Mercenary Guild Rank

"Hello. My name is Christina. But please feel free to call me Chris."

"My name's Mimi! Nice to meet you, Chris-chan!"

"I'm Elma. Best regards, Chris."

I took Chris along and brought her back to Krishna. We found both

Mimi, who was left to mind the ship, and Elma, who seems to have just

gotten back from the Mercenary Guild branch.

They did the introductions in the dining room. Mimi, who was close to

Chris in age, seemed really happy and had a bright smile on her pretty

face. Age-wise, both me and Elma were poles apart from the two young

ladies. That's especially true for Elma though. In Elma's case, don't

mention being close in age. She's actually a generation apart. Though

that's only considering the number of years she's spent living her life.

"...What?"

"Oh, nothing."

Elma gave me an annoyed stare. She might have sensed my somewhat

rude thoughts. Do her elven ears not only pick up sounds but even the

wicked thoughts of other people? How scary.

"Um... What's wrong with those two? Are they alright?"

"They're fine. They get along really well actually. Elma-san is just feeling

complicated since Hiro-sama has just attained Gold rank."

Chris seemed worried after seeing the weird atmosphere between me

and Elma. Mimi pacified her worries while displaying a bright smile.

"...I ain't really feeling complicated or anything."

Elma turned her head to the side with slightly puffed up cheeks. It just

makes me wanna poke them. She would probably break my fingers if I

did, so I'll just pass.

"Um, just what does Gold rank signify...?"

Chris cutely tilted her head as she inquired. So it seems our little noble

lady isn't familiar with mercenary ranks huh. Can't be helped. I'll just

explain everything to her then… or maybe not.

Elma turned around and faced Chris with such amazing momentum

after hearing her question. Oh boy. Guess I'll have to leave it to her.

"The official Mercenary Guild rankings are split into five grades. Iron,

Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. So, five in total."

Elma made her slender fingers straighten up one by one until her hand

transitioned to an open-palm state.

"Iron rankers are basically your standard rookies. They have next to no

real combat experience, and their starships are bottom-of-the-barrel as

well. In any case, they usually serve to make up the numbers during

escort missions and such. Cargo transport missions are quite common

in this line of work after all. When a merc's assigned this rank, they are

basically expected to pile up experience by flying around space, staying

on various stations and colonies, and tagging along with their senior

cohorts during missions."

"I see…"

Chris started listening to Elma's explanation with a serious expression.

By the way, I haven't managed to explain Chris's circumstances to Mimi

and Elma yet. I couldn't find the right timing earlier y'see. Well, I guess

I'll just tell both of them after Elma's mercenary rank explanations. I

had Chris, who was listening to the explanation with great focus, sit on

a chair in front of the dining table while I prepared a light meal. I'm not

sure if Chris's bodily functions have all normalized by now, so I opted

for food that's easily digestible.

Un, I guess I'll go with custard pudding. Our amazing auto-cooker

extraordinaire Tetsujin V also makes excellent desserts after all. After

keying in an order of tea and custard pudding for each of us, I also sat in

front of the table in order to listen in on Elma's explanation.

"Once you attain Bronze rank, it means you're starting to get proper

recognition. Most folks who get promoted to Bronze rank also upgrade

their ship's combat capabilities as well. So they can finally be

considered as an asset in battle. But even so, taking on multiple pirate

ships solo will still be hard for them, so normally, several Bronze

rankers form unofficial fleets of their own. You will see quite a number

of these unofficial fleets during subjugation missions."

"But Hiro-sama was able to take down multiple pirate ships even when

he was just a Bronze ranker, right?"

"In his case, his ranking just serves as a scam."

Elma gave me a harsh glare. I just shrugged it off. Calling my rank a

scam is just a bit too harsh, don't you think? It's all thanks to Krishna's

overwhelming performance. Nothing's come close to depleting its

energy shield even now. Well, it's not like I give enemies any chance of

saturating the shield during battles anyway, so I guess it's to be

expected.

"So, let's talk about Silver rank next. Becoming a Silver ranker means

you're already part of the elite. After piling up experience as a Bronze

ranker, mercenaries who managed to earn enough achievements to

their names finally get promoted to Silver rank. However, there's a huge

difference between Silver rank veterans and mercs who've just been

promoted to the said rank. Experience is a given of course, but most

veteran mercs have also more than likely managed to build up a rather

respectable armory of quality weapons and equipment, as well as a

high-performance ship to match. Opinions like having unofficial skill

rankings for Silver rankers or that the conditions for promoting to the

next rank become really harsh once you get to Silver are actually quite

common."

"Elma-san is also a Silver ranker, right?"

"That's right. I'm a veteran Silver ranker."

Elma looked really smug as she said so while puffing up her meagre

chest.

"Well, she's actually lost her ship, so she's just my crew member right

now though."

"...There's that too. I'm just glad I didn't end up dead."

Elma diverted her gaze for a moment. Well, I guess so huh.

"So, what about Gold rank?"

At Chris's urging, Elma pulled herself together and continued her

explanation.

"Gold rank mercenaries are ones who've transcended being veterans.

It's assigned to mercenaries who've piled up tons of experience, killed

more than their fair share of pirates, amassed large amounts of

bounties and rewards, and cleared the most difficult simulator courses.

They're the elite among the elite. Gold rank is only granted to a select

handful among all active mercenaries. They make up only about five

percent of the total mercenary numbers."

"Hou, five percent you say? It looks like I'm actually quite a big-shot

huh."

But even if she says five percent, I totally have no idea how many active

mercenaries are out there, so I don't have a proper sense of scale about

it at all.

"...Well, yes. You really are something. Gold rankers are basically

mercs who have been officially recognized as elites among elites by the

Mercenary Guild itself. The standing of mercenaries in the present

society is by no means low, however, becoming a Gold ranker will allow

for recognition even among the likes of imperial nobility, the military,

and important government officials. Generally speaking, Gold rankers

are evaluated as having enough firepower and equipment to destroy a

large group of thirty or more enemy ships with a single combat craft."

"Oh my. So they need to be able to do that much?"

"Actually, I believe Hiro-sama can beat fifty or more with no trouble,

right?"

"That depends. I'll only be able to do so if I don't go against them headon and use other tactics."

Even if Krishna's shield is extra tough, there's also a thing called 'limits'

after all. It would be dangerous to exchange direct fire with over fifty

ships, even for Krishna. So it would be better to steadily bring down

medium-sized ships while simultaneously whittling down the numbers

of the small ones.

"And lastly, there's Platinum rank. There are currently thirteen active

Platinum rankers at present. They are people who have produced

particularly outstanding results and achievements even within the Gold

rankers. It's mostly the same with Gold rank, but the conditions for

promotion to Platinum rank are even more stringent. In fact, most of it

is undisclosed. But it's said that only mercenaries who can charge into

any type of battlefield, no matter how brutal, and return to tell the tale

after having raised hell have the qualifications for becoming Platinum

rank."

"I believe Hiro-sama can achieve that as well. You can, right?"

"In time, my dear. In time."

"When one becomes a Platinum ranker, his or her influence will shoot

up to unprecedented heights. I'm not sure if this is actually true or not,

but there's a rumor that a noble tried to use his influence in order to

place a Platinum ranked mercenary under his command, only to be

crushed by that mercenary instead."

"Now that's just unbelievable."

Even if it's the highest rank achievable in the Mercenary Guild, can a

mere merc really attain such power and influence? I can't really imagine

it.

"You... Whatever. Anyway, as of right now, you've officially been

promoted to Gold rank, mister. Congratulations."

"But aren't you angry enough to send an alien to torch an entire city?"

"I'm not really angry, okay! I just feel it's a bit mortifying!"

"Oh c'mon. Even if my rank outstrips yours now, that doesn't change the

fact that you're still my senior in this business. Isn't that right? S-E-N-PA-I?"

"Are you picking a fight with me, buster? You are, right? You've got some

balls."

"Gaaaaaaaah!?"

Elma's arm wrapped around mine like a snake, and she placed me in an

armlock within moments. She's too fast… I wasn't even able to react.

"Elma-san, anything more than that is..."

"They do get along, right? Right?"

Mimi was pacifying the angry Elma as Chris displayed a strained smile.

Save me, you guys!

"Tch! Don't get too full of yourself! You may have the upper hand when

it comes to piloting a ship and operating a power armor, but you

absolutely suck in unarmed CQC!"

"I shall bear that in mind... By the way, I have prepared a modest

serving of sweets for us to partake in. Do you wish to have some, Elmasama?"

"Fine then. Serve it right away."

"Of course, milady."

Fufu. Revel in your victory for now. But know this! I shall take my sweet

revenge on you tonight, elf… I nursed such spiteful thoughts as I

prepared to serve the custard pudding and tea.

"It's a bit early for a full meal, so I opted for snacks instead. I'll also tell

you all about Chris's current circumstances as we eat."

"Yes."

"Circumstances?"

"???"

Elma had a peculiar expression on her face while Mimi seemed to have

question marks floating on top of her head when I made my vague

announcement. Hm. It's actually a whole heap of trouble guys. Do

prepare yourselves.

* * *

"Uuh… Uguuuuuh! Chris-chaaaan!"

"Nn!?"

After hearing about Chris's circumstances, Mimi cried out and hugged

Chris to her chest. Well, it's fine to hug her, but it looks like Chris is

being suffocated by being sandwiched between your breasts, Mimi.

"Well, that certainly is a great big load of trouble..."

"Aaaaauuu! Chris-chaaaaan!"

Elma rescued Chris from Mimi's loving clutches while making a big sigh.

Mimi, who has been deprived of her Chris-chan plushie, had her face

pushed away further by Elma, making her let out a pitiable cry.

"So, two weeks at most, was it? We'll have to take care of this child

during that period, right?"

"That's right. We'll have to protect her."

"You're really raring to get involved in all this huh."

"I don't see why not."

If I were Chris's uncle, I would do everything in my power to ensure she

dies. He's already taken care of Chris's parents after all. He's already

gone that far, so he'll have to follow through all the way if he doesn't

want his plans to go up in smoke.

"I have something I want to entrust to Elma, actually."

"What is it?"

Elma nodded in assent. I then turned to Chris.

"Chris, you still have the storage device containing the video we

recorded earlier, right?"

"Yes. Do you mean this?"

Chris took out a small crystal from within her pocket. So this is the

memory storage medium in this dimension huh. It sure is pretty.

"Can you make copies of this?"

"Eh? Well, yes, I think I can reproduce this just fine. Why?"

"I want to send this video message to Chris's grandfather via multiple

routes. The port admin bureau has already sent a message to the earl,

but there's no guarantee her uncle will not be able to intercept it."

"I see. You certainly can't discount the possibility. I understand. I'll

make copies of it and use all the routes and means at my disposal to

send the recording crystal to Earl Daleinwald."

"Yeah, I'm counting on you. I'll handle the costs. Don't hold back and use

every means available."

"You're going all out as usual huh?"

"Well, that's not entirely it. I'm doing a huge favor for both an earl and

his granddaughter, so we can certainly expect a nice, hefty reward,

right?"

"Fine, fine. We'll just leave it at that."

Elma laughed as she dismissed my explanation. Am I really that easy to

read? Guess so, huh. But that's just how I am, so it can't be helped. I

don't want to abandon such a cute child after all.

"So, I'm assuming you already have some means in mind?"

"Yes, of course. Quite a few actually. But they'll take some time."

"That can't be helped. It'll be our win if even one of them reaches the

earl."

"It's a stellar first move, all things considered. But I'm not quite sure if

it's the best we could take."

"Well, let's try it out first. If this move proves ineffective, I'll think of

some other ways."

Well, the most simple and straightforward way was to crush all

pursuers though. It would be much better if we could crush Chris's

uncle along with them too. Oh well. Things shouldn't be that convenient

anyway.

"Well, since our first move is decided, do you already have ideas about

our next one?"

In any case, our princess will be safe as long as she's staying inside the

Krishna. Well, it would be easier for us if we could somehow manage to

contact the earl in real-time though. I wasn't expecting trouble with

real-time communication on a dimension well into the interstellar age.

Haven't they developed tech that can allow folks to contact each other

in real-time even if they're hundreds or thousands of light-years away

from each other?

"You know, staying cooped up inside Krishna doesn't absolutely

guarantee her safety. The possibility of them sneaking poison into the

food and supplies we order isn't zero. They can also sneak in a bomb or

two using the same method."

"Would they really go that far…?"

"Well, there's no reason not to, in any case. In fact, the loot we

confiscated from pirate ships might be the safer alternative instead of

goods procured from the colony."

"Man, there's something new. To think we'll be hunting pirates for food

and supplies instead of bounties..."

But do pirate ships really have a good stock of food and supplies in their

cargo holds…? It might actually be better to just buy our supplies on

another star system altogether.

"Anyway, let's just start with what we first discussed. I'll be off then. I'll

be taking that memory device, Chris."

"Yes, please go ahead."

After taking the memory device off Chris's hands, Elma left the ship. I'll

try to come up with some other countermeasures in the meantime. But

first...

"Mimi, would you please prepare a bed for Chris?"

"Yes."

I guess I'll leave Chris in Mimi's care while I think about our next moves.

Hm... I don't really plan on being one-sidedly harassed by her

pursuers. But even so, things like barehanded CQC, plotting, and

watching out for assassination attempts really aren't my fields of

expertise.

So what am I good at, you ask? Isn't it already obvious?

"Now then, just how would we lure them out, I wonder..."

While I was wracking my head for ideas, my gaze shifted toward the

tablet terminal Mimi left on the table. An advertisement for Sierra star

system's resort planet was displayed on it. I had a sudden spark of

inspiration as I stared at the ad.

And I think it's not such a bad idea.

"Let's reverse the process. How about we proactively lure them out

ourselves instead of waiting for them to make a move?"

I muttered my ideas to no one in particular and couldn't help but make

a grin.