#1153 Company Princess

B-Bean Kingdom?
What kind of country is that supposed to be?

"As the name suggests, it's a nation that loves beans! A country that lives for beans, by beans, and exists solely for beans!!!"
"The heavens did not place humans above beans, nor did they place beans beneath humans."

Horkosfon is saying some terrifying things, but in short, it's just the usual chaos with Letasreit and Horkosfon. Nothing new there.
For all the dramatic buildup, the punchline is underwhelming.

"When I heard Saint is founding a new country, I thought I’ll make my own country too! And when I asked myself what my ideal nation would be, the answer was clear—A nation for beans! A land where all my dreams come true!"
"A bean utopia."

I-I see…
Thanks to that gigantic floating soybean in the sky, everyone’s eyes are already on them. Her manifesto has pretty much been broadcast to the entire world.

By the way, nobody was surprised by the whole, “The princess of the Human Kingdom is still alive?!” revelation.
With everything she’s been up to, the rumor about the surviving human princess has been floating around for a while.
At this point, it’s old news.

Besides, there’s something far more shocking going on here…

"Hey, Letasreit! Can you come down here? We need to talk!"

Shouting loud enough to be heard from a distance is exhausting, okay?

"Fine, fine. …Oh no, wait, I’m running out of mental energy to keep Bean-Star afloat…!"
"Emergency alert: Due to Letasreit’s mental energy depletion, the Bean-Star’s levitation is failing. The main body will soon begin its descent toward the ground."

Wha-?!
Wait, that gigantic bean exists because of Letasreit’s bean-related powers, right?!
So why is it that when she runs out of energy, it doesn’t just disappear, but instead, it just… starts falling?!

This is the most inconvenient way for things to go wrongggggggg!

“GUOOOOOHHH! That’s just a mere bean! I'll push it back! Don’t you underestimate dragonssss!!!”

Veil, who had shifted back into dragon form, managed to support it, allowing it to make a somewhat softer landing.
With something that big, it might as well be a weapon of mass destruction.
Please put it away immediately.

"Now, what were we talking about again?"

Don't just move on like nothing happened.

"Oh, right! I hereby demand that all the nations present here recognize the founding of Bean Kingdom! Now, hurry up and approve it!"

Letasreit has become powerful enough to pull off something like this.
Denying her request could very well spark a world war.

Why hasn’t she just taken over the world already?

"Uh… so, if you do establish Bean Kingdom, what’s your plan after that?"

Might as well ask the most concerning question.
Will she expand her influence and claim surrounding territories to start some kind of bean-based empire?

"That’s obvious! I’ll grow lots of beans! Sell them for tons of profit! Then use that profit to grow even more beans!!!"
"I will use Letasreit’s beans to produce natto."

There they go, passionately talking about their bean-filled dreams.

Hmmm… yep, same as ever.
As long as they can grow beans and make natto, they’re happy.

But if that’s all they want, isn’t creating an entire country overkill? They could just keep doing what they’ve been doing…

"Ehhh? No way. A country is basically its land, right? Beans grow in fields, fields are land, so it makes way more sense to have a country to manage everything properly. That way, I don’t have to worry about it."

Wait, that actually makes sense...!

"When I heard Saint was starting a country, I figured I should do some training, too! So, I secretly practiced and mastered the art of bean materialization! Impressive, right?"

Th-That is… really impressive!
For once, I have to genuinely acknowledge that it’s an incredible feat...!

"Letasreit knew she needed to do something extraordinary if she wanted her demands to be taken seriously. I supported her, of course, and when she finally succeeded, even I was moved to tears."

Yeah!
I’d cry too if I saw that moment firsthand!!!

"Given what she has accomplished, don’t you think she deserves to have her wish granted?"

Hmm.
Horkosfon speaks with an eerily serious expression.

Sure, I respect her effort, but if we let someone this obsessed with beans establish a country, who knows what kind of unprecedented chaos she’ll unleash?

The thought sends shivers down my spine.

I glance at the gathered rulers.
Demon King, Arowana, and Ritheseus all look incredibly conflicted.

"Uh… assuming we do approve your country, do you even have a plan for how it’ll function?"

A country needs governance.
It also has to manage international relations, take care of its citizens, and handle internal affairs.

Running a nation means handling all of that perfectly.
Like what I’m thinking of right now.

…So?

"Beans!!!"

That’s a very decisive answer.

"We’ll cultivate beans, sell them to other countries, use the profits to hire workers, and have them help with bean farming!!!"

Bean farming?

"Well? Isn’t my bean-centered national management flawless? Perfect, right?!"
"Um… actually…"

Doesn’t that just make it a company?
She could just run a business instead.

"Huh? A company?"
"Yeah. Everything you’re describing fits within a company structure. Running a whole country would be a lot harder. You’d have to handle things like welfare, law enforcement, and economic disparities."

That all sounds like a pain.
If she just wants to focus on beans, a company makes way more sense.

"There’s no economic disparity! Before beans, all people are equal!"

She’s starting to sound like a cult leader, and it’s scary.

"See? If you just make it a company, you can leave all the annoying stuff to actual governments and focus on beans. Sounds better, right?"

And so, we begin steering Letasreit toward the "bean company" idea.

Her passion and talent are undeniable.
But those very strengths also make her extremely dangerous if left unchecked.
Especially since she has Horkosfon backing her up.

Someone needs to hold the reins.
So far, that person has been me. …Do I have to keep doing this forever?!

"Aww, but you know, I kinda like the idea of being a ruler…"

What now?

"I mean, I was a princess, remember? People used to call me ‘Princess’ all the time. So, if I could go back to that kind of status, it’s kinda tempting…"
"If you start a company, people will call you ‘President’ instead!"

Being called "President" is pretty nice, too, you know?
There are countless office workers out there dreaming of the day they get to be called that!

…But please, don’t call her "President."
Because in this world, there’s already one terrifying President we dare not speak of!!!

"...Oh! How about this, then?"

What now?!

"I'll be the Corporate King! Doesn’t that sound way more powerful than just ‘President’?"

Please stop!
That sounds like the start of a new Shima K*saku series!

That’s clearly on the same level as "Pirate King" or "Hero King”!

"Yes! From now on, I am Letasreit, the Bean Corporate King! I’ll establish my bean company, expand across the world, and create the greatest bean empire!!!"
"This marks the dawn of capitalism, Letasreit."

…Hm?
Something about Horkosfon’s words feels off.
If Letasreit starts mass-selling beans at full force, won’t this be a huge problem, no matter what?
Capitalism has a way of destroying feudal systems.
And most nations in this world are still monarchies…!

"Now that we’ve got everything settled, let’s go join the trade fair! That was another one of our main goals today!"
"Exactly. This is the perfect opportunity to show everyone the greatness of my natto."

And so, Letasreit begins handing out beans while Horkosfon distributes natto.
To be fair, their beans and natto are both top-tier quality, making them perfect for the trade fair.

Once people experienced their deliciousness and nutritional benefits, the flood of inquiries would be endless.

Letasreit’s unstoppable bean revolution has only just begun.

==========

"Kosaku Shima is a Japanese manga series that depicts the growth and career of a fictional salaryman named Kosaku Shima."

for those who need a little memory jog, the other president being referred to was the Lifeless King