Peace Through Force, War Through Words
This is my third day in Guam. The last day I can enjoy my vacation. Well, if I want to, I can stay for as long as I want, but there are still many things I have to take care of first.
"Lady Misaki, what is this?"
Inside the room, there were cigarettes lined up on the table. I tried various brands of cigarettes because I hadn't smoked for quite a while, but the result was terrible. My body just couldn't handle cigarettes.
"These are cigarettes I bought yesterday. During my time as a corporate drone, it's not exaggerating to say that I could survive thanks to cigarettes and canned coffees. I tried to smoke after a long time, but it doesn't seem this body can handle cigarettes."
"I understand your feelings, but while your previous body might have been used to smoking, that's not the case with your current body. However, I don’t see any reason for you to ruin your perfectly healthy body with cigarettes now."
"These are luxury goods. I would get restless if I didn't smoke regularly before, but now this is all I need...."
I picked up a jar of candies nearby, popped the lid open with a click, and tossed one into my mouth. Rolling the candy around in my mouth, a feeling of happiness spread through my body.
"Well, candies are healthier than cigarettes. Then, I’ll use these cigarettes for trade with Ryujinmaru, is that alright?"
"For fish?"
"No, it’s more like a bribe. In a deep-sea fishing ship like Ryujinmaru, I think there would be a shortage of luxury goods like cigarettes."
I see. Well, let's leave it to her. I still have my own things to do.
"You can do whatever you want with them. Also, once we return to Ama no Murakumo, I will start taking action."
"Taking action? Towards world domination?"
"Are you still hung up on that? No, I’m just switching my mind into work mode."
"Work mode? Didn't you want to enjoy your life leisurely?"
"That's right. That's why I work. Living leisurely doesn't mean I will just play around all day. It’s been over ten days since I got this body and I’ve figured out how to use my new power properly. It's time to think about Ama no Murakumo's future direction."
The work ethic ingrained in me during my time as a corporate drone will not just disappear. However, I'm not working for a black company anymore. This is my own stronghold, my own country. Now that I've come to understand the trends of other countries, it's about time I make the first move.
"Understood. So, what do you want to do today?"
"Let's take a stroll around the town. I want to enjoy the city’s hustle and bustle a little more before we go home.”
“How about recruiting citizens for Ama no Murakumo?”
“Even if we do that, I don’t think anyone will be interested. Well, there might be people hoping for asylum or foreign spies posing as asylum seekers who come.”
"Is that so?"
"Looking at the scale of the city, Ama no Murakumo’s urban area feels lacking. There are various things, but nothing you can't find outside. The infrastructure for people to live is there, but the flow of goods is uneven.”
No one will probably come to stay for the rest of their live. Inside the city, the sky is projected by projectors, and the wind is circulated by fans. There is artificial sunlight, but you can’t see outside from within the city. Because it's basically an enclosed city, living there for long periods of time could get stuffy. Even though the infrastructure is well-developed, there are no jobs, nor companies. Even when it comes to agriculture, everything is managed by a fully automated control system, so there is no room for human intervention. The Mobile Battleship Ama no Murakumo is perfect, but that what makes it tough for people.
"But wouldn’t those issues be resolved if there were more people?”
"That could happen. However, even if there are people who are interested in moving into our city, it will still be an inconvenient place to live. To begin with, our country is located in the middle of the ocean, far from international shipping routes."
"Lady Misaki looks lonely...."
"No, I like our current location. Octa One, can you hear me?"
I didn’t bring any communication device. However, through Gerhilde’s auditory sensors, my words should be reaching him.
"*beep*.… Intervening in Gerhilde’s language system. Lady Misaki, do you require anything?’
"The Mobile Battleship Ama no Murakumo is one of the blessings I received from God. From what I’ve seen since I came back to life, it wasn’t originally intended for human settlement, right? The city section, the farm section, everything was added later by the Creator God, wasn’t it?”
"*beep*.... That's correct. Ama no Murakumo was originally a world-destroying weapon. In order to create a living environment for humans, the Creator God removed some of the armaments from the hull."
I knew it. My suspicions are proved to be correct. Octa One mentioned that Ama no Murakumo's security level had been lowered before. That was most likely because the were no security measures for human passengers in the original program. They were added at last-minute when it was confirmed that the UN inspection team would be coming.
The Valkyries are golems I created, so their fighting abilities should have not exceeded my knowledge. However, since Truss One is a Combat Magical Brain, there should be various combat data in her database. Even so, they were still lacking practical experience, which was why they wanted to fight the special forces.
I recited my speculations one by one while counting on my fingers. Gerhilde’s eyes widened. Octa One probably had never imagined I would have such a deep understanding of the situations because I had been taking it easy all this time.
“*beep*.... You are mostly correct. How did you come up with all of these?”
"I simply put all the information I have together. Once I return to Ama no Murakumo, I'll start taking on the world seriously, so please look forward to it."
"*beep*.... World domination?"
"No, I'm talking about doing business with other countries to solidify our position. Our products will be things that only Ama no Murakumo has in this world."
"*beep*.... I disagree. It's still too early for this world to learn about magicraft."
"I will discuss the details with you later. For now, can you return the body to Gerhilde?"
"*beep*.... Understood."
The communication with Octa One ended and Gerhilde's eye color returned to normal.
"Lady Misaki, I heard your conversation with Octa One via external link earlier. Are you perhaps going to use magic tools for business?"
"I have no intention of selling Magia Ritter, but demonstrating it as a 'product sample' was very successful yesterday. I'm looking forward to seeing how the US and the rest of the world will react after watching the broadcast."
I’m probably making a very bad face right now. Using rare and high-valued products as 'show money' is a method I learned back when I was still working as a salesperson at my previous black company. If you have a valuable product that is not available anywhere else, promote it extensively through demonstrations. However, no business transactions shall be made there. Let them wait a little while and see how they react.
"To be honest, I have never thought the know-how from my days working as a corporate drone would come in handy here."
"Know-how?"
"Hmm, it's the wisdom to live a bold life.... In any case, let’s go out and have some fun. It's important to know when to switch gears. The rest can wait until we get back."
I strolled around the city like a walking billboard. I wanted to leave as much of an impression as possible in the public eye as a representative of Ama no Murakumo.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A certain hangar at Andersen Air Force Base. Soldiers were gathered in front of the lined-up Magia Ritters. Those who had watched Lieutenant General Twining’s recent test ride of the Magia Ritter couldn’t help but wanting to ride it themselves. However, after Twining got off the Magia Ritter, only a brief explanation was given, and all the Magia Ritters were moved back into the hangar. Many soldiers were dissatisfied with this, but no one at this air base made an unreasonable request like wanting to ride a foreign country's mobile weapon, too. That being said, there were soldiers who asked Lu Bu if they could take some commemorative photos at least, and Misaki had given her permission in advance.
"Excuse me. Could I take a photo in front of the cockpit?"
"No problem. Red Hare, bend down and put your hand down."
Following Lu Bu's orders, Red Hare bent its waist, got on one knee, and slowly lowered its hands to the ground. The soldiers were speechless seeing this. Despite the metal frame parts of the waist, shoulders, and torso touching each other, the Magia Ritter was able to take a forward-leaning posture like a human. It was as if the surface armor material was as flexible as skin. No, that exactly what happened. The excited soldier immediately took various pictures with their cameras
"What is this? Why don’t these frames interfere with each other? Hard yet flexible? Is such a physically contradictory thing possible?"
"If this metal is like that, it could be used for bodysuits or bulletproof vests too, right?"
"I want a sample...."
The air base maintenance crew wanted to hold their heads at the absurdity of Magia Ritter. If they could get a sample of this metal, analyze it, and mass-produce it --- that would bring a technological revolution for sure.
"Please, I know I'm asking too much, but can I get a sample of this metal?"
"That's impossible. I don't have such an authority. Ama no Murakumo is Lady Misaki's personal property. That includes us combat servants and the Margia Ritters."
"It's impossible, after all.... No, I'm sorry, I got a little too excited."
The mechanic finally calmed down after being rejected by Lu Bu.
"Only taking photo is permitted, but if you wish, you can even climb into the cockpit. How about taking a photo there as a commemorative?"
"That's what Hua Tuo said. Those who are interested please line up."
There was a long queue that stretched all the way to the outside of the hangar as if all the soldiers at the air base had joined the line.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The French Parliament was in a state of turmoil. Regarding the issue with Ama no Murakumo, the National Assembly, which advocated a conciliatory policy, faced strong opposition from the Senate. The Senate could not tolerate Ama no Murakumo as a country with no land territory, and advocated a policy to remove them from the high seas, claiming they were an obstruction.
France's diplomacy was an 'independent diplomacy', focusing towards the revival of Western Europe to counter the bipolarity of the US and Russia, as well as the resurgence of France as a global power. To uphold this cause, the National Assembly advocated a policy of joining hands with Ama no Murakumo, but the Senate opposes it.
"Confronting Ama no Murakumo would be a proof that France doesn't need to rely on the US or Russia militarily. This would also be a proof that Western Europe is not under their control."
Reformists and hardliners --- both factions were debating new policies day and night. In the midst of that, some people from the hardliners faction ordered French oceanographic research vessel that was on standby near Ama no Murakumo territorial waters to take some actions. Of course, they didn't actually have such authorities, so there was a question about who started the fighting and why did it happen.
Everything would be clarified after the French fleet returning home. The captain of Pourquoi Pas would be questioned to determine the legitimacy of the matter. Naturally, the commander of the French fleet would also be questioned because he allowed this incident to happen under his command. For now, both the Senate and the National Assembly had no choice but to wait until all relevant parties were present.
However, an urgent report arrived from the returning French fleet. The captain of Pourquoi Pas had committed suicide out of despair over losing the ship and eight members of the special forces who had been entrusted under his command by the country as a result of his unilateral action. But even if it really was a unilateral action by Pourquoi Pas' captain, would Ama no Murakumo believe it? No, such a thing did not matter at this point. French attacked Ama no Murakumo --- that was the fact.
"How did we end up in this situation...."
French President Chloe Arlaud was clutching her head in her office. To be honest, she couldn't care less about the new policies regarding Ama no Murakumo. Their existence might be dangerous, but as long as France did not poke them first, that danger would not be directed at them. For France today, the question was which country would take the place of the UK, which has withdrawn from the European Union, as the leader to unite Western Europe, and whether France could take that role. However, the public opinion was mostly in favor of joining hands with Ama no Murakumo. The US had decided to recognize Ama no Murakumo as a country, while China and Russia had decided to take a wait-and-see stance at the moment. Considering the EU's position and predicting the future developments, she preferred France didn't get involved with Ama no Murakmo unnecessarily.
"A new ship to replace Pourquoi Pas, a compensation for the families of the fallen soldier, an official apology to Ama no Murakumo.... No, we must not back down here, we must not soften our stance like Russia or China."
What should France do? This will continue to haunt Chloe for the rest of her term.