Chapter 15 - Inquiry from the Mercenary Guild and the Empress's Treatment Request
～Gialpha Star System Fourth Planet Surrounding Space (Capital Planet Surrounding Spacecraft Standby Exclusive Space)～
Sangou left the spaceport for ground shuttle arrivals and departures on the capital planet and moved to the area where many accompanying ships of nobility with territories were waiting, and remained there.
The schedule for the ceremony where Captain Jin would be granted the title of baron was undecided; in fact, it was unknown whether the baronial application itself would be approved.
Therefore, to avoid incurring unnecessary mooring fees for Sangou, the current situation arose from leaving the spaceport.
As one would expect from the space around the capital planet, the number of ships detectable from Sangou's current position was extremely high.
Moreover, around Sangou were many accompanying ships of nobles with territories temporarily staying in the Imperial Capital.
This current space area where Sangou was located was also a place where prestige clashed with prestige, depending on the types and numbers of the nobles' accompanying ships.
Amidst this, Count Orega of Betacia prioritized his own household's finances over prestige.
Orega was praising his own decision to come on Sangou.
The reasons were as listed below.
The meals Sangou provided were delicious.
The onboard facilities were worlds apart from his own personal ship, with Sangou's comfort winning out.
Since he was far from his territory and had left his wife Renju to act as lord in his place, he had no official duties to perform for the time being.
"There's no better ship than Sangou! I'm glad I didn't put on airs."
Even though he should be a noble of the Empire who values prestige, Orega sincerely thought so.
Because Sangou was so high-performance, it might also have an aspect of being a 'good-for-nothing person manufacturing machine' for certain kinds of people.
Of course, that depends on the user, needless to say.
So, what was Rouj, that feminine boy, doing?
Rouj had cornered Jin and was trying to have a leisurely talk.
However, it was an 'interrogation' in all but name, under the guise of a 'talk.'
But whether it was bad timing or what, or perhaps Jin's 'bad luck' was strong?
Just at that moment, an external communication came in for Jin, and that interrogation was postponed to another time.
Rouj had no choice but to obediently stay by Jin's side and become a spectator of the unfolding events.
Incidentally, realizing partway through that this was a conversation he shouldn't be hearing, Rouj quietly left the bridge.
That is a slight future event and a trivial matter, though.
"Captain. There's a communication from the Mercenary Guild. Shall I connect it?"
"Ah. Go ahead and connect. I wonder what it could be?"
"A contact at this timing from the Mercenary Guild? If so, there's no way it's 'I wonder what it could be?'"
If Rouj's inner voice at this time had been heard, Sangou would undoubtedly have fully supported it.
Jin's insight was just too poor.
Well, perhaps that's exactly why Jin was a 'useless Hero.'
"I'm Masgil Dolgil, Guild Master of the Imperial Capital Mercenary Guild. Pleased to meet you. Nice to meet you. So, I'll get straight to the reason I contacted you. I received a request saying, 'I want to discuss a "preliminary commissioned quest" with a mercenary who has a shuttle and ship unlike anything I've ever seen.' I did a quick check, and it seemed you were the only one who fit, so I contacted you."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jin. Nice to meet you. I see. I'd like to decline the discussion. I can refuse, right?"
From Jin's perspective, he had no idea who the other party was.
In that situation, what would happen if he heard something like, "I want to talk directly with someone who has a shuttle and ship unlike anything I've ever seen"?
"Understood! Then let's talk."
Even if it wasn't Jin who heard it, such a positive response wouldn't come out.
Moreover, if such a person existed, those around them would doubt their sanity.
Jin's refusal was actually a common-sense response.
Furthermore, Jin was a man who had been subjected to unreasonable treatment during his time as a Hero in the Louvre Empire.
He had countless similar experiences, not only with royalty and nobles but also with bullying veteran dungeon explorers in his early days.
"Introduce me to someone with equipment or items that have special effects, or high-performance ones. I want to talk."
This was the same type of demand, and those making such statements were usually people after those things.
There were several types of methods they used to obtain goods, so let's give some examples below.
First, if the other party was docile, they would buy them out.
If not, it was the 'offer them up voluntarily' type, wielding power or something.
Other than those, there was the seizure type.
Broadly speaking, these three types exist.
It's true that the method chosen by the other party differs, but if the person approached encounters any of the above, what happens?
"No matter which, it's unpleasant, and there's not much difference."
That can be said.
In short, no matter which way it goes, there's no way it will be a good discussion.
Therefore, Jin's only option was 'refusal.'
Of course, the person who brought this matter to Jin understood that as well.
Masgil was unfazed by Jin's answer.
"Of course. There's no such thing as a 'compulsory quest' in the Mercenary Guild. So, I'll decline this matter."
"Thank you very much."
"Understood. By the way, Jin. You can use your usual way of speaking. No need to be so polite. Mercenaries are like that. Ah, this is unrelated to the current matter, but since you're in the Imperial Capital, I'd appreciate it if you could do some work for the guild here. Of course, this isn't mandatory either. It's just a request."
Having finished the main business, Masgil brought up other matters as well.
There are quests that can only be accepted by mercenaries with a rank of Advanced or higher, and the number of mercenaries in the upper ranks is small.
From Masgil's position, 'having a strong connection with upper-rank guild members is best,' so this topic naturally came up.
"Ah. Then I'll speak casually. And about that 'guild work in the Imperial Capital'—actually, I was just browsing the quest list until a moment ago, looking for something with good pay."
"Oh. Did you find anything promising? I'd be happy if you took on even one Advanced-rank quest."
"No, I have free time now, so I'd love to do that. But there aren't any bandit-hunting quests, which I'm good at. I have plans later, so I don't have enough time for escort or transport jobs. Those have long commitment times."
"I see. That's a shame."
As a guild, they couldn't force him.
So, Masgil backed off easily.
But that attitude of the Guild Master appeared favorable in Jin's eyes.
Hence, Jin's mouth became a bit looser.
"Ah, right. One that caught my eye was a 'disease treatment' one. There was only an outline and no details, so I thought, 'Is there anyone who takes this kind of thing?'"
"Oh? Are you interested in that? That's a special quest with the condition that 'details are only disclosed to mercenaries who have some confidence they can handle it, or to those the guild judges to be capable.' If you're interested, I could disclose the details for you, Jin."
While saying this to Jin, Masgil was thinking something entirely different in his head.
"The person I was just discussing with is also the one for that 'disease treatment' matter. I wonder if this guy realizes that?"
Of course, Masgil didn't convey his thoughts directly to Jin.
Because of the trust relationship with the client, he had a duty of confidentiality.
So the reality was that he couldn't and wouldn't speak his true feelings.
Conversely, the Mercenary Guild had not provided information about Jin to the client either.
They managed information properly in this regard.
"No. I don't need the details. It just caught my eye because it was unusual."
"I see. I thought, 'If a mercenary who gets immediately ranked as Advanced upon registration has that kind of ability, maybe they could handle a special quest like this.' But well, normally it's not possible. Sorry, sorry."
Riding the flow of conversation, Masgil tried to provoke Jin a little.
If that led to accepting the quest, it would avoid various complications, and that was also true.
"Oh. So you're trying to provoke me into doing it. You're sneaky."
"Busted. Well, in the end, accepting or not is the mercenary's decision. Their own responsibility. As a guild aiming to complete jobs, we'll resort to a little trickery like, 'Can't we get you to accept it somehow?'"
"I see. From your position, that makes sense. 'There are benefits for the mercenary side too, so it's a give-and-take relationship,' eh."
A straightforward story, and an equally straightforward attitude about the objective.
Jin's favorable impression of Masgil rose even more.
"Yeah, that's about it."
"By the way, there's this story from the entertainment media in the place I used to be. There was a line I wanted to try imitating. The guy who was being provoked got caught up in it and ended up saying, 'Oh, I can do it!'"
This statement came out because Jin's thinking had changed during the conversation with Masgil.
"Maybe I should play along a little? When someone talks with no attitude of forcing at all, and just says 'I wish you'd accept it,' I get in the mood to do it if I can manage it myself."
Of course, Jin had a desire to avoid getting involved with imperial family matters.
That was undeniably a very strong feeling.
However, the intermediary was humble, and the quest itself seemed like it would probably be easy to accomplish if he tried.
When he felt that way, he tended to get swept along by the situation.
In the end, Jin was a type who got swept up into trouble, and perhaps he had a hero-like disposition that made him want to stick his nose into incidents that caught his eye.
"A line you wanted to imitate? Man, you're jumping around a lot. So, what exactly are you trying to say, Jin?"
"Nothing. It's simple. So, let me say it: 'Oh, I can do it!'"
"Hey, hey. Are you sure?"
Masgil was surprised by the sudden change.
And from a guild standpoint, 'tried but failed' would put them in a very bad position, so Masgil tried to gauge Jin's confidence by asking, 'Are you sure you want to accept it?' to confirm his intention.
"Yeah! So, hurry up and disclose the details of that quest for me."
"You're an interesting guy. But you're a big help. So, the details?"
"Yeah. Please explain it clearly."
With the conversation at this point, Masgil's doubts about Jin began to fade.
"At the very least, Jin definitely has some plan to cure the Empress. Otherwise, he wouldn't make such a request."
Masgil was aware that he couldn't deny that his thinking contained a fair amount of wishful thinking.
Because at this stage, there was no way Jin knew the details of the Empress's condition.
Nevertheless, Masgil understood that the request had been brought to the Mercenary Guild precisely because there were no other means to cure the Empress.
And he also wanted to help the Empress of the country he lived in, if possible.
That being the case, Masgil had no choice but to be positive and explain the details to Jin.
"Starting from the tips of her hands and feet, they gradually turn black and degenerate. Moreover, once the blackened part reaches a certain size, the rate of degeneration seems to increase. To slow it down, they apparently cut off the part as soon as it turns black."
"Huh."
"I'm not done yet. If the cut-off part directly adheres to a human body, it seems to fuse and cause the same symptoms. The first person it fused with had to have their wrist and below cut off. Now everything is incinerated at ultra-high temperatures. As for the reward: basically, we're willing to cover all necessary expenses, but we can't have it be an open-ended sum. So we'll decide on that through discussion. The success fee is separate: one hundred billion en."
With what Masgil had said so far, Jin felt he had obtained the minimum information he wanted to know.
On top of that, the disease described was a strange illness Jin had never seen or heard of in his life.
But still.
Jin didn't need to judge things based solely on his own knowledge now.
Because Jin had a reliable partner, Sangou.
"Guild Master. Please wait with this line open for a moment. It'll only take a few minutes, but I have something to confirm. It's an internal matter, so I'll mute our audio."
"Understood. I'll wait."
"Sangou. You heard all of that, right? What do you think? Do you know anything?"
"Yes. I have determined that it closely resembles the symptoms of being parasitized by the eggs of that creature you exterminated the other day, Captain. The egg mimics the heart area, adheres, and grows by taking over the host's extremities. It seems to be a habit to obtain 'nourishment' or 'energy' from the host for as long as possible. In other words, 'keep them alive and milk them.' That creature usually reproduces by fission, so it rarely lays eggs, but occasionally such individuals appear. However, it's strange. Unless one ingests the eggs orally, they shouldn't be parasitized. That aside, regarding treatment, there is one successful case in the Deltania Army. The limbs were completely amputated, and simultaneously, the blood vessels connecting to the heart were severed. Blood circulation was switched to an external artificial heart-lung machine. Then, the heart was blown away with a high-power laser and replaced with an artificial heart. Later, a regenerated heart was transplanted. For the limbs, prosthetic arms and legs were used. In a sense, it could be called an 'extremely brutal artificial heart transplant surgery.'"
The outcome of the successful case Sangou described was survival in a limbless state.
This could be called a 'quite shocking and intense case.'
Jin wondered, 'Does that state count as successful treatment?'
Well, if someone said, 'They're alive, so it's fine,' that would be the end of it.
"What a miserable success story. So, can you do it, Sangou?"
"Yes. It's not impossible. However, Sangou cannot prepare prosthetic arms and legs. As for the limbs, it is not impossible to perform regenerative treatment onboard. But I do not recommend it. In the past successful case, I said 'prosthetic arms and legs.' Regenerative treatment itself is possible if we have about a month, but regeneration does not go well unless the subject is conscious. However, performing limb regeneration while the subject is conscious causes mental abnormalities. Still, something like fingers might be manageable. Also, for heart regeneration and transplantation, even using a heart cultured from the subject's own cells, the success rate was about ten percent. If the transplant fails, it's an artificial heart life. Furthermore, there are no successful cases of regenerative limb transplantation."
If following the procedure of the successful case in the Deltania Star System.
In truth, Sangou couldn't even prepare an artificial heart for transplant, which would be necessary at least temporarily.
But Sangou deliberately didn't mention that.
Because while explaining to Jin, Sangou couldn't foresee any situation where that would be necessary.
"So, does that mean 'with an artificial heart for just the heart, we can reliably keep them alive'? Ignoring the limb regeneration part."
"Yes, that's correct. But, Captain, you can do that, right? You have that 'healing magic' you used to repair Sangou before, which is capable of absurd regeneration."
"Yeah. But don't call it 'absurd'! Magic is a proper technique! Well, from what you've said, the only problem is the heart part. Blowing it all away is a problem though. If they're declared dead at that point, I can't revive them with magic. Can you identify the mimic part, Sangou? If so, we can just excise that."
If blood is continuously sent to the brain via external circulation using an artificial heart-lung machine, there's a good chance it won't be considered death.
And Sangou could serve as a substitute for that medical equipment.
However, for parts they hadn't tried, they had to be cautious and 'test the waters.'
Of course, if there were absolutely no other options, he wouldn't hesitate to take a gamble.
Because if Jin and Sangou left the Empress untreated, she would certainly die.
Incidentally, unknown to Jin and the others, the court physicians of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire had unanimously determined that the Empress's remaining life was at most three days.
And at this time, Jin had no intention of relying solely on his own magic.
Because he had Sangou, the product of super-science, as his reliable and excellent partner.
"I won't know until I try, but it's possible. I'm troubled about whether to call it 'fortunate,' but since the origin is that creature, 'the probability that Sangou can identify it is high.' However, Captain. The discussion so far cannot proceed unless the Empress is brought to Sangou. How do you intend to handle that?"
"Ah. We'll have to consult with the other party about transporting the Empress. But I have no intention of showing or revealing the treatment method. Depending on the situation, it might even be necessary to blow up the heart once, you know."
What would happen if Jin, using magic, or Sangou, by finely adjusting the Energy Convergence Cannon, blew away the Empress's heart, i.e., opened a large hole in her chest, and that was seen by the Empress's people?
Regardless of whether the Empress's life was saved or not, a grim future awaited Jin and his team involved in the treatment.
Jin could be sure of that much in advance.
And Sangou, who was also considering the Empress's treatment case from a different angle described later, agreed.
"So, your policy is 'not to disclose the treatment method'? Sangou agrees with that. Probably, if it becomes known that we have medical devices dissimilar to those of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire, it will lead to 'very bad things.' Therefore, I would like to accept only the patient onboard Sangou and refuse all other personnel."
"Yeah. Depending on their response, 'allowing only the Empress to board' will have to be a non-negotiable condition from the start for the treatment. Of course, non-disclosure of the treatment method as well."
"Yes. That part is absolutely not to be compromised."
Thus, the direction was decided.
Even if various conditions had to be attached, it was possible for Jin to say, 'Oh, I can do it!'
Well, he had already said it once, but that was probably a trivial matter.
However, what would the party hearing it a second time think?
Jin was fully prepared to ignore that part.
And so, the audio that had been temporarily muted was restored to be audible to Masgil.
The discussion about the quest resumed in this manner.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll get to the conclusion: 'Oh, I can do it!' Saying that really clears my mind. Anyway, I've identified what I suspect corresponds to the symptoms. But without actually examining the patient's body, it won't be definitive. And if what I've identified matches the examination results, there's a high probability that I have a treatment method and can cure it completely."
"Oh!"
"There's more, so listen to the end. If they don't match, I can't guarantee a complete cure. But I'll try everything I can. In any case, I can't say I can cure it one hundred percent, so there is a possibility the patient's life could be lost. You must be prepared for that. Of course, since this quest is success-based with no advance payment, I don't intend to fail. I'm confident I can cure it, but with conditions."
"I understand there's no absolute guarantee. I'm sure the client will understand that too. But if you don't accept the quest, the Empress-sama will surely die. So, what are these 'conditions'?"
Masgil had feelings for the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
Therefore, the prospect of the Empress being saved was welcome.
But at this point, it was still only a prospect.
Hearing from Jin that there would be conditions, the head of the Mercenary Guild braced himself again.
"First, the condition is to limit the place of treatment to inside Sangou's ship. That's point one."
"That's quite a harsh condition."
Despite it being 'first, point one,' the unexpected condition made Masgil interject involuntarily.
"It's fine to be surprised. But there are other conditions too."
"Let me hear them."
Biting back his impatience, Masgil assumed an attitude of 'I won't miss a single word Jin says.'
Because he could already predict at this point that the other conditions would also be strict.
Well, Masgil's attitude was admirable, but in reality, the conversation with Jin was being recorded not only on Sangou's side but also on the Mercenary Guild's side, so even if there was a slip, it could be checked later.
"No passengers other than the patient are allowed on board. Not a single person. Additionally, I will not explain the treatment method. Not beforehand, and not afterward. If the conditions I present are upheld, I will accept this quest. Oh, and examining the patient's body can only be done inside Sangou, so keep that in mind."
"I see. Then I'll convey that to the client. But, Jin, I'm thinking, 'Can the Empress-sama, in her current state, go alone to your ship, Sangou?' What do you think about that?"
"Ah. I see. That is a problem. Then I'll offer a service for that. Is the patient currently in the inner palace?"
"I don't have that information, but well, probably so."
"Then, secure a space of twenty meters square near the inner palace where a twenty-meter-class sub-unit—ah, no, my shuttle—can park. If that's available, I'll handle the pickup. My shuttle can take off and land vertically, so just a twenty-meter square space is enough. However, from that point on, only the patient. No companions allowed at all."
"That's quite a impressive shuttle you have. Then I'll convey that to the client as well. Ah, one more thing. What time onwards can you do the shuttle pickup? Also, how much do you expect the treatment costs to be? (Well, the Empress's treatment team has no choice but to swallow all of this.)"
At this stage, Masgil, confirming the conditions with Jin down to the details, was competent as a Guild Master.
"Regarding time, from when I receive confirmation of the parking space location. Taking that as a starting point, I'll allow a margin of two hours for our preparations and arrival near the inner palace. I think it might actually be a bit faster. As for costs, at most it will not exceed one hundred billion en. If they prepare for the maximum, I'll definitely keep it within that range. Is that acceptable? Ah, and in the unlikely event that treatment is impossible, just the standard moving expenses will suffice."
"Captain, to go pick up the patient with the twenty-meter-class, we need permission to launch from Sangou, descend to the capital planet, and take off and exit from the ground on the return. Considering the future, we should get permission in advance. Also, unless quarantine is made a pre-communication declaration system, unnecessary time will be generated."
"Sangou says that, so Guild Master-san. Could you arrange those permissions as well?"
"Understood. I think 'all the necessary materials for the client to make a decision, as far as we can provide now, are gathered.' Probably, the client will have no choice but to accept everything, including the permissions. So, go ahead and start preparations. I'll contact you again after discussing with the client."
The communication from the Mercenary Guild to Jin ended for the time being in this manner.
"I knew getting involved only leads to trouble, but I ended up accepting the quest on impulse and momentum."
Jin started a solo reflection meeting in his head.
"But it's not like I was forced to accept this quest. I decided to accept it myself, so it's fine. It adds extra work for Sangou, but if we can get a permit that allows all of 'atmospheric entry to the capital planet,' 'flight within the capital planet's atmosphere,' and 'exit from the capital planet's ground to outside the atmosphere' with the twenty-meter-class sub-unit, then that's a 'plus.'"
The permit Jin was thinking of was so permissive it was practically unlimited, and of course, there was no way such a virtually anything-goes permit would be issued.
However, for this case only, the travel between ground and space was an exception, and it was no exaggeration to say it was 'effectively unrestricted.'
And since achievements would be made in this case, the permit was scheduled to transform into one where, as long as proper declaration was made via communication, permission would generally be granted.
Therefore, Jin's thinking was not 'completely wrong.'
Well, from Sangou's perspective, the evaluation would be, 'It's better to have it than not,' but that's a trivial matter.
That aside, Jin had actually already organized his thoughts on the worst-case scenario: 'What if the Empress loses her life?'
"If it absolutely comes to it, I'll snatch up at least Rouj and escape on Sangou. Sorry to father-in-law."
It would probably be more peaceful if no one knew about this inner thought of Jin's.
That was an indisputable fact.
After some time had passed since the conversation with Masgil began, Jin called out to Rouj, who had quietly left the bridge, to return, and separately called out to Orega, Sutsan, Alra, and Zilfa, gathering them on the bridge.
Then he told them about bringing the Empress to Sangou and treating her illness.
In particular, he bowed his head to Alra and Zilfa and made a request.
"Due to our circumstances, we can only accept the patient herself. In other words, the Empress-sama will have no attendants like maids at all. So I think it will be a burden, but please take care of her."
Furthermore, Jin also bowed his head to Orega.
"If necessary, I'd like to borrow the hands of Alra and Zilfa."
Since the two maids' master was Orega, Jin's actions were natural.
And having heard the entire sequence, Sangou had prepared a room near the twenty-meter-class sub-unit stationed in the hangar for the Empress's quarantine and treatment, as well as the necessary medical equipment.
Sangou, who could quickly prepare even without specific instructions from Jin.
For Jin, who sometimes revealed his absent-mindedness, Sangou was a necessary and excellent partner.
Thus, Hero Jin and Sangou, triggered by a communication from the Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild, accepted the quest posted to the Mercenary Guild—'to treat the mysterious strange illness afflicting the Empress-sama'—on the condition that the conditions presented by Jin's side were accepted by the client.
Masgil, who served as an intermediary between Jin and the client, was shouted at by the client, and the Chief Court Physician and the Prime Minister, the top civil official, abandoned their judgment within their authority and brought the matter to His Majesty the Emperor regarding the overly harsh conditions that would absolutely not be accepted under normal circumstances, which is certainly not a trivial matter.
However, when they began to finalize the details of welcoming the Empress onboard Sangou, the male members, including Jin, realized the possibility of being suspected of having done something inappropriate with the Empress, so they ended up seeking cooperation not only from Sangou but from everyone on board.
Will the harsh conditions presented by Jin and the others, including the permits related to the twenty-meter-class sub-unit's movement, actually be accepted for the Empress's treatment?
And will the Empress's treatment be completed safely?
No one knows the future.
However, through conversation with Rouj, it is revealed that the Empress's name is 'Laura,' and the Hero is reminded of a certain nostalgic RPG from Japan.
Just because the names are exactly the same, Jin finds himself inwardly retorting, "You're not a princess!"