Without any particular interference or accidents, the Black Lotus departed from the Imperial Capital and soared into space, where it docked with the Antlion and then headed straight for the Grakkius Secundus Colony. This was to restock supplies before departing from the Grakkius Star System, the Capital Star System.
What? You want to ask why didn't we stock up on supplies at the Imperial Capital? The market prices and distribution in the Imperial Capital were a bit unique. Some goods produced in the capital—like certain foodstuff and agricultural products—were unbelievably cheap, but other goods that had to be imported from outside the star system were significantly more expensive than the market price. Also, there was a lack of supplies that spacefarers like us would use in the first place. That was because the Imperial Capital strictly controlled the entry and exit of starships. There isn't enough demand, so those goods aren't stocked.
That's why, when leaving the Imperial Capital, it was necessary to prepare for the journey at the Grakkius Secundus Colony. Of course, the supplies we had on board the Black Lotus were ample enough that we could depart as is without any issues. But either way, we needed to retrieve Chris's ship and store it on the Black Lotus. Apparently, there's someone staying on that ship, so we can't just leave them behind.
And so, the person staying in Chris's ship joined us at the Black Lotus when we docked at the Grakkius Secundus Colony.
「So you are… I see. My name is Marion. It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Hiro.」
The person waiting in Chris's ship introduced herself and bowed respectfully towards me. She was probably around my age, maybe a little older. A tall, slender woman. She might even be taller than me. Her hair was blonde, like Serena's, but with a slightly different texture. She wore a maid outfit and had an overall unhealthy look—her eyes were shifty, and she had dark circles under them. Is she okay?
「Nice to meet you, Marion-san. You can feel free to call me something more casual. Calling me 'Captain Hiro' every time seems a bit too formal.」
「No, I'm afraid that would not be appropriate for someone who will become Lady Christina's partner in the future. I would prefer if you called me simply Marion, without any honorifics. As Lady Christina's partner, your station is clearly above mine.」
「That may be true, but I haven't even been formally recognized as her fiancé by Earl Dareinwald yet. Until that time comes, I'd like you to accept my suggestion.」
「…Understood.」
Though she seemed somewhat reluctant, Marion-san accepted my proposal. I decided to have the crew guide her while unloading her luggage from their ship. At the same time, I contacted Dr. Shouko, who should currently be conducting medical checks on Chris and Edeltrud.
「Yes? What is it?」
「The woman who just boarded, Marion-san, is one of Chris's attendants. Could you run a medical check on her as soon as possible?」
「Of course, but is there something wrong?」
「I'm not a professional, so I don't want to make assumptions, but she looks quite unwell… I've got Mimi guiding her to her room now, so could you contact Mimi and perform the checks soon?」
「Got it. I'll get in touch right away.」
Dr. Shouko is always quick to respond, which is incredibly helpful. If it turns out that this is just a baseless concern from an amateur's perspective and she's actually perfectly healthy, that would be ideal, but…
「Well, I guess all I can do now is leave it to them.」
Either way, all I can do is give orders… If there's nothing wrong, that's good enough.
☆★☆
「She's extremely sleep-deprived,」
「Sleep-deprived?」
「It seems she's been so worried about Chris-kun that she hasn't been able to sleep much… For now, she's resting.」
「I see… Got it.」
While I was inspecting Chris's ship with the mechanic sisters in the hangar, Dr. Shouko sent back the results of Marion-san's medical check. It's only been a few days, yet she's been so worried that she couldn't sleep and ended up in poor health. It seems like she might need some proper mental care.
「What's up? Ya lookin' a bit beat, huh?」
「Don't worry about it. It's nothing serious.」
Tina noticed my sigh so she asked a little worried, but I quickly tried to dispel her worries. This isn't really a problem that I need to get heavily involved in. Once she understands the situation, Chris will probably handle it herself. I'll just make sure to let Chris know later.
「So, um… about Chris's ship.」
「It's a high-speed, small-class ship from two generations ago, made by Ideal. From the outside, don't look like there's anythin' weird or outta the ordinary.」
「We can't exactly check the interior, after all. It's probably a decommissioned ship from the Imperial Space Force, so I imagine it's got decent performance.」
「I'm not planning to use it for combat, but… It's a little underwhelming for a ship used by the next Countess for official business. I've seen Earl Dareinwald's fleet before, and their equipment looked pretty outdated as well.」
「I wouldn't know much 'bout that, but back when we were in the Comatt Star System, didn't seem like they had much of a military presence or anythin'.」
If Chris and I end up getting married, and if I eventually get involved in maintaining security in Count Dareinwald's territory, this could become a significant issue. Well, this ship does have some decent equipment on board, giving it better combat capabilities than a typical pirate ship.
Hmm, I doubt I could just decide on my own to upgrade all of Earl Dareinwald's warships to the latest models. It might be a good idea to think about some alternatives.
「Alright, I get it. Go ahead with the scans, but don't start any maintenance or modifications without Chris's permission.」
「Gotcha!」
「Understood.」
「Great, I'll leave it to you. I'm going to check on Chris and the others.」
I waved goodbye leaving the hangar after giving instructions to the mechanic sisters.
☆★☆
In any case, the first thing I need to do when we arrive is have a conversation with Earl Dareinwald. I can't simply ask him, 'Please give me your granddaughter.'—more like he's the one taking me. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what he thinks about this whole situation. To be fair, I haven't spoken with Earl Dareinwald that many times.
Given what's happened so far, I doubt he dislikes me, and it doesn't seem like he's outright opposed to my relationship with Chris. If he were against it, he probably wouldn't have offered me the job in the Comatt Star System, and he wouldn't have allowed us to exchange messages or allowed Chris to come alone to the Imperial Capital.
「Anyway, I've been mulling over all these things… but wouldn't it be nice if there was some sort of quick, decisive solution that could just solve everything?」
「I'm grateful you are sharing your worries with me, Captain, but wouldn't Mei or Elma-neesan be better suited to help you?」
「True, but both of them seem pretty busy. You seemed like the only one with some free time, Neve.」
「Captain, do you think of me as some sort of pet?」
「???」
「What's with that 'Of course, what else would you be?' look? Maybe I should bite you to show how much of a pet I am. Not that I can right now.」
Neve threatened me while using her pod to bump into my knee. Can you stop doing that? It's surprisingly painful.
「Well, joking aside, there's really no one else with free time except you, Neve.」
Mimi, Elma, and Kugi are busy preparing rooms for Chris and her two attendants, helping with unpacking, and arranging supplies. The mechanic sisters are running around conducting various checks and securing materials for departure. Dr. Shouko is looking after Marion-san. And Mei may be able to multitask no matter what she's doing, but I know she's busy, so I don't want to bother her.
「I'd like to be assigned some work soon, I'm also part of the crew.」
「At least wait until you can walk around freely on your own before saying stuff like that.」
It was only recently that Neve gained some mobility by using something like a floating wheelchair —more like a self-sustaining medical pod. Even at the moment, her body is still undergoing treatment under Dr. Shouko's care, so taking on any work would be impossible in her current state. Although, given her strengths lay in electronic warfare, hacking, and cracking, it's questionable how much work she can do in times of peace.
「Well, for now, think of yourself as the one in charge of hearing the crew's problems or a consultant.」
「You don't have to dress it up, that's the same role a pet does. I don't mind being a pet. Maybe I should start introducing myself as your beloved pet, saying something like, 'I'm the Captain's little pussy, meow!'」
「Please don't. That would ruin my reputation.」
Neve's appearance, thanks to Dr. Shouko's care and the grooming of the girls, was that of a genuinely delicate and charming young girl. If she introduced herself like that, it would likely deal a fatal blow to my social standing.
「Well, things will turn out how they turn out. If you'd like, I can look into the Dareinwald House.」
「Please do. But don't take any unnecessary risks.」
「Don't worry. Mei is keeping an eye on me.」
If Mei looks after her it should be fine. Mei should have control over Neve's network access, after all. Still, I'm beginning to think that maybe we are overworking Mei too much. Maybe I should consider an upgrade for her.
「I just hope we can wrap up the discussion or negotiation with Earl Dareinwald peacefully and head off to the Holy Vuelzarus Empire soon…」
「From what I've heard, it's probably impossible.」
「Why would you say that?」
I was struck by the realization that even the newest member of the crew, Neve, had given up on the idea of our journey being a peaceful one. Who did she hear that from, anyway? Could be anyone, they'd all say the same thing. Yeah, that makes sense. And they're probably right, too.
「This is going to be a pain for sure…」
「I'm actually looking forward to it a little, Captain.」
Seeing Neve's smirk, I couldn't help but think, 'Enjoy it while you can', as I glanced up at the ceiling, resigned to whatever chaos awaited us next.