Chapter 84

After leaving the mercenary guild, I didn’t go straight home. Instead, I headed to Gonzales’ place to get some information I wanted. On the way, the city was in quite a commotion. Stores selling food and medicine were swarmed with customers, while restaurants, clothing stores, companies, and travel agencies had already closed early. After all, in just four hours, the curfew would be in effect, and everyone was in a panic.

Some people who didn’t seem to understand the situation were causing a ruckus on the streets. Even in the black market district, shops were closing one after another, but the stores selling food seemed to be staying open until the last possible moment.

At the meat shop, a sign read, "The spherical lump of flesh embraced by the acrid black slime and drowned in oily mud," and they were aggressively selling it, taking advantage of the curfew to make a quick profit. Ignoring this scene, I arrived at Patterson Pharmacy.

“Hey,”

I raised my hand slightly as I entered the pharmacy. Since it was a prescription drug store, there were no customers. Gonzales himself didn’t seem flustered and was leisurely reading a book.

“Hey. Is it about the coup?”

“Yeah. Are you okay with food and medicine supplies?”

“I’ve been stocking up more than usual, so I’m fine. I also have plenty of batteries and nutrient solutions in reserve, and I’ve bought a lot of regular food.”

“Did you know about this beforehand?”

“I had information that some nobles were gathering in one place, and there was a decisive factor in the cyberspace.”

He held out his palm. Since the usual price for information is around 50,000 credits, I added 50,000 credits to the 100,000 credits I had prepared and handed it over. Satisfied with the amount, Gonzales played a video.

“It’s from the internet in the Nekirelma Star Kingdom. I think it’s just before the coup.”

The screen showed a podium, and a man in luxurious clothing appeared.

“Gentlemen! Finally, a good opportunity has come for us! The empire, which has invaded and colonized various nations in the galaxy, is showing signs of decline! The current emperor, Armelia Flannodol Ovors, lacks cohesion, and more than half of the citizens do not support her! To prove this, citizens of the empire have sought our protection! They have pleaded with us to lead the new administration after eliminating the current emperor! We have provided them with funds and weapons for this purpose! Even His Majesty the King, who is bedridden, is looking forward to this operation! If their battle is victorious, a glorious path to becoming the rulers of the galaxy will be prepared for us! Rise up! For the sake of taking control of the entire galaxy!”

The video ended with the man smiling, as if he had accomplished his task. After watching it, I couldn’t help but hold my head.

The involvement of the Nekirelma Star Kingdom was within my expectations, but the content of the speech was problematic.

“There are too many points to nitpick… The current emperor lacks cohesion, and more than half of the citizens do not support her… The current emperor’s approval rating was 75%, right?”

“Probably, for the speaker, citizens = nobles. It might look like many nobles are rebelling when viewed only among the nobles.”

“The plea to lead the new administration after eliminating the current emperor… The empire’s nobles wouldn’t seriously ask for help! It’s obvious they’re looking for an opportunity to attack! Well, they’re probably saying it on purpose…”

“Of course, to make the empire’s nobles let their guard down. Also, they probably think they can win if they attack immediately after the battle when the enemy is exhausted.”

“The phrase ‘bedridden king’ alone makes the speaker seem incredibly suspicious.”

“He’s probably the Prime Minister and Duke, Kyesse Dowin, who is known for his great trust from the king and his exceptional skills.”

“All of that is probably self-proclaimed.”

There are other points to nitpick, but the biggest issue is probably this.

Anyway, to avoid further headaches, I decided to ask the questions I was supposed to ask.

“So, how much military strength do they have now?”

Even with Gonzales’ information network, the exact number might not be accurate, but more information is better for making judgments.

“Probably, if we only consider the nobles’ forces, including unmanned drones and remote-controlled unmanned warships, they have about 400,000 in total. Additionally, it’s unclear how much support the Nekirelma Star Kingdom has provided, but it’s definitely at least 500,000. However, the 7th Fleet, which has about 10,000 ships, including unmanned drones and remote-controlled unmanned warships, is watching, so they probably won’t move for now.”

Gonzales’ information is usually reliable, but he was wrong about the nobles’ actions.

“No. Probably more than 90% of the nobles are arguing and passing the buck among themselves, saying things like, ‘What’s this ‘demon god’? A fake noble born from a commoner’s womb, gathering incompetent commoners and pretending to be a great general! I just didn’t have the chance to show my true strength, but I’m far superior to him! So, there’s no challenge in defeating him, so I’ll let you have the chance to shoot him!’ They’re just scared of General Tonne Chied.”

The exact words might be different, but it’s definitely like this.

Since I’m not interested in the nobles anymore, I quickly asked about the other matter.

“By the way, do you have a ‘detailed map’ of the area?”

“Yeah, hold on a moment.”

A regular map can be found at any bookstore or convenience store, but in this case, a ‘detailed map’ refers to a map that includes the positions of the nobles who initiated the coup, military and police structures around the target planet, and detailed information about asteroids and their interiors.

While Gonzales was preparing the map, I noticed the book he had been reading and saw that it was an old light novel called “The Continent of Storms.”

After receiving the ‘detailed map’ of the area, I left Patterson Pharmacy to get home before the curfew.

By the way, I made sure to buy the “spherical lump of flesh embraced by the acrid black slime and drowned in oily mud” and took it home.

After returning home, I finished cleaning and laundry, and had a late lunch with the “spherical lump of flesh” as a side dish. Then, while watching some backlog of anime, I relaxed. As expected, I received a call-up from the mercenary guild.

Since the curfew was in effect, I thought about ignoring it, but I couldn’t do that.

Reluctantly, I prepared and went outside. The city, under curfew, was empty and looked like a ghost town. Public transportation had stopped, so I borrowed a shared bike from the caretaker and headed to the mercenary guild.

On the way, as usual, I was stopped by the police, but showing them the notification from the mercenary guild, they let me through smoothly.

When I arrived at the mercenary guild, it was overflowing with mercenaries who had been called up.

I’ve been feeling a bit drained due to the recent heat…

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