I was petting Kinako-chan when Daifuku-chan trotted over, so naturally, I fluffed them both to my heart’s content.
My pets were undeniably the cutest in the world.
"This man is going to be the type who completely spoils his children," Claire remarked, looking at me with total exasperation.
Personally, I suspected Claire would be the type to provide a very rigorous education.
"Lady Claire. Are you worried already?" Saijo-kun asked.
That was mean, Saijo-kun!
"Well... if it’s a boy, I’m certain Leo will force him to get a heavy machinery license... That’s what’s already keeping me up at night..."
"Why wouldn't I?!" I interjected. "Even in the business of being a King, if the people turn on you, you're out of a job! You need a trade to survive, don't you?!"
"Leo... listen to me calmly. In all the civilizations we know of, you are the only King who actually holds a heavy machinery license."
"Wh-What?! Then, th-then... what about a forklift? Surely others have—"
"I’m afraid not. Saria-kun and Shiyun-chan both have licenses for humanoid fighters, though."
"What?! How can that even be allowed?!"
"It just is!"
"No way! And here I was planning to make him get a pilot's license and a large special vehicle license, too!"
"It really is just you, Your Majesty," Saijo-kun added.
"Aw, man..."
While we were going back and forth, a call came in from Lepsitol. It was Karen-san.
"Yes, hello?" I answered.
"His Majesty Leo. The political upheaval has begun."
It seemed the time had finally come. A coup d'etat by the anti-government forces had been triggered. However, their demands were along the lines of: "Admit that the economy has collapsed! Let the people choose the nation's leader through a fair election!"
The anti-government army—which was effectively the national army—had been dealing with unpaid wages for a long time. To make matters worse, some idiot in the government had apparently said, "If you defy the state, we won't pay you at all anymore!" which acted as the final straw. A full-scale military coup had become a matter of when, not if.
But military coups aren't always welcomed by the citizenry. To establish actual political legitimacy, holding an election was the right move. For that, they needed a constitution... well, Lepsitol didn't actually have a written one, but they intended to transition to a democracy through established custom. Until that was settled, Mike & Hammer Co. was footing the bill for the national army's salaries.
Lepsitol had originally been formed by powerful clans gathering to choose a king, but that had long since become a hollow formality. Eventually, it had devolved into a system where corporate negotiations decided the country's leadership roles. Apparently, Karen-san had been appointed to her foreign affairs post through just such a corporate meeting.
The whole system was incredibly haphazard; positions and personnel were rotated constantly to ensure no single person could be held responsible for anything. There was a strong sense that they had only avoided being dismantled by their neighbors because they were an economic powerhouse. Now that the money had dried up, they were destined to become a plaything for the other great powers.
It was a grim reminder that all things are transient. When the economy was booming, they were terrifyingly strong. As long as they could hide their window-dressed accounts and bad debt issues, the system allowed money to spring forth infinitely... though it did earn them the undying resentment of every nation around them.
"So, what will you do if the military's demands are met?" I asked.
"We will organize the core of the nation through a Chronos-style general election, and then transition to a democracy by drafting a new constitution."
"Then Chronos will also deploy troops for the duration of the general election."
It was a move to monitor the proceedings and ensure the election was handled properly. Naturally, Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation—who, along with us, now held a one-third stake in the conglomerates' management rights—would also send troops.
The general election was finally underway.
I figured that since I wasn't personally involved this time, I could finally relax.
...Or so I thought.
It’s the way of the world for strange, fringe parties with bizarre campaign promises to pop up during such times. We expected as much, right up until the moment we saw the live video Karen-san sent over.
The "Chronos Annexation Party."
I really, really didn't want them to exist. The words almost leaked out of my mouth. Their platform was simple: they wanted Lepsitol to become a part of Chronos.
Were they out of their minds?
"Let us become a part of Chronos and become subjects of King Leo!" the broadcast blared.
"I absolutely do not want that!" I shouted at the screen.
Despite my protest, the party was gathering support at a terrifying speed.
"No, I mean, why Chronos of all places?" I asked.
"Because you are the most moderate power in the region," Karen-san explained. "The other... well, the other nations have much more 'intense' demands."
I suppose that was true. In the first place, it was Lepsitol's own fault for illegally enslaving Latarnians...
"Anyway, for now, we'll just wait and see. But let me be clear: we are not annexing anyone!"
"Understood. I shall relay your position."
The correspondence with Karen-san ended. Kinako rubbed against me as if she could sense my stress.
"You guys are so sweet," I sighed.
"Naan."
She had definitely grown too large for me to pick up and cradle, but I rubbed my face against her anyway. Daifuku joined in, too. I needed the emotional recharge.
Since the Imperial Guard's time off was ending and they were handing over their duties, we were holding a small farewell party for Saijo-kun. They were all colleagues who hadn't seen each other in a while. Saijo-kun was younger, so he called the others his seniors, but he was a vital comrade nonetheless. We were all celebrating at Count 1-2-3, having booked their private class-party plan. This much luxury was allowed, surely.
"Here, beers," Isono said, handing them out.
"And one for today's guest of honor."
Today, Saijo-kun was dressed in sweet lolita fashion. No one even bothered to comment on it anymore. However, One-oh-one and Shiyun were listening to him with rapt attention, saying things like, "That's so cute! How do you pull that off?!"
Ren had joined the conversation as well, diligently taking notes. Tatiana was hissing like a cat, shouting, "I am absolutely not wearing that!"
"Tatiana-chan, they have punk fashion too, you know," I said.
"Wait, really?"
And just like that, she was reeled in. Tatiana was interested in fashion; she just hated anything overly girly. Usually, she was in a military uniform, and for official events, she wore the traditional attire of Chronos, Latarnia, or the Ogre God Nation. Her casual style was definitely punk.
Shiyun, who had never really explored fashion for herself, was looking on with deadly seriousness. Melissa, on the other hand, was perfectly composed. Lately, she had become friends with some professional models and her style was improving by leaps and bounds.
Claire was a bit more reserved. As the Grand Duchess of Chronos, she was constantly being handled by the court ladies, which meant her position didn't allow for much experimentation. Wifey was in the same boat; she left everything to her staff and couldn't afford to take many risks with her image. For both of them, it was a binary choice between "elegant" and "traditional."
I wanted to tell them they could wear whatever they liked, but they had so many formal appearances to worry about.
As for me? I was in a shirt and hoodie set. For work, I rotated between military uniforms, combat suits, business suits, and work clothes depending on the occasion. The only constant was that my shoes always had steel toes.
Yuri-chan and Rikochi were singing a pop song that had been a hit recently. I was just thinking about how good they were when the screen in the room suddenly cut to a news flash.
"Whoops, what’s this?"
The announcer appeared, looking visibly panicked.
"The coup has succeeded! The major conglomerate executives have surrendered and are scheduled to be handed over to Latarnia immediately!"
Wait. That was way faster than the schedule.
"The Chronos Annexation Party has officially reached fifty percent support!"
"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!" I screamed.
Stop it! Seriously, stop it!