Chapter 41 - Joining Up with Sangou and the Situation on Derry's Side
~Outer Reaches of the Gialpha Galaxy (Near the Lambda Mu Galaxy Side)~
Sangou, soon after reuniting with the Captain, entered the shadow and moved via magical ultra-long-distance teleportation.
As a result, they had arrived at the outer reaches of the Gialpha Galaxy.
Incidentally, what Sangou did after arriving in that region was, under Shin's supervision, the awakening operation for the six survivors rescued earlier.
This was because they judged that "it would not be good to bring them into Empire territory without confirming the survivors' condition."
By the way, "there is also the simple issue of language," as goes without saying.
Simultaneously with the awakening operation, the excellent and capable Sangou also infused the five people excluding the infant with necessary knowledge via Sensory Waves.
So, how did Sangou, who should have been heading for the Gialpha Galaxy Empire's capital planet by coasting navigation, manage to reunite with the Captain and end up in this situation?
Let's go back in time and follow the flow in order.
After discussions with Mechamille, Shin succeeded in extracting all information deemed necessary from the non-human little girl.
Therefore, the next thing Shin does is report to Laura.
If he finishes that, this matter will be over, and he can concentrate on searching for Sangou.
That is why.
So, when Shin returned to his assigned room in the military academy dormitory, he immediately activated Teleportation Magic and went to the Marquis Asada residence.
Then, he asked Silk to use a direct line to Laura.
"That child, Mechamille, is not a human of this galaxy. By the way, her species is also different from the humans of this galaxy. Her appearance is similar to ours, though. And as for her purpose, it's a matter of 'receiving a lot of faith and affection due to her species traits becomes her own power,' and 'she wants to be active in the military to collect those and turn them into power, and eventually return to her original place with the accumulated power.' The remaining part is 'whether to trust that or not.'"
Incidentally, at this time, Shin deliberately did not report the part about 'development of the island universe, increase in happiness' among the purposes.
Why was that?
That part was because "he didn't think it could be achieved no matter what Mechamille personally did or didn't do," and "even if it were achievable, there would be no disadvantage to the Gialpha Galaxy Empire."
In short, it was a part that was meaningless to report, so he simply omitted it.
"First, are there likely to be problems arising from species differences?"
"No. However, she is unsuitable for marriage, and even if marriage were forced, children might not be hoped for."
Given Mechamille's purpose, since she has no intention of permanently settling in the Gialpha Galaxy Empire, she would never make choices that would only produce unhappy futures in terms of marriage and such.
Knowing that, Shin only implicitly conveyed that 'capturing Mechamille through marriage would be both impossible and futile.'
"I see. As for the purpose, if we consider her as the 'head of a religion,' it's not without problems, but depending on how we use her as a resource, it should be within acceptable limits. Regarding the final point of whether to trust her, if she managed to deceive the Marquis Asada, that itself would be quite something, so 'let's trust her.'"
"I see. Ah, and regarding the suspicious points in the electronic records, the tampering by her ability was an omission due to her not knowing about the existence of electronic data. In other words, it would be 'falsification of history through tampering.' However, making a big deal out of this point might be questionable. It would be like advertising that 'there was a hole in the Empire's security,' and there's no possibility of her abusing it in the future, so I would appreciate it if you could overlook it. Since, apparently, failure to achieve her purpose is a matter of life and death for her. Having told her 'I won't treat you badly' and extracted various details, I'd feel guilty if we pursued a punitive direction."
"It is a fact that it was a crime. But, from her perspective, it was an emergency evacuation measure?"
Life or death.
In extreme situations, there are cases where illegal acts are tolerated and not considered illegal.
Laura realized from Shin's story that Mechamille was in a life-threatening state, a so-called 'back-to-the-wall' situation, and confirmed it.
"That would be the case."
"Understood. I have no intention of 'stirring up a hornet's nest.' First of all, was there any means to prevent the tampering that occurred?"
As for Laura, she would be troubled if the possessor of the ability to tamper with others' memories became desperate.
Therefore, her honest opinion is that 'if it will not be abused in the future, she is not unwilling to overlook past deeds.'
"You've perceived that as well. Frankly speaking, it cannot be prevented. It's a technique that involves both the laws of another world and species traits. However, it cannot be misused. Because that would go against her purpose."
Shin was impressed by Laura's perceptiveness, but in that manner, he finished all the reports.
As a result, by Laura's decision, Mechamille was 'particularly not punished' and was allowed to continue studying at the military academy.
Well, she is under loose surveillance, but that is a trivial matter.
If any problem occurs, we'll just dump it on the Marquis Asada to solve at that time. Since she is a non-human, there is no other method.
It was probably fortunate that Shin did not realize what Laura was thinking at this time.
However, since Laura's judgment was correct, no one could complain.
That aside, the matter of Mechamille was thus concluded.
Thus, having finished a task, Shin brought up the topic of Sangou to Kichou, who was in the residence in the form of a young dragon.
The situation was moving to the next stage.
"Kichou. How do you sense Sangou's movements?"
"Yes. I feel it's gradually getting closer to us. I only know the direction, but should I go look by teleportation?"
Sangou was definitely getting closer to the Gialpha Galaxy.
Thus, the answer derived from Kichou's extrasensory perception became good material for Shin's judgment.
"Hmm. We could do that. But it's pretty much relying on luck. Also, even if we find him, the problem is 'whether Sangou, while in transit, will notice me.'"
"Master? He still has communication equipment, you know? If we're close enough, we can just call him with that."
Shin's clothes still had the communication sub-unit firmly attached.
As expected, it was a matter of mindset and operation.
One is having the skills and tools.
The other is coming up with a way to use them.
Shin was keenly reminded that these two are 'completely different things.'
At the same time, he thanked Kichou for her high intelligence.
"I see. Thank you, Kichou. But if there was such a method, couldn't you have told me earlier?"
"Since it involves consecutive ultra-long-distance teleportations, the repeated mana depletion would be a heavy burden on Master's body. I thought it wasn't necessary to push it since we could meet up by waiting. Also, I only thought of it recently."
Learning that it was due to Kichou's consideration, Shin felt an indescribable emotion.
"I see. You were being considerate of me. Thank you. I know entering and exiting the shadow is a burden, but I'm counting on you, Kichou."
"Yes."
After exchanging such words, Shin put Kichou into the shadow, and in the direction Kichou had indicated, he roughly determined a destination region and began teleporting.
After the pain of mana depletion subsided at the teleport destination, he took Kichou out of the shadow to confirm the direction of Sangou.
Then, he put Kichou into the shadow again and performed another teleportation relying on intuitive sense.
How many times did he repeat this?
Shin performed teleportations so many times that he lost count.
However, from the perspective of 'time,' it only took about three hours.
Thus, he was able to narrow it down to within the range of one of Sangou's jump navigations.
Shin's long-distance teleportation can only go to places he has been before, and his range does not include the hyperspace that Sangou uses for jump navigation.
By the way, when Sangou previously traveled between galaxies, it was done by repeating jump navigation and full-speed normal navigation.
There is a limit to the distance a bio-spaceship can travel in a single jump navigation.
This restriction is to ensure safety in various senses.
Also, aside from that, 'what to do from here' becomes a problem for Shin.
Because they are not yet within communication range with Sangou.
"Hey, Kichou."
"Yes?"
"I can think of three options. Wait here as is. Approach from our side with you carrying me. Advance by repeating short-range teleportations. Which do you think is best?"
"The surest way is to wait. Consecutive short-range teleportations are inefficient because you don't gain much distance relative to the effort. I think it's best to wait here, taking turns with Master on standby, while signaling with light signals."
"I see. There's the method of flashing with light magic to make light signals. But what about 'taking turns on standby'?"
"The fact that I can constantly sense Sangou's position means he isn't performing jump navigation. If he is at a position where we could rendezvous in a few hours or so, communication should reach, and I think if Master uses Map Magic and Search Magic, you'll get a suitable response. Since it will be a somewhat long-term standby, we'll take turns on watch."
"Got it. Kichou, you're smart."
Then, Shin and Kichou began a life of alternating between resting at home and waiting in space.
While living such days, that moment finally came.
Communication with Sangou became possible.
"Captain. I'm glad you're safe."
"Ah. I'm glad you're safe too, Sangou. Kichou is also safe."
Thus, Sangou returned to the Captain, Shin.
However, still carrying the capsules containing the six sleeping survivors.
With Captain Shin joining, Sangou now had the option of 'magical treatment by the Captain' in case of an emergency.
Therefore, the process of transitioning to the waking state would likely be carried out soon.
But, separate from Sangou's thoughts, there was the problem of 'what would the Captain think when he learned of the six people on board?'
Does this world have way too many castaways?
That Shin thought such a thing when he boarded Sangou and saw the capsules was trivial, and it remained his secret alone.
These six, including an infant. What circumstances do they have?
While pondering such things, Shin suggested that Sangou first move to the outer regions of the Gialpha Galaxy.
Sangou's situation at the beginning was established through this flow.
The breakdown of the six people Sangou rescued was: first, four adult women; the remaining two were a boy estimated to be four or five years old and a baby girl under one year old.
The awakening operation for all six was completed without any problems thanks to Sangou's advanced scientific technology and Shin's magical assistance.
Incidentally, at this time, Shin used the Ring of Transformation to assume the appearance of Shin before he had been rejuvenated by the summoning.
The reason for this was simply that he thought 'with the appearance of a child, he wouldn't gain trust as a Captain.'
"Hmm. Derry's younger brother and sister, huh. And retainers. Sangou, can you wait here for a bit? I'll confirm with Derry 'what would be best.' If we know they are from the Rondonur Kingdom, there's no point in bringing them to the Empire. Well, before that, I'll bring Kichou here."
"Yes. Sangou thinks so too. Then, I'll wait here."
For such reasons, Shin once teleported to his home, brought Kichou, and returned to Sangou.
Then, he teleported to the room reserved for Shin in Derry's castle.
While I'm at it seeing Derry, I'll also see Miu's face for the first time in a while.
It had been quite a while since he last saw Miu, but Shin felt oddly at ease.
Of course, that didn't mean the person left waiting would respond with the same ease.
"Shin. You were supposed to show your face regularly, weren't you? Don't you think you've been absent far too long? We certainly didn't set a clear frequency, but couldn't you have come to visit a little more often?"
From Shin's side, the period he stayed in the world where the Orzei Kingdom existed was short.
However, quite a few days had passed since he returned to this world until now.
It was an objective fact that he had been focused on reuniting with Kichou and Sangou, and busy with matters related to Mechamille.
Therefore, it was certain that he hadn't been able to attend to Miu.
So, Shin could only accept Miu's questioning words as they were.
On the other hand, Miu, who had made a statement that sounded like she was blaming Shin, was in a somewhat angry mode.
To add, since she only saw Shin in his transformed appearance now, it was fine, but if she saw his true form as a child, she would surely be speechless.
"Sorry. There were various things. I didn't have the mental leeway."
When Shin admitted that honestly, Miu's current position didn't allow her to push further.
Reluctantly, Miu decided to change the subject.
"Derry is waiting, so let's go. It's not good for me to be away from Derry for too long."
"Eh? Is it that dangerous? I came with a proposal about accepting people, but maybe it was bad timing."
"The current situation is somewhat dangerous. In the country that the mechanical knight you eliminated attacked, most of the original citizens are still alive; only the top are gone. Without the force that was holding them down, the governance by the lord Derry dispatched isn't going well. There might even be a rebellion."
From Shin's perspective, the regions corresponding to Shikoku and Kyushu were completely devastated.
Therefore, there was no opposition to the rule of the Rondonur Kingdom.
But the situation in the region corresponding to Hokkaido was different.
After Miu explained this fact in detail, Shin understood.
In short, without the presence of a large, visually imposing body like 'Kichou or Sangou' — a symbol of military force — it would not be 'strange' for things to be in such a state.
Sadly, that was the reality the Rondonur Kingdom currently faced.
Well, that aside, Shin went with Miu to see Derry.
"It's been a while, Shin-san. You came to check on us. Thank you."
"Hey, long time no see. But I didn't just come to check on you today. I brought something important to you, what you might call 'good news.'"
"That's great. So, what is this good news?"
"Un. I brought information about Derry's younger brother and sister."
"What! Could it be you found them? Are both safe? Are they alive?"
Since it was a matter he had almost given up on, for Derry, even 'just getting information' was touching.
And considering how he himself had been saved, Derry couldn't help but hope for the survival of his younger siblings.
That was the reason for his outburst.
"Yeah. Sangou happened to receive an SOS signal that was being transmitted. Those two and four retainers, a total of six have been rescued. However, there is unfortunate news. Give up on the ship. Sangou disposed of it during the rescue."
In truth, Sangou had eaten the hulls of the two spaceships and converted them into energy for navigation, but there was no need to inform Derry of the detailed circumstances.
It was enough to convey that they were lost.
Therefore, Shin only said 'disposed of.'
"Really? If my younger brother and sister are safe, I don't care about the ship at all. Thank you so much."
Even though his responses are composed, he really does have the childlike part befitting his age.
Derry's face clearly showed joyful emotions along with his words of thanks.
Seeing Derry like that, Shin felt relieved.
Well, that aside, the conversation didn't end there.
Shin's original purpose was to consult 'what to do with those six.'
However, he didn't want to force acceptance into a bad situation, so he would confirm what needed to be confirmed first.
"By the way, I heard from Miu earlier. 'There might be problems with governing the North.'"
"Yes. I lack the power. To be honest, the situation in the North is bad. I've even considered 'recognizing them, withdrawing the dispatched lord, and letting them become an independent nation.'"
"Well, that's sort of an option."
If a region only has groups with different principles and claims, completely separating it is one option.
As Shin who recalled Japanese history where past annexations caused lingering problems, it was a secret that he even thought cutting them off quickly might be the correct answer.
"However, the troublesome part is that it's not such a simple decision. That region was originally an independent country. Considering that they currently resent the Rondonur Kingdom, it might develop into war in the future. In that case, maintaining the current situation, letting them start a rebellion, and then suppressing them by force might be easier to handle. That's the situation. We've been keeping taxes low to win popular support, but..."
"In short, if there is a deterrent, rebellion won't happen for the time being. The seeds of rebellion can be pacified over time through a track record of governance. Is that the kind of solution that works?"
"Yes, that is ideal. But it is difficult to achieve."
For the Rondonur Kingdom, they must display overwhelming military force to make the people of the North give up on rebellion.
But they lack that.
Even from Shin's perspective, it seemed like a difficult position for Derry.
In the current civilization of this planet where the Rondonur Kingdom exists, the major weapons were swords, spears, bows, early guns, and muzzle-loading cannons with short effective range. 'Military force' included the personnel to handle these.
So, frankly speaking, just providing weapons like 'laser guns from the Gialpha Galaxy Empire or rocket launchers for infantry' to Derry's faction might be enough as a deterrent.
However, given the issues of weapon maintenance and operation, it's not that simple.
Regular maintenance is necessary, of course, and at the very least, the storage and management of 'ammunition' such as 'energy packs for lasers and rockets' are essential.
Even if one ignores that short-term, relying on easy methods like 'introducing weapons that are masses of advanced technology' comes with problems like 'imitation production from battlefield capture or theft of the actual items.'
Well, regarding imitation, it would likely be impossible immediately due to technical issues.
"It is possible to bring all six survivors here immediately. But, just as Derry did before, it is also possible to let them stay at my home. What do you think is best?"
"To be honest, I think it would be dangerous for my siblings to live in this castle right away. Especially, I unfortunately cannot say it's not possible that 'some fool might try to drag out my younger brother and cause a political change.'"
Derry paused, then his expression shifted to one of having made a decision.
And he spoke to Shin.
"Once we bring them all here, even the accompanying retainers might waver. So, I think it's best to 'take my sister and me to meet and talk with them, and then have everyone stay hidden at Shin-san's home for a while.' Could you do that, please?"
"Ah, no problem. And, as for improving the situation here, let's have Sangou and Kichou offer their wisdom."
At Shin's words, Derry felt as if he heard, Don't expect my wisdom!
But he didn't bother to point it out.
However, since what Shin subtly wanted to convey was clearly communicated, that was fine with Shin.
Thus, with Derry and the others in the shadow, a teleportation was carried out once to inside the Sangou's ship.
After a touching sibling reunion scene, they began discussions about the arrangements for the younger brother and baby sister.
Incidentally, it was naturally reasonable that Miu stayed behind in the castle to cover for their absence until Shin brought Derry and the others back.
By the way, Shin did not participate in that discussion.
Because during that time, he started a separate discussion to get wisdom from Kichou and Sangou.
"Hey, Sangou. And Kichou. I roughly explained the various things about the Rondonur Kingdom, but do you understand the situation?"
"Yes. It's fine, Captain."
"Master, same here."
"Good. Then, I think we need to aid Derry. But, I can't think of anything specific for the crucial 'method of aid.' So, do you have any good ideas?"
"Master, isn't it okay to just eliminate all the northern people?"
From Kichou came a so-called annihilation plan, a suggestion that was too intense even if answered immediately.
Shin could only force a wry smile, since he had already thought of that himself and rejected it as the final resort.
"As a last resort, it might be considered. But it's not good to do that when the other side hasn't taken any rebellious action. Wars without a just cause are bad. Moreover, if I, Sangou, or Kichou did it, it would be more 'massacre' than 'war.'"
"I see. Humans are complicated."
Even though her intelligence is high, Kichou probably lacks knowledge and experience.
Of course, there are also fundamental differences in values and thinking stemming from species differences.
In this case, it might be that 'Shin made an unreasonable request.'
"Captain. Sangou judges that the best course is to provide hydrogen-powered airships as actual items, along with instruction on their operation, and if possible, also provide the manufacturing technology."
"Oh? That sounds good. I'd appreciate it if you could also tell me your reasoning."
"Yes. Airships are easy for even Derry and the others to handle, and difficult for the enemy to imitate. Even if captured, the enemy can only operate them for a certain period because the internal framework is made of titanium, which suffers hydrogen corrosion. Also, we plan to set the original service life at 'a maximum of three years.' There is also the issue of obtaining and filling the hydrogen needed for operation. And we consider attacks from high altitude, where the enemy has no means of counterattack, to be overwhelming military power."
"I see. But, I recall airships are dangerous unless they use helium."
Saying that, Shin tried to recall vague memories.
Wasn't there a terrible explosion accident in the West on Earth a long time ago? When it comes to airships, was it Germany? Or was the explosion accident in America?
Well, regardless of Shin's inner murmurings, Sangou's explanation continued.
"Yes, that's right. If the enemy captures an airship, we assume we will switch our own side's operation to helium and fight airship-to-airship."
"That's nasty. The enemy gets one hit and goes boom with a big explosion."
"That would be the case. Hehehe."
Then, as a result of further discussion with Sangou, they concluded that 'providing the manufacturing technology would be difficult at this stage,' and decided that 'it would be better to manufacture actual items and hand them over.'
The item to be provided was a rigid airship that obtains buoyancy from hydrogen.
The number: three.
The outer skin of the airship would be covered with film-type solar cells, and the power would come from a combination of electric motors, batteries, and propellers.
The propellers for propulsion would be variable-pitch propellers, and along with the rudder, they would adjust speed and direction.
In addition, it would be equipped with bow thrusters and stern thrusters.
The approximate maximum payload would be set at 100 tons, and the attack method would basically be scattering pebbles from high altitude.
That aside, as a side note, for those not familiar with ship structures, the aforementioned 'bow thrusters and stern thrusters' might make them go 'What are those?'
Simply put, they are propellers attached to the bow and stern that produce lateral thrust.
If you think of them as the attitude control thrusters that are standard equipment on mechanical spaceships, that's probably close to the reality.
Let's end the digression here.
When the discussions with Derry and the others finished, Shin put everyone including Sangou into the shadow and flew via Teleportation Magic to a point slightly outside the space around the imperial capital.
This was to proceed with the procedures for accepting the six guests into the Gialpha Galaxy Empire.
Incidentally, at this time, Shin had some personal problems, but since they don't affect the main story, I'll omit them here.
After quickly contacting Laura, the procedures were left to Sangou, and in the meantime, Shin sent Derry and his sister back to the castle of the Rondonur Kingdom.
Then, Shin proposed to Derry the results of his discussion with Sangou.
However, the giant airships are unprecedented weapons for Derry and the others, and it was a bit worrying to put the existing personnel of the Rondonur Kingdom in command.
Even if Sangou's opinion says 'it's fine,' if Derry and his sister feel uneasy, Shin wants to take some measure.
One person who might easily be moved by the bait of a high reward came to Shin's mind at this time—perhaps it was the work of the Hero's power of fate.
Thus, the Hero Shin succeeded in switching the request from Laura to completed status by finishing it in a sort of report meeting.
Though Shin didn't know that Laura was fully prepared to dump the cleanup on him if any trouble related to Mechamille occurred.
Also, thanks to Kichou's advice, he utilized an idea that wouldn't have occurred to him alone, and succeeded in reuniting with Sangou.
Although this took a considerable number of days, if Shin hadn't moved and left it alone, the reunion would have been delayed by years.
This might be evidence that Hero-like fate or luck was at work.
Additionally, separately, it was discovered that among the people Sangou rescued were Derry's younger brother and sister.
Just when he was about to bring these people to Derry, Shin learned of the current state of the Rondonur Kingdom and Derry's predicament.
Can the Hero save the Rondonur Kingdom and Derry from crisis?
Who is the commander that Shin thought might be bought with money?
No one knows the future, but...
When it was decided as the Rondonur Kingdom's policy that the six people Sangou rescued—the group including Derry's brother and sister—would be accepted as guests at the Marquis Asada's residence, the Hero turned pale when he realized he had not yet obtained permission from Rouj.
The Hero Shin, who was forced to teleport alone to get permission from Rouj immediately, ended up suffering from mana depletion for no reason, and muttered quietly, "I'm supposed to be the head of the household, but why is the decision-making power in matters like this in Rouj's hands?"