Chapter 21 - Annihilation-Level Losses and Rewards, and the Withdrawal and Catastrophe in the Kaydelon Star System
~Gialpha Star System Fourth Planet Surrounding Space (Gialpha Galaxy Empire Capital Star Surrounding Space)~
Sangou, with time to spare, was observing the state of the military ships during their reorganization, that of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire's Space Force.
The many vessels Sangou was gazing at belonged to the forces that had participated in the detour invasion operation conducted against the Gialpha Galaxy Free Democratic Alliance and were able to return.
Compared to the time of departure, the detour invasion force had lost approximately thirty percent as a net decrease.
The Imperial Military was hurrying to reorganize the remaining vessels to operate them as effective combat power, and Sangou, who had nothing particular to do, was watching that spectacle.
Incidentally, two of the mobile fortresses that were originally the combat power held by the capital star were lost, and while the three that were able to return were damaged to the point where they could hardly be called unscathed, they were temporarily returned to their original deployment positions.
There, repairs were scheduled to be carried out sequentially, and plans for constructing new ones for the two that were lost were already underway.
Of course, Sangou was not informed about the matters of repair or new construction.
Currently, Sangou was in a state where she had sent her captain, Jin, to the imperial capital aboard a twenty-meter-class sub-unit, and was waiting for Jin's return together with Silk, who was staying on board.
Now, let us look back a little at the past leading up to this situation.
First, approximately three months after the invasion force had departed, the latest battle situation information arrived at Sangou.
Of course, it was not about the invasion force that had gone on a faraway expedition.
The latest information came from the Imperial Military's front lines, that is, the places that were playing the role of drawing the enemy's attention while the invasion force attacked the undefended rear of the Gialpha Galaxy Free Democratic Alliance.
"The attack pressure from the Alliance is rapidly weakening on both front lines."
At this report, the Imperial Military in the capital erupted in cheers.
What this phenomenon meant was probably that the Alliance side could no longer afford to pay attention to the front lines.
In other words, it was a sign that the detour invasion force's attack on the Alliance's rear had begun and was working effectively.
Time passed further from there, and the detour invasion force returned.
The battles being fought on the two front lines were no longer intense at that point.
However, the Imperial Military did not launch a further offensive there.
Why was that?
Because the damage suffered by the detour invasion force, which had finally returned, far exceeded prior expectations.
The detour invasion force that was able to return had lost a number of vessels close to one army's worth in the battles at the expedition destination, along with two mobile fortresses.
Moreover, the number of vessels slightly exceeding two armies' worth and the three mobile fortresses that were able to return had most of them damaged to at least a minor extent, and were by no means in an undamaged state.
Furthermore, the supreme commander of the detour invasion force, that is, the general of the first army among the three armies, died in action while serving as the rearguard during the retreat.
There may be various ways of thinking regarding the judgment of the damage received, but from Sangou's and Jin's knowledge, if the damage information is true, it would be judged as 'annihilation'.
Incidentally, Sangou's and Jin's respective military judgment standards for damage are exactly the same: a casualty rate of thirty percent is 'annihilation', fifty percent is 'destruction', and one hundred percent is 'extermination'. Applying that standard to this case results in 'annihilation'.
At the point of initial information that Jin learned via Sangou, the result was that approximately seventy percent of the force returned compared to departure, that is, a loss of over thirty percent of combat power, an annihilation-level result.
At that fact, Jin was momentarily stunned.
Of course, that did not last long.
After a short time passed, Jin's mind began to turn.
Then, it inevitably changed into a situation where he discussed with Sangou.
"Hey, Sangou. Was Plan A originally expected to take this much damage?"
"No. The divergence between prior predictions and results is remarkable. If we calculate the forces placed in what can be called 'the enemy's rear' on equal terms with 'the internal situation of the Empire', when forces of this scale were committed, the net loss was predicted to be 'less than ten percent'. Even in the worst case, it was at the level of 'whether it would reach twenty percent'. Even regarding damage to individual vessels that remained within a range where fleet operation was possible, judging from the total number lost, it is certain that it was more than double the prior prediction. Could there have been more defensive forces in the 'enemy's rear' than expected? We won't know without seeing the final report after the return."
After that, neither Jin nor Sangou had any way of knowing at this point, but in reality, if the invasion force had simply carried out military operations within the scope of common sense, this detour invasion operation should have been able to end with fewer losses than even Sangou's prior predictions, which had considerable leeway.
But however.
Reality was not like that.
So what on earth was the cause of that?
"The supreme commander, the so-called local commanding general of the army, went too far."
Put simply, it came down to that.
The detour invasion force had attacked even planets that the Alliance side had declared undefended, without any discussion.
If these had been planets producing military supplies and weapons or supplying mineral resources, the side being attacked might have been able to resign themselves to it.
However, that kind of planet, or star systems containing such planets, naturally have garrison forces of a considerable scale stationed there.
In short, the planets that had issued undefended declarations were so-called developing planets, and frankly, they were 'close to being a burden on the Gialpha Galaxy Free Democratic Alliance'.
That was precisely why they only had the minimum level of force to counter pirates.
They did not have the power to fight against the Imperial Military, which had far superior force.
Even from the attacking side's perspective, such planets should have no strategic value, and if anything, wasting time and supplies on them would have been an act of foolishness.
However, the local commander at that time grudged the effort of selecting targets one by one.
As a result, they carried out annihilation battles one after another from the nearest ones onwards.
No matter how much they were 'burden planets', the Alliance side could not simply abandon them in that situation.
Also, the ones being attacked were not only such planets but also star systems and planets with high resource and production value.
The panicked Alliance side forcibly withdrew a number of vessels exceeding the limit of what could normally be extracted from the front lines and threw them at the Imperial detour invasion force with all their might.
In that flow, the detour invasion force lost approximately thirty percent of its combat power.
This becomes a 'what if' story, but if the local commander had selected targets and carried out operation actions considering time efficiency, they probably would not have suffered this much damage.
In the first place, it was also bad that they had dispersed the force when they confirmed that the Alliance's defensive forces were small in the initial stage.
This was because, when they received the enraged counterattack from the Alliance side, there were not a few cases where they were defeated in detail.
Well, if you only discuss the damage the Imperial Military received, it is a miserable result.
However, the detour invasion force attacked more than fifty percent of the entire territory under Alliance control, and the damage they inflicted on the enemy was immeasurable.
In summary.
The detour invasion force had achieved its strategic objectives.
However, the damage to its own forces was so large that it could not be ignored.
This is the information about this case that Sangou and Jin do not know.
And even without knowing it, the two of them continued their conversation.
"Well, it's war, so you can't have 'zero damage and zero deaths'."
"That's right. Unless the captain goes on a solo suicide attack."
Sangou set aside the 'prediction in case of a solo ship attack by herself' and expressed her thoughts lightly.
Moreover, if Jin actually did carry out a solo suicide attack, it seems likely it would turn out that way, which makes it troublesome.
Well, Jin doesn't do that, and in fact, he would strongly argue against such an idea.
"Hey, wait! That line of thought is wrong. I'm not asking for that kind of thing!"
"Please rest assured. It's just that Sangou's evaluation of the captain's combat power is too high, and the Empire won't make the captain do that. Probably, certainly, maybe."
Sangou could not conclude because she knew that people sometimes overturn rational arguments with emotion.
Since many humans were involved in this case, the possibility of an irrational conclusion due to emotion could not be denied.
However, for that to happen, one would have to accept and understand the fact that 'Jin personally has the power to accomplish such a thing alone in person', which is hard to believe from common sense, and that hurdle is extremely high.
Still, since the probability is not zero, it becomes a 'maybe'.
"That last part of your words makes me really uneasy! Well, leaving that aside, eventually I'll be called out for something. So for now, I guess I just wait for that."
"That's right."
"(I hope I don't get blamed for things like 'the large damage was because of Brigadier General Asada' regarding the execution results of Plan A I submitted.)"
The situation regarding Plan A, up until the 'report of the detour invasion force's return' was reported, progressed in this manner.
The detour invasion operation came to a close with its end, and the scene moved to the next stage of rewards for achievements.
As Jin predicted, after a while, Sangou received a communication summoning him to the capital.
"Jin・Shi・Asada, captain of the Independent Raiding Unit's solitary raider Sangou, belonging to the Imperial Guard Fleet. First in merit. For this achievement, you are promoted to Law-robe Count, and your military rank is advanced one step to Major General. Furthermore, I award you the Order of the Silver Advancement."
"Yes! Thank you very much."
Jin received the promotion to count and the advancement in rank simultaneously.
Next, the three commanders who died in action—the general of the first army, the general of the second mobile fortress, and the general of the fourth mobile fortress—were ranked second in merit.
All three deceased individuals were promoted to Honorary Marshals and awarded the Order of the Gold Strike.
The fifth in merit (since there were three people in second, the next was fifth) was assigned to the general of the second army of the detour invasion force, who served as acting commander from midway, and the individuals following that will be omitted here.
Jin, who did not participate in the combat, was first in merit.
There were a considerable number of people among the ranks of Lieutenant General and below who were dissatisfied with this evaluation.
However, it is an indisputable fact that Jin proposed Plan A, which allowed the strategic objectives to be achieved by the detour invasion force, and that he provided the data for the new route, which was the crucial part of the operation that no one else could have accomplished.
As a result of those being properly evaluated, the order of merit was determined.
Leaving that aside, the Imperial Military's Commander-in-Chief, together with his staff, was once again summarizing the results of this operation.
"Hmm, according to the battle progress report, after the attack on these two planets that had declared themselves undefended, the damage increased dramatically. In other words, 'this was something better left undone'."
"That is correct."
The parts that are clear in the data cannot be denied by anyone.
The Imperial Military Commander-in-Chief's words were merely a confirmation of the underlying understanding.
"However, it is also a fact that a correlation is recognized with the withdrawal of forces from the front lines. Therefore, there is an aspect that 'the damage that should have occurred on that side was transferred to this side'. Apart from that, there are no parts that exceed what was predicted in advance in the headquarters operations room."
"That's right. The planets that are thought to have supported the Alliance's logistics in the rear have been crushed across the board, and it will take considerable time for them to restore their production capacity."
"In other words, this operation is a success in that it achieved its strategic objectives. However, more damage occurred than planned. Is it acceptable to summarize that 'the responsibility for the increased damage lies with the commander of the detour invasion force, and the reason is the permission to attack undefended planets'? He paid for that responsibility with his own life. And the achievement of the strategic objectives is his merit."
The Imperial Military Commander-in-Chief confirmed anew that the responsibility of the deceased commander of the detour invasion force, who served as rearguard and died, and the part already paid for with his life, was to prevent any fool from questioning His Majesty the Emperor's responsibility from emerging.
Incidentally, this also included the 'self-preservation of the headquarters operations room'.
What would happen if one tried to hold His Majesty the Emperor responsible?
The Imperial Military could be questioned about their strong refusal to allow Sangou to accompany the detour invasion force.
The reason for that refusal could not be clearly explained with a rational explanation that was not a forced interpretation.
In the first place, the reason the refusal was pushed through was because there was a common understanding among the Imperial Military personnel that 'even if we don't take Sangou, a super-high-performance ship, we can easily win the battle'.
His Majesty the Emperor alone was skeptical about that, but due to the strong insistence of the Imperial Military, it ended with just adding a mobile fortress to the original formation plan.
Therefore, while it cannot be said that 'His Majesty the Emperor bears no responsibility for the annihilation-level damage', the Imperial Military does not want to say that because it would also expose their own shame.
"His Majesty made the final decision. So the responsibility lies with His Majesty."
It would not be impossible to assert this.
But however.
What would happen if they actually did that?
"Given the precedent, we won't listen to your opinions, and we don't need them. If we happened to accept your opinions and the result was bad, what then? You'd probably shift the responsibility if the outcome was bad, wouldn't you?"
If they said that, there is only a future where the military loses the authority it currently holds.
Also, it would be extremely problematic if the damage reduction prediction in case Sangou had accompanied them was made public based on the actual results of the battle against space monsters in the Betasia Star System.
That is a stark fact.
"The responsibility and achievements of the deceased commander of the detour invasion force are acceptable that way. However, if the part of Plan A that said 'with the maximum force that can be committed' had been more specific together with the battle result predictions, there is a possibility that more forces could have been committed and the war itself might have ended."
"That may be true."
"However, if you question that, it becomes a matter of 'why couldn't the headquarters operations room make battle result predictions of that level?' Especially since in the initial stage, only three armies were planned to be committed. If the operation had been carried out with only three armies, it is inferred that 'only ten percent, or at best twenty percent, of the Alliance could have been attacked'. Of course, even so, the minimum strategic objectives would probably have been achieved."
In reality, this prediction is lenient. If only three armies had attacked, under the same commander making the same decisions, the outcome would have been 'extermination' rather than 'annihilation' or 'destruction'.
Still, the ravaging of the rear would have succeeded, so perhaps only the 'minimum strategic objectives achieved' part might be the same.
Well, since we cannot know the truth of these 'what if' scenarios, perhaps that is a merciful thing.
"Plan A may have had parts that lacked explanation. But in this case, 'the responsibility of the headquarters operations room to interpret it' would be questioned more heavily. It is probably not something to pointedly mention."
Thanks to this discussion within the Imperial Military, Jin was not openly blamed.
But however.
"I wish Plan A had mentioned the committed forces more specifically."
Such grumbling complaints were leaked and reached Jin's ears.
"(It's your ability problems! It's not my fault!)"
While cursing in his heart like that, the fact that many had died in this operation passed through Jin's mind.
Therefore, he silently bowed his head.
Now, could the Gialpha Galaxy Free Democratic Alliance, which had been attacked from the rear in its safe zone within its own territory and torn to pieces, remain silent just because it was attacked?
Of course, that could not be the case.
However, the pressing reality was that they lacked fleet strength, resources, and production capacity in all aspects.
Even so, the Alliance side still had effective cards to play.
Because two secret weapons were nearly complete at this stage.
To turn the tide of battle, they had no choice but to complete those two and send them to the front lines.
With such logic, the Alliance side finally completed the two super-giant fortresses they had begun constructing some time ago.
Between the Gialpha Galaxy Empire and the Gialpha Galaxy Free Democratic Alliance, there were only two regions of space that could serve as routes.
And the front lines of the war between the two countries were at two locations near the Empire-side exits of those routes.
For the Alliance now, their supreme priority was to hold those positions with as few forces as possible.
Therefore, the newly completed super-giant fortresses began moving toward those front lines.
Without even proper testing, their deployment in actual combat was decided.
These two super-giant fortresses had their mobility sacrificed to maximize offensive and defensive capabilities.
And each was a structure capable of accommodating and maintaining a fleet equivalent to one Imperial army, with maintenance and supply capabilities.
As such, their size was nothing short of enormous.
They were spherical structures with a diameter of six hundred kilometers.
Since they also served as operational bases for over two hundred thousand vessels, that size is 'to be expected'.
However, such a massive structure could not be moved easily.
To move them, which had no built-in mobility, several enormous external propulsion units were attached.
Thus, the two fortresses slowly began advancing toward the front lines.
The Alliance side overcame unspeakable hardships and, after four months, succeeded in installing the fortresses on the two front lines.
Incidentally, these super-giant fortresses had all the space through which vessels trying to pass from the Empire side to the Alliance side within their firing range.
In other words, they were equipped with such long-range guns that it became impossible to slip past the side of the fortress, and the Alliance side had no intention of allowing even a single Imperial vessel to invade their own sphere of influence through at least those two routes.
By placing such fortresses, the Alliance redeployed the vessels that no longer needed to be kept at the front lines to support the defense and reconstruction of the ravaged rear.
The Gialpha Galaxy Free Democratic Alliance, with its back against the wall, staked everything on the ability of the two fortresses to secure key positions through combat.
While the force that had ravaged the Alliance on the Gialpha Galaxy Empire side returned, completed the rewards for achievements, and various matters settled down, the Alliance side was making these moves.
After the rewards for achievements ended, Jin returned to Sangou at the initial state described, and from there, returned to the Betasia Star System.
Just before arrival, Silk's pregnancy was discovered, and it was decided that she would stay for a long period at the Asada Count residence on the main planet of the Betasia Count territory.
Leaving that aside, Jin also enjoyed time at home as a long-awaited vacation.
During that time, the rather shocking story he heard from Rouju might have been no trivial matter.
"It's information that those who went to Greta for food exports brought back. It seems the barony that was supposed to have a marriage meeting with us has been 'dissolved'. I'm really glad that the marriage meeting itself was canceled. (If the marriage meeting had gone through, who knows what kind of treatment we would have suffered.)"
Rouju told Jin while trembling.
"Hmm. That kind of thing happened. Is that a common occurrence?"
"No. Not at all. How could dissolution be a common occurrence? It's just that Baron Mamawaga was engaging in various illegal acts, and they were exposed. Ah. It seems that Count Kaydelon contacted Father. I haven't been told the details, but I hear that Father has some work to request of you, Jin."
"(Huh? Isn't it common? There was another dissolution case. Silk's family home. Oh, wait, has that been decided yet?)"
Jin didn't say it in front of Silk, but he wanted to object.
"I see. I was planning to spend my vacation, but I suppose I'll go visit my father-in-law soon. I leave Silk in your care."
"Yes. Please leave it to me."
Thus, Jin met Orega and received a rough explanation.
At Orega's request, Jin decided to head to the Kaydelon Star System's 15th Planet aboard Sangou.
Incidentally, the job was to go pick up elf women who had been illegally imprisoned in the former Baron Mamawaga's residence.
Since it was that kind of story, it was clear that Jin alone could not handle the return journey.
Therefore, it was decided that Alra, Milfa, Kilfa, and Zilfa would board Sangou and accompany Jin.
To the Asada Count residence, which would be short-handed, several maids from the Betasia Count household were temporarily loaned and dispatched to Rouju.
Through various things like this, Sangou arrived at the space around the Kaydelon Star System's 15th Planet and maintained a standby state in orbit.
Jin and the four maids launched from Sangou in a twenty-meter-class sub-unit and headed to the shuttle airport on the surface.
At the airport where Jin and the others arrived, they were surprised to find Count Kaydelon himself, who had been waiting, greet them.
Next, guided by Count Kaydelon himself, Jin arrived at the location of eight elf women who were scheduled to be taken to the Betasia Star System this time.
The hero encountered a sight that made him doubt his own eyes and became speechless.
Even so, after a few seconds, he could not remain frozen in surprise forever.
Noticing that, Jin began to move.
"Hey, what is this all about!"
Jin's voice sounded as if he was interrogating Count Kaydelon, but his gaze was fixed on the elf women's bodies.
Because their limbs were cut off from the elbows and knees, and on the remaining arm and thigh parts, there were numerous marks that seemed to be vivid burn scars.
The elf women had apparently been held captive and continuously subjected to something akin to abuse or torture.
There was no trace of emotion on their faces, and it was no exaggeration to say that their eyes 'saw nothing'.
Sounds from Jin and the others should have reached them, but there was no reaction at all.
At that point, it was even possible that their hearing had been taken.
Even so, perhaps the perpetrators disliked marring their beauty?
The faces alone had no noticeable wounds.
However, 'whether that is a blessing or not' is a separate matter.
"We have given them as much treatment as we could. They have severe physical deficiencies, but their hearts are as good as dead. We can do no more for them. Since this was done by a barony in my territory, I plan to inform the Betasia Count household that I will offer apologies and some form of compensation."
"I see. Ah, right. I got promoted to Count, so same rank. It's okay to speak in plain language, right? (Is this the reason why Count Kaydelon himself is on the 15th Planet, not the main planet of this star system, and came all the way to the shuttle airport to greet us?)"
Jin, having lost the desire to deal politely due to anger, laid the groundwork to speed things up.
From here on, it seemed it would be only about getting his way.
"Well. In public, a territorial count is treated one rank above a law-robe count, but with Count Asada, it's fine. (I have a feeling this person will become a marquis before long.)"
"Understood. Then we'll take custody of them. We'll move our shuttle to the garden of this mansion, is that okay?"
"Uh, please don't say such absurd things. How do you plan to land? There's no runway for shuttles here."
"My shuttle is a VTOL, so no problem. Well, it might damage the garden flowers and trees a bit. But you can forgive that much, right?"
Count Kaydelon could no longer withstand the pressure coming from Jin.
The man, far older than Jin, only nodded.
While waiting for the sub-unit to move, Hero Jin never took his eyes off the women who had become invalids.
Because Jin's heart was violently shaken, and the women's figures reminded him of what the nobility had done to slaves in the Louvre Empire.
"(I couldn't do anything back then. But now it's different! I will definitely do something about these women in front of me!)"
When Jin was firming his resolve, the sub-unit arrived, allowing the transfer of the victims.
The reliability of the sub-units that swarmed out from the bottom of the twenty-meter-class craft was a testament to his trust in his partner, Sangou.
Thus, the scene moved to inside Sangou, to a room set up for treatment.
"Sangou. We can't treat everyone at once, so we'll do it in order. Prepare seven separate rooms. Also, ask for additional assistant sub-units. Alra and the others, wait until I call. From here on, I'll handle it."
In this case, Jin moved in a serious tone that didn't suit him.
Even the pathetic hero does it when it's time to do it.
No matter how ordinary his face looks at best, he does it when it's time.
At this point, he accidentally said something that could reveal to Alra and the others that 'Jin is the one doing the treatment', but that is a trivial matter.
First, Jin put the patients to sleep with magic and applied a paralysis status ailment.
Then, using the Holy Sword, he gouged out the parts that had healed improperly from the missing limbs, the burn scars, and the wounds from blades.
Next, he cast Perfect Heal to cure all the missing limbs and scars.
"The problem is from here. I have no experience treating people with broken minds."
While muttering a soliloquy that reached Sangou, Jin tried applying recovery magic to remove status ailments.
However, the women, staring vacantly into space with completely unfocused eyes, could not be said to have 'awakened consciousness' by that.
"Damn! So status recovery doesn't work. Then what about dark-type mental magic?"
"Captain. Sangou can forcibly call out to the patient using sensory waves. However, unless there is material to remove the reason for the closed heart, the patient's heart will not react. Doesn't a reckless captain like you have some kind of magic that deletes inconvenient parts of memory?"
"Don't call me 'reckless'! And yes, I do! 'Forget magic'. However, that can only set the range to erase in terms of time."
"So there is, after all. I understand the magic's conditions. Fortunately, among the materials you brought back, there are records of each person's physical characteristics and the dates they were abducted, so we will use up to that point as the 'range of memory erasure' as a bargaining material. If there is any physical movement that seems to indicate some kind of intention, take it as consent and cast Forget magic to go back to that time."
Once again, the treatment by the strongest duo of Sangou and Jin began.
Without either of them, the victims Jin had brought might not have been saved.
But such a gloomy development.
Was blown away by the combination of the hero's destiny power and ability from a fantasy world, combined with Sangou's exceptional thinking ability and execution power from super-science.
Sangou informed Jin of the date the elf woman patient was abducted, then directly used sensory waves to work on the woman's heart.
The sensory waves Sangou handled could only transmit one way, but they could forcefully intrude.
The elf woman's lips moved slightly, as if trying to utter a sound.
After confirming that, Jin activated Forget magic.
The subject who received Forget magic would immediately fall into a state of confusion.
From experience, Jin knew that.
Therefore, he immediately layered a sleep spell on top.
In this way, the magic of the fantasy world created the feeling of waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling.
Once the treatment method was established, Jin and Sangou, by repeating the same process, easily healed the remaining seven elf women in the same way.
Next, they moved all of them to one room and called Alra and the others to entrust the subsequent care to them.
This was a so-called pathetic response, helped by Jin's awareness of his low skill with women, but human males basically have a high chance of being met with disgust from elf women at first meeting.
Therefore, it was ultimately the correct response.
Returning to the main planet of the Betasia Star System, Jin reported to Orega.
Then, Jin tried to leave the eight people he had brought from the Kaydelon Star System in Orega's care.
However, all of them showed reluctance to that.
The eight elf women requested to stay not at the Betasia Count residence but at Jin's residence until their fate was decided.
Receiving that, Jin, who found it hard to refuse, reluctantly agreed.
After returning home with a total of thirteen people, he explained the situation in detail to Rouju and dumped all the aftermath on her.
Thus, the case that began with Orega's request was settled for the time being.
But did that allow him to catch his breath?
The answer to that was 'no'.
"Damn, isn't there a way to deal with that?!"
With the occurrence of a case that the Imperial Military found difficult to handle, a recording of an emergency summons from the capital arrived at Jin.
Thus, after Hero Jin and Sangou received the titles of Count and Major General as rewards in the capital, they succeeded in returning safely to the Betasia Star System.
On the way back, just before arrival, Silk's pregnancy was discovered.
After arrival, although Jin didn't even know about the behind-the-scenes schemes, various things happened, such as Baron Mamawaga being captured and executed, and the elf women who had been abducted and imprisoned in that barony's territory and subjected to terrible treatment being freed, and Jin treating them as a side job during the handover case.
When almost everything was settled, a summons came from the capital due to an unsettling situation.
How will the new case relate to Jin and Sangou's future?
No one knows the future, but.
The hero decided to keep Silk at the Asada Count residence in the Betasia Star System until she finishes giving birth, considering the possibility that full-speed navigation or combat maneuvers with a pregnant woman on board might be necessary.
Responding to the summons from the capital, his first solo voyage in a while was fine in itself, but Jin had no idea that there was a future where Laura would be angry at him for not bringing Silk along.