I idled away the time while helping Thomas and the others with their training.
Conversely, when I was actually free, I had no idea what to do with myself.
Raven and the other Retainers participated in the training as well. Everyone was training desperately.
As for me... I did train.
However, my daily routine involved waking up in the morning and heading to the Shrine as part of my morning run to offer snacks to the god.
Consider it a bribe.
I would return, train, do some weightlifting, and then it was lunchtime.
After eating, I'd handle a bit of my work as a Major before returning to my room.
Wifey was usually there, so we spent our time lounging around together.
We watched movies, played games, and read books.
Once Wifey got bored enough to start drumming on my backside, it was time to disperse.
Piggett would arrive to escort her back to the guest room.
I continued this lifestyle—which felt like a teenage high schooler without the stress of entrance exams—for a while until the follow-up fleet arrived.
These weren't incompetent nobles; this was a fleet of the military's newly built ships.
I could actually have high expectations for this!
For the time being, I decided to push the overproduced Water Spinach onto them.
Wifey officially declared the Planet Sanctuary Capture Operation.
She promised victory to the citizens of the Empire.
Various ceremonies were broadcast remotely.
I participated as well, maintaining a sharp "cool mode."
I just had to stand there in silence.
Or rather, that was all anyone expected of me at ceremonies.
It was fine. Fighting was my job; operational command and ceremonies were Wifey's.
It was a division of labor between husband and wife.
Then, a few days after the ceremonies concluded, we finally arrived at the operation coordinates.
Right. Now it was my turn to work.
I was on the Bridge with Wifey and the others.
Correspondence came in from Kevin.
"Arrival at the operation point. Executing reconnaissance via drones."
The reconnaissance team began their aerial scouting.
Additionally, Kevin released spider-type drones to scout the ground.
This was a planet normally used not only by the Imperial Junior Academy but also by students from the Merchant Marine Academy and the Aviation Academy.
It was easy because there was no need to create a map from scratch.
The only structures were the Public Dormitory and the ruins where the Zorks were thought to have originated.
Now, I could speculate that they hadn't originated from the ruins but had likely warped to them instead.
Even though we already knew the target was the ruins, we first investigated the dormitory, since we already understood its layout.
Crabs, crabs, crabs! A swarm of crabs!!!
Everywhere we looked, it was crawling with them!
They were inedible, and if you left their carcasses alone, they contaminated the soil—utterly useless crabs!
I had a feeling this would be the case, but the security was incredibly tight.
"It appears their numbers are nearly equal to the force that attacked the Imperial Capital."
An army equal to the invasion of the Imperial Capital, all on this one small planet!?
How troublesome.
Kevin moved the drones into the ruins where Mother was thought to be.
"Invading the ruins. What exactly are these ruins anyway? There's no explanation in the database."
Wifey made a sour face.
"I do not know. It seems they were once revered as a Holy Land. Everything about them is different from our civilization. They have no connection to the Imperial Family, either. They are ruins that anyone is free to investigate, but... they are so unpopular in academia that theories have recently surfaced suggesting they are a modern fabrication..."
"Why?"
"Since there is no data at all, people can fabricate whatever they want. It seems academic journals automatically reject any new theories on principle."
It was rare for something to be that disliked.
"What about the results of previous investigations?"
"Nothing. There is just a Monolith—or rather, a giant Stone Monument—in a place resembling a Colosseum. Things that look like characters are carved into it, but they are considered meaningless. In fact, the leading theory is that it was cooked up about six hundred years ago to attract tourists."
Was it like those fake graves of the First Emperor found in various parts of the galaxy?
Even though his actual mausoleum was in the Imperial Capital, they were all over the place to draw in tourists.
Since the Empire couldn't be bothered with every single one, they just let them be without cracking down.
"What about experiments, like running electricity through it?"
"Someone must have tried, right? The fact that there are no records means nothing ever happened."
I see. It probably really was just a stone monument.
"Arriving at the Colosseum... there is a giant Zork... It’s Ayame."
Then, another report came in.
"Combat is taking place north of the dormitory. It is likely Despair and his subordinates."
It was probably the same Despair I met before.
The fact that they were on the planet Ayame designated... were they trying to strike back?
Then, Kevin raised her voice.
"S-She noticed me!?"
It seemed Ayame had spotted the drone.
Ayame's face was displayed on the screen.
"So you have finally come, Jester."
She didn't address us as "The Empire."
She called for me specifically.
I wasn't even the boss, though.
Wifey was the boss.
"You lot probably think this is finally the Final Battle. Very well. I shall show you the truth. The truth of this world! Come, Jester!"
Quite the grandiose lead-in!
It probably wouldn't be anything significant anyway.
I couldn't trust their words at all.
I knew it!
To begin with, there was no need for the Empire to go into outer space.
I absolutely wasn't going!!!
I’m not going, okay!!!
"Wifey, just bomb them without further ado."
"What about Despair?"
...I guess I'd have to go save him.
I got so worked up because I didn't want to follow her script at all.
I changed into my Combat Suit and headed for Planet Sanctuary.
It was already terraformed.
It was a planet with air.
It was nice, wasn't it? An environment where humans could survive.
It was a planet I was originally supposed to visit for Ship-handling Practical Training.
If not for the Zorks, I would have been studying for the University Division entrance exams by now.
Eddie would have been practicing for his second National Tournament... and everyone else too...
Thinking about it calmly, if the Zorks hadn't come, Wifey would still be trapped in that hell.
I felt as if my wife and I were destined to meet.
"Leo! Prepare for descent!"
Claire's voice pulled me back to reality.
For now, I had to rescue Old Man Despair.
Alright, it was the Final Battle.
So, let's go back to basics.
"Stay mokkori-fied!"
"What is that?"
"A Mokkori Video."
"Isn't that, like, a trend from five years ago?"
...So it was already old.
Everyone at the Imperial Junior Academy used to love it, though...
It seemed my spirit had rapidly turned into that of an old man.
Was this also the influence of the war...?
Curse you! Damn Zorks!!!
I blamed everything on the Zorks and seized a mental victory.
Yes, by averting my eyes from the fact that I myself hadn't grown one bit since my time at the Imperial Junior Academy!!!