Chapter 82

I made some revisions to the content.

If I were a criminal and Burnnext were trying to persuade or arrest me, the delegation would undoubtedly try to capture me.

“He’s an acquaintance from high school who kept pestering me to join the military.”

So, I decided to tell the unadulterated truth.

Then, the general seemed to believe me and turned his gaze to Burnnext.

“In the past, we had conscription, but now it’s voluntary. Forcing someone who doesn’t want to join won’t yield good results.”

He spoke in a way that was almost a reprimand.

“He keeps saying that, but he won’t listen.”

“Come on. It’s been said for ages that persistent men are disliked regardless of gender.”

The general, seeing an opportunity, added, “And that goes for those who use others’ lives for their own advancement, regardless of gender.”

Before Burnnext could argue, the general cut him off with a stern word.

Even if Burnnext didn’t mean to, from an outsider’s perspective, it would look like he was trying to force someone to join for his own benefit.

With that, Burnnext looked down and fell silent.

“Well, I’ll take my leave then.”

Thinking this was my chance, I bowed to the general and tried to leave.

“Yeah, even though we’re in different departments, it’s a bother to have a subordinate cause trouble.”

“No, no. Well… thank you.”

Thank goodness! I thought he would stop me, but he let me go so easily!

But that’s General Jack Baldor Breskin, known as the ‘Fang of Venom.’ I don’t want to get too close to him.

☆ ☆ ☆

【Side: Jack Baldor Breskin】

I glared at the young lieutenant colonel in front of me.

He looks good, as befits the leader of the Propaganda Corps, and I recall his combat skills were quite decent.

But he seems to be bad at recruiting.

“Lieutenant Colonel Burnnext, aggressive recruitment creates enemies. If the civilian’s hostility is directed only at you, it’s one thing, but if it’s directed at the entire military, it’s a problem, right?”

“Yes…”

He seemed to understand he had made a mistake and didn’t make any excuses.

This is better than those who refuse to admit their mistakes or blame others.

“Then, from now on, stop that kind of recruitment. It’s advice from a superior, even though we’re in different departments.”

“I understand…”

“Good. You’re dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir…”

Lieutenant Colonel Burnnext bowed reluctantly and left the room.

“He’ll do it again. He’s in a hurry.”

He seems to have accepted my advice, but I doubt he’ll stop.

“One possible reason is that Lieutenant Colonel Lior Burnnext is a childhood friend of Empress Armelia Flannador Ouvors.”

My adjutant, Colonel Schnella Floss, provided information about the lieutenant colonel, which helped me make some assumptions.

“I see. He’s trying to make a name for himself to impress the empress. What about that civilian?”

“Just a moment.”

Colonel Floss operated a thin terminal, and the information came up quickly.

“His name is John Uzus. He’s a knight-class mercenary from the Mercenary Guild. He attended the same high school as Lieutenant Colonel Burnnext and, like the lieutenant colonel, is a survivor of the ‘Teacher-Mercenary Brokerage Incident.’”

I remember that famous incident from a few years ago.

When I saw Burnnext’s face, I thought I recognized him from somewhere. The moment I heard his name, I remembered that the lieutenant colonel was a survivor of that incident.

If I were a victim’s family, I would have definitely beaten the crap out of that teacher.

“I remember that incident well. There was another survivor, a girl, right?”

From my memory, there were two survivors: the current Lieutenant Colonel Burnnext and a famous female student.

“Yes. Scoona Noswail, the Planet Racer. She is expected to be the champion in the Planet Race prize money rankings this year.”

“But I don’t recognize the name John Uzus.”

I remember the incident well, but not his name. Unless I’m losing my memory.

“At the time, the media only focused on the handsome male high school student and the beautiful female high school student, making it seem like there were no others. Most newspaper articles stated, ‘Surviving students: Lior Burnnext (16), Scoona Noswail (16), and one other.’ His name only appeared in the first edition of the Imperial Daily and the police report.”

The media can be quite ruthless.

So, only his mercenary comrades and those two know his skills.

He may not be famous as a mercenary, but he’s worth recruiting.

“Do a quick check. No recruitment, though.”

“Understood.”

Recruitment would probably be a waste, so I’ll try to offer him a job.

★ ★ ★

Three days after running into that unpleasant person, I finally got a call from the old man.

“It’s here.”

Those words made me tremble with joy, and the next day, I eagerly headed to the old man’s shop.

The new boat was slightly larger than the previous one, but the silhouette was similar.

“First, we need to adjust the controls.”

“Can I use your space?”

“Sure.”

The previous ‘Patchwork’ was built from a used ‘Slits’ by Ioffs, with various cheap parts I found and assembled myself. I met the old man when I got stuck and learned a lot from him.

What I focused on was the control system.

Understanding my piloting habits and adjusting the controls for optimal performance is more important to me than radar or defense.

The new ‘Nortegame’ from Ioffs is brand new, so I don’t need to replace parts, but I need to modify and adjust the control system.

If I don’t do this, it won’t be my ship.

I borrowed the space from the old man and worked silently on my own, of course, getting his checks.

I repeated adjustments and test flights until I found the perfect setup, which took five days.

After that, I started installing the high-performance radar ‘PKRE-88’ from Pholog, additional armaments, and interior fittings.

Even after three days of installation, I still couldn’t use the ship.

I needed to buy food, bedding, a first-aid kit, a tool box, spare pilot suits, spare weapons, simple cooking utensils, dishes, toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, and other hygiene items.

Only when all these were in place could I start using the ship.

This time, I did it in this order.

Finally, the ship is back!

Thank you for your comments, feedback, and any typo reports.

It’s a good thing the major revisions were found before the book was published…