I planted the sweet potatoes.
I just barely made it in time.
I spent the day working in the fields I was renting. I gave the regular potato patch a rest, opting instead to spread and till in the recycled food-waste fertilizer produced at Claire’s factory.
Its purpose wasn't necessarily to provide nutrients; that was the job of the chemical fertilizers. No, the point of spreading fermented food waste was to keep the soil from becoming depleted. By introducing microorganisms and their byproducts, I was maintaining the diversity of the soil's fungi.
After disinfecting the area with lime, I waited for the chemical reaction to settle before spreading the recycled fertilizer. While I was at it, I also applied a pesticide for soil-dwelling pests and a repellent for Corpse Eaters and locusts. It consisted of Bacillus—a relative of natto bacteria—mixed with mushroom mycelia.
It had been discovered that, as long as they weren't currently parasitizing a human, Corpse Eaters were weak to a specific type of mushroom that grew wild in Chronos and Persion. While these mushrooms were technically edible, no one really went out of their way to harvest them unless they were avid hikers.
They were ferocious hunters in their own right; they preyed on pre-parasitic Corpse Eaters for nutrients, stretching their mycelia deep into the earth. From there, they functioned as mycorrhizal fungi, transporting nutrients to various plants in place of their own roots. They were completely harmless to humans.
This discovery had been made on a planet in a mountainous region where one particular mountain was covered in the fungus. The number of Corpse Eater patients there had been virtually zero. Although the Corpse Eaters should have been gone thanks to Tatiana’s barrier, I did this as a precaution. Since the fungus also fed on things like soil nematodes, it was currently considered a superior agricultural resource.
War really does cause technology to advance all at once. Losing the technological race is essentially the same as losing the war, after all.
Anyway, back to the potatoes. I planted them in the field where the soil had been prepared over the last several months. To be honest, I’d been too busy to do it myself, so the gardener had handled the soil prep for me. I hadn’t been able to harvest the regular potatoes, which was sad, so I let the gardener take care of those.
But I planted a massive amount of sweet potatoes! Come autumn, we should have a delicious harvest. I also set out some planters in the empty spaces to grow Jerusalem artichoke. You have to be careful with those and use planters; otherwise, they’ll spread like a biohazard. Once they’re grown, I’m planning to slice them thin and make potato chips.
With the farm work finished—having even mobilized the Imperial Guard Knights to assist—I headed off to see the children. After a shower, of course.
First, I visited Wifey. Veronica was in the middle of her Marine Corps calisthenics.
"I have to keep moving, or my body will grow dull!" she declared.
She was incredibly energetic. Leo’s Mother was looking after our child with a smile, accompanied by the Auntie Squad. The group of doting Bavaas immediately blocked my path.
"Excuse me, I'm the father! If I don't spend time with them while they're small, they'll end up asking, 'Who's this old guy?'"
"That sounds like a story about your own father! Oh, very well. Here, take him!" one of the Bavaas grumbled, handing me my child.
"It's Dada~!" I cooed, beaming. The baby laughed back at me.
"Alright, hand him over," the woman said a moment later.
"Why already?!"
"It is time to change his diaper and his clothes."
That was a perfectly reasonable excuse.
"Ah, right. Carry on."
"We shall handle the changing. You should go and communicate properly with the Empress," she added.
"Yes, ma'am."
That was also a fair point.
"How are you feeling, Wifey?"
"Hmm. The skin on my belly is still a bit loose, but I am well. It seems I shall undergo a procedure to restore it to its former beauty when the time is right."
I followed her lead and joined in the Marine Corps calisthenics.
"Raising children requires physical strength, after all," she noted.
"I'm sorry for the immense burden I've placed on you..."
"Stop that. This was my own wish. Besides, the addition to our family makes me happy. I must remain healthy for the sake of our child, my Lord Groom, and the rest of our kin!"
She was incredibly positive. I loved that about her.
"Now then, time for the exercise bike. To the training room!"
Before I knew it, I was being swept along with her. Oh well. I usually did my actual strength training at a different time, so I decided to use the training room for stretching. Front-to-back splits were essential.
Veronica pedaled away on the bike while watching the news. Once I finished the splits, I moved on to regular leg stretches. Apparently, joints can stiffen up rapidly once you hit a certain age. That sounded terrifying; I didn't want any part of that future.
I transitioned from a split into a handstand, then dropped straight into a bridge. I didn't force the movement; I just let myself fall naturally, practicing relaxation. Without tensing up, I simply slinked back up to my feet. Today, my muscles felt loose and responsive. I wanted to believe I was still in good shape.
My main goal was to avoid tensing. Tension is the enemy.
I’d been told to stop doing headsprings because they put too much strain on the neck, and I needed to think about my long-term health. But I’d been doing those forever. They were a staple of basic training at the officer academy. Honestly, I felt like getting some barbed wire and challenging whoever said that to a deathmatch. I was legitimately annoyed.
Next, I went for the pull-ups... or rather, I just hung there for a bit. If my joints started popping, I knew I’d be in trouble. Since this was a stretching session, I skipped the actual pull-ups. So far, everything felt fine. I’d drop down once it got too intense.
"Ook!"
I felt like I needed more. So, I started climbing the rope the Marines had hung from the ceiling. First, I used my whole body. Then, I climbed using only my upper body strength.
Hmm, still not quite satisfied. I noticed a pole nearby. I climbed up, hooked a leg, and held the "human flag" pose. In pole dancing, I think that's called the Starfish? Then I moved into the Cupid pose, followed by the Pegasus.
Man, I really might have a future in the arts.
"My Lord Groom, why exactly are you pole dancing?"
"Ah-haan!"
I didn't really have an answer. I just felt a sudden urge to do it. For now, I'd just focus on my "sexy appeal." I spun gracefully as I descended upside down.
"Even though your execution is flawless, I do not sense even a single millimeter of sexiness from you," Veronica remarked.
"Why?!" I cried. I certainly thought I was being sexy.
"To begin with... it simply looks like a soldier practicing for a New Year's Fire Review..."
"You’re treating it like a traditional holiday performance?!"
"It cannot be helped! Your physique is entirely specialized for combat!"
"And here I thought I had the sexy muscles and suppleness of a cat!"
"I will agree that you are a feline beast... but perhaps a Great Ape is a more accurate comparison. Regardless, you are not being sexy!"
"W-What?!"
Uho. Uhoho. Uhohohoho.
I scrambled up the pole and slid down in a spinning motion that was pure monkey. Veronica burst into peals of laughter.
"You're a fool! A complete fool!"
I had a feeling we’d be a very happy family. That was fine by me—who needs to be sexy anyway?
While we enjoyed these peaceful days, the construction of the spaceport continued. Preparations to deal with the Defense Type Corpse Eaters were steadily moving forward.
...There was no way the enemy would just sit back and watch. If I were in their shoes, I’d be doing everything in my power to sabotage the project.