Mob #68: “Hey, look! It’s the ugly loser! Thought I taught you your place last time!”
With the questioning about pink-head’s attack finished and we’re released, and my parents unharmed, we’re allowed to simply leave.
Since it’s been a while,
“What’re your plans, Mom, Dad? I’ll tag along if you’ve got shopping or places you wanna go, at least to carry stuff.”
I offer to tag along to help carry things and such, but
“We’re good, thanks. First date with your dad in ages. We want to take it slow, just us two. And you gave us plenty funds too!”
Mom gently declines.
True, crashing their couple time would be bad.
“Got it, have fun!”
And so my parents head downtown.
They better not make me a new brother or sister at their age…
Anyway, I’ll head home and sleep. Tired.
The next day the guild’s same as always.
“Seems you were born under an unlucky star.”
“That’s Arthur and Lambert’s exclusive privilege.”
Uncle Roanz jokes while laughing but honestly, it’s no joke.
After satisfying his urge to poke fun, Uncle Roanz suddenly grows serious.
“About pink-head, seems someone aided her escape.”
He tells me something I realized when I met her.
“Of course.”
“And she herself was in a capsule for treatment of the wounds you and the Rear Admiral inflicted. She died of a heart attack during healing.”
His report startles me.
“Clearly disposed of…”
“With her personality, the plan was to free and use her, but she did as she pleased it seems.”
Uncle Roanz also looks vaguely displeased.
At this point, no – even without this, I should steer clear of pink-head from now on.
Constant mental stress really saps motivation to work.
Yet I can’t not work either.
“I want a request without combat…”
So I compromise.
“Then there’s a 1 month confinement request with decent pay and zero combat. Not posted yet.”
Uncle Roanz shows a pre-posting request form.
The job is mainly transporting personnel and excavation equipment containers between the base camp and excavation site on Planet Tothle’s ruins, plus being on standby at base.
They had a dedicated worker but he was injured, so inexperienced staff are operating now.
“One month confinement huh…”
“Absolutely zero combat guaranteed. And nice scenery, good water and air too.”
Checking the boards, most are piracy suppression or escort work.
“Well, the other jobs seem likely to involve combat. Is leaving tomorrow okay with today’s events?”
“Yeah, you’ve gotta prep and all.”
So I accept the job and leave the guild.
With a whole month’s confinement, I should stock up on new light novels, manga, and anime data cards.
Oh, and reread some old works and current serialization back issues.
Stuff like [My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute], [I Don’t Have Many Friends], and [Beyond the Boundary] I kinda want to revisit.
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First I’ll head to Animember.
At Animember I buy the new volume of [Assassin x Family] and since they had a full set I pick up the anime data cards for [Cowgirl Swing] at Seizaban.
Leaving Animember, someone unexpected calls out to me.
“What a coincidence, Captain Uzos.”
It’s WVS-09 Madam Rossweise, the autonomous ancient weapon unit who recently acquired a bioloid body.
“Oh, hello…well, see you…”
The situation I fear has occurred.
So I immediately try to leave.
But I’m caught by Madam Rossweise.
“Wait. Why are you avoiding me?”
“Being with [Plumed Helmet]’s partner could start odd rumors. Isn’t Lambert with you today?”
Alone with Madam Rossweise is seriously dangerous.
At least with Lambert around he’d act as a safety valve, but
“He went to some shopping district with Levin Glisel he recently met…”
Doesn’t seem I can expect that.
Then I’ve no choice but to obediently chat.
Forcibly refusing could be more dangerous.
“So what business do you have with me?”
“There’s something I want to ask. Shall we chat over there? It’d be awkward standing.”
She points to a posh, trendy cafe chain I dislike.
Enduring the stares of staff and customers, Madam Rossweise orders a strawberry something frappuccino, while I get a Venti-sized blender coffee.
Sitting, she promptly speaks to me.
“Captain Uzos, I’ll be direct. Why did you refuse me initially when I first contacted you?”
Her question surprises me.
She must know why after being rejected by others.
And she continues.
“Albert circle, the [Black Devil], had his own customized high-spec unit – an inferior version of me you could say.
General Kirekt Elndivar of the Praetorian Guard had ample subordinates, so I was unneeded.
That does make sense for refusal, unpleasant as it is.
But you rejected me without cause or subordinates, despite lacking an excellent ship or staff. I want to know why.”
True, at the time I contemplated reasons mentally but didn’t vocalize any.
If she wants to know, I don’t mind telling her, but won’t it upset her?
“If you won’t get angry hearing it…”
“I’ll judge calmly.”
So with that assurance, she gives the go-ahead.
Then I explain why I refused.
“Looking at the guild, you can see some staff and mercs scorn me.”
“I did get that impression. Well, they’re fools unable to recognize your skill.”
Madam Rossweise spits that out.
“And if I had an impressive ship and capable unit like you, they’d try robbing me violently.”
“Couldn’t you handle violence adequately?”
“No chance against numbers. They’re good at mobbing.”
And since I’m no protagonist, no rescuers would appear.
“The other means is authority. Nobles claiming [that originally belonged to me] and bribing officials and judicial bigwigs would readily make it theirs. I’d mysteriously die in custody after arrest.”
“I see, so you refused to avoid that.”
“Yes, that’s why.”
“Understood, thank you.”
As promised, Madam Rossweise doesn’t get angry.
“So it wasn’t about disliking my capabilities.”
Instead she seems relieved.
Well, for a combat vessel, [unneeded so unwanted] is probably the most painful refusal.
My main reason was her readiness to switch pilots though.
“Oh right, I have a question too.”
“What is it?”
“I’m headed to Planet Tothle’s ruins for a job. Do you know anything about them?”
Since she’s an ancient weapon, I wondered if Madam Rossweise knew of Planet Tothle’s ruins out of curiosity and asked.
“I don’t know much either. The privileged upper class completely reshaped all flat lands outside their vacation estates and military bases into mountainous regions, supposedly to preserve aesthetics. Basically, they prevented anyone but the chosen few from building vacation homes…”
Well, that’s plenty of information.
Planet Tothle, site of the upcoming dig – the atmosphere’s breathable, water’s abundant, and it’s lushly verdant, but the entire surface is hard bedrock, only 1% is flat, leaving oceans or air as the only places to live.
In the midst of developing that tiny fraction of flat land, ancient ruins were discovered, halting development, and there are plans to make it a tourist site now apparently.
I wonder how the scholars would react knowing this planet’s current environment was dictated by the whims of the powerful?
As I’m thinking that, a voice I didn’t want to hear shouts out.
“Hey, look! It’s the ugly loser! Thought I taught you your place last time!”
It’s Arodih Ireblgas, the foppish son of the Ireblgas Trading Company president, currently studying abroad to inherit the family business and living quite the stylish life.
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