My name is Ren.
My beloved husband and I evacuated together, but we soon found ourselves surrounded by three units of Humanoid Heavy Machinery.
Was I the one who fought? No, no.
My husband is the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Chronos. He had been so selfless with his meals that he was in a state of malnutrition... yet a hungry beast is a terrifying thing indeed.
He snatched a firefighting axe meant for emergencies from nearby and lunged at the Humanoid Heavy Machinery.
Moving like a mosquito—no, like a bee—he clung to the machine and scaled its frame.
The Imperial Guard Knight Order of the Grand Duchy of Chronos couldn't even move to stop him in time.
As an engineer himself, my husband pried open the cockpit with a practiced ease that was almost frightening.
He forced the external emergency escape lever used for accidents... but was it really supposed to open that easily?
"I believe there was an authentication... Lady Luna, was that you?"
Then, Lady Luna replied with an exasperated voice.
"It wasn't me. That's a secret trick widely known among field workers."
"That’s my husband for you!"
"Ren-chan... you always glitch out whenever Leo-kun is involved, don't you? It's abnormal for a king to know the secret tricks of a maintenance crew."
I didn't quite follow her meaning.
He yanked the lever, and the cockpit hissed open.
Then, axe in hand, he dove inside.
He gave the pilot a thorough drubbing before tossing the man out, seat and all.
Yes... since it was designed for external rescue, the entire seat detached.
The other Humanoid Heavy Machinery raised their weapons, but they were already too late.
Their cockpits were popped open, and they were unceremoniously discarded.
Another unit attempted to flee, but my husband was already clinging to its back... and toss.
As expected of my husband.
Mere Humanoid Heavy Machinery was no obstacle for him.
My heart throbbed at such an overwhelmingly one-sided display.
With that thought in mind, I gave the order to the knights composed of my fellow members of the Beast Race.
"Finish them!"
Awooo!
The wolf people swarmed them, raining down blows.
A bear person bit into a unit and hurled it aside.
"Please do not kill them."
"Yes, Lady Ren!"
We of the Beast Race may have rough temperaments, but we are not barbarians. We know how to hold back enough to keep them alive.
"Phew, that was some good exercise."
My husband had a refreshed smile. Since he had been eating to his absolute limit until just a moment ago, I suppose it was good exercise for him.
"Now then, time to investigate."
My husband connected a terminal to the enemy machine's computer.
"Oh, a Latarnia-made OS? I'm used to messing with these..."
"I'll pull the data~. Oh? Wait—this is a Taikyoku Nation Export Custom Edition~."
Lady Luna also tinkered as she pleased, extracting data.
"Re~n, could you give me a hand?"
It felt like it had been a long time since I last did maintenance.
Originally, I was never meant to be a combatant.
I had once aspired to join a Humanoid Fighter Maintenance Squad.
It wasn't because I was particularly gifted, but to avoid standing out. Plus, the salary would have been enough to support Marma.
Back when my father, my brother, and the First Wife were alive, Marma and I were treated like slaves. I was destined to be married off as a second wife to some random noble when I grew up, and Marma would have been used up in the knights.
But in the military, you were at least treated like a human being. That suited my interests.
It was considered a noble's duty to enlist their children. Responding to conscription was a given, and if there were multiple children, they were sent into service. They claimed that was the essence of nobility.
My husband says things like, "You can go to university for free and get a salary," but... that's an abnormal mindset. At the very least, it wasn't the way of a Marquis House.
If I hadn't enlisted, Marma would likely have been the one to go. I intended to go first and make a place for him.
But in reality, Marma became the Head of House, and I ended up married to my husband.
What a strange turn of fate.
I donned my gloves and assisted my husband.
I specialized in machinery—specifically the drive system. I was never very good with software; embedded systems are a hassle.
Once he switched it to maintenance mode, I opened the joint sections and connected a terminal.
I began downloading the sensor values.
"No abnormalities in the hydraulics... or rather, it's brand new. As for the grease..."
I scraped some grease from the joint with a screwdriver and sniffed it.
I could have used a component analyzer, but a member of the Beast Race can tell a lot about a machine's condition just by scent.
"The grease is still fresh..."
It had been cloudy since the machine was active until a moment ago, but it still carried the scent of something new.
"Ren, what about the weapons?"
"They're using ballistic weaponry."
This was old equipment. It lacked the ozone scent of beam weaponry, smelling instead of oxidized old oil despite being well-maintained.
Furthermore, it was permeated with the scent of gunpowder that no amount of cleaning could remove. These guns had seen frequent use.
I could understand if they were exports for Chronos. Chronos was currently short on materials, forcing them to use old-model live-ammunition weaponry from their underground storage.
But this wasn't a fight against Zorks. Why use ballistic weaponry with such poor ammunition efficiency?
"Did they mistake us for Zorks?"
"I don't know."
It would make sense if they truly believed we were Zorks, but I wasn't in a position to make that judgment.
"However... I don't recognize this gun."
"So it's not Galactic Empire tech?"
Even we didn't have a perfect grasp of every other nation's outdated weapons.
"Judging by the markings, is it Taikyoku Nation? It might be an export from there."
Just then, Shiyun-chan contacted us. She was as cute as ever.
It seemed she had successfully reached the air-raid shelter.
"Leo-sama! Are you safe?!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. How are things on your end?"
"We have just reached the evacuation point."
"Stay safe, okay? Can you put your brother on?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Yoo-hoo, big brother."
"Your Highness the Grand Duke... you are a head of state now. Please refrain from such... informal behavior."
"It's fine, it's fine. Hey, do you recognize this?"
My husband sent a photo he had taken with his terminal.
"That appears to be equipment from our country. I've heard it's an old model still in use on some of our provincial planets."
"Can you trace its origin?"
"It will be difficult, but... I will try."
"Thanks."
It was truly a frightening thing, but when my husband was involved, even foreigners ended up like this. Before they knew it, they were being made to cooperate. Truly terrifying.
The Ogre God Nation's reputation for him as a 'Friendly Devil' seemed to hit the mark. My husband harbored no ill will. In fact, I've noticed that things often fail when there is actual malice involved.
One only needs to look at the results of the general election and the national referendum in Chronos to see the proof. Truly, a sane person like myself must be there to support him!
Just as I renewed my resolve, an alarm blared.
"Humanoid Fighter approaching! It has breached the defense network and entered the atmosphere!"
My husband gave a broad grin.
"Ren, I'll be going for a bit."
To the enemy, despair itself had just stood up. For some reason, my heart wouldn't stop throbbing.