Mob #59: “Yet foolish authorities tend to do unnecessary things in such times, leading to their downfall.”
Another Side: Duke Archistrate Bingil Ovar’s Estate
In a large greenhouse, an elderly man in gardening attire waters a potted plant with a watering can. A man who appears to be a butler in tidy dress approaches him.
“My lord, I have a report.”
“What is it?”
The elderly man called “my lord” responds while watering the potted plant.
“Regarding the two we captured several hours ago, they were purely pirates as the mercenary’s submitted information indicated. The police have a bounty on them via the mercenary guild.”
“I see. So the mercenary who was chasing those two was really just pursuing them…
In that case, we caused an [oversight] that requires apology.”
“The [hunting dogs] you released returned after being shot down. They abandoned the ships, it seems.”
“Shoot them down without killing them…that mercenary is quite skilled.”
The Duke stops watering and returns the watering can to its place.
“What shall we do?”
“Leave it be. Do nothing.
From their view, the pirates they were chasing entered a noble’s territory and were halted by the security force.
So they reasonably withdrew after leaving the pirates’ handling to the security force.
We also only gave the reasonable explanation of don’t enter the Duke’s territory unauthorized. We’ll capture the brigands.
If we hand the captured pirates over to the police, they’ll be impressed at the Duke’s security force and that will be the end of it.”
The Duke places the watering can on the shelf, then sits at a table set with a tea set and pours himself a cup of tea.
“Yet foolish authorities tend to do unnecessary things in such times, leading to their downfall.”
The Duke sips the tea he poured.
“While the other side doesn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary, if you’re plagued by doubt and order your men to attack them, that just loudly announces your own suspiciousness.
I’ll say it once more. Do nothing.”
His tone was calm, but force was behind the final words.
“Understood. I will also inform the [hunting dogs].”
“They are good [hunting dogs]. And hunting dogs who simply did as ordered bear no blame.
Have the security commander who arbitrarily used my [hunting dogs] replaced by tomorrow morning.”
“It will be done.”
The butler deeply bows his head to the Duke calmly drinking his tea.
Another Side: [Hunting Dog]
“Damn it!”
The sound of a helmet being slammed into the floor echoes in a room of the servant quarters on Duke Ovar’s estate.
“I’m sorry, sister. It’s because of me…”
“It’s not your fault…they were just more skilled than us.”
Two figures who appear to be in their late teens, dressed in pilot spacesuits, sit on the bed, shoulders slumped.
“I never thought they’d react like that…next time we meet, I’ll definitely shoot them down…”
“That may be difficult.”
“Why, sister?!”
“They were likely holding back. To take down our ship and interrogate us.”
“!”
The younger sister called sister gasps in frustration, gnawing on her thumb, but is admonished by her older sister.
The point also shocks the younger sister, who gnaws her thumb more intensely.
“To win next time, we need to properly hone our skills!”
“You’re right, sister!”
The sisters firmly resolve.
“But I wonder what kind of guy beat us? A refreshing pretty boy?! A dandy ossan?! Or maybe it was a cute femboy!!”
“Sister…”
Then immediately shifting to silly chatter, the younger sister holds her head at her sister’s thoughts.
“We could know right away if we saw footage of the exchange. And there’s also the chance he’s a rugged macho guy, a tubby otaku, or a narcissistic bastard!”
“Why would you say such awful things?!”
The sisterly squabble between the fantasizing older sister and realistic younger sister is endless.
Another Side: End
To dispel the unpleasantness at the mercenary guild, I headed to Animember and got:
- Ultimate Road
- The Butler of the Omori Household
- Monster Story Comic Version
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
At Seizaban, I grabbed the novelization of 7-Heads-Tall Fiancee which I was missing, and doujinshi of the popular game Creatures Hunter series.
Feeling refreshed, I was on my way home when who should appear before me but that pink-haired girl, Miss Anchovy if I remember right.
“To run into you here, the gods must favor me!”
Grinning as she said that, she glared at me and stuck a gun in my face despite us being downtown.
Her actions caused the people around us to gasp.
What is she thinking, drawing a gun on me unprovoked in such a crowded area?
Anyway, I raise both hands to indicate I won’t resist.
“What can I do for you?”
She then says,
“I already told you, didn’t I? Buy back those [Bastets], repair them flawlessly, then present them to me! Oh, brand new G-32 [Diritta] from Max Borg or G-42 [Rasgyart] from Germakin-Romics would be fine too!”
She demanded the same thing she had at the guild, plus even more.
Incidentally, both of those are mainline imperial combat ships!
And they both cost over 10 million credits!
“I must refuse. Why should I have to do any such thing in the first place?”
Of course I immediately declined.
“It’s only natural that your money should be used by select individuals like me, right?”
But she nonchalantly says this.
She is clearly insane.
Why can she casually make such demands of a total stranger like me?
I can guess why, but for now there’s only one thing to do.
“Hello, police? I’m being extorted by a strange woman in front of the Bazumbil apartment building at block 65. Could you come quickly?”
I contact the police via my bracelet terminal.
“Hey! Why are you calling the cops?! Hang up!”
“As you can hear, so please come as quickly as you can.”
Bang!
And before I could hang up, she shot at my feet.
My bracelet terminal displays the other party’s image, so the police operator’s face was visible.
From the video and conversation, she likely realized I was calling the police for help, not calling about buying combat ships.
“I’m asking why you’re calling the police! Answer me!”
The answer to my earlier question [Why can she casually make such demands of a total stranger like me?] is probably because she’s a noble.
And if she’s a noble from the anti-Emperor faction that rejects the current Emperor and advocates a noble-centric lifestyle, that could explain this behavior and speech.
But if she’s a noble, she should have suitable finances and power, so if she’s just a hobby mercenary, her parents could easily buy her a [Bastet].
Considering that, she’s likely a fallen noble whose peerage was revoked.
In any case, I explain my reasoning to avoid further shots.
“No matter how you look at it, your actions are criminal, so of course I’d report you.”
“Hah?! Why is it criminal for a lowly commoner like you to purchase and present me, a noble, with a brand new combat ship?!”
“Are you unaware that the previous Emperor enacted a decree that nobles must not make such demands of commoners, and the current Emperor also upholds this?”
“I’ve no need to obey that woman’s orders!”
As I thought, she has some connection or relationship with the Emperor.
She seems to particularly resent the current Emperor.
Well, they’re probably close in age so maybe something happened between them.
“Anyway, hurry up and agree to buy them!”
Finally losing patience, she yells shrilly and shoots at my feet again.
But in the next moment, her gun-wielding arm is seized by someone, and she’s slammed to the ground.
“This is the police! You’re under arrest for extortion!”
It was the cops.
They must’ve quietly approached without sirens to catch her off guard.
There’s four of them – two restraining her and two speaking with bystanders.
Looks like someone else called them.
“What are you doing?! I was just teaching this commoner his place!”
“Yes, yes, we’ll hear the details down at the station.”
She screams and resists but the officers ignore her, cuff her, and shove her into the patrol car.
I’ll pretend I didn’t see her glaring at me the whole time from inside the car.
“You there, the caller?
We heard the exchange from the call audio so it’s fine. Please show me ID to fill out a victim report.”
“Here.”
I hold out my bracelet terminal and beam my ID data to the officer’s tablet.
As I do, the other officers sandwich Miss Anchovy in the patrol car as she continues glaring at me.
“I’ll file this as extortion victimization, so…”
“Thank you very much.”
With the report filled, that officer gets in the car and they drive Miss Anchovy away.
Somehow I feel the guild will ask me to withdraw that report.
I’d better hurry home and read my new books…
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