Chapter 25 - Fluffy and Pest Extermination, and a New Encounter
～Outer Rim of the Former Alliance-Controlled Space of the Gialpha Galaxy～
Sangou was mowing down the space locusts, thwack thwack, as if swatting them.
Correction. It was continuously detecting and immediately annihilating them upon discovery, while navigating in search of the "Tonosama" that should be leading the swarm.
Then, why was Sangou, which should have been heading to the Imperial Capital with Miu and the others in the previous chapter, annihilating a swarm of space locusts in a completely different location?
Let us look back at the circumstances that led to this, in chronological order.
Sangou had departed from the planet where Miu and the others lived, heading for the Imperial Capital.
During that voyage, the beastfolk including Miu received an infusion of knowledge utilizing Sangou's sensory waves, and had evolved into civilized people capable of living as citizens of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
The beastfolk, immediately after acquiring new knowledge, were making efforts to adapt well to Sangou's onboard facilities.
The standard knowledge poured into them by Sangou changed into practical things through experience of putting it into practice.
The beastfolk, who had been at a so-called primitive civilization level where hunting and gathering were the basis of their life, let alone going out into space on their own, were now nowhere to be seen.
In the middle of this process, Jin set up an opportunity to talk with Miu.
This was because, as a result of Sangou's interview survey of all the beastfolk, only she was a special existence.
What was the special nature unique to Miu?
It was that only she could transform into a non-humanoid, so-called beast form.
Since Jin had witnessed her transformation when he first met Miu, he asked about it.
"Ah, that. Being able to do that is limited to the bloodline of the chieftain of each race. And, it seems the bloodlines of the chieftains of other races have died out, so there aren't any left. In other words, the only one who can do that now is me, and if I don't have any children, that will die out too."
"I see. Well, that's a shame, I suppose."
The transformation Jin knew of Miu was into a form like a large wildcat.
Jin simply wanted to fluff it.
And not just wildcats, but also wolves, raccoons, and bears.
If it was something he could touch directly, he wanted to touch it and pet it all over — that was Jin's true feeling.
For that reason, the fact that survivors of other races couldn't transform like Miu was, in Jin's subjective view, a very regrettable thing.
Well, it's something that can't be helped now, so it's just one of those things he has to accept as "that's how it is."
That aside, from the flow of the conversation about "children" that Miu mentioned, various things stemming from "what about the issue of interracial mixing?" were confirmed.
As a result, it was revealed that in a pair of different races, the child is always born as the mother's race.
This part was the same as the knowledge Jin and Sangou had obtained in the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
Therefore, even though he didn't understand the reasoning, Jin was inwardly relieved that it was "the same," but that's probably a trivial matter.
Additionally, it was also learned that for children born from beastfolk, the proportion of males was low and more females were born.
This was information that made him understand why there were fewer boys among the children aboard Sangou.
Incidentally, when the beastfolk boarded Sangou, a gene analysis was secretly performed as a side part of quarantine.
According to Sangou's analysis results, if Jin or Gialpha Galaxy Empire humans and beastfolk were to have a male-female relationship, children could be expected — an answer that was not bad in various ways.
(At least, it seems there's no worry of extinction for the four races currently aboard Sangou.)
Jin, informed of these analysis results by Sangou, was relieved.
From here, the story will digress a little with some trivia.
The fact that the beastfolk lived in groups of the same race was actually due to the difference in the number of male and female children born.
Even if interbreeding with different races was possible among beastfolk, the proportion of males within the same race was low to begin with.
For that reason, there were hardly any males who would go out of their way to live with a different race.
It could also be said that "the females of the same race kept the males to themselves and didn't let them go to other races."
In short, it was a scramble for males.
Well, since the gender ratio in the Gialpha Galaxy Empire is slightly skewed towards males in terms of "birth rate," even if beastfolk join in, the impact is small, and it might be more beneficial for the beastfolk side.
Now, let's put the digression aside and return to the main story.
The information gathering with small talk between Jin and Miu had advanced their mutual understanding a little.
Jin, who had been waiting for the right timing to become friendly, despite being a cowardly Hero, did he lose to his own desires?
He finally cut to the heart of his true intentions.
This led to the following statement near the end of the previous chapter.
"Miu. I want you to tell me one thing. It's very, very important."
"What is it? I hope it's something I can answer."
From Miu's perspective, the earnestness in his tone was palpable.
Somewhat intimidated by that, but Miu wanted to do as much as she could for the man who was her benefactor.
For that reason, even without knowing what Jin's question was, she showed a sincere attitude to answer.
"Where I came from, 'beastfolk' like Miu and the others didn't actually exist and were only imaginary beings."
"Oh, I see. But I think it's amazing that they existed in imagination even though they weren't real."
Miu had improved her ability to think logically about things due to the various knowledge infused from Sangou.
For that reason, a comment that would have been impossible for a beastfolk originally popped out, but no one judged it as strange.
Of course, it's not a matter that would cause any particular problem, so it's fine as is.
"And, you see. In the setting of those imaginary beings, there was a rule that 'allowing your ears or tail to be touched is an act permitted only to lovers or marriage partners.' What about that point?"
"There aren't any particular rules like that."
Miu stated the fact simply, without thinking deeply.
Not knowing what consequences that would bring.
"There aren't any?! Really, there's no rule-like thing of that sort?"
"Yeah, there aren't. However, it is also a fact that one would not easily agree to let others touch their body. So perhaps it's 'effectively close to that rule.' I think the tendency is particularly strong when the one being touched is female. But why is that so important? I don't understand that."
(Yes! As long as I have their consent, I can fluff as much as I want! No lover-only or spouse-only restrictions!)
Jin conveniently ignored the "effectively" part of what Miu said and was getting excited.
Therefore, his answer to Miu's question was somewhat delayed, but that might have been unavoidable for Jin.
"Ah, the reason it's 'important.' This is a story limited to those with certain special fetishes, but..."
"Yeah."
"Well, you see. There exist people in this world who think things like 'I want to touch beastfolk's ears and tails all over' or 'I want to thoroughly pet them.'"
Miu was taken aback by the unexpected reason.
She was speechless at first, but once she recovered and her mind started working, a simple question arose.
(Huh? That seems to me like 'an act you shouldn't do even to humans, not just beastfolk, right?' Or am I wrong?)
Even while being taken aback, she couldn't help but think that.
In actuality, Miu's thoughts were correct.
However, humans don't have tails.
They don't have that, but they have ears.
Of course, regardless of the difference in whether the ears are on top of the head or on the sides.
Then, is there any human who would permit a complete stranger to "freely touch and thoroughly pet" their ears?
Such a person is rare.
No, "likely none" is the correct answer.
In other words, Miu's imagination was completely correct.
But that logical argument—
Even if presented as a "reason to give up on fluffing" to an otaku who's completely lost it, in reality, their own desires would take priority and it would probably be ignored.
"Are you the same, Jin? Are you on that side?"
Though scared, Miu couldn't help but confirm the facts about Jin personally.
"I restrain myself with reason. But as a desire, it's there. It's more than there."
Jin's gaze towards Miu had already turned into eyes that looked at a gleaming prey.
The Hero on the verge of going berserk unashamedly let it all out.
When it came to this situation, despite usually being a cowardly Hero, he couldn't hide his true feelings at all.
"Oh, really? If it's you, Jin, I can tolerate it a little. I think I can endure being touched. So, want to touch my ears a bit?"
"Really? Is it okay?"
And so, Jin silently moved behind Miu and thoroughly petted her cat ears to his heart's content.
In his enthusiasm, he even reached for her tail, which he shouldn't have had permission for.
Miu didn't show a displeased face or get angry at Jin.
And on top of that, regarding the touch of her tail that she hadn't permitted in advance, she didn't refuse it at that time either.
Therefore, it might be barely safe, but objectively speaking, it would be complete sexual harassment.
Additionally, thoroughly petting is definitely not within the scope of "a little."
(I said he could touch, so I'll put up with it this time, but if I'd known, I never would have given permission!)
It was certain that it would be more peaceful if no one knew Miu's true feelings at this time.
Leaving aside that incident aboard Sangou,
When Sangou, which was heading to the Imperial Capital, reached a distance where real-time communication was possible, it called Jin to the bridge and put a call through to the Imperial Capital.
This was to report the fact that they were protecting natives from an undeveloped planet, and to obtain permission for those natives to enter the country.
Because they had even prepared the groundwork with His Majesty the Emperor, the acceptance of Miu and the others into Jin's home and their resident registration in the Gialpha Galaxy Empire were smoothly approved.
(As expected, in this world, it's all about connections and power! And money!)
That Jin was thinking such things at this time was a secret that must never be known to anyone.
Incidentally, the influence of Miu and the others living in Sangou, which had high-standard living facilities, during the period until their arrival at the Imperial Capital was actually significant.
They learned so many things that the original difference in civilization level ceased to be a problem.
As a result, it was no longer difficult for them to immediately mix with and live among the people of the Empire.
For that reason,
The original plan to resettle them on a newly built planet in the Betasia Star System was canceled because, while Jin was negotiating with his father-in-law, a request came from the parties themselves who were staying at the Marquis Asada residence.
Incidentally, from here is a story about the beastfolk a little in the future.
The beastman race is superior to humans and elves in physical abilities, sense of smell, taste, and hearing.
Therefore, even in the Imperial Capital, they could find occupations that made use of those abilities.
At first, they stayed at Jin's home as guests and trainee servants, but over several years, one by one they gradually became independent and moved their living places elsewhere.
In the progression of such circumstances, the most common job for beastfolk was as bodyguards, where physical ability and senses of smell and hearing were useful, and the second most common was jobs that used sense of smell to detect poison mixed into food.
Especially in bodyguard jobs, the sharp senses unique to beastfolk were greatly utilized in detecting thieves and assassins.
For that reason, they became valued individuals.
Well, even in such circumstances, only Miu remained at Jin's house.
She ended up staying.
That all from the first wife to the fourth wife became "I'm a bit angry, you know!" is another story, and also a story slightly in the future.
Leaving aside that story of the future,
Jin, having returned to the Imperial Capital and left Miu and the others at his home, was asked via Laura to resolve the case of damage caused by space beasts that had been increasing recently.
Of course, the client was His Majesty the Emperor.
However, at this stage it was not an order, but a request at the level of "it would be nice if you did it," which could be refused.
According to Laura's explanation, the space zone on the outer rim of the former Alliance side was the center of the damage, and it was a case where space beasts were attacking in small groups over a wide area one after another.
For that reason, even with the cooperation of the three Imperial Army corps deployed, in addition to the remaining forces of the former Alliance that the local area had, they were struggling to deal with it.
For Jin, this was a story he felt he had heard somewhere before.
And so, Jin returned from the Marquis's residence to Sangou.
Sangou, which was grasping the situation via the sub-unit, judged that "the target space beasts are probably space locusts, and given the situation, it is highly likely that a Tonosama and an Okugatasama have already emerged and are leading the swarm."
Incidentally, from the estimated current position of that swarm, it was highly likely they were the cause that turned Miu's planet into a dead planet.
However, the information obtained from Laura alone was insufficient to accurately judge the situation.
Because it was far away and it was about a space zone in the former Alliance territory, the Empire's movements were slow, and there was little information reaching the Imperial Capital in the first place.
Therefore, neither Jin nor Sangou could make a definitive conclusion yet.
Even so, if the Tonosama and Okugatasama that Sangou knew of had emerged and were leading the swarm,
Even if they only defeated the lower-level space locusts, space locusts would continue to spawn endlessly.
To fundamentally solve the problem, they would need to find and crush the original source, which was probably the troublesome part of this case.
"Captain. Even alone, the Tonosama is ranked 'S' on Sangou's danger assessment. In this case, if we fight, there is a high possibility we will have to deal with the Okugatasama at the same time, in which case the assessment becomes 'SS.' What will you do?"
"Even if you ask 'what to do,' if it's the opponent as Sangou guesses, what would happen if the Imperial Army tried to take it down alone?"
At this time, Jin made a slightly bad remark as if he had forgotten that he himself was also a member of the Imperial Army, but since no one who would see it as a problem was listening, it was safe.
"Yes. According to Sangou's calculations, deploying five corps would result in a tie. With a fifty percent win rate, whether they win or lose, the attrition rate is expected to reach seventy percent. Deploying double, ten corps, would increase the win rate to approximately eighty-eight percent. In that case, the attrition rate would probably be around twenty-five percent."
"Wait. The current deployed forces cover a wide area with three corps, right?"
Neither Jin nor Sangou counted the remaining forces of the former Alliance in the numbers.
Of course, it would be a mistake to include forces whose scale and strength were not well understood.
Therefore, the judgment of the two in this case was correct.
"If it's just intercepting the small groups of space locusts that are probably being progressively deployed from the main swarm, that force might be able to hold out until the point of saturation. If the Tonosama judges that 'this is not a good feeding ground,' there is a possibility it will move elsewhere. However, that possibility is too slim to hope for."
"Which means, in other words?"
Jin had only a bad feeling about this.
"Captain. It's our turn!"
"I knew it! But if it's an opponent that would definitely cause damage too great for the Imperial Army to ignore, I guess it can't be helped that we have to step in."
It became obvious that a significant numerical reduction in the Imperial Army's strength would ultimately lead to an increase in the work assigned to Jin and Sangou.
Moreover, in that case, that situation would continue until the lost strength was recovered.
Considering it comprehensively, in this case, it would likely be better for Jin and Sangou to get involved quickly, as it would reduce the total time they are tied up with military duties.
Jin's remark was made with that in mind.
Additionally, in response to Sangou's remark, Jin's reply carried the implication of "It's not like I'm fighting alone, right?"
(Well, once in a while, I might as well go wild against the space beasts, like a proper Hero!)
He muttered that in his heart as well.
At any rate, the strongest duo headed towards that space zone through such circumstances.
This was the cause that led to Sangou's situation at the beginning, in the near future.
"Captain. Eventually we might hit the jackpot, but there are too many reactions caught by detection to distinguish them."
"Same here. There's no 'particularly large reaction' so far. Huh? But wait—"
During the conversation with Sangou, Jin suddenly fell silent and began to think.
"What's wrong?"
"Hmm? Ah, I was recalling that there was something called a 'plague of locusts' in the Louvre Empire. It's a disaster caused by a massive outbreak of locusts. At that time, I used Growth Promotion Magic to prepare a large amount of grass that the locusts liked to eat in a designated location. Outside the royal capital, I lured them and made them fly into a wall of fire. Then, the ones that got roasted were swarmed by slum dwellers because they could be used as food. However, regarding the taste... well, it was 'not delicious.'"
Locust plagues are rare in Japan, so it might not be common knowledge.
But the phenomenon itself also occurs on Earth.
Since Jin is originally Japanese, he might just not know that.
Incidentally, as a side note, while it is possible to eat the locusts in an Earth locust plague, it is also dangerous.
This is because pesticides are used to control the locusts, making the locusts themselves toxic.
"In that case, shall we try reforesting a planet that was temporarily abandoned after a space locust attack? Though we might not be able to lure them successfully."
The regeneration of a food production planet in the Betasia Star System that Captain Jin had done before using magic.
And the reforestation of the newly built planet.
This was based on the fact that Sangou had properly recorded those cases.
The biological spaceship thoroughly understood the absurdity of the Hero's magic.
It was a remark that was a suggestion for that reason.
However, normally, casually suggesting "shall we reforest?" on a planetary scale is impossible.
At the very least, it was impossible in a short period even using the technology that existed in the Deltania Star System that Sangou knew of.
Even so, if they tried to do it knowing that, aside from time, it would require enormous expenses.
Normally, planetary reforestation is a major undertaking at the level of rulers, and is carried out over a period of years.
It is by no means something that can be completed in a day or two, as Jin had done in the past that Sangou knew of.
"Right. Might as well try it on the off chance. Then, can I ask you to select a planet in a good location? Also, we need to get permission to use that planet. Please submit an application to the Empire to that effect."
"Yes. Application submitted. I think the reply on whether it's approved will be at the earliest five days later or more. Until then, shall we continue the current status?"
It's not relevant here, but because of this application, the Emperor and Laura would mistakenly believe that Sangou had the ability to restore and reforest a devastated planet in a short period.
That the two thoroughly manipulated information to prevent others from knowing that perception is another story that neither Sangou nor Jin would ever know.
This is also a story that "those who rely on Jin and Sangou are also struggling in their own way."
Of course, the reality is that what they gain is greater than the struggle, and if someone knew the facts, they would probably say, "You can at least try that hard."
Well, regardless of that story, the situation is moving, and Jin answers Sangou's question.
"Yeah, go with that. Oh, there's still leftover seeds from what I used in the Louvre Empire in the Storage Space. Let's try these. Sangou, I'd like you to mass-produce the seeds too."
"Yes. Then I'll proceed accordingly."
What with one thing and another, five days passed, and Sangou received a reply of "Application approved" and arrived at the space zone where the selected planet was located.
Without particularly thinking about later consequences, Jin generously used Water Magic.
Then, he put into action a simple super-speed reforestation by scattering seeds and then heavily using Growth Promotion Magic.
In other words, it was brute force with magic and a large amount of mana.
Incidentally, due to the Water Magic, landslides of considerable scale occurred in some mountainous and hilly areas.
That he pretended not to see such things and completely ignored them was a secret known only to Jin.
"Captain. It seems the seeds used for reforestation were a hit. Reactions believed to be space locusts are gathering one after another. May we annihilate them in space before they enter the atmosphere?"
"Yeah, I'm detecting them too. From here, let's divide the work and have an annihilation battle. I'll ask Sangou to prevent entry into the southern hemisphere of this planet. I'll take care of the northern hemisphere. Then, let's go."
And so, during the annihilation battle that began, Jin was screaming in his heart.
(Vice Admiral-san. You were right!)
While recalling in his mind the high-ranking military officer in an anime who declared "war is won by numbers," Jin continued the seemingly endless annihilation work.
No matter how effective Jin's area-of-effect magic was against the swarms of space locusts.
Even if he could activate it chantedlessly and chain-cast it.
The processing speed of annihilating the locusts that came one after another was a situation of "barely keeping up."
That had continued for three full days.
Of course, it wasn't just Jin who was having a hard time.
Sangou was also struggling against the enemy's sheer numbers.
The energy Sangou had stored inside its hull and the supplemental amount from the nearby star's energy emissions were not enough to keep up with consumption.
Sangou had to request mana supply from Jin several times and receive supplies during battle.
Moreover, during supply, gaps inevitably appeared in their ability to prevent locusts from entering the atmosphere.
Thus, they also struggled to find timing for supplies, but even so, the strongest duo of the Hero and the biological spaceship managed to weather the large-scale invasion of space locusts.
And everything must come to an end.
"Captain. It seems that continuing to defeat them was good. The boss is approaching."
"Yeah. Something similar caught my Search Magic too. After four days of continuous defeating, it seems their pawns are finally running out!"
"It seems so."
"When they get a bit closer, I'll go take them down. Before I go, I'll supply mana to Sangou, so I'll leave the handling of the remaining small fry to you from there."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
"The bosses, the 'Tonosama' and 'Okugatasama,' right? Once I enter battle with them, I don't care if a few slip through and enter the planet."
Two hours passed after that conversation, and Jin supplied energy to Sangou using mana.
Then, he rushed to the space zone where the Tonosama and the others were thought to be.
"I finally got close, but there are a lot of minions! But if I can get a visual fix on their locations, it's nothing. From here on, you're the same as small fry!"
The Hero Jin activated an attack magic.
At this time, the mana imbued in the magic was at the limit that would allow Jin to not suffer from mana exhaustion.
"It's a Maximum Lightning Area Magic!"
The power of each lightning strike generated by the mana was at a level that could even slay the Demon Lord, the strongest enemy from Jin's time as a Hero.
Those countless strikes rained down like a torrential downpour, taking control of the space.
Well, the fact that he could freely direct the lightning was absurd in itself, but that was probably a feat made possible by the Hero's "magic."
This was the unreasonableness of magic, at the opposite end of the science that Sangou knew.
That Sangou was observing and recording that scientifically unbelievable scene through the sub-unit on the left chest of Jin's clothing was a trivial matter.
At any rate, when the space that had been filled with lightning returned to the darkness of black space, there was nothing alive and moving within the target range.
"I can't let the locust corpses become food. Collect, collect. (These guys even cannibalize each other normally.)"
While thinking such things, Jin tossed all the corpses, of the minions, the Tonosama, and the Okugatasama, into the Storage Space.
With this flow, the source was taken care of.
All that remained was to proceed to the mopping-up battle of the small fry.
"Captain. As absurd as ever. Even though it was an 'SS-class' opponent."
"Don't call it absurd! I'm strong because I'm a Hero! By the way, from here, we wait here, and when no more come, we'll do a lap around the outer rim just to be safe before returning. Is that good?"
In the world where the Louvre Empire that Jin was summoned to exists, none of the Heroes summoned in the past other than Jin could have done what was accomplished here.
Original Heroes are not such convenient and powerful beings.
It's just that Jin, who had the Origin of Dragon Vein forcibly fused, is too special.
"Ah, I'd better not forget to collect the corpses around here too. Sangou, want to eat?"
"Yes. I am collecting and absorbing them. However, since annihilation took priority, there are many individuals that were destroyed. Therefore, the collection rate relative to the number of defeats is low. Captain's assigned direction also seems to be the same situation, which is regrettable."
"Yeah. Well, we'll 'collect as much as possible.'"
In this way, Jin and Sangou finished the waiting and additional annihilation period on the planet they had reforested as bait.
The three corps the Imperial Army had deployed had resumed their normal duties, as "safety had already been secured."
And so, the case related to space locusts came to a temporary conclusion.
Sangou began a voyage to make a lap around the outer rim of the former Alliance territory just to be safe, but the Hero's power of fate would call forth a new case along the way.
"Captain. There is a ship approaching rapidly alone. This reaction... could it be Futagou?"
Thus, the Hero Jin and Sangou opened the way for the beastfolk, including Miu, to settle in the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
In that process, Jin also got to fully enjoy fluffing Miu.
That aside, the swarm of space locusts that seemed to have attacked the beastfolk's planet developed into a situation that troubled the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
The strongest duo was also called out to resolve it.
Because the enemy's numbers were too great, they struggled a bit, but they completed the annihilation and set out on a final confirmation voyage to check for any missed ones.
Along the way, they would encounter a new case.
What will happen to Jin and Sangou due to this new case?
No one knows what the future holds, but...
The Hero, who finally succeeded in fulfilling his long-cherished dream of "touching and fluffing to his heart's content" after meeting and talking with the beastfolk directly.
Having brought young beastmen women to the Marquis Asada residence and dumped the arrangements on Rouju and the others, early on he accepted the Imperial Army's request and was in a situation of having fled from his wives, so next time he returns home, he is sure to be thoroughly scolded, but Jin was completely unaware of that point.