Chapter 32

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When Emma woke up, she found herself in the lounge.

Around her, the knights who had been drinking were snoring.

Some were slumped over the tables.

Some were lying on chairs.

Some were sleeping on the floor.

Marie was sitting in a chair with her eyes closed.

She was resting her cheek on her hand, breathing softly.

"Did she just fall asleep like that?"

Last night, Emma had been dragged along by the others and ended up falling asleep.

She had been physically exhausted from the most grueling training she had ever experienced.

Although she hadn't drunk any alcohol, she felt as if she had been intoxicated by the atmosphere.

While moving her head to look around, she thought about what to do next with her sleepy mind.

"The ship's time is—just before dawn, so maybe I should go back to my room? But I'll probably end up drenched in sweat soon—"

As she was thinking, one of the knights lying on the floor suddenly jumped up.

He was tall and muscular.

The big man screamed.

"No, I don't want to! I don't want to turn to stone!!"

When Emma turned to look at the big man, he was crying with a crumpled face.

He seemed to be afraid of something, roughly pushing away the tables and chairs around him.

The others woke up, but they didn't seem panicked at the sight of the big man thrashing around.

"Again?"

Someone muttered, sounding exasperated.

Looking around, some of the knights were angry at being woken up, but most looked sympathetic.

A few knights tried to restrain the big man, but he was too strong.

The knights trying to hold him down were blown away, and they couldn't do anything.

In the midst of this—Marie approached the big man.

"Be careful!"

Emma called out and reached out her right hand, but it was grabbed by Heidi, who had appeared beside her.

"Just watch."

"But—"

(This guy is really strong)

Unable to move with her hand grabbed by Heidi, Emma obediently watched Marie.

Then, Marie—grabbed the big man's head with one hand and slammed it to the floor.

Where did such strength come from in her slender body?

If the person being held down were a civilian, it would be understandable, but Marie was clearly holding down a knight.

And not just any knight, but one who had the strength that several people couldn't control.

She had restrained such a big man with one hand.

"Amazing."

As Emma muttered in amazement, Marie released the big man who was crying and being held down.

She hugged the terrified big man and buried his face in her chest.

Then, she removed her fake ladylike tone and spoke to him in a gentle voice.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. You don't have to be scared. No one will turn you to stone again."

"Marie, I—I—"

"Go ahead, cry. Cry as much as you want and let out your weakness. I, Marie Mariann, will listen. So you don't have to be afraid anymore."

Marie gently stroked the crying big man's head.

It was a scene that made one think of a loving mother.

While Emma was captivated by the scene, Heidi began to explain.

"Atlante's pilot, do you know about our past?"

"Huh? Erm—no, I don't know much."

Seeing Emma's wandering gaze, Heidi seemed to understand.

"It's not a story to spread around, and you probably only know rumors. Since we're here, I'll tell you. We were petrified by a bastard and kept our minds intact through a blessing."

"Petrified? Blessing? Erm—"

"It's like a curse. We were turned to stone and couldn't move, and our minds weren't allowed to collapse."

"Such! That's too cruel, such a thing."

After being petrified, they were kept conscious for years.

What was originally a blessing was a curse for Marie and Heidi.

Emma couldn't even imagine the pain, but just hearing about it made her shudder.

Unable to find words, she saw Heidi smile.

"Don't worry. We don't need your sympathy. It was just that even a tough guy like him was so broken after being released. So, he sometimes goes berserk, remembering the time he was turned to stone—but each time, Marie brings us back to our senses."

Emma and Heidi looked at Marie, who was hugging the big man and smiling gently.

In the dimly lit lounge, Marie, who happened to be under a light, was drawing everyone's attention.

Looking at the faces of the knights around her, they all looked at Marie with trust.

The rough knights recognized Marie as their leader and respected her, making Emma's heart tighten.

(My unit is completely different. —No, it's not. The difference is too great between me and Lady Marie.)

Unlike her, who couldn't earn the trust of her subordinates, Marie was deeply trusted by her own subordinates.

◇

One of the planets belonging to the Unified Government.

There, the flagship of the mercenary group Dalia was docked at the spaceport.

The spaceport, which had been converted from an asteroid that had finished resource extraction, was where Sirena was conducting negotiations with a person accompanied by guards.

The negotiator was dressed in a suit, but the guards around her were armed soldiers.

The woman in the suit, Mijela, was taking a friendly attitude toward Sirena.

"I'm glad you understand our activities. —Even if it's an outdated interstellar nation like the Empire."

While making a comment about the Argland Empire, it was a matter of indifference to Sirena.

"If we can help your independence movement, I'm glad."

Smiling, Sirena said, and Mijela took the suitcase she was offered.

Inside were expensive precious metals.

In addition to mithril ingots, there were various magic-infused gems.

Seeing them, Mijela wore a greedy smile.

"Are you trying to establish a personal connection?"

Seeing the amount of precious metals offered, Mijela thought the Empire wanted to establish a relationship with her.

Sirena smiled.

"I would like to establish a good personal relationship. However, we have prepared several containers of the same items. Please use them as funds for your activities."

The soldiers around her were slightly surprised.

They hadn't expected such generous support from the Empire.

Mijela smiled at Sirena.

"I appreciate it."

The negotiations proceeded smoothly.

However, Sirena didn't have a good feeling about Mijela.

(What a laughable pretender to the independence movement. This type of person, once successful, won't let go of power and becomes dictatorial.)

Many people had achieved independence from interstellar nations, but most of them had become dictatorial, captivated by power.

Sirena thought Mijela, who disliked the Empire, was no different in essence.

"So, have you thought about the attack on the transport fleet?"

When Sirena asked, Mijela talked to one of her guards.

Then, she nodded at Sirena.

"Alright. However, if we manage to capture the transport ships, all the supplies will be used by us."

Sirena smiled while inwardly cursing.

"Fine with me."

(I hope your greed doesn't destroy you. If you really think you can survive in this universe—how naive.)

As a leader—Sirena didn't think Mijela had the capacity to govern a planet.

But she would use anything that could be used.

(Just do your best for us.)

◇

When Sirena returned to Dalia's flagship, Mijela was talking to one of her subordinates in the VIP room of the spaceport.

The subordinate looked worried.

"It's inconceivable that an imperial noble would support the Unified Government. Isn't it a trap?"

The relationship between the Unified Government and the Empire was like oil and water.

It was unthinkable that an imperial noble would approach the Unified Government, which was struggling with independence movements.

Mijela sighed.

"Do you think the support for the independence movement comes from nowhere?"

"—The second prince of the Empire, who is in a succession dispute."

"That foolish prince is supporting us to aim for the throne. It's not strange for an enemy force to support our enemies."

Currently, several planets under the control of the Rostwall Unified Government were simultaneously experiencing independence movements.

Mijela's planet was also taking advantage of the chaos to start an independence movement.

And the Argland Empire was involved behind the scenes.

The royal princes were interfering in the throne dispute.

Mijela herself had been receiving support from the second prince, Rynus.

On the monitor in the VIP room, Dalia's flagship was displayed.

Mijela, unlike before, was looking at Sirena's ship with a contemptuous expression.

"Whether it's the Empire or the dirty mercenaries, we'll use their power for now."

Seeing Mijela's face, the subordinate was somewhat relieved.

"It's not a good idea to get too close to them. —Even if they are called mercenaries, they are no different from space pirates."

"They act as mercenaries during war and pirates when there's nothing to do. They are truly despicable. —But we'll use them to the best of our ability."

After the conversation, Mijela confirmed with her subordinate.

"So, how many forces can you deploy?"

The subordinate, checking a tablet, was confirming the current forces.

"Originally, it was planned to be two thousand ships, but currently, we have one thousand five hundred ships ready."

"—That's five hundred ships short."

"Field reports indicate a lack of supplies and insufficient stockpiles. We can't deploy any more."

"Really useless soldiers. However, it's not a situation to push too hard. Even if the escort for the transport fleet is large, it's only a few hundred ships, right?"

"Yes, confirmed."

"Combined with the mercenaries, our numbers are higher—plus, they are at a disadvantage, guarding a super-large transport fleet."

The route of the transport fleet that Dalia had obtained.

And the attack location was a space domain that Mijela's group could call their backyard.

Mijela smiled.

"The imperial nobles are just vain fools. Their army is just a paper tiger. We'll make good use of the supplies they've prepared."

The subordinate agreed.

"They are not a match for our army, trained under the Unified Government."

Mijela was already confident of victory.

"Teach the outdated fools what a real war is."

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