Chapter 89

Before I could relay the danger signal information to Vice Admiral Earlyhenge, an open-channel broadcast from the rebel forces was transmitted.

"Hahaha! Our reinforcements have finally arrived! They've occupied the mobile fortress under construction and have come to unleash it as our spear!"

The expression of Duke Filheld Vastog, who appeared on the screen, was truly radiant, mocking us and confident of victory.

Could it be that His Excellency the Vice Admiral overlooked it?

No, even His Excellency can miss things on the battlefield, as unbelievable things do happen.

Is this bad?

The moment I steeled myself, something indeed came from the direction of the mobile fortress.

However, strangely enough, while Duke Vastog's story suggested that the mobile fortress should be coming, what appeared was a fleet of ships, and the elated Duke Vastog seemed unaware of this.

Then, a rain of beams poured down from the fleet approaching from the direction of the mobile fortress, directed at the rebels.

"What the—? Why are our reinforcements attacking us!?"

Duke Vastog's expression, which had been so confident a moment ago, now showed panic and shock.

At that moment, Rear Admiral Tontchide, the commander of the 7th Fleet, appeared on the screen.

"Unfortunately, Duke Vastog. The reinforcements you were expecting were reported to be retreating when my forces were on reconnaissance. They were probably frightened by your situation. Of course, we couldn't let them escape, so we annihilated them. Also, the assault force you secretly sent to the capital planet Hein has been destroyed by His Excellency Duke Ovols!"

This report from Rear Admiral Tontchide invigorated our allies and demoralized the enemy.

"You star kingdom cowards! Ignoring our agreement! What good is Barenton if he can't be relied upon?!"

Duke Vastog, in his anger, inadvertently revealed his connection to the Star Kingdom of Nekirelma.

While the higher-ups were engaged in this exchange, I was shocked by what I saw.

Among the beams raining down from the fleet, there was a thick red beam. While the other beams only caused minor explosions on the surface of the warships, this beam easily pierced through them, sinking them one by one.

When I saw the unit that fired this beam, I was even more astonished, but I understood.

"That's... Gehrilde, isn't it? I remember she said she was going to meet Rosweisse, but what happened after that?"

It turned out that during this operation, not only the royal class but also promising mercenaries like Lambert and Rosweisse, and Arthur and Seira, were assigned to the Emperor's guard.

General Kielrect Erendive, the head of the Imperial Guard, likely knew Rosweisse and her combat record, so it was natural for him to use her, regardless of whether she was an ancient weapon or not.

For the rebels, what followed was a nightmare.

The thick red beam from Gehrilde sank dozens of enemy ships, and the demoralized rebels quickly surrendered. The battle was decided in less than two hours after Gehrilde's participation.

After that, the mercenaries and the military worked together to capture the surrendering rebels.

Incidentally, the ringleader, Duke Vastog, was captured along with his aide by his own soldiers, who were supposed to be his allies, as he tried to escape disguised as a soldier.

After all the rebels were captured, we mercenaries were given permission to resupply at the colony and rest for 12 hours, while the military would escort the prisoners to the capital. Serving the palace is tough... good job, everyone.

At the colony, the celebration began early, and the revelry was already in full swing. After refueling and inspecting our units, I bought some food and drinks, used the bath, and decided to take a nap on my ship.

However, just as I was about to sleep after finishing my meal, I received a communication from Rosweisse.

"Hello?"

"It's been a while, Captain Wuzos. Do you have a moment?"

Rosweisse, who appeared in the hologram, looked somewhat tired.

"Is it about Gehrilde?"

"Did you tell Gehrilde about me?"

Hearing my response, Rosweisse sighed deeply.

Come to think of it, I didn't introduce myself to Gehrilde.

"Was it bad?"

"No, quite the opposite. She's a caring unit, and I was happy to see her again."

I was puzzled as to why she sighed, but I decided to ask about what I wanted to know.

"Still, Gehrilde was amazing. Can Rosweisse use that thick red beam too? I've never seen you use it."

"The red... Ah, the 'Prominence Arrow.' It's not equipped on me."

"Oh, I see."

"Gehrilde, in terms of purpose, is an interceptor fighter designed to intercept enemy units attacking a base. I, on the other hand, am a reconnaissance and electronic warfare unit, slightly faster but with far less firepower. We differ in role and size. There are models for anti-fighter, anti-ship, anti-fortress, transport, supply, and repair, as well as planetary weapons. The red beam, the 'Prominence Arrow,' is an anti-fighter weapon."

Rosweisse's response left me speechless.

I had guessed that Rosweisse had a sister unit from her designation, WVS-09, and that the size difference was due to the different weapons they carried, but I thought their basic specs were similar.

But Rosweisse is a reconnaissance and electronic warfare unit, and Gehrilde is an interceptor fighter?

In other words, if Gehrilde, who is designed for combat, is as powerful as Rosweisse, who is already invincible in this era, how powerful must she be? The thought made me shudder.

Then I realized something and asked.

"By the way, since Rosweisse is an electronic warfare unit, why don't you use that? It seems like you could do something amazing."

Indeed, as an ancient electronic warfare unit, Rosweisse should be able to easily take control of enemy ships.

"Yes, if I wanted to, I could hack and control all the ships on this battlefield, both friend and foe. But is it necessary? Even a single reconnaissance and electronic warfare unit like me can annihilate them without damage, though it would take time. Gehrilde was just being careful not to hit us and firing randomly."

Rosweisse's response seemed to imply, "Why are you asking such a thing?"

What kind of era did Rosweisse and her sister units come from?!

I truly admire Lambert for being a good partner to Rosweisse and not having any strange ambitions. He's a true protagonist!

"More importantly, listen to this! I thought military people were disciplined, but they kept asking me to be their subordinate, lover, or mistress! And not just during breaks, but even during battles! That's insane! True, I didn't move much as the Emperor's guard, but still!"

"What about Lambert?"

"He kept refusing them, but then female soldiers started targeting him, and he got even more tired. After the military left, he collapsed and fell asleep."

"Poor guy..."

Lambert is quite handsome, so he's a natural target.

"And then that sly woman showed up..."

At that moment, I realized this conversation was going to be long.

But even if I hung up now, they would just reconnect the call, and I couldn't escape...

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