It's Nanomachines, Kid. (4)
The Empire's favorability toward Ash had turned out far higher than expected.
If you broke it down into percentages, it was sitting at a solid seventy percent or so.
"Lucky break, yeah? At least this time the Minister won't have to suffer like when we brought Alina in before."
Riel was right. I wouldn't have to grind myself down handling opposition this time, which was a genuine relief.
Of course, that was only if you ignored the part where I still had to clean up every single mess Ash had already caused.
And Riel knew that perfectly well. Even as she said it, her eyes were carefully avoiding mine.
If you know, then don't say it.
I shook my head at her and leaned back into the sofa, deciding to change the subject for a moment.
"So, have we reached a conclusion on where to assign Ash yet?"
What I meant by that was simple enough.
"Oh, so politics here work like this?"
"I think we should do it this way! Why? Because I've still got the knowledge of some old empire's intellectuals stored inside me!"
A political sphere that was friendly toward her simply because she possessed considerable intellect—if not quite on Alina's level—and wasn't a hated intelligence. In other words, talent as a planetary governor.
—BOOOOM!
"Heehee."
"Good heavens, even if it was a decommissioned target ship, to take out a heavy battleship in a single shot…!"
"How can something that size have mobility comparable to a destroyer?!"
Performance as a single warship that nothing in the current Holy Sevelian Empire—or anywhere else in the known galaxy—could hope to match.
—GRRRRRRRRumble…!
"…It's creating a metal tidal wave."
"If something like that came rolling in, armored legions and enhanced infantry alike would be wiped out completely."
And finally, as I myself had verified, functionality as a ground force that had boasted the absolute best performance in the game.
That was what I meant: the daily free-for-alls in the meetings, with everyone who had their eyes on Ash's abilities brawling over her.
At my words, Riel just shrugged and answered flatly.
"Dunno."
"…"
"Sorry, yeah. We still haven't reached a conclusion."
The moment she got cocky I started reaching into my coat for the etiquette-injection rod again, and she immediately switched her tone.
Her answer left me speechless.
"What, you still haven't decided?"
"Yep."
"I'm certain that near the end of yesterday's meeting the Capital Defense Fleet and the Public Security Ministry reached a dramatic agreement, didn't they?"
"They did, yeah. But then the fleet admirals started applying pressure, the Ministry of Defense got involved, and the whole thing got pushed back."
"…"
Thinking about it, that was only natural.
How were a bunch of uncles obsessed with fleet expansion supposed to resist a mobile satellite-fortress-class mega-battleship?
"Oh, and for some reason the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Territorial Management have jumped into this battle royale too."
"Why…?"
When I looked puzzled about why those particular uncles and aunties were piling in, Riel answered like it was nothing special.
"Unlike with Alina, there's no real opposition to Ash in the Empire, yeah? So some of them want to use her as a planetary governor or civil servant instead of just combat power."
"Hmm. Fair enough."
"And on top of that, little things like the Alien Friendship Association offering her an honorary director seat, or the Assault Legion training grounds asking if they can put Ash to work, and so on."
The power struggle surrounding Ash was fiercer than I'd imagined. I nodded and said,
"Glad I stepped back early."
"Right? Still, you somehow predicted this whole mess would break out, yeah?"
At Riel's words I privately recalled the headaches from my previous life every time Ash became available.
"…Well, it was obvious even without looking."
Even I, who had used her dozens of times, would sometimes hit pause and agonize over choice paralysis.
In this world, where Ash's very existence was essentially brand new, of course everyone was losing their minds.
Not that I didn't want her myself.
Pass up a mega-battleship? Pass up a giant ground beast?
But unlike back then, my disposition now was far more that of a civil servant belonging to the Empire rather than someone running it.
As long as Ash had entered the Empire's fold, my job was done.
Whoever used her however they liked afterward didn't matter to me, so long as it didn't harm the Empire.
That was why we had decided to step back one pace and watch the power struggle unfold, pretending it was none of our business.
No matter how long it took, Ash wasn't going to leave the Empire.
There was just one thing I had overlooked.
The sheer exhaustion of the people who actually had to sit through that dogfight.
"Minister of the Foreign Executive Ministry, Arto Virtorius Sevelia, hear me!"
"Yes, I am listening."
"This is a command regarding the disposition of Ash the Grey, who has converted to the Empire. Receive it!"
"I shall obey Your Majesty's words."
I still hadn't noticed anything amiss even as I was suddenly summoned to the Imperial Palace and given an even more sudden order…
"I recall that the Foreign Executive Ministry has previously handled matters concerning AIs that, while hated intelligences, were still aliens in the strict sense."
"That is so, Your Majesty."
"Then likewise, the disposition of a nano-alien should properly fall to you as well."
"!"
"As of this day, We bestow upon Ash the Grey the rank of Count, and at the same time assign her affiliation to the Foreign Executive Ministry."
"…!"
"Should any further objections arise over this matter, they shall be regarded as defiance of the Emperor's command."
"Y-Your grace is boundless."
Completely unprepared, I had been forcibly saddled with Ash by Artraia, who had simply grown sick of watching the endless squabbling.
And so, once the meeting ended, I rushed off for a long-overdue private audience with Artraia that was really just me whining.
Riel didn't come along this time.
Probably because Ash was with her—
"Artraia, why are you putting me through this trial?"
"Everyone else was one of two types."
Wondering what that was supposed to mean, I fixed my gaze on her. Artraia flopped down onto the sofa, steadied the sway of her personality pouches from the motion, and continued.
"The ones who were openly fighting to get Ash, and the ones who wanted her but figured they couldn't step up among the dinosaurs, so they just stayed out of it."
"So a superstar who drives both fans and haters insane has been born."
"Fans…? And what's a hater?"
"Nothing. Forget it."
I hastily stuffed the words that had slipped out back into my mouth, then asked how long we were supposed to keep her…
"What's the big deal? You've already got so much paperwork you get help from AIs anyway, right?"
"Mmm."
"We're just adding Ash on top of that. Is it really that much to think about?"
Faced with Artraia's pure, innocent reverse-question, I answered with a more serious expression.
"Do you think answering a question with a question is acceptable, Artraia?"
"Yeah. If you don't like it, you be the Emperor."
"Ah."
And true to her genius, Artraia counterattacked in a way I had no answer for. I finally declared surrender…
…and set off on a lonely return journey toward the Foreign Executive Ministry.
Yet beneath that outward appearance, I was quietly nursing a small hope.
Ah, come to think of it, I have no afternoon work today.
If I just made it back to the Foreign Executive Ministry—no, to my own room—the rest of the day was free.
The thought alone seemed to put strength back into my body.
I can finally rest easy for once.
And the moment I arrived at the Foreign Executive Ministry.
No.
"Welcome back, Minister!"
"I don't even talk like that, yeah."
"…"
The instant I stepped through the front entrance of the Foreign Executive Ministry, I was greeted by not one but two Riels.
"…"
"How is it? No, how is it, yeah? Pretty identical, right?"
"Not even close, yeah? The Minister could tell the difference between me and you the second he looked."
Actually, calling it a welcome felt off.
It looked more like a pair of frenemies making a bet and trying to drag me in as the judge.
"What's wrong? Don't you think this is enough to become friends with the Minister?"
"Don't talk nonsense, yeah. Our Minister isn't social enough to make friends that easily, so why would I be sitting in one of those rare friend seats for no reason?"
"Oh my."
"So stop trying to steal one of those few friend seats and go find yourself a new one, yeah."
…Or maybe this was just a session for insulting me.
Either way, if I left them like that, Ash would clearly get filled with all sorts of useless false information.
So I dragged my tired, heavy body over and once again brought the etiquette-injection rod down on Riel's crown.
"Who do you think you're slandering?"
—Clang!