The Aftermath of Return

Upon organizing Layered's information, it appears that the invasion plan by the Rimurian Galactic Empire against the Damura Star Cluster Republic was secretly underway at an early stage.

Although the Rimurian Galactic Empire saw its emperor's sudden death and the successive mysterious deaths of imperial heirs, the third prince ascended the throne, bypassing the first prince, who held the first claim to succession. Yet the struggle over the imperial throne remains unresolved.

Although it was claimed that the first prince, who held the first right to succession, orchestrated the annexation of the Damura Star Cluster Republic in order to solidify his position within the empire following the new emperor's ascension, in reality the invasion of the Damura Star Cluster Republic had already been planned prior to the new emperor's enthronement, led by the first prince himself.

The first prince's plan had been to gain further advantage over the other princes vying for the throne, but the scheme fell apart with the emperor's death and the new emperor's ascension.

Yet, unwilling to give up on the imperial throne, the first prince revised his plan and forcefully launched the invasion of the Damura Star Cluster Republic in order to gain achievements capable of rivaling the new emperor.

Even if we cannot conquer the entire Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth, seizing even a portion of it would be sufficient to undermine the new emperor's foundation.

It was a strategy only possible because of his position as the first prince, commanding a large portion of the space fleet.

Yet, despite being the First Prince who commanded a large portion of the empire's powerful space fleet, the number of ships available for deployment was limited due to the need to maintain order across vast territories and remain vigilant against neighboring nations. Moreover, to counter the private fleets held by the Emperor and other imperial heirs vying for succession, the forces committed to the invasion of the Damura Star Cluster Republic were insufficient.

It was sufficient force to swiftly subdue the target through a lightning assault, and would have been more than enough against the Damura Star Cluster Republic's military alone.

However, the issue that arose was whether reinforcements would arrive from other nations.

The Damura Star Cluster Republic borders not only the Rimlia Galactic Empire but also the Akneria Galactic Federation and the 6325 Stellar Alliance. Its relations with the two nations, excluding the Rimlia Galactic Empire, are amicable, with particularly strong friendly ties to the Akneria Galactic Federation.

Meanwhile, the 6325 Stellar Alliance maintains relatively good relations with the Rimlia Galactic Empire, the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth, and the various nations of the Akneria Galactic Federation, engaging in extensive trade with each of them.

In particular, it is highly proactive in exporting various vessels, both civilian and military, to these nations. There have even been instances where military ships exported by the 6325 Stellar Alliance ended up facing off in minor confrontations—so absurd that it bordered on a joke.

The 6325 Stellar Alliance maintains a moderate distance from each member nation and consistently refrains from intervening in conflicts between them, so it's unlikely they'll send reinforcements.

In that case, the issue at hand becomes the reinforcements from the Akneria Galaxy Federation—without any diplomatic effort, they will undoubtedly carry out military intervention.

Thus, an underground agreement was made with high-ranking officials of the Akneria Space Force: in the event that the Lemuria Galactic Empire invaded the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth, the Akneria Fleet would either not be dispatched at all, or if dispatched, would do so with only minimal forces and only after a gap of more than five months following the start of the empire's invasion.

However, just a few months before the invasion began, a series of scandals uncovered within the Acneria Galactic Federation Space Fleet's 2nd Fleet led to an unexpected change in fleet command, followed by a wave of disciplinary reforms and extensive personnel reshuffles. As a result, the secret agreement itself was effectively erased, preventing the Acneria Galactic Federation Space Fleet from launching a swift military intervention—this ultimately contributed to the prolonged duration of the war.

The information from Layered served as the backdrop for such a war, though specific details remained unclear.

Yet, for Shinnosuke, who had purchased that information, filling in the missing pieces was easy.

As Shinnosuke headed back to Acneria, he pondered what lay ahead.

(A secret pact with the Empire and my assassination plan. I had thought they were completely unrelated, but if I assume that it was that major—no, now a brigadier general—who was behind both, then everything makes sense. That makes for a dangerous opponent... )

Gazing at the sea of stars displayed on the monitor, Shinnosuke reflected on how he had become entangled in a troublesome fate.

"Markus, it seems we can't afford to just wait and see what the opponent does. We'll need to act as soon as we return to Salius. I'll be counting on you."

"Understood. Leave it to me."

Markus replied without turning around from his station, responding to Shinnosuke's words.

Shinnosuke and Markus had safely returned to the Salius Stellar District Central Colony.

Tsukikage, who had headed toward the Garra Stellar District, had already returned and was greeted by Seira and Milena.

"Welcome back, Master Shinnosuke... Oh my, I thought you were off to work, but you seem to have had quite the enjoyable time!"

"Wha—?"

"Really... You and Markus are both so unfair."

"Wha—?!"

The two, utterly confused by the accusatory tone, didn't understand what they were being scolded for.

"Hey, Markus. What's going on here?"

The inflammation on the skin is likely due to sun exposure on the beaches of Planet Thorne. Master was simply following Stella's lead, applying a substance known as sunscreen to his skin and basking in the sunlight, which has resulted in a nice tan."

Now that he mentioned it, Shinosuke did indeed look noticeably sunburned.

"It's not just you, Shinosuke. Marks also has quite a nice sheen, doesn't he?"

Indeed, upon closer inspection, Marks' metallic body gleamed like it had been waxed.

Well, it actually had been—polished with metal wax.

"Marks, you too! You were just showing off out on the beach, slathering wax all over yourself, weren't you!"

"That's just body maintenance. I don't have the concept of 'enjoying leisure time,' unlike my master."

"Stop using such weird emphasis! You were the one enthusiastically wearing those unnecessary swim trunks, weren't you!"

Please don't say something so inappropriate. That recreational beach isn't a nude beach. I merely pointed out the importance of appropriate conduct for the setting. Isn't it true that you yourself were enjoying tropical drinks with the 'female-type dolls named Stella' while lounging in a beach chair?

"Wha—?!"

Seyra and Millena begin to spark with electric energy, stirred by Marx's words.

He seems clearly angry.

Andi and Eren silently stepped back, putting a safe distance between themselves and the scene.

They had gone to the trouble of getting their uniforms made, only to miss their chance to show them off.

"Stop using such odd emphasis! And you, don't say things that sound so inappropriate! It was a business meeting, and what we were drinking was synthetic fruit tea. Besides, why are you putting Stella in the spotlight? It should be 'the Layered group,' not 'Stella and the others'!"

"It's the same thing. The conversation was with Mr. Layered, but 32.8 percent of the master's gaze was directed at Stella. The percentage isn't particularly high when viewed alone, but when compared to 10.5 percent toward Mr. Layered, 42.5 percent toward the seaside view, and 14.2 percent elsewhere, and considering Stella's outfit at the time..."

"Hey, don't go making overly precise analyses!"

Celia and Milena had had enough of Shinnosuke and Marks' pathetic, low-level banter.

"Anyway!"

"So you two were just enjoying a vacation on the side of your work, huh?"

"If that's the case, then you should grant us some welfare benefits too, right?"

Ultimately, Shinosuke was made to promise that he would take the entire crew on a vacation once this commotion settled down.