We established a communication line between Lepsitol and Chronos. I also set up a server that the Fairy could use as both a home and a toy.
"Leo-kun, long time no see!"
"I was so anxious without you here, Fairy..."
"Nyahahaha! How honest! Worship me more!"
In reality, the Fairy was the being closest to a god within the Empire. In terms of pure authority, she surpassed even Zashiki-warashi-chan. Without her, the infrastructure would simply die. Even if someone tried to destroy the server, she was immortal because she could escape in a heartbeat. She really was the strongest.
"I’ll worship you, I’ll worship you already! Anyway, can you take a look at this?"
I sent over a massive amount of data—the records of the companies I had brought under my wing.
"The Sukagawa Conglomerate’s accounting... yeah, they’re bankrupt. In fact, this company has been window-dressing its accounts ever since its founding."
"I thought as much..."
"They have hidden debts roughly equivalent to several years of Lepsitol’s national budget."
"That much!?"
"It’s no joke; the nation will face total fiscal collapse if you don't declare bankruptcy. Oh, wait, they don’t even have a bankruptcy law!?"
"Of course they don't..."
"Ah... I’m tossing this to Raymond."
A message came back from Raymond almost immediately. Just as expected.
"This is more than a lawyer can handle! I’ve forwarded the materials to Professor Zaichen!"
Naturally, it wasn't long before Professor Zaichen contacted me as well.
"...Is this... reality?"
"Unfortunately, yes..."
It was a collapse on a national scale. Of course it was impossible to handle!
"...Let's bring in the Latarnia Bank," the professor suggested.
"Why Latarnia?"
"We should have the Latarnia Bank lead the debt restructuring."
"I don't want any slave trading, though."
Latarnia likely wouldn't want to turn Lepsitolians into slaves either. It would only sow seeds of future resentment and lead to another war. In the next conflict, Lepsitol would be serious, and Latarnia wouldn't walk away unscathed.
"We’ll have them handle the debt processing. His Majesty Leo... please handle the negotiations."
"I knew it would come to this!"
I contacted the King of Latarnia and the Latarnia Bank.
"So, this and that happened~!"
I skipped a lot of details, but I consulted them regarding the debt processing for the Sukagawa Conglomerate.
"...In other words, you want our country to rebuild it?" the King of Latarnia asked.
"The framework is solid, so I judge that reconstruction is possible if the accounting is handled properly."
That was a lie. Lepsitol would survive, but the Sukagawa Conglomerate would be shredded into tiny pieces and sold off. Most of it would end up in foreign hands. However, employment would be maintained to some extent, and there wouldn't be a hard landing.
...Well, the birthrate was going to plummet, though. People of the Galactic Empire didn't exactly know how to increase a population.
"Your face is telling a blatant lie... but I suppose there is no other choice," the Governor of the Latarnia Bank said.
"Yes, it wouldn't be right for Chronos to own it."
Even now, I was being careful not to make this look like an invasion. Although Latarnia was... in some ways scarier than an invasion, they would likely restore things to a functional state.
"Understood."
They were surprisingly cooperative.
"If we go against what His Majesty Leo says... a massive number of people will surely suffer..."
What a terrible thing to say about me.
"Mike & Hammer to Chronos, Sukagawa to Latarnia, and the rest to the Taikyoku Nation... seeking a way to coexist that isn't an invasion while maintaining indirect influence through three countries... What terrifying resourcefulness."
No, I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I only just learned about the 'plan' because you said it out loud. It just happened to turn out that way by accident.
I couldn't bring myself to admit that. I never expected to have to rebuild a civilization that was basically a Development Dictatorship Level 99. I was only thinking about avoiding responsibility and pushing the mess onto others. I never imagined I'd end up pulling off a knockoff of the Three Kingdoms Partition Plan.
But the communication ended.
Now then, putting Lepsitol aside for a moment, it was time for Parcion. I really wanted to beat the crap out of Parcion-kun. However, the dark, totalitarian Parcion-kun was more troublesome than the capitalist Lepsitol. In contrast to Lepsitol, which ground to a halt when the economy collapsed, Parcion was the type that could continue a war even through total bankruptcy. As long as they squeezed the citizens to the absolute brink, they could keep the fighting going. I had no idea what would happen to the country afterward, though.
First, a talk. I requested communication with Parcion-kun's diplomatic representative. I-it's not like I like you or anything!
"It's not connecting."
Just as I thought. Even if I hadn't planned it, I had essentially destroyed half of Lepsitol. Why did things always turn out like this for me...?
Ren brought in some tea.
"My Lord, it's time for tea~."
"Thanks♪"
"Still, My Lord. To go on a training mission and return having conquered a country—you truly possess the dignity of a Hegemon♪"
Ren looked at me dreamily.
"...No, it was an accident. This time, it really was an accident. I didn't do anything!"
"Oh, you. I knew all along that you would go and seize a country."
"It really just happened because of the circumstances—!"
My scream echoed through the room.
Meanwhile, if Latarnia was Cao Cao and I was Liu Bei, Shiyun—occupying the Sun Quan position—was quick to act. She contacted a Taikyoku Nation Trading Company and performed a hostile takeover of the remaining Naito Sonic Group. Naturally, the company's private military attacked the trading company, but they were met by the Taikyoku Nation Regular Army. Moreover, it was an elite unit trained by Shiyun's big brother, who doted on his little sister. They were suppressed and beaten to a pulp by overwhelming military force.
To be honest, once we figured out how to handle them, Lepsitol was no longer a threat. Everything had been a facade. Far from being a sleeping tiger, Lepsitol was revealed to be a dead pig. What would its tomorrow hold?
As for me, my reputation among the three nations of Latarnia, Chronos, and the Taikyoku Nation... was that of a certified nation-destroying level disaster. I heard there was even a meeting between the Taikyoku Nation and Latarnia regarding how to deal with Leo Kamishiro.
I told you! Lepsitol destroyed itself! I just happened to show up at the right time!
As for what followed, infrastructure development was carried out by Latarnia, Chronos, and the Taikyoku Nation. They hired massive amounts of local workers and paid them not in Lepsitol currency—which had plummeted and become electronic trash—but in Chronos money. We revised the food safety standards and established a proper health center for monitoring. Police were properly deployed, and police boxes were established just like in the Imperial Capital of the Galactic Empire.
An election was also held under the management of Karen and the Anti-government Army. I wasn't joking; we held a legitimate election. As a result, the Lepsitol Liberal Party, formed by the Anti-government Army, became the ruling party. Karen became the first Prime Minister.
With just those changes, public order recovered to an unbelievable degree.
I wanna go hoooome!