"Well then, a toast to the success of this time's operation. Cheers."
"""Cheers!"""
Three– err, four drunkards raised their cups and downed their contents. It's kinda like seeing guys go 'Skol!' eh? Well, that's kinda a Scandinavian Viking thing, so I suppose it doesn't really suit this occasion. And in the first place, we're the ones who fought and defeated the pirates and not the other way around.
"What's wrong, Captain Hiro? You're not drinking your portion."
Capt. Serena who finished her drink first quickly got into my case.
What's with our current situation? To put it simply, we're having a victory party. In order to celebrate having quickly destroyed the pirate base without a hitch and turning lots of pirates into space debris, the good captain prepared food and alcohol for all the participants of the operation.
Of course, one shop wouldn't have nearly enough space to accommodate each and every participant, so in order to realize this large-scale banquet, they got in touch with several shops and had them deliver food and drinks to the ships of the Independent Anti-pirate Mobile Fleet that served as makeshift venues.
I've ended up witnessing Capt. Serena's management skills firsthand. Some might see this as a waste of her talents, but someone like Capt. Serena wasn't one to do pointless things. I'm sure she set all of this up because she judged that it was necessary.
"You're really going at it, but please don't let loose too much. If something happens today, I ain't gonna be able to look after you all."
By the way, I and the rest of my crew were invited to the Restalias, the flagship of the Independent Anti-pirate Mobile Fleet. This venue was reserved for those who played a particularly active part in the operation, so we were invited here.
"I know."
The beautiful red-eyed blonde captain cutely puffed her cheeks a bit in response. Mm, how should I put it? The gesture seemed a bit too calculated in my eyes. Was she planning something? I inwardly raised my 'Capt. Serena Alert Meter' by two levels.
In the first place, I actually tried to decline to participate in this event. I would have preferred it if we simply celebrated among ourselves. But it would reflect poorly on my character if we, who actually gained the most merit in the operation, didn't attend this celebration party. Capt. Serena invited me personally, so it was hard to refuse. In the end, I gave up resisting and decided to come with everyone, but Capt. Serena's attitude was kinda strange.
"...Is it just me, or don't you seem to be a lot more guarded than usual?"
"It's just you."
After saying so, I took a sip of a sweet-tasting tea-like drink with a straw. Un, I'm familiar with this. It's that so-called sweet tea. I've heard that there were also lemon or citrus-flavored versions of the drink. However, I don't think they actually used real fruit juice to flavor this.
"My subordinates are also present today, so I won't do anything drastic. There's no need to be on guard, so please rest assured."
"Logically speaking, that sounds about right. But I think situations like this pose the most risk y'know. What are you planning?"
"I'm not planning anything. Aren't you being a little bit too suspicious?"
Reaaally? Seems pretty suspicious to me. Pressuring the current me using one's authority won't work, but this person was actually a muscle-brain despite looking like a schemer. She might just use a brute force method to get what she wants the moment I let my guard down.
"Okay, I understand. Let's speak openly. I promise not to lie. So don't try to lie to me as well, Captain. Let's be fair here."
"Did you not listen to what I said?"
"But it really looks like you're planning something. I treasure my life and I also have a crew to support."
"Before we discuss what I want to know, how about we talk about your perception of me first?"
"Let's do that next time. So?"
I picked up a chicken(?) nugget and urged Capt. Serena to talk. Anyway, it's Capt. Serena. It's probably work-related. Maybe it's something regarding pirates or those mysterious spheres.
"Just like always, things develop too fast whenever you're involved. You're not secretly orchestrating all this stuff, are you?"
"The pirates were already active here in the Edge World without my involvement, and those spheres were brought out from an unexplored star system by explorers... How exactly did I manage to orchestrate those?"
"That's true. I'm well aware. But it's exactly because I understand that I'm curious as to exactly why things turn out this way with you in the picture."
"Kugi says it's kinda my ability or something."
"Oh, you're talking about that matter you told me back then. Well, it's true that you're a rare remarkable character..."
Capt. Serena gazed intently at me.
"...Well, let's put that matter aside first. What I want to hear are details concerning those spheres. Do you know something about them?"
"Huh...? I saw one for the first time after I got suddenly attacked while I was out fetching my custom power armor. I know nothing about them except for my impressions after fighting them. In the first place, aren't you guys supposed to know more about them since you've been collecting their remains and analyzing them?"
Why did she think I knew more about those spheres in the first place? Oh, maybe it's because of that? I did give crucial information regarding the Mother Crystal of the crystal lifeforms back then. Maybe she thinks I know something crucial about the spheres as well because their origins were also unclear just like the Mother Crystal.
"Unlike the case regarding the Mother Crystal, I really don't know anything about those spheres this time around. I just happened to remember some info I heard about the Mother Crystal back then and shared them with you guys."
"Just happened to hear crucial info huh...?"
Capt. Serena's stare seemed to hold suspicion. Or rather, she definitely was suspecting me. Even though the origin of the Mother Crystal and the crystal lifeforms was unknown, I had info that no one in this world was aware of yet, so it can't be helped if she thinks I know something about those mysterious killer spheres as well.
"I'm telling the truth y'know? Oh, but maybe there is one who can offer us a clue about them... Hey, Kugi. Can you come here for a moment?"
Capt. Serena tilted her head to the side when I called Kugi over. She was probably confused about why I called Kugi. The things Capt. Serena knew about Kugi were that she was some sort of priestess from the Holy Vuelzarus empire and that she tagged along with me due to some sort of mysterious reason. She couldn't connect Kugi with those mysterious spheres.
"Yes, My Lord. A good day to you as well, Your Excellency Serena."
Kugi quickly walked up to me and bowed respectfully to Capt. Serena. Kugi had this mysterious air about her, but she was basically a good girl who was honest and polite.
"Come and sit with us. It's actually about those mysterious spheres we encountered. You said you felt thought waves emanating from them back then, right?"
"Yes, My Lord. I did feel mental waves from those existences. They mainly displayed confusion, fear, and anger."
"H-Hold on a moment. I can't keep up with this. What mental waves? Are you saying you can read minds, Kugi-san?"
Capt. Serena acted unusually flustered and withdrew a little. Huh? Would it be really bad if her thoughts get read? Well, that's understandable. Anyone has one or two things they wouldn't want others to know about.
"No, I cannot employ the art of mind reading. What I am good at is the art of communing using the mind, which is a little different from mind reading."
"Communing using the mind... So, you have telepathic abilities?"
"Yes. It is apparently called telepathy in other countries. Basically, what I am good at is conveying my thought waves to another person and receiving their thought waves in return. It can be compared to how one receives and sends signals using communication equipment. The mind reading art is equivalent to hacking in technological terms."
They do sound like different techniques. I don't think Kugi will lie to me, so I'm sure what she said was true.
"I see. So, those spheres possibly have the ability to communicate telepathically. In other words, it's possible that they're intelligent lifeforms that communicate using their minds?"
"My apologies. The thought waves I received from them were filled with fear and confusion, so I cannot make a definite judgment regarding that matter. However, I can assert that the thought waves I felt from them were considerable. To be honest, this is the first time I have ever felt such heartbreaking thought waves. At the very least, I can confirm that their main way of communicating with one another is through thought waves."
"...My head hurts."
Capt. Serena, who was listening to the exchange between me and Kugi, groaned while holding her head. Well, it's not like I don't understand her feelings. I mean, there's a possibility that those mysterious spheres, which we thought of as mechanical or biomechanical weapons presumably created by a mysterious alien civilization the whole time, were actually intelligent lifeforms who mainly communicated telepathically.
"Our equipment is practically useless regarding telepathic abilities. What should we do about this, I wonder."
"I suppose you have no choice but to consult your superiors, right? Or maybe just pretend you didn't hear anything."
After all, the only one who asserted that the spheres were telepaths was Kugi. And the only ones aware of that possibility were the three of us.
"I'll think about what to do... For now, please do not reveal this matter to anyone else."
Capt. Serena hung her head and let out a sigh that was as heavy as a black hole. I sympathized with her plight, but this stuff really doesn't have anything to do with me. No matter what the opponent's circumstances were, if they ever attack me with the intent to kill, I'm going to do everything necessary to protect myself.
Well, I'm sure she'll be able to temporarily forget about her troubles after drinking a bit more. Probably.