Mob #105: “I don’t need someone weaker than me to protect me. If you keep bothering me, I won’t hold back next time, okay?”
☆ ☆ ☆
Side: Shiora Dilopaz
I was exceptional.
During training at school, I had never lost to anyone—seniors, classmates, juniors, or even instructors.
The instructors, in what seemed like sour grapes, would say that I was still far from matching the skills of veteran mercenaries or military aces, but I believed I could beat them.
When I joined the rebel army as my father’s representative, I never dreamed I’d be shot down.
In fact, at first, I took down several enemy units.
Neither the regular military soldiers nor the mercenaries were a match for me.
After the preliminary skirmishes, where I could show off my skills to those around me, the real battles began. My unit faced off against the 11th Fleet and its subordinate mercenary forces.
Of course, I took down several units at first.
I thought the light brown unit I targeted next would be an easy takedown too.
But.
The moment I locked onto the light brown unit in my sights, it vanished from view, only to reappear behind me and fire a beam.
I managed to dodge and keep up, but when I fired back, it effortlessly evaded my attacks.
Not only that, but light brown plane enemy was also taking down other units while dodging my attacks.
It was as if it was using me—someone too weak to be shot down—as bait to lure in its prey.
And it wasn’t just once or twice. It kept doing it over and over.
Frustrated, I tried to close in on the light brown unit, but it slipped away again and attacked other units.
At some point, it occurred to me: Was this [light brown unit] perfectly predicting my every move? Or was it using some kind of psychic ability to read my mind?
The thought made me feel like I was in the palm of some enormous hand, and an indescribable fear washed over me.
It was then that I finally understood the truth behind what my instructor had said in what I thought was just sour grapes: “You’re still far from matching the skills of veteran mercenaries or military aces.”
And the next moment, my ship shook violently.
I’d been hit. By that [veteran mercenary in the light brown unit] I’d been so afraid of.
Luckily—or perhaps intentionally—the shot hit my thruster nozzle.
The moment I realized this, I activated the emergency escape system without even checking my surroundings.
As I retreated from the battlefield, unharmed, I felt a mix of relief at surviving, frustration at being used as bait and then discarded, and shame at how overconfident I’d been. I couldn’t help but choke back a sob.
Just before being rescued by a cargo ship in friendly territory, I witnessed a band of red light streak across the battlefield toward our side.
After the light passed, there was nothing left.
Not even the unit I’d belonged to.
I didn’t know what that red light was, but it seemed I’d survived only because the [light brown unit] had taken me down.
Later, the red light annihilated our forces, sealing the rebel army’s defeat.
Thanks to the Empress’s mercy during the post-war proceedings, I was allowed to return to my parents instead of being imprisoned.
Fortunately, my father’s illness had improved, and my parents suggested I re-enroll at the National Luthorum Academy’s high school. However, it was unlikely I’d be allowed to return after opposing the Empress.
I’d originally planned to become a soldier, but since I’d joined the rebels, that path was now closed.
With that, I concluded that the only way to put my skills to use was to become a mercenary.
That’s when I remembered the [light brown unit] that had toyed with me and shattered my pride.
I wanted revenge. I wanted to win.
But the unwritten rule of the battlefield is to leave no grudges behind.
So instead, I decided I wanted to join the mercenary guild where that [light brown unit] belonged.
I thought that if I could observe that kind of combat up close, it might help me grow.
However, I didn’t know which guild the [light brown unit] belonged to.
So, I decided to ask my cousin on my mother’s side, Shunera.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Shunera Floss, my mother’s niece,
is a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Army and currently serves as the adjutant in the 1st Fleet of the Central Fleet’s Suppression Force.
I’d always admired Shunera, and it was because of her that I’d aspired to become a soldier. It was unfortunate that we’d ended up on opposite sides in the war, but I had no choice but to rely on her, as she was well-informed.
Thankfully, Shunera agreed to help me and was genuinely happy to hear I’d survived.
“After hearing your story and doing some research, the mercenary in the [light brown unit] you faced is John Uzoss. He belongs to the mercenary guild on Planet Ytts.”
I couldn’t hide my tension at Shunera’s words.
From the photo, he looked slightly overweight, worn out, and unremarkable.
But having experienced his strength firsthand, the fact that he didn’t look intimidating made him even more terrifying.
Shunera asked me in detail about my encounter with him.
She seemed eager to learn more about skilled mercenaries.
After exchanging information, Shunera offered me a position in the military.
She said no one in her 1st Fleet would care about my past.
I would’ve jumped at the opportunity under normal circumstances, but as a matter of principle, I politely declined.
And so, I made my debut as a mercenary at the Ytts branch of the mercenary guild.
My first job as a mercenary was a security detail at a dismantled colony, introduced to me by the stunning receptionist, Zeistole, who’d registered me.
Thankfully, I spotted Mr. Uzoss almost immediately upon arriving at the site.
I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t know what to say and spent two days agonizing over it.
On the third day, I finally worked up the courage to approach him at the end of my shift.
When I spoke to him, it turned out he didn’t remember me at all.
Even after I told him I was the one he’d shot down, he remained calm and didn’t try to assert dominance.
Just as I’d felt from the photo, the overwhelming pressure I’d felt on the battlefield was nowhere to be found.
I would’ve loved to challenge him to a simulation match during our downtime, but since my job required me to be on standby at all times, I had to hold back.
On top of that, while I’d struggled to make friends in school due to my competitive environment and my awkwardness with anything other than formal conversation, here I’d managed to get along well with some girls my age who were also workers.
Things were going well when a guy my age started getting overly familiar with me.
Since we were the same age, I didn’t expect him to use formal language, but his overly friendly attitude left a bad impression.
A few days later,
I saw that guy bothering Mr. Uzoss.
He was shouting things like “It’s for her!”, “It’s revenge!”, and “I’ll take you down!”
So, I decided to warn him about his behavior, including his overly familiar attitude.
Later, Mr. Uzoss asked me how I’d found him, why I’d referred to his ship’s color like a nickname, and why I’d shared personal details with that guy. When I answered honestly, he advised me to be more cautious about sharing personal information.
After that, my interactions with Mr. Uzoss were limited to polite nods.
I’d wanted to ask him for a simulation match at the end of the job, but that became impossible because of that guy.
The thought of it being his fault made me furious.
Still, I managed to get through the job, and on the final day, after my shift, I planned to have a sweets party with Miya and Tenoi, the girls I’d become friends with.
By the way, the rule was that even after your shift ended, you had to stay until everyone’s shift was over.
As we enjoyed cakes and parfaits at a café in the colony, that overly familiar guy showed up.
“Listen, Shiora! That coward admitted defeat to me in a dogfight! I told him never to get near you again, so you’re safe now!”
he boasted smugly.
I couldn’t believe this civilian could beat a veteran mercenary like Mr. Uzoss.
I doubted he even owned a combat vessel.
Then, Tenoi, who’d apparently witnessed the scene,
explained:
“This morning, I saw him picking a fight with that stocky security guy. He was talking about a VR match, but the guy just brushed him off with a ‘Yeah, sure, you win.’”
That made sense. Mr. Uzoss didn’t seem to care about his reputation, so he’d probably just humored him.
But what was this guy thinking?
I’d already warned him not to call me by my name so familiarly.
And now, by claiming he’d told Mr. Uzoss to stay away from me, he’d made it even harder for me to ask for that simulation match.
“As I’ve told you before, I don’t recall giving you permission to call me by my name so familiarly. If you keep bothering me, I’ll report you to the police,”
I warned him.
“Why are you being like this? I’m doing this for you! I’m protecting you!”
he shouted angrily, grabbing my left wrist with his right hand.
“Let go. This counts as assault, you know.”
“I’m not letting go!”
When he refused to release me, I decided to act in self-defense.
I stood up from my chair, pulled my left hand back while pushing his elbow up with my right hand to lock the joint, swept his legs from the left, and used my arm to slam him onto the floor.
“Ugh!”
I’d meant to hold back, but it seemed I’d slammed him down too hard, leaving him immobilized from the pain.
Looking down at him, I warned:
“I don’t need someone weaker than me to protect me. If you keep bothering me, I won’t hold back next time, okay?”
I lightly touched the gun at my waist as I spoke.
“O-okay! I get it!”
he stammered in fear.
As the staff escorted him away, Miya and Tenoi held out their palms to me.
So, following their lead, I clapped my hands together with a loud “clap!”
TLNOTE:
This novel series is already licensed in English. Please purchase the official version when available! Because of it, this English translation will be removed from this website in the near future
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
Thanks for the chapter