The Ghoul Subjugation Operation was officially underway.
Leo Kamishiro—the man famous for instantly slaughtering any Corpse Eaters he laid eyes on—and Saint Tatiana were not participating in this mission.
Supposedly, they were occupied with testing a new model of some kind.
In the first place, it was abnormal for the king of a hegemonic nation or a central religious figure to be deployed to the front lines. This was only common sense.
I joined up with the Space Raiders, the Galactic Empire Elite Squad.
I was participating as a pilot for a Humanoid Fighter. Why, you ask?
"Man, Captain. I didn't know you were actually a pilot," Uta said with a smirk.
"I did graduate from the academy, you know. If you've got the aptitude, the skills just sort of stick with you."
"So you actually remember that kind of thing, huh?"
That was the problem.
Even though I remembered the piloting procedures and how I'd obtained my licenses, I couldn't remember a single thing about my time at school.
According to the Doctor, a portion of my brain had suffered physical damage. Apparently, my skull had been cracked open. The scar on my head was still there, though it had faded considerably.
My memories were simply gone.
I’d been treated with nanomachines, but by then, it was too late. Most of my cherished memories had been lost to the void. The backup of my memory data had also been destroyed when the base was wiped out. I was in a state where I couldn't even recall my own parents' faces.
On the bright side, that meant I didn't harbor the same bone-deep hatred for the Zork that some other soldiers did.
My memories only really began from the moment I woke up in the hospital a few days after my surgery. While I was spacing out in the sickroom, not even knowing who I was, a high-ranking military official paid me a visit.
I was informed that I had graduated from the University Division as a special exception and had been promoted to Army Lieutenant. Furthermore, I was told I’d been appointed as the Captain of a newly formed unit.
After being discharged from the hospital, I spent some time in the rear for leadership training. During that period, the Zork War reached its conclusion. I’d assumed I would be assigned to some quiet desk job after that.
But I was naive.
I learned about the discovery of the Gate and the nations in outer space from the news reports playing in the training center's dining hall. Huh, amazing things happen in the world, I’d thought, but it felt like someone else's problem entirely.
Then, I received my orders for the outer space expedition. Apparently, they wanted to dispatch personnel who didn't hold any inherent hostility toward the Zork or foreign powers. I see...
And that was how I ended up paired with Uta, who had become a Non-commissioned Officer just a few months after enlisting.
Uta had been a student at a junior college back then, and apparently, she’d been a judo athlete. She was a regular at the National Tournament, though she described herself as a "perennial second-round loser." Because of that, she’d been unable to secure a non-repayable scholarship for a four-year university and was weighing her options when her junior college in the Duke Territory was physically destroyed.
Since the Duke who served as the college president was a member of the Duke Association, he fell from power, and the college was disbanded. Uta ended up receiving her degree under the Zork War Special Measures Law.
With job opportunities scarce during the war, she ended up enlisting. The very day she entered the New Recruit Training Camp, the Thomas Expeditionary Force collapsed. Due to the chronic shortage of Non-commissioned Officers, any recruits with university or junior college degrees were promoted to Corporal without question. Furthermore, because of her record in the judo National Tournament, she was promoted to Sergeant just three days after becoming a Corporal.
"It makes no sense at all. Ahahaha!" was her take on the matter.
In any case, this group—a Nominal Officer, a nominal Non-commissioned Officer, and a squad of exclusively female soldiers—was tossed onto the same ship as the Space Raiders.
A bunch of middle-aged men with Yakuza-like faces glared at us. Then, Huma-san, the commander of the Space Raiders, introduced us to his crew.
"This is Army Lieutenant Leo of the Galactic Empire Space Marines. Relax. His face looks exactly like that Space Monster's, but he's a completely different person."
Upon hearing that, the members of the Space Raiders let out visible sighs of relief.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"There's a certain Space Monster with a face just like yours, Lieutenant. My men had their pride severely wounded by him in the past..."
Huma-san had a distant, haunted look in his eyes. It must have been a truly tragic event.
"The Lieutenant will be accompanying us as a Humanoid Fighter pilot. Everyone, carry on as usual."
"Sir!"
"Now, rest until we reach our destination."
Once Huma-san left the room, the female soldiers were immediately swarmed by the rugged older men.
"Hey, you're cute. Got a boyfriend?"
They were really hitting on them. They were even making passes at the beastman girls. These guys were clearly experts in every kind of sexual fetish.
Uta was also approached.
"Hey, you've got a hell of a build. You do martial arts or something?"
"Judo, sir."
"I used to do wrestling. What do you say? Want to spar with me sometime?"
That was where I stepped in.
"Alright, big guy. That's enough of that."
"Who the hell are you... wait, that face... Dammit, you've got a mug like you'd swim laps in a pool while carrying steel beams. I'm not picking a fight with you. Hey, you guys, back off!"
It seemed they were trying to provoke me into a fight, but the guy changed his mind the moment he saw my face up close.
"Ah... yeah, I get it. This face has 'I toy with special forces in the winter mountains' written all over it. Everyone, withdraw! Also, here's my contact info."
The Bearded Space Raider handed a business card to Judy the Rabbit Beastman.
...Was that old man seriously trying to woo her? He really is a pro. Also, he needs to stop calling himself "me" with a face like that.
Judy just looked at him with a face that said, What is wrong with this guy?
The Space Raiders crew then headed off for a bathroom and cigarette break. Those guys are way too free-spirited.
I walked over to Uta.
"Uta, are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine... Wait, oh my god, Lieutenant! Were you jealous? 'Don't you touch my woman!' Oh, you're too much~♪"
Uta started wriggling around and teasing me.
"I didn't say anything like that."
"Oh, look at you, getting all shy~."
This girl was hopeless. She was exaggerating the story to hide her own embarrassment and pinning the whole thing on me.
"Fine. Uta... listen."
"What is it? Why the serious face all of a sudden?"
I took Uta's hand in mine.
"Marry me."
"What are you saying all of a sudden?!"
"See? This is exactly what you're doing to me."
As soon as I said that, Uta began delivering a series of chops to me with a completely deadpan expression.
It hurt. The fact that they didn't make any loud, flashy sounds made them hurt even more. There was no brute strength behind them, but the speed and centrifugal force from her total relaxation made them sting. Those were the kind of chops that actually scored KOs!
Then, the other female soldiers began to criticize me one after another.
"That was your fault, Captain. Come on, apologize."
"Exactly~. You're being mean!"
"Wait, it's my fault?"
They all nodded in unison.
Eh? It’s really my fault? No way... seriously?
...Apparently, it was my fault.
"Alright, fine! I get it! It was my fault! I'll treat you all to yakiniku!"
"And alcohol!" Uta added, still huffing.
"Yes, yes!"
"Yay!"
Uta looked triumphant. There go another ten thousand Credits... And so, my salary was once again destined to disappear into Uta's stomach.
Honestly, I was starting to think it'd be cheaper just to marry the girl.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the ship jolted violently.
"Ambush from Corpse Eater forces! All hands to battle stations!"
The relaxed atmosphere shattered instantly. Battle had begun.