Now then, a massive problem loomed before I could even touch domestic affairs.
…My cold just wouldn't go away.
I’d wondered why Tatiana-chan hadn't stopped by, but it turned out she was bedridden.
Word was that Leonidas-kun was also out of commission with a cold, and Big Sister-in-Law Uta was apparently nursing him back to health.
What was going on?
It was bizarre.
While I tilted my head in confusion—still bandaged like a mummy and wearing that ridiculous afro wig—Claire and Wifey arrived with a stack of documents.
Both of them took a seat.
"I actually intended to suppress this, but… Leo, since your condition isn't improving…"
It was the status report on the Persion Army.
Magellan and Ozen had also suffered catastrophic damage.
Decimated…
They were truly annihilated.
"Wait! Why?! They should have had my protection!"
"Persion… they weren't our allies. No, the same goes for Magellan and Ozen."
"What do you mean?"
"Leo, for your protection to work, it's not enough for you to subjectively consider them allies. They have to view themselves as your allies as well."
"So I… wasn't recognized as their king…"
"Yes. And also…"
Wifey stood up and placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder.
"I shall take it from here. Read this."
It was an article in an electronic newspaper.
The front page reported a suicide.
The victim was none other than the Former Colonel—the Persion Army General.
The report stated that he had shot himself in the head.
"What does this mean?"
"That violation of orders was the collective will of the Persion Army. That man took his own life to take responsibility for the failure."
In other words… it had been a planned mass suicide.
We were the only ones who hadn't known.
"But why…"
"They likely grew weary of living as soldiers of a defeated army. It is something you cannot understand, Lord Groom."
"Why… why do you think I can’t understand?"
No, I did get it.
Soldiers who lose get absolutely pummeled by public opinion.
The stress must have been incredible.
"Lord Groom, if you are on the verge of defeat, you flee without hesitation to bet on the next opportunity, do you not? I stood by and let my father be killed to ensure victory in the Zork War. Those men cannot do that. They are fundamentally different creatures from us."
"I mean, that’s true, but… that’s also just part of management and military strategy…"
Wifey might be called heartless for saying that.
But at the time, there had been no choice but to eliminate Maro.
Under Maro and the Duke Association, the Galactic Empire would have perished.
I believed Big Brother Cyrus made the right call.
Ultimately, Fairy-san probably would have intervened and handled it somehow, but the number of victims likely would have been several times higher.
When I thought about how many people were saved by the sacrifice of Maro alone… no, this line of thinking was dangerous.
It was better to consider things on a case-by-case basis.
In any case, we had simply moved a stone that was in the way.
Wifey wasn't in the wrong.
"That is exactly the point. We are closer to the Lepsitole people compared to the Parcionians. Those men cannot endure it. Lord Groom, even now, you still do not understand Lord Eyens of the Pirate Guild, do you? You still believe there was a path where things could have been handled well?"
Lord Eyens.
The high-ranking executive of the Pirate Guild who had gotten the last laugh against me.
The eunuch who had died to protect Shi-yun.
I should have been able to save him if I had maneuvered more skillfully.
"Yeah, I think I could have saved him if I'd handled it better."
"No. You could not. No matter what you did, Lord Eyens would have chosen to die. Besides… he must have been happy. Because he protected Shi-yun. Though it is something neither I nor the Lord Groom can truly understand…"
If I were Lord Eyens…
Or if I were the leader of the Persion Army…
I would have negotiated to sell out my comrades while outwardly appearing to oppose me.
I would have joined hands behind the scenes while deceiving the eyes of the Corpse Eaters.
That alone would have increased their safety.
"So, it's about pride?"
"I do not know. How could I, a woman meant to be nothing more than a plaything for her own father, understand the pride of men? Nor could you, Lord Groom—a soldier born and bred for the art of war."
"For now, I guess I’ll give them a lavish funeral."
"No, a court-martial comes first. You must purge them severely."
"I’m just going to leave it all in the hands of the judge, though."
I didn't even feel like putting pressure on the courthouse.
They could handle it somewhere I didn't have to see.
"So~. When am I going to get better? My throat really hurts~."
"That is simply because your throat was lacerated when the medical staff had to extract the snacks you choked on."
"How could this be…"
The throat pain was from that?!
While I was processing this, Kevin arrived.
"Are you awake?"
"I'm awake~. What's up?"
"Blood test."
"…I’ve never had anything abnormal show up on a health check-up, though."
"I'm measuring your stress. I took some of Leonidas-kun's blood, too."
"Wait. You think I’m under daily stress?"
I had the impression that I lived pretty much however I wanted.
"Yes. Enough that you unconsciously stuff snacks into your mouth."
"What… did you say…"
"If your liver values are bad, we’re extending your hospitalization for some rest."
"Nngah! I want to spend time with my kids!"
Also, hospital food portions were overwhelmingly small!
Furthermore!
As if they had anticipated that I would try to snack, the shop and the frozen food vending machines had all suspended operations.
Hey, the only inpatients here were my comrades!
Then, Kevin’s terminal went beep-beep.
As she looked at the notification, Kevin’s face turned pale.
"This is bad! Tatiana-chan and Charlotte-chan were just brought in!"
"Eh, why?"
"Influenza."
Wifey then smiled.
"Isolate Jester. We shall return before we pass the illness to the children."
"Fwaaah!"
In the end, my hospitalization was extended.
Why… why…
Then, in about a week, the military court concluded… that was fast.
…I suppose it was because they had admitted to the charges and had no intention of fighting them.
The primary military personnel from Persion, Magellan, and Ozen were discharged without the possibility of re-employment.
It wasn't quite a dishonorable discharge.
It wasn't a disciplinary dismissal from a company or an expulsion from the Yakuza; it was strictly a resignation.
I left their pensions and mutual aid associations intact.
It would be a problem if they turned into guerrillas or bandits.
Maybe I’d have Amada Security hire them…
The Lepsitore territory was merged according to the inhabitants' own wishes.
The nation known as Repsitore vanished from the map.
They had played a huge role this time, after all.
They finally lost the ability to say, "I simply refuse-de gozaru!"
I appointed Karen-san as the Chief Administrator to handle all the tedious bureaucratic work.
Persion, Magellan, and Ozen also vanished as nations.
That part was their punishment.
The difference was that Repsitore kept its military, while the three nations that violated orders had theirs dissolved.
They were completely integrated into the Chronos Army.
It was a statement of: "We don't care about your ways. We're going to shove our way of doing things down your throats."
There would be no future independence, either.
Repsitore was a peer partner. The other three nations were a merger by absorption.
That was why I was having the bigwigs of those three nations quit.
Haha! Just like a corporation!
Actually, I had thought about dividing and governing the planets with the Taikyoku Nation, which shared a border, but they rejected the offer, saying they "didn't want them."
I was discharged from the hospital around the time the court-martial ended.
Tatiana-chan was staying in a bit longer due to her exhaustion.
Leonidas-kun had already been discharged.
Charlotte was in isolation; it seemed she had no resistance to influenza.
The world was constantly running special features on our children.
Baby products were selling like crazy, and obstetrics and gynecology departments were overflowing with pregnant women.
Seeing that, I pondered why the Parcionians could not accept happiness.