Chapter 34 - A New Encounter and a Hero Summoning in the Neighboring Galaxy
~Above the Seas of the Gialpha Star System's Fourth Planet (Capital Planet)~
Sangou floated her hull above the capital planet's seas, listening to Shin's discussion with Laura through the sub-unit attached to his body while standing by.
Of course, Shin was holding a secret meeting with Laura in a room at his home, so what Sangou was doing was plain wiretapping.
Inside Sangou, Kichou, who was mostly sleeping, occasionally woke up to check the situation, and each time learned that Sangou was still standing by on the sea as usual.
Kichou, for her part, listened drowsily to the conversation between Shin and Laura that was being streamed in the bridge.
"Is it time for Derry's planet yet?"
That such murmured thoughts, not spoken aloud, flowed countless times was Kichou's secret alone.
Even though Sangou showed no sign of heading there with her master, and was wasting time on the capital planet's seas.
Because Kichou, who had become a Divine Dragon, was predicting a certain future through the sharper intuition she had gained from the evolution of her existence's rank.
There was a future where Sangou, accompanied by Master and Kichou, would soon go to the planet where Derry had lived.
That was already close to a certainty in Kichou's mind.
But before such a situation came to pass, there was more to the story.
How did Shin and Sangou go from detecting an 'unknown small high-speed moving object, one that was even leaking something like a communication wave' near the outer edge of the Gialpha Galaxy, which had been ravaged by mineral lifeforms, to the current situation?
And who was 'Derry,' whom Kichou had murmured in her heart?
To clarify matters on that front, let's look back at the past and trace the flow of events in chronological order.
"Hoh. A communication wave, huh. What Sangou's talking about must be what's showing on this monitor. My Search Magic did pick this up too, you know. But I didn't think it was 'man-made.' Judging by the optical image's appearance, it's a spaceship? Never seen that model before. Hmm? It doesn't even look damaged, does it?"
Shin's frank impressions and doubts burst out in response to Sangou's report.
"It's clearly damaged. However, it feels more like it 'collided with an obstacle' than that it 'was attacked by something.' I'll add, just in case, that there is no matching data in Sangou's ship database based on its appearance."
The ship data Sangou currently possessed was all of that from the Gialpha Galaxy Empire, the former Free Democratic Alliance, and the Deltania Army.
At the point where there was no matching data, it was expected that the spaceship was built by an unknown civilization.
Shin was no exception.
"So that means, at least as far as the Gialpha Galaxy Empire is concerned, this spaceship would be 'a product of an unknown civilization,' huh."
"That would be the case. Captain, additional information. Although extremely weak, I have detected one life reaction."
"I see. Can the communication wave being emitted be converted into audio?"
"Yes. I will output it after audio conversion."
Shin listened to the converted audio and, through his skill that allowed him to understand any language, learned that it was a repeated 'Please rescue us.'
Knowing the content, he felt a bit exasperated and thought 'Not again,' but still gave the necessary instructions to Sangou.
"Sangou. That's a rescue target. Capture it."
"Yes. Then I will match relative velocity and capture it by towing."
"Yeah. From there, it's the same as with Beta One. Investigate the interior with a sub-unit. Later I'll toss the hull into Storage Space, so if you can extract data before that, please do."
"Yes. As you say."
Following that turn of events, Shin and Sangou cooperated to bring a capsule containing a sleeping boy into Sangou, and administered treatment so that the person would regain consciousness.
"Around five years old? Probably a boy around that age, right? Even if he regains consciousness, he's young, so I don't know if we can really have a proper conversation. This is..."
While making such light remarks, he had something else he murmured inwardly.
"(His appearance is a human child. Well, at least he's not a bizarre alien that isn't humanoid. Good.)"
That was Shin's true feeling, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's right. Sangou in its current state probably cannot carry on a conversation. So once he wakes up, I'll leave the response to you, Captain. Biological reaction levels are rising. He should wake up within an hour. On another note, data extraction from the spaceship is complete. Retrieval of the sub-units is also finished. From here on, I will begin detailed analysis of the acquired data."
Even without language translation, there was data like star charts and courses, and other things that could be analyzed in advance.
Sangou intended to finish up whatever could be done quickly.
"Understood. Then, store it away. Ah, Kichou. Don't startle the child, so when talking through the monitor, don't appear in the video."
"Yes, Master. I should play with him later, right?"
"Y-yeah, sure. Handle that flexibly. (Even if Divine Dragons have high intelligence, is their mental age not that high?)"
Shin wondered at Kichou's reply, but there were things he didn't say out loud.
Time passed in this and that manner, and the boy's awakening came.
"Where is this? Someone! Is anyone here!"
"Captain. The child has woken up. Please handle it. I'm recording audio and video, so as usual, please provide an explanation of the conversation content for later translation."
"Yeah. Connect me through the monitor."
Thus, the conversation with the child began.
"I'm Captain Shin. This place is safe, and there is no one here who will harm you. So please calm down and talk to me, okay?"
"Where is this? Where is everyone? Where are my younger sister and brother?"
"Well, I understand you're panicking. But shouting won't solve anything, you know? I've given my name, so how about you start by giving yours? What is your name?"
"Fine. I am Derry. First prince of the Rondanuru Kingdom."
"I see. Let me introduce myself again properly. I am Shin. I am also a high-ranking noble of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire. I am the captain of this spaceship, Sangou. We received a distress signal from the ship you were on, carried out a rescue, and that's how we got here. The only survivor is you."
Knowing the other party was a prince, Shin revealed that he was a noble.
This was also a clear declaration that even if the other party held the title of 'prince,' Shin had no intention of adopting a subservient attitude when dealing with a child.
"Everyone died, huh. I see, I'm the only one who survived. Hahaha. This is what happens when you rely on the legacy of an ancient super-civilization! Damn it!"
Derry sat down and muttered that with a dazed expression.
Seeing the young child like that, Shin thought about 'what to do.'
"(This won't work. I can't extract information through conversation right now. Then maybe I'll feed him. There's a saying, 'An army marches on its stomach.')"
Was that the right choice?
Of course, the answer was unknown, but with no better options, he had to go with that.
"For now, I'll bring you food and drink, so please eat and drink. When you're calm enough to talk, call out to me. I'll be back later."
Shin chose to postpone the problem for now and take a break.
"So, Sangou. Please prepare food and drink suitable for a child. And I'll explain the conversation content, so please analyze the language."
"Yes. Then, Captain. I will use a sub-unit to provide a meal that looks easy to digest."
"Yeah. Do that. (For now, I'll leave it to Sangou. But 'ancient super-civilization,' huh. I didn't need such a power word. And seriously, a prince here? If we're meeting in this kind of situation, isn't it standard for it to be a princess or something?)"
While satisfied with Sangou's response, Shin fell into some very trivial thoughts.
The pitiful, useless hero was still alive and well even here.
"Hey, Sangou. About that kid, he's not from the Gialpha Galaxy, is he?"
After finishing explaining the conversation with Derry, Shin was at a loose end.
While the response policy hadn't been decided, Shin naturally brought up his own speculation to Sangou.
Because talking with Sangou might provide clues for future actions.
"Yes. Based on data extracted from the captured ship, he comes from a place the Gialpha Galaxy calls the 'Lambda Nu Galaxy.' It's the nearest neighboring galaxy to the Gialpha Galaxy. However, it's the galaxy closest to the outer edge on the opposite side from our current position, so it's quite far from here."
"So it really is a different place."
"Yes. The technological level of the captured ship's hyperspace navigation is close to that of the Deltania Star System. The amount of energy and life support supplies loaded is quite large, so it gives the impression of a colony ship. However, oddly enough, there are records of it being mothballed for a long period. About fifty thousand years, it seems. The time since reactivation is less than three months, so it appears they launched toward this galaxy immediately after reactivation."
"'Mothballed,' huh. That's like 'not using it and putting it in storage' for 'preservation,' right?"
"Roughly speaking, that understanding is mostly correct."
While confirming the suddenly mentioned 'mothballed' with Sangou, Shin's thoughts turned elsewhere.
"(Oh boy, now it's 'the wandering prince.' And this, somehow, feels like a 'prince of a fallen kingdom.' It's only been about half a year since the great decisive battle with the space beasts, you know.)"
Faced with an unexpected event, Shin's eyes grew a little distant.
However, regardless of the hero's inner feelings, once Derry finished eating and calmed down, the debriefing began.
And once it started,
Surprisingly, Derry showed intelligence beyond his years.
"(Being the first prince, he might have received a strict education.)"
That was Shin's frank impression.
Be that as it may, summarizing what was ultimately understood from Derry's story results in the following six points, ① to ⑥.
① The ship Derry came on was one of three identical ships, and his younger sister and younger brother each boarded a different ship to escape.
② The ships themselves had been handed down in the royal family since ancient times and were kept secret, and there was no technology to build new ones.
③ In the year his sister was born, a monster appeared and ravaged the country. Therefore, following ancient tradition, they offered prayers for a hero.
④ A young man appeared from the facilities of the ancient ruins where they prayed, and using a humanoid weapon found in the ruins, he exterminated the monster.
⑤ After that man exterminated the monster, he kidnapped Derry's older sister, declared 'I will become king,' and turned the power of the humanoid weapon against Derry's country and people.
⑥ Derry's father, the king, had Derry and two other young princes and one infant princess escape, but Derry's younger brother and sister, who are not with him now, are probably dead.
That much content was confirmed.
As information obtained from a five-year-old child, both quantity and quality might be extraordinary.
But as for Shin, who received this information, it was a fact that he felt an indescribable feeling.
Because the common light novel trope of a hero summoning crossed his mind, reminding him of his own personal experience.
Therefore, keeping that in mind, Shin asked Derry.
"Derry, how did you make that man who appeared exterminate the monster? Did you use some kind of method to force him?"
It would have been fine if they had simply offered a reward and persuaded him to cooperate using it as bait.
If it were that kind of thing, it would have been okay, but the 'common tropes' that came to Shin's mind were not limited to that.
Subjugation.
Co-optation.
Seduction.
Brainwashing.
Deception.
There are various methods, including the unpleasant ones listed above, but in reality, there are quite a few ways to use others for one's own benefit.
The question Shin posed to Derry was asked because he wanted to know about that aspect of the situation.
"No. According to tradition, those with 'power' are supposed to appear only for people in life-threatening crises. And within one day of appearing, if the person returns to the place where the prayer was offered, they can go back to their original place. So we explained that properly."
"Is that so? Then what happened after that?"
"The one who appears should be a 'person of power.' So it would be troublesome if they went berserk because we made unreasonable demands. Therefore, we asked for cooperation, not force. However, if the request was not granted, it was arranged that we would either send them back or give them some money and have them leave."
As far as Derry's story went, it wasn't kidnapping into servitude or coercion.
But the situation was quite harsh, that was also true.
If the person wished, they might indeed be able to return to their original place.
But that meant being willingly sent back to a life-threatening crisis situation.
The only other remaining option was two.
One was to be given money in an unfamiliar land, kicked out, and forced to live alone.
The other was to accept the 'request for cooperation' and fight.
Some might interpret this as 'effectively coercion with no room for choice.'
Shin was imagining such things when his thoughts suddenly stopped.
"(No way, isn't this exactly a 'hero summoning!')"
Shin, who had a strong ominous feeling, ended up asking a question driven ninety percent by curiosity.
"That man who appeared, didn't he have black hair and black eyes like me? And, let's see. Do you remember hearing words like 'Magic!' or 'Cheat!' or 'Status!'?"
"His hair was blonde. His eyes were black. I remember him shouting 'Give me my cheat!'"
"(A Japanese person who dyed their hair, huh. It was also in the Louvre Empire's past records. For some reason, if someone dyes their hair before being summoned, that color becomes fixed. That part is really a mystery, though.)"
Shin didn't know the details, but in reality, the Louvre Empire's summoning mechanism reconstructs the body anew in the process, so such mysterious things happen, but that's probably a trivial matter.
While pondering useless things, Shin thought, 'Well, then what should we do?'
Incidentally, Sangou didn't ask Derry any particular questions, and from an objective perspective, she remained observant.
But in reality, she was just recording the exchange of words between the captain and Derry, 'preparing the groundwork' for deciding future policy later.
To add, as for Kichou, lacking interest, she was simply listening quietly, and at this point, her presence or absence was the same, which was even more trivial.
After such a scene, Shin decided to take Derry under his protection.
"For now, I'll return to my home on the capital planet of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire. Let's think about the future slowly."
He declared that to Derry and ended the conversation.
As a practical matter, no matter what Shin did for Derry, due to various entanglements, he couldn't just act without returning to the capital planet.
Thus, Sangou set course for the imperial capital.
However, currently aboard Sangou was a child whose body couldn't withstand the unavoidable strain if they went at maximum speed.
Therefore, the speed of the bio-spaceship was adjusted to a reasonable level.
And when they reached the space region where real-time communication with the imperial capital was possible,
Just like last time when they brought the beast-people, Shin and Sangou cooperated to carry out the various procedures to have the empire accept Derry, who was a foreigner.
Having been through similar experiences before, even though the absolute volume of procedures was considerable, it was an easy task following precedent.
But,
Unlike ordinary beast-people, Derry, even if young, had the status of 'foreign royalty.'
As such, he could not be registered as a resident of the empire.
Therefore, Derry's status settled as 'a treated guest of the Asada Marquess household.'
Also, during the voyage toward the imperial capital, early on, Derry had the opportunity to see Kichou, who was alive, moving, and even speaking, inside Sangou.
At first, she was just quietly sleeping on the bridge, so Derry thought Kichou was just a plush toy-like ornament.
That's why the shock when he learned she was alive was great.
Moreover, Derry had special circumstances that made it 'natural for him to be shocked' beyond that.
"Why is a monster's child here!"
It was no wonder that Derry blurted out such a statement and fell into a temporary panic.
But Shin and Sangou handled it well, and after time passed, they ended up being able to play together.
On the other hand, from Kichou's perspective, who had been called a monster, there was the fact that 'she naturally didn't find it amusing at first.'
Nevertheless, Kichou was able to respond maturely because she showed interest, thinking 'Are there creatures in this world that could be mistaken for me?' and with the calculation 'let's be friends and extract information from Derry,' the Divine Dragon in the form of a baby dragon became Derry's friend.
Incidentally, from the information gathered in that flow, the 'monster' Derry spoke of was deduced to be 'an earth dragon of the old dragon class, the type that cannot use breath.'
"(I don't want to be lumped together with an earth dragon that can't fly or breathe fire!)"
That thought came from Kichou's pride, and was her secret alone.
With such a progression of events, Sangou arrived at the capital planet.
Entering the atmosphere, Sangou quietly landed on the sea surface that had become her exclusive waiting area, and sent the captain and Derry to the Asada Marquess residence using a twenty-meter-class sub-unit.
Thus, the initial situation with Sangou was established.
Upon arriving at his home via the twenty-meter-class sub-unit, Shin entrusted Miu with Derry's care.
He thought they would get along because they shared the common point of 'coming from a different civilization.'
As for Shin's feelings, from what he heard from Derry, he felt almost certain that a fool from his homeland had caused the trouble, and he wanted to somehow improve the situation.
And the ruins of the ancient super-civilization might have a means to reach the Gialpha Galaxy, a possibility that couldn't be denied.
"(I want to crush the possibility of a cocky idiot coming here in a warship. That kind of thing.)"
Such thoughts were also in Shin's mind.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason for considering intervention in Derry's affairs.
In this world where magic shouldn't exist, why was a hero summoning possible?
Simply put, he was very curious about that point, and wanted to investigate the details.
With such interest, it was probably not unnatural for Shin to develop a desire to 'go to the planet where Derry lived.'
However, Shin held the position of a high-ranking noble belonging to the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
Even though he was 'allowed a considerable degree of freedom' due to past circumstances and unparalleled ability.
It was clearly problematic for his position to disappear without contact for a long period.
Since the destination was a neighboring galaxy, it was easy to imagine that even using Sangou's swiftness, just going back and forth would require considerable time.
Moreover, it was certain even at this stage that they would be caught up in some kind of situation at their destination.
Then, some kind of countermeasure would be necessary, and that should be considered in advance as well.
Thinking about all this,
It was natural for Shin to first 'consult with Her Highness the Empress, Laura-sama,' with whom he could easily talk informally.
"This is sudden, but an unavoidable, problematic situation has occurred. So, can I have leave for probably a few years?"
Shin had also put Laura through considerable trouble with the procedures for accepting a foreigner, a young prince of another country, as a guest.
Therefore, he started with the main topic abruptly, assuming that 'of course, she would expect something like this to happen afterward.'
Well, it might also be a given that Laura wouldn't accept it so easily.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden! Please explain properly what you mean by 'so.' However, even if I hear the details, I cannot grant permission! At least not until you hand over the title of head of the family to your son, Nobunaga-kun. And that is still at least two years away at the earliest. Additionally, if we rush the change of head of the family, Nobunaga-kun will inherit the position with insufficient experience, and will certainly have a hard time."
For Laura, since it was also decided that a princess would be given to Nobunaga as a bride, it was difficult to overlook her daughter, who would be married off, undergoing unnecessary hardship.
"Um... Then, how about a family trip, with everyone?"
If those left behind would have a hard time,
Then if everyone went, no problems would occur.
That simple, childish idea brought forth the family trip plan.
"No, no. A 'family trip for probably a few years' is obviously out of the question!"
"But still, vacation is a legitimate right, isn't it?"
Well, it was true that taking a vacation to spend time with family was a right Shin possessed.
But in reality, there were also priorities and implicit constraints.
"Belonging to the Imperial Guard, 'being unable to respond to emergency call-outs for a long period of years' is unthinkable, you know? I suspect you intend to travel to a distant place where communication is difficult, don't you?"
"As expected of you."
"There's no way I could permit something like that. You should know that well enough without me having to tell you."
Well, while such a discussion was going on, the situation moved.
"If we go into Master's Shadow Magic, we can teleport, you know. We should all just go in."
Sangou, who was streaming the conversation between the captain and Laura, who were wiretapping, onto the bridge, was shocked by Kichou's sudden words.
The novel idea that burst out from Kichou.
This was a conclusion Kichou had arrived at by reasoning backwards from a certain future that should come to pass.
Derry's homeland, located in a galaxy different from the Gialpha Galaxy.
If a future of going there was certain, then there must surely be a way to get there without problems.
"(Then, what would be a way to get there without problems?)"
Kichou thought while listening to Master and Laura's conversation, and finally arrived at the answer.
That was the aforementioned statement that surprised Sangou.
This was also a moment that proved 'the high intelligence of the Divine Dragon was not for show.'
Even if she acted like a baby dragon usually, her brain was not actually childish.
Well, it was only possible because of her knowledge of magic, so it couldn't be helped that Sangou hadn't noticed such a method.
Also, as for Shin, the useless hero in terms of intellect, 'needless to say.'
Shin's Shadow Magic.
With Shin's enormous magical power, which was unique to him, it could be used in ways completely different from what Kichou knew was possible for casters with average magical power, to the point that comparison was laughable.
Specifically, due to his massively grown maximum magical capacity, the limit on the size of objects Shin could put into shadows had become quite large.
That storage capacity had already easily reached a level where Sangou could fit entirely inside.
"Kichou?"
"What?"
"What do you mean by that statement? Please explain in detail so that even Sangou can understand."
With this and that, regardless of the heated discussion between Shin and Laura, the talk to break the deadlock progressed.
The long-distance teleportation magic the hero could use could only go to places he had been before.
Moreover, it was magic with the restriction that 'only the user themself can teleport.'
However, objects inside Storage Space, or objects stored in the Shadow Storage through the use of Shadow Magic, are not subject to that restriction.
Such magical properties were explained by Kichou to Sangou, who had asked for an explanation.
In other words, if Sangou entered the Shadow Storage using the captain's Shadow Magic, they could move together with the long-distance teleportation magic.
However, storing objects with Shadow Magic also had a major drawback.
That was, even though time passed normally inside, it was a world of complete darkness with no light at all, and it was a space where it was impossible to create any light source to illuminate it.
Therefore, if a living being remained there for a long time, they would become mentally unstable and their psyche would be damaged.
However, this part was less likely to be a problem specifically for Sangou.
Why? Because Sangou had a track record of enduring alone in a similar environment, hyperspace, for a long time of about thirty thousand years while heavily damaged.
Well, considering the usage of Shadow Magic in this case, it was hard to imagine a situation where Sangou would remain in the shadows for a long time.
"Advance as far as we can, enter the shadows and return home. Next time, before returning home, enter the shadows again at the point we advanced to, teleport, and continue from there-"
"I see. So such a method existed. I'm not sure if there would be any problems entering the shadows, a space unknown to Sangou. I'm not inclined to try it immediately, but if it's fine with a twenty-meter-class sub-unit, then the method is valid. However, in that case, Kichou, you'll have to ride the sub-unit during the test as well."
"Okaaay."
With the matter settled, Sangou communicated the solution to the current problem to the captain via a sub-unit using Sensory Waves.
Thus, Shin left his discussion with Laura and began the experiment.
The twenty-meter-class sub-unit used to bring Derry was sitting in the spacious garden of the Asada Marquess residence, so it might have been fortunate that the experiment could start immediately on the spot.
Shin captured a few small birds from the garden as convenient guinea pigs to replace Kichou, and threw them into the bridge of the twenty-meter-class sub-unit.
Next, he created a huge shadow using Light Orb magic, and tried to store the twenty-meter-class sub-unit using Shadow Magic.
Then, he teleported to near the sea where Sangou was, and checked for any effects from storing, retrieving, and teleporting.
The experiment, conducted easily in a short time, succeeded without issue.
"I'm back. Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, to confirm again, if I return home frequently, am in a state where I can be contacted, and can sortie with Sangou in an emergency, there's no problem, right?"
"Well, yes. But only if 'such a thing is really possible.' Can you keep the condition that 'the maximum period of being unreachable is three days, and consecutive periods of uncontactability beyond that are not permitted'? If so, I will appeal to His Majesty to grant you a long vacation."
The conclusion of Shin and Laura's discussion was decided in this way.
Laura ended the video call to communicate with the Emperor, and Shin began preparations for departure.
In any case, with that flow, in the slightly distant future, the hero would gain new encounters in new lands.
To get information quickly and easily in an unknown land, the fastest way was to extract it from people who knew the place.
But to have them respond favorably, one needed to choose the right opponent and situation.
"Hey. Don't do that. That stall owner noticed."
Shin's choice this time was the classic method of forcing a debt of gratitude.
Thus, Shin and his party succeeded in rescuing Derry, who had been in a state of distress after escaping, and it was decided that they would go to the Lambda Nu Galaxy to intervene in the matters concerning the young child.
Although the discussion with Laura took some trouble, they managed to reach a conclusion that obtained permission.
Adjustments at home, led by Rouj, were also completed, though not entirely 'peacefully without incident.'
What kind of situation awaited them in Derry's homeland, in an unknown galaxy?
And what kind of person was the summoned hero, apparently Japanese and seeming like nothing but a troublemaker?
No one knew the future.
As for Derry, who had been successfully rescued, he had a younger brother and sister who had similarly escaped separately. While their whereabouts and survival were vaguely concerning, since he couldn't think of anything he could do about it, the hero had no choice but to shelve it for the time being.
Shin could only be surprised that the compatibility between Derry, whom he had brought to the Asada Marquess residence, and Miu, the beast-woman living as a guest, was unexpectedly so good that Miu voluntarily offered to cooperate in resolving Derry's situation.