DE: Chapter 1 Part 7 – No Perfect Reward for a Perfect Score

“This is Her Royal Highness, the Third Princess of the Royal Family, Liliana Calvarta.”

The moment the name of the person to be rescued was mentioned, silence reigned. And it was only natural. The name Calvarta belongs to the Royal Family of Calvarta, a planet that serves as the central stronghold of the Elves. What’s more, their Third Princess has been kidnapped from there and taken who knows where.

“You have a traitor among your own people. My condolences.”

“Hold your tongue, Sergeant Shu Kisaragi. I will not tolerate any further disrespect.”

“You can’t trust your own people, so you hired mercenaries who are motivated by money. Not a bad strategy. But do you honestly believe that with this small fleet and manpower, we can pull off a rescue?”

“Have you not heard me? I will not tolerate any further disrespect.”

Colonel Cecilia stood before me, expressionless. I spoke the truth in her face, without hesitation.

“Do you guys really care that much about pride? Now is the time you should be requesting a rescue from the Unified Earth Government or the Guardia Empire Government. And you seem to have forgotten about it, but there’s also the Galactic Free Republic.”

“In return, we would have to provide our technology. Our technology is something you humans cannot fully handle.”

“That’s obvious. Us humans can only live for about 150 years, thanks to medicine and such. On the other hand, Elves can live for centuries. The very foundation is completely different.”

“We know. Indeed, many of the technologies that are commonplace for us would be far too advanced for fragile humans to handle.”

“Even so, humans are greedy in nature. Nothing can be done about it.”

“And because of that greed, countless planets have perished, with countless civilians caught in the chaos. You wouldn’t be able to understand.”

Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but realize the true reason. Elves are often said to be exclusive, but perhaps the reality is a bit different. Maybe they actually feel a sense of guilt over the countless innocent lives lost because of the technologies they created.

“How surprising. You Elven people surprisingly have a soft side to you.”

As soon as I muttered those words, Colonel Cecilia and the other Elves momentarily froze, their expressions blank. I should’ve switched my terminal to camera mode.

“Sh… Shut up.”

“So, is this what they call a tsundere? How adorable~. Anyway, I’ll be joining the rescue mission. Please fill me in on all the details so far and what’s coming next.”

“You were complaining so much earlier, but now you’re joining the mission? That’s a bit surprising.”

“I wasn’t complaining. I was just saying something I predicted casually. This time it turned out to be spot on. I wonder if I’ll get a reward for a perfect score or something.”

“Reward for a perfect score?”

Colonel Cecilia then cleared her throat and began explaining again.

“It has been confirmed that Her Highness the Princess Liliana is no longer with the Union Company. And we have found out that they have handed her over to the cult known as【Sectoral】.”

“Sectoral, you say? That human supremacist? Is the Princess all right?”

“It is unlikely that they will kill Her Highness. Princess Liliana is a rare genius.”

A rare genius. I couldn’t understand what that meant at the moment. And even if the chances of being killed is low, they can definitely torture her.

“According to the key figures of the Union, they headed towards the Zador Star system. Currently, the space around the planet Damraka in the Zador Star system is still sealed off. Abandoned by the government, it has become a lawless zone. It would be the perfect place for them to hide.”

Planet Damraka. About fifty years ago, a war, or a conflict, was supposed to break out. What was the initial trigger? It all began when the planet Damraka, located near the center of the Zador Star system, declared independence from the Unified Earth Government along with the local planetary governments and provisional administrations of the surrounding planets.

Of course, the Unified Earth Government did not acknowledge the independence, and dispatched the 7th Mobile Fleet, led by General Max of the United Earth Federation of Unified Forces. Additionally, other reserve forces were gathered, and although it took some time, they eventually arrived at the location.

And when General Max and the soldiers of the 7th Mobile Fleet arrived at the scene, there was nothing there. I’ll say it again, there was absolutely nothing.

What spread out before them was a vast, empty expanse of space, with not even any debris. The planet Damraka, surrounding resource planets, inhabited planets, and transit colonies, all gone.

After confirming the situation at the scene, the Unified Earth Government immediately decided to impose a blockade on the space centered on planet Damraka. And even now, the blockade has not been lifted.

“The Zador Star system? That place is now a nest of space pirates and criminals. You are planning to go there with a fleet this big?”

“Yes. However, if our forces and your mercenary forces are properly combined, there should be no problem.”

“Shit. So you’re basically telling us to be a decoy? If you hate humans that much, then settle things for yourself, you damn Elves.”

After hearing the exchange with Burgess and the Elves, Jumbo was beyond annoyed. No, wait, let’s try to hold on a bit longer, baby.

“You’re big, so you should change to a bigger mindset too, Jumbo.”

“What the hell did you say! And I told you, I’m not Jumbo!”

“For now, the immediate obstacles are the space pirates, criminals, and the tolls demanded by the mafia. What are the main weapons used by the people of the Zador Star system?”

“Don’t ignore me, you brat!”

“I’m 19. I’m not a brat. But I’ll admit I have a baby face.”

“Your personality is the same as your appearance.”

The conversation was gradually drifting off track, but Colonel Cecilia glared at me while clearing her throat loudly. That’s why she was so scary.

“After looking into it, most of them are outdated models. Basically, both the government and the surrounding local governments probably don’t want to have anything to do with the Zador Star system.”

“Even so, there’s still a certain demand for them. The people who are making good money off selling old-fashioned weapons are probably smiling every day, slapping someone’s cheek with a wad of cash. Must be nice… I wish I could become a rich, self-made man too.”

“These days, you only use paper money in the frontier regions, right?”

“Back in the day, bathing in a stack of bills was a hobby of the nouveau riche.”

“Really? That’s pretty unhygienic.”

When I was sharing my old, somewhat biased, and possibly dubious knowledge, I once again heard Colonel Vladfield clearing her throat.

“I’ll say it again to you all. The payment has been made. Now, you mercenaries, must do what you’re supposed to do. Any questions?”

“Yes, yes! Can we get a special bonus after the mission?”

“If you achieve results, I’ll make sure to give you a bonus.”

“Yes! I’m full of motivation. Whether it’s a large enemy force or a traitor, I’ll crush them all.”

“Don’t say stupid things like a traitor. It makes me worried.”

Ignoring Lieutenant Churi’s retort, I listened to Colonel Cecilia’s words while quietly ruminating the details of the mission in my mind.

“From the beginning, I had no expectations for mercenaries like you to take the vanguard. The vanguard will be handled by Captain Christina Vladfield and her unit. Your job is simply to crush the surplus enemy forces. If you can’t even manage that, then you’ll truly be useless. That’s all the explanation you need.”

Having finished her explanation, Colonel Cecilia left the room. In her place, Captain Christina Vladfield stood before us.

“I’ll introduce myself, just for formality. I’m Captain Christina Vladfield. Let me make one thing clear: don’t do anything to drag us down. That’s all.”

Leaving those words, she quickly left the room along with the other Elves.

“I don’t know. Am I the only one who thinks that we’re going to have a hell of a time of mental hardships from now on?”

When I asked the remaining four mercenaries, no one responded, and only a heavy, oppressive silence filled the room.