「Ugh… this is so embarrassing.」
Chris was sulking behind me, burying her face in my back.
「I get how you feel, but still…」
With Chris clinging to my back, I headed towards the dining hall. I had water bottles stocked up in my room, but if I wanted food, I had to go to the dining hall. After everything that happened last night, I'm starving. Oh, and by the way, we did take a quick shower first. You know, to wash off any remnants of last night for both of us.
「Hiro-sama, you seem totally fine…!」
「I'm used to it by now…」
Almost every night, I'm sharing a bed with someone according to the rotation they set up. Waking up with someone, taking a shower together, and then heading to the dining hall has practically become a routine. At this point, I don't even feel embarrassed about it anymore.
「Besides, it's not like hiding away will solve anything, right? Come on, just accept it, Christina.」
「Ugh…」
Dragging a groaning Chris, I enter the dining hall to find Mimi and Kugi already there. It's rare that the others aren't around.
「Ah, good morning! Hiro-sama, and Chris-chan too.」
「Good morning, my Lord. Good morning to you as well, Lady Christina.」
「Morning, you two. Come on, Chris.」
「G-Good morning…」
Returning the lively greetings from Mimi and Kugi, I nudged Chris to do the same, and she reluctantly greeted them back in a tiny voice.
「Well, as you can see, some things happened last night. I'll leave her to you, I'm sure you want to talk a little between yourselves.」
「Yes, leave her to us!」
「Ok, I'm counting on you. By the way, where are Elma and the others?」
「It seems Elma-san and the others were up late last night having a drinking party, so I believe they won't be getting up until around noon, my Lord.」
「Ah… I see.」
Maybe they are trying to be considerate of Chris. If everyone were here to greet her first thing in the morning, it might make her feel awkward and uncomfortable. With just Mimi and Kugi, the interaction would be more gentle, which might be a good choice.
「Lady Christina, are you feeling alright?」
「Y-Yes… I'm fine. It's just that I feel a little unsteady when I walk.」
「I see. In that case, let's go to the infirmary together after breakfast. If we leave it to Dr. Shouko, there will be nothing to worry about.」
Kugi quickly took Chris's hand and began talking to her soothingly. She's subtly using telepathy to help calm Chris down. Others might not notice, but I can tell. Well, it's not a bad thing, so I'll just leave them to it.
「So… how was it?」
「What do you mean, 'how was it'…? There were no problems.」
At the very least, my ribs, spine, and hip bones didn't shatter. I'll keep my thoughts on the actual experience to myself. If you want to know more ask Chris for the details. I'll just say that, as a noble with enhanced physical abilities, her stamina was pretty incredible.
「Anyway, let's eat. Come on, Chris, let's get some food.」
「Yes!」
Chris, who seemed to have regained her composure after talking with Kugi, responded energetically and followed me over to Tetsujin, the automatic cooking machine. After eating, we'll do our usual exercise routine, so I should probably aim to eat just enough to feel satisfied, but not too full.
「…You eat a lot, huh?」
「Ever since I got the body enhancements, my appetite has increased…」
Chris said, looking embarrassed as she glanced down. Her plate was piled high with synthetic meat steaks. Elma is the type to eat a lot in the morning too, but I guess this explains it. Elma had undergone body enhancements as well. Plus, Chris was still in her growth phase. If Tetsujin served her this amount, it must be the right portion for Chris.
「I think having a big appetite is a good thing. It's much better than having a poor appetite.」
「Really?」
「That's what I think. To survive and stay resilient, you've got to eat well. Chris, you might actually be suited to being a mercenary.」
「Me, suited to being a mercenary? Haha, that might not be so bad. If I could throw everything away and do that, it would be wonderful.」
Watching her smile, I couldn't help but think about what kind of role Chris would have played in our mercenary group if things had turned out that way. Considering Chris's physical abilities, reaction speed, and enhanced cognitive processing—attributes befitting a future countess—she could have been the pilot of another combat ship, a role similar to Elma's. With experience, she would become a reliable ally if she learned to fully use her enhanced physical capabilities, and once she learned to wield a sword, she'd be formidable in close combat too.
「Even though that future didn't come to be, I'm still relieved knowing that you'll be protecting the place we call home, Chris.」
「Are you really sure?」
「That's the plan. After some discussion, we decided on building a home on Comatt III.」
「Tell me more, please.」
She was extremely interested. As we ate, I told Chris about the discussions we had among the crew a while back. I told her the reasons why we had decided on Comatt III as the most suitable location to buy our base. Mainly the cost of securing a large piece of land, the availability of food supplies in the vicinity, and the fact that the main authority in the system was Chris giving us access to her connections.
「Of course. Of course, I'll help! Just as you said, on Comatt III, there are many things I can do with my authority.」
As we sipped tea after our meal, Chris was in an exceptionally good mood. It seemed any embarrassment she had about last night's events had completely vanished.
「I'd like to secure a sizable plot of land, enough to at least have a landing pad where Krishna can land. Ideally, it would be large enough for a medium-sized ship to dock, but if we do that, the landing pad might end up taking up more space than the actual building. Also, just in case, I'm thinking of building a heavily fortified underground shelter.」
「There haven't been any large-scale pirate attacks since then, but it's always good to be prepared. I agree with having an underground shelter. As for the landing pad, I can prepare enough land to build one that can accommodate the Black Lotus if you want」
「No, no, maintaining a landing pad for a large ship on private property is too much. If an interstellar terminal capable of handling the Black Lotus gets built nearby in the future, that would be enough. For the house itself, a landing pad for small ships should suffice. The next thing to think about is the design of the house or rather the mansion. That will depend on the size of the land we can secure and, of course, our budget.」
Even though it's a newly developed planet, we're talking about building a mansion that could eventually house dozens of people, so just securing a sufficiently large piece of land might drain all our current savings.
「Acquiring the land is simple. The developed land is all essentially mine—or rather, it's property of Earl Dareinwald House. Since Hiro-sama will be my husband we can get the land for free.」
「Uh, what about taxes?」
「Who would collect taxes from Hiro-sama, a member of Earl Dareinwald House, on land owned by Earl Dareinwald House?」
「Noble privileges are… incredible!」
Seeing the look of genuine confusion on Chris's face I was unable to hide my astonishment. Sure, the Dareinwald House is the one that does the taxing, but is it really okay for them not to tax us just because we are family? I briefly thought about calling in a tax officer, but then I realized that the tax office itself was under Chris's—or rather, the Dareinwald House's—control.
「Uh, is that really legal…?」
「The discretion of how a territorial noble uses their land is recognized under imperial law, in the name of His Majesty the Emperor.」
Chris replied confidently, puffing out her chest with pride. Is that really okay? Is it…? I should probably ask Mei about this later.
「Well, if you say it's okay, Chris, then I'll take you up on your offer… but, uh, please don't do anything that would get us into legal trouble, alright?」
「I won't! What do you take me for, Hiro-sama?」
Chris shot me an exasperated glare, clearly miffed by my doubts.
I mean, Chris seems like the type who would go pretty far if she thought it was for my sake. To be honest, when it comes to this kind of thing, I get the feeling Chris might be even more ruthless than Serena, I'm pretty sure she won't hesitate to do anything if she deems it necessary.
「Then, I'll take full responsibility for securing and selecting the land for our mansion! I'll look for a location that's close to where we plan to build the interstellar terminal in the future, with enough space for the mansion and a landing pad that can at least accommodate Krishna… Oh, and don't worry about the cost. The compensation for the job we asked you to take Captain Hiro, escorting me and my entourage from the Imperial Capital to the Dexer System should cover everything.」
Chris ended the conversation with a broad and radiant smile.
She really has become reliable…