Chapter 9

"I am the third princess of the royal family of Calvada, Lilianna Calvada."

The moment the name of the person to be rescued was mentioned, silence reigned. It was only natural. The name Calvada belonged to the royal family of the planet Calvada, the headquarters of the elves. Moreover, it turned out that the third princess had been set up by someone.

"There are enemies within the family, huh? I'm sorry to hear that."

"Watch your tongue, Sergeant Shu Kisaragi. I will not tolerate any more rudeness."

"Because I can't trust my own family, I hired mercenaries who move for money. Not a bad choice. But do you really think you can rescue her with this small fleet and personnel?"

"Didn't you hear? I will not tolerate rudeness."

Colonel Cecilia stood in front of me with a blank expression. I spoke the truth to her.

"Is your face so important to you? At this moment, you should request a rescue from the Earth Federation Unified Government or the Gardia Imperial Government. And don't forget, there's also the Galactic Free Republic."

"We would have to provide technology in return. Our technology is beyond your human capabilities."

"That's obvious. We humans can only live for about 150 years with the help of drugs and other things. In contrast, elves live for hundreds of years. The foundation is just too different."

"Indeed. Many of the technologies that are normal for us are too difficult for weak humans."

"Still, humans are greedy. It can't be helped."

"Because of that greed, many planets have died, involving countless civilians. You wouldn't understand."

Hearing these words, I thought, "Indeed." Elves are said to be exclusive, but perhaps that's not entirely true. Maybe they feel guilty about the many innocent people who have died because of the technology they created.

"What? You guys are surprisingly kind, aren't you?"

When I muttered this, the expressions of Colonel Cecilia and the other elves became momentarily dazed. I should have switched my terminal to camera mode.

"Shut up."

"Are you what they call a tsundere? Oh, how charming. Anyway, I'll join the rescue mission. Please give me the details so far and the future plans."

"You were complaining so much and now you're joining? That's a bit surprising."

"I wasn't complaining. I was just saying what I predicted. This time, it hit the mark. I wonder if there's a perfect prize."

"Perfect prize?"

Colonel Cecilia cleared her throat and began explaining again.

"It has been confirmed that Princess Lilianna is no longer with the Union Corporation. They have handed her over to the cult known as [Sectar]."

"Sectar? They are human supremacists. Is the princess safe?"

"Probably not at risk of being killed. Princess Lilianna is a rare genius."

A rare genius. I don't understand what that means yet. And even if the risk of being killed is low, the risk of being tortured still exists.

"According to a key figure in the Union, they are heading to the Sador star system. The Sador star system, with the planet Damlaka at its center, is currently under lockdown and has been abandoned by the government, becoming a lawless zone. It's an ideal place for them to hide."

Planet Damlaka. About fifty years ago, a war was supposed to break out. What was the initial cause? It started when the planet Damlaka, located in the central part of the Sador star system, declared independence from the Earth Federation Unified Government along with the surrounding planetary governments and provisional governments.

Of course, the Earth Federation Unified Government did not recognize the independence and dispatched the Seventh Mobile Fleet led by General Max. They also gathered other reserve forces, which took some time, but they eventually arrived on the scene.

When General Max and the Seventh Mobile Fleet arrived, they saw nothing. I'll repeat that: they saw nothing.

The planet Damlaka, the surrounding resource planets, residential planets, and relay colonies were all gone, leaving a clean, empty space.

After confirming the situation, the Earth Federation Unified Government immediately decided to lock down the area around Damlaka. The lockdown remains in effect to this day.

"The Sador star system, huh? It's now a haven for space pirates and criminals. Are you really going there with this fleet?"

"Yes. But if our forces and your mercenaries' forces work together properly, there shouldn't be a problem."

"Ha. You just want us to be decoys, right? If you hate humans so much, deal with it yourselves, you damn elves."

Jumbo, who had heard the exchange with Bergs, was extremely displeased. Just bear with it a little longer, baby.

"Jumbo, you're big, so get a bigger heart."

"What did you say! And I'm not Jumbo!"

"Anyway, the immediate obstacle is the space pirates, criminals, and the mafia's tolls. What are the main weapons used by the people in the Sador star system?"

"Don't ignore me, you damn brat!"

"I'm nineteen. I'm not a kid. I admit I have a youthful face, though."

"Your personality is as childish as your appearance."

The conversation was getting off track, but Colonel Cecilia glared at me while clearing her throat. That's why she's scary.

"Most of the weapons are old. The government and the surrounding autonomous regions probably don't want to get involved with the Sador star system."

"Still, there's a certain demand. The people who sell old weapons at good prices are probably slapping someone's face with wads of cash every day. How nice, I want to be a nouveau riche too."

"Who uses paper money these days, especially in the frontier?"

"In the past, nouveau riche people used to take baths with wads of cash."

"Is that true? That sounds very unsanitary."

As I shared my outdated and possibly inaccurate knowledge, another cough came from Colonel Bratfield.

"Let me reiterate. I've paid you. Now, you mercenaries, do your job. Any questions?"

"Yay! Will there be a bonus?"

"The more results you produce, the more bonus you'll get."

"Alright! I'm fired up. Whether it's a large enemy force or a betrayal, I'll crush them."

"Don't talk about betrayal. It's unsettling."

Ignoring Lieutenant Cherie's interjection, I mulled over the mission details while listening to Colonel Cecilia.

"By the way, I haven't expected you mercenaries to be the vanguard from the beginning. The vanguard will be led by Captain Christina Bratfield and her unit. You just need to crush the overflowed enemy forces. If you can't even do that, you'll be truly incompetent. That's all."

After finishing her explanation, Colonel Cecilia left the room. Captain Christina Bratfield took her place in front of us.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Captain Christina Bratfield. Let me make one thing clear: don't drag our feet. That's all."

With that, she and the other elves quickly left the room.

"Am I the only one who thinks we're going to have a lot of mental suffering from now on?"

When I asked the remaining four mercenaries, no one responded, and a heavy silence filled the air.