Chapter 64

"I am Dorthas Tsuir, the security officer of the Novandul Marquisate. I am pleased to have your cooperation in the security for the social party hosted by my master, Sibylus Novandul, the Marquis. The event will last for three days, but the main party is only tomorrow. Today is the assembly day, and the day after the party is the dispersal day.

Today, I would like to ask you mercenaries to secure the perimeter of the colony and guide the guests to the entrance of the colony. The interior of the colony, where the event will take place, is strictly off-limits during the event period except in emergencies. I hope you understand that this is to ensure your integrity and safety. The nobles can be quite troublesome, you know.

I will send the shift schedule shortly, but those whose names are called now, please gather here. After confirming the schedule, please proceed to your assigned posts."

Thus, the place I was assigned to was a corner of the colony's torso section. The shifts are in pairs, and we cover each other for meals and bathroom breaks. I was glad I didn't get the first shift off, but the old man Bernard next to me was complaining that he wanted to take a break first.

To be honest, there's not much to do. The nobles will head straight to the entrance of the colony, and my position is far from the entrance, so they won't come near me. As for those whose names were called, they were selected to manage the traffic and guide the nobles. The selection criteria were being handsome, beautiful, or cute, and being able to handle situations calmly.

Among those called were Arthur, Seira, and surprisingly, Rosweiss and Lambert. I wonder when they joined this job. At least Rosweiss didn't talk to me, which was a relief.

Just as I was feeling relieved, Bernard spoke up, seemingly to pass the time. "Still, why did you join this job? Even if it's one of the easier ones, I thought you'd avoid jobs involving nobles since they're not related to combat."

The content of his question was quite sharp, probably because he was a former police officer. I wasn't bored because I was reading a light novel, but I didn't want to delve into that, so I responded, "I'm a bit tired. Loanz's old man arranged this for me."

Indeed, usually I would look for jobs posted on the bulletin board, but after the attacks on the duchy and the pink-haired attacker, I couldn't get into the mood for anime or manga. Given my state, a combat mission would have been dangerous, so Loanz's old man arranged a job with minimal combat risk for me.

"I see. Risk avoidance in combat, huh?"

"Skilled and brave mercenaries might call me a coward, but—"

"They probably just want to become heroes as soon as possible."

Bernard chuckled and took his smoking pipe out of his mouth. "Still, it's so boring. Can I take a nap? I'm getting old, you know."

"Sure, I'll wake you up with a loud noise in about two hours."

"Even that would be fine."

He knew what the loud noise would be, but if he still wanted to sleep, he must be quite tired.

Two hours later, just as I was preparing to wake him up, he communicated, "Ugh... I don't feel like I slept much..."

He seemed to have woken up. "Oh, you're awake."

I was disappointed that I couldn't use the loud noise. "You seem disappointed."

"No, no."

"Still, it's comfortable to sleep with the pilot seat reclined."

"Your body gets stiff, though."

Bernard stretched and groaned, lamenting the discomfort of his sleep. "You can take a break next."

Since he had taken a break, it was my turn. I had encountered people before who didn't let me rest even when they did, so I appreciated his fairness. "I'll go lie down on the bed, then."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean by 'bed'?"

The word "bed" caught Bernard's attention. "My ship has a small bed, a toilet, a shower, a microwave, and a refrigerator. Didn't I mention that?"

Since I didn't go to the tent provided during the terrorist operation in the Icorai Marquisate, he should have been able to guess. "What? Hey! Can you bring the ship back to the colony?"

"No way!"

He seemed unsatisfied with his two-hour nap and tried to push, but I ignored him and took my nap.

After the first 12 hours, we switched shifts and headed to the accommodation facility, the colony. Bernard kept asking to borrow my ship, but eventually gave up and asked where I got it. When I told him I had it custom-made with the help of a friend's repair shop, he muttered, "I should make one... but I still have a loan on this ship..."

After finishing my meal, I planned to take a bath and go to bed, but the person I least wanted to see arrived.

"Long time no see, Captain Uzus."

"Ah, hello..."

My biggest concern. Rosweiss's bio-android unit. Just the sight of the blonde, blue-eyed beauty talking to someone like me is a disaster.

"This is the first time we've met since then."

Actually, we had already encountered each other, but there was no need to mention it. "Thank you for managing the queue..."

"It was tough. The noble's foolish sons kept hitting on me! They were so infatuated!"

I tried to keep the conversation light and let everyone know she had a partner. "Did Lambert do anything to help?"

"Well, he always said, 'I'm sorry, but I have to guide other guests too...'"

Rosweiss seemed somewhat pleased and started fidgeting. It seemed she wasn't looking for a new pilot anymore.

Just as I thought everyone understood she had a partner, Morise made a comment that ruined the moment. "So, is she your girlfriend?"

Panicking would be disastrous. I just needed to stay calm and stick to the facts. "She's Rosweiss, the partner of 'Hakamaki.'"

"Really? The 'Hakamaki'?"

Morise looked at Rosweiss with interest and then at me. "How do you know the partner of 'Hakamaki'?"

"I just happened to be on the same battlefield as Lambert Rieglace during his first mission."

I answered Morise's nosy question with the facts. "And I consulted with him about Lambert."

Rosweiss added, "Yes, about Lambert."

Indeed, it was about Lambert, but her attitude and reaction were quite different from before. She was in the "dere" phase, the classic tsundere.

"I see."

Morise looked at Rosweiss with a smirk, clearly teasing her. But then, a savior appeared.

"Old man, don't mess with the young ones."

Bernard, holding a can of non-alcoholic beer and some squid tentacles marinated in soy sauce on a skewer, scolded Morise. Morise, who was older than me but not an old man, naturally took issue with that.

"I'm still in my 20s, you know?"

"To her, you're a proper old woman."

"Real old man, you—"

"Please, calm down..."

"It's disturbing the others."

Just as Morise grabbed Bernard's collar, Arthur and Seira, who had appeared out of nowhere, stepped in between them. Thanks to them, both sides calmed down a bit.

Still, where was Lambert while Rosweiss was here? Was he surrounded by fanboy mercenaries?

"By the way, where's Lambert?"

"There."

Rosweiss pointed to a corner of the cafeteria where Lambert and Levin were having an intense conversation.

"Something about a certain shopping district..."

Ah, I see. He might have lost his initial enthusiasm, but based on what Rosweiss said and what I've seen of Lambert's behavior, it seems like something he would enjoy. It's good that he made a friend.

○ Types of Combat Boats

There are two types of combat boats:

- General-purpose boats, designed for long-term operations, equipped with toilets, cooking facilities, beds, and showers.

- Specialized boats, focused solely on combat.

Mercenaries typically use general-purpose boats, while the military and police use specialized boats. There is almost no performance difference, but general-purpose boats are slightly heavier.

Mob's ship is a bit boxy and chunky, but as a general-purpose boat, it doesn't deviate from the combat boat form. Bernard, being a former police officer, chose a specialized boat.

Thank you for your comments, feedback, and any corrections.