Chapter 3

Unexpectedly, it received good reviews, so it became a serial.

The first two episodes are almost the same as the one-shot.

Thank you for your feedback, I have re-edited it.

My name is John Uzos. I'm a mercenary.

When you hear "mercenary," it sounds cool, but that's only true for a select few.

The ones that become the subject of stories are usually handsome and beautiful.

The ships they ride are either the latest and greatest, which no one can handle, or superweapons with a will of their own, excavated from ruins.

They skillfully handle such ships and single-handedly destroy enemy fleets.

Or they infiltrate a planetary fortress and wipe out everyone.

Or they create a massive mercenary organization that doesn't belong to any nation.

These are all dubious stories that circulate among such people.

I, on the other hand, am a short, bespectacled otaku, and my ship, though modified, is just a used one. I'm the kind of minor mercenary who gets killed off easily. We live in different dimensions.

Now, I am in the Figa space sector of the Galactic Empire, attending the camp of Duke Backhoa, and about to start a battle against the camp of Baron Jeemas.

Currently, the Galactic Empire is in the midst of a civil war, with nobles of the same rank fighting over which one has higher status.

Or whether to send an old antique or not.

They are fighting for such trivial reasons.

It's absurd.

And, as expected, Duke Backhoa has taken a liking to Baron Jeemas' daughter (who is about the same age as his child) and wants her to be his mistress.

If I could just turn around and blow up the flagship's bridge, would that old man die?

Well, it was my mistake to take the job without checking that.

By the way, Duke Backhoa is now addressing all the ships, saying that this is retaliation for Baron Jeemas insulting him, but everyone knows the truth!

Well, his speech is about to end, so I should prepare for battle.

When the battle starts, I'll attack moderately in a corner of the battlefield and run away with all my might.

That's my survival strategy.

"Alright! Fourth kill!"

It's been an hour since the battle started.

I've managed to survive at the edge of the battlefield.

"Have we secured this area?"

It's a flag-raising line, but it seems I don't have to worry.

Then, a general communication came in.

"Attention, left-wing support units! Head to the center! We're being pushed back!"

The person on the screen was Lieutenant Galven, who was in charge of our mercenaries.

He's a good guy, but I wish a cute female soldier would appear.

Or if he were a beautiful female officer, it would be fine.

But in reality, he's a worn-out old man.

"What?! What happened to the guys in the center? I remember one of them saying, 'Ha! I can handle a bunch of grunts on my own! Don't get in my way, you mobs!'"

"The support units are holding up, but the regular forces are falling apart. And that guy hasn't shot down a single ship."

Lieutenant Galven answered my muttering diligently.

Still, it's not that rare for someone to not shoot down a single ship in battle, but it's pretty lame to be so cocky and not do anything.

Anyway, I decided to head to the center.

When I arrived leisurely, the center was in quite a mess.

The support units are holding their own, but the regular forces are falling apart.

If there were no support units, it would be dangerous, wouldn't it?

And the cocky guy was attracting dozens of enemy ships and flying around the battlefield.

"Wow, that's impressive! There's no time to counterattack, indeed."

Because the cocky guy is attracting a large number of enemy ships, our ships have a lot of safety margin.

However, to not be shot down while being chased by so many is probably due to the performance of his ship.

Truly, the cocky guy is a protagonist. His actions are flashy.

By the way, "leisurely" might sound like I moved slowly, but it's actually written as "pressing the sword" and means to come in a hurry without even having time to put the sword on the waist.

Anyway, I decided to take down the ships that were sticking to the cocky guy.

Along with me, other support units were taking down the ships that were sticking to the cocky guy.

But that made me too complacent.

I was caught from behind.

I managed to dodge the attack, but if this continues, it's dangerous.

It will put a strain on the ship, but I have no choice.

First, I'll fly at full throttle and guide the enemy to my rear.

When the enemy is directly behind me, I'll raise the nose, fire the attitude control thrusters on the bottom of the ship at full power for a moment, and stop the main booster all at the same time.

Then, the ship will rotate and fly over the enemy ship, and if I fire a beam at that moment, the enemy will definitely be riddled with holes.

In other words, it's a basic tactic to do a somersault and get behind the enemy, but the sudden raising of the nose makes it look like the ship has been hit and the hull has broken, so it's called a "fake kill."

And the enemy fell for it beautifully.

While I was doing that, the right-wing support units also arrived.

Then, the center became overwhelmingly advantageous for Duke Backhoa's forces.

The loss of both wings would lower the morale of Baron Jeemas' forces.

When the number of ships sticking to the cocky guy dropped below ten and the entire battlefield became advantageous for Duke Backhoa's forces, something unbelievable happened.

Duke Backhoa's flagship came forward while firing its main gun.

Moreover, he was shouting nonsense in a general communication to all ships.

"Hahahaha! My army is overwhelming! The foolish baron should have handed over his daughter sooner! You resisted this much. I'll take good care of her after I capture her!"

Ah, that's a death flag.

The moment I thought that, one of the ships that was sticking to the cocky guy's ship charged straight at the flagship's bridge.

No one on our side could react to the speed.

Of course, neither could the enemy.

They probably didn't expect such a thing.

It was probably a young soldier who had a crush on the baron's daughter.

The ship didn't sink after the attack, but the bridge was severely damaged, barely retaining its original shape.

If the duke and his entourage hadn't been wearing space suits, they would have definitely gone to the other world.

Then,

"I am now the highest-ranking officer, Lieutenant Galven. Duke Backhoa and Colonel Skantan are dead, and the battle cannot continue. I order all soldiers to immediately cease fighting! This absurd killing is a waste of time!"

With those words from Lieutenant Galven, broadcast from another ship, everyone stopped fighting.

Basically, I get in trouble with protagonist-like people or get involved with them.

I reject unreasonable requests and abandon people in trouble.

Thank you for your comments, opinions, and corrections.