of the game had already changed. There was no way they were going to be allowed to do whatever they wanted and then just discard their employees.
Responsibility follows power. You cannot run away from it.
Once the students had caused enough of a stir, they withdrew. In their place, the "rioters" who just happened to be in the area started lobbing Molotov cocktails at the company building.
Hahaha.
Under the cover of that chaos, we broke into the headquarters of the Katsuyama Conglomerate, one of the Four Great Conglomerates. Chairman Katsuyama wasn't actually here, of course. Even if he were, he’d probably just be a clone.
Now then, I wondered what we’d find in the headquarters? Even if there was nothing physical, I’d be happy just taking the data.
Our illegal entry was going nice and smooth. I had brought Rikochi and Melissa with me, while Claire and Ren stayed behind to help the students escape.
Dressed in the uniforms of a building maintenance company, we pushed through the panicked employees who were scrambling to get out. We had total, unrestricted access to the server room.
Hahaha, fools!
...Or so I thought, until a group of ninjas spotted us.
"Industrial spies!"
"Rikochi, Melissa, I'll leave them to you."
"Hee-hee, okay!"
Rikochi and Melissa proceeded to beat the ninjas to a bloody pulp. It was so one-sided it was almost pitiful. I didn't even feel like putting on a "Uesama" performance.
I knew there was nothing in the Chairman’s office, so I bypassed it entirely. Instead, I headed for the basement, where I knew a mysterious facility was hidden.
The facility turned out to be medical in nature. I had a bad feeling about this, a creeping dread similar to what I’d felt back at Mikoshi Trading Co.
In the basement facility, we found Latarnians kept in cages. And not just one or two, but dozens.
Uh-oh.
"Uh... are you Latarnians?" I asked a group of women in the Latarnia language. They were dressed in what looked like surgical gowns.
"The... the Latarnia language! A-Are you an ally!?"
"Uh, well, I am Second Lieutenant Kawagon of the Chronos Army, sir!" I lied on the spot.
While the face of the Grand Duke of Chronos was widely known in Latarnia, they surely wouldn't think the guy in a building maintenance uniform was me! I was acting more like a Yankee than usual, and I was even wearing a Latarnia-patterned ear cuff to sell the look.
"Chronos... a friendly nation! Everyone, the Chronos Army has come to save us!"
In times like this, you really have to lean into it.
"Melissa, Rikochi. I'm going to contact the Latarnia Bank. I'll leave things here to you."
"O-kay!"
I reached out to the Latarnia Bank. Since the embassy was likely crawling with bugs, I used the bank for my correspondence. I routed the call through a secret Galactic Empire line.
"Kawagon-sama," the branch manager answered. He also served as an official for the Latarnia Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My cover for this call was supposed to be Kawagon of the Pirate Guild.
"I’ve discovered Latarnians being held captive in the basement of the Katsuyama Headquarters. I need you to check their slave contracts."
Latarnia still practiced a system of slavery. Therefore, the fact that they were in a basement didn't necessarily mean their presence was illegal. However, the institution of slavery had basically become a formality in modern times. I didn't think there were any legal ones left.
"No slaves residing in Lepsitol have been confirmed for the past fifty years," the manager replied.
"Understood. What's the move?"
"I will have a recovery team rushed to the Katsuyama Headquarters immediately. Please, Kawagon-sama, we implore you to assist in the rescue of our compatriots."
"Of course. In the name of the Grand Duchy of Chronos, I will fulfill our friendship treaty with the Latarnia government."
"Then we shall meet on the surface."
Well, now. Things had just gotten incredibly complicated. This... this was a situation that would make the Latarnians absolutely ballistic. Being held as illegal slaves in Lepsitol? That was a death sentence for diplomatic relations.
"Melissa, what did the Latarnian women say?"
"It seems they came here for migrant work, but then they were kidnapped and subjected to human experimentation."
God damn it.
Whoa, hold on... an all-out war was already brewing between Parcion and Lepsitol, and now a furious Latarnia was about to join the fray. Since Latarnia was also on bad terms with Parcion... this entire star system was turning into a literal hellscape.
While Latarnians recognized legally valid slaves, they were absolutely brutal when it came to illegal ones. This was "Extermination War" territory.
What should I do? These were the kind of people who would commit genocide just because someone didn't pay back a loan... If illegal slavery was discovered, they were going to start killing everyone! Latarnia was a nation founded specifically for the liberation of slaves!
How was I going to fix this!?
Rikochi and Melissa were both looking at the captives with pure sympathy, thinking, "How pitiful. I'll save you!"
Yes... at this point, I was the only one who realized that I had just drawn a catastrophic "Calamity Card."
That’s why I went crying to the only other person who would understand the scale of the disaster.
"Claire-mooooon! Save meeeee!"
"I can't even handle the weight of this!" she shouted back.
I figured as much. Who would've thought I'd accidentally trigger an Extermination War between Latarnia and Lepsitol?
You know what the worst part was? Katsuyama would never admit they were wrong, even if it meant their total destruction. And the ones caught in the crossfire would be the common people. That was the ultimate fate of a failed corporate-governed state.
I contacted my other comrade in misery.
"Karen-san... help meeeee!"
"A-a-a-a-a-all-out war with Latarnia!? Awa-wa-wa... awa-wa-wa!"
Karen-san had officially broken.
By the time we made it outside in the confusion, they had already arrived. The armored vehicles of the Latarnia military made no attempt to hide their presence. Latarnian spies, who had managed to change into full combat gear in a single minute, stood ready. Their eyes were overflowing with pure murderous intent.
"Uh, please take them into your protection."
I handed over the twenty or so Latarnians we had rescued. I shook hands with a middle-aged man who had arms like logs and a jagged scar running across his face.
"Lord Kawagon... the Latarnian people do not forget a debt of gratitude."
"Ah, yes. Please, just... let’s just count this as part of our general friendly relations."
"We will never forget," he said, his voice dropping to a chilling growl. "Nor will we forget a grudge."
It was over.
Even though it wasn't my own country, the sheer finality of that statement made me feel a profound wave of sadness. This was the end.