Chapter 10

I changed Ikirikun's name.

Albert Circlewood, one of only 12 King-ranked mercenaries in the entire mercenary guild, is here.

I never expected such a famous person to show up.

Of course, he is tall and handsome, and his skills are so renowned that he is called the "One-Man Fleet" and the "Pitch-Black Devil."

According to rumors, the ship he rides is a monstrous vessel experimentally produced by a shipyard, and no one but him can operate it.

With him here, the operation to secure a beachhead for the raid on the Kaides Pirate Group's base is likely to go well.

Perhaps High Captain Hyliatt secured his cooperation before planning this operation.

The briefing began immediately after that.

First, all units were to gather at the designated assembly points on each planet by the specified time.

Then, after the mercenary forces surrounded the area, the interception forces would be annihilated.

After that, the Imperial Army's elite guard would storm and secure the base.

The plan was extremely orthodox and a well-worn tactic.

Resistance from the base's artillery and interception forces was, of course, anticipated.

The likelihood of mercenary casualties was also considered.

That was fine, though.

Mercenaries are prepared for such risks.

However, the problem was with the Imperial Army units that would storm and secure the base.

Normally, the central fleet's extermination force or the planetary defense fleet would be more suitable, but why was the Imperial Guard taking the lead?

The Imperial Guard is a unit for the Emperor, the ruler of the Empire.

They are not a unit to be deployed for pirate suppression.

Nevertheless, if they were taking the lead, it was probably a form of military demonstration.

Of course, I expected a skilled unit to be sent, but if this was an opportunity for some high-ranking officials to show off their prowess, it could lead to not just a double but possibly an eightfold amount of work, and they might even blame us for any failures.

How could we be blamed for interfering when we haven't even entered the base?

Honestly, it was a situation I couldn't deal with.

But this time, with a famous person here, it would be hard for them to pin it on us.

We also have Rosweiss and Hero-kun as part of our forces.

"With such powerful reinforcements, let's ensure the success of this operation for the peace of the Empire!"

High Captain Hyliatt concluded the briefing with a theatrical tone,

"Then, gather in the designated space by 20:00 Galactic Standard Time!"

With those words from the burly military man, the operation preparations began.

Since the fuel and ammunition were already fully loaded, the combat ships started leaving the docking bay one after another.

Of course, I was one of the last to depart.

About an hour after departure, we arrived at the designated space, and we mercenaries surrounded the Kaides Pirate Group's hideout.

The area was teeming with various combat ships, like a trade show for combat ships.

Among them, the standout was:

Albert Circlewood's ship, entirely black with a small, deformed devil illustration on the hull, and

Rosweiss's ship, with its silver and yellow-green color scheme and a helmet with feather markings, which Ikirikun (Lambert Reigras) was riding.

Just by looking at those two, they seemed to be the top aces.

Then, the Imperial Guard fleet arrived behind the group, and an announcement was made to all ships.

"All officers and men! I am Kielact Enderby, Commander of the Galactic Empire's Imperial Guard, a general and a duke!"

A handsome man who looked like a prince appeared on the screen.

He was the current emperor's cousin, and there were rumors that some people were trying to make him the emperor.

"The operation to destroy the vicious Kaides Pirate Group rests on your shoulders! Let's surely bring about their destruction to protect the peace of the Empire, nay, the world!"

Everyone was roused by the general's words, but some men were probably shouting, "Explosion, handsome!"

In any case, the operation to destroy the Kaides Pirate Group began.

The Kaides Pirate Group's hideout was a fortress built on a large asteroid.

In other words, it was a more advanced version of the asteroid residences we captured a few days ago.

With so many ships approaching, of course, the enemy's beam emitters appeared.

"Beam emitters confirmed!"

The moment I heard the report, I moved my ship away from the emitters.

Even with the barrier, I thought it was best to minimize consumption.

The other mercenaries were also experienced, and except for the rookies, they easily dodged the beams.

Albert Circlewood and Rosweiss, in particular, were dodging the beams while destroying the emitters one after another.

As expected, the "Pitch-Black Devil" and the "Conscious Superweapon" were in a league of their own.

The enemy must have realized the situation was dire, as small manned and unmanned combat ships started appearing.

It seemed they couldn't deploy their pirate ships.

Well, let's get to work!

The battle had only been going on for 30 minutes, and more than half of the enemy's combat ships were already destroyed.

Mainly due to Rosweiss.

Drawing trajectories that were almost impossible for humans, he destroyed enemy ships at an incredible speed.

Even the "Pitch-Black Devil" couldn't keep up; while he did the same, his pace was about a third of Rosweiss's, and his movements were within the human range.

Was Ikirikun (Lambert Reigras), who was riding Rosweiss, okay?

But this only made Ikirikun even more of a focus.

He was probably unconscious, though.

No, he definitely was!

But thanks to him, our casualties were kept to a minimum.

Still, there were casualties, albeit minimal.

Before long, all the combat ships outside were destroyed, and the gun ports fell silent.

"Good job, mercenaries! The rest is up to us!"

With General Kielact Enderby's command, the suppression forces began infiltrating the hideout.

All that was left was to capture or destroy any who tried to escape from the hideout.

If not, we could relax until the operation ended.

I took out a can of coffee from the box and a newly bought light novel.

At that moment, a communication from Rosweiss came in.

I thought it would be something troublesome, but I decided to check it anyway.

"Hello, what's up?"

Rosweiss appeared on the screen with a serious expression.

"Captain Uzus. I have some unfortunate news... I have found my destiny..."

As expected, it was something troublesome.

But I had anticipated it, so I asked,

"Albert Circlewood? Or General Kielact Enderby?"

To which she replied,

"Yes! It's unbelievable to have two such wonderful and charming people! The only ones who can ride me are either of those two! You should have switched to me earlier. Too bad! ♪"

She smiled broadly and said something like a flirtatious line.

You would have said the same thing even if I had switched.

I was right to refuse.

"Which one do you think is better? Albert as a combat ship partner, or Kielact as someone to protect? ♪ But..."

I left the excited Rosweiss as she rambled on and started reading my light novel.

Since this would probably take a while, this was the right response.

All that was left was to wait for the suppression forces to complete their mission.

The origin of the "Pitch-Black Devil" is from the nickname of Erich Hartmann, an ace pilot of Germany during World War II, known as the "Black Devil."

Thank you for your comments, opinions, and any typo reports.