Chapter 96
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
I was nervous about contacting the earl, but it went smoother than expected .
『Well then, a vehicle will come to pick you all up after fifteen minutes . The earl is looking forward to seeing you all . 』
Yep . We were prepared for a formal talk with the earl, but instead, his secretary arranged an appointment for us and the call ended with that .
“I guess he didn’t want to simply meet up via holo-display and wanted to see us in person . ”
“Is that really the case……?”
“Hm . I don’t quite understand what grandfather is thinking either . ”
The three girls were mulling over the arrangements made by the earl with puzzled looks on their faces . May stood quietly on the side . She stood all prim and proper, with both hands resting on top of each other in front of her maid dress’s skirt . After getting upgraded, May acted even more elegant and refined compared to before . Has something fundamental changed within her, I wonder . But maybe it’s just me .
And by the way, we had Chris confirm that the person we got in contact with was unmistakably her grandfather’s secretary . You can never be too careful after all . We also did a bit of information gathering on our end .
As for the results, we ended up not finding much about the secretary, but we did confirm that a ship that’s owned by House Daleinwald was currently docked inside Sierra Prime . And it wasn’t just a civilian cruiser or luxury ship . It was actually a battleship . It looks like Chris’s grandfather, Earl Abraham Daleinwald, was actually quite wary of his very own son, Balthazar Daleinwald .
“In any case, I guess this does indicate that he believes your uncle is aiming for your life, Chris . I think there’s a low chance of this being your uncle’s trap . ”
“Yes . I also think it’s alright . I clearly remember seeing that secretary every time we paid grandfather a visit . ”
“But even so, we still can’t let our guards down . ”
“Yes . Even if it’s true that we got in contact with Earl Daleinwald, it doesn’t mean that Christinsama’s safety is already 100% guaranteed . ”
May agreed with Elma’s warning . Mimi was still mulling over the situation with furrowed brows .
“Anyway, they should be arriving soon . Shall we go ahead? Just in case, make sure to have your laser guns with you . That goes for you too, Mimi . ”
“Yes . ”
Mimi positively replied as she tapped the laser gun that was holstered to her hip . I do hope Mimi can improve her shooting ability soon…… She should aim to at least be able to hit a stationary enemy with her gun . I better accompany her for some target practice after this matter is over .
After getting down from Krishna, the macho onii-sans standing guard gave crisp salutes when they saw Chris with us . Chris exchanged some words with them, and the men looked quite moved as they replied with ‘We are unworthy of such words, milady . ’ and ‘We will ensure your safety with our lives if need be, princess!’ enthusiastically . Un . It’s a scene far removed from what I’m used to .
“Seeing you like this really brings home the fact that Chris-chan is actually a noble princess, doesn’t it?”
“I’m not royalty though……”
Mimi was acting moved by the scene while Chris displayed a strained smile in response . Before long, a vehicle resembling a jeep stopped in front of Krishna . It’s just like those RVs used to survey distant planets back on Earth .
You’re not familiar with RVs? It ain’t those recreational vehicles used by families to go on a long trip, but recon vehicles used to survey the lay of the land . They’re used to explore the surface of distant planets . It was smaller than an average power armor, but it was equipped with an energy shield, so it was a considerably tough vehicle . Unfortunately, I don’t have one parked inside Krishna .
Hm . But maybe I can purchase one through Mercenary Guild channels . It should be useful for work as well . We can use it to search for relics of past civilizations on unexplored planets and whatnot, and sell the gathered data for a good price to willing buyers . But the problem is that it would take up too much space inside Krishna’s cargo bay .
We all boarded the RV along with the macho onii-sans, and speedily drove out of the port area . The port area was bustling with activity today . There were several industrial use power armors unloading cargo from ships, a family wearing fancy clothes that probably came here for a vacation, people who looked like they were from the same trade as us, some weird-looking alien creatures that actually seemed like merchants out on business…… Anyway, lots of different people were out and about inside the port area .
Of course, there were also imperial soldiers walking about . Oh, and I think I saw Major Serena too . Well, she shouldn’t have noticed my stare– Huh? She turned my way? So she actually noticed? How’d she do that? Scary .
After driving for a while, the RV finally arrived in front of an imposing-looking ship . It wasn’t exactly the latest model, but it was still sufficiently intimidating . It looked quite powerful . You can actually kind of tell the personality and quirks of a fleet commander to a certain extent based on the composition of his or her fleet . And based on this battleship here, I reckon the commander is someone who values a sure and steady approach when engaged in battle .
Its basic strategy was to steadily bring down the fast vanguard ships while weathering attacks with tight defenses, and exchanging fire with enemy battleships in the rear in a battle of attrition . This ship looked like it could take quite a beating and still come out with guns blazing . Looks like the commander prioritizes safety and stability above all . If you take a fleet like this head-on without a plan, chances are you’d have to expend a considerable amount of effort .
“We have been waiting for you all . And I am truly glad that you are safe, Christinsama . It truly is a relief . ”
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The RV drove inside the ship’s hangar . After we got off from the vehicle, we met the secretary guy who we talked with earlier via the holo-display, as well as a woman who seemed to be a maid . Now that I got a good look at them, the personnel walking around busily inside the hangar were all dressed like butlers or maids . Talk about eccentricity .
“It is all thanks to father, mother, and this gentleman, Captain Hiro . What about my grandfather?”
“He is waiting for you all inside his private quarters . Please come with me . This lady will be the one to guide the rest of you, Captain Hiro . ”
“Please come with me . I shall lead you to the ship’s parlor . ”
The smart-looking maid-san invited us to follow her . Now then, would it really be okay to let Chris meet with her grandfather alone? I exchanged gazes with Chris, and she nodded back to say it was fine . Guess there’s no problem then . I exchanged gazes with Elma just in case, but she also nodded in assent . Okay then .
“Understood . We’ll see you later, Chris . ”
“Yes, Hiro-sama . ”
After waving goodbye to a smiling Chris, we followed after the maid from earlier .
But man, the interior of this ship sure looks quite fancy . Elma compared Krishna’s interior with that of a first class luxury cruiser, but this ship easily exceeded Krishna by several leagues . The outside appearance was that of an intimidating battleship, but the interior rivaled that of a five star hotel or an affluent noble’s mansion . Oh boy . As expected of nobles . Even their ships served as impressive status symbols .
So this ship served both as House Daleinwald’s flagship as well as a mobile holiday villa . How fancy . So that’s why the crew were all dressed as maids and butlers . Un . I actually quite like it .
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you all starry-eyed?”
“No, I was just thinking the owner of this ship has such good taste . ”
“Isn’t your ship basically the same?”
“Really?”
“Yeah . It has an interior rivalling a luxury cruiser, and you even have a maidroid now . Isn’t it following the same basic style as this ship?”
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“Come to think of it, you’re right……”
She does have a point . Umu . So should I also purchase a mothership that has a similar vibe as this ship to match Krishna? I’m sure it wouldn’t be cheap, but it would probably be more than a few times cheaper than purchasing a detached house with a garden on a residential planet and official citizenship .
And once we get a mothership, we’d be able to carry significantly more cargo . It would increase our business options as well as our income by several fold . Slow and steady wins the race, as they say . I should really start thinking seriously about purchasing a mothership . I found Krishna spacious before, but now that the crew has increased in number, it’s starting to feel a bit cramped .
And no, I have no plans of increasing my crew any further guys . I said no . I’m serious .
“It feels like a noble’s mansion, so I can’t seem to settle down……”
“I sort of get where you’re coming from, Mimi . But it looks great, doesn’t it? If you keep thinking about how much it costs, you’d just stress yourself out needlessly . Just don’t mind the furnishings much . ”
“I understand what you’re getting at, Elmsan . But the entire atmosphere of this ship just exudes fanciness, so, well…”
“Well, you’ll get used to it soon, Mimi . ”
It seems Mimi’s aesthetic taste leaned more on the punkish side, so the neat and elegant feeling of this ship’s interior doesn’t seem to sit well with her . But it can’t be helped, so she’ll just have to cope .
“Please wait here, everyone . ”
The room we were brought to was a wide and luxurious parlor for receiving guests . One side of the walls was composed of a large glass sheet, and through it, we could see a grand-looking garden . Well, it’s probably just a large holo-display and not a real garden though .
“Thank you . ”
“I will prepare some drinks . Would you be fine with tea, everyone? If you want something else, don’t hesitate to tell me . ”
“I’m fine with tea . How about you, girls?”
“I’ll have tea as well . ”
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“Me too . ”
“Understood . Please wait while I prepare your drinks . ”
The maid who guided us here made an elegant bow and left the parlor . After seeing her off with my gaze, I sank comfortably in one of the sofas inside the parlor . Oooh . Now that’s what I call comfy . The sofa’s incredibly soft and fluffy, but it can still fully support my weight . The table also looked to be made of high-quality natural wood exuding a black sheen . At least, it seemed just like natural wood when I touched it earlier . If it really was genuine natural wood, then just this one table would cost a heck of a lot of Enels .
After a short while, the maid came back with our drinks . It was a steaming beverage with a deep red hue .
“What’s wrong?”
“What is it, Hiro-sama?”
“……No, it’s nothing . ”
It was different from the tea I was familiar with, but I didn’t want to sound rude, so I kept my thoughts to myself . Thankfully, the aroma and taste were that of normal tea . But what’s with this? Did they add some food coloring while brewing the tea or something? How curious . Maybe it was because of the tea leaves used .
We enjoyed the overly red tea and waited at the parlor for about an hour . Then, finally, the one we were waiting for arrived .
“The lord is here . Please stand and offer him your sincerest greetings . ”
We followed the words of the maid-san and waited for Earl Daleinwald to enter .
Before long, the large double door leading to the parlor opened, and an elderly man with a stately bearing entered the room . Following after him was Chris, who now wore a stylish white dress that made her look like a fairytale princess .
The elderly man was tall in stature, and has a very sturdy-looking physique despite his advanced age . Strapped on his waist were two swords – one of regular length and one with a short blade . His originally black hair was peppered with streaks of white, but it still looked well-maintained .
But what stood out the most was the man’s eyes . He had deep black eyes that resembled those of a hawk . They were filled with strength and dignity, and one without sufficient courage would find him or herself cowering before their sharp gaze . I was half-expecting a weak-looking geezer earlier, but it turned out to be a strong old man .
“My name is Earl Abraham Daleinwald, and I am the current head of House Daleinwald . ”
Chris’s grandfather, Earl Abraham Daleinwald, introduced himself and turned a sharp gaze toward me . Man . This old man sure is intimidating . Looks like I have to tread carefully around this guy . Now then, how should I go about this, I wonder .