Childhood Friend's Exclusive Living Onahole: Episode 13
Kaldir went on to hear the fourth reason—and perhaps one connected to the first: even though she had now sworn obedience to the legitimate government's authority, acting unilaterally without having received any particular position or authority within the government yet was something that simply couldn't be done.
"The Secretary-General denied it, but given your status as the empire's crown prince, it must be said that the legitimate succession to the empire lies with the people's government. I've come to seek recognition from you, a leader with true legitimacy, but if my rash actions as someone with no position cause this legitimate government to draw suspicion from third countries..."
"No need to worry about that. It depends on what you've brought, of course, but I give you my word as Secretary-General that I'll grant you a fitting position and authority."
The Secretary-General was more than willing to do that much for Kaldir, who had saved his family and was now offering hope for the future. Above all, he appreciated her attitude of submitting to the legitimate government's authority despite her immense power. No matter how great the power, if the government couldn't control it, it was all for naught, wasn't it?
"That said, don't bring up the crown prince nonsense. Hearing that long-discarded name gives me chills every time."
It was the reaction one would expect from a man who had never thought he'd risen to that position through his own merits. In the current situation, where the people's government's authority didn't rest on a nationwide vote, he could acknowledge that his own status as former crown prince lent legitimacy to the government—but that was it. Hearing this, Kaldir cleared her throat awkwardly for a moment before smoothly shifting the conversation.
"Ahem, my apologies... Then, finally... what are your thoughts on a 'nation ruled by a single individual'?"
"A 'nation ruled by a single individual'... You mean an absolute monarchy? In this era when humanity has spread across the stars, a system where all power concentrates in one supreme leader can't last long. But why do you ask so suddenly?"
Not just for superpowered beings like herself, but for any capable person, a nation where everything hinged on one individual couldn't be called normal. If Kaldir solved all the country's problems with her power alone, it might be fine in the short term, but soon she'd gain divine authority that no one dared criticize.
As a result, Atlantis would become a fragile nation that crumbled like a sandcastle the moment Kaldir stepped away. Even if she held the throne forever, a society that forbade criticism would rot from within and collapse.
She still believed that suppressing 'individual' traits to emphasize the 'collective' was essential for overcoming crises like the present one—but that didn't mean she wanted to become a dictator clinging to power eternally.
If Kaldir truly desired an unchanging throne or inexhaustible wealth, there was a simple way: ignore the legitimate government and seize everything with her power right now. Why choose this difficult path instead?
There's an old saying: teach a man to fish rather than giving him a fish. To swiftly transform this backward agrarian nation into an advanced industrial power, she'd have no choice but to use her superpowers extensively—but at the same time, she hoped to spread her knowledge widely, so that one day the country could stand on its own without outliers like her.
"You... I thought you were just thoughtful, but you're looking far into the future. Well, if you're truly Tab-grade, ascending to an untouchable divine throne would be easier than eating cold porridge."
At this point, the Secretary-General wanted to test if Kaldir really had that level of power, but he couldn't risk innocent lives for mere curiosity, so he found himself deep in thought.
"But... is it really okay to so casually reveal that you and Kaudi Yo of the Cates Empire are Tab-grade ability users?"
The existence of a Tab-grade ability user—something incomparable to weapons like artificial black hole shells—was an asymmetric asset that demanded ironclad security. Fine, she was declaring herself one, but was it alright to blurt out that another third country had one too?
"As I've said repeatedly, aren't you the head of the legitimate government? Sharing such vital information with you is only natural."
Put more bluntly: if the government leader wasn't qualified to handle top-secret intel, who was? Kaldir added that, considering the massive aid Kaudi Yo of the Cates Empire had poured into their country so far, he wouldn't take offense at this.
Here, rather than wondering how Kaldir knew about the people's government's massive support from the Cates Empire, the Secretary-General recalled the scale of that aid and thought, Well, at that level, it's fair to say Kaudi Yo has a special fondness for our nation.
With that, Kaldir finished explaining the five reasons she hadn't revealed her superpowered nature until now. She summoned several hologram blueprint files with a flick of her hand, passed them to the Secretary-General, and shot him a look that said it was time for the main topic.
The preamble was a bit long, he thought. What are these blueprints? The Secretary-General opened the hologram files and examined them closely. The details would need verification by their weapons bureau engineers, but they all appeared to be designs for armaments. The spectrum ranged from infantry laser guns to space battleships—extremely diverse.
"I'll join the front lines against the Lucid forces myself, but shouldn't I give people the power to protect themselves? These blueprints are all about that—designs I drew myself."
"This level of detail... They look fully prepared for immediate mass production. And you drew all these yourself? Without any help?"
Despite her genius, Kaldir had never had the chance to attend school, so she had no one to turn to for help designing weapons that could kill countless people. She had to handle the entire process alone: design, build, test, refine. But after creating Aurora and Plang, the work had become far from boring.
The difference from a typical design process was this: normally, designs were tailored to budgets, prototypes built, flaws found, and improvements applied to final mass-production models. Kaldir, however, first created the final mass-production version in an empty field, then drew blueprints to make it comprehensible to others. Unless you carried blueprints in your head, it was the only way.
"As you said, these are all designed with mass production in mind. Not just catalog specs, but operational capability in extreme environments, maintainability, production costs, logistics, training issues—I've accounted for them all as much as possible."
Kaldir spoke with immense pride in her creations, claiming their performance surpassed those of major powers. Seeing her unflinching confidence before the government leader—steady voice, sparkling eyes, straight back—the Secretary-General couldn't raise any doubts. This isn't a lie.
"I need to inform the weapons bureau engineers and generals right away. Do you have any prototypes for performance testing?"
The Secretary-General looked genuinely excited for the first time in ages. Even though cross-verification by experts was still needed, his mind was already buzzing with a new, reliable arms supplier beyond the massive patron that was the Cates Empire.
Not to put too fine a point on it, if everything Kaldir said was true, they could significantly reduce dependence on the Cates Empire. Self-reliance was non-negotiable. The Cates Empire might be their biggest backer, but they were still a foreign power—this was an opportunity not to miss.
"We have not just enough for testing, but enough to arm a force of 50 trillion. If you wish, I can supply the people's government forces immediately."
Kaldir's words nailed down the Secretary-General's rare excitement. She'd hesitated to get her hands dirty with blood directly, but once she started using her powers to mass-produce weapons from raw materials—atom by atom—they piled up like mountains in her distant Third Microverse.
"Producing these in factories based on the blueprints would cost something, but do you have the capacity for that right now? So I've brought a modest gift I hope you'll like."
Training her fine control of superpowers, she'd made a ton of everything. With raw materials in endless supply and only her own powers involved, as long as she didn't charge for them, the people's government was getting mass armaments for free. The Secretary-General inwardly cheered.
Hot damn, a perfect public mill's rolled right in! Public mill, public mill! How could a man not get excited at the prospect of free, big, beautiful weapons? My daughter brought home a real gem for once!
One could only wonder how his expression would change if he learned his daughter hadn't brought a mere public mill, but a prospective daughter-in-law. For now, though, he looked thrilled.
Still, cross-verification was needed first. The Secretary-General promised Kaldir a high position, sent her off, then frantically called the weapons bureau engineers before the door even closed, and contacted the domestic government and old military administration too. Finally, finally—hope was in sight.