Chapter 70

After the interrogation regarding the pink-haired attacker was concluded and my parents were released, it turned out that neither of them was injured, and they were allowed to go home.

Since it had been a while since we last met, I thought,

"Father, what are you going to do? If you want to go shopping or anywhere else, I can help carry your things."

At the same time, I suggested that I could at least be a wallet,

"However, it's quite alright. It's been a while since Father and I have gone out together. We want to take our time. Besides, you've already given us plenty of money."

Mother gently declined.

Well, it would be bad to interfere with their time together.

"Alright, have a good time."

And so, my parents headed towards the bustling city.

I wonder if they might have a younger brother or sister at this age...

In any case, I'll go home and rest today. I'm tired.

The next day, after a good night's sleep, I visited the mercenary guild, which looked the same as always.

"You seem to have been born under an unlucky star."

"That's more like something Arthur or Lambert would say."

The old man Loanz laughed and teased me, but to be honest, it's no joke.

After he was satisfied with teasing me, the old man Loanz suddenly became serious and said,

"About that pink-haired person, it seems someone helped them escape."

He told me what I understood the moment I encountered the pink-haired person.

"Of course."

"Apparently, the person was in a capsule for treatment of the wounds you inflicted and the paralysis gun shot by the lieutenant general. They died of a heart attack during the healing process."

I felt a sense of fear at the old man's report.

"It's clearly been taken care of..."

"Given their character, they probably intended to use the escapee as a pawn but got out of control."

The old man also had a somewhat displeased look on his face.

In this situation, it's probably best not to get involved with the pink-haired person any further.

Still, with this ongoing mental strain, I'm losing my motivation to work.

But I can't just stop working.

"I want a job without combat..."

If so, this would be a compromise.

"There's a job that will keep you occupied for a month, with decent pay. There will be no combat. The scenery is nice, and the water and air are good."

The old man Loanz showed me a job request that hadn't been posted on the board yet.

The job involves driving a container ship to transport personnel and excavation equipment between the base camp and the excavation site on the planet Tosre, and waiting at the base camp. Occasionally, there are some odd jobs.

It seems there was a dedicated person, but they got injured, and now an inexperienced staff member is handling the job.

"A month of being tied down..."

"But there will definitely be no combat. The scenery is nice, and the water and air are good."

I looked at the jobs posted on the board, but most were about pirate suppression or escorting.

"Indeed, other jobs might involve combat. Since I have that today, can I leave tomorrow?"

"Sure. You need to prepare, right?"

And so, I accepted the job and left the mercenary guild.

Still, if I'm going to be tied down for a month, I might as well buy some light novels, manga, and anime data cards that I haven't read.

Ah, I could also reread old works or back issues of ongoing series.

I might want to revisit "My Sister is So Cute, There Must Be a Mistake," "I Don't Have Any Friends," and "Limit Break Galunbalun."

I'll head to "Animember" first.

At "Animember," I bought the latest issue of "Assassin x Family," and at "Seizaban," I bought a set of anime data cards for "Cowgirl Swing."

As I was leaving Animember, I was unexpectedly called by someone.

"What a coincidence, Captain Wuzos."

It was Rosweiss, the small combat ship WVS-09, an ancient weapon with a will, who had recently acquired a bio-android body.

"Hello. I'll be on my way then..."

The situation I feared had occurred.

So I tried to leave immediately.

But I was caught by Rosweiss.

"Hey, why are you avoiding me?"

"If I'm seen with the partner of the famous 'Hakadō,' it might lead to some strange rumors. Is Lambert not with you today?"

Being alone with Rosweiss is really dangerous.

At least if Lambert were here, he could act as a safety valve, but

"He went to some shopping district with a person named Levin Griselle, whom he met a while ago..."

It seems I can't count on that.

In that case, I have no choice but to talk calmly.

Refusing forcefully would be even more dangerous.

"So, do you have something to ask me?"

"I have a question. Since we can't stand here talking, shall we go there?"

She pointed to a famous trendy café chain that I'm not good with.

Enduring the gazes of the staff and customers, Rosweiss ordered a strawberry something frappuccino, and I ordered a tall size of blended coffee.

Once we sat down, Rosweiss immediately spoke.

"Captain Wuzos, I want to ask you directly. Why did you reject me when we first met?"

I was surprised by the question.

I thought she would understand since I had been turned down by a few others.

She continued,

"Albert Sircle, known as the 'Black Demon,' had his own high-spec machine, a kind of inferior version of me.

General Kielact Erndiver, the head of the guard, had enough subordinates that he didn't need me.

So, I understand why I was rejected. However, you rejected me without any reason, even though you don't have an excellent machine or excellent subordinates. I want to know why."

Indeed, at that time, I had thought of reasons to reject her, but I hadn't said them out loud.

If she wants to know, I can tell her, but will she get upset?

"If you won't get angry, I'll tell you."

"I'll judge calmly."

So, after setting up a precaution, I got the go-ahead from Rosweiss.

Therefore, I decided to tell her the reason.

"If you've seen the guild, you know that I'm looked down upon by some of the staff and mercenaries."

"I sensed that. Well, they're just stupid people who can't recognize your abilities."

Rosweiss said this dismissively.

"So, those people try to rob me if they think I have a beautiful and high-performance ship like a noble lady."

"Can't you handle violent situations?"

"Not if they outnumber me. They're good at overwhelming with numbers."

And I'm not the protagonist, so no one will come to my rescue.

"Another method is power. If a noble claims, 'That's originally mine,' and gives sweets to the important people in the police and judiciary, it becomes theirs. I would end up mysteriously dying in prison."

"Did you reject me to avoid that?"

"That's right."

"I see, I understand."

Rosweiss didn't get angry as she had declared.

"It wasn't because you didn't like my performance."

She even seemed relieved.

Well, as a combat ship, being told 'you're not good enough' might be the most painful.

The main reason I rejected her was that she was willing to switch pilots so easily.

"By the way, I have a question too."

"What is it?"

"Actually, I'm going to the ruins on the planet Tosre for a job. Do you know anything about those ruins?"

Since Rosweiss is an ancient weapon, I thought she might know something about the ruins on the planet Tosre, and I asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know much. The privileged class, under the pretext of protecting the aesthetic landscape, turned all the flat land outside their villas and defense bases into mountainous areas. Essentially, they made it so that only the chosen few could build villas..."

Well, that's enough information.

The excavation site on the planet Tosre, where I'll be working next, has an atmosphere suitable for human habitation, abundant water, and plenty of greenery. However, 100% of the ground is hard rock, and only 1% is flat. Apart from that, you can only live on the sea or in the air.

The ancient ruins were discovered during the development of this small flat area, and the development was halted. Now, there are plans to turn it into a tourist attraction.

If the scholars found out that the current environment of the planet Tosre was created by the whims of the powerful, what would they think?

While I was thinking about this, I heard a voice I didn't want to hear.

"Oh? What's this? There's a disgusting fat guy! I thought I taught you your place before."

It was Arudih Ileburgas, the son of the president of Ileburgas Trading, who is currently studying abroad to take over his father's company and lives a very stylish life.

For a nobody, the appearance of the worst enemy.

I welcome any comments, feedback, or corrections.