Chapter 18 - Marriage with Rouju and the Others, and How a Commoner Woman with the Title of Former Duke's Daughter Arranges Her Future
~On the Sea Within the Atmosphere of the Third Planet of the Betasia Star System (Betasia Count Domain's Main Planet)~
Sangou was floating on the sea surface with the lower part of its hull submerged in the seawater within the atmosphere of the Betasia Count domain's main planet.
In that state, it was repeatedly making micro-adjustments to prevent its position from shifting significantly due to the effects of wind and ocean currents.
Aside from remaining on the sea surface of that sea area, Sangou currently had no work that it absolutely had to do 'now'.
"Is there nothing for Sangou to do?"
If someone were to ask that, the answer would be 'no', though.
Because Sangou had the toys it had received from its Captain, Jin, some time ago.
The biological spaceship was, with great interest, analyzing the magic stone of the giant dragon corpse that Jin had taken out of his Storage Space — a mysterious object that remained unused when Sangou had utilized the organic material to construct the twenty-meter-class sub-units.
Well, since this was merely a toy, one could also say that 'Sangou was playing around by repeatedly trying various approaches because the substance was incomprehensible.'
As a result, a certain phenomenon would occur in the future, but that is a story for another time.
Additionally, treating Silk, who had come to stay aboard Sangou again at Jin's request, as a guest was also part of Sangou's current duties.
However, even if one called it 'work', it was not something that placed any significant burden on Sangou.
In short, the current Sangou was in a so-called resting state, where most of its capabilities were not being used beneficially.
That was precisely why the organic artificial intelligence installed in the biological spaceship had the leeway to respond even when the guest Silk made an unexpected request.
"Sangou. Make sure to take care of Silk so she can stay comfortable, alright?"
The Captain had also made that 'request'.
As long as that was the case, then for matters within the range of not being a significant burden for Sangou.
Fulfilling Silk's wishes might actually have been an excellent way for the organic artificial intelligence to stave off boredom.
Hence, when Silk posed a question about the options for her own future arrangements — specifically, 'Would it be possible to become a crew member of Sangou?' — Sangou would answer it sincerely.
"I will answer your question. I will interpret 'Silk-sama's wish to make this vessel her future residence' as 'wanting to become a permanent crew member of this vessel' and provide my response accordingly. First, regarding 'whether long-term residence aboard the vessel is permissible', that falls under the Captain's authority, so Sangou cannot answer that. As for 'becoming a permanent crew member', if the Captain approves the residence, there is operator work available. Is that clear so far?"
"Yes, I understand. Please continue."
"Currently, Sangou handles everything, but that does not mean 'a human operator is unnecessary'. Specifically, the work involves 'serving as both a communications officer and a monitor for various displays'. However, there is one problem. That problem is 'whether Silk-sama can withstand the G-forces during full combat maneuvers and maximum-speed cruising of this vessel, which are only feasible when no one besides the Captain is aboard'. Taking that point into consideration, it becomes a matter of 'whether the Captain will grant permission'. Does that serve as an adequate answer to your question?"
"I understand. Thank you, Sangou. In other words, I just need to discuss it with Jin. By the way, Sangou. Would it be possible for me to undergo 'training to become capable of withstanding the operator's duties' right here? I am rather bored, you see."
"It is possible. Then I will immediately prepare a simulated bridge setup and training menus in your room."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
With that exchange, Silk began training to become a crew member of Sangou.
While undergoing training, she would wait for a time when she could have a discussion with Jin.
After some time had passed, a three-way discussion involving the two of them and Sangou was held.
As a result, it might have been practically a foregone conclusion from the moment Silk first thought of it that she would become a crew member of Sangou, that is, an operator.
Jin approved Silk becoming a crew member and serving as Sangou's permanent operator.
Once that was decided, Jin, in his position as a mercenary, needed to go through the proper procedures at the Mercenary Guild.
Thus, that was what he did.
Jin personally went to the Mercenary Guild branch on the main planet, accompanied by Silk.
In truth, such procedures could probably be handled via communication alone.
Nevertheless, the fact that he chose to handle them in person with a receptionist at the Mercenary Guild was likely due to the lingering influence of his mentality from the days when he was still a Hero in a fantasy world.
Following that, he registered 'Silk boarding Sangou as an operator' there.
At that time, the Mercenary Guild required the employment conditions to be clearly specified.
With Silk's consent as the employed party, deciding on the spot using standard employment conditions as a reference was a trivial matter.
Silk's base salary as an operator was set at a daily wage of seven thousand En.
Separately, all facility usage, including her personal quarters aboard Sangou, was free of charge, and three meals per twenty-four hours were provided.
These two points formed the basic conditions, but of course, various allowances were also established.
In Silk's case, a special allowance system was put in place for cases where mission rewards, bounties, or proceeds from the sale of captured goods were generated from jobs undertaken by Jin.
Specifically, one percent of the profit after deducting expenses from the total of those amounts was decided to be paid as a special allowance.
However, since 'working hours encompass all time spent aboard Sangou', with each twenty-four-hour period as a segment, actual duties were supposed to be within eight hours of that, and the remaining time was all considered 'standby status', making it appear extremely exploitative on the surface.
Of course, in actual practice, the arrangement was 'just work when needed. The rest is free time called "standby" until I call for you,' so it wasn't harsh as a job.
Moreover, Silk was boarding Sangou, a super-high-performance biological spaceship.
Even if it looked like an utterly exploitative employment condition from the outside, it was certain that 'the actual burden on Silk was not significant'.
At any rate, after completing the procedures at the Mercenary Guild, Silk's future arrangements were finalized.
Once that was settled, she next needed to gather the necessities for living aboard Sangou.
As a congratulatory gift for her appointment, Jin proposed a shopping trip that also served as sightseeing.
He had her go shopping in the urban area of the main planet, accompanied by Zilfa.
The shopping list mainly consisted of various small items necessary for Silk's daily life, but of course, luxury goods were also included.
Jin, who was aware at this point that he lacked the skill to accompany women on shopping trips, readily dragged Zilfa along since Zilfa was easy to ask for such favors.
Being self-aware of one's own incompetence is admirable, but this aspect might also be one of Jin's regrettable traits.
That aside, since it was a celebration of her appointment, all of Silk's shopping expenses were naturally covered by Jin.
While Jin and the others were engaged in such activities, Sangou was rearranging the location of the room assigned to Silk.
It moved Silk's room from the guest quarters to the crew quarters, which were closer to the bridge and also near Jin's private room.
Just as that was completed, Jin returned to Sangou alone.
Since Jin could use teleportation magic, he didn't need to use a twenty-meter-class sub-unit for moving only himself.
However, since he was entering Sangou directly from outside, by agreement with Sangou, his destination was always designated as a private room dedicated to sterilization.
By the way, why did Jin, having parted ways with Silk and the others who went shopping, return to Sangou alone?
Of course, there was a proper reason for that.
"Sangou. I want you to use this as material to make a dress for Silk to wear when she attends my wedding ceremony with Rouju and the others. I'll leave the design up to you, but I'd like it to be restrained in its splendor so it doesn't outshine the main party."
It was nothing special.
Jin's purpose in returning ahead was to also present Silk with a dress as part of the celebration of her appointment.
Of course, it goes without saying by now that the materials provided were from the fantasy world stored in Jin's Storage Space.
However, these materials would cause an incident in the near future, but no one could foresee that at this point.
"By the way, Captain. How do you intend to handle the G-force resistance for Silk-san?"
Sangou confirmed a concern.
Since this directly affected the combat maneuvers and cruising speed Sangou could employ in the future, the question was only natural.
"Ah, about that. I'm not sure until we try, but I'm thinking, 'If she equips the resistance-boosting ring I have in my Storage Space, it might work.' As another option, there's 'giving her a magic potion', but I don't want to use that much since the stock is limited. Aside from that, there's that thing with the seven sub-units for me. If Sangou makes one for Silk and she wears it, I think 'that alone might do the trick.'"
The fact that Jin, who knew Sangou's capabilities, was not without a plan for this was simply good, as it would reduce restrictions on their future activities.
"I see. So that's your approach. Understood. Then I will prepare a sub-unit for Silk-san."
"I'm counting on you. I still have various preparations to make, so I'll return to the Count's residence for now. Please bring the twenty-meter-class sub-unit back near the Count's residence after Silk returns."
Having finished the meeting with Sangou and made the necessary requests, Jin returned to the Count's residence via teleportation magic.
Despite asking Sangou to make a dress under the pretext of celebrating Silk's appointment, he didn't even consider handing it to her himself, instead leaving everything to Sangou.
That was perhaps evidence that Jin was, after all, 'a disappointing Hero who cannot understand women's psychology'.
Incidentally, even if Sangou was aware of this disappointing aspect, it said nothing to the Captain because it was considering the feelings of Rouju and the others, who were to become his wives.
Of course, it goes without saying that 'there was an aspect of expecting growth through experience'.
Because people are creatures that learn various things more easily when they experience painful consequences.
The matter of all three daughters of the Betasia Count Household marrying a single man simultaneously — a major event for the family.
Its execution was being rushed, if only to avoid interference from other noble houses.
Due to such circumstances, a mansion to serve as Jin and the others' new home was prepared in a location not far from the Count's residence.
It was also decided that the four attendants who came with Greta — Alra, Milfa, Kilfa, and Zilfa — would transfer their affiliation to the Asada Viscount Household and work as maids.
For the time being, there were 'no plans to hire' a chef or butler, and even if they were to have ceremonial robes, they intended to keep the scale of servants at a level of modesty that was unthinkable for a viscount household's servant scale.
Of course, there was a reason for this, and since personnel could be dispatched from the Betasia Count's residence whenever such staff were needed, this measure was actually a good strategy when considering that it also served as proof of strong ties with Rouju and the others' family home.
Of course, the existence of the autonomous sub-units created by Sangou also helped support Rouju and the others' life at the Viscount's residence.
Thus, preparations on the hardware side on the main planet of the Betasia Count domain were completed without issue.
That aside, however.
Let us turn our attention to the inner feelings of Jin, who was set to become a harem guy.
Since Jin was originally Japanese, the fundamental basis of his ethical view on marital relationships was 'monogamy'.
He had ended up marrying all three beautiful elf sisters in a kind of drift, but as if to prove that he was fundamentally incompetent and spineless, he had absolutely no confidence in being able to handle the various 'after-marriage' matters well.
Therefore, it became urgent to hold discussions with Rouju, Rinju, and Ranju about various things.
What was he going to say at this late stage?
That was the kind of discussion it was, but Jin properly arranged a meeting and honestly conveyed his own ethical views to the three sisters.
So, what was the reaction of those who heard such an inner-confession-like story?
Rouju, whose position as the primary wife was guaranteed, was not the least bit shaken.
However, she firmly held the thought that 'I don't want you to reject Rinju and Ranju now'.
And Rinju and Ranju's thinking at this time only moved in the direction of simplifying things.
It could be said that 'the two of them had seen through the essence of Jin's ethical views'.
That was precisely why they were able to embrace the man who would become their future husband.
Because the spineless Hero had negative thoughts about making a move on women other than Rouju, his first partner, in the sense of 'bedroom activities'.
What was the most important thing for Rinju and Ranju in their current situation?
The answer was 'being protected by Jin' in their positions as 'second wife' and 'third wife'.
That was the most important thing, and as long as that point was secured, there was no need to rush the aspect of activities that might lead to children.
To put it extremely, 'it would be fine even if it never happened at all'.
Of course, they understood that would be lonely as women, and that 'Rouju, as their older sister, would not allow that to continue forever'.
At any rate, the two of them, Rinju and Ranju, spoke clearly on this point.
"We'll wait until Jin is ready."
They had expressed a will that was far too convenient for Jin.
"But we want children, so please do it eventually!"
"And also, stop flaunting your lovey-dovey time with Big Sister right in front of us!"
When told so cutely by the two of them like this, Jin had no choice but to silently nod and raise the white flag.
This tolerance on the part of the three elf sisters might have been a matter of 'difference in women's consciousness' in a world where 'polygamy' was the norm.
Moreover, since they were elves, the period during which they could bear children was incomparably longer than that of human women.
After the discussion was nicely wrapped up in that manner, what did not end there was the 'Hero Jin quality' and the 'vindication of the disappointing Hero's reputation'.
Hero Jin informed the three sisters that Silk would be permanently stationed aboard Sangou as an operator.
He had likely conveyed this at the worst possible timing.
What would happen if he did something like that?
It was a fact that Jin had a different thought than considering that.
(When it comes to something that seems dangerous, it's best to confess voluntarily as soon as possible.)
Was this truly the correct answer?
Since he hadn't tried other routes, the truth was unknown.
What was certain was only that the expressions on Rouju and the others' faces instantly became demonic at that moment.
"You absolutely must not lay a hand on her, got it?!"
Leaving aside their expressions, if one only considered what was said while they pressed him, it might not be a 'complete disaster'.
It wasn't settled because he was a disappointing Hero.
It couldn't be helped that it turned out this way.
What if it were another world?
Even so, things wouldn't simply be brushed off with a casual 'Alrighty then~'.
Despite everything, the wedding ceremony was held grandly and concluded successfully.
At that time.
Even though the dress made by Sangou that Silk wore attracted attention at a level that was no joke, it still concluded successfully.
Speaking of the design of said dress, it was neither flashy nor anything of the sort.
Just as Jin had requested of Sangou, it was finished with considerable plainness so as not to outshine the main party.
However, the problem lay in the material itself that composed the dress.
Silk's dress clearly revealed at a single glance that 'the quality of the material was on a different level'.
Even if there was an incident afterward where Jin was confronted by his three wives asking 'What was that?', the wedding ceremony itself had concluded safely.
Now, the man who had happily married all the daughters of the Betasia Count Household found himself in a situation where he urgently needed to build a track record as a subordinate of Betasia Count Orega.
With that in mind, Jin headed with Sangou to the space zone around the sixteenth planet of the Betasia Star System.
Of course, the operator Silk also accompanied him.
That space zone, which he had visited before, was an asteroid belt of considerable size that could easily become a den of thieves, scattered with a large number of asteroids and debris.
Why did Jin and the others go to such a space zone?
Let us clarify the circumstances.
First, Jin was a military officer under the command of Betasia Count Orega, but he was not incorporated into the regular territorial force structure where he would normally be placed.
Instead, he was assigned as a solo vessel under Sangou's independent raiding formation.
There were various reasons for this.
Let us list those reasons below.
One: Because Jin also held a position in the Imperial Guard Fleet of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire, there was the point that 'he might be pulled away for missions under imperial orders at any time'.
Two: Because the performance of Sangou and that of the territorial force's vessels were too disparate, there was the point that 'operating as a fleet was practically impossible'.
Three: Because Jin needed a heroic reputation, there was the point of wanting to make it look like he was doing work at a level that 'would be impossible' or 'quite difficult' for the regular territorial forces (though this did not imply it was 'difficult for Sangou').
Four: If he were to operate alongside the territorial forces, there was the point that 'he would often be away from home for long periods' (which would cause Rouju, Rinju, and Ranju to fly into a rage).
Due to the above four reasons, combined with Orega's personal judgment, bias, and private feelings, the decision was made to assign Jin to the 'independent raiding formation' in order to push solo vessel work with Sangou onto him.
Of course, the fourth reason was objectively completely out of bounds.
Thus, it goes without saying that this particular point 'was not made public'.
That aside, the work actually assigned to Jin was, from the perspective of any military officer under Betasia Count other than Jin, definitely something that could be called 'impossible'.
Hence, the special treatment by the lord did not invite dissatisfaction from the other military personnel.
Because it was obvious that if anyone foolishly complained, the response would be 'Then how about you go do that instead?'
Under such circumstances, Sangou, with Jin as its Captain, was currently on a solo mission and was working in the aforementioned space zone.
What was the content of that work?
The official name of the work was 'cleaning up asteroids and debris that could become a den for thieves'.
There was also a bonus attached: 'If you encounter any thieves, hunt them down!'
However.
Even if that was the official name, what one was actually doing was not necessarily limited to that.
In the first place, even if they neatly cleared away the asteroids and debris, it was questionable whether that would 'be considered a military achievement'.
In truth, Jin and Sangou were using the materials they removed to 'try to create a new planet'.
It was an absurd task: gathering the asteroids from the asteroid belt on the opposite side of the sixteenth planet's orbit, across the star named Betasia, and attempting to 'fashion them into a planet of the same scale'.
They were fully dedicated to this work on a schedule of 'working for two days and one night, then taking one day off'.
"Can they really do that just by collecting materials with balanced mass?"
Such an extremely reasonable question seems likely to come from somewhere.
But nevertheless.
When they applied Sangou's abilities and Jin's abilities to finagle things during the finishing touches, lo and behold, they could actually do it.
The new planet was scheduled for completion in one year, with a grand plan to 'undergo terraforming for food production after completion before full-scale operation'.
Additionally, although not yet decided, there was also the aspect of it being 'a candidate planet for territory to be administered by Jin as Viscount Asada'.
Silk participated in such large-scale work as an assistant to Jin and Sangou.
The training menu that Sangou had prepared earlier had likely borne fruit for Silk.
She properly performed the role of an operator, monitoring warnings from various displays, and was also entrusted with the procedures for entering and leaving the port of the main planet.
Then, Silk came to notice Sangou's abnormality.
This was only natural, since no refueling or maintenance — things that would normally be performed — took place at all.
Even so, for the first ten days or so, Silk did not notice this point at all.
However, since Silk never left the ship even on Jin's days off, there was no possibility of her being 'fooled' by interpreting things conveniently, thinking, 'Oh, they must be resupplying while I'm resting without me knowing.'
Thus, Silk frankly posed the question she had felt to Sangou.
"It is because Sangou is a 'biological spaceship'."
Sangou replied with a blunt, matter-of-fact statement.
Silk, whose former fiancé was the Crown Prince, had received education as a Crown Princess and was supposed to become a future Empress.
This woman, who until recently had also been a daughter of the Aleftoria Duke Household, realized, based on the knowledge she had acquired from the education drilled into her, that 'Sangou's value was immeasurably high' from that single point of 'whether or not resupply was needed'.
That was 'synonymous with Jin's value being immeasurably high'.
Having learned the reality, Silk began to use her free time during her days off to create educational programs for Jin's wives, Rouju and the other two.
From Silk's perspective, judging based on the knowledge she possessed, Jin's future promotion was already certain, and she could not imagine that promotion 'stopping at Count'.
Silk was filled with joy and felt happiness in the act of 'creating educational programs'.
Moreover, since the act of 'teaching others' requires 'deep understanding of the essence', it also produced a byproduct of 'deepening Silk's own comprehension and further refining her existing skills', making it nothing short of a virtuous cycle.
(The vast amount of time I spent undergoing rigorous education and training to become the Crown Princess was not wasted at all. I can put the knowledge and skills I have acquired to good use.)
While creating the educational programs, Silk was full of motivation, and she felt like crying out in joy, feeling too fulfilled to handle it.
Originally, things like 'the knowledge and skills necessary to become a Crown Princess' or 'the education that a daughter of a high-ranking noble duke household receives' cannot be obtained by those not in such positions, no matter how much money they pay.
That is why so-called upstarts struggle.
This also occurs when a marriage is arranged with a partner of incompatible family standing.
But nevertheless.
This act voluntarily performed by Silk led to the wonderful result of allowing Jin's wives, Rouju and the other two, to acquire in advance the knowledge and skills that they would normally never have been able to obtain for their future positions, and also 'gaining the invaluable ally that is Silk, a former duke's daughter'.
Normally, for results produced by someone capable of such special things like Silk, commensurate compensation would be necessary.
However, Silk's current operator work does not include any special allowance for that.
Thus, all Silk earned during her days was the base daily wage of seven thousand En.
"This is nowhere near fair compensation for the work."
One could assert that definitively.
But at this stage, no one pointed it out.
Since it was being done voluntarily on her days off, Jin never noticed.
Sangou itself knew that Silk was creating educational programs.
However, from Sangou's perspective, the purpose of that creation was unclear.
Since it wasn't anything harmful to others, Sangou judged that 'this is not something that particularly needs to be reported to the Captain'.
Even so, if everything were to come to light, Jin certainly wouldn't remain silent.
And, in truth, a conclusion that properly compensated Silk for her efforts was actually prepared from the beginning.
Silk herself was completely unaware of it, and as a result, until the compensation amount was presented afterward and she was informed, she had never even imagined it.
Silk had already been promised enormous compensation, potentially.
Because one percent of the price of the one newly constructed planet was guaranteed as future compensation.
However, there was the catch that upon receipt, it would be 'paid in installments over fifty years'.
Since the burden of her operator work was light, when Silk was informed of that 'enormous' amount, an incident occurred where she herself tried to firmly decline, saying 'I absolutely cannot accept such an amount'.
However, the fact that she had already completed the educational programs for Rouju and the others was judged as 'a work achievement accomplished by Silk', and moreover, she was the only one who could provide hands-on guidance to Rouju and the other two in the future.
"I'll pay you as compensation for your work, including everything together."
Jin came up with such a rationale and, by forcing it through, somehow managed to get her to accept the compensation.
Through this series of events, the future Silk would gain financial freedom and the complete gratitude and trust of Rouju and the other two.
Gaining financial freedom and never having to worry about money would surely enrich the life of the former duke's daughter.
However, considering that Silk, who was originally supposed to become the Crown Princess in the near future and was also a former duke's daughter, had left the capital planet, things could not possibly be settled just within the Betasia Star System.
There was no way that Laura, who had lost Silk — whom she had raised with great care — in an unreasonable manner, would remain inactive.
The same was true of the Emperor, who could not simply leave the Crown Prince or the new Duke Aleftoria unchecked.
So, what were the movements of Laura and the others, who could not remain inactive?
"Why did you not speak with me or His Majesty beforehand? No, even if not us, it would have been fine if it were the Prime Minister. Why did you make an irreparable statement in a public setting without consulting anyone beforehand?"
Laura's sharp gaze pierced her own son, the Crown Prince, but Jin and Silk, far away, did not witness this.
Thus, Hero Jin and Sangou completed the wedding ceremony between Jin and Rouju and the others, and regarding Silk's future as well, they followed through on Jin's past declarations, putting words into action.
Jin became a homeowner on the main planet of the Betasia Star System, and began working as a military officer under Orega's command.
Furthermore, the Hero that a certain fantasy world had produced and the biological spaceship, a child of super-science, joined forces to undertake the project of constructing a new planet.
Through that series of events, he succeeded in guiding Silk toward a future where she would gain literal freedom.
While Silk was struggling to establish her own place, how would the incidents on the Imperial Capital side, which could not be left unrelated to Silk, come to affect things in the future?
No one knows the future, though.
The Hero discreetly went alone to a shrine-like place on the main planet of the Betasia Star System and received something like a purification ritual, but unfortunately, he didn't feel that anything had changed at all.
Even so, having obtained his own home and beautiful wives, Jin, despite not yet having children, was thinking slightly off-topic thoughts like, 'I guess I'm finally a homeowner dad, huh.'