Living a Maiden Game in Hard Mode

Chapter 125 – Unification of the Milky Way Galaxy

Even after the battle between the Spirit Emperor and the four Daemon Kings was over, the Ten-to Defense Force remained in the Ten-to Star System.

Ten-to had as many fighter crafts as the Hercules Star System, and Fortress Kerviel, having lost most of its Surtr and Israfel fighter crafts, with only 60 million crafts left, could not go on the attack.

Although the Israfel has 10 times the strength rating of the Tenka fighter craft, they cannot win because there are 10 times as many opponents in total.

If Maya had made Ten-to into a realm, the Israfel might have been a good match, but Maya did not do that.

The solution to this problem was Crocell’s combat celestial bodies.

Hart, who wanted to confirm how much of a difference there was in strength, was speechless when he saw the difference, though he did not regret it.

First, something flew away, and then the space beyond was swallowed up by an ephemeral artificial black hole.

「That is a space-sweeping munition for removal of space debris.」

As Valak 773 explained, the Ten-to Defense Force was unilaterally annihilated, like space debris being cleaned up, with no damage to Crocell.

By comparison, Gremory’s fleet fared better, but it was crushed by the sheer volume of the energy in the clash.

In what could be described as a small scale, limited gamma-ray burst, the Agglomerated Electromagnetic Wave Cannon unleashed its rays and tore through Gremory’s fleet.

Crocell, facing off against Gremory, took damage as expected, but overwhelmed them with the mass disparity that was brought to bear.

Crocell’s combat celestial bodies were then deployed to the Ten-to Star System to annihilate Ten-to’s space forces, destroy its ground forces, and take armed control of the Ten-to Star System.

Any and all resistance from Ten-to was meaningless.

Ten-to, who were made to understand in their bodies that 1 resistance would be met with 100 counter-attacks, eventually became nonresistant.

[Here is my report. The conquest of the Ten-to Star System has been completed.]

At the beginning of the National Council and the Lords’ Conference, which were held simultaneously, Hart, who had connected the communication from the Ten-to Star System, took control of the attendees with his first words.

Hart had unilaterally conveyed the operation to invade Ten-to from the Andromeda Galaxy, and it was necessary to produce results.

On the other hand, once the results were achieved, no one could complain.

With the capture of Ten-to, the last of the five Tenka Nations that were at war with the Monarchy, and the relocation of the Hercules Star System to the Andromeda Galaxy, there are no hostile forces left in the Milky Way Galaxy.

One force that is not yet part of the Monarchy is the 6.6 billion former citizens of the Frodi Republic who remain in the Artemis Star System.

However, the former citizens of the Republic of Frodi have no money, resources, or territory, and are subject to the laws of the Monarchy, and have been absorbed into the labor force of the Duke of Takrham as an irregular population.

A group temporarily residing in another country and subject to the laws of another country cannot be called a State. Thus, the Monarchy of Diete became the only human nation in the Milky Way Galaxy at this time.

[The Hercules Star System remains, but now that we have blocked the Transition Gate of Ten-to, it is no longer possible for them to access the Milky Way Galaxy from the Hercules Star System through the Transition Gate. The enemies of the Monarchy have been removed from the Milky Way.]

After Hart’s reassurance, there was great relief on the faces of the attendees, who had been anxious since hearing about the encounter with an advanced alien civilization.

Of course, not all problems have been solved, and it is no exaggeration to say that the response to the Andromeda Galaxy and advanced alien civilizations will now begin.

[I will explain how we will deal with the situation.]

The Monarchy of Diete has become hostile to the Gremory tribe, which possesses Daemons in the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Sitri tribe, which is subordinate to them.

Rather than hostility from the Monarchy, when Hart broke away from the Hercules Star System, he was pursued and first attacked by Blaze Dahlia, a Count-level thinker from Gremory.

The Monarchy, under attack by Gremory with Daemons on its side, was in a position where it had no choice but to deal with Gremory as an enemy.

[The Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million light-years away, and with our technology it would take 1,250 years to travel there, but if Ōizumi and Honyō’s high magic power holders were combined with Gremory’s advanced technology, who knows how much that could shorten it.]

Assisted by the two Spirit Emperors, Lulu and Maya, Hart’s Fortress Kerviel was unable to evade the pursuit of Dahlia’s C-class Daemon, which had limited abilities.

Gremory’s technology for building magic element engines is far superior to that of the Monarchy.

With a larger ship with high magic power holders and a system of using multiple magic element engine operators, the travel time will be greatly reduced.

[If the travel speed is increased fivefold, it will take 250 years to reach the Milky Way Galaxy. In the not-too-distant future, there is also the danger that the Daemon King’s transition gate will be rebuilt in the Milky Way Galaxy. For the sake of national defense, we must support the Tri-Clan Confederation to counter Gremory.]

The Gremory tribe and their followers, the Sitri tribe, hold 50%of the power in Goetia. On the other hand, the Tri-Clan Confederation is also a force that balances 50% of the total.

Since Gremory possesses Daemons and has also acquired humans and high magical individuals in the Hercules Star System, the balance between the two forces has shifted.

Therefore, the Monarchy had to support the Tri-Clan Confederation to prevent Gremory, which is hostile to the Monarchy, from winning.

[According to the materials that I have distributed to you in advance, we are going to implement the counter-plan.]

The plan sent by Hart stated:

【Regarding the Birth of the Spirit Kings】

In the conquest of the Ten-to System, 4 Daemon Kings have been defeated, and a corresponding amount of energy has been acquired.The energy of the 4 bodies will be used to create 3 Advanced Spirits on par with a Spirit King.The people of Ten-to will be transferred to the Orias Star System and two Spirit Kings will be created in the Ten-to Star System.The people of the Solar System will be transferred to the Orias Star System and one Spirit King will be created in the Machaon Star System.

【Regarding the Development of Three Spirit King Realms】

One Spirit King will be assigned to each of the three tribes to ensure a stable supply of spirit crystals.In order to move into the territorialized space, the new magic element engine technology will be obtained from the three tribes.The Ten-to people and the Solar System people will be divided into three parts, one for each of the Spirit King’s realms, so as to provide miasma.

【Regarding the Main Rulers of the Star Systems】

The Ten-to Star System will be destroyed, and the proposal to install the Taka Amanohara family in Ten-to will be abolished.The three star systems of the Andromeda Galaxy will have embassies, not rulers.The relocation of the Capital and the Royal Family to the rich and massive Hermes Star System will proceed as planned.In the Diete Star System, where there is no Duke, the Marquis of Amakawa will be promoted to the rank of Duke.

【Regarding Correspondence with the Tri-Clan Confederation】

The Milky Way Galaxy will be treated as the territory of the Monarchy, and the Transition Gate will not allow passage except for ambassadors and other personnel.If the three tribes need high magic power holders, Royal Army soldiers or Monarchy aristocrats will be sent.If the three tribes need human bodies for research or mass production, they will be provided with convicted felons.The Monarchy will maintain a mutually cooperative relationship with the Tri-Clan Confederation and receive appropriate compensation for cooperation.

These will allow the Monarchy to proceed with its post-war plans without changing its overall vision.

The burden on Amakawa, Taka Amanohara, and Carneus would not increase, and Yuna’s dissatisfaction and criticism of the next Sovereign would not arise.

And although it was not mentioned at the Human Conference, the energy crystal in Lulu’s possession still has 20% of its power left.

Lulu’s insistence on “using the energy to empower Hart when he is spiritized” did not waver, and Maya, who used the large amount of energy she had, concurred.

Therefore, no one around Hart objected to the idea.

The purpose of preventing the advance of the Tri-Clan Confederation into the Milky Way Galaxy is to prevent the human race from being placed in a state of dependency and effective domination due to the technological gap between them.

Even if the technologies of the Tri-Clan Confederation are selected and accepted in stages, it will take a reasonable amount of time to acquire the knowledge necessary to evaluatethem.

In the meantime, if the acceptance of the technology is prohibited as a promise, the Spirit King can automatically repel any artificial intrusion when passing through the Transition Gate.

They had already sent a group of combat celestial bodies to the Ten-to Star System, but it was an unavoidable measure to counter Gremory’s fleet, and they planned to withdraw after the Ten-to inhabitants were recovered.

[This concludes the preliminary response. Before allowing time for questions, Her Majesty the Queen will outline her future policy.]

After finishing his explanation, Hart handed over the floor to Yuna for her remarks.

And Yuna’s first words, like Hart’s, also dominated the Lords.

[The next Sovereign will be Josslan, who has earned another military medal.]

The impact of the announcement was felt by all present.

The selection of the next Sovereign was to be determined by the military medals of the two Princes, with the selection period lasting until the end of the war or a stalemate.

Although not everything went as planned, the war with the Tenka Hercules Alliance can be considered either over or at a stalemate.

Even if the people of Ōizumi and Hercules can remain independent actors in the Andromeda Galaxy, if they have reached a state where they will not be attacked for at least several hundred years, the war would be at a stalemate.

The state of emergency has passed, and even if Yuna abdicates the throne, the Monarchy will not perish in about a hundred years.

As long as the Tri-Clan Confederation is not defeated, the Monarchy will be secure.

[The succession will take place after the establishment of the Spirit King Realms in the Tri-Clan Confederation. It will take about two years, which will be after Josslan graduates from the Military Academy. Josslan, help your sister with her work and start preparing for the succession to the throne.]

“Understood.”

Josslan replied sternly after receiving the decree.

[From this moment on, Bernard’s title of Acting Duke of Strani will be removed. From now on, I will not interfere in the affairs of the Duke of Strani’s household, and as the Duke of Strani, he is free to make all the decisions he wishes.]

“Understood.”

Bernard also replied solemnly, without amusement.

Hart recalled with deep emotion that Yuna’s assistance in the family business seemed to be within the scope until her younger brother graduated from the academy.

If she waits until Josslan graduates before getting married, she will be 25 years old.

However, considering the fact that there was no prospect of marriage at the time of her accession, this could be considered a surprisingly quick resolution.

Yuna then cautioned Josslan.

[Even after you ascend to the throne, if you do anything too unbecoming, your sister, who helped raise you, will take responsibility for scolding you. Your elder sister holds the treasured sword of the Royal Family. If it is unsheathed, you may be slashed even after your enthronement, so please don’t let that happen.]

“By your will. I would be grateful for your guidance and encouragement, Sister.”

At Josslan’s reply, Yuna nodded.

[After the abdication, your sister would like to live a quiet and peaceful life with her husband. So, Josslan, as long as you fulfill your royal duties and show a certain amount of moderation and decency, I won’t interfere, even if you are no saint. Remember that. That’s all. Then let us move on to the questions.]

The questions that followed were wide-ranging.

Most were about the Andromeda Galaxy, including the Tri-Clan Confederation, the enemies Gremory and Sitri, what the Monarchy would gain in return for cooperation, and others concerned the military might of Crocell, who had conquered Ten-to.

Hart replied that he didn’t know what he didn’t know, and then told them that he would confirm or negotiate an answer. Yuna also indicated the direction, and the meeting proceeded at a brisk pace.

While answering them, Hart thought that Josslan still had a heavy burden to carry, and concluded that it would be best to extend the takeover period after the next Sovereign was chosen.

Though the heavy task of the advanced alien civilization remained, the Monarchy finally unified the Milky Way Galaxy.