Chapter 71

My student days.

At the school I attended, there was a man named Arudih Irelbargas, who was detested like a venomous snake or scorpion by some of the students. He stood right in front of me.

He was dressed in what seemed to be expensive suits, shoes, and watches, as if to show them off.

Being handsome and rich, he attracted girls who were easily swayed by money, and he also had a group of followers who were after his wealth and favors.

Even now, he was accompanied by several women, and though he no longer had the same status among students, he still had his followers.

Though I said he was detested like a venomous snake or scorpion, even those creatures would be more likable.

"Didn't you say this place isn't for ugly fat guys? Why are you here?"

He spoke to me with the same condescending attitude he had during our student days.

"I was invited by someone related to my work."

That was the only answer I could give to his question.

After all, it was Rosweisse who had suggested we come here.

I wouldn't use this place for personal matters even now, but for work, it was unavoidable.

However, Irelbargas didn't understand this.

"Work? That's irrelevant. You should tell them, 'This place isn't suitable for me.'"

He sneered at me and rudely leaned in to look at Rosweisse's face.

"Hey! Why are you with such a high-class lady like her?"

He seemed even more angry about this and kicked my leg.

Then, he leaned in towards Rosweisse and immediately started hitting on her.

"Hey, girl. Don't go with someone like him. Come with us instead."

Rosweisse didn't even glance at Irelbargas.

"You're in the way. I'm having a work-related conversation."

It was more of a personal matter, but she seemed to have understood that I found Irelbargas annoying and went along with it.

"If it's work-related, I'm more useful. After all, I'm the next president of Irelbargas Corporation. It's more beneficial for you to be with me in business."

However, Irelbargas continued to call out to Rosweisse without any concern.

Annoyed by this, Rosweisse showed Irelbargas her mercenary registration certificate with the bishop's mark.

"You're not needed for my work. Get out of my way."

She glared at Irelbargas.

Then, Irelbargas glared at me.

"Don't mess with me, you ugly fat guy! You must have said something to her, right?!"

He made an unreasonable accusation.

"No, I didn't have the time."

I hadn't talked about Irelbargas before he spoke to me, and after that, I hadn't spoken to Rosweisse.

Irelbargas wouldn't have noticed such a thing.

"If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have been rejected by a woman!"

He snapped and suddenly pulled out a gun.

It was a large-caliber handgun, the 'Sandhawk,' manufactured by Laemited Industries.

It was a powerful heat ray gun, mostly used in battlefields and unexplored planets.

While it wasn't illegal if registered, it wasn't suitable for civilians to carry in town.

"Scared? This thing can easily destroy a car! A poor guy like you couldn't afford it!"

It was indeed an expensive gun, but could he handle it?

I couldn't, at least.

Usually, whether it was a laser gun or a heat ray gun, the recoil was minimal, and some had no recoil at all.

However, the Sandhawk had considerable recoil.

While it could be considered a defective product as a heat ray gun, many fans liked its firepower and recoil.

Irelbargas held the Sandhawk in one hand and pointed it at me.

"You know, I'm just not a mercenary. But in terms of strength, I'm definitely a king-class! Get down on your knees if you understand! Hurry up, you ugly fat guy!"

I don't know what criteria he was using, but I was sure he couldn't beat a real king-class, and probably not even me.

After all, with shooting and combat training, and especially with the experience of actual combat, mostly in combat ships, I could fight more calmly than the average person.

I realized something and tried to stand up and step in front of Irelbargas.

However, before I could stand, Rosweisse stepped in front of Irelbargas.

"What? Are you going to get down on your knees?"

Irelbargas smiled thinly and pointed the gun at Rosweisse.

In an instant, Rosweisse pushed the joint of Irelbargas's gun-holding arm from the inside, pressed his hand from the outside, and smashed the gun into his face. She then took the gun and threw him towards his followers.

Irelbargas rolled on the floor and landed at his followers' feet.

Rosweisse pointed the Sandhawk at his followers and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

But there was only a click.

"Even with the safety on, you shouldn't pull out a gun in a place like this."

While saying this, Rosweisse quickly disassembled the Sandhawk for maintenance, took it apart, and returned it to Irelbargas.

It would be difficult for anyone other than a regular user to reassemble it.

"This is your final warning. Get out of my way. If you stay, you'll regret it."

Rosweisse glared at Irelbargas, who seemed to be quite annoyed.

Her glare made Irelbargas and his followers flinch.

"Damn! I feel sick. Let's go!"

He picked up the disassembled gun, muttered something, and left the store.

After confirming that Irelbargas had left, she bowed to me.

"I'm sorry, Captain Uzus. You probably wanted to deal with him yourself. But that guy was really annoying..."

"I'm the one who's sorry. I got you involved in my personal matters."

While she apologized, her expression was quite relieved.

He must have been really annoying...

I understand that feeling.

"What was he, anyway?"

"He was a classmate from my student days. Not a friend, though."

"He's a nuisance. Shouldn't we just neutralize him?"

"If he had shot, it would have been self-defense."

"Next time he bothers us, let's just let him shoot and neutralize him completely in self-defense!"

Rosweisse's expression showed that she was serious about it.

After parting ways with Rosweisse, I went to a home center to buy water and food and asked the guild to deliver them.

Then, I got information about Planet Tosre from Gonzalez and bought ingredients and ready-made meals for day and night at the black market shopping street.

At the usual butcher's shop, I bought new potato croquettes named "The Golden Bliss Manifested by the Thing That Crushes the Life at the Bottom of the New Earth," pork cutlet named "The Greedy Orc's Corpse Fallen into the Oil Mud," and crab cream croquettes named "The Red Shell That Bore Silence, Drowned in White Turbidity."

On my way back, I called my parents from a convenience store parking lot to inform them about my long-term absence and returned home to choose light novels, manga, and anime to take with me.

This time, it didn't end in an arrest.

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