Isono took off running.
Then he tripped.
All that, and we’d only just found out about the pregnancy. I could understand his excitement, what with the declining birthrate and all, but he was getting ahead of himself.
Wifey’s face was glowing, too. At this rate, we’d probably need to summon an entire medical team from the Galactic Empire just for this one pregnancy. She was only in her first trimester, for heaven's sake.
I kept those thoughts to myself as I helped the other girls pick out gifts.
Geez, guys, stop being so useless at times like this!
Regarding the right of succession for the throne of Chronos—if I were to die before producing an heir, the line would pass to Isono’s child. If that didn't work out, it would go to Eddy’s family, then Nakajima’s... and if none of them could take it, it would fall to Amada’s. By "not working out," I meant if they turned the job down.
With all that going on, the Rosaria Empire had been bumped down my priority list.
Suddenly, Fairy appeared and hijacked the screen.
"It’s everyone’s favorite idol, Fairy! Breaking news! Hanako-san is doing great. Your ever-efficient Fairy has already smoothly informed—err, reported the news to Isono-kun’s parents! Half because it was the right thing to do, and half for the kicks!"
Was she a demon?
"I shall now read the comments from the parties involved. First, Isono-kun’s parents: 'Well done! With this, our house is secure!'"
Hmm, a typical Imperial Noble response. But since a noble house faces the very real threat of going out of business without an heir, they were understandably serious about it.
"Next up, a comment from Leo-kun’s mother!"
Wait, wait. Why is my mom weighing in on this?
"'Hurry up and have a baby already.' That’s all she said."
"Hey, hey, hey, isn't that a bit too brief?" I asked.
"Um, it also seems like Big Brother Sam’s engagement has been called off."
Now that she mentioned it, I did recall hearing that both of my brothers had gotten engaged.
"What happened?"
"Since Leo-kun became a king, their family status skyrocketed. His fiancée was from a commoner background and a Baron House, so they weren't considered a match anymore."
"Honestly, my bad," I muttered.
Wifey nodded in agreement. "There is no need to worry. The military faction and I will take them under our wing. Besides, regarding House Kamishiro—it is being elevated to a Duke-type house next spring."
"What!?"
My family was nowhere near Duke material! I could see us being demoted to a Count, but there was no way we deserved a promotion.
"The tax revenue from your territory has already reached the level of a Duke-type!" Wifey explained.
"How!?"
"Thanks to the new high-speed transport routes, it’s now a commutable distance from the Imperial Capital! Look at this image! It is a metropolis!"
The screen displayed a city packed with incredibly tall buildings. There wasn't a single trace of my hometown left.
"No way! Wait a minute, what about the wild animals?"
"They have become quite used to people and are coexisting with humans. We have balanced nature conservation with city planning!"
O-Oh. So the animals had adapted to the concrete jungle, then...
"And so, Lord Groom! We shall make a child of our own!"
"O-Oh, bring it on!"
Somehow, the moment lacked any real sex appeal.
Regardless, I decided not to put Isono on the front lines anymore. Once the child was born, we’d have to have a serious talk about his role. I wanted to keep him out of danger as much as possible.
While we held an "Isono Congratulations Party" every day, the date of the meeting with the Rosaria Empire finally arrived. I changed the protocol so Wifey could attend the meeting with me. Apparently, the Rosaria Empire hadn't confirmed the fact that I was the husband of the Galactic Empire’s Emperor.
Well, that made sense. Even I found the situation a bit hard to believe sometimes.
"I am Charlotte, daughter of Hamilton and the Third Princess of the Rosaria Empire."
The person in charge of the planet-class Mobile Fortress turned out to be a young girl. She looked to be about the same age as Tatiana or One-oh-one—maybe a little older than Shiyun. She was dressed in a shimmering, regal gown.
"I am the King of Chronos, Leo Kamishiro Chronos."
"And I am the Galactic Empire Emperor, Veronica."
When Charlotte looked at me, she let out a laugh. "Heh, heh heh heh... this is a masterpiece! Those fools of the Zen God Race! They actually went and picked a fight with a Jester!"
"Ah, so you’re familiar with Jesters."
"Indeed. A Jester is the next step in the evolution of intelligent life. They are the Primordial Espers—the King’s Ability Users."
"Excuse me?"
The "rare species through spontaneous generation" theory was starting to look more likely. We were essentially the human version of the Mystery Crayfish.
"Did you never wonder?" Charlotte continued. "Despite being called 'Jesters,' your abilities are remarkably suited for a ruler."
I had certainly thought that. It was bizarre that the ability was tied to the people's collective happiness. If the populace became miserable, it literally put the ruler's life at risk. In other words, if you didn't practice good governance, you simply died. And yet, Jesters were incredibly powerful in war. The larger the scale of the conflict, the more their power increased. If a Jester were to lose under those conditions, victory would be an impossible game for any strategist.
They were creatures that felt almost too designed. Because they were so intentional, I had assumed they were artificial beings, but...
"I shall tell you now," Charlotte said, "every experiment to artificially produce a Jester has ended in failure. The conditions for their emergence remain unknown."
"Well, that figures," I said. "Even in the Galactic Empire, ten percent of people carry the Jester factor. But only the three of us have ever actually awakened."
Which meant...
"The Rosaria Empire isn't a pawn of the Zen God Race, is it?"
"Hahahaha! We are the enemies of the Zen God Race! My new friend, we are an empire ruled by Jesters. A member nation of the Anti-Zen God Race League!"
"Ah, I see. And we are Chronos—the tragic nation whose territory expands without limit every time we try to stop the Zen God Race's harassment."
"Similarly," Wifey added, "I am the Galactic Empire. I intended to take it easy and have children after defeating Zork, only to end up being forced to advance into this galaxy."
So, it turned out they weren't enemies after all.
"By the way, I have a question," I said.
"What is it?"
"Is Princess Charlotte perhaps a Jester as well?"
"In our empire, only a Jester holds the right of succession. Therefore, I am one."
The appearance of a nation ruled by Jesters, combined with a sudden baby boom among my inner circle... I suppose if you have a lot of young men and women living together, that’s just bound to happen.
But what would happen if you threw a Jester into a place where everyone was in such high spirits?
Regarding the conditions for a Jester’s awakening—I personally believed they awakened when they sensed the threat of large-scale misfortune looming over a population with many factor-carriers. I wouldn't say that out loud, of course. I had no proof; it was just a hunch. Even among scholars, it wasn't a leading theory.
But the reason I had fully awakened was the Zork attack. Tatiana had awakened after her original died and she was born as a clone. Alyssa’s awakening was triggered by the attack on her hometown. The reasons were always simple: to correct the balance of a world leaning toward catastrophe.
My little theory seemed to support the idea of spontaneous generation. Which meant that the Rosaria Empire, with its awakened Jester, was...
"Your country is currently at war, isn't it?"
"You’re sharp, King of Chronos," Charlotte replied.
It was exactly as I thought.