I was given a banana by my zookeeper, Jason-kun.
My stomach ulcer medication had been switched to a powder.
Recovery was going smoothly.
Meat was permitted now as well, provided it was stewed.
Snacks and fried foods were still strictly forbidden.
Tragic...
At any rate, bananas were allowed.
I supplemented my protein intake with protein powder.
For now, I simply munched away on my banana.
While I was eating, Ren came over and poured me some tea.
Looking over at Jason-kun, I saw our sextuplets clambering all over him.
"Um... Your Majesty. Your children are climbing up my body. H-Hey, this is genuinely terrifying!"
Though each of them was only about the size of a small toy poodle, their physical strength was immense.
They were strong enough to ride around on the backs of the giant cats native to Chronos.
Kinako was also on standby near the kittens.
"Let them learn your scent."
"Wait, hold on, don't climb onto my head! It's scary!"
They would be fine even if they fell.
They knew how to land cleanly on their feet.
The athletic ability of our little ones seemed top-tier even by Beast Race standards.
"Ren, I'm here to relieve you."
Dressed in a tank top and leather pants, Helga-san arrived.
Our sextuplets leaped with a swift whoosh, pouncing right onto Helga-san.
"Whoa, scary! Scary! It's terrifying how light you are!"
Well, our kids only weighed around three kilograms each, after all.
On top of that, perhaps because they were cat-types, you barely felt any impact even when they jumped.
"Your Majesty. Just to be clear, not all cat-types can pull this off. It's because their motor skills are absurdly good."
Helga-san made that assertion with complete confidence.
"Is that so, Ren?"
"These children are destined to become leaders of the Beast Race. Furthermore, they must inherit Husband-sama's Kamishiro-style."
"Ehh... No, I actually planned to let that ridiculous martial art die out with my generation."
"With all due respect... Your Majesty. I believe it is already far too late for that."
"Ah... Yeah, fair point. Jason-kun."
Prospective students were already flooding the Kamishiro-style dojo.
While the admissions test for live-in disciples was kept strict, there was no entrance exam whatsoever for the general division.
Nothing but relentless repetition drills awaited them.
People complained that it was brutal, but all they actually did after enrolling was hit mitts and pound the sandbag.
After that came running, followed by ground drills like tackles.
Footwork too... and breakfalls as well, I supposed.
See, I was teaching them properly!
Upper-body movement was practically an afterthought anyway!
Sure, there were techniques designed to mask your intentions from the opponent, but...
Power, speed, and defense were far more important than any of that.
The goal was simply to safely mold them into muscle-brained gorillas without getting them injured.
It wasn't brutal at all!
Yet for some reason, it was wildly popular!
"I hear they are already considering adopting it as the standard martial art of the Galactic Empire Space Marines."
"Even though I haven't even finalized the system yet?!"
To think this was happening when there wasn't even a proper curriculum in place!
It was still just an independent mom-and-pop shop that hadn't even begun to franchise.
"More importantly... would you mind explaining how, in all the chaos, my name ended up listed as an assistant instructor?"
Saying that, Jason-kun produced a photograph.
Among the wooden nameplates for the dojo's assistant instructors hung a plaque reading "Jason Azumi."
It was a plate I had quietly slipped onto the board myself.
"I haven't even enrolled, you know."
"Come on, it's fine. Just oversee their practice. I already know how strong you are."
That was why we had sparred together in the first place.
There hadn't even been a need to cross swords.
I could tell at a glance that Jason-kun was ridiculously strong.
"H-Hold on! I am your bodyguard!"
"Please, do me this favor~"
"I refuse! I haven't even received proper swordsmanship training!"
Ah, so he was going to stand there and lie to my face, was he?
Pulling up a quick search on my terminal...
"Here."
The Imperial Swordsmanship All-Empire Tournament.
Middle school division champion.
The very year Eddy had competed in the high school division of the All-Empire Tournament.
"...That was back in middle school. Once you reach high school, the influx of competitors from other disciplines shifts the skill ceiling into an entirely different league."
Eddy had apparently been completely uncontested in middle school, too.
Physical growth and changes in coaching often caused an athlete's relative standing to change drastically in an instant.
I mean, if Katori-sensei hadn't taken an interest in me, I wouldn't have ended up being forced to found a swordsmanship school in the first place.
Though if we were strictly talking Imperial Swordsmanship rules, I figured Eddy was far stronger than me anyway.
My style only really functioned because it incorporated grappling.
Besides, it was originally developed as a hand-to-hand combat system for humanoid fighters!
Why did people keep mistaking it for some all-purpose martial art...?
"Pretty please."
He made a blatantly sour face, but I was definitely putting him to work~.
Starting with the general division, of course.
Now then, time to enjoy some quiet moments with Ren...
Clamber, clamber.
Ah, right.
Everyone wanted their share of attention from Papa.
"Pa-pa~"
I doubted they fully grasped what the word meant.
The sextuplets clambered all over me.
Then, using my body as a springboard, they launched themselves toward Ren.
Ah, of course. Papa was just a stepping stone.
Go ahead, climb right over my back and conquer the world.
"There, there."
Ren unceremoniously tossed the sextuplets into the stroller.
Incredibly rough.
I had just caught a glimpse of the trade secret behind Beast Race parenting.
They were an exceptionally sturdy species to begin with, so rough handling didn't bother them in the slightest.
If anything, it only made them grow up tougher...
At this rate, regular humans might just get outcompeted and replaced by the Beast Race eventually...
I see... so that was the root cause of the discrimination.
Not that there was any point in worrying about it.
The only real difference was whether someone ended up as a female Zork or a member of the Beast Race.
Hahaha.
After all, Chronos people were already part of the mix, and Latarnians and Lepsitolians would be joining the fold too.
In the first place, prominent noble lineages were already teeming with illegitimate Beast Race offspring and carriers of the Zork factor.
Everyone might as well give up... it was already far too late to stop it.
Meanwhile, I was busy conducting marriage diplomacy left and right.
Chronos didn't care about pure bloodlines anyway.
I myself didn't even know what kind of background my own blood came from.
The sextuplets began fussing and mewling in chorus.
Did they want milk?
Was it a diaper change?
As a father, I still couldn't tell the difference.
"Yes, yes, it's time for milk. Well then, Husband-sama, please excuse me."
With that, Ren took her leave.
"Lively and lovely."
Just as I was about to take a well-deserved breather, Melissa walked in.
Ah, right.
"Sup, Captain."
"What's going on?"
"Yeah, about the Imperial Family's fertility treatment."
"Oh, that. How did it turn out?"
"Flawlessly. They said once the root cause was identified, treating it would be completely straightforward."
Whoa.
Melissa handed me a document.
Clinical trials were starting this year, huh.
It seemed Melissa getting pregnant wouldn't be too far off either.
Even so...
"Isn't the number of potential patients ridiculously high?"
"Well, they've been scattering their seed all over the place for generations, after all."
"Yikes..."
So figures like Maro had kept that vicious cycle going for ages.
There must have been a deliberate system in place designed to weed out capable individuals like Thomas and Big Brother Cyrus.
I'd better watch my own back, too.
Thinking about it from that perspective, the Zork had spent immense time and effort subtly undermining the Empire from within...
Yet even those formidable adversaries couldn't gain any real traction in this galaxy.
Man... how did I even manage to win?
Guess I'll just keep doing my best.