After playing to our hearts' content, one thing led to another and we ended up spending the night at the Inner Palace.
There were soldiers' quarters available, so the guys had no problems finding a place to sleep.
As for the women... well, the ones who had been turned into dress-up dolls by the Loli Auntie Squad of the Inner Palace also stayed within the palace grounds.
The estate was vast and had plenty of guest rooms, so space wasn't an issue.
I stayed in Wifey’s room.
I call it her room, but since she had been living on a warship for as long as she could remember, it was really just a room she had occupied when she was very small.
There weren't many personal effects.
Aside from a few stuffed animals and a study desk, there was a terminal from about ten years ago.
The room was kept impeccably clean, and the stuffed animals looked like they were washed regularly.
A bedroom was situated right next to the living room, dominated by a bed.
...A very large bed.
"Hmm, it seems the bed has been replaced," Ren noted.
It was clearly meant for a married couple.
They were being far too considerate.
Well, since I didn't expect any erotic events to actually occur, I was just wondering what the two of us should do to pass the time.
I planned to drop off my luggage and go regroup with the others when...
"Help meeee!"
A pair of refugees appeared.
It was Kevin and Tatiana.
Kevin was wearing a scandalously revealing dress with a plunging neckline, while Tatiana was decked out in an incredibly girly outfit.
Neither of them looked like they would have chosen those clothes of their own free will.
"Th-th-th-th-they're trying to make m-m-m-m-me wear r-r-r-r-r-revealing clothes! I couldn't take it anymore!"
It seemed Kevin had been turned into a living mannequin by the Inner Palace Aunties, his classmates, and pretty much everyone else.
He probably wouldn't have objected if it were just sweet, lady-like clothing.
Kevin’s transformation into a girl was progressing steadily. He just hadn't realized it yet.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah, I can't do this eitheeeeer!!"
Tatiana, styled to look like an idol, clung to me in tears.
She seemed genuinely miserable.
Wait, were they still at it...?
"I have arrived!"
One-oh-one showed up next.
She was wearing a cute outfit that managed to emphasize her chest.
"Oh, that looks good on you."
"Ehehehehehe!"
Ultimately, I realized something.
One-oh-one, who could just enjoy things like this, was the real winner.
"Hey, is everyone here?"
Melissa arrived as well.
She was dressed in a neat, refined style.
It felt fresh and different from her usual look.
"It suits you!" I gave her a thumbs-up.
"O-oh. Thanks."
"Hey, where is everyone?"
Next came Claire, wearing traditional Japanese clothes.
"Geez! Melissa! I can't run in this outfit!"
That was odd... didn't Lady Hanazawa and Nakajima's Fiancée manage to sprint at full speed in Japanese clothes?
Was the physical ability of those two at a superhuman level?
It seemed our training was still lacking.
I gave Claire a smile and a thumbs-up.
"It looks great on you!"
Seriously, since Claire was of Japanese descent, she looked incredible in traditional wear.
"Claire-chan, wait..."
Ren arrived as well.
She was wearing a dress with a high slit that bordered on cosplay.
A Cat-ear Slit Dress... as expected of her.
"Genius!" I gave another thumbs-up.
"Well... you see. My mothers like to turn others into dress-up dolls because they cannot choose their own clothes due to Larval Fixation..."
Wifey looked somewhat embarrassed.
"I love my embarrassed Wifey too!"
Finally, Shiyun came fleeing for her life.
"Leo-sama! Help!"
She had been forced into an Empire Western Dress.
I could easily imagine the scene: "Oh? A foreigner? My, what lovely traditional clothes! But wait, why don't you try on this outfit too?" They must have gone all out on her.
Isn't that a bit rude to foreign royalty?
No, they probably just treated her as a "friend of the daughter."
The women of the Inner Palace belonged to Maro and didn't actually handle national affairs.
In fact, they had been raised in isolation from society.
They probably wouldn't even understand the concept of a foreign country.
Actually, since the Empire had been isolated for so long, there was a real possibility that we were the only ones who understood diplomacy at all.
...Wait.
Has this entire job become completely dependent on us personally?
If we're gone, the whole thing will collapse.
My face went pale.
"What is the matter, Lord Groom?"
"Di... Diplomacy... If we leave, will the whole system fall apart?"
"Indeed. It shall."
"You knew!?"
I thought something was fishy.
When it came to military matters, Piggett would scream at me like an ogre if there was even a single mistake in a plan I submitted!
But with diplomacy, I could do whatever I wanted and no one ever got angry.
Even when I asked for opinions, they only ever gave me advice on specific, minor details.
That was why I’d had no choice but to consult Mr. Raymond about legal matters.
Things like "What are the limits of my authority?" or "How do we categorize different races?" and the definition of a "Person"—since legal treatment changed based on that—and the definition of a "Country."
I’d had to ask things like, "Is the Pirate Guild considered a country?"
I’d made inquiries to the Courthouse and held meetings with the Minister of Justice.
Their response was usually along the lines of, "It's not a country, but we have a point of contact for the Pirate Guild, so please observe them before killing them if possible."
That was why people said I was diligent about consulting the law.
"Did no one else have the know-how?"
"Indeed. That is why it was quite helpful that you compiled data while learning through trial and error, Lord Groom. One of the goals of this return was to evaluate that data."
"I've made my fair share of mistakes, you know. Old Man Eyens played me like a fiddle until the very end, and while things are going well with Latarnia..."
It was still a tightrope walk.
We were on friendly terms with Latarnia and the Ogre God Nation, and negotiations for the Great Alliance Concept—which would include the Battle Dome member states and the Taikyoku Nation—were currently underway.
It was still at the level where Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials were hashing things out.
The Taikyoku Nation had been badly scarred by the war.
As for Latarnia, the fact that the weakness of their Missile Tactics had become common knowledge was a major blow.
That weakness was rooted in their national character and laws, making it difficult to fix.
Even shifting to a strategy centered on Humanoid Fighters would take years.
However, the Ghoul Problem was resolved and negotiations with the Pirates had begun, so there were plenty of positives.
There were mountains of things to think about, but what will be, will be.
Ultimately, it's their fault for leaving it all to me anyway!
I was just making decisions based on gut instinct in the heat of the moment!
"Well, the conclusion has already been reached that Jester likely eliminated any dangers unconsciously,"
"It always comes back to that! Somebody, please, send some competent people my way! Do this job for me!"
"That is impossible! More importantly, let us play! What shall we do?"
And so, we spent the rest of our time playing as much as we could.
Starting tomorrow, we were scheduled to act individually for our homecoming visits.
Once that was finished, we would regroup for one last banquet.
Then, after the Departure Ceremony, we were headed back to outer space.