Now then, since I had gained two more wifey candidates, I decided to run away from home.
"Don't run away, Lord Groom!"
Ah, I was caught.
Rikochi, dressed in her jersey and standing with Wifey, grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
A new record: five seconds.
I had barely lifted my backside off the chair before I was apprehended. Wifey hadn't missed the slightest sign of my impending flight.
Guh, they were reading my patterns!
"B-But...! The way my wives just keep increasing on their own is terrifying!"
"No 'buts'! You are a King, are you not?!"
"I mean, I can at least understand Polina-san, but Karen-san makes no sense at all!"
"Eh?"
Wifey gave me a look of genuine, profound shock.
"Eh? What are you even talking about?" Rikochi was being harsh too.
Why?!
Just then, Claire arrived.
"Hey, about Polina-san's marriage registration..."
"Ah, you came at a good time. Tell me, Claire-chan. Between Karen-san and Polina-san, which one do you think is actually in love with Leo-kun?"
"Karen-san, obviously. The way she looks at Leo is like she's staring at an idolized star."
"Eh? Then what about Polina-san?"
"She has the face of someone who just pulled the best possible bride-entry scenario out of a million options."
"...Eh?"
"Why are you so surprised? I mean, you haven’t known Polina-san for very long. But Karen-san knows all of Leo's bad points. Since she’s coming to be his wife despite all that, she’s serious."
"Eh?"
"That woman is quite the maiden at heart, actually."
Then Saijo-kun came over. Today, he was wearing villain-style black goth. It suited him well.
Reinforcements for the Boys Group had arrived!
"Hey, hey, Saijo-kun. Between Polina-san and Karen-san, which one do you think likes me?"
"Karen-san, obviously."
Saijo-kun answered without a second's delay.
"...Oh."
Why was their assessment so different from mine?
"Listen, Leo. Your self-evaluation is abnormally low."
"No, I’ve just accepted the fact that I’m an unimpressive creature. It's not like I'm disparaging myself..."
"Listen here, Leo. Do you have no realization that you went from being the youngest son of a noble family—barely above commoner status—to the King of a Galactic Hegemonic Nation?"
"No, I’m at least aware of it. It's just frustrating to feel like a youth whose abilities are slightly inadequate. If I were a genius strategist, the sacrifices would have been far fewer."
That was my honest feeling.
"No, Lord Groom, you are not the military strategist type. You handle diplomacy and domestic affairs, and even economic policies and joint business ventures with other nations... and you do it all without any prior know-how! To begin with, given your temperament, it would be impossible for you to look at a battlefield and treat soldiers like mere chess pieces..."
"Ah... that, huh..."
Because I had gained actual combat experience starting from my time at the officer academy, I knew the world of the soldiers who weren't officers. There was no way I could see soldiers as pieces rather than people now.
That was why I was constantly running simulations of past wars. In the defense of Tatiana's Colony, out of a hundred attempts, we were wiped out ninety-nine times. I simply couldn't find a way to keep Tatiana's Original alive.
It was only recently that I had realized I couldn't save the colony without using them as a decoy to buy time. No matter what I tried, it was impossible.
I had asked Tatiana for her opinion before, and she had simply said, "Then it can't be helped, y'know."
"Well, we're disposable, after all. That's just the job. But just knowing that the Original's death wasn't in vain and was a necessary sacrifice makes me glad I asked. I'll even tell that old hag that the one who saved everyone was the Original."
Tatiana had been quite casual about it. She had likely grown up emotionally.
But since I hadn't grown up emotionally, could I have ever made the decision to use Tatiana in a decoy operation? It was impossible... absolutely impossible. In my attempts to save everyone, I could only ever envision total annihilation.
"Besides, the Jester's Ability will also power down. Give up on trying to become a military strategist. It’s a waste. I’m currently arranging for people well-versed in strategy. Rather, I’m having them search for the kind of talent who can make your unreasonable demands a reality."
"O-Oh..."
Claire let out a sigh. "Anyway, make sure you treasure Karen-san."
"Ah, right..."
I see. So she was serious...
On the other hand, I had thought that I at least shared a friendship with Polina-san...
"That disappointed face... I will say this much: it is not that Polina hates you, Lord Groom. She simply does not know you well yet."
In other words, I needed to progress through the relationship events.
"That's right~. I think you should just deepen your relationship from now on~. It was the same for me, after all."
Rikochi puffed out her chest with a smug look. She had quite a bit there...
Setting that aside, Rikochi was certainly right. If we hadn't lived together in Lepsitol, I never would have imagined I’d marry Rikochi.
Then, setting aside the cross-dressing, the person who was most sensible on the inside, Saijo-kun, agreed.
"I also thought at first that I would get revenge on Yuri-san and the others someday."
The air in the room suddenly turned into a blizzard. Rikochi tried to sneak away.
Yep, caught her.
"Saijo-kun, I’ve secured the culprit!"
Saijo-kun gave a mysterious smile. "It's alright. I don't hold a grudge anymore."
"Phew~"
"Isn't it cruel to try and hand over your own wife?!"
"Because Rikochi, you've messed up just as much as I have."
That was how it was. Precisely because I was her husband, I understood that if it was Rikochi, she must have messed up somewhere.
"But! There wasn't a doujinshi gal model available!"
"Rikochi! The gal aesthetic doesn't suit Saijo-kun! He's about kimono, or uniforms, or black goth! He’s the refined type!"
"Your Majesty! The conversation is drifting!" Saijo-kun threw in a retort.
But I didn't care.
"But I wanted to see a gal!"
"Honestly, Saijo. Why are those two so serious about such a fruitless conversation?"
"Emperor... it is because they are idiots."
"Well, they are idiots, after all..."
"Stop calling an idiot an idiot!"
"That's right! I'll use any means necessary to write my doujinshi!"
Rikochi's doujinshi sold well even though they weren't erotic. She was a famous author in these parts. She even received manuscript fees from me and Wifey.
And so, I called the two of them in separately at a later date.
Polina-san submitted her marriage registrations to Chronos, the Galactic Empire, and Latarnia. Because I had to fulfill my obligations to each country, things were starting to get increasingly complicated...
Karen-san only needed to file with Chronos and the Galactic Empire.
With this, Lepsitol was completely annexed.
As for Parcion, even though I was oppressing them like crazy, for some reason their approval rating was skyrocketing. Complete annexation was near for them as well.
The investigation of the ruins progressed, as did the analysis of Kyoko-chan's New Machine.
And then, several months passed.
By the time Wifey's belly had become prominent, Experimental Unit 01 was finally completed.