Private Audience

What we found when we entered the regal-looking door was a drawing

room with an austere and calming atmosphere. Compared to what I had in

mind, it was at least two times smaller. However, you could tell at a glance

that all of the furnishings inside the room were high-end stuff. Somehow,

the aura of each article was quite distinct. You could even say they exuded a

sense of history.

And in the center of such a room were two people seated behind a round

wooden antique table. One was a middle-aged man with a stern

countenance who gave off the aura of an extraordinary individual straight

away. The other was a familiar and yet also unfamiliar face – Her Imperial

Highness, Princess Luciada.

"Your Majesty, I have brought you the mercenary Hiro and his

companions."

"Umu."

The middle-aged man nodded at Elmoore's words and looked me straight in

the eye. I felt that I shouldn't look away so I stared back at him without

flinching.

"…Just what kind of person are you, young man?"

The middle-aged stern-faced man – the emperor of the Graccan Empire –

suddenly asked me a question. It was somewhat vague. You could even call

it philosophical. What the heck are you trying to ask, man?

"Um, I'm a mercenary, Your Majesty."

"Fumu. Yes, of course. You certainly are a mercenary. I've already heard of

your various exploits. However, that isn't what I'm trying to ask. I am

asking just what is the true identity of the person who calls himself Captain

Hiro."

C'mon, man. How do you want me to answer then, emperor?

"Um, are you asking in a philosophical sense, Your Majesty?"

"One day, you just suddenly appeared in this corner of the galaxy. On

August 4, Year 5672, in Sector Alpha of the Termaine system, a star system

monitoring radar recorded your ship for the first time. You appeared from

nothing without any prior warning signs. There weren't any spatiotemporal

quakes indicative of a hyperspace warp, nor any other observable energy

waves or phenomena of any kind when your ship appeared. It was as if it

was always there all along."

The emperor ignored my own question and began talking on his own.

However, the contents of his speech had me sweating coldly and aroused a

sense of crisis in me. If the emperor asked his earlier question based on the

knowledge he just casually revealed, then its implications went beyond

what I was expecting.

"We have already investigated your following actions after that. You cashed

in high-purity rare metals of unknown origin and holed up inside your ship

for a period of time while searching for information on the galactic net. The

search contents we managed to pull out were also quite interesting. Sol,

Alpha Centauri, Barnard, Sirius, Procyon, Tau Ceti… You seem to have

been searching for star systems of such names on the galaxy map, correct?"

"…"

The emperor listed out each of the search words I typed in when I first came

to this dimension and stayed at the Termaine System in order to gather info.

"The speed of each character input, the frequency of searches for each

word, the speed of switching from word to word… Our information

analysts were able to infer from those factors that you were in quite a panic

during your research. It was as if you were frustrated and confused because

you were unable to find things you thought you would have been able to

find easily."

Ugh. How terrifying. It was scary that they were able to pull up my

information logs, and I was equally afraid of their information analysts who

were able to infer my exact psychological state from just that much info. As

I thought, the power of the state is hella scaryyy.

"You got me, Your Majesty."

I raised both hands in a gesture of surrender for His Majesty, the emperor,

to see. When the emperor witnessed my gesture, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Umu, quite straightforward of you. Well then, clarify your identity in your

own words for me."

"It will be quite a long story, Your Majesty."

"That is fine. Begin."

His Majesty then gestured for us to take our seats. I turned my gaze toward

Eldmoore and nodded to him. I then made my way to the antique table

where the emperor and Princess Luciada were seated and joined them.

Mimi and Elma both sat down next to me. Eldmoore and Mei stood a little

ways behind us all and watched over us.

His Majesty snapped his fingers and teacups filled with warm tea appeared

before us all, followed by delicious-looking sweets on a plate. I couldn't

really tell if the cause was due to SF tech or something more magical in

nature. In any case, the stage was set, so to speak.

"Hahaha! And then you managed to snag yourself an excellent maid as well

as a 30% discount when you bought your mothership from those stingy

dwarves huh?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. By the way, the dwarves ended up messing around

even when we arrived here at the capital. At this time, they must be running

around as if their behinds are on fire while trying to capitalize on the

priority coverage deal with us."

"Hahahaha! How very amusing! Isn't it, Luciada?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

His Majesty, the emperor, laughed heartily while listening to my story while

Princess Luciada gently giggled.

It looks like His Majesty and Princess Luciada have really taken a shine to

stories of my misadventures huh? Or perhaps they liked stories about

mercenaries in general. It was said that Mimi's grandmother, Celestia-sama,

also escaped from the imperial family due to her longing for a free and easy

life. But, perhaps, it wasn't just her who was longing for it.

"Remember this, Luciada. If you meticulously search every corner of our

empire, there's a good chance you might encounter several people who

possess a certain [factor] such as this man."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Princess Luciada was all smiles as she nodded to her grandfather's words.

Un, It really was like that huh. It looks like the emperor really has taken

quite a shine to us. It's not like he was treating us as bosom friends or

anything of that sort. It was more like him seeing us as people worthy of

appreciation.

"What I mean by people who possess certain[factors]are individuals who

seem to affect the very nature of causality to a seemingly miraculous

degree. The effects differ from each individual, but in the case of this man,

you can probably classify him as a person who has a very high tendency of

attracting trouble onto himself."

"Please give me a break, Your Majesty. I've really been having the worst

luck recently y'know. Once someone says something ominous, odds are it

would really end up happening."

"Kukuku, if you really hold such a disposition, then that is all but

inevitable. Let's see. How about I also leave my own mark on your

turbulent destiny, young man?"

After saying that, the emperor grinned from ear to ear. Hey, stop that, you

fool! That's too heavy, especially coming from an emperor of a space

empire. It's seriously no joke, man.

"My good Eldmoore, I shall make a royal proclamation."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I wish to learn the true caliber of this man, the mercenary called Hiro.

Gather all skilled individuals from within the imperial guards, military,

aristocratic heirs, and mercenaries. It has been quite some time since a

person has been awarded the First-class Star Cross medal. I believe many

would like to see the true capabilities of a man deemed worthy enough to

receive a Gold Star."

"By your will."

Heeeeeey!? What the hell are you suddenly spouting, you geezer!? I was

about to scream in protest, but Elma's hand quickly extended from my left

and plugged my mouth while Mimi hugged me from my right and stopped

me from standing up.

"I leave the details to you. Deal with it as you see fit. As for the reward…

Well, once Captain Hiro has proved his worth, grant him and Mimi Firstclass imperial citizenship. However, take care not to tie this man down in

any way even when he is granted citizenship. If you do, it's more than

likely that he will just run away."

As expected of the emperor. He really gets me. Dammit.

"As for the one who manages to defeat Captain Hiro, I shall grant him or

her honor and generous rewards. It will depend on what the person him or

herself desires. However–"

The emperor's gaze turned toward Mimi and Elma, and then at Mei.

"I will not condone any act that would place Mercenary Hiro's loved ones

in danger. If that happens, he will likely be out for blood. I do not wish to

earn the ire of this man after all. How about it? You should be able to accept

now with these kinds of conditions in place, correct?"

The emperor grinned at me again. This guy really is the worst. I'm gonna

make you pay for this someday, Your Majesty!