441 – Standby Duty
Was the current situation dangerous or not? If asked this question, then the answer would be yes, yes it was. But if asked if it was as dangerous as that time with the crystal lifeforms, then the answer would be no, not really.
Back during the crystal lifeform crisis, we were lacking in defensive forces at the start, and if we failed to rally reinforcements from the surrounding systems, the crystal lifeforms would have devoured the entire defense line. The situation in the Creon system, however, was a different story. A considerable number of forces had been gathered within the conflict zone in preparation for an enemy offensive.
Therefore, if an enemy offensive were to be launched, there would still be no need for the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet, which was a reserve force, to be sent to the front lines.
However, that didn’t mean that they could afford to have a portion of their forces idle during an emergency, so they ordered the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet to guard the Creon system supply depot instead. With that arrangement, the Anti-Pirate Fleet would be able to quickly come to the aid of the original defense forces in case of an emergency. The original defense forces being the ones being led by House Ixamal.
“Well, in our perspective, it’s like earning money while doing nothing.”
“We will receive a fixed payout for a certain time period after all. And they will be giving us daily remuneration once that time period is exceeded.”
“I-Is this really okay……?”
Kugi displayed a bitter smile while staring at me and Mimi relaxing inside the break area. Kugi sure is earnest.
“I mean, even if this fleet is called an ‘independent fleet’, it’s still ultimately bound to military orders from above.”
『We are called an independent fleet because we are allowed to act on our own discretion during peacetime. In the event of an emergency, we are naturally obligated to follow military orders. We are His Imperial Majesty’s swords after all.』
Captain Serena showed a dejected expression on the other side of the holo-screen. I wondered if she was rather bored earlier, and it turned out that she really was. As a result of efficiently assigning work to her subordinates, her own tasks ended up being completely trivial in comparison. What’s more, she was the daughter of a marquis whose abilities had been enhanced quite a bit. The enhancements included not only her physical prowess but also her brain’s processing power. When she really puts her mind into it, she could perform tasks that would take an ordinary person five hours to complete in less than an hour.
『Be that as it may, the matter this time around isn’t a formal order but a request. If we have a valid reason, we could ignore the request and make moves on our own. But in the first place, the order to eliminate the pirates making a ruckus in the rear was from House Ixamal. Although indirectly, our being sent here was also a request from House Ixamal.』
“In other words, unless there’s a special order from military High Command, the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet can act relatively freely, and that’s the reason for your fleet’s name.”
『Exactly. Because we belong to the imperial military, we cannot move as freely as you mercenaries. They did use your group as reference when it comes to operational methods and organizing the chain of command though.』
“I see…… So, what about that matter I reminded you of?”
『We found nothing so far. Also it seems they are going to invite us over soon. To a dinner party, that is.』
“The heck……”
There’s a chance that the other party saw us as objects of revenge, or rather, a thorn in their side. And they actually dared to invite us to a dinner party?
“There are times when you have to join hands with someone even though you do not see eye to eye with them. It’s like they’re saying that we put our differences aside and cooperate for the time being. Well, it’s a move typical of nobles.”
Elma, who was drinking alcohol in a spot that was outside the range of the optical sensor sending images to Captain Serena, explained in a bored tone and shrugged her shoulders. This woman. She was enjoying her time on standby duty as a member of the reserve forces a little too much.
Why was she getting drunk during standby duty? Well, one session inside a med pod would quickly get rid of all that alcohol in the bloodstream anyway. It does portray a lack of discipline, but we’re mercenaries, not soldiers. Elma was also pacing herself so she doesn’t end up dead drunk, so I had no intention of reprimanding her.
“A dinner party huh……? Are they trying to make us let our guard down before springing a trap on us?”
『There’s a possibility of House Ixamal gaining something by doing so, but it’s still quite unlikely. Even if I, several of my close aides, and some of you were to be captured by them, the rest of our respective crews will immediately move to rescue us.』
“That’s true.”
If I we were to attend that dinner party, I would at least leave Mei on standby in the Lotus, and if something were to happen, Mei would be able to take immediate action along with the combat bots. There would probably be a huge uproar, and I believe Mei would get the word out as much as possible to get as many parties involved. If that happened, the situation would become even more critical, and there’s a good chance of it leading to House Ixamal’s downfall.
There’s no way nobles like them wouldn’t be able to come up with the methods a mercenary like me was able to come up with though, so I’m sure they’d have some countermeasures in place. However, I’m not sure if the benefits they’d stand to gain would be worth all the effort.
“Hiro’s bad habits are showing again.”
“Hiro-sama becomes such a worrywart sometimes.”
“I believe My Lord is merely wary of his tendency to attract misfortune. I do think his caution is reasonable.”
I didn’t want to mention my strange ability to manipulate fate in front of Captain Serena, but Kugi seemed to be of the opinion that my wariness against House Ixamal was justified. Elma and Mimi, on the other hand, seemed to think that I was being overly paranoid. Perhaps I am worrying a bit too much just as those two said, but I simply couldn’t get my mind off of the matter.
If there’s a chance of the Imperial Space Force losing in this situation, it would be when the gateway becomes unusable, leading to the loss of further reinforcements. Once that happens, the Vereverem Federation would launch an all-out offensive.
“Me worrying too much only for nothing to happen would simply lead to this matter being a funny story, so I’ve decided to just keep being vigilant. I’m not sure if we’d also get invited to that dinner party or whatever, but give me a call if it happens.”
『I shall do so.』
The expression on Captain Serena’s face wasn’t that good. Well, I suppose that’s understandable. We were sent to stay on standby inside the Creon star system after all. If not for that, we would have been able to successfully corner those pirates.
Well, in a sense, I’m already pretty used to getting wrapped up in situations involving the circumstances of various nobles. I suppose the only thing I could do right now was to stay sharp and prepare for any eventuality.
This part is highly unrealistic in a fantasy novel, when you’re on a paranoid streak and your paranoid turns out to be true, the normal reaction is to listen to your instinct. The way everybody but Kugi acts is just plain weird.
Well at least someone here (Kugi) is acknowledging Hiro’s cautious nature. I don’t know how these girls, especially Elma of all people keeps pushing back on Hiro making him look like a very paranoid guy when his track record clearly backs it up. Her being all drunk and carefree is one of the reason she herself almost lost her life in the first place.
I know I’m just knit picking too much here but seriously, they always act like they barely know the guy they’re constantly sleeping with. They’re already aware of Hiro’s circumstances and how he’s been unconsciously manipulating fate and space time itself but sure, let’s treat him like a buffoon who’s paranoid about everything.
I really want to see Hiro comment on how this is like the time before the crash on Refill. The same bad premonition and the girls all questioning him on how paranoid he is being.
Even by inviting hiro and her to this dinner the earl already caused a disruption in operations. Seriously wonder if the dude leaked the info…
Now I have to wait for a few more days 😭😭😭
The foreshadowing is going hard here. Silly girls, still thinking Hiro is being paranoid.
Thanks for the chapter! Awesome translation! May God bless you!
It’s definitely gonna happen.
Thanks for the treat.
Thanks for the chapter