And so, driven by sheer rage, we began our descent to the planet's surface.
Inside the battleship monorail, Eddie and the other boys were fuming, the veins bulging in their foreheads. After all, Eddie and his group had only just gotten engaged. Instead of getting to flirt in person, they were stuck spending every day just talking to their fiancées over the comms.
It was the same for the rest of the guys. Many of them had ended up engaged to the daughters of powerful nobles, just as Wifey had recommended. As soon as this expedition was over, a marriage rush was inevitable.
The interest from the high-ranking nobility was incredible, and the boys had the bloodshot eyes to match. After all, their fiancées were all princesses of Counts and Marquises—the kind of people actually listed in the Peerage Registry. (Melissa was from a Viscount House, so her entry was minor; Ren wasn't listed due to her mother's wishes, and Claire wasn't either since she didn't use her family name.)
That said, most of them were second or third daughters, and many were currently students at the Imperial Capital High School.
"You understand, don't you, Leo?! They're JKs!!! I finally got engaged to a JK, and yet I can't even see her!!!"
For some reason, Isono was literally crying tears of blood.
"He's right, you bastard! Dammit!"
Nakajima was crying tears of blood too. The sheer intensity of their expressions was overwhelming! What was wrong with these guys?!
"I mean, the girls at the military academy are JKs too, aren't they?"
"Shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!!!"
Isono grabbed me by the collar.
"We dreamed of a Lovey-dovey School Life with our classmates too! But they all hated us, so what choice did we have?!"
"That was your own fault! Idiots!"
"Waaaaaaaah! But... but I just wanted to joke around and have fun with girls! We're such idioooots!"
At that point, you guys chose friendship with other dudes. Just give it up.
"Besides, you're probably only thinking about lewd things when it comes to your fiancées anyway, aren't you? That's your problem right there."
Speaking as a married man, married life isn't just about the physical stuff. Most of it is everything else. You need to understand the weight of that responsibility.
"...No. I don't even need lewd things anymore."
"Oh? You've actually grown up?"
"I want to live a Lovey-dovey School Life with girls from other schools!!! You can only do that now, while we're students!!! And yet... when this expedition ends, we graduate from the military academy? We finish the University Division in just one year via a Correspondence Course? Why?! I want the Youth Events that you can only experience right now!!!"
Yeah, he hadn't grown an inch.
Because we were a special case—or more accurately, so we could get to work as lords—we were already treated as having graduated from the military academy. It had been decided that when we returned, we would only attend the Graduation Ceremony and the University Division Entrance Ceremony. Furthermore, it had been officially approved that we would graduate from the University Division in a single year. After all, everyone was already performing the practical duties of a squad leader.
The plan was to cram a year's worth of theory into our heads and then work us to the bone as lords and officers. Practical skills were waived.
"Hahaha, practical skills? What are you talking about? There's no one in the service with as much combat experience as you lot," the instructors would probably say.
But I'd never actually participated in a Fleet Battle, which made up the bulk of the theory. Is there really nothing that can be done about this?
Isono spoke in a trembling voice.
"I... I just wanted a Lovey-dovey School Life with a girl from another school..."
"O-Oh."
"That's why I won't let anything else be taken from me!!!"
"The ones who threw away the Lovey-dovey School Life with our female classmates were you guys..."
"Shut uuuuuuuuuuup!!! I'll seize a Lovey-dovey School Life with JDs as a Blue-collar Boy who started working early!!!"
"Ooooooooooh! Isono! Isono! Isono! Isono!!!"
"No, you guys are on the High-ranking Officer Route..."
These guys... they had almost no self-awareness that they were becoming high-ranking elites. They were Directly under His Majesty the Emperor. Once the expedition ended, it was certain they'd be promoted to First Lieutenant or Captain to fill the seats left vacant by those killed in action. I couldn't even keep up with the retorts.
The girls watched the rowdy boys with cold, distant eyes. However, it wasn't exactly someone else's problem for them either. Each of the girls had their own engagement decided as a future Head of House. They were in the position of taking a Groom.
From their perspective, a Romance Situation didn't matter. I could feel a terrifying aura from them, as if they were saying their very lives were on the line. Only a few girls hadn't made a decision yet.
And then there was Kevin. Kevin was a difficult case, so that couldn't be helped. Regardless, the girls were also reaching their breaking point. Most of them had been destined for a Political Marriage, but thanks to their achievements as military academy students, they had earned the right to take a Groom and live freely. And now, they were being told the entire universe might end.
It was only natural that their murderous intent was through the roof. It was a simple matter of: "I'll fucking kill you."
"Let's go."
When we reached the Boarding Entrance, the girls stepped out first. Their bloodlust was palpable. Terrifying!
I hung back behind the group. I mean, it was scary. Claire relayed the Operation Overview to everyone.
"Just defeat them however you like."
"Uoooooooooo!"
Piggett, who arrived a moment later, was visibly taken-back by the sight of us acting like total barbarians. There was no stopping them now.
"As a final precaution, the use of Explosives is prohibited. Do not destroy the Gates. That is all."
"Uoooooooooo!"
The General Soldiers broke into cold sweats as they watched us seething with killing intent.
"As expected of the monsters famous for being Battle Junkies..."
"So this is the true power of the Strongest of the Empire when they get serious..."
"Gulp..."
No, we were serious, but it was the specific kind of seriousness that comes from people whose entire futures were at stake!
We exited the battleship for the usual Atmospheric Entry. Kevin's voice came over the comms with the technical briefing.
[Did everyone inject? Since there's Radiation and Electromagnetic Waves this time, please make sure to use the Countermeasure Nanomachine-chan.]
Roger that. I'd already done mine. This mission required an injection every few hours. On top of that, we’d have to inject a Neutralizing Agent the moment we got back. It was a truly dangerous site.
"I don't care about that, just let me go kill them already!!!"
Nakajima's idiotic face appeared in a close-up on the screen. Shut up!
"Don't rush!"
"Uugh... Zork Massacre!"
This was strange... normally my position was the one playing the fool! Everyone had gone feral.
"Leo, do you have a minute?"
A Correspondence came in from Claire.
Ah, finally, someone sensible! You guys, follow Claire's lead and—
"I'm going to kill them."
Wait, what?
"We worked so hard to get engaged, and I spent so many days worrying and putting in effort. To think all of that could be erased along with the universe... there's no way I can allow that, right?"
"A-Ah, yes."
Lady Claire was absolutely furious. I felt like I could see the end of the Zorks before the battle had even begun.