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Chapter 499: 「Really? Love, Courage, and Hope, Huh…」

「What’s goin’ on? Feels like there’s a lotta rich-lookin’ people around, huh?」

「Now that you mention it, maybe? Why is that, though?」

「The planets are usually reserved for top taxpayers or holders of first-class citizenship, those who’ve contributed greatly to the Empire. Other than that, only a small number of selected lucky people can settle on planetside residential areas.」

Wiska’s response to Tina and Mimi’s innocent question showed a hint of dissatisfaction at the state of the Empire’s society. Ah, I see. First-class citizenship, huh? That makes sense. The prerequisite for living in a planetside residential area is first-class citizenship. I don’t know the exact conditions to acquire that status, but as Wiska pointed out, it’s probably reserved for the wealthy or people who’ve made significant contributions to the Empire, like through military or public service. No wonder most people here look well off.

「What kind of people are in that lucky handful?」

「There are a few slots for people without first-class citizenship to be selected as settlers in planetside residential areas. It seems like only a few people from each colony can be selected, though.」

「I see… You know quite a bit, don’t you?」

「Um, well… you were planning on building a house in a planetside residential area, so I looked into it a little.」

Without thinking, I found myself patting Wiska on the head as she fidgeted nervously. She’s a proper adult woman, around my age, but her height just makes her head easy to pat… I don’t usually end up doing that with someone of Mimi’s height, though.

「As expected of my little sister, you really know how to play the cute card…」

「I-It’s not like I’m doing this on purpose, you know!?」

Tina gave her sister a look of suspicion, despite her protests. Honestly, I thought the same for a second, but well, she’s cute, so I can’t help it.

「The ones with the gleaming eyes are the merchants. If they can afford to use the gateway, they’re probably from a large enough trading company.」

「I see. I guess situations like this create a special demand, which makes it easier to make a profit, but it also feels like a bit of a risky game. Like ordering a large supply of materials thinking they’ll sell, only for someone else to beat them to the punch, turning it into dead stock.」

Lately, Mimi has started talking about things from a merchant’s perspective more and more. It must be the result of not just managing our supply goods, but also taking charge of trading using the cargo space of the Black Lotus. I really hope she keeps developing those skills, maybe even enough to become a fully-fledged merchant in her own right.

「Yeah, that would be a nightmare for a merchant. That’s why they’re so desperate for information. If they mess up, the rumors will spread like wildfire.」

「Life can be harsh, huh? I wonder if I’ll ever have to deal with that kind of harshness myself someday.」

「Well, who knows? As long as you are with Hiro-kun, you might be free from that particular kind of hardship… but you’ll probably end up facing greater danger to your life instead.」

「I can’t argue with that…」

I responded to the exchange between Dr. Shouko and Neve with a wry smile. For better or worse, as long as they stick with me, they’re unlikely to encounter the usual harshness of life. Most issues can probably be resolved through money, brute force, my status as a Platinum Ranker, or even my title as an honorary viscount of the Empire. However, relying too much on those solutions might eventually come back to bite me, so I’ll need to exercise some restraint.

「Oh? Isn’t that them? The people here to meet us?」

「Yes, my Lord. I believe you’re correct.」

Kugi nodded as she confirmed the people I had pointed out. We weren’t just aimlessly people-watching in the busy port area; we were waiting for someone. That ‘someone’ was the welcoming party from the Holy Vuelzarus Empire. When we arrived at Neeparc Prime Colony, Kugi had contacted the Vuelzarus Empire’s embassy, and they told us to wait for someone to meet us here.

「The ones that have come look a little like samurai…」

There were three people who appeared to be our welcoming party. One was a man about my height with what looked like horns sprouting from his hairline. The second was a woman with sharp animal ears, similar to Kugi’s, on top of her head. The last one was another woman, but the animal ears on her head were rounder. The horned man stood in the center, with the two women walking behind him, suggesting he was the leader or superior among them.

They were all dressed in something resembling traditional Japanese attire, each carrying what appeared to be a katana at their waist. However, unlike samurai, they didn’t carry both a long sword and a short sword. Each of them had only one blade at their side.

「I humbly greet you. My name is Ranshin, and I serve as the head guard of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire’s cathedral here in Neeparc Prime Colony. Am I correct in addressing Captain Hiro, the shrine maiden Seijo-dono, and your esteemed companions?」

「Ah, that’s correct. I’m Captain Hiro. Sorry to trouble you with coming all the way here.」

「This is part of my duty as a guard, so please don’t concern yourself. Rather, I apologize for keeping you waiting and not meeting you directly at the port. The two behind me are my subordinates, Moegi and Konoha. You two, introduce yourselves.」

「Understood, I am Moegi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.」

「I’m Konoha. Nice to meet you.」

The two behind Ranshin introduced themselves with a polite bow, so I returned the gesture. Since we were on introductions, I briefly introduced the rest of my crew as well.

「It’s not ideal to continue standing around here. Allow me to escort you to our cathedral. There’s a vehicle waiting for us nearby.」

「Understood. But are you sure it’s alright for such a large group to just drop in like this?」

「There’s no problem at all. Please, this way.」

With that, Ranshin turned and began leading the way, so we all followed behind him in a loose line.

「Huh?」

As I walked, I noticed something odd. Despite the fact that more than ten of us, including Ranshin’s group, were walking together—and, besides me, everyone was either an eye-catching beauty, a cute girl, or dressed in some rather unusual outfits—we weren’t drawing any attention from the people around us. I couldn’t help but voice my surprise.

「Is something wrong?」

「Well, something feels a bit off… Ah, I see.」

Konoha, the round-eared samurai girl walking near me, seemed to overhear my muttering and asked what was wrong. But now that I was paying closer attention, I quickly figured out the source of the odd feeling. Moegi, the fox-eared samurai beauty, was emitting some sort of mental wave. She was probably using the so-called second power of law—a kind of telepathic psionic power, to mentally interfere with the passersby. It must be useful for avoiding attention, stealth, or perception-blocking.

「You realized, of course. It’s to be expected from someone trained under the shrine maiden.」

Moegi said with a slight laugh. Yep, she’s definitely beautiful. But… Kugi-san, could you stop quietly tugging at my sleeve in protest? I get it, I shouldn’t have those thoughts, but that doesn’t mean you need to make a scene. And now Mimi’s joined in too. Ah! The two Dwarven sisters there, stop! Tugging from behind is making it hard to walk! Please stop, making a scene already!

「You all seem… quite close.」

「Well, yes. They are more than I deserve honestly.」

Konoha commented on our antics while giving me a look that was almost exasperated. From an outsider’s perspective, I probably look like a bad man playing with multiple girls, the thing is that I can’t blame anyone for thinking like that. If I were in her shoes, I’d probably be giving myself the same kind of look.

「Considering Hiro-dono’s position, it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it should be greatly welcomed.」

「Really? I thought it might be seen as a risk factor,」

I thought that from the perspective of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire, they wouldn’t be too thrilled about the number of people like Mimi around me—people who could easily become a ‘detonation switch’ for me, a human bomb.

「Not at all. After all, what strengthens people and gives them the power to resist despair has always been love, courage, and hope. That’s the way of the world.」

「Really? Love, courage, and hope, huh…?」

Without even looking back, Ranshin said this with a calm demeanor as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and continued to lead us forward. Love, courage, and hope, huh…? Well maybe from the point of view of a civilization based on psionic technology, this kind of spiritual thing is more important than it seems. This man’s words have piqued my curiosity about the Holy Vuelzarus Empire and its beliefs.