"I really don't feel like doing this..."
"If Master truly isn't agreeable to it, then I shall inform the other party."
"No... I don't feel like doing it, but I don't have any intention of breaking my promise either."
The next day, I headed out to meet with Hartmut along with Mei and some combat bots. It's not like I was intent on participating in the raid. It's just that when I made an appointment with the other party, I was told that all the relevant info would be gathered soon, so I decided to bring an attack force with me just in case.
I had the combat bots and Mei's laser launcher kept at the checkpoint between the upper and lower blocks, then proceeded to the governor's office where Hartmut was.
"Someone like me advising that extremely handsome Hartmut about relationships between men and women? What kind of joke was this? Who the heck am I to offer such advise anyway...?"
"You've built smooth, harmonious, and mutually beneficial relationships with multiple women already, Master. So, aren't you in the lead when it comes to those matters?"
"Isn't that just because everyone is paying so much attention to me with you in the lead, Mei? I'm aware that I'm completely relying on you guys when it comes to our current situation..."
Well, maybe I was a few percent ahead when it comes to moral character, but was I really gonna talk down to Hartmut with merely that as a basis?
"Well, there's no point in worrying about it now. Let's just say hello and get this over with."
It'll be bad for my mentality if I let this matter drag on for too long, and nothing good would come out of that.
"Good day, Lord Hiro. The report should be coming in soon, so please take a seat. I will bring you some tea."
"Thanks."
In any case, Hartmut seemed full of motivation today. I can't exactly put it into words, but... it's like the sparkle in his eyes was different. Morale MAX! Something like that.
"So, what is the matter today? We could have simply exchanged information through holo transmission...?"
"Ah–... I'll cut straight to the point then. It's about Airia."
Hartmut quickly reacted to my words. Please don't suddenly turn expressionless like that. It's hella scary.
"Don't jump to conclusions, okay? I have no intention of declaring her as my woman or anything of the sort. In fact, I'm actually rooting for you, Hartmut."
"...I see? Please elaborate."
Well, he seemed to be willing to listen, at least. But the pressure he's giving off was no joke. His motivation and seriousness were overwhelming.
"First, let me tell you why I decided to get involved in this matter. One of my crew members used to live in this colony and is very close to Airia. Just to be clear, my crew mate is also a woman."
"Please continue."
"Okay. So, in other words, my crewmate was worried about her. You're a viscount's eldest son and the governor of this colony, after all, Hartmut. That's a great burden to Airia who's born a commoner. And you'll also be the one who's gonna be taking care of the orphanage from now on. That's why if you make a demand of her, there's a good chance she'll say yes even if it's not actually in line with her wishes."
"..."
As if digesting my words, Hartmut closed his eyes and got lost in thought for a while.
"Even if that's the case, wouldn't there be no problem as long as I make Lady Airia happy in the end?"
"That's true. Ol' me also think that's the case."
"Ol' me...?"
"Anyway, in the end, that's what it'll come to. As long as everyone is happy, then everything's fine. I truly think that's the case."
As with any story, there are usually ups and downs before reaching a happy ending. Moreover, this wasn't a fictional story but a real-life relationship between a man and a woman. It's definitely not gonna be smooth sailing from beginning to end.
"In the first place, none of this is gonna matter as long as you don't tell Airia how you feel, Hartmut. Telling you not to do so is the same as telling you not to lay a hand on Airia... Or rather, I'm saying these things with the assumption that you hold special feelings for Airia, Hartmut. Anyway, this is more or less the case, right?"
"Pointing that out straight to my face is a bit embarrassing, but... well, that is the case."
Gah! You're a good-looking guy, so don't show me that embarrassed expression! It'll be an absolute joke if I got a reaction from that, dammit.
"By the way, what exactly do you like about her? Her looks?"
"It's true that I was attracted to Lady Airia's lovely appearance, but above all, I was attracted to her integrity, goodness, and strength of will. After you told me about that orphanage facility, I took it upon myself to look into it as well. I was shocked by her virtue and courage. She never abandoned the children even under such dire circumstances, and she still tried to fulfill her duties even if she had to sacrifice herself."
"I see. That's certainly true. If we arrived at the facility even one day later, Airia and the others might have lost their lives. The children were in a better shape though."
All of the adults at the facility, including Airia herself, were in a situation where they were at risk of dying at any moment due to the effects of the pandemic coupled with severe starvation. On the other hand, considering that the children were in a much better condition, there's no doubt that they were given priority when it came to medicine and food instead of the adults. I believe Hartmut's impression of Airia as a virtuous person was more or less true.
"Ah–... Well, anyway. I totally agree that it won't be a problem as long as you make Airia happy in the end, but for the time being, please keep my crew member's concern for Airia in mind as well."
"I understand. After all, the one saying it is none other than you, Lord Hiro. I promise to keep those matters to heart."
"Thanks. And sorry about this."
It must feel unpleasant to be told off like this by a mere acquaintance. Just the fact that he listened to what I had to say with utmost seriousness told you a lot about Hartmut's character. After all, one would normally get offended by something like this.
Afterward, Mei and I returned to the Black Lotus after drinking the tea the maid brought for us.
Eh? Why didn't I join in crushing the remaining Bloodies even though I brought combat bots with me? I get where you're coming from, but Hartmut himself told me that it was his duty as governor to destroy those criminals. He said that he appreciated my kindness, but it would be unreasonable for him to rely on my help.
In any case, putting oneself in harm's way even though there's no reward was pretty dangerous, and there's practically nothing to gain from it too... Well, apart from honing yourself by dancing with death, that is. It's not like raising levels in a game, and it wasn't worth the risk in the end, so I decided to fall back just as Hartmut wanted.
"Ah, welcome back, Hiro-sama! That was pretty fast, wasn't it?"
"It's been decided that I won't be participating in destroying the Bloodies. I've talked with Hartmut already, and the pandemic will probably end soon, so it's about time for us to leave the colony–"
"Boss! How'd it go!?"
"–Ugh!?"
As I was talking to Mimi, who was sitting on a sofa in the break area, Tina heard my voice and jumped out from the dining hall, then charged straight toward me.
"Calm down... I've had a proper talk with Hartmut, and in the end, he told me he'd keep my words in mind and act accordingly. However, he also told me he wanted to make Airia happy, and that he liked Airia not only for her looks but also her virtuous disposition, so I don't think there's a need to worry so much. The rest is up to the two of them."
"Nn... I got it. Thanks, Boss."
"Yer welcome."
I gave Tina headpats. She had to be persuaded quite a bit, but she seemed to understand properly in the end. I guess it's time to say goodbye to this colony. I'll have to send Linda back to Airia as well.
"By the way, what happened to Dr. Shouko? I feel like I haven't seen her at all for the past two days."
"She's holed up in the lab. Shall I call her over?"
"No, it's fine as long as she's okay... Just what is she up to though?"
My curiosity was piqued, so I decided to pay Dr. Shouko a visit at the lab. What on earth was she doing that needed her to shut herself inside the lab for two days straight?
"Dr. Shouko? What are you... Uwah."
"Hm? What's up?"
Dr. Shouko's lab was filled with mushrooms. Well, they weren't growing all over the place, but were instead properly stored inside individual cases, but there were a lot of those cases. There weren't just ten or twenty of them.
"What's up with this?"
"Oh, this? I wondered if it was possible to breed these pathogenic mushrooms and make them harmless. I went through a lot of trial and error. I was able to create a specific vaccine for curing humans, but if we don't completely eliminate the source of the infection, there will always be a risk of the pandemic erupting again, right? That's why I was tinkering around to see if I could create a strain of mushrooms that would be able to eliminate the pathogenic ones."
"I see...? Is it going well?"
"Hmm, let's see. It looks like it'll work, but we'll have to re-contaminate the colony with the new strain. I don't think we'll get permission."
"There's no way that'll go through."
"Yeah, not a chance."
Dr. Shouko guffawed with laughter.
"Well, I've finished designing nanomachines that'll specifically target and purify the pathogen in question, so I suppose we'll just use them instead. Hm. As I thought, it's difficult to control living organisms."
"I see...? Hm? So, what about the pandemic in the colony?"
"I believe things will settle down quickly if we use the special medicine and the purifying nanomachines together. Oh, and I've compiled the data and samples, so I'll leave them to you. I suppose I'll take a shower and go for a nap. Fuaaa..."
After saying so, Dr. Shouko handed me an armful of sturdy-looking containers and left the lab while yawning.
"...Actually, ain't Dr. Shouko the most dangerous person on this ship?"
I was shaking all over as I felt the weight of the containers I received.