Okeanos’ Enforcer
The Trireme Fleet continued its interplanetary voyage. However, the maneuver the ships had to do in the battle against Vritra—a sustained maximum acceleration pushing the limits of its speed—had put a tremendous strain on their reactors.
Delicate reactor maintenance was beyond the capabilities of normal humans. Instead, the ships’ AIs uploaded the reactor’s schematics directly into Worker Silhouettes, which carried out the necessary repairs. Maintenance robots could also be deployed, but relying on Fennel OS’s processing power ensured a much faster recovery.
「Kou. Stay out of this.」
Voy issued a sharp warning.
「Even so…」
「You’ll just make the workers nervous! Important people have a certain way they’re supposed to act—you learned that when you acted as Outis, didn’t you?」
「Outis is dead.」
It was easier for Kou to work on-site instead of giving orders in the CIC.
Voy’s veins bulged with frustration as he yelled.
「Don’t give me that! Stop running away already. I know what you’re doing.」
「So, you noticed.」
「Damn right I did! Now get back where you belong!」
Reluctantly, Kou stepped down from Unit 5. He had always felt that these kinds of quiet, hands-on tasks suited him better.
「Thanks, Voy-san!」
「Yeah, seriously. If we let the big boss help with reactor repairs…」
The pilot of one Woodpecker, one of the Work Silhouettes, expressed his gratitude to Voy.
「Sorry about that. The guy still doesn’t see himself as a big shot. He still thinks like a front-line soldier.」
A commander working side by side with field technicians wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. But this was no ordinary battlefield—it was the extreme environment of space.
「Alright! Back to work!」
「A message just came in—Maintenance Robot 114 will be handling the deepest section of the A-Carbuncle control block.」
「You think we could give 114 a name? It’s been helping us out so much.」
「I know, right? But he insists it doesn’t need one.」
The pilots grumbled about it. In Trireme, even the maintenance robots were treated as part of the crew.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Despite his dangerous appearance, there was no bear-type Familia more considerate than Voy. Sooner or later, Kou would have to make a decision.
「Aimer. Blue. Nyanta. Aki. You all have something you want to say to me, don’t you?」
And this was exactly Kou’s problem—he lumped them all together.
In an instant, he was surrounded.
「So, you did notice.」
「Oh my, seems like you’re aware of it after all.」
「You’ve got guts, nya. Abandoning a cat is a dangerous thing, you know.」
「Dogs don’t take kindly to it either, you know?」
By addressing them all at once, he had effectively turned them into a united front.
「Space has a way of feeling suffocating. You must all be feeling the stress.」
「Maybe because someone has been glued to Astraea this whole time?」
Aimer’s half-lidded glare was piercing.
「Alright, I get it! Today, I’m all yours. Whatever we do—eating, playing, I’m in! I don’t know how much fun we can have inside the ship, but I’ll figure something out!」
「I suppose I have been monopolizing Kou lately. So, I’ve arranged something—a zero-gravity resort room. Go ahead and enjoy your time together.」
This was an unexpected plan from an unexpected source.
「Astraea?!」
Kou felt a surprising sense of betrayal. Even Astraea was aware that she had been monopolizing him too much. In fact, she had already taken steps to ease the others’ frustrations.
「In a confined space, maintaining troop morale through recreation is essential. You and your group will inaugurate the facility, and afterward, the rest of the crew will be free to use it as well.」
「What exactly is in there?」
「A spherical pool and a dining facility managed by Ponko. You refused the mixed bath before, but a pool should be fine, right Kou?」
「As expected of Astraea, nya!」
「Great idea!」
Nyanta and Aki, who had previously been rejected when they tried to get Kou into a mixed bath, looked very satisfied.
「A… pool?」
The situation was quickly spiraling out of control.
「Kou, let’s go play in the pool!」
「I didn’t bring a swimsuit!」
Even Blue hadn’t expected to go swimming in a pool in the middle of space.
「No problem. I can make one in a few minutes.」
「I knew it… Maybe I should just let Aimer pick for me.」
Aimer and Blue were already deep in swimsuit discussions.
「A swimsuit event… this is my first time…」
Kou stiffened. This was exactly the kind of event he was terrible at. He would take a hundred lectures from Kinukawa over this any day.
「It’s a rare chance to enjoy the Sea of Stars. You should have some fun, Kou.」
Astraea smiled.
Even if it had been through lectures, she had monopolized a lot of Kou’s time lately—and she was more than satisfied with that. But at the same time, she felt a mix of guilt and gratitude toward the girls, which was why she had arranged this in the first place. She knew Kou wasn’t comfortable with these kinds of events. But for the sake of the girls he had been neglecting, he would have to endure it.
「The sea, huh? Yeah… I guess it is a sea.」
Through the ship’s window, he gazed out at the endless ocean of stars, shimmering in the void.
「Astraea is closely related to the stars, after all. You should also participate with your avatar, let’s play together.」
Aimer kindly invited Astraea to join in.
「Oh my, to think I would be invited… I’ll consider it.」
A sharp chill ran down Kou’s spine.
Sensing an ominous killing intent, he turned toward the corner of the command center—where Asia stood in utter shock.
She loomed like a ghost, her presence eerily enhanced by the rough, flickering holographic projection different from her usual avatar.
「I worked hard too…」
「Asia?!」
Her vacant eyes were terrifying.
「You’re all having fun… without me…」
And with that, she vanished.
「Asia, come too, nyaaa!」
「Asia, please come back!」
The two who understood her feelings best desperately called out to her.
Slowly, hesitantly, Asia reappeared—this time, in her usual avatar.
By the end of the day, Kou had been completely dragged around by Astraea, Asia, and the rest.
And it wasn’t just them—a flood of other crew members had requested to join in. The overwhelming majority of them were women, forcing a lottery system to be implemented.
From zero-gravity beach volleyball to the spherical pool, it was a constant barrage of unfamiliar experiences. But that wasn’t even the real problem.
The real problem was the fashion show that unfolded before Kou’s eyes. The women had taken this way too seriously, their enthusiasm on a whole other level.
As Kou sat through it all, he desperately chanted ‘No thoughts, no distractions’ in his mind, trying his best to purge all unnecessary thoughts.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Meanwhile, on Planet Libya, a gathering of Kryptos was taking place.
They ranged in size from massive birds and dinosaur-like to others comparable to Silhouettes.
「Libya-sama and her companions have defeated Vritra.」
「What?!」
「That bastard was undoubtedly the strongest Teras specialized in space combat. Does this mean Outis wields even more power?」
Among those present were two colossal Kryptos—Garuda, a bird-type Mythology Weapon, and Zilant, a dragon-type Mythology Weapon.
「To think that Libya-sama and her forces would avenge Jatayu…」
Garuda’s eyes glowed red as he murmured.
For him, Jatayu had been a close friend—his loss was deeply personal. His emotions were torn between fury at Vritra and gratitude toward Outis, who had avenged his fallen friend.
「He gave everything he had for Libya-sama until the very end.」
To Garuda’s sorrow and lament, Aural offered words of consolation.
「He also revealed to us the taboo the Teras have committed—incorporating humans into themselves. We must join forces with Outis.」
「The Teras are in complete turmoil right now. After all, hardly anyone could defeat Vritra—especially not in his own domain.」
「Vritra was among the most savage of the Teras. By breaking the taboo, he may have incurred the wrath of Okeanos himself. The Teras will surely hesitate before absorbing humans again.」
The Kryptos understood—Vritra’s defeat had become a deterrent against the Teras.
「Outis… may be the Enforcer of Okeanos.」
「It’s possible. He seemingly created a black hole to take down Vritra.」
「A black hole?! And Okeanos didn’t erase him for it?!」
「That’s exactly why. He may truly be an Enforcer of Okeanos.」
The Kryptos murmured among themselves, their unease growing.
「I remember now—Outis’ Silhouette is called Lanius. His escort squad is also called Lanius Squadron.」
「What of it?」
「It’s a Latin word, one deeply tied to us, Mythology Weapons. Its meaning—
‘Executioner.’」
「…!」
Hyoue had named the Lanius after the scientific classification of the shrike—a bird of prey from the passerine order—not after the original meaning of the word, however, the Kryptos had read far too much into it.
「Libya-sama is returning… with the Enforcer of Okeanos?」
「We must not think of him as a mere human. This is the one who rescued the super AI Asia and defeated Vritra, perhaps the strongest being in space. Could any of us have done the same? No. It would have been impossible.」
「Terrifying… but if he is an ally, he is an asset beyond compare.」
A dangerous misunderstanding was rapidly taking root.
Then, Aural spoke up.
「He called me a friend. He is close to Libya-sama. He is admired by many Familias and Therianthropes alike. I do not believe he will bring harm to us.」
「If the one who avenged Jatayu is truly such a hero, then nothing could be more welcome.」
Garuda narrowed his eyes in acknowledgment, signaling his acceptance.
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