Chapter 50

While I was terrified by the completion of Rosweiser's body, my turn to receive permission to descend to the ground came around.

My ship, the "Patchwork," is old-fashioned, and I've made various modifications to it, but it's basically a versatile model that can be used both in space and on the ground, with interchangeable armaments.

This time, when I accepted the job, I requested an aerial support mission for ground forces.

The reason is that I plan to equip two small air-to-ground missile pods called "Throwing Nuts," which can be replenished in large quantities in the Earleberg territory.

The power is decent, but because they are small, each pod can carry up to nine missiles.

The name comes from the fact that the missiles are smaller than other air-to-ground missiles.

While they are missiles, they can be used in space, but it would be difficult to hit anything.

Of course, they are mass-produced and adopted as auxiliary armaments for patrol aircraft and bombers within planetary atmospheres.

In other words, they are used for patrol aircraft guarding Triadum ore mines and energy plants, so there is an abundant supply of spare ammunition.

In addition to aerial support for ground forces, there was also a mission to eliminate enemy air units, but with Rosweiser around, it wouldn't be necessary.

Well, even without Rosweiser, I wouldn't have taken the mission to eliminate enemy air units.

I don't want to stand out.

"Begin your descent, 'Patchwork.' Make sure you don't miss your landing point."

"Understood."

Apparently, atmospheric entry used to be a great challenge in the distant past, but now, all ships, no matter how small, are made of materials that can withstand the heat barrier caused by aerodynamic heating (adiabatic compression), making it easy to land on a planet's surface.

Still, you can't be careless during atmospheric entry.

Even if the heat barrier is not a problem, the difficulty of maneuvering has not been resolved.

If something were to happen at this point, it would be impossible to do anything.

After successfully breaking through the atmosphere, what came into view was a vast, brown wilderness of sand and rocks.

Landing without missing the designated point, I found a considerable number of tanks, armored vehicles, atmospheric combat aircraft, and general-purpose combat boats crowded together on the ground.

After placing my ship in the designated position, several maintenance personnel immediately approached.

"Any changes to the requested armaments?"

While the leader was asking me, his subordinates had already started refueling and inspecting the ship.

"No. Please equip the two small air-to-ground missile pods, 'Throwing Nuts,' as requested."

"Got it. I'll take care of the positron torpedoes hanging there."

"Thanks."

In response, two "Throwing Nuts" pods were quickly brought over, and the replacement was completed in no time.

The maintenance personnel here seem to be quite skilled.

It was a good idea to submit the request form in advance.

After that, I went to the tent where the mercenaries were lined up and completed the check-in.

Around there, tents for lodging were being rented out, and there were rows of tents for makeshift showers, food preparation, and other activities.

There were also a considerable number of street vendors lined up, making it look like a market.

As I was staring at the scene,

"Hey! You're here too, huh!"

"Oof!"

My back was hit hard.

Enduring the pain, I turned around to see that it was Mollyse Rotlue, whom I had worked with as a bodyguard for the Neima Trading Company.

"It's... been a while..."

She is rough and competitive, has a habit of skipping work and teasing people, but she is tall, beautiful, and has a well-proportioned, muscular build, making her quite popular.

I don't want to get too close to her, though.

Of course, she wouldn't care about that.

"I saw Arthur and the others over there. It's better to have a clear enemy to beat rather than the petty harassment between nobles that sometimes splits up comrades, right?"

She happily patted my shoulder.

"Well... yeah... It's reassuring to have Arthur and the others around."

As I was enduring the pain,

"Plus, 'Feather Helmet,' 'Black Demon,' and 'Scarlet Goddess' are here too. I feel sorry for the terrorists."

Someone interrupted our conversation.

It was Bernard Zag, a former police officer who, like Mollyse, had worked with me as a bodyguard for the Neima Trading Company.

He was holding a skewer and a can of beer, apparently bought from a street vendor.

The operation is scheduled to start tomorrow morning, but is it okay to start drinking in the afternoon?

No, maybe it's because it's "afternoon."

"Is that true? If so, our victory is certain!"

Mollyse reacted enthusiastically to the information from Bernard.

"Still, don't get complacent."

"Of course not!"

Bernard warned, but his warning lacked credibility with a can of beer and a skewer in his hand.

However, if what he said is true, it was a good decision not to take the mission to eliminate enemy air units.

I saw media ships during the descent, so there are probably reporters lurking around them.

"Well, we'll leave the flashy aerial battles to the flashy ones. We'll just do the less glamorous job of providing aerial support to ground forces."

Saying that, Bernard bit into his skewer.

No, all jobs are important, regardless of whether they are flashy or not.

But it's just a joke, so it's not a problem.

After finishing the conversation with the two of them, I bought bread and soup from the food preparation area, skewers and fruit from a street vendor, and headed back to my ship.

On the way, I spotted Yuriy Priliera, the hero.

Fortunately, he didn't notice me, so I managed to pass by without saying anything and left the area.

When I returned to my ship, something unexpected had happened.

The ship wasn't damaged.

The problem was that a group of mercenaries, who seemed to be the popular type, were having a barbecue next to my ship.

The barbecue itself wasn't a problem.

It was happening all over the place.

The issue was that their belongings were blocking the entrance to my ship.

I had the right to ask them to move their belongings, but I didn't think they would comply easily.

However, I couldn't sleep without returning to my ship.

So, I had no choice but to kill time until their barbecue was over.

I went to the tent where I had checked in and gathered useful information, such as the location and map of the battlefield, the locations of buildings and facilities from locals, weather changes, fragmented information about the terrorists, and detailed information about the energy plant to be recaptured.

After about five hours, when I returned to where my ship was parked, their belongings were scattered, and the entrance was clear.

Moreover, they were passed out drunk, so now was the time to return to my ship.

I carefully moved their belongings and managed to get inside.

I sighed in relief, locked the door, took a shower, changed clothes, and collapsed on the makeshift bed.

I truly felt that it was a good decision to have a small but functional combat boat with a shower, bed, toilet, microwave, and refrigerator.

I set the alarm, read a light novel in bed, and waited to fall asleep.

I apologize for the delay due to an emergency.

I appreciate any feedback, comments, or reports of typos.

I changed the ship's facility from "stove" to "microwave."