Riko-chan returned from her excavation job, though she had clearly been through the wringer. Her ribs were shattered, and she was strapped into a medical corset.
She just laughed it off, though. “Ehehe~♪ I got a little banged up!♪”
I felt like something inside her was fundamentally broken, but I figured if I let myself dwell on it, I’d already lost.
Whenever we debated who the strongest members of the Kamishiro Squad were, the name “Bloody Rabbit” was guaranteed to come up. A heavy infantry soldier who rained down lead with heavy weapons—just that description made her sound like something that had crawled out of hell.
Like Eddie, she was a rare and valuable asset: a powerhouse who operated within the Imperial Army’s conventional, textbook troop types. Then there was me, Isono, Nakajima... basically everyone else had specialized gear and eccentric tactics. We were the types who would never get high marks in a military manual.
In any case, I was relieved Riko-chan was back. With her, Kevin, and Nina-san’s overwhelming firepower, we could incinerate any army that tried to jump us.
With that, the Kamishiro Squad took a brief hiatus to stay on standby until Eddie’s wedding.
I went to visit Riko-chan during her overnight stay for observation. When I arrived at the sickroom, she was clinging to Wifey and wailing.
“I’m sorry, Riko. It’s just... well. Every member of the Kamishiro Squad is a warrior worth a thousand men. You’re a collection of elites capable of pacifying even the most unstable planets. Most of you are highly capable lords as well... you’re all simply too convenient to use.”
“Waaaaah! Forget that! What about my marriage prospects?!” Riko-chan cried to Wifey.
Kevin, who was there in his capacity as a nurse, gave a wry smile.
“Well, the name ‘Bloody Rabbit’ has become a bit too famous... Instead of offers for you to marry into a family, we’ve received a mountain of requests from people wanting to be your bride...”
“I’ll ship boys together all day, but I don’t have a thing for girls! Kevin-kun, let me cry on your chest later!”
“So you do have a thing for girls!” Wifey teased.
“It was obviously a joke! No way! I just want to get married!”
I didn’t think Riko-chan wanted to get married right this second. She was likely just panicking because she’d become a legendary figure overnight.
I wonder if there’s anyone suitable? Hey, any of you guys? No, never mind.
Meanwhile, the lords of the neighboring planets brought their escorts and tried to raid our territory. The result was a complete success—total suppression. A regional army stood no chance against us veterans of the front lines.
Everyone made it back in time for Eddie’s wedding. Many were injured and ended up in the hospital, adding even more entries to the mass-produced legends of the Kamishiro Squad.
Then came Eddie’s wedding party.
It was normal. Refreshingly, incredibly normal.
Sure, all the relatives and contractors were there, but unlike Isono or Nakajima’s weddings, there was no lingering tension. It had a cozy, homey atmosphere.
As expected of Eddie! That in itself was impressive!
Minerva-chan wore a stunning dress. She looked relaxed enough that I could tell she’d really put her heart into the outfit. Wifey was also in a nice, relaxed dress, looking like she was just there to enjoy a friend’s wedding. I wore my military dress uniform. At my age, it didn’t feel like I was playing dress-up.
It was a buffet-style party. I’d been told not to eat everything, but...
“Wait, is it really okay?”
“Minerva saw how much everyone eats and quintupled the order,” Wifey explained.
“My bad-su.”
I felt a bit guilty for bringing so many ravenous athletic types.
Ren, in her dress, was elegantly helping herself to roast beef. Her movements were graceful, yet lightning-fast. Nearby, Shiyun, Tatiana, and One-oh-one were chatting and eating whatever they liked.
Isono and Nakajima were there, too. Both were behaving with perfect grace under the watchful eyes of their wives. Isono shot me a look that practically begged for caviar.
Can’t be helped, I guess...
I brought some over to them.
“My apologies,” Isono said, looking sharp.
“Thanks, Leo,” Nakajima added, equally poised.
These guys should just stay silent forever. Because they weren’t talking, they were currently the objects of envy for all the women among Eddie and Minerva-chan’s relatives and vassals. Of course, neither of them spared those girls a glance. Their wives were standing right there, after all!
As for me...
“Wifey, I want to be fawned over by random girls like Isono and Nakajima.”
“Impossible. You are the groom of the Empress of the Galactic Empire. If you ever committed adultery, I would root out your entire clan.”
“You’re surprisingly strict about that, considering you recommend a harem!”
“I only permit those I have personally vetted!”
She really swings from one extreme to the other. Well, whatever.
Instead, the ones staring at me with starry eyes were the macho soldiers who had survived many a battlefield.
“Hey, is that Leo Kamishiro...?”
“He’s incredible... not a single opening...”
“I’m gonna go get an autograph!”
Ah, right. Autographs. Sure, sure.
“Lord Groom is quite popular with the men, isn’t he?”
“I’m not happy about it!”
In the end, Eddie and Minerva-chan shared a kiss, and the happy couple lived happily ever after. The end.
“Oh, Eddie. Regarding the wedding hosted by the state... the plans are ready.”
“Wifey, isn’t that a bit fast?”
I mean, that wasn’t supposed to happen until next year at the earliest, right?
“A parade... a military band... the national anthem performed by that famous singer...”
Eddie froze, his face a mask of shock.
“Yes. Since Isono’s wedding was a bit too high-brow, we decided to make yours more of a populist event, fitting for Lord Groom’s right-hand man.”
Apparently, the public had some opinions on the matter. Wifey didn’t really care one way or the other, and neither did I.
“Hey, Wifey. What about our wedding?”
“Lord Groom... don’t think you’ll get off easy. You are a hero of the Zork War and the architect of the Multilateral Alliance. People will come from Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and the Ogre God Nation. It will be the biggest event since the Empire’s founding.”
Oh boy... you’re kidding me.
“By the way, Lord Groom?”
“Yeah?”
“I want to eat your yakisoba. Could you make some later?”
“You got it.”
I gave her a thumbs up.
These were wonderful days. I didn't know that behind the scenes, the Zen God Race was plotting for their very survival. They really should have just tried getting along with us.
We in the Galactic Empire are socially adept; we’ve already built friendly relations with Latarnia, the Ogre God Nation, and the Taikyoku Nation. I didn’t care what the Zen God Race was thinking. We were ready to build a superficial friendship if they wanted. But if they insisted on a fight to the death, I wouldn't show mercy.
This was all before we learned about the values of the Galaxy’s Top-tier.
How was I supposed to know it would turn into such a disaster? I’d been ignoring them all this time, and then this happens!