The truth finally came out in our usual dining hall.
It turned out that Tatiana’s singing had been a mimicry of Nina-san’s ability. Tatiana must have leveled up recently, as she was now capable of mimicking skills that weren't even categorized as ESP. On top of that, she could use her Exaggeration to amplify them.
However, it seemed she couldn't handle abilities that required physical control, which caused them to spiral out of range. In short, because her singing lacked the necessary muscle power, the song had run wild the moment it was boosted by the Jester’s Ability. Classical music required an absurd amount of physical strength, after all.
That rampage was what had caused the power of the Saint to manifest. Since the source of her amplification was the faith others held in her, the power of the Saint emerged when she sang, converting that faith into a wave of healing that she returned to the people.
If we figured out how to use this properly, she might actually be the strongest person on the team.
"It has nothing to do with combat ability, though," Tatiana pointed out.
I suppose she was right. She had always been the supporting type.
"Just like me," Rikochi laughed.
"You’re a hardcore front-line tank!" I shot back.
Regardless, Zashiki-warashi-chan was overjoyed, and Himorogi-chan was still shining brightly. Thanks to the broadcast, worshippers had even begun flocking to the Chronos Palace.
And then, a minor incident cropped up.
"Big bro, look at this." Tatiana displayed a message on the screen.
Let’s see... "Notice of Open Campus"?
"What is this?" I asked.
"An invitation to the National Imperial Capital Music Academy."
"Whoa. Are you going to go?"
"I already work here, though."
"Perhaps I shall simply invite the Music Academy lecturers here instead," Wifey chimed in. "There must be many who wish to be stationed abroad so they can become the leading experts in Chronos music."
Wifey was quick to react to the opportunity. She was right, of course—in situations like this, it was first come, first served.
"Would you like to take some classes too, Nina-san?" I asked.
"Hmm, I think I'd prefer to study cooking."
"Shall I call for a culinary researcher as well, then?" Wifey offered.
"By the way," I said, "what happened with Tatiana's attempt to mimic cooking...?"
Smack! An eraser caught me right in the face—courtesy of Tatiana.
"Ow! What was that for? Why are you so mad?"
"She couldn't do it..." Nina-san explained with a pitying look.
"Couldn't do what?"
"The cooking..."
"But Tatiana helps out in the kitchen all the time."
"Well... it's her palate..."
"Ah. Her sense of taste is just too far gone, isn't it?"
So she wasn't the type of "bad cook" who just forgot to taste-test their food; she was the type who had lost her sense of taste entirely.
"Um... when Tatiana-chan makes it, everything ends up tasting like Latarnia cuisine," Nina-san added.
"I see."
In other words, her own natural aptitudes were reflected in her mimicry. It worked for singing and healing because she had talent in those areas, but she couldn't copy my combat power. I had briefly entertained the thought that if I had ten Tatianas, we could rule the universe, but I guess it wasn't that simple.
In the end, it just resulted in us guys getting scolded. We did, however, finalize the plan to bring in a singing teacher for Tatiana.
With that matter settled for the moment, I headed home to play with my cat. I spent some time messing around with the cat and then took a nap. I found myself wishing I could just keep idling around like this forever with no work to do.
But just as I was drifting off, I was shaken awake.
"Your Majesty! I have come to collect you!"
A young member of the Imperial Guard Knight Order had arrived. Even though I called him young, he was actually one year older than me. When I told him he didn't need to be so formal, he drew a hard line.
"I can't, sir! Not with my seniors watching!"
How lonely.
"What happened?" I asked, getting up.
"There has been movement from Parcion."
"Oh, I don't like the sound of that."
When I reached the office, Wifey and the others were already waiting.
"Lord Groom, the Parcion Great Fleet is heading toward Lepsitol," Wifey reported.
"It looks like they’re trying to conquer Lepsitol while they have the chance."
"They likely believe they can shave off a certain amount of territory," Wifey continued. "It is a strategy geared toward a long-term war."
"Probably."
It was one of the scenarios I had anticipated. They had actually gone through with it.
"Parcion must know that we’ve expected an invasion... or so I'd think," I said.
"Most likely."
"What about the Lepsitol Army?" I asked.
We were supposed to have confiscated the weapons held by the conglomerates to bolster the national military. We had even repaired their warships at the Pirate Guild's factories. They should have had the bare minimum of equipment.
"They lack the necessary number of combat personnel," Wifey said.
"There's the rub..."
That was the real problem. The issue lay in Lepsitol's combatant ratio. Lepsitol had an extremely small force capable of defending against external invasions. Their units were almost entirely geared toward inter-corporate warfare—Ninjas, Yakuza, and Armored Rikishi.
In contrast, combat against foreign nations centered on warships and humanoid fighters. That was a basic fact that even an idiot like the Maro-looking Former Emperor understood. In that sense, nations like Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and Chronos had been doing exactly what a country was supposed to do. Even the Ogre God Nation and Proone understood that much, yet Lepsitol had failed.
In this galaxy, it felt like worse and worse countries kept popping up.
That was why I had gathered a collection of used warships to make up the numbers. It had essentially become a system where I bought the used ships that the Ghouls no longer wanted.
However, training battleship crews takes time. It’s a specialized profession. You couldn't just take a civilian sailor and expect them to operate a military fire control system; the difference between escort gear and serious combat hardware was massive. When it came to humanoid fighters, it was impossible for anyone but a specialist. It would take years to train Lepsitolian crews. Katori-sensei, who could master the latest exclusive machines just because he had once been a cadet, was the only freak of nature in the bunch!
Ultimately, Lepsitol was currently being held together by the Chronos, Latarnia, and Taikyoku Nation armies stationed there. Knowing that, it was easy to predict that Parcion would aim for poorly guarded border regions rather than the capital.
"Even though we've predicted the exact spot they’d hit, they’re still invading with such confidence," I mused. "What are they thinking?"
"Internal information from Lepsitol has leaked, so they likely judged that they have the upper hand," Wifey explained.
"But those leakers are just double agents who don't realize it."
That was the beauty of it. We knew Lepsitolians would sell information for money, so we just had to feed them lies. Anyone who believed that information was a fool.
"Is that it? Did they believe the report saying we'd be withdrawing soon?"
"Most likely."
"Their information analysts are total hacks!"
"The analysts likely raised concerns," Wifey said, "but their superiors probably refused to listen. It is a classic example of a nation perishing because those at the top are incompetent. I must be careful myself..."
The idea of a country falling apart entirely because of my own mistakes was terrifying. I’d have to be careful, too. A system based on absolute obedience? Definitely not for me.
So, our next opponent was Parcion-kun. I just hoped they were the kind of people we could settle things with without any bloodshed.