Spring... the season when the potatoes I’d kept in storage began to sprout mold.
I planted them in pots to grow seedlings before the mold could completely take over.
Discard them? What a waste.
Sure, there was a risk of viruses and such, but since these were for my own personal consumption, I figured that overthinking it was a losing battle.
While I was tending to that, I received a message from Karen-san in Lepsitol. Apparently, she had managed to make contact with the Parcionian protesters.
We were going to have a meeting.
I couldn't make any promises at this stage, but I needed to size up the person in charge. Well, not that I actually possessed any great talent for judging a person’s character.
Parcionians were a Chronos-descended race with light pigmentation. Their hair was less silver and more of a pure, snowy white. Their eyes were red, too.
The student leader appeared to be roughly the same age as me. If it hadn't been for the Zork War, we were the kind of people who would never have crossed paths in a thousand lifetimes. I imagine they felt the same way.
"I offer my greetings to His Majesty King Leo Kamishiro Chronos."
...What was I supposed to do with that?
He seemed like a much more sensible person than I was. Since we were about the same age, I had been debating whether to lead with, "Yo! I’m Leo-kyun! Nice to meetcha!"
I called it the Student Club Vibe Technique.
I thought it was a solid plan. Even thirty-something CEOs of venture capital firms pulled that kind of thing, didn't they? They were the kind of guys students looked at during interviews and thought, "Wow, this guy is super annoying."
I figured I’d be forgiven if I tried it.
"You are most polite," I said instead.
I offered a quiet smile. The reason I was acting so poised was that I’d completely lost the opportunity to use my Student Club Vibe Technique.
This was bad. He had a look on his face that said, "As expected of the hero who became a king so young." The expectations were already sky-high.
I decided to pivot to the main topic to gloss over my awkwardness.
"I have prepared aid in the form of medical supplies and daily necessities, to be sent through Lepsitol."
"A-As expected of His Majesty Leo... I am truly struck by your foresight."
Honestly, I was the one struck by it. I mean, they were bound to have a steady stream of casualties, so they obviously needed medical supplies. And whether they were on the run or in hiding, they’d need food and basic goods. It was basic common sense.
Of course I’d provide aid. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a formal humanitarian mission, but I couldn't just leave injured people to suffer.
However, the fact that I hadn't breathed a word about weapons meant my actual commitment was close to zero. It was the diplomatic equivalent of saying, "I have nothing to do with your fight."
My heart ached slightly, as if I were deceiving someone from my own generation. He seemed quite talented, too. Maybe if I just left them be...
"We have justice on our side as we strive for a True Democratic Revolution! If we continue our demonstrations, the people will surely come to understand!" He struck a determined pose.
I took back my previous thought.
The students in Lepsitol were far better; they at least presented realistic, easy-to-understand options. This guy was a total dreamer. He lacked even a shred of concrete planning.
"Please, do your best. I pray for your success."
"Thank you very much!"
The communication ended. I contacted Karen-san immediately.
"...Those guys are a lost cause."
Karen-san gave a weary, wry smile. "Impossible to talk to, aren't they?"
"It really makes me realize how much of a realist the Lepsitolians are."
Indeed, from their perspective, annexation by Chronos wasn't a bad outcome if it was used as a bargaining chip. Chronos would have to look after them as a protectorate in exchange for refusing the annexation. It wasn't that they were aiming for that from the start, but they had predicted my reaction and prepared multiple scenarios.
Whether they were annexed or remained an independent nation didn't matter to them. Either way, the Lepsitolians would reap the benefits. If their opponent had been Proone, they would have fought to the last man. But their opponent was Chronos. They knew their lives weren't at risk.
The Lepsitolians were tough negotiators, likely because they had spent so much time mired in internal conflicts.
And then there was Parcion. From the top brass down to the youth, the whole country was like a bunch of "dreamy maidens."
Chronos had its own "dreamy maiden" side, clinging to myths like "the older generation sacrificed themselves as shields for the young." But our leadership knew the truth: "They were just too slow to run away, you idiots." Even so, we used those myths because people needed something to believe in. In that sense, we were shrewd.
The Parcionians lacked that shrewdness. They genuinely believed they were the most elite, advanced race in the universe—even the people at the top believed their own hype. I was starting to think that even Ozen—who knew he was trash and used it to his advantage—was better than Parcion.
"What am I going to do? I think those guys are under the impression that I’m backing them."
"Most likely. They’re pure, for better or worse."
"Why are they so naive when they're a trading nation!?"
"Because the Lepsitol trading companies handled all the actual business for them."
Now I understood why the Lepsitolians were so jaded.
"What am I supposed to do with this situation!?"
"Whatever your heart desires, Your Majesty Leo Kamishiro Chronos."
Agh! That smile! That suspicious, knowing smile! That "I've got you right where I want you" look! Ugh, it was so frustrating!
"More importantly, regarding the Galactic Empire-style Makeup..."
"Why are we talking about that now!?"
"Because look at how beautiful those Latarnians looked with that upward-slanting eye makeup! We've started adopting the Galactic Empire Style too, and look!"
Her skin was smooth. She had the classic look of a Lepsitolian woman—a baby face despite being two meters tall. She used to be the "elegant" type, but now she had pivoted to "cute."
By the way, it wasn't rare for the men to reach three meters. However, their bone structures were slender and they were surprisingly light.
"Men and women alike are flocking to imitate it."
Men dressing as women, women dressing as men... if it was just a personal hobby, I wouldn't mind. But the influence was getting out of hand.
"How did it end up like this?"
"I believe it is because Your Majesty is the way you are."
"Nooo!"
"Speaking of which, there was an inquiry regarding Your Majesty from the Latarnian Embassy in Lepsitol."
"I don't like the sound of this. What was it?"
"It was about Your Majesty's taste in women. They wanted to know what kind of women you prefer."
"My list of worries just got longer!"
"Ahahaha! Please, keep worrying!"
Karen-san's attitude had become quite relaxed lately. It was nice to have a relationship where I didn't have to be constantly on guard.
"Well, if it's Your Majesty, I'm sure you'll eventually find a way to weaponize your reputation as a womanizer."
"The problem is that I’ll eventually have no choice but to do exactly that!"
So, there was now a distinct possibility that Latarnia would start sending women my way. I hated the thought. My heart—and my schedule—was already full with Rikochi!
"I just wanted to be pampered by girls! I never asked for my number of wives to keep increasing, dammit!"
"Oh, isn't it fine? Riko-chan seems quite happy about it."
"I know, but still!"
Karen-san just smiled, as if telling me to accept my fate.
And so, poor little Parcion was left on standby once again. My desire to intervene was disappearing by the second...