I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary Chapter 472 -「There Are Nothing But Problems With That!?」

The next day, we were welcod by Chris at the Earl Dareinwald House estate in the imperial capital, and we all went shopping… Well, it wasn’t really light shopping, was it? We spent almost half a day walking around, buying various household goods like the latest bedding. That isn’t light at all, is it?

「Hmm, this one feels softer.」

「It’s nice that it’s soft, but won’t it be too hot to sleep with?」

「I’m sensitive to the cold, so sothing like this would be just right for . Chris-chan, you’re the sa, right?」

「I used to be, but ever since I got body enhancents, I’ve beco more sensitive to heat…」

Mimi, Elma, and Chris were enthusiastically discussing sothing that looked like a blanket. I didn’t realize that enhancing your body could change your constitution and make you more sensitive to heat…

「Isn’t it best if it’s easy to wash?」

「Choosing the right bedding is important, sis. The quality of your bedding determines the quality of your life.」

「You’re being really serious about this, Wee…」

Tina was trying to prioritize cheap and easy-to-wash bedding, but Wiska, with a serious look on her face, stopped her, leaving Tina a bit taken aback… Wiska sotis has these weird fixations.

「I’m more interested in this chair than the bedding.」

「I think it’s better if you sleep in a proper bed, doctor.」

「No, no, sleeping in a chair can be quite nice, you know? If the quality is good, it’s no different from a bed.」

Just choosing bedding—and so non-bedding items— created a lot of chaos so we stood out a lot. People looked at us with faces that said, ‘What a strange group.’ Well, with Chris and her bodyguards included, we were a group of ten people. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call us a large group. We attracted a lot of attention. To finish it, Chris brought bodyguards who were clearly identifiable at a glance. It was obvious that Chris was a lady of noble status. Strictly speaking, she’s not just a lady but the future Countess tough. Still, it seems that if she doesn’t openly declare her status, she can just barely pass as the daughter of a high-ranking noble.

In reality, the governor of an entire star system was usually treated on par with a baron even if that person was a noble’s daughter without official titles. This ant that it was usually not permissible for such a person to directly pick out items in a store with friends. Generally, they would summon rchants to their mansion to do the shopping, at least in the imperial capital.

What about , an honorary viscount? Apparently, I could do the sa if I wanted to, but honorary titles had a sowhat ambiguous status. They were not inheritable and didn’t count as true nobility. However, when it ca to the hierarchy among nobles, the situation got a bit more complex. i explained it to in detail, but it went in one ear and out the other. I don’t rember much. Haha.

After finishing our shopping, we returned to the ship.

「I can’t allow it, milady.」

「It’s fine. There’s no place safer than here.」

「The master has given strict orders, so I can’t let this pass. Milady, let’s return to the estate.」

「I refuse.」

We were having tea on the ship, and just as we were about to think about dinner, the dispute broke out.

「I’ll stay on the Black Lotus tonight. Edeltrud, you can return to the estate.」

「So, you’re saying, milady, that you’ll stay here alone?」

「Yes, is there a problem with that?」

「There are nothing but problems with that!」

The future Countess Dareinwald and her knight bodyguard started squabbling. Well, for them it was probably a serious argunt, but… It sure is peaceful.

「Are you just going to watch?」

With my uncarbonated pseudo-cola in my hand, I was watching the situation unfold when Elma spoke to . Hmm, honestly,I don’t care either way.

「Should I intervene?」

「That’s up to you, Hiro…」

Elma glanced towards Mimi, who was watching Chris and her bodyguard Edeltrud argue with a worried expression. Sigh, I guess I have no choice.

「Okay, that’s enough. Let’s stop arguing here. There’s a girl about to cry.」

「Ah! My apologies Hiro-sama.」

Chris shrank back when I spoke to her.

「Hey, I’m not mad, so you don’t have to shrink back so much. Edeltrud, you are concerned about sleeping under the sa roof as Chris, right? Ah, you don’t need to respond; it’s clear enough. Chris, you’re not trying to use this as an opportunity to take things to the next level between us, are you? You just want to spend the night with Mimi and the others after a long ti, right?」

「Y-yes, that’s right… I think?」

Her response was a bit uncertain, but I got the confirmation I needed. That’ll do.

「Alright, then here’s what we’ll do. I’ll spend the night elsewhere tonight. If you’re really worried about Chris, Edeltrud, you can stay on the Black Lotus as well. That should resolve everything, right?」

「N-no, no, no! That doesn’t resolve anything! You understand what it ans for a woman to spend the night on a man’s ship, don’t you?」

「It is the first ti for you, Edeltrud so it might affect your reputation, but for Chris, this isn’t anything new, is it? She’s already spent a lot of ti on my ship before and we even stayed several days on a resort planet. Besides, if we’re going to be officially engaged or married in the future, rumors of us having that sort of relationship could actually be beneficial, don’t you think? As for the real thing, I don’t plan to do it until I get direct approval from Lord Dareinwald himself.」

「Well, that’s… maybe true?」

Edeltrud tilted her head. This is just my opinion, though. I don’t know what you think, and I lack the general knowledge of noble etiquette to judge properly.

「Anyway, if your concern, Edeltrud, is , then everything should be settled with this. The rest is up to you. I’ll spend the night out with i.」

「…You’re going with i?」

「Is that a problem? She stayed behind two days in a row to look after the ship and Neve, so I want to show her so appreciation.」

Though i doesn’t eat, drink, or really have any material desires, so there’s not much I can do for her. If anything, letting her take care of is probably the best reward I can give her.

「…If that’s the case, then there’s no helping it.」

Elma agreed, though she seed a bit disappointed. Look, even I can understand that if I choose anyone other than i in this situation, it would cause friction. So, don’t look so disappointed, please.

Also, Mimi and Chris, stop making those faces of regret like your plans have been foiled. Especially you, Mimi. It seems like Mimi has been trying to push Chris and together rather forcefully. In that sense, I’m already checkmated, so she should just let things take their course without rushing. That’s what I think, anyway.

☆★☆

「Master, thank you for choosing to accompany you this ti.」

「Well, it’s not sothing you need to thank for…」

About two hours later, after preparing for the overnight stay, i and I left the Black Lotus. We took a rather luxurious air taxi to a fairly upscale hotel. Now, having checked in and completed the room inspection, i was taking care of while expressing how thankful she was. It might sound a little racy, but she was only serving so high-quality tea from the in-room tea set and expressing her gratitude.

「You seem tired.」

「Yeah… It’s a bit of a self-inflicted situation. No one’s really at fault, though.」

If anyone’s to bla, it’s that fucking Emperor who sent to the Creon system, or the Earl Ixamal House who decided to betray the Empire and planned a rebellion in the first place. But it’s not easy to complain to the forr, and the latter is more or less extinct, so there’s no one to bla there. I personally took care of their heir, after all. Compared to that, being forced to form unavoidable ties with the Imperial nobility and getting dragged into their affairs is a small price to pay.

「Are you unhappy with your current situation, Master?」

「No, it’s not that. I’m just a bit tired. I always knew I’d have to settle my relationship with Serena and Chris at so point… I just didn’t expect it to end up like this. Or maybe I did? Either way, once I got involved with Serena, I knew it was going to end up like this.」

As Viscount Willrose said, this is probably fate. There’s no point in moping around. Whatever will be, will be.

「Let’s set that aside for now. Next, I need to attend so award ceremony or sothing in the capital, and after that, back to the free rcenary life… or maybe not. I’ll probably need to visit either Marquis Holz House’s territory or Earl Dareinwald House’s territory.」

「That may be the case, but doing as you please is the best course of action. To be blunt, you don’t need to be bound by the nobility’s customs and follow their rules.」

「Isn’t that unrealistic?」

「No, it’s not. In fact, it might be better not to conform to their convenience. If you yield, they will exploit it. Once they figure out your boundaries, they will push them, without fail.」

「I see.」

It’s a likely scenario. They might try to use Serena as a pawn to manipulate or exploit my crew’s family ties, like trying to leverage the Viscount Willrose House, or Sheila, the mother of the chanic sisters, under the pretense of helping them. It’s possible they could co up with so excuse to use for their own ends.

I don’t think Earl Dareinwald is the type to do sothing like that, but Marquis Laurenz Holz, Serena’s father, is an unknown variable. He seems quite adept at scheming.

「Maybe it’s ti to venture a bit further afield.」

「Further afield, you say?」

「Perhaps it’s worth considering leaving the Empire for a while. We could head to sowhere like the Holy Vuelzarus Empire.」

「…I see. That is an unexpected option.」

I saw the rare sight of i with her eyes open in surprise. It’s unusual to see her express so much emotion.

「If I managed to surprise you, i, then maybe I’m getting better at this. But it’s just one idea. Another option is to visit a star system with a ship manufacturer to procure a new mothership. I would like to get sothing more habitable than the Black Lotus, with a hangar large enough to accommodate dium-sized ships.」

「That sounds like a costly venture.」

「Yes, and there’s always the chance a certain maidroid will insist on adding all sorts of armants, driving up the cost.」

「I apologize for the trouble I caused then.」

「It turned out to be the right decision in the end. So, feel free to voice your thoughts again. Other than that, let’s see…」

Talking about future plans and possibilities with i is pretty fun. She’s a great listener and takes even my most random thoughts seriously.

I spent the night alone with i, chatting leisurely, and having her massage my tired body, it was thoroughly relaxing. I can’t help but wonder what kind of conversations the others are having back on the ship. On second thought, maybe it’s better not to know. Yep, I better forget about it.