Yeah, yeah, I’m the hoodlum who turned into a respectable person in the military.
Except I wasn't even a hoodlum!
I was just a kid who couldn’t fit in at the Imperial Officer Academy’s Junior Division and tried to go AWOL. Do you have any idea how miserable it is to live a life with zero friends? Do you know the flavor of a meal eaten in total silence in a crowded cafeteria?
"Alright, everyone, find a partner!"
Do you bastards understand the sheer agony of being the only one left over when you hear those words? Do you know the pain of a loner who couldn't even manage a bit of dirty talk in the boys' dormitory? A guy whose total conversation time with girls across his entire time in the Junior Division added up to less than three minutes!
I was a socially inept loser who was practically guaranteed to fail at life, even in the military! I'll kill you!
It was only in the Academy’s Senior High Division that I learned to put on a front. Once I figured out how to use my family’s influence as a boost, I finally managed to survive at a bare minimum level. Of course, the trade-off was that my sexual preferences ended up completely warped.
Anyway, this was Zain Village.
The most prominent feature was the Agricultural Cooperative building. Apparently, a shopping mall from the Capital Planet had stood here a hundred years ago, but it pulled out after effectively destroying the local shopping district. Since then, there had been nothing but the "Co-op."
The population had been in a tailspin ever since. The young people all headed for the Capital City to become salarymen, and the aging rate was skyrocketing. These days, the only ones left in town were the punks who didn't have the brains or the drive to live anywhere else. It was so bad that mobile sales vans had to be dispatched all the way from my family’s seat in the Capital City, Southern Cross City.
I climbed out of my Custom Jester and entered the village on foot. While the local elders came out to greet me, a young man with a ridiculous rocket-style pompadour shouted my way.
"Hey! You're the youngest kid from the Marquis's place, ain't ya?"
I wanted to behead him on the spot, but I held back. It was my old man’s fault for not providing these idiots with a proper education. He’d decided it was easier to rule a populace of fools who didn't know enough to question taxes or legal systems.
Personally, I think a science-heavy society is the way to go. “Researchers should just do research! Leave the taxes and the boring stuff to the state!” That’s a much easier world to manage. Though, if you mess up the employment rate for new graduates, they’ll start a revolution and kill you.
The delinquent continued, puffing out his chest. "I'm gonna fight too!"
"...Hah."
A long sigh escaped me. I felt like whatever luck I had left was leaking away. I clenched my fist, drew it back, and drove it straight into his face.
"Don't mock the military, you moron!"
His attitude was the fault of my family’s failure to educate him. However, stepping into our domain—the military—with that half-baked resolve was his own mistake.
I didn't do it for my own sake, though. If I hadn't punched him right then, my wife, or the Imperial Guard veterans, or Melissa... one of them would have likely executed him for his insolence. By hitting him myself, I’d essentially granted him a pardon.
"Ah, yeah. No wonder the Captain’s pissed," Melissa said, nodding in understanding. Her hand had already been resting on the grip of her gun. Just as I thought—she would have killed him if I hadn't acted.
"The Captain’s always the one putting his life on the line. You picked the wrong guy to mess with, buddy," Melissa added, patting the guy’s shoulder.
Claire, who had been silent until now, chimed in. "Even we're terrified... please don't pretend to be brave."
That was the honest truth. It was terrifying every single time we stepped onto a battlefield where explosions were tearing the world apart. When the people actually doing the fighting were scared out of their wits, hearing a civilian brag about "fighting too" was enough to make anyone want to snap.
"It is only natural for the Lord Groom, who leads from the front, to be enraged. Spanning his life instead of ending it shows the makings of a wise ruler," the Imperial Guard veterans agreed.
If I hadn't thrown that punch, those old guys would have slaughtered the punk on the spot. I definitely made the right call.
"The rest of you, hurry up and evacuate!" I shouted, turning my back on them to welcome my wife’s destroyer.
For some reason, the elders were looking at me with misty eyes.
"Whoa... the young master really did grow up to be a proper soldier."
"Scary, but he sure is dashing."
Strangely enough, my popularity seemed to have hit an all-time high.
The destroyer touched down in the wasteland, and my wife arrived shortly after in an armored vehicle.
"Lord Groom! I have arrived!"
"What’s the status, Veronica?"
"According to the Reconnaissance Drones, the Capital City is completely surrounded by Zork. We shall liberate it the moment resupply is complete."
Resupply was a straightforward, if tedious, process. You throw out what needs to go and bring in what you need.
While these military ships had sophisticated Recycling Systems, the various soil bacteria and water quality were always better on a planet's surface. We jettisoned non-recyclable waste, spent filters, and biological materials that had lost their effectiveness. In their place, we brought in fresh filters, bacterial cultures, fertilizers, and agricultural iron and calcium supplements treated with citric acid.
While the ship could technically manufacture these from recycled waste, it was always better to replenish the stock with fresh materials when the opportunity arose. We also needed antibacterial agents for the ship’s hydroponic farms—a mix of bacteria, extracts, and chemical compounds. We had to harvest the current crops, then perform a total sterilization and pesticide spray. If you skipped this, diseases and pests would inevitably break out. Nuisance pests like cockroaches were handled by drones, but agricultural pests were a nightmare. Doing this properly could change a ship’s maximum operating range by nearly thirty percent.
Food was the one problem that never went away.
While the cleaning, pest control, and sterilization were underway, we began hauling the supplies aboard. It would be a tragedy if the Capital City fell while we were doing this, but we had no choice. We were moving as fast as humanly possible.
Now that I was in a command position, I understood. You had to cast aside personal feelings.
"You are allowed to look a little more anxious, you know," my wife said, eyeing me with concern.
I put on my best "business as usual" face. "If I start panicking, the work slows down. Simple as that."
The entire process took about half a day. With this, our basic necessities—food, clothing, and shelter—were secured for the long haul.
From here, we would use transport vehicles to move our units. The plan was to approach the Capital City by land and launch a coordinated strike. Before we boarded, my wife stood before the assembled students and veterans to deliver a speech.
"We go now to liberate the Capital City, Southern Cross City! Everyone, the plan is to use this city as our primary base. From there, we will systematically take back each and every one of your hometowns! Today, we seize victory! We do not do this for Leo's sake alone! We do it for ourselves! Move out! For our freedom!"
Everyone already knew the truth, especially those whose homes were far from here. They knew their families might already be gone.
And yet, not a single person complained about saving my home first. I was the one who had stepped up to sacrifice himself for them in the beginning, and they held that fact in much higher regard than I ever did.
When my wife promised to "take back everyone's hometowns," they heard it as if the words had come from me. They believed that if I made a promise, I would keep it.
This must be what they meant by the "weight of command." I was the student representative and the field commander. My stomach was doing somersaults.
But I couldn't run. Liberating this territory was our primary victory condition. Whether or not my family was safe... well, that wasn't actually part of the requirements. In fact, it might be better for everyone if my father didn't make it.
My wife leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"Lord Groom. Listen to me... make sure you save your family too."
"You really are the best woman in the universe, aren't you?"
"Umu! Indeed I am!"
Well, if my wife was going to put it like that, I guess I had to give it my all. Time to get to work.
"Claire, let's go."
"Right!"
The doors of the transport vehicle hissed shut. We climbed into our machines, ready for war.