chapter 89

We docked inside the hangar of the flagship of the imperial independent anti-pirate fleet, Restalias, got off from Krishna, and were promptly guided by imperial soldiers to the captain’s quarters.

Both Mimi and Elma were more or less familiar with the layout of the ship since they visited several times during our fleet instructor stint at the Alein system. As for me, this ship was more or less my temporary workplace, so I was more familiar with it than them. But since these soldiers were ordered to guide us anyway, I might as well just shut up and let them do their jobs.

On the other hand, it was a new experience for Chris since this was the first time she was able to board an imperial military ship, and her eyes were filled with curiosity. The walls and floors of the ship were all made of military-grade metal alloys, so I imagine it would hurt quite a bit if you tripped and fell down here. Or rather, you might actually get injured if you weren’t careful. And so, Mimi pulled Chris’s by the hand and supported her so she won’t get into any accidents. Seeing two cute girls walking side by side while holding each other’s hands was quite the relaxing sight.

By the way, May was staying inside Krishna. Well, I don’t really think anyone would pull anything funny inside the Restalias, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

“Well, it’s not like denying it will do any good at this point. And I’m an honest gentleman after all. And it’s not like this matter won’t bring you any benefits either, right?”

“Haaa…… Well, alright. But hiring our services won’t be cheap, you know?”

“Oh c’mon. Think of this as a way of paying back all the favors you owe us, major. I’m sure you’re not the type to take advantage of honest folk like us, right?”

“Gununu……”

Major Serena’s body shook like that of a newborn fawn’s as her face displayed a mortified expression. Hahaha, how amusing.

“Think about it this way. If you help us out with this matter, I’ll consider us even, so ain’t it quite cheap?”

“Yes, yes, whatever you say… Honestly. Well then, Captain Hiro. I will officially hire you as guards for some civilian cargo transport ships affiliated with us. That arrangement should be fine, right?”

“You expect me to just agree with just that, major? Give me the details first.”

“…Tsk.”

What the heck are you clicking your tongue for, lady?

“There are two civilian cargo ships affiliated with this fleet, and they’re privately owned by House Holz. One is a Pelican IV and the other is a Flying Tortoise. I plan to hire you to guard these two civilian ships.”

“Hey, wait a minute. These so-called civilian cargo ships of House Holz are the ones you use for luring pirates, right?”

“Ohohoho, oh come now. It’s just that those two ships attract pirates on a regular basis so we have no choice but to come to their rescue every time. But, considering your superb skills, you should have no trouble fighting those pirates off or annihilating them, correct?”

Maybe she’s had enough. Major Serena’s expression was filled with annoyance, and it was all directed towards me. Kuh. Well, it would be nice to lure the enemies out of their fox holes and take care of everything in one go, but…… Oh well. This is better than taking them all on by our lonesome anyway. After buying enough time, the independent anti-pirate fleet will take care of the rest.

“Okay then. We’ll go with that. So what about compensation?”

“The standard compensation for a Gold rank mercenary is 80,000 Enels per day.”

“……Ain’t that too cheap?”

“We’ll pay the rewards for every destroyed pirate ship separately after all.”

I moved my gaze toward Elma.

“Well, considering the situation, shouldn’t we be thankful we even get paid in the first place?”

“You have a point… Okay, I understand. We’ll take you up on that offer, major.”

“Alright. Well then, I’ll be arranging everything with the Mercenary Guild first, so just wait inside this ship for the meantime.”

“Okay.”

“Would you like us to take custody of you, Christina-san?”

Major Serena looked towards Chris with a questioning gaze. I turned toward her as well, and saw her shake her head. It looks like she wants to stay on Krishna.

“Well, there you have it. Thank you for the offer though.”

“I see. Well, to a young girl, staying on a military ship filled with stuffy soldiers doesn’t seem too appealing, I guess.”

Major Serena nodded in agreement. But ain’t Major Serena also a girl? I turned a questioning gaze toward her.

“Aside from being a girl, I am a trained military officer and a full-fledged noble after all. I’m also skilled with a sword.”

Major Serena smiled boldly. So she’s skilled with a sword huh. Was she comparable to those knights wielding sabers of light and some sort of force who can deflect laser shots with said sabers? How curious.

“We’ll excuse ourselves then.”

“Alright. I’ll call for one of my men to act as your guide. It won’t do if you accidentally find yourself in a classified area after all.”

After saying so, Major Serena took out a portable communicator and relayed some orders.

Whew. We can finally rest easier now. With their assistance, the danger has lessened considerably. Man, it sure is nice to have connections.