The most uptodate noveđĄs are published on đđ§đđđđđ«đŁđžđżđđ.đŹđžđ¶
The next day, I invited Airia, Heinz, and Sieg to the ship. But we couldnât leave the children at the facility alone, so I sent Mei and some combat bots to watch over them.
âI am perfectly capable of taking care of children. I am a maid after all.â
Thatâs what she said, but I set her emotional expression value to the bare minimum thoughâŠâŠ I just hope the children wonât end up being scared of her. Mei was extremely beautiful, so some people find her pretty hard to approach. But since I was the one who designed her, I didnât feel intimidated by her at all.
âWowâŠâŠâ
âWhoahâŠâŠâ
âWahaaâŠâŠâ
Airia and the guys boarded the Black Lotus and let out cries of admiration when they reached the break area. When we boarded the ship from the gangway and entered after the disinfection procedures, they were already saying stuff like âItâs brighter than I expected.â and âThe floor and walls are pretty clean eh.â, but they were absolutely floored when we reached the bright and spacious break area.
âApparently, the image people have of mercenary ships is that theyâre damp, dark, and dirty, with bare metal walls, floors, and ceilings.â
âAt the very least, they definitely wouldnât think of something this spacious and beautiful. Iâm truly impressed.â
âIt looks like a really high-end hotelâŠâŠ Eh? Whatâs with that wall?â
Heinz was simply impressed, while the terrarium on the wall caught Siegâs interest. As for AiriaâŠâŠ
âTina!â
âHey there, Airia. Been a while.â
She immediately saw Tina and ran straight to her. Yeah, Iâm sure they have a lot they want to talk about, so I better leave them alone for a while. Airia seemed to be acquainted with Wiska as well, and along with Linda, the four of them quickly settled down and began talking at length.
âShall we head over to the dining hall first?â
âOkay.â
âRight.â free novelkiss.com
When I went to the dining hall with the two guys in tow, all the female crew members except for Tina and Wiska followed as well. Err, well, I couldnât spot Dr. Shouko, so sheâs probably holed up in the lab again.
âMy Lord, dear guests, please partake in some refreshments.â
âThanks, Kugi.â
I thanked Kugi for bringing over some drinks. Itâs hot Imperial-style tea. It was similar to black tea.
âThank you.â
âUhâŠâŠ Bro, these people areâŠâŠ?â
âThese are my crew members. The one who served the tea is Kugi. Sheâs from the Holy Empire. AndâŠâŠâ
âIâm Mimi. Iâm an imperial citizen, and I serve as the ship operator and supply manager.â
âNameâs Elma. Iâm also an imperial citizen, and Iâm a pilot. Iâm also a Silver rank mercenary.â
âMy Lord has already introduced me, but in any case, I am Kugi. I am currently apprenticing as a sub-pilot.â
After Mimi, Elma, and Kugi introduced themselves, Heinz and Sieg followed suit.
âPleased to meet you all. Iâm Heinz. I suppose you can consider me a security guard of sorts.â
âIâm Sieg. Iâm a guard like Big Bro HeinzâŠâŠ Um, Big Bro Hiro. They are all really cute and pretty.â
âYou jealous? Honestly, I also think I have it too good.â
These are my true thoughts by the way. Was I really qualified to surround myself with this many beautiful women? I often asked myself that question. I mean really.
âThatâs surprisingly humble Bro.â
âI gotta make sure they can depend on me after all. I need to work hard every day to become a man deserving of their trust. I canât just sit back and relax all the time.â
âHahaâŠâŠ Being the head of a harem seems pretty tough.â
âI guess. Well, honestly, Iâve been relying on them a lot as well. I canât allow myself to get carried away.â
In any case, I believe itâs my responsibility to do my best to respond to the girls who shower me with so much trust and adoration. Of course, thereâs a limit to what I can do on my own and how much responsibility I can shoulder, so in reality, our team functions by relying on each otherâs strengths.
âYou sure are saying some pretty admirable stuff there, mister. Arenât you pretty sloppy whenever thereâs no work to be done?â
âEven so, Hiro-sama never misses a day of training. Besides, donât we all act sloppy on off days as well?â
âMy Lord does put forth great effort in his endeavors. However, no matter how sturdy a rope is, it will eventually break if it is constantly strained. I believe he has found a good balance between work and rest.â
âYou two always try to spoil Hiro any chance you get.â
âI wonder whyâŠâŠ Why am I being shown such a scene? What are these feelings that are welling up inside me?â
Sieg, who witnessed our usual lovey-dovey antics, seemed to be about to fall into the dark side. If things go on like this, Sieg will eventually be consumed by the burning flames of jealousy.
Now then, how should I calm this guy down? In any case, I decided to show them around Krishnaâs hangar. I had Mimi and the rest check on Airia and the other girls, so it was just the three of us guys this time.
âCan you give me the lowdown, Bro?â
âThe lowdown?â
As I was guiding the two around the hangar where Krishna was kept, Sieg suddenly inquired. I tilted my head while wondering what he meant.
âAre you really doing it with those girlsâŠâŠ?â
âYeah. Why?â
âIâm so damn jealous right nowâŠâŠâ
âDoes it really bother you that much?â
âHowâd ya do it, Bro?â
âWellââŠâŠ Letâs see. I suppose it was good timing and acting like a dependable guy.â
Whether it was Mimi, Elma, Tina and Wiska, or Dr. Shouko who I havenât introduced to these guys yet, I believe what led to them joining me was ultimately a mix of good timing and my financial capabilities. Well, itâs not like weâre only connected by money, but money did play a large part in how we came together.
âYou need to be prepared to give everything you have when the opportunity comes. Whether itâs financially or simply risking your life.â
âThatâŠâŠ sounds really rough.â
âFor example, rescuing a girl from thugs in a back alley, taking care of food, shelter, and ensuring her freedom, paying off compensation worth millions of Enels to the imperial military, actually buying a ship worth several millions, or equipping it with parts that cost about the same amount.â
âItâs impossible. No matter how many times I get to redo my life, I donât think Iâd ever get to earn that much money.â
âOther examples include fighting a space fleet sent to assassinate a noble familyâs legitimate heir, attacking a Vereverem Federation fleet with a single ship, heading straight into a swarm of crystal lifeforms, or fighting with bioweapons that can go toe to toe with fully armed imperial marinesâŠâŠ I have lots more where those came from, by the way.â
âThose are more than enough alreadyâŠâŠ Or rather, seriously, Bro?â
âSeriously. You can try asking Mimi or Elma if you want.â
âNot to mention money, it sounds like even multiple lives wouldnât be enough. But if youâve really survived such chaotic situations, itâs no wonder you can kill all the Bloodies without breaking a sweat.â
Heinz, whoâd only been listening silently to me and Sieg until now, quipped while displaying a bitter smile. Still, laser weapons were pretty scary yâknow. The Ninja power armor was relatively thin, so it was pretty dangerous to get hit multiple times without an energy shield.
âItâs not like I particularly enjoy killing. Itâs just that I donât care much if the opponents are pirates and criminals. Also, I have no mercy for those who come at me with the intent to kill.â
âThatâs pretty cut and dry.â
âThatâs just how mercenaries are. And weâre here. This is my beloved partner.â
âWhoah. Itâs pretty big.â
âItâs still quite small for a combat ship.â
I took Sieg, who was crying in admiration, and Heinz, who looked rather impressed, around the interior of the Krishna. I also showed them the rest of the hangar and my armory of close-combat weapons.
âItâs amazing to have your favorite weapons lined up in display like this, right? Itâs a manâs romance.â
âI get that.â
âI totally understand, Bro. How nice. Iâd like to have an arsenal like this someday.â
It looked like the close combat weapons armory was a big hit with the two of them. They also enjoyed test-driving the power armor. I also had them test-fire some weapons at the shooting range.
âWhen you get to use them like this, you really feel how important having a high-quality weapon is.â
âRight? I believe you need good quality weapons in order to do a good job.â
âI think your level of arsenal is a bit too much for guys like us though, Bro.â
There were apparently plenty of stories of folks getting killed in the low-security areas around the lower block, but it was unlikely to engage in firefights using military-grade weapons like the ones I had. After all, if people died in said firefights, decontamination teams will be dispatched and government intervention would be inevitable. Thatâs why, surprisingly, they only engaged in shootouts with laser guns with outputs just one step short of being lethal and were only capable of causing serious injuries.
As we talked about the situation regarding the weapons used by outlaws, the ringtone of my portable terminal rang out. Whatâs up? I checked the terminal and found that the caller was Hartmut.
âSorry. I need to take this.â
I excused myself and answered the call after going outside the armory.
âThis is Hiro speaking. Whatâs uââ
ăIâm going to get straight to the point. Iâm sending you the data right now. Please go after the ship indicated and either capture or shoot it down.ă
âRoger that. Donât forget about the pay.â
I answered immediately without asking for details. Iâve already gotten a read on Hartmutâs personality. There must be a reason why someone like him, who places a big deal on etiquette, skipped through all the formalities in order to ask a favor like this.
âThe Krishna and Antlion will perform an emergency launch. Is it fine to leave the required procedures to you?â
âOne small and one medium-sized combat ship, correct? Understood. Please donât let them get away.â
âGotcha.â
I gave Hartmut a fast reply, cut the call, and showed my face inside the armory.
âWe got a sudden call from the colony governor. Weâre performing an emergency sortie. Iâm sorry, but Iâm gonna have Tina and Wiska take care of you guys, so please stay put inside the break area.â
âUnderstood.â
âGot it, Bro.â
Heinz and Seig nodded in response. I nodded in return and used my portable terminal to inform Mimi and the others about the emergency launch.
Iâm not clear about the exact situation, but since they requested us to make an emergency launch, the target must have left port already. I had to get Krishna started as soon as possible in order to make it in time.