Chapter 54

As the terrorists were apprehended and the noble "sunny" group was also arrested, a grand victory celebration was held at headquarters from the evening.

In particular, the three people known as the "Pitch-Black Demon," "Crimson Goddess," and "Feathered Helmet" were surrounded by a large number of media.

Lambert Reigrace-Ikiri was extremely nervous, but the other two seemed used to it.

Arthur was also swarmed by the media, and Seira clung to him, trying to show off to the cameras.

In the midst of all this, I went to refuel and restock ammunition, and tried to get back the positron torpedoes that had been entrusted to me, but I couldn't.

It seems that those "sunny" people had taken out the positron torpedoes that I and others had entrusted to them, and there was a possibility that sand had gotten into them when they made an emergency landing in the wilderness, so they said they would check them before returning them.

I think sand wouldn't get in, but apparently they want to be careful just in case.

Since positron torpedoes are basically consumables, I could buy new ones, but they are quite expensive, so I decided to wait for them to be returned.

I really wanted to join the victory celebration, but the maintenance crew, who were doing safety checks for us, really deserve my respect.

The reward will be sent to the mercenary guild later, so I actually intended to leave before the celebration started.

If I joined the celebration and got involved with weird people, especially someone like the "Blue Sparrow Wasp" whose face I don't even know, it would be a disaster.

So, I moved the ship to the far end of the base and stayed quietly inside.

While listening to the faint cheers, I checked the participant list, finished my meal of skewers, coffee, and dry bread from a street vendor on the way back, locked up properly, lay down on a simple bed, and started reading a light novel.

**Main Character Side: Arthur Linguard**

Finally, after being released from the media, I was hit by a wave of fatigue.

To be honest, dealing with the media is more exhausting than shooting down enemies.

"Are you okay, Arthur-sama?"

"Maybe a bit... "

"Then let's go back to the tent."

"Yeah."

Seira was also worried, so we were about to head back to the tent when Bernard, Morise, and Levin arrived.

"Hey, monk. Looks like you were swarmed by the media."

"More tiring than the battle..."

Bernard was holding a cup that seemed to contain alcohol.

"Still hanging around with that guy, huh? How about me once in a while?"

Morise suddenly put me in a headlock.

Her chest pressed against my face, and when she whispered in my ear, it made me feel strange.

"Ugh... It's suffocating, let me go."

"Morise! Don't stick to my Arthur-sama!"

"Whoa, scary. Just kidding, just kidding."

When Seira scolded Morise, she immediately let go.

I didn't want to get caught again, so I started talking to Levin.

"Hey. Looks like you did a good job."

"Yeah. But I can't match the 'Black,' 'Red,' 'Blue,' and 'Yellow-Green' four."

We did a fist bump, a greeting he taught me.

"Those four... especially the 'Yellow-Green Feathered Helmet' is in a different league."

"The 'Red' is also amazing. To be able to disable the crazy ones and make them crash-land is no easy feat."

"Uzous might be able to do it."

With his incredible skills, Uzous might actually do it.

While thinking about this,

"You've got great skills. You hit a missile into a pillbox's gun port from 2 km away."

Morise reported Uzous' achievement.

It's hard to believe, but Morise has no reason to lie, so it must be true.

"Even with such skills, why does he stay at the knight rank? I can understand it's troublesome, but..."

I asked Morise something I had been wondering.

"Same here. The bishop rank brings more trouble and responsibility. The knight rank is more relaxed."

Her answer was the same as what Seira had heard before, and it turned out Morise also stayed at the knight rank.

"What about Uzous himself?"

"He's already gone. I was going to treat him."

"Isn't it usually you who treats others?"

"I'm the newbie. It's the seniors' duty to treat."

When Levin asked Bernard about Uzous, he got a very convenient answer.

Morise jumped on that.

"Then let's get the life senior to treat us! Everyone! Let's go to the street vendors! All you can drink!"

"Wait a minute? I heard you're famous for being a bottomless pit! Stop! You'll use up all the rewards!"

Bernard tried desperately to stop Morise from heading to the street vendors.

Well, this is just one of the interactions among mercenaries.

**Main Character Side: End**

The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, I went to the maintenance area, picked up the positron torpedoes, and asked about those "sunny" people.

The marquis' daughter apparently protested using her father's name, but it didn't work on the earl, and she was disowned by her father.

Her companions were in a similar state, and since they were all regular military personnel (the marquis' daughter was a major, the others were captains and lieutenants), they were to be court-martialed.

Moreover, they tried to escape, which made their crimes even worse.

Well, it's a just result.

Even though it was early in the morning, there were already many people around.

People were cooking and street vendors were providing food.

Especially the street vendors seemed to be trying to sell as much as possible.

In any case, they said they would start packing up after serving breakfast.

Since I was there, I decided to get breakfast and was eating at a provided table when someone sat down in front of me.

I thought it might be the hero, but it was someone else.

Someone else, but an incredibly handsome person.

You know the type of person who is so handsome that even someone like me, who has no interest in celebrities, can tell, "Ah, this person is handsome."

By the way, there are also people who are genuinely beautiful, but I've never met one.

He looked to be about high school age, and unlike the "sunny" people in civilian clothes, he was properly dressed in a military uniform, so he was either a garrison soldier or a private soldier of the earl.

"Yesterday was tough, huh..."

What? Why is he suddenly talking to me... but it doesn't seem like he's talking to me.

For someone like me, who is a bit socially awkward, being suddenly talked to by a stranger is very stressful, so I'm grateful he's not talking to me.

"My whole family is in the military, and my father and uncles are all heavy drinkers with bad drinking habits, so the cleanup and care are really tough... I can't yell at them because I respect them... sigh..."

After a long complaint, the mysterious handsome boy sighed deeply, looking very tired.

I can somewhat understand the reason for that sigh.

Being a minor at a drinking party is probably boring, and he couldn't leave because of family ties.

Most importantly, he probably couldn't scold them because of his higher rank in the military.

Still, why is he telling me, a complete stranger, his complaints?

Is he waiting for me to ask, "What's wrong?"

If so, that's a very troublesome situation.

Or is he just venting his complaints to no one in particular?

If that's the case, I wish he would lower his voice and go to the hospital sooner.

Well, since he's here, he must have participated in the operation, and since he seems to be having a hard time, I'll just ignore him.

After finishing my meal in about five minutes, I left the handsome boy there and left.

I was worried about being caught by someone, but since it was early in the morning and most people were passed out, they wouldn't wake up for a small thing.

So, I quickly moved to the ship, got on board, and left the planet Teura.

Who is the handsome boy who talks to himself? w

With various commitments at the end of the year, I will lose time, so this will be the last update of the year.

Thank you for your continued support next year.

I appreciate your comments, feedback, and any typo reports.