I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary - Chapter 546

「Man, I’m wiped.」

Kicking back on a couch in Black Lotus’s break room, I let out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. Sure, I gained a lot from everything that went down—but damn, it was exhausting. Learning more about people like me, the so-called ‘visitors’, was valuable enough. And the thing with Krishna... well, being stronger is a good thing, I guess. But with its mobility and weapons systems changed so drastically, I still need time to get fully used to it.

I also awakened to new ways of using my psionic abilities. At this point, I feel like I could shred a fully armored marine in power armor with just a sword. Hell, I could probably crush the guy inside with telekinesis alone. Maybe even zap someone with lightning.

It’s not just giving Jedi knight vibes anymore—I’ve gone full Sith Lord. But hey, I’m the type to use power for my own gain. Suits me just fine. And anyway, this ain’t the Force, so there’s no such thing as a dark side here.

「We’re wiped out toooo.」

「Nyaa~」

Whenever I try to relax like this, someone ends up barging in. This time, the first ones to show up were Tina and Wiska. Both of them looked absolutely drained. Can’t blame them—they’d been run ragged dealing with the last-minute flood of psionic-sensitive materials being delivered before we left Velh, the Empire’s capital. All were ‘gifts’ the Holy Empire gave us, but the sudden influx really jammed up the unloading schedule.

「You two seemed like you were running yourselves into the ground. But did you get anything useful out of the Holy Empire’s ship tech or psionic research?」

「We got what we could. At the very least, we can say nobody in the Grakkan Empire knows more ‘bout psionic tech than us now.」

「The question is how we use it... I’ll think of something, Big Brother.」

「Just don’t push yourself too hard. As long as Krishna runs without issues, I’ve got no complaints.」

「Krishna, huh...」

「Krishna, yeah...」

Both of them looked up at the ceiling, eyes going dead at exactly the same moment. Their gazes are completely hollow. Scary.I can almost see the vast expanse of space swirling behind them like a hallucination.

「Like... what is that thing, even...? A ship? Is it a ship? It’s a ship, right...?」

「I think it’s a ship... but I don’t know anymore what a ship is...?」

It’s a ship. Probably. I pour psionic energy into it, random parts sprout out, and its performance skyrockets—but it’s a ship. Definitely a ship. Probably. Maybe partly a ship. It doesn’t move on its own or eat anything, so yeah, let’s go with ‘ship’. It’s not a living creature... I think.

「Alright, both of you—just chill. Didn’t we get some fancy liquor from the Holy Empire? Crack that open and take a load off, alright?」

「Yeah! Let’s do that!」

「Let’s drink together, Big Brother!」

「Wait, no, I—hey, strong grip...!」

The two of them dragged me from the break room to the dining area, where some hedonist elf had already started drinking. Seriously? That was fast. You just went straight to drink the second you stepped back on the ship?

「Huh? Want some? There’s a full stock in the cellar.」

「Nee-san, you’re fast.」

「Even us dwarves are impressed by how fast.」

「Heh... when it comes to speed, I won’t lose to Hiro or Mei.」

With something vaguely resembling dried squid in her mouth, Elma gave a smug grin. During this visit to the Holy Empire, Elma evolved from a gorilla space elf into a super gorilla space elf.

Specifically, she picked up body enhancement techniques that apply psionic power. Her already-enhanced physical abilities were pushed even further. Of course, her body may be stronger, but it’s not tougher, so there’s still a limit to what she can do.

That said, she’s still strong enough to destroy a human being barehanded. If she got a grip on me, I’d be helpless. Honestly, I’m not even joking when I say she could probably rip off someone’s limbs or head with her bare hands. That’s terrifying.

「Hiro, you’re not thinking anything weird, are you?」

「IAMNOTTHINKINGANYTHING」

「You sound suspicious... whatever, sit down next to me.」

「Yes ma’am.」

When a drunken elf tells you to sit, you sit. Especially when said elf could casually snap your limbs without blinking. Best not to argue.

「So, you’re sitting there all spaced out, but have you made up your mind yet? I mean, we’re not getting married the moment we get back or anything, but we’re basically barreling toward it, yeah?」

Elma looped an arm around my shoulder and whispered in my ear with those half-lidded eyes of hers. Weirdly enough, despite being obviously drunk, she still somehow smells nice. What kind of magic is that?

「No point in panicking now, I guess.」

I really do love both Chris and Serena. Sure, it’s kinda nerve-wracking to be tying myself so closely to the Dareinwald and Holtz noble families, but I’ll have to find a way to make it work. Luckily, both Chris and Serena understand how I live and what kind of person I am.

「You might not be able to keep up the mercenary gig, you know?」

「That’s something I’ll work out with Chris and Serena. Neither of them expects me to manage estates, deal with politics, or play nice with other nobles. Not just them—everyone else knows that too.」

Let the people good at that sort of thing handle it. If anyone tried to make me do it, I’d just dump everything on Mei. Some of the Empire’s nobles still have issues with mechanical intelligences, but that doesn’t bother me.

「Still, if you’re gonna be their husband, you gotta do something for their families too.」

「Yeah, fair. But hey, if it really comes to it, I could just grab Chris and Serena and defect to the Holy Empire, right? Could make a living over there.」

「...The Earl and the Marquis would end in tears.」

「Heh, if crying’s all they do, I’ll consider myself lucky.」

I have this creeping feeling they’d send assassins after me or something. ...Nah, even they wouldn’t go that far, right?

「Speaking of which, what about your dad—Eldmoore? Is he okay with all this?」

「He’s probably given up on me in more ways than one. My family still has my older brother and sister, so we’re good.」

「...You sure that’s fine?」

‘Totally’, she said, raising her glass again. While we talked, Tina and Wiska returned from the cellar—carrying giant bottles. Two of them. Seriously? One wasn’t enough?

「Alrigh’, let’s drink!」

「I brought snacks too!」

「Hiro, you’re drinking with us, right?」

「Just a little...」

At this point, resistance is futile. Sitting next to Elma already sealed my fate. There is no escaping. Because it’s Elma.

Now, let’s see what snacks Wiska brought... Looks like a bunch of stuff from the Holy Empire. Some kind of jarred food, some vacuum-packed stuff... no idea what any of it is. Gonna have to open them up and try them to know for sure.

「Hey! No fair! You’re about to eat something delicious!」

「Truly unfair, my Lord.」

「Drinking party, huh? Not fair. Count me in.」

「Looks like fun, Captain.」

As we deliberated over which snack to open, Mimi, Kugi, Dr. Shouko, and Neve all wandered into the dining area. Of course. Everyone ends up here eventually.

「You came at the perfect time. Kugi, which of these would go well with booze?」

「Let’s see... this one. It’s salted fish roe. I’ve heard it’s delicious when thinly sliced and lightly grilled. A delicacy.」

「Fish roe, huh... sounds fancy. Bet it costs a ton.」

Tina examined the vacuum-packed delicacy Kugi recommended. Salted roe, huh. Sounds like karasumi. In a world where even real meat costs an arm and a leg, a delicacy made with actual fish roe has gotta be insane.

「Sis, let’s just... not think about the price. This booze is probably ridiculously expensive too.」

「Fair point. Let’s slice it up.」

「Leave it to me.」

At some point, Mei had appeared beside us, took the vacuum pack from Tina, and started slicing it up with a knife she pulled from who-knows-where. No one questioned how or when she showed up. Because... it’s Mei.

「How are we gonna grill it?」

「For moments like this, I keep a portable cooking set in my room.」

「Go fetch it. Dash.」

「That’s tyranny!」

The hedonist elf demanded I go fetch it. The audacity. But hey, this is a rare chance for that waste-of-space of a cooking kit to shine. Guess I’m running.

「My Lord, allow me. Hup!」

With a cute little chant, Kugi summoned a small fireball in the middle of the table. Nice—psionic fireball.

「Elma, didn’t you used to do this too?」

「It’s exhausting. Kugi, you okay?」

「Yes, this much is no trouble. Ever since Tamamo-sama began possessing—err, partnering with me, I’ve had a much easier time using the First Spiritual Form.」

Kugi gave a sheepish smile while her now five tails swished behind her. They’ve definitely grown fluffier. But yeah, she totally just said ‘possessing’, didn’t she? She’s not wrong, though.

「Hiro-sama, this is delicious!」

Mimi tugged on my sleeve, eyes sparkling, as she munched on a grilled slice of the karasumi-like treat. Girl moves fast.

「Captain, everyone’s chilling here—shouldn’t someone be on guard just in case?」

「Don’t worry. Mei-kun’s got the ship fully under control, and we’re being escorted by the Holy Empire’s fleet. Right, Mei-kun?」

「Yes. Just as the Doctor said, there’s no problem at all.」

As she skewered the sliced delicacy, Mei nodded. With her processing power, she can manage the Black Lotus and still take care of all of us like this without breaking a sweat. Seriously, she’s amazing. We’re lucky to have her.

「Let’s just relax until we reach Imperial territory. Things’ll get busy again once we’re back.」

「Agreed. Here, Hiro-sama, this one’s perfectly grilled!」

「Thanks. Whoa, this is good.」

As I savored the delicious treat Mimi grilled for me, I couldn’t help but think about how hectic things were gonna get once we returned to the Grakkan Empire.