My bike was confiscated. I’ve lost track of how many times that makes now.
And even though it officially belongs to the military!
This time it was a folding model, something currently under development as part of an infantryman’s standard kit. It wasn’t designed for combat but for transport, with a heavy emphasis on stability. It had high off-road capabilities, favoring the ability to traverse rough terrain over pure top speed. It was exactly the kind of thing that could handle any bad road you threw at it.
I had taken that bike and used a blunt katana to lay a thorough beating on that anti-government organization of female Zork. And for some reason, I was the one who got yelled at. It was beyond unreasonable!
As for the swordmaster among those female Zork, her name was apparently Muneharu. She hailed from the Suedou Count House on a planet that had since been destroyed. It was a local urban planet near the Imperial Capital Planet that had served primarily as a bedroom community.
It didn't really have any major industries to speak of. Instead, it was home to a large number of care facilities where the elderly who had retired from the Imperial Capital went to live. There were also numerous hospitals affiliated with the universities in the capital. In practice, that was their primary industry.
Because it was under the protection of a military faction, there had never been any damage from pirates. But that proved to be their undoing. Just like Melissa's home territory, they were among the first targeted by the Zork.
At Melissa's place, there had been plenty of hardened military personnel. There were no dead weights there. Even so, it had been a disaster that left them on the brink of total annihilation. Melissa is who she is; her hatred for the Zork likely runs deep. Yet, even so, she understands that these female Zork were victims themselves. I could only be grateful for her perspective.
The Suedou Count Territory, however, had been forced to fight a defensive battle while trying to protect the elderly. The result was total annihilation. They couldn't protect anyone, and they lost their honor in the process. Muneharu might be the one who best understood the feelings of Magellan, Ozen, and the Parcionians.
Now then, I had the members of that anti-government group I’d thrashed in custody. I had them in five-person rooms, but that couldn’t be helped. There were just too many of them.
I headed to the military detention center, bringing the Imperial Guard along with me.
"Haru-haru! The King is here!" a pony-tailed female Zork called out.
"I told you to stop calling me Haru-haru!" Muneharu snapped, looking flustered.
I see, so she was Haru-chan. She was covered in bandages. Considering she hadn't died after the beating I gave her, Zork really were tough. I mean, if Kevin and her friends got serious, they’d be stronger than the idiot boys.
"Haru-chan, and the rest of you. You’re on duty at Parcion starting today," I announced.
"The conversation jumped so far ahead I can't even follow it. Also, stop with the 'Haru-chan,'" Muneharu said.
"Fine, Haru-haru. The Parcion Army is currently in a state of total collapse. The only people who can probably understand how those guys feel... are you lot. Can I count on you to rebuild the Parcion Army?"
"Is this just a convenient way to exile us?" Haru-haru asked, staring me down.
I looked her right back in the eye. "You’re free to think of it that way. I won't make excuses. All I can do is take responsibility for what happens next."
Haru-haru continued to stare at me for a long time. Eventually, she let out a short breath. "Heh... if His Excellency the Count had been half the man you are, we might not have lost. Fine. I will go."
The girl with the ponytail panicked. "H-Hey, Haru-haru! Why are you two reaching an understanding already?! Explain things a bit more!"
Haru-haru let out a small, dry laugh. "It’s because this man is the King of Chronos, Leo Kamishiro Chronos. Since the king of a nation is the one giving the order, it means he’ll be the one taking responsibility. He doesn't care what anyone says about him. That is what it means to be the King of Chronos. Your Majesty, we are to be your direct retainers, correct?"
"Yeah. You can look forward to the salary. We’re short on nobles right now. We’re also short on non-commissioned officers, so if you have any leads, I’m counting on you."
"May I challenge you occasionally?"
"As long as I’m not exhausted. But there’s a long line of challengers, so you’ll have to wait your turn."
"I hear the Sword Saint Katori is there? I imagine there are other strong fighters as well?"
"There’s Edge and his wife Alissa, Hattori of the Ninjas, Salia, the Former Great King of Kijinkoku, the idiot duo Isono and Nakajima, Saijo-kun, Melissa... ah, Ren is busy raising kids right now, so if you pick a fight with her, she will actually kill you. Seriously, don't. Oh, and Helga-san is strong too."
"What kind of hell is that?!" the ponytail screamed.
Honestly, I couldn't agree more.
"And His Majesty Leo is the one all those monsters agree is the strongest," Haru-haru added. Nice quip.
"T-The Hell Emperor..." The ponytail began to tremble violently.
"I’m a King, not an Emperor," I corrected.
"Dammit... if I let Haru-haru go alone, it would be a stain on my honor as a knight. I, Thorn Burke, shall go with her."
Thorn Burke... wait. That name sounded familiar.
"I mean, you don't really have the right to refuse anyway... but wait, aren't you a celebrity in the world of Imperial Swordsmanship?"
When I said that, Thorn puffed out the large chest unique to female Zork. "Yeah, third place in the National Competition. Since I’ve gone through the trouble of becoming a woman, you can call me Briana."
Third place... ah, that’s right! She was the one in that swordsmanship magazine Eddie had! Setting aside special cases like Katori-sensei, she was a top-tier competitive athlete. And though she used to be built like a brick house, she was now incredibly small and dainty...
"Thorn... I’ve been meaning to say this for a while, but... you really don't have a 'Briana' face," Haru-haru remarked with a deadpan expression.
She was right. The girl was the small, cute type. A name like a statuesque model didn't suit her at all.
"W-What?! I-I'm cute, aren't I?!"
"If I am Haru-haru, then you must be Buri-buri."
"Stop with the Buri-buri!"
And so, I forcibly recruited the female Zork into my service. I wouldn't take no for an answer; they had no right to refuse. Just like the female Zork already in my service, I wanted them to have a fresh start and enjoy their lives—whether that meant becoming an idol or raising children.
Now then, we were heading back to Chronos. Wifey was returning to Chronos as well, bringing her Galactic Empire work along with her.
Next on the list would be Claire and Ren. It felt like everything I’d done up until now was reaching a final accounting. Honestly, I’m a soldier; I just want to be allowed to do military things. I don't mean that in some "Conquering King" sense, but in the sense that "Soldier" was my original job description. I still didn't understand what it really meant to be a King.
I let out a heavy sigh. "I have no choice... I’ll just have to dump all this on Leonidas-kun..."
I mercilessly planned to rely on my literal brother. In the first place, trying to push internal affairs onto me was a mistake. Look at me! I’m just the third son of a penniless marquis!
Wait... the temperament of a sovereign was starting to sprout in me? That was wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Whatever, I didn't care anymore. I’m gonna slaughter every last one of those Zen Divine Race bastards. I’m not afraid of you guys!
While lashing out like a cornered villain, I began to dance the samba.