Chapter 16 - The Empress's Treatment and the Birth of the Asada Viscount Family
~Gialpha Star System Fourth Planet Surrounding Space (Standby Zone)~
Sangou remained in the standby zone near the Gialpha Star System's fourth planet for two reasons: first, to carry out the treatment of the critically ill Empress who had been brought aboard, and second, to wait for the schedule of Captain Jin's ennoblement ceremony—where he would be granted the title of Baron by His Imperial Majesty—to be decided.
Currently, an unusually large number of Gialpha Galaxy Empire Space Force vessels were stationed there, a situation that would normally be impossible.
This rare circumstance was entirely due to Sangou being surrounded by Imperial Fleet vessels on monitoring duty.
As things stood, the living bio-ship was encircled by monitoring vessels detached from one of the standing fleets protecting the capital star of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire Space Force.
Now, let me turn back the clock a little and review how such a situation came to pass.
Of course, the root of the event that led to Sangou being surrounded by Imperial monitoring ships was that Laura, the primary wife of the Gialpha Galaxy Emperor, had fallen victim to a mysterious rare disease, with death rapidly approaching.
Even the court physicians, who possessed the highest medical technology in the Empire, working together, had been unable to cure Laura—or even to properly alleviate her symptoms.
The physicians' initial estimate gave her only about ten days to live.
Thanks to their desperate efforts, they had managed to delay Laura's death by a little.
Still, there was no way to avoid death entirely, and it seemed only a matter of time before the Emperor lost his Empress.
Growing impatient, the Emperor told the Prime Minister,
"Find a way to cure my wife's illness, no matter the cost."
In the end, this command became the catalyst that saved the Empress's life.
Acting on the Emperor's order, the Prime Minister, clutching at straws, even placed a request with the mercenary guild—an organization with no connection to medicine—for Laura's treatment.
Some time later, an unrelated complaint about the Imperial Technology Ministry's actions led one of the Prime Minister's direct subordinate civil officials and some of the court physicians to take notice of Sangou.
"There exists an anomalous spaceship owned by a mercenary, clearly based on a different technological system from the Empire's. Its shuttle, too, is anomalous, and phenomena have been observed proving it possesses ultra-high performance—it's not an exaggeration to call it 'otherworldly.' Even the Imperial Technology Ministry has taken action. If that's the case, then surely unknown medical technology must exist there as well."
After discussion, that was the conclusion they reached.
The Prime Minister, upon receiving that report, directly contacted Masgil, the Guildmaster of the mercenary guild.
This chain of events led to Masgil contacting Jin in the previous chapter.
From there, things moved dramatically.
Under certain conditions, Masgil provided the Prime Minister with "information that might cure Laura's illness and save her life."
"How can we accept such conditions?!" the Chief Court Physician shouted in fury.
"Chief Court Physician, I understand how you feel. But do we have any other choice? You were the one who said, 'At this rate, she won't last more than three days.' Are you going to just sit by and wait for Laura-sama to die?"
The Prime Minister, even as he spoke in a placating manner, was inwardly seething.
The conditions presented by that mercenary, Jin, seemed like a blatant exploitation of their vulnerable position.
However, regarding the financial aspect, he had no particular complaint.
Even if they demanded ten times the amount—a trillion en—the Emperor would happily pay it if it meant saving Empress Laura.
So what part of Jin's conditions angered the Prime Minister?
They would only accept Laura herself, and no one from the court side would be allowed to witness the treatment.
The Prime Minister could understand this as a measure to prevent the leakage of secret technology—it was infuriating but not unreasonable.
The fact that the treatment method would not be explained before or after, if it was out of fear of technology leaks, was also something he could reluctantly accept.
But the demand regarding shuttle permissions exceeded the Prime Minister's limits.
Since it was a shuttle operated by a mercenary, it was likely equipped with at least minimal weaponry.
It would descend into the atmosphere without passing through a spaceport where weapons could be sealed beforehand, and then fly directly to the vicinity of the inner palace under the pretense of picking up the Empress.
This was nothing less than an outrageous act threatening the security of the inner palace and the court.
Therefore, even though the Prime Minister was furious, everyone understood why.
And since the conditions included matters beyond the authority of the Prime Minister and his subordinates to approve, the court fell into turmoil.
But there was no time.
If time passed idly, the Empress would only draw closer to death.
In the end, unable to reach a quick conclusion, they had no choice but to leave the final decision—whether to accept the conditions—to His Imperial Majesty.
Thus, the matter went to the Emperor for a decision.
"I understand the situation. If there's no other way, we have only two options: accept the conditions, or let my wife die. If she can be saved by those conditions, then accept them! But send out Imperial monitoring ships! Make sure to inform that mercenary that our side will be monitoring. Don't forget that. Oh, and also monitor the shuttle within the atmosphere. Do not neglect to have aircraft units keep a distant watch."
The Emperor declared this easily.
Moreover, he even felt anger toward the Prime Minister and the Chief Court Physician for being unable to make a decision.
But at the same time, he understood that they had done their best in their own way.
Thus, the Emperor decided not to pursue the matter further.
Still, the highest authority of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire thought,
"I'm swallowing their demands whole. Mercenary Jin. If you fail to save Laura's life, be prepared to be blown up along with your ship on the spot."
The Emperor's true feelings were understandable given his situation.
But it was undoubtedly a thought best kept hidden from everyone.
Fortunately, in the near future, that situation did not come to pass—something both sides should be glad about.
Thus, things proceeded exactly as predicted by Masgil, the head of the mercenary guild.
Scarcely one hour and forty minutes had passed since Masgil first finished his discussion with Jin, yet the shuttle piloted by Sangou had already appeared at the inner palace.
The "unmanned" twenty-meter-class sub-unit operated by Sangou landed in the designated inner palace courtyard.
When the bed with movable casters carrying Laura was brought to that spot, the bottom of the twenty-meter-class unit silently opened.
A swarm of small sub-units flew out and carried Laura's bed inside the twenty-meter-class unit.
Everyone present watched with their mouths agape, and dismissing that as trivial might be a problem in itself.
Well, that's none of Jin's or Sangou's concern—it's entirely a problem for the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
The twenty-meter-class sub-unit, now carrying Laura, began a slow vertical ascent using gravity control—technology beyond the Gialpha Galaxy Empire's capabilities—and took off.
Picking up speed, the twenty-meter-class unit safely exited the atmosphere without any trouble.
The performance of the twenty-meter-class sub-unit, created by a living bio-ship that seemed a child of super-science, was no bluff.
Just twenty minutes after takeoff, the sub-unit, which also served as a shuttle, had already returned to Sangou's hangar.
Of course, long before that point, Sangou had already been surrounded by hastily dispatched monitoring vessels.
Since Masgil had informed them in advance, Jin and Sangou, though somewhat displeased, tolerated being monitored by vessels detached from the Imperial Guard Fleet.
From the other side's perspective, Jin was a mercenary of unknown origins.
Considering the feelings of the Gialpha Galaxy Emperor, who had to take into account the possibility that Jin might flee with Laura,
Jin and his party had to accept that much.
Well, if it came down to it,
it would be easy enough for them to scatter the monitors and escape—that was the underlying reason Jin said, "Let them monitor all they want."
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
And the Emperor's side was definitely better off not knowing the reason for Jin's confidence in this regard.
If they knew, the Emperor's decision might have been negative, or even if positive, it would have been significantly delayed.
At any rate, Laura's person was safely delivered into Sangou's hull.
For time efficiency, Sangou had completed the patient's sterilization during transport by the sub-unit.
Therefore, once the entire sub-unit was cleaned inside the hangar, Laura was immediately carried to the room prepared for the surgery.
Thus, the examination by Sangou and the joint surgery by Jin and Sangou began.
Sangou's super-science technology and Jin's magic.
Their collaboration easily eradicated Laura's disease.
To be more precise, it might be more accurate to say they "eradicated the egg that had adhered to and parasitized Laura's heart."
Even Laura's lost limbs were restored by Jin's Perfect Heal.
Of course, the Empress's chest, once cut open wide, now bore not even a single scar.
The double anesthesia from Jin's magic and Sangou's super-science technology was still in effect.
Therefore, even now that the surgical treatment was complete, the Empress of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire still showed Jin and the others a peaceful sleeping face.
This happened just thirty minutes after the Imperial Military confirmed that the twenty-meter-class sub-unit had been stored in Sangou.
"Captain. Isn't this a bit too ridiculous?"
"So I told you, don't call it 'ridiculous'!"
That exchange had become routine.
"The post-operative patient's biological response levels are rising toward normal. I'd say consciousness will return in a few minutes. By the way, Captain, how do we handle the billing for expenses?"
Since all the energy needed for the round trip of the twenty-meter-class sub-unit was supplied by Jin's magical power, there were no real costs to speak of.
The same applied to the examination, surgery, and regenerative treatment after transport—everything consumed was Jin's magical power, which replenished instantly at no cost.
Sangou's question was entirely reasonable.
"I could just make it free to match reality. But if I do that, people are bound to start saying, 'There's no way surgery and regenerative treatment that costs nothing could exist!'"
"I suppose so."
"What should we do?"
Jin, having no good idea, turned to Sangou for help.
This was Sangou's specialty, as she possessed a vast amount of data on various events and cases.
After all, the technician who created "the living bio-ship Sangou" in the Deltania Star System had packed an enormous amount of data into her to maximize her performance as an "organic AI."
"Captain. In this case, we are not disclosing the treatment method. Therefore, there is no need to provide a 'breakdown of necessary expenses' or an 'explanation of the basis.' So, wouldn't it be fine to just decide on an amount and bill them?"
"Yeah, I suppose. Alright, let's make it half the upper limit: fifty billion. That aside, I think Laura's treatment was perfect. Shall we have her stay on board for at least a day to observe? It should be fine to send her back to the inner palace immediately, but..."
"Hmm. Some observation period would be 'prudent.' The court physicians probably don't expect the treatment to be completed in such a short time."
With that conversation, it was decided that Laura would stay on Sangou for at least one day.
The situation was moving to the next stage.
This chain of events led to Sangou's situation at the beginning of this chapter.
Jin contacted Masgil of the mercenary guild.
"Treatment successful. As a precaution, Laura-sama will stay on Sangou for at least one day for observation."
That was what Jin conveyed.
He did not contact the Imperial side directly, because this job was something Jin had undertaken through the mercenary guild.
Thus, the Prime Minister, acting as the Emperor's point of contact, received the information via the guild and informed those around him of "the completion of treatment."
Of course, cheers arose in the court, but that wasn't the end of it.
Soon, the court physicians began raising questions in unison.
Not that they doubted the success of the treatment.
"Is such a short observation period really sufficient?"
Opinions of this nature erupted.
This reaction came from the physicians' true desire: "We want the observation period to be thorough, not minimal."
What if something happened after Laura returned to the inner palace?
The court physicians, led by the Chief Court Physician, had no idea what had been done or how during the treatment inside Sangou.
Therefore, their objections were entirely reasonable—they wanted to avoid the risk of being unable to handle any complications, and thus they aimed for "an extension of the observation period."
In the end, Laura's stay on Sangou, under the guise of "observation," was changed from the originally planned one day to seven days.
Incidentally, the plan was for Jin's ennoblement ceremony to take place at the court when Laura returned to the inner palace.
"Sangou, you're the best!"
Orega, who had been gleefully shouting the same thing repeatedly since leaving the Betasia Count territory,
was now terrified by the fact that the Empress Laura was staying inside Sangou where he was.
That was because the Empress usually remained in the inner palace except for official duties, and in principle, she never had contact with men other than her husband, the Emperor.
For Orega, being suspected of something regarding chastity was the worst scenario he wanted to avoid.
Therefore, once Laura's transfer to Sangou was decided, he voluntarily confined himself to the room assigned to him.
In plain terms, it was "house arrest with surveillance footage recording."
Of course, calling it "house arrest" simply meant he couldn't leave the room.
Sangou provided adequate entertainment and meals.
For Orega, who loved staying indoors, this might have been a pleasure rather than a hardship.
Incidentally, Sutsan had been requested by Orega to stay in the same room and complied.
"Did you really have to go that far?" Jin thought, not without reservation.
"Well, if that's what my father-in-law wants..."
But in the end, he granted Orega's request.
Thus, the two men besides Jin changed their lifestyles because the Empress Laura had come to Sangou.
That aside from the talk of the two middle-aged men,
Laura, whose treatment was complete and who was merely waiting to regain consciousness, finally awoke.
After the magical treatment, Jin had promptly left the room where Laura lay and returned to the bridge.
However, even in the room with only Laura present, Sangou's attention on her condition naturally continued.
"Laura-sama, are you awake?"
Sangou's voice called out to Laura.
To the Empress, it was obviously unfamiliar.
Moreover, there was no one around who seemed to have spoken.
An empty room and an unfamiliar ceiling.
That Laura nearly panicked was her little secret.
Sangou did not give the likely confused Laura time to calm down.
"As the Empress, her mental fortitude must be extraordinary."
Acting on that assumption, Sangou immediately began explaining the situation.
As it turned out, Sangou's judgment was correct, and Laura avoided an embarrassing display.
Successfully switching her mindset in an instant as Sangou began her explanation, Laura grasped the series of events solely through Sangou's voice that reached her ears.
After receiving a thorough explanation from Sangou, Laura fully regained her composure.
Jin received a report from Sangou that she was in that state.
However, Jin had no confidence in engaging in conversation with Laura.
The pathetic, half-baked Hero lacked such a skill.
Therefore, after quickly offering minimal greetings via monitor, he pawned off all subsequent dealings on Sangou, Rouj, and the two maids.
Rouj, having been tasked with handling Laura, served as her conversation partner via monitor on the first day, as there was a "no-contact observation" measure in place.
From the second day onward, when direct meetings were allowed, they had tea parties with Alra and Zilfa in attendance.
Incidentally, it was decided that during Laura's stay on Sangou, Alra would serve as her personal attendant.
That was a natural assignment given the hierarchy among the maids.
"Even so, the inside of Sangou is quite comfortable. Even His Majesty's flagship isn't like this, you know?"
"Indeed. I am very pleased that my fiancé's ship has earned Laura-sama's approval (Jin is mine! And Sangou is Jin's)."
Rouj added a subtle unspoken meaning to the latter part of her words.
"Oh? Jin's ennoblement hasn't been completed yet, has it? Then the engagement shouldn't be registered yet?"
Wanting to tease a little, Laura struck a sore spot for Rouj.
When Rouj's expression darkened at that remark, Laura was forced to hurriedly cover for herself.
"Don't worry. I am not foolish enough to tear apart the relationship of someone who saved me. Of course, I would like to welcome Jin into the Imperial family. But regarding the engagement with Jin, I will also put in a good word to prevent interference from others."
"Thank you. I love him."
Rouj was relieved by Laura's words.
Why did Rouj's expression darken at a mere comment from Laura, even though they were effectively engaged?
There was a good reason for that.
First, the marriage between Rouj and Jin was perceived by outsiders as being "essentially in lieu of monetary reward for Jin's achievements."
Therefore, it could be interpreted as "a problem that can be solved with money."
"We'll pay that amount. So it's fine to cancel the marriage between Rouj and Jin, right? We'll have Jin marry our daughter!"
Such interference is possible in aristocratic society.
Since arranged marriages are common, this kind of thing happens often.
In short, Rouj had to be wary of such moves from others.
In fact, at that time, Laura was considering whether to "execute a plan to cancel Rouj's engagement with money."
However, she realized that the relationship between Jin and Rouj was not merely one of political marriage and mutual interest, and that their bond was not cold.
Thus, she understood that "that would be a bad move."
And so, the seven days passed.
No particular problems arose during the observation period, and Laura's stay on Sangou ended safely.
Incidentally, the only real work Jin did during this time was "finalizing the expense billing amount and informing the court via Masgil"—but such things are trivial.
In short, Jin did almost nothing and just loafed around.
The actual costs were only the various living expenses incurred while Laura was on Sangou.
Specifically, the major items would be Laura's food expenses and the labor cost for Alra, who served as her attendant.
Additionally, since utilities were covered by Jin's magical power supplied to Sangou, no costs were incurred.
Well, since they weren't providing a detailed breakdown, there was no point in giving accurate figures for those parts.
In the end, they decided to bill the figure they had made up—fifty billion en—as a plausible amount.
If someone complained, they planned to justify it as "surgical technique fees."
Incidentally, though not directly related to this matter, an incident concerning Jin's future occurred on the main star of the Betasia Star System during Laura's treatment.
At the Betasia Count's residence on the main star of Orega's territory, the earrings Jin had given to Rinju and Ranju self-destructed and vanished while they were sleeping, causing a commotion over the loss.
Of course, that was a separate matter concerning only Jin, having no effect on the Imperial capital.
Because of this incident, when Jin returned to the main star, he was scolded, cried at, and forced to present mithril earrings to Renju, Rinju, and Ranju—but that's a future event and not relevant now.
At the present moment, there were no problems at all.
Coinciding with Laura's return, Jin and his party also headed to the capital star of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire aboard the twenty-meter-class sub-unit and set foot on the ground.
The sub-unit landed in the inner palace courtyard, and they parted ways with Laura.
Next, the ennoblement ceremony, in which Jin and Orega were participants, took place.
The ceremony concluded, and Jin became a viscount within that same day.
Since the recommendation for ennoblement had been submitted for a baron, Jin's ennoblement as a baron proceeded without a hitch.
However, following that, a promotion in rank was also carried out, so Jin somehow ended up as "Viscount Asada."
This promotion was decided by the Gialpha Galaxy Emperor's decree, based on Jin's achievement in treating Empress Laura.
Additionally, Orega, who had recommended Jin, received a commendation letter from His Majesty and a separate reward.
This was because bringing Jin to the capital for the purpose of ennoblement was itself recognized as a merit.
If the recommendation had not been made, the Empress would not have been saved.
That was the judgment, but it was nothing short of a windfall.
With all this, Jin became a viscount, a rank not considered problematic for marrying the eldest daughter of a count household lacking a male heir.
Viscount Asada submitted a marriage permission application for Rouj and received approval without issue.
Thus, the two officially became engaged, and the remaining steps were to return to the main star of the Betasia Star System, hold a wedding ceremony, and proceed with the marriage registration.
Since their stay had been extended beyond the original plan, Orega had to return to his domain soon.
After consulting with Jin, they arranged to complete the job closure procedures at the mercenary guild today.
With that flow, it was decided that Sangou would depart for the Betasia Star System tomorrow.
Separately from Jin's movements, the Gialpha Galaxy Emperor and Empress Laura also took action.
Through this series of events, the Empire learned of Jin and Sangou's combat capabilities, and saw firsthand that they possessed the technology to easily cure a mysterious disease that no one else had been able to heal in Laura.
After smoothly completing the governmental affairs related to Jin's ennoblement ceremony, the Emperor and Empress discussed Jin and Sangou.
Their topic was "bringing Jin and Sangou into the Gialpha Galaxy Empire," or more precisely, "how to strengthen ties."
Fortunately, Count Betasia's dislike of socializing meant that no nobles had been interested in the details of the recommendation for Jin's ennoblement, so for now, few nobles were paying attention to Jin or Sangou.
Regarding Jin, a handful of nobles had begun to show interest due to "his possession of a high-performance shuttle that could even be called an 'oddity'" and "the fact that he treated the Empress."
The "recommendation for a baron," as carried out today, often served as "a reward for a count's trusted subordinate."
Therefore, it was unusual for nobles to bother attending such an ennoblement ceremony.
And since this time it was a recommendation by Count Betasia, who disliked socializing, not even those eccentric nobles attended.
Because the promotion was done as a side note during that ceremony, Jin's presence did not stand out.
From the perspective of the Imperial couple, "It was fortunate that we were able to make Jin an Imperial noble."
Jin's current position, as an Imperial noble, was that of a direct vassal of the Emperor, and the Emperor had appointed him to work as a subordinate of Count Betasia as a robe noble.
However, no matter how much a direct vassal of the Emperor he was, forcibly taking Jin away from Count Betasia was not feasible under custom.
Given these circumstances, now—when he was not yet attracting attention—was the perfect time to further strengthen ties with Jin, and it needed to be done immediately.
But from Laura's account, the Emperor quickly understood that the simplest method—"marrying an Imperial princess into the Asada Viscount family"—was problematic.
That left only Rouj's two younger sisters as targets for available measures.
However, that also had its difficulties.
The idea was to marry them to men with Imperial lineage, but even a prince who was not the Crown Prince would cause a stir if he took them as primary wives due to their insufficient family status.
If they were taken as second or third wives considering family status, from a "strengthening ties" perspective, it would be "better than nothing but mediocre."
As a last resort, there was the option of marrying the Emperor's sister—a member of the Imperial family who had never married and remained single—to Count Betasia, but that would most certainly not be welcomed.
"I can't think of a good plan. But at this rate, the count's second and third daughters will have a hard time."
"Indeed. Rather than having them exploited by some noble family, why not entrust both of them to Jin? In other words, as the second and third wives of the Asada Viscount family. Fortunately, information indicates that 'the three sisters of that house get along very well.' It seems likely that the eldest daughter would accept it. And now, if we issue an Imperial decree, it can be done. We could also make Jin a son-in-law and the next Count Betasia, or if a son is born, we could have that child adopted into the Betasia Count family."
"The count was supposed to leave the capital tomorrow, wasn't he? Then we have no choice but to summon them today. Send an escort immediately. This matter can only be discussed directly with the three of them."
With this move from the Imperial side, Orega, Jin, and Rouj were summoned to the court.
This was unavoidable, as it was not the kind of matter to be handled via communication.
The six people—Emperor, Empress, Prime Minister, Orega, Jin, and Rouj—gathered in a room and held a secret meeting, excluding all others.
Incidentally, at this stage, the Emperor, Empress, and Prime Minister were unaware that the Crown Prince—the Emperor and Empress's eldest son—had committed a major blunder, separate from Jin's matter.
Of course, that would become a problem at some point in the near future, but that is another story.
Orega, who had been suddenly summoned by His Majesty, originally had no clear vision for his own family's succession.
This was partly because Orega was an elf, a race with a long period of youth and health.
"If my daughters catch a good man as a son-in-law, that's fine; worst case, I'll pick someone suitable from my vassals, adopt them, and have them marry. There are three of them, so it'll work out somehow."
Orega's thinking on this matter was rather optimistic, even for a noble.
That was why, when his territory was in crisis, he was nearly stripped of his daughters and lands by a mere baron, no matter how "rich," in exchange for financial support.
As a premise, the Imperial family wanted to strengthen ties with Jin.
But they had no good plan.
And in the current situation, Rinju and Ranju were at high risk of being targeted for political marriages by other houses.
The blunt facts, from a national perspective, were frankly conveyed to Orega, Jin, and Rouj.
For the time being, they wanted to at least avoid the targeting of Rinju and Ranju.
One possible avoidance measure was for Jin to marry both Rinju and Ranju simultaneously.
A tentative solution was also presented.
Upon hearing the proposed solution, Rouj thought hard.
"I want Rinju and Ranju to have a happy marriage if at all possible."
Rouj, being close to her two younger sisters, couldn't help but think that.
And that was her true feeling.
Surely, marrying Jin would be far better than being married off by another house solely for exploitation.
Moreover, Rouj knew that the two of them harbored feelings for Jin.
"If marriage negotiations for Jin come from other houses in the future, having the three sisters occupy the positions of Jin's wives will serve as a powerful deterrent."
Rouj was also capable of such calculation at this point.
Orega, for his part, was shocked—beyond words—to hear that "one of the plans included 'marrying His Majesty's sister to Count Betasia Orega.'"
"His Majesty's sister? No joke. Compared to that, I'd rather allow Rinju and Ranju to marry Jin."
Orega considered the matter of his family's succession in light of the Imperial proposal.
"If two or more sons are born between my three daughters and Jin, we can have one of them adopted into the Betasia Count family. Or we can make Jin the Count Betasia himself. Either way is fine."
Orega's determination to avoid marriage with the Emperor's sister (an ultra-problematic leftover spinster) at all costs led to this conclusion.
Jin, too, had his own thoughts.
"For a moment, I thought, 'Isn't it weird for me to marry not just Rouj but both her younger sisters too?' But if everyone is happy and I'm happy, then there's no problem, right?"
At that point, Jin's thinking stopped.
Whether in his time in Japan or during his Hero era, he had never been popular with women, and a "harem situation where he marries multiple women, and beautiful elf women at that," felt unreal to Jin.
At any rate, all three parties present agreed to the matter of Rinju and Ranju's marriages.
Thus, it was decided that marriage permission applications for Rinju and Ranju would be submitted in Orega's name, and it was done immediately and approved.
Naturally, since these procedures involved the "wishes of His Majesty" heavily, the bureaucratic side processed them at breakneck speed without any objection.
Through this course of events, Jin became firmly set on the path to a harem.
Separately, discussions were held on strengthening ties between the Imperial family and Jin.
The conclusion was that a new position for Jin within the Imperial Military would be established for the time being.
Imperial Guard Fleet, Independent Raiding Unit, Sole Raiding Ship Captain, Viscount Asada.
Jin was officially granted the freedom to operate Sangou independently.
This newly created position was such that only His Majesty the Emperor had command authority, and Jin was even granted a sort of right of refusal.
However, exercising the right of refusal required a valid reason.
Jin was given the Imperial Military rank of Brigadier General.
Moreover, even though he was free to act unless ordered by His Majesty, he would receive a brigadier general's salary in addition to his viscount's pension.
For Jin, it was a sweet deal.
Though it came with strings attached.
These special privileges were granted because, based on his achievements in battling space beasts, "his sole ship was recognized as having combat power equivalent to a single army."
"The reason Jin is being favored is because his ties with the Imperial family are strong!"
Even without stating it openly, the treatment conveyed that through tacit understanding, and also served as an advertisement of that fact.
In this case, it was a minor detail that they mistakenly believed "the space beasts were annihilated thanks to Sangou's performance."
Of course, it goes without saying that "it was Jin's personal firepower that actually wiped out and erased the space beasts."
The meeting, filled with various worries for everyone, ended, and what needed to be decided was decided, and they disbanded.
When Jin and the other two arrived in front of the count's residence in the capital, they found Sutsan dealing with what appeared to be a guest—a young woman. Perhaps it was fate drawn by the Hero's traits.
"I beg of you. I have a request for the owner of that shuttle. Could you please arrange a meeting?"
Thus, Hero Jin and Sangou succeeded in completely curing the mysterious rare disease that Empress Laura had suffered from, and restored her lost limbs, returning her whole and healthy to the Gialpha Galaxy Emperor.
As a result of that case, Jin was ennobled as a baron and immediately promoted to viscount.
Also, with Imperial backing, he was able to secure his engagement with Rouj.
Separately, the value and capabilities of Sangou became known to the Emperor through the Empress, leading to a plan to secure Jin, the owner of Sangou.
Just as those matters were finally settled, a person who hinted at a new incident appeared. How will things move from here?
No one knows the future.
Having secured his engagement with Rouj and completed the Empress-related job, the Hero found himself with one hundred fifty billion en rolling into his pocket.
Already full with engagements not only to Rouj but also to Rinju and Ranju, the appearance of a woman who seemed to herald a new troublesome incident made Jin mutter to himself, "Maybe I should go get myself purified or something."