An underground organization... Or rather, even though the members change generations, the ones doing evil are the Imperial family, so it felt like the underground might actually be a righteous organization.
Since Wifey had become the boss of the villains, I had no choice but to do my best on the side of evil.
The self-proclaimed "allies of justice" were suspicious, too. They were suspected of being a Zork operative group.
My intuition wasn't doing its job. In the first place, how did they communicate with an entity they couldn't even talk to?
Ah, right. I should just bring Kevin along and ask him.
So, I tried to drag Kevin away—he who had been reigning as the head of vegetable preparation and snack production in the girls' dormitory.
"Nooooo! Stooooop!"
"If Kevin-chan leaves, our feminine power will dry up! It'll be completely depleeeeted!"
"Don't take him away! We need our sweeeeeetssss!"
For some reason, the girls clung to me in tears. The athletic girls needed both quantity and quality in their meals. In their world, anyone who could cook was "justice."
"Gwahahaha! I'm taking Kevin with me!"
I tried playing the villain to tease them a bit, but the girls' expressions turned dead serious.
"He's the Captain, so it can't be helped."
"True. He is the Captain."
"Since our Captain—the guy who usually coddles his subordinates—is calling him out, it must be a real emergency."
What was with this weird level of trust? It was actually easier back when they vaguely disliked me and didn't expect anything.
"Captain, make sure you return him!"
"Wait, everyone!"
Kevin protested, but it was too late. You're coming with me!
Ren, who was behaving with a strange air of refinement today, joined us as we boarded the car. She was cradling something that looked like a guitar case.
"Oh, I'll assemble it now."
Yep, it was a rifle. A large-caliber ballistic model. It wasn't one of those absurdly high-power anti-materiel rifles from the great war five hundred years ago, but it was still capable of punching through an armored vehicle. It would go through a house wall or a refrigerator easily. It was the kind of weapon where you'd use a thermography scope to snipe a target through a wall on an assassination mission. It was also the kind of thing they wouldn't let you carry without a specialized military license, because giving one to common infantry would inevitably lead to accidental deaths.
"Ren-san? Isn't the license for that thing separate from a standard sniper qualification?"
"I obtained the license, Lord Groom. Please praise me ♪"
I patted her head. One of my wives was putting all her stats into attack power... Meanwhile, the former man was putting all his parameters into breasts and feminine power. I had reached a point where I stopped thinking too hard about it.
Oh, right. I had to ask Kevin.
"Hey, Kevin, if a Zork were to contact an underground organization, how exactly would they communicate?"
"It's hard to explain. There are several large Nodes, and they relay the central will. The large Nodes pass it to the Major Nodes that manage the planets, and then the commands are sent to the Humanoid Zorks via a web-like network."
"How do they issue commands in a way the humanoids can understand? You can't possibly grasp Zork thought processes, right?"
"Well... um... it’s like a nuance? I just sort of understand... no, wait. Is there... someone... translating the network's commands into a format we can understand?"
Perhaps this would solve the mystery of why the initial invasion coincided perfectly with the moment I was supposed to be killed.
The military armored vehicle arrived at the rendezvous point. When I stepped out with my guards, Amada and Melissa were there. It seemed Melissa had been working with Public Security lately.
"Chori-ss, Captain. As of yesterday, I've been appointed as a Second Lieutenant in the Army and an Assistant Inspector in Public Security. It's Melis-sa~"
"I was genuinely bewildered by this sudden promotion!"
"Well, apparently they need a bridge between the Captain and Her Highness, so I'm pulling double duty. Since the Army is the superior agency, my public title is Second Lieutenant of Military Intelligence. They said I'll be promoted to Major once I finish the university course. Parental influence is a terrifying thing, isn't it? And to think I'm planning to take maternity leave as soon as I graduate from the senior high division."
"You're planning way too far ahead!"
"Ahahaha!"
She laughed loudly. This was the vibe! I felt like this relaxed atmosphere was precisely why we had survived. Despite the light mood, the Public Security officers Melissa had brought along looked like textbook villains.
"Salute Captain Leo!"
A middle-aged man with a pompadour saluted, and the rest followed suit. I returned a standard military salute. "At ease."
Then there was Amada, looking incredibly annoyed. He had brought a squad of police Special Forces. If I ever ran into these guys while drunk, my only option would be the "Run" command. Seriously, their faces were terrifying.
"Salute Captain Leo!"
Amada, whose promotion to Major was already internally decided, shoved the command authority onto me. He had a nasty grin on his face. Doing this to a minor ten years his junior... Amada-san, isn't that a bit petty?
"Amada-san... you really used your full power against a minor, didn't you?"
"I've stopped seeing you as some kid from the Officer Academy, Captain."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Yes. It's a miracle you've stayed alive."
"Ahaha. I get that a lot."
I had just survived, that was all. It wasn't because my skills were high; I relied heavily on ESP. And yet, since Wifey wasn't here today, the Imperial Guard was absent. With no guardians around, I was the one in command. I felt nothing but anxiety.
"What's the situation?"
"We've located the underground organization's hideout. During reconnaissance, an investigator was taken hostage. The police dispatched Special Forces, but considering the possibility of Zorks, we requested the Hound Squad from the Army."
The situation was worse than I'd expected.
"Who's the enemy?"
"The anti-Imperial terrorist group, the Dawn Society. About fifty years ago, they carried out a bombing in the Imperial Capital that resulted in ten casualties. The core members were executed during the subsequent investigation, and the group has been in hiding ever since, harboring fugitives."
Honestly, it would be weirder if there weren't any anti-Imperial movements. Both Wifey and I had seriously intended to kill Maro at one point, after all.
"A fifty-year-old organization... most of the original members must be dead by now, right?"
"Yes, and yet funds are still flowing in."
"Yikes..."
It couldn't get more suspicious than that.
"Alright, we breach at 10:00. There might be Zorks, so get your heads in the game!"
"Osu!"
They were even more gung-ho than the students. Several officers with a breaching hammer slammed into the door. It was like they were using a utility pole to batter it down. The metal fixtures buckled, and the door collapsed.
"Neutralize them by any means necessary!"
Amada barked orders through a megaphone. Thank god I wasn't the one doing that. Amada wasn't really trying to be cruel; he just knew he couldn't leave everything to some brat from the academy. I'd only managed to command the Imperial Guard before because they were my friends, seniors, or essentially my fathers-in-law. Okay, I'll just leave this to Amada.
Officers with shock batons and shields rushed in.
"Deploy personal shields!"
They activated their personal shields. It seemed Huma-san's combat style was indeed the correct Imperial military standard. Super efficient. Actually, maybe Huma-san was originally from the Special Forces.
The terrorists fought back with plasma rifles. A thunderous roar erupted, and a chunk of the surroundings was suddenly gouged out. Oh, I recognize that... That's my Ren-san.
A transmission came from Ren.
"Lord Groom. Let's wrap this up quickly and go on a date."
The shell casing flew with a sharp clink. The terrorists, overwhelmed by her raw killing intent, collapsed where they stood. Great! There's nothing for me to do! I'll just watch from the sidelines! Hahaha!