Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship! Chapter 39: Unwarranted Tension

The woman before —the one who had just introduced herself as the Crazy Princess, Cassandra yers—tilted her head almost too cutely.

"I am Cassandra yers. Who else would I be?" she said, a slight pout forming on her lips.

That calculated gesture, perfectly complenting her angelic features, was classic Crazy Princess behavior. She always used her appearance as a weapon in interactions. And yet, for so reason, the usual undercurrent of madness I had co to associate with her was... absent.

’Did she get better at hiding her true nature now that this is reality?’ I mused, half-confused. ’Or maybe... No, that’s impossible.’

"Princess, sorry to interrupt, but the ti..."

Just as the standoff between us stretched into awkward territory, Gerlain spoke from behind her, bowing respectfully. Cassandra turned, flicking her wrist to check the ti.

"Oh, it’s true." She gasped softly before turning back to . "Pardon us, Master Gerard, but we have so urgent business to attend to. If fate allows, let’s have a nice, long chat—just the two of us."

She smiled, a radiant expression so dazzling it was as if the sun itself had descended before —but I wasn’t falling for her act.

I steeled myself, waved nonchalantly, and turned away. "Alright. I won’t keep you occupied, so do as you wish."

With that, we each pretended the other didn’t exist.

I remained seated, waiting for my papers to be processed, while the Crazy Princess took care of her business at the other counter.

But her matter took barely five minutes before she left. They must have been in a hurry.

As for ... The processing dragged on for hours, and I found myself growing bored beyond imagination.

’What’s taking them so long?’

Fortunately, the guild’s reception hall doubled as a tavern, so I ordered a drink to pass the ti.

"A cold beer in this sweltering weather... perfection."

Of course, I had to shut my visor after every sip. I wasn’t a masochist who wanted to suffer under this heat and humidity, after all. I continued idling, mindlessly sipping my beer, when suddenly—the guild doors swung open again.

The usual routine followed.

The adventurers lounging around glared at the newcor, as they always did. But this ti… Their expressions changed instantly.

Their glares vanished. Cold sweat ford on their foreheads as they quickly averted their gazes. So even stiffened, looking as if they regretted ever looking in that direction to begin with.

"Hmm?"

The door was behind , so I turned out of curiosity.

What could possibly make these battle-hardened, arrogant adventurers—ones who even dared to intimidate a knight like Gerlain—cower like frightened chicks?

And then, I saw her. I understood their reasoning imdiately.

"Eva! Over here!" I called, spotting her silently standing at the entrance, her sharp eyes scanning—or rather, glaring—across the room.

At the sound of my voice, she quickly made her way over and dropped into the seat across from , heaving a short sigh. As always, a frown adorned her face—but I could tell. Her mood was at least ten tis better than when we first arrived.

"Did it go well? Your mother’s situation, I an?" I asked, starting with a topic she’d find easy to talk about.

Eva blinked. Then, her gaze awkwardly drifted away, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

"... You better take responsibility for the things you said to her earlier." She muttered.

"Hmm?"

That reaction… Had her mother teased her to no end after I left?

I chuckled, then grinned. "Of course, I will. I promised her I’d take care of you, so I’ll do just that." I straightened proudly. "As your captain, I’ll make sure you’re treated fairly!"

"...What?"

For so reason, Eva’s tone darkened after hearing that. She stared at the table for a mont, seemingly lost in thought. Then, as if realizing sothing, her expression twisted in irritation.

"So that’s it… You bastard!" She suddenly snapped, her face turning beet red. "Stop saying misleading things...!"

After that, no matter how many tis I asked what exactly I had said that was "misleading," she refused to answer. She just turned away, refusing to even look in the eyes.

While curiosity gnawed at … I didn’t have the ti to dwell on the matter.

"Mr. Arthur? Your cross-registration is finished."

The lizardman receptionist returned and handed a small badge.

"This is your Adventurer’s Badge. It serves as an ID and is valid across all Adventurer’s Guilds and rcenary Unions in the universe. Make sure not to lose it."

I took the silver plate—matching our newly raised rcenary Rank—and inspected it closely.

Beyond the basic information—na, rank, registration number, and date—there was an engraving on the right side: a strange-looking creature. It resembled a rooster but with colorful plumage and elongated, wide-spanning wings.

Of course, I recognized it imdiately. A Bakhtak—a mythical creature from Persian folklore, said to have the ability to foresee the future and bring good luck.

’I still rember how the devs got flad for this "la" design—until players reached Chapter 16 and realized its importance.’

I chuckled at the mory. But more than that, this little silver card was our key to progressing the main quest. With the badge in hand, I walked over to the mission board, scanning the countless unfulfilled contracts pinned to the wall.

’So of these rewards are pretty good… and this one’s along the way. Might as well take a few extras.’

After all, side quests were essential in any ga. And looking at the sheer number of available requests, my completionist instincts were kicking in. I carefully picked out a handful of commissions that aligned with our route before finally spotting the one I was searching for.

"This is it..." I muttered, pulling the post off the board and reading it again.

[---

Commission ID: AR-20146080185

Applicant: Blas Kariki

Title: Regular Inspection of the Kariki System’s Maze

Details: Conduct an inspection of the Maze for any changes or mutations. Monster loot gained during the inspection is subject to taxation as usual.

Mission: Report any anomalies discovered.

Reward: 1,000,000 Credits

---]

"Blas Kariki..." I whispered the requester’s na.

In this vast universe, many powerful entities controlled entire solar systems—but Blas Kariki was unique. Unlike the major conglorates, he wasn’t affiliated with any organization. He was simply an individual—the wealthiest individual in the known universe.

Even wealthier than the president of the Astoria Conglorate in terms of personal assets. After all, he owned an entire solar system.

Despite his imnse wealth, however… he was an absolute cheapskate.

Case in point: the miserable 1-million-credit reward for this quest. That amount wouldn’t even cover the provisions and expenses needed to inspect an entire star system.

No surprise, then, that this request had been sitting untouched for months. Everyone was waiting for the stingy zillionaire to raise the reward before even considering taking it.

But for ? The payout didn’t matter. What mattered was that this quest permitted us to enter his private system.

I shrugged and turned back to the receptionist. "Excuse , I’d like to take all these commissions."

The sa lizardman from earlier took the stack and began processing them—until they reached the Blas Kariki request. Their expression imdiately darkened.

"You… do realize this request will only put you at a loss, right?" They warned, eyes narrowing. "I’d advise waiting until that bastard Kariki raises the reward before taking it."

Their concern seed genuine—just an experienced guild worker looking out for a new adventurer. But I had already made up my mind.

"Thanks for the warning, but I’ll take it anyway."

Normally, gaining access to the Kariki System required an entrance fee ranging anywhere from 10 million to 5 billion credits PER HEAD.

However, paying that fee ant every monster, material, and resource you obtained in the system would be yours—no strings attached.

As a result, that solar system had beco a playground for the rich—a place where the nouveau riche held elaborate hunting contests for sport. And just from that, Blas Kariki earned trillions every month.

But, of course, such a lucrative venture ca with risks.

If any arrogant noble’s son or daughter t an unfortunate end due to so unforeseen danger… Well, no amount of fortune would save Kariki from the consequences. That was precisely why regular inspections of his system were non-negotiable. It was the bare minimum asure to ensure his business remained viable.

And for us…?

This was the cheapest thod to gain access to "that."

"...Don’t co crying to later, alright?" The receptionist sighed, shaking their head as they processed the requests.

Minutes later, all the quests were officially filed and now appeared under the current mission bar of my rcenary Union profile.

After double-checking everything, Eva and I headed out, intending to return to the Range Falcon—but fate had other plans.

"Mmph...!"

Just as we were passing by a random alley, a muffled scream rang out, causing both of us to halt instantly. My and Eva’s eyes t, silently confirming that we had both heard it.

Then—simultaneously—we spoke.

"Let’s ignore it and head back!" I declared.

"Let’s help her out!" Eva exclaid.

—Our opinions couldn’t be farther apart.