I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary - Chapter 527

Chapter 527: 「A Pretty Luxurious Problem to Have」

「So, did you go on a rampage?」

「Yeah, pretty much.」

「You... I mean, I kind of get how you feel, but still...」

As soon as I finished getting treated for the injury I sustained during training—yeah, I had a crack in my rib—in Krishna’s makeshift medical pod, Elma came over for an interrogation. I shared my perspective with her. She ended up looking exasperated, but I won’t apologize. I mean, I got suddenly dragged into what they called ‘an investigation,’ forced into a sparring match, and ended up injured, so I’m not taking the blame for that.

「So, how do you feel? You have gotten more power, right? Didn’t you dislike it because it feels like you are becoming less human or something?」

「Nothing’s really changed. All that’s different is I can now dish out violence more easily.」

I remember vividly shouting from the bottom of my heart how much I didn’t want to become some kind of superhero or a warrior species whose hair goes blonde when angered. But now that it’s actually happened, I realize it’s not that different. Sure, I can now control electricity with my bare hands and kill any living creature I can see or sense in an instant. But even before getting all this power, I could achieve the same result—eliminating all life in my range—using Krishna or other methods. The only thing that’s changed is that I now have a quicker, more convenient way to do it.

「Yeah, that’s just like you... I mean, you were already powerful enough to take out dozens of fully armed soldiers from Earl Ixamal’s private army with just two swords.」

「I don’t really think that’s something all that impressive, though.」

Even if I didn’t know how to handle swords, I probably could have barely made it through with my heavy power armor, the RIKISHI.

「It’s definitely impressive, you know...? Even for a highly skilled noble of the Drawn Blade faction, facing dozens of fully armed, well-trained soldiers wouldn’t normally end well.」

「Is that so? I always thought those nobles were tougher than that.」

「Nobles aren’t that good against multiple enemies. No matter how enhanced a noble’s physical abilities and reaction speeds are, they can’t avoid or counter a saturation attack. It overwhelms them.」

Now that she mentions it, Balthazar, the original owner of my swords, couldn’t fully handle the crossfire from me and Mei, and had to rely on his personal shield and smoke for defense.

「I see... Still, even if I’ve awakened to this kind of power, it’s not like there’s much use for it. Feels like a waste of talent.」

I feel like I could take on one of those J◯dai knights or S◯th lords and come out on top now. But it seems they can also predict the future while in battle, so I might be at a disadvantage in close combat. Also, could this sword even stand up against a lightsaber? Sure, a monomolecular blade probably cuts better, but it’s still made of material. It might easily get sliced through and destroyed if we clashed. Yeah, thinking I could win easily is definitely a bad mindset.

「You could say the same about the Krishna, right? Speaking of which, it looks like the analysis of the large caliber pulse laser cannons has come in.」

I could feel a strong wave of psionic power radiating from the wolf-eared priest as he spoke with a somber expression. Impressive, as expected of one of the big faces of the Great Shrine, he possesses much more psionic power than that arrogant horned officer.

「I repeatedly told them—over and over—not to force anything upon you, Hiro-dono... But it seems that those idiots who are only good at burying themselves in research and those fools with muscles for brains couldn’t grasp the Ministry of Divine Affairs’ instructions... I truly apologize.」

The wolf-eared priest apologized again, his voice filled with both anger and regret.

「Well, I went wild and made them pay for it, so I’m not holding a grudge. Just go easy on them with the punishment, alright? Plus, I’ve awakened to new powers and, more importantly, I want to learn more about the Third Spiritual Form I’ve been unconsciously using. I’d like to master it, so I would be grateful if you could introduce me to someone who can teach me how to train it.」

「I greatly appreciate your magnanimity and consideration. We will ensure that Ministry of Divine Affairs personnel are always present to prevent such incidents from occurring again. Please forgive us.」

「Of course. Honestly, I appreciate the level of care you’ve shown.」

I decided to accept their goodwill graciously. I’d prefer to avoid a repeat of today’s events, after all.

「We’ve arranged accommodations near the research facility for tonight. If you would kindly head there via the air shuttle, it’s already prepared for you.」

「Thank you for all the care. In that case, I’ll gather everyone and we’ll take our leave for today.」

「Understood. We shall proceed accordingly.」

At his command, the two shrine maidens behind him nodded and closed their eyes. Ah, I can feel a gentle wave of mental energy spreading out. Are they giving instructions telepathically?

「Um, it seems the two engineers are insisting on continuing for a bit longer...」

Nearby, I could hear Tina and Wiska arguing over something. Looks like they’re in the middle of rechecking and restructuring Krishna’s maintenance procedures. I suppose we’ll have to forcibly drag them away.

「I’ll go retrieve them. Elma, can you help me out?」

「Not much choice, is there?」

Elma shrugged as we headed off to collect the mechanic sisters. Sorry, you two, but it’s not like we’re in a rush. We don’t have a set departure time, so you can take your time working on Krishna later.