First, let me tell you about how the Taikyoku Nation was perceived in Lepsitol.
It was... well, the eunuch system.
To say the reputation was poor would be an understatement.
Apparently, whenever Lepsitolians scolded their children—especially boys—the go-to phrase was, "If you're bad, I'll send you to the Taikyoku Nation to be made a eunuch and have your junk taken away!"
For Lepsitolians, and their sons in particular, the Taikyoku Nation was a source of pure, unadulterated terror.
Even though Shiyun had already abolished the eunuch system...
It was predicted that if the Taikyoku Nation ever tried to govern Lepsitol, the populace—led by the elderly—would resist with their lives until the bitter end.
Since Shiyun herself was the one who said so, it was a dead-serious matter.
With Latarnia being genuinely furious and the Taikyoku Nation being terrifying, the people decided that Chronos was their only hope!
But Chronos simply couldn't do it.
We didn't have nearly enough civil officials.
I wondered if we could manage with just the talented students from the anti-government army and the military’s administrative staff.
For the time being, I was having them study international law.
Though law alone wasn't enough.
They needed to understand the underlying "why" behind those laws.
Consequently, I watched the drama unfold from a safe distance, treating it like someone else's problem.
After all, we weren't going to annex them.
For now, I just wanted to enjoy the party.
"Breaking news. The Chronos Annexation Party... now has a fifty-five percent approval rating."
"Pffft!"
I choked.
Why?
Seriously, why?!
We were supposed to be barbarians to them!
"Crowds are flocking to the Chronos Annexation Party's rallies."
"Long live His Majesty Leo! Long live His Majesty Leo! Long live His Majesty Leo!"
"How come?"
Why was I suddenly that popular?
An interviewer questioned the crowd.
"I don't want to be made a eunuch and have my bits snipped off!"
"Pffft!"
This time, Shiyun choked.
"I told you, the system's been abolished!"
However, it was somewhat inevitable.
The people the Taikyoku Nation had sent to assist with corporate restructuring were former eunuchs.
While the system itself was gone, they couldn't exactly fire the people who had already undergone the procedure.
They served as civil officials, military officers, and even chamberlains.
When the Lepsitolians—the men especially—saw the eunuchs, their knees pressed together and they began to tremble uncontrollably.
The intellectuals weren't quite as rattled.
But for the middle and lower classes, there was a high probability they would be shaking in their boots.
They trembled as if they were staring at a legendary monster.
Manual laborers were resigning in droves.
Even those in management were at the point of writing their death poems.
Job offers were being declined left and right, leaving the Taikyoku Nation scrambling to explain themselves.
"I keep telling you, it's already been abolished!"
Shiyun finally snapped.
That was when we realized the scale of the problem.
They treated Latarnia, which was a genuine threat to their existence, with contempt as former slaves.
Yet they were scared witless by the Taikyoku Nation... all because of a rumor.
Lepsitolians... was their sense of danger broken?
In the end, though, their assessment that leaning toward Chronos was in their best interest was actually correct.
"Aha! Ahahahaha! What is that?!"
Watching the news, Melissa clutched her stomach and howled with laughter.
It had clearly hit her funny bone.
She rolled around on the floor, kicking her legs in fits of giggles.
Ren was laughing too.
Wifey, Kevin, One-oh-one, and Tatiana joined in.
Shiyun’s older brother was desperately suppressing his laughter so Shiyun wouldn't notice.
The men, while laughing, all instinctively sat with their knees pressed together.
Meanwhile, Rikochi was casually munching on dried squid.
You really move at your own pace, don't you?
The funniest part, however, was Saijo-kun, who also had his knees pressed together in fear.
Yuri-chan smirked as she watched him.
I hope you two find happiness...
Next, Rikochi started on a chilled whole pickled cucumber.
She really could eat quite a bit.
"...The ones Leo-kun makes are way tastier."
"Eh?"
I ordered a cucumber for myself to check.
Ah, the saltiness was weak.
"Yeah, the salt content is way too low."
This was a company I owned, anyway.
I immediately contacted the executive branch.
"L-Lord Leo!"
"Hey, the salt in these pickles is too weak. The dried squid feels a bit off, too."
The manager came rushing over.
"I'm not mad, I'm not mad."
With that disclaimer, I had him check the taste.
"Huh?"
"Right?"
My own cooking style was basically roadside station food court flavor.
Because of that, the tastes should have been nearly identical.
We discussed what the cause could be.
Employees from the main office also arrived in a frantic hurry.
It wasn't just because I was the King; it seemed my palate, and the palates of my academy classmates, were highly trusted.
The cooking process followed the manuals perfectly.
The cucumbers were prepared in-house.
They had strictly followed the instructions.
I tilted my head in confusion and headed to the warehouse, where I finally found the reason.
Parcion-produced salt.
It was just salt, and there had never been an issue with it before. Besides, ghouls would die in Chronos due to the barriers.
And while Parcion had a rather sketchy reputation lately, it was still a major power.
It was a nation large enough for its brand to appear in places like this.
I tried a lick of the salt.
Lick... It was thin.
Thinking my tongue might be failing me, I called Kevin over.
I had him perform a quick diagnostic check.
"The monitor isn't showing any abnormalities."
No neurological issues.
"Um, do you have something to compare it with?"
Chronos-produced salt.
It was a bit on the expensive side.
Lick... That was normally salty.
"...Right, report this to the head office. The Parcion salt looks dangerous. Ban its use immediately."
"Yes! I'll send out the notice right away!"
What was this?
Adulterating salt... Parcion-kun... were you really in your final stages?
Is your country going to be okay?
When I returned to the table, Rikochi, who had been drinking strong chu-hi, started being annoyingly clingy.
"Heeey, Leo-kyuuun! I'm your fiancée, you knooow!"
"Yes, yes, I know."
"Leo-kyun is so amazing! I'm just a mob character!"
Sure, sure.
I patted her on the back.
"Lord Groom... was she like this when you were in Lepsitol as well?"
Wifey’s eyes were wide with surprise.
"Yeah, she's like this every time she drinks the strong stuff. Rikochi is sturdy, so she won't get sick. She'll just be annoying for a while and then pass out, so it's fine."
"Are you even listening?!"
"I'm listening."
Pat, pat.
So, from all this, I'd learned about the collapse of the Lepsitol government and the rise of a bizarre new faction.
On top of that, I’d seen the internal decay of Parcion.
I suppose I'd just have to wait for the salt analysis now.
Oh, and who else had eaten the food seasoned with that salt?
Today was the first day it was used, and we were the only ones who had ordered so far.
That was a relief.
At least I wouldn't have to issue a massive recall.
I ordered the rest of the food to be disposed of.
"Hey everyone, did you eat the food?"
Ah, it was only the men and Rikochi.
That was lucky. That was luc—ow, my stomach!
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my gut!
The men began to collapse one after another.
We called for help immediately.
Every single man, including Saijo-kun, was rushed away in an ambulance.
And Rikochi went with them.
The women were safe because they had only been eating snack foods!
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!