ăThis is something a little different from the bustling colonies Iâve seen up until now.ă
After landing on the Neeparc Prime Colony and walking around for a bit, I couldnât help but mutter that to myself. How should I put it? Itâs not really the clientele⊠the people walking around just seem different. The ones who looked like the new settlers seemed excited, their eyes brimming with life. Meanwhile, the merchantsâ eyes were gleaming with thoughts of profit. That energy theyâre giving off is likely whatâs making the entire colony feel so lively.
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ăWhatâs goinâ on? Feels like thereâs a lotta rich-lookinâ people around, huh?ă
ăNow that you mention it, maybe? Why is that, though?ă
ăThe planets are usually reserved for top taxpayers or holders of first-class citizenship, those whoâve contributed greatly to the Empire. Other than that, only a small number of selected lucky people can settle on planetside residential areas.ă
Wiskaâs response to Tina and Mimiâs innocent question showed a hint of dissatisfaction at the state of the Empireâs society. Ah, I see. First-class citizenship, huh? That makes sense. The prerequisite for living in a planetside residential area is first-class citizenship. I donât know the exact conditions to acquire that status, but as Wiska pointed out, itâs probably reserved for the wealthy or people whoâve made significant contributions to the Empire, like through military or public service. No wonder most people here look well off.
ăWhat kind of people are in that lucky handful?ă
ăThere are a few slots for people without first-class citizenship to be selected as settlers in planetside residential areas. It seems like only a few people from each colony can be selected, though.ă
ăI see⊠You know quite a bit, donât you?ă
ăUm, well⊠you were planning on building a house in a planetside residential area, so I looked into it a little.ă
Without thinking, I found myself patting Wiska on the head as she fidgeted nervously. Sheâs a proper adult woman, around my age, but her height just makes her head easy to pat⊠I donât usually end up doing that with someone of Mimiâs height, though.
ăAs expected of my little sister, you really know how to play the cute cardâŠă
ăI-Itâs not like Iâm doing this on purpose, you know!?ă
Tina gave her sister a look of suspicion, despite her protests. Honestly, I thought the same for a second, but well, sheâs cute, so I canât help it.
ăThe ones with the gleaming eyes are the merchants. If they can afford to use the gateway, theyâre probably from a large enough trading company.ă
ăI see. I guess situations like this create a special demand, which makes it easier to make a profit, but it also feels like a bit of a risky game. Like ordering a large supply of materials thinking theyâll sell, only for someone else to beat them to the punch, turning it into dead stock.ă
Lately, Mimi has started talking about things from a merchantâs perspective more and more. It must be the result of not just managing our supply goods, but also taking charge of trading using the cargo space of the Black Lotus. I really hope she keeps developing those skills, maybe even enough to become a fully-fledged merchant in her own right.
ăYeah, that would be a nightmare for a merchant. Thatâs why theyâre so desperate for information. If they mess up, the rumors will spread like wildfire.ă
ăLife can be harsh, huh? I wonder if Iâll ever have to deal with that kind of harshness myself someday.ă
ăWell, who knows? As long as you are with Hiro-kun, you might be free from that particular kind of hardship⊠but youâll probably end up facing greater danger to your life instead.ă
ăI canât argue with thatâŠă
I responded to the exchange between Dr. Shouko and Neve with a wry smile. For better or worse, as long as they stick with me, theyâre unlikely to encounter the usual harshness of life. Most issues can probably be resolved through money, brute force, my status as a Platinum Ranker, or even my title as an honorary viscount of the Empire. However, relying too much on those solutions might eventually come back to bite me, so Iâll need to exercise some restraint.
ăOh? Isnât that them? The people here to meet us?ă
ăYes, my Lord. I believe youâre correct.ă
Kugi nodded as she confirmed the people I had pointed out. We werenât just aimlessly people-watching in the busy port area; we were waiting for someone. That âsomeoneâ was the welcoming party from the Holy Vuelzarus Empire. When we arrived at Neeparc Prime Colony, Kugi had contacted the Vuelzarus Empireâs embassy, and they told us to wait for someone to meet us here.
ăThe ones that have come look a little like samuraiâŠă
There were three people who appeared to be our welcoming party. One was a man about my height with what looked like horns sprouting from his hairline. The second was a woman with sharp animal ears, similar to Kugiâs, on top of her head. The last one was another woman, but the animal ears on her head were rounder. The horned man stood in the center, with the two women walking behind him, suggesting he was the leader or superior among them.
They were all dressed in something resembling traditional Japanese attire, each carrying what appeared to be a katana at their waist. However, unlike samurai, they didnât carry both a long sword and a short sword. Each of them had only one blade at their side.
ăI humbly greet you. My name is Ranshin, and I serve as the head guard of the Holy Vuelzarus Empireâs cathedral here in Neeparc Prime Colony. Am I correct in addressing Captain Hiro, the shrine maiden Seijo-dono, and your esteemed companions?ă
ăAh, thatâs correct. Iâm Captain Hiro. Sorry to trouble you with coming all the way here.ă
ăThis is part of my duty as a guard, so please donât concern yourself. Rather, I apologize for keeping you waiting and not meeting you directly at the port. The two behind me are my subordinates, Moegi and Konoha. You two, introduce yourselves.ă
ăUnderstood, I am Moegi. Itâs a pleasure to meet you.ă
ăIâm Konoha. Nice to meet you.ă
The two behind Ranshin introduced themselves with a polite bow, so I returned the gesture. Since we were on introductions, I briefly introduced the rest of my crew as well.
ăItâs not ideal to continue standing around here. Allow me to escort you to our cathedral. Thereâs a vehicle waiting for us nearby.ă
ăUnderstood. But are you sure itâs alright for such a large group to just drop in like this?ă
ăThereâs no problem at all. Please, this way.ă
With that, Ranshin turned and began leading the way, so we all followed behind him in a loose line.
ăHuh?ă
As I walked, I noticed something odd. Despite the fact that more than ten of us, including Ranshinâs group, were walking togetherâand, besides me, everyone was either an eye-catching beauty, a cute girl, or dressed in some rather unusual outfitsâwe werenât drawing any attention from the people around us. I couldnât help but voice my surprise.
ăIs something wrong?ă
ăWell, something feels a bit off⊠Ah, I see.ă
Konoha, the round-eared samurai girl walking near me, seemed to overhear my muttering and asked what was wrong. But now that I was paying closer attention, I quickly figured out the source of the odd feeling. Moegi, the fox-eared samurai beauty, was emitting some sort of mental wave. She was probably using the so-called second power of lawâa kind of telepathic psionic power, to mentally interfere with the passersby. It must be useful for avoiding attention, stealth, or perception-blocking.
ăYou realized, of course. Itâs to be expected from someone trained under the shrine maiden.ă
Moegi said with a slight laugh. Yep, sheâs definitely beautiful. But⊠Kugi-san, could you stop quietly tugging at my sleeve in protest? I get it, I shouldnât have those thoughts, but that doesnât mean you need to make a scene. And now Mimiâs joined in too. Ah! The two Dwarven sisters there, stop! Tugging from behind is making it hard to walk! Please stop, making a scene already!
ăYou all seem⊠quite close.ă
ăWell, yes. They are more than I deserve honestly.ă
Konoha commented on our antics while giving me a look that was almost exasperated. From an outsiderâs perspective, I probably look like a bad man playing with multiple girls, the thing is that I canât blame anyone for thinking like that. If I were in her shoes, Iâd probably be giving myself the same kind of look.
ăConsidering Hiro-donoâs position, itâs not a bad thing. In fact, it should be greatly welcomed.ă
ăReally? I thought it might be seen as a risk factor,ă
I thought that from the perspective of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire, they wouldnât be too thrilled about the number of people like Mimi around meâpeople who could easily become a âdetonation switchâ for me, a human bomb.
ăNot at all. After all, what strengthens people and gives them the power to resist despair has always been love, courage, and hope. Thatâs the way of the world.ă
ăReally? Love, courage, and hope, huhâŠ?ă
Without even looking back, Ranshin said this with a calm demeanor as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and continued to lead us forward. Love, courage, and hope, huhâŠ? Well maybe from the point of view of a civilization based on psionic technology, this kind of spiritual thing is more important than it seems. This manâs words have piqued my curiosity about the Holy Vuelzarus Empire and its beliefs.