Chapter 4: Encounter with the Count

Chapter 4:
Encounter with the Count

 

WE WERE TENSE going into the call, but it was actually pretty darn easy.

“We will send someone to meet you in fifteen minutes,” the secretary informed me. “At that time, please board the ship with them.”

I had prepared to be formal, but in the end, I just had to make an appointment with the count through his secretary.

“Maybe he doesn’t want your first meeting to be over the phone?” Elma suggested.

“Could that be it?” Mimi wondered.

“Hmm. I’m not sure, myself.” Chris was just as stumped.

All three of them were just as confused. Mei offered no comment and just stood politely with her hands clasped in front of her. Ever since her upgrade, she seemed much more refined. Was it Mei who’d changed, or just the way I saw her?

We took a moment for Chris to confirm that the secretary we spoke with did indeed work with Count Dalenwald. In an overabundance of caution, we also decided to do a little information digging. We couldn’t find any info on the secretary, but we did find out that several of Count Dalenwald’s ships were docked at Cierra Prime. And they weren’t just transport or passenger ships; they had battleships here.

It seemed Chris’ grandfather, Count Abraham Dalenwald himself, was being awfully cautious of his son Balthazar.

“Well, I think we can trust that we’re dealing with Chris’ grandfather now,” I decided. “I doubt it’s one of her uncle’s traps, anyway.”

“Yes,” Chris answered. “I think it’s fine, too. I recognized the secretary, after all.”

“Still, be careful, all right?” Elma reminded me.

“Agreed,” said Mei. “Even if Count Dalenwald himself is here, that doesn’t perfectly guarantee Lady Christina’s safety.”

Mimi just cocked her head with her brow furrowed, unsure of what to say.

“Anyway, it’s time, so let’s get going. Be sure to bring your laser guns. That means you too, Mimi.”

“Okay!” Mimi answered, patting the holster at her hip. I needed to get her more used to firing that gun, at least to the point where she could hit stationary targets. Maybe it’s time to go back to the range…

When we went down the Krishna’s ladder, the men standing guard quietly saluted Chris. She thanked them, prompting them both to respond emotionally.

“You waste your lovely words on us, Lady Christina!”

“We will protect you even at the cost of our lives!”

Man, this universe just makes no sense to me.

“It really is sinking in that you’re an honest-to-goodness noblewoman, Chris,” Mimi mused.

“Aww, don’t exaggerate.” Chris smiled to herself at Mimi’s admiration. It was then that a high-class vehicle, akin to a Joop, stopped in front of us. This must be one of those RVs.

Speaking of RVs, that abbreviation stood for “recreational vehicle” on Earth, but here, it stands for “reconnaissance vehicle.” They’re special vehicles used to search unexplored planets. Small though they may be, they had firepower and shields greater than those of power armor.

Unfortunately, there was no RV on the Krishna. To be fair though, there’s not much use for them in mercenary work. However, RVs are a necessity for explorers—people who search undiscovered planets and search for relics of alien civilizations to sell. Putting an RV on the Krishna, along with its loading device, would fill up the cargo bay almost completely.

We all got into the RV, including the burly guards, and went through the port district at high speed. The place was as busy as ever. There were port workers wearing power armor and loading cargo, rich-looking families who came to sightsee, mercs like us, and unfamiliar aliens. Merchants, maybe? Anyway, a whole lot of people were walking around.

That included imperial soldiers, naturally. Oh! That blonde over there must be Serena. I hope she doesn’t notice me staring at—whoops. She looked right at me. How did she know? I’d better lock the door.

The RV rattled to a stop in a district full of pretentious-looking ships. They weren’t quite cutting-edge, but they came close. When you see units like this, you can really see their commander’s quirks. In this case, their commander liked to fight prudently. The fast front-liners were equipped to specialize in ambush and defense while the back line was made up of battleships that emphasized firepower. Their flagship was large and visibly sturdy, emphasizing leadership and survivability. It’d be a little tough for the Krishna to go up against a unit like this.

We entered their flagship’s hangar and got out of the RV where we saw a woman resembling Mei waiting for us—Count Dalenwald’s secretary from before. “Apologies for the wait,” she politely greeted us. “Lady Christina, we have been praying for your safety. It is good to see you here with us again!”

On closer inspection, the people working there were dressed as butlers and maids. The count certainly is an…eccentric guy.

“It’s all thanks to my mother, father, and Captain Hiro here. Where is my grandfather?”

“He is waiting in his room. Come with me. Others will guide Captain Hiro and his crew.”

An intelligent-looking maid called for us to follow her. “Please, come this way. I will take you to the reception room.”

Should I leave Chris alone? I glanced at her, to which she responded with a nod. I had no reason to worry, then. I also looked to Elma, and she reacted the same way. So we’re in the clear.

“Got it,” I agreed. “See you later, Chris.”

“Later, Hiro.” I waved to Chris and joined Mimi, Elma, and Mei on the walk to the reception room.

It didn’t take long for me to notice that this ship’s decorations were incredibly elaborate. Elma said the Krishna was furnished as well as a passenger ship, but this ship looked even better. It appeared like a true battleship on the outside, but on the inside, it was like a five-star hotel—or a noble’s mansion. I guess that’s to be expected from a count’s ship.

The ship served as the flagship of Count Dalenwald’s own army, a spacefaring home away from home, and maybe even a VIP guesthouse. That would explain the crew’s attire. What a free way of thinking…

“Why are you looking around so much?” Elma asked.

“Sorry. I just never would’ve thought of this.”

“Isn’t the Krishna just like it?”

“How so?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you’ve got furniture that increases quality of life, and you have a Maidroid. This is the same thing, just taken to its logical extreme.”

“Really…?” Maybe she was right. I mean, if you wanted to get a home for yourself, buying a big mothership with high livability was one method. It wasn’t cheap by any means, but it was cheaper than buying landowner rights from the empire plus land on a planet.

Besides, with a ship this big, you could earn a lot of money by transporting cargo. You would have a lot of options, in general. Slow and steady wins the race, so maybe looking into my own mothership wouldn’t be a bad idea. I’d thought the Krishna was too big for one person at first, but honestly, it was starting to get cramped.

Not that I was planning to get any more crew members. Seriously, I mean it!

“It’s like a nobleman’s mansion. It’s making me nervous…” Mimi was visibly uncomfortable.

“I know how you feel, Mimi,” I agreed. “But isn’t this place nice? If it were fancier, I’d kind of flinch away from things because it would seem like it belonged a person who just came into money. But it’s not too fancy, so it doesn’t feel that way at all.”

“That is true, but the atmosphere is just…you know…”

“Yeah. I know it’s not your thing.”

Despite her appearance, Mimi’s aesthetic sense tended toward a more “punk” vibe. Such opulent, fancy furnishings didn’t sit well with her, but there was no helping that now.

“Please wait here,” the maid said. She had taken us to a strikingly tasteful room. One wall was made fully from glass, looking out upon a nice courtyard. Not that there was actually a courtyard out there; more like a holo-display set up to look like one.

“Understood,” I replied.

“I will bring you drinks. Will black tea do? If you wish, we also have other options available.”

“Works for me. Girls?”

“Fine by me.”

“Me, too.”

“Understood,” the maid said with a bow. “Please wait one moment.” After she left, I sank my butt into a couch.

Ooh, now that’s soft, but it’s springy enough that you don’t sink too far in. The table looked to be a heavy wood with a black luster. It felt like heavy wood, too: if it was real wood, then that would cost a fortune in this universe since wood-based furniture was expensive all across the board.

We didn’t have to wait long until the maid brought us tea. It was pure red, with steam gently rising from the cup.

“What’s the matter?” Elma asked me.

“Is something wrong?” Mimi was confused.

“…No. Forget it.” It wasn’t like the black tea I knew, but as I was a modest man, I decided not to say anything about it. The taste and scent were like normal black tea, but… Did they add food coloring, or something? It was a mystery. Maybe they just used different tea leaves to begin with.

We waited a bit under an hour, sipping at our too-red black tea. Finally, the time was at hand.

“My lord is coming now,” the maid informed us. “Please stand from your seats and greet him properly.” We obeyed her and stood up to await Count Dalenwald’s arrival.

Before long, the heavy door to the reception room opened, ushering in a single elderly man. Chris followed behind him in an elegant white dress, dolled up like a true princess.

The elderly man was tall, with a strong and sturdy build. He had two swords at his hip, one long and one short, adding to his dignified appearance. His once-black hair now stood out with the whiteness of age, but it was still bushy and healthy-looking.

But the count’s most striking features were his eyes. They were black, with all the sharpness and strength of a hawk’s, showing no sign of decline whatsoever. To be honest, I expected him to be frail, but nope. This was one heck of a grandpa.

“I am Count Abraham Dalenwald,” said Chris’ grandfather, Abraham Dalenwald, as he glared at me. For some reason, he was awfully intimidating. Anyway, a noble had introduced himself to me, so I had to respond in kind.

I quickly answered, “I’m Captain Hiro, a gold-ranked mercenary affiliated with the mercenary guild. I’m not too confident about my etiquette, so please forgive me if I do or say anything impolite. These two are my crew members on the Krishna. This one here is my co-pilot, Elma, while the other one is my operator, Mimi. The woman standing behind me is our Maidroid, Mei.”

Following my introduction, Elma and Mei bowed their heads in respect. Mimi then followed suit. She seemed to be losing her nerve in front of the man. As an impoverished citizen of the empire, she must have been scared witless of this high-class noble.

“My name is Elma.”

“A-and I’m M-Mimi.”

“I am called Mei.”

“Mm,” Count Dalenwald responded curtly. “You may sit.”

“Yes, sir,” we all answered at once.

We all sat and had our tea refilled. It was the same reddish-black tea. Should I just call it red tea? Eh…I’ll just stick with “black” tea.

“First, I should thank you,” the count began. “Your work in protecting Christina, heir to the Dalenwald name, was fantastic. As both head of the family and her grandfather, I am grateful to you all.”

I responded, “I’d like to say it was nothing, but honestly, we went through hell and back.”

“Hey!” Elma said in a loud whisper.

“I have to tell it like it is. He probably knew about it from Chris, but I wanted Count Dalenwald to hear it from me, too.” I defended my stomach from Elma’s elbow jabs and explained my perspective.

“You are correct. Christina did tell me about some of the details, but I would also like to hear your retelling of the events.” Count Dalenwald was generous enough to not mind my tone.

I smirked at Elma, prompting another painful elbow jab. How rude!

Thus, I explained to Count Dalenwald—with some help from Mimi, Elma, and Chris—what we did, how we were attacked, and how we protected Chris, all in as much detail as possible.

We’d arrived at the Cierra System, immediately had to fight off pirates, and found Chris’ cold sleep pod among the loot. We couldn’t leave her there, so we’d taken the pod to Cierra Prime. We freed her from cold sleep at the Port Authority, and that was how we met Chris.

“Hmm. How fortunate it was that she met you.”

“Yes,” Chris agreed. “But it is all thanks to my mother and father for sending me away in the pod.”

“Right…” A mournful mood fell upon both of the Dalenwalds.

I took a sip of “black” tea and continued the story.

We told him about everything after we found Chris—how I accepted the request to protect her for a reward, how we made reservations all over the resort planets to slow down her uncle, and how we were attacked by assassins just as soon as we left for our vacation. I explained how the resort planet was attacked by pirates while we were there, how they used stealth dropships to attack us with battle robots. I told the count that I’d used my own connections to get Serena’s Pirate-Hunting Unit to help us out, and that we were attacked by imperial ships…thanks to a certain uncle.

“We finally returned to Cierra Prime, and that’s where you come in.”

“I see… Hmm. That doesn’t contradict what Christina told me. I promise you an adequate reward, including reimbursing your expenses.”

“How gracious of you.”

If I had said, “That’s just what I wanted to hear!” no doubt Elma would wring my neck. I couldn’t complain about a reward plus reimbursement. I mean, really… I get to save a cutie like Chris, and make a ton of money? Hell yeah!!!

Obviously, I would have helped anyone who needed help, but I couldn’t deny that Chris being a cute girl made me way more inclined to help her out.

“We can discuss the payment details later,” I said. “So, what now?”

“Hmm…” Count Dalenwald rubbed his chin in thought. “I’ve brought as much of an army as I can mobilize, but I don’t know if we’ll make it out unscathed if a formal army, second-rate or otherwise, comes our way. If you’re willing, I would prefer to continue utilizing your bodyguard services.”

“As long as you’re willing to pay me, that sounds like a done deal. How about you girls?”

“I don’t care.” Elma had no objection to protecting Chris. Mimi was still too tense to talk, but she just nodded her head vigorously in agreement. I didn’t ask Mei; it wasn’t like she cared to speak her mind at times like this, anyway.

“Then let’s talk about your reward,” the count said. “First, your work guarding Christina so far.”

Count Dalenwald summoned his secretary, who began to negotiate rewards with us. As a result, we were completely compensated for the funds we used to make resort reservations. We were also paid for our bodyguard work itself. That’s nobility for you: they just gave me 8,000,000 Ener right on the spot! Guess that shows how much Chris was worth to them.

The stuff we bought at Cierra III—including Mei herself—didn’t count as necessary expenses for protecting Chris, so they weren’t covered. That was fine; we had just gotten Mei, so she naturally hadn’t contributed that much to protecting Chris.

Added to the 240,000 Ener we got from protecting Serena’s Pelican IV and subtracting Mimi and Elma’s cuts, my current funds were now around 24,400,000 Ener. That’s also roughly subtracting Cierra III’s docking fees, the stuff I bought for Mei from the receptionist at Oriental Industries, optional parts, and other such miscellaneous expenses.

By the way, the girls’ cuts of our rewards turned out to be 41,200 Ener for Mimi and 247,200 Ener for Elma. Before long, our beloved elf would have enough money for a customized ship worthy of a bronze-ranked mercenary—not that she had paid me back a single Ener yet. But hey, I didn’t care. It was fun to be around her, and she was a great help.

24,400,000 Ener, though…! Sheesh, with that much money, a mothership that could house the Krishna was very much in reach, though I would need more if I wanted to customize it a bit. Now that we’d been paid for our work thus far, it was time to talk about future rewards.

“The market price for hiring a gold-ranked mercenary is 80,000 Ener per day, but in this particular instance, we’re willing to offer 250,000 a day,” the secretary said.

250,000 Ener a day was pretty darn generous, considering that was more than three times what Serena paid us. I certainly didn’t mind the higher pay, but I wondered if there was a reason for it.

While I questioned the sum in my mind, Elma leaned over and whispered, “Apart from the bodyguard work, that also comes with a ‘hush hush’ fee. They’re planning to tell you more about the Dalenwald family’s problems.”

“I know we already mentioned it, but we kind of already told Serena everything,” I replied.

“I think he’s taken that into consideration. All the stuff going on with Chris’ uncle is a scandal that’s beyond Count Dalenwald’s control now, but the stuff about the stealth dropships and the deserters could hurt people’s trust in the empire. The empire and the count can take care of that, so they don’t want us telling others about it. If we started spreading rumors, we could make an enemy of them.”

“Eep…” I shuddered. “I’ll zip my lips. Mimi, you should be careful, too.”

“Y-yes, sir…!” Mimi went pale and nodded alongside me. The Dalenwalds just stared at us, the count himself expressionless and his granddaughter grinning anxiously. His secretary was full-on smiling. Buddy, you’re kinda scary.

“We accept your terms,” I ultimately replied.

“That’s good. Resupplying and cleaning will take a few days, so you should proceed with your launch preparations. We’ll deal with the mercenary guild and provide you with a proper request.”

“Understood.”

He emphasized the word cleaning in a weird way, but I figured it was best to ignore it despite how it sounded. Note to self: Do not make an enemy of the nobility. They’re terrifying…

Having accepted our reward for the work so far and formed a new bodyguard contract, we left Count Dalenwald’s flagship.

“I look forward to being in your care from tomorrow on,” Chris said, bowing her head. She had come to see us off alongside some burly bodyguards.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Just leave it to us.”

“Yes! I’ll do my best for you, Chris!” Mimi chimed in.

“Not that there’s much point in worrying anymore,” Elma shrugged.

As we were about to leave, I remembered something and stopped in my tracks. As I reached into my inner jacket pocket, the bodyguards raised their laser rifles at me.

Guys! I’m not reaching for a weapon, so you don’t have to ready your lasers! Please! You’re gonna make me piss myself! Jeez…

“Chris, here’s your necklace.”

It was the necklace I had taken from Chris when we first woke her up from the cold sleep pod—an elegant, well-made item fitted with a lilac gemstone.

“You may keep it with you,” she refused. “You haven’t finished protecting me, after all…my knight.”

Count Dalenwald’s little fleet here looked pretty strong to me so I doubted he’d need me to stay on guard duty. But if that was what Chris wanted, then maybe I’d hang on to the necklace for a while.

“If that is your wish, milady.”

“Yes, it is.” Chris smiled at my answer.

Yep, still super cute. You could tell she was a refined lady from a noble family, especially while she wore that white dress.

“See you again soon,” I said.

“Yes. Soon again.”

With our maintenance and resupplying complete, tomorrow would be the perfect day: Earn 250,000 Ener just for sitting on our butts and doing nothing. Now that Chris was safely on her grandfather’s flagship, her uncle wouldn’t have any reason to go after us. Finally, we’d get to rest our weary souls.