Chapter 61

### Side B: Duke Ovols' Manor

In a spacious greenhouse, an old man in work clothes was watering plants with a watering can when a neatly dressed butler appeared.

"Your Grace, I have a report."

"What is it?"

The old man, addressed as "Your Grace," responded while continuing to water the plants.

"We captured the two individuals a few hours ago. They were indeed pirates, just as the mercenary's submitted documents stated. The police have put a bounty on them through the Mercenary Guild."

"Hmm. So, the mercenary who followed them was truly just chasing them... In that case, we've caused them some inconvenience due to our 'mistake.'"

"The 'hounds' that were released as part of that 'mistake' have returned, reporting that the aircraft was abandoned."

"To bring them down without killing them... That mercenary must be quite skilled."

The Duke stopped watering and went to put the watering can back.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it be. Do nothing.

From their perspective, the pirates they were chasing entered a noble's territory and were stopped by the guards. So, they handed over the pirates to the guards and withdrew, which is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

On our side, we only said that no one should enter the Duke's territory without permission and that we would catch the thieves ourselves, which is also a perfectly reasonable explanation.

If we hand over the captured pirates to the police, they will admire the Duke's guards and the matter will be settled."

The Duke put the watering can back on the shelf, sat at a table where a tea set was prepared, and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Yet, foolish authorities often panic in such situations and do something unnecessary, leading to their downfall."

The Duke took a sip of the tea he had poured.

"The other side, not suspecting anything unusual, would be driven by paranoia to order their subordinates to attack, which would only make them look suspicious.

Let me say this one more time: do nothing."

His tone was calm, but his final words were firm.

"Understood. I will inform the 'hounds' as well."

"That's a good 'hound.' And the 'hound' that went hunting as ordered is not at fault.

The guard captain who used my 'hound' for the hunt without permission will be dismissed by morning."

"Understood."

The butler bowed deeply to the Duke, who was calmly drinking his tea.

### Side B: The 'Hound'

"Damn it!"

In one of the servant quarters on the Duke Ovols' estate, the sound of a helmet being slammed on the floor echoed.

"I'm sorry, sis. It's all my fault..."

"It's not your fault... The other side was just better than us."

Two young individuals, likely in their late teens, wearing pilot spacesuits, were sitting on a bed, their heads hanging low.

"I didn't expect them to react... Next time, I'll definitely shoot them down..."

"It might be harder than you think."

"Why, sis!"

"He was probably holding back. He destroyed our ship's thrusters to interrogate us."

"!"

The younger sister, who had been biting her thumbnail, let out a frustrated cry but was scolded by her sister.

The younger sister was shocked by this observation and bit her thumbnail even harder.

"To win next time, we need to improve our skills!"

"You're right, sis!"

The sisters firmly resolved.

"Still, I wonder what kind of person it was who outsmarted us. A cool handsome guy? A dashing older man? Maybe even a cute androgynous person?"

"Sis..."

And with that, the conversation shifted to more frivolous topics, causing the younger sister to hold her head in exasperation.

"Wouldn't it be obvious if I saw the footage? It could be a muscular brute, a chubby otaku, or a narcissistic guy."

"Why do you have to say such unpleasant things!"

The sister, who was fantasizing about the person who defeated them, and the sister, who was more grounded in reality, continued their argument.

### Side B: End

To clear my mind after the unpleasant encounter at the Mercenary Guild, I headed to 'Ani-Member' and got the new issues of:

'Ultimate Road'

'The Butler of Mr. Ohsugi's House'

'Monster Story Comic Version'

At 'Seiza Ban,' I got the novelization of 'The Seven-Headed Fiancée' and a doujinshi of the popular game 'Creature Hunter Series.'

On my way back, feeling quite satisfied, I saw the pink-haired woman, Ako Shandela, in front of me.

"To run into you here, God must be on my side!"

She grinned and glared at me, pulling out a gun despite being in the middle of the street.

People around us gasped at her actions.

Why would she pull out a gun in such a crowded place, even though I hadn't attacked her?

I raised my hands to show that I wasn't resisting.

"What do you want?"

She said, "Didn't I just tell you? Buy back the 'Bastes,' repair it perfectly, and present it to me! Oh, and if you want, a new Maxborg G-32 'Dilitha' or a new G-42 'Lazjart' from the Gelmaxin Romix company would be fine too!"

She reiterated what she had said at the Mercenary Guild and made even more demands.

Incidentally, both of these additional requests are main combat ships of the Imperial Army!

And both cost over 10 million!

"I refuse. Why should I do that?"

Of course, I immediately rejected her.

"Money earned by someone like you should be used by someone like me, a chosen individual, right?"

But she said this calmly.

She is clearly insane.

Why would she make such demands to a stranger?

I had a theory, but there was only one thing to do now.

"Hello, is this the police? I'm being extorted by a strange woman in front of the Buzzun Building in Block 65. Can you come quickly?"

I contacted the police using my wrist terminal.

"What! Why are you calling the police? Hang up!"

"Please, try to come as soon as possible, 'Bang!'"

Before I could finish the call, she shot at my feet.

My wrist terminal has a video call feature, so the operator could see her.

From the video and the conversation, it was clear that I was calling the police, not to buy a combat ship.

"Why are you calling the police on me? Answer quickly!"

The answer to my earlier question, "Why would she make such demands to a stranger?" is probably because she is a noble.

Moreover, if she is a noble who dislikes the current emperor and advocates for a noble lifestyle, her actions and words make sense.

However, if she is a noble, she should have the money and power to get a combat ship. If she is a mercenary as a hobby, she could ask her parents for a 'Bastes.'

From this, I concluded that she is probably a fallen noble or a former noble who has lost her title.

In any case, I can't be shot, so I explained.

"No matter how you look at it, what you're doing is a crime. It's only natural to call the police."

"Huh? How is it a crime for a commoner like you to present a new combat ship to a noble like me?"

"Didn't you know that the previous emperor issued a decree and the current emperor is enforcing a law that nobles should not make such demands?"

"I don't need to follow that woman's orders!"

She is indeed a noble and probably has some connection or acquaintance with the emperor.

She might have a grudge against the current emperor.

Given her age, something might have happened.

"Just agree and go buy it!"

Finally, she seemed to reach her limit, screeching and shooting at my feet again.

The next moment, her arm holding the gun was grabbed by someone, and she was knocked to the ground.

"Police! We're arresting you for extortion!"

It was the police.

They must have approached quietly without sounding the siren to avoid alerting her.

There were four of them, two restraining her and the other two talking to the people around.

It seems someone had called the police.

"What are you doing? I was just trying to teach that commoner his place!"

"Sure, sure. We'll get the details at the station."

She continued to rant, but the police ignored her, handcuffed her, and put her in the patrol car.

At that moment, the operator, who had been on the line, spoke.

"Caller, it seems the officers arrived in time."

"Yes, thank you for not hanging up."

"No problem. Your call helped us understand the situation. We'll leave the rest to the officers on the scene."

"Thank you."

I thanked the operator and hung up. One of the police officers approached me.

"Are you the victim?"

"Yes."

"We heard the conversation over the phone, so it's fine. We'll file a report, so please provide your ID."

"Sure."

I handed over my wrist terminal and sent the ID data to the officer's tablet.

During this time, I pretended not to notice that Ako Shandela, who was in the patrol car, was glaring at me.

"We'll file the report as a case of extortion."

"Thank you."

The officer filed the report and took her away in the patrol car.

However, I have a feeling that the guild might ask me to withdraw the report.

I'll just go home and read the new issues...

The woman will reappear.

Unrelated, but do I think the halfpipe tricks in snowboarding are a bit middle-school-drama-like?

Please share your thoughts, comments, and any typos you notice.