Feeling irritated by the locals' sour attitudes, we arrived at the Lord's Mansion.
It was designed like a traditional Japanese hot spring inn.
Apparently, the hot spring water was drawn from deep underground.
As usual, the previous rulers had indulged in whatever luxury they pleased.
Melissa seemed to have a knack for being assigned to tourist traps.
Since there were plenty of rooms, we split up as we saw fit.
For this stay, I was sharing a boys' room with Eddie, Isono, Nakajima, and Berger-san.
"Woohoo!"
"Hey guys—wanna talk about girls we like?"
"You're so annoying! You're already married, for God's sake!"
Isono immediately called me out on my nonsense.
Then Nakajima, who had already changed into a tracksuit, chimed in.
"Hey, the game room on the first floor is packed with games from decades ago. Let's go check it out."
"Hell yeah!"
"What exactly is a 'game'?"
Berger-san asked.
Oh, right. Entertainment was practically non-existent in outer space.
"They’re devices for killing time. You should try them too, Berger-san."
We headed down to the game room together.
In the game room, a folding screen painting of a red mountain was displayed.
Was it meant to be Red Mt. Fuji?
It was an exceptionally old piece, but I wasn't a fan.
The colors were just... a bit too psychedelic for me.
Though I wasn't exactly an art critic.
Berger-san stared at the painting, his mouth falling wide open.
"I-it can't be..."
"Is something wrong?"
"L-Lord Leo! This is a Zen God Race ethnic painting!"
"An ethnic painting?"
"Yes. Why on earth would a Zen God Race artifact be here?"
"Now that you mention it, wasn't Zork technology originally based on ruins?"
"Yes! It is said that the Zen God Race shares the same ancestors as us Ancient People. There might even be ruins belonging to our people here!"
"Really?"
"I absolutely must see these ruins!"
"Got it. Uh, Fairy, are you free?"
"Yoo-hoo! It's everyone's favorite idol, Fairy-chan! Ruins, was it?"
I couldn't wrap my head around it.
I doubted the Duke who previously ruled this place had any real eye for art.
He'd probably just been swindled into buying junk by some traveling art dealer.
While I pondered that, the Fairy did some digging for me.
"Right, right. As for ruins on this planet, there's a shrine."
"Is it government-managed?"
Being a planetary nation made it difficult to verify what was actually happening there from the outside.
Since religious sites had a tendency to turn into cults if left unchecked, religious organizations were legally required to report their activities to the state.
Back at my family home, things weren't as strict because a lay Buddhist was just running a funeral business as a sole proprietorship.
Even then, I’m pretty sure they had to file paperwork once every four years.
Just documents stating they were holding funerals and memorial services.
Now that they had a flashy gaming temple, they probably had to report annually.
Apparently, once every few decades, a temple or shrine would lead an uprising with its followers.
Yikes, terrifying!
"Well, let's head over for now. Suematsu-san, arrange an escort."
"At once!"
Eddie summoned Suematsu-san.
With Suematsu-san on the job, we'd be fine.
"And you call Raven-kun too, Brigadier General!"
Isono gave me a swift kick in the rear.
"Yeah, yeah."
I sent a correspondence course to Raven-kun.
"Raven-kun, we're heading out for an investigation. I need you for escort duty."
"Yes, sir!"
Raven-kun arrived in a flash.
However...
"Raven-kun... maybe leave the ping-pong racket behind..."
"Ah! My deepest apologies! It was habit!"
He had clearly been enjoying himself.
"I... feel kind of bad now."
"Think nothing of it! I, Raven, shall follow my lord through fire and water, to the ends of the earth!"
He was brimming with enthusiasm.
As we set off, a whole crowd began to tag along behind us.
"What’s everyone doing?"
Claire asked.
She was already wearing a yukata, looking refreshed from the hot springs.
"Apparently the Captain is going to check out some ruins."
Melissa was in a yukata, too.
My fiancées were way too laid-back.
"I shall accompany my husband."
Ren was still in her maid outfit.
You know, you’re allowed to enjoy the hot springs a little more, Ren.
"What's this? Is Big Brother Leo going out to play?"
"We are going to play, de-aru!"
"I-I'll come too!"
Tatiana, One-oh-one, and Shiyun all joined in.
Then Nina-san’s group arrived, followed finally by Wifey.
"Hmm, an investigation of ruins? Lord Groom! What is the meaning of this?"
"Well, apparently the painting in the game corner is from the Zen God Race. Right, Berger-san?"
"With all due respect, Your Majesty. It was indeed a Zen God Race ethnic painting. As a scholar, I humbly request permission to investigate."
"Melissa! You're the Lord here! Is it alright to investigate?"
"Sure thing! Well then, let's get going."
Wifey grabbed my arm.
"Lord Groom, what do you think of all this?"
"I'm starting to think this might be what put all those weird ideas into the Zorks' heads in the first place."
I mean, the Zorks were just too mysterious.
They called themselves a Republic, but they were a total dictatorship.
Their technology definitely came from outer space, but they were fundamentally different from Ghouls or Proones.
They were the type that evolved by discarding intelligence in favor of physical strength.
How that started was a total mystery.
Kevin obviously knew nothing, and not even Aoi-san or One-oh-one knew about the era of that abnormal transformation—the thing I wanted to know about most.
The Steward was from the modern era, but he’d been sidelined and said he didn’t know the internal details.
Mother probably knew, but she was long dead.
Hive-mind organizations really are the worst for stuff like this.
There's no way to pass on knowledge.
And so, it was time for an academic investigation!
Operation 【Dump It All on Berger-san】!
We passed through the shopping district—where the residents continued their rude behavior by closing their shutters the moment they saw us—and eventually, the shrine came into view.
"Whoa, those stairs are insane."
We began climbing a flight of stairs so long it felt like we were scaling a mountain.
The shrine was perched at the very top.
Berger-san was completely winded.
For the rest of us, it felt no different from our usual training.
My heart rate had barely even increased.
"I've prepared bento boxes for everyone!"
Suematsu-san appeared, having loaded the bento boxes onto a six-legged cargo transport heavy machinery that was capable of climbing stairs.
This man... honestly... he was just too good at navigating life's obstacles.
Everyone else had completely forgotten about lunch.
While we were all making a scene, he’d ordered lunch from the staff, loaded it up, and then brought it up via heavy machinery.
He managed to avoid climbing the stairs on foot while simultaneously looking like the most considerate guy in the world...
And he did it all without a shred of ulterior motive!
Suematsu-san... you terrifying man!
"It's bento time, de-aru!"
One-oh-one was hopping with joy.
She was in high spirits as she took her lunch and tea from Suematsu-san.
By the way...
"We're not about to start a Shrine Destruction RTA, are we?"
"Ahahaha! As if!"
Melissa and I shared a laugh.
I mean, there's no way, right?
There's absolutely no way... right?"}