I had ended up becoming a king.
I was a king, but in reality, my position was more like that of a hired store manager. My authority was vast, but that didn’t mean I could just do whatever I pleased.
Take immigration control, for example. Since I had infiltrated a contaminated area, I was required to go back into isolation and be hospitalized for testing as soon as I returned home. I resignedly accepted the rule of law.
The rule of law was a wonderful thing. As long as I followed it, I could shift all the responsibility onto the parliament that drafted the laws and the citizens who elected them. Of course, there was still the chance of being murdered in some nonsensical revolution, but even that wasn’t a problem for me. I’d just be fired. Hahahaha!
A massive wave of congratulatory messages regarding the birth of the King of Chronos arrived. Soon after, a notification came from the Palace about replacing the tableware. Apparently, the sets used for dinner parties were quite expensive.
I told them the ones for everyday use should be cheap. I’d probably just break them anyway. I suggested metal tableware like the kind the military used—the same stuff found in elementary school cafeterias. The chopsticks should be resin. I’d allow myself the luxury of ceramic bowls, provided they had lids.
And ramen bowls... the ones with the red thunder pattern. What absolute luxury!
Wait, that wasn't right?
Fine then, I told them to get the bowls with the phoenix pattern that they used in high-end shops. Still not right? Everything was so complicated.
Feeling defeated, I decided to at least buy a mug for myself. I wanted a vacuum-insulated one that would keep my drinks from getting cold. Ren used ceramic cups for her tea, but I preferred a travel mug when I made my own coffee.
That reminded me—I needed to buy coffee. I pulled up the Kamishiro Group’s online shop and searched for one-kilogram bags. I sorted the results by "lowest price."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" the Chamberlain barked over the remote link.
Why was he so furious?
"Four thousand Credits... per kilogram? Are you serious?" I muttered. I usually bought the two thousand Credit ones.
"Wait, I'm wrong? It’s four thousand Credits for one hundred grams?!"
I couldn't believe it. How was such a thing even allowed? Apparently, that was a high-quality product, but it was still considered "commoner grade." The Chamberlain informed me that the coffee used by the Duke Association and the Maros cost an entirely different digit.
He had to be joking. There was no way... was there?
And so, my coffee was upgraded to the expensive kind. The Pirate Guild promised to deliver the supply I’d be using in Lepsitol later. Man, it was terrifying. I could have bought as many new games as I wanted for that price. As a caffeine junkie, I was at a total loss.
For the record, I also happened to love the cheap instant coffee from Chronos.
Setting my caffeine habits aside, there was the matter of Lepsitol. The anti-government organizations had undergone a class change into the Anti-government Army. More accurately, the National Army, where unpaid wages had become the norm, simply merged with the rebels.
Isn't "don't skimp on the soldiers' pay and food" the most basic rule of governance?
The National Army was apparently weaker than the corporate militaries, but I felt sorry for them, so I had Mike & Hammer Co. pay their back wages. After that, they fought with the ferocity of cornered lions.
I played the footage.
"You bastards, pay us what you owe!"
"Kill the rich!"
"I’m gonna shove a rocket launcher into that building!"
A rocket hit the Nakatomi Bank Group headquarters. Window glass shattered and rained down. Soldiers, brimming with more motivation than I had ever seen, swarmed and suppressed the Nakatomi Headquarters Building. I felt a slight sense of unease regarding the future of the country, but I decided to look the other way. I’d leave that for the anti-government folks and Karen-san to handle. It wasn't my problem.
I figured Nakatomi would be dismantled and then rebuilt under the oversight of the Latarnia Bank. I already knew they had collapsed under a staggering weight of non-performing loans anyway. I mean, who creates a trading market for securitized golf club membership loans? Are they stupid? People shouldn't securitize every little thing.
In short, Lepsitol was currently one step away from a total bubble burst. Everyone sensed the impending bankruptcy, but they were all locked in a giant game of chicken.
Lepsitol had once been an economic powerhouse. They had numerous factories producing consumer goods rather than military supplies—everything from assembly lines to small parts. Chronos would export light industry goods like clothing, while we imported electronic parts and batteries from Lepsitol. Since there weren't many trade restrictions, that was just the way it worked. It was the kind of country where you’d find "Made in Lepsitol" stickers on things without even realizing it.
However, with Latarnia’s total withdrawal, their doom was guaranteed. People were already saying that the current Chronos would be better off with domestic production. While the Galactic Empire’s environmental regulations were a massive pain, we already had the solutions ready. It truly felt like the end of an era.
"Master, your tea," Ren said as she entered.
"Thanks!"
"Ren, what do you think about the future of Lepsitol?" I asked.
"...Decline and fall are the way of the world," she replied calmly. "Should we not simply allow the corporations that have fulfilled their roles to exit the stage?"
"I suppose you're right."
With that, I left Lepsitol's fate to the anti-government forces and Karen-san.
The Anti-government Army successfully seized Nakatomi Bank. Things had reached a point where there was no longer any stigma in claiming to be a member of the revolution. After all, the military and the police were now on their side.
A team from Latarnia Bank followed behind them to audit the Nakatomi Bank Group. They immediately discovered a massive amount of fraud within the consumer finance and securities divisions. It might have been legal under Lepsitol's loose regulations, but it was a total failure by any objective accounting standard.
Bankruptcy proceedings began immediately.
This would trigger a chain reaction of failures. It would have been one thing if it was just a temporary shortage of cash, but most of these companies were part of a giant web of fraud. They were zombie companies that had actually gone bust ages ago.
I didn't care if I was hated for it; I was going to forcibly crush them and settle the debts. I actually had to laugh when I realized the commoners hated these companies even more than I did because of the abysmal wages they paid.
However, the rot within the bank ran deep. The core holding company was trying to slip away. They had hidden their tracks well.
Or so I thought, until Nakatomi's Ninja betrayed them. We obtained their confidential files, and as expected, they were completely bankrupt. Hahahaha! They had even been running Ponzi schemes! It was just straight-up fraud.
The management family and all their relatives were arrested in one fell swoop. Off to jail with the idiots.
Now, it was time for me to go on an inspection with Claire, Rikochi, and the Mike & Hammer Co. Ninja team. Our destination was the Nakatomi water facilities. We planned to hit the sewage treatment plant as well.
"Ninjas, you focus on seizing the documents. We’re going to inspect the equipment," I ordered.
The biggest question remaining was: where did the wild ghouls come from? That was the core of the problem. Had they been spread through the water supply? That seemed a bit too simplistic. I suspected the sewage treatment plant.
The water supply was supposed to use advanced treatment, but as I looked around, I froze. What was this pathetic excuse for a facility?
"It isn't performing any treatment at all," Claire muttered.
"Did they skimp on the costs...? I drank the tap water here..."
That was it. They hadn't been doing anything. No chlorine treatment, no filtration... nothing. They hadn't been doing a single damn thing.
"Hey, wait just a minute. I actually drank that raw water!"