「……」

「……What is it?」

「Eek!? N-nothing… really?」

「I-I-I certainly have nothing to say?」

The next day, when I returned to the Black Lotus with Mei, Chris and Edeltrud were still there. … As soon as they saw my face, they began to stare intently at me. And when I spoke to them, this was their reaction. They were clearly hiding something, and Edeltrud’s speech was even strange. You didn’t use such stereotypical lady-like language as if from an anime.

「… You showed ‘that’ to them, didn’t you?」

「Boss, why are you asking us?」

「You know what I’m talking about. If someone did record ‘that’ it’s probably you two…」

When I looked at them with an accusatory gaze, both Tina and Wiska started whistling and looking at the ceiling or deliberately averting their eyes. I’m sure the culprits are these two, they’re the only ones who would enjoy recording ‘documentary footage’ of certain activities. I don’t have that kind of hobby, so I never record it. Mei might have, but she’d never show it to anyone. Well, in Mei’s case, whether she records our activities or not, she definitely creates a log. Whether she keeps that log… no, she probably does. Definitely. Because she’s a maid droid.

「Mimi?」

「Uh, um… haha.」

「You’re blatantly trying to laugh it off.」

「Well, it was useful as a reference.」

「Useful as a reference? Isn’t it impossible for you, Elma?」

「Shut up!」

「That hurts…」

Elma looked so serious when she said, ‘It was useful as a reference’ with a straight face, that I had to tease her a little. You don’t have to give me a full-force low kick like that…

I doubt she would have the presence of mind to use what she learned from the video. Elma’s sensitivity is on a whole different level so… well you can imagine the rest.

「My lord.」

「What is it?」

「I wish to strive harder than ever before.」

「I see…」

I didn’t ask Kugi what she meant as she stared at me seriously. It’s fine already. I’m a person who’s mindful of the TPO, to some extent, at least. For now, I need to change the subject of the conversation somehow.

「Ahem, ahem. Let’s set that topic aside for now, okay? I want to discuss our future plans a bit.」

「Future plans?」

「Yeah. We need to plan what we will do after the upcoming award ceremony or whatever it is. Normally, we should visit Marquis Holz’s territory or Earl Dareinwald’s territory, but I’m thinking it could be interesting to visit the Holy Vuelzarus Empire. Alternatively, we could procure a bigger mothership to replace the Black Lotus.」

「H-Hiro-sama…? Are you leaving the Empire…?」

Chris’s eyes widened in shock.

「No, no, I plan to keep the Empire as our main base of operations. I’m just thinking there might be information about my origin in Kugi’s homeland, the Holy Vuelzarus Empire. Plus, I have a bit of interest in psionic abilities. According to Kugi, I might get some VIP treatment there. There might even be psionic-related technology and equipment for our ship that we haven’t seen before.」

「…So, it’s just a temporary stay, and you’ll come back soon?」

「Yes. Think of it as more like a sightseeing trip.」

「I’m relieved… I was worried that perhaps, because of this situation, you had come to dislike us…」

Chris said this while patting her chest in relief.

「Oh, you thought I got fed up with the engagement and the marriage talks and wanted to run away? No, it would be too scummy of me to flee after all this. I wouldn’t do that to you, Chris.」

If things were different and I would only marry Serena, then? I might have run away. If Earl Dareinwald’s House hadn’t been involved in the engagement and marriage talks through Chris, that person might have made some move to control me. If he does something I can’t accept. In that situation, fleeing the country could have been a possible option.

However, from the way Laurenz talks, it doesn’t seem like he would do anything to make an enemy of me. He mentioned that throughout the long history of the Marquis Holz House, there have been records of encounters with individuals who had unusual fates like mine. The nuance was that they understood it would be dangerous to turn me into an enemy.

「I’m very relieved… truly.」

「I’m glad. So, what do you think of this idea, Kugi?」

「Yes, my Lord. If I could invite you to our country, it would be my greatest joy. If that is what you have decided, I will contact our cathedral to prepare for your arrival. Is that okay with you?」

「Ah, we should probably wait until everything is confirmed. Even if we decide to go to the Holy Vuelzarus Empire, it might be better to stop by Earl Dareinwald’s territory first to secure some land in a planetary settlement.」

「Securing land means that your objective will be finally complete, right?」

「Yes, finally.」

We were about to finally get a single-family home with a garden, which had been my short-term goal until now. To gain residency and purchase land in a planetary settlement, you needed first-class citizenship of the Empire. Both Mimi and I were granted first-class citizenship as a reward from the Emperor during our last visit to the Imperial Capital. Elma was born a daughter of a viscount, so she had first-class citizenship from the start. A citizen with first-class citizenship had the right to bring two… no, was it three? I can’t remember, they could bring a certain number of people without first-class citizenship to live in a planetary settlement with them. Therefore, Tina, Wiska, Kugi, Dr. Shouko, and Neve, who didn’t have first-class citizenship, can live in the planetary settlement with us. What about Mei? Since Mei was a maidroid, she was considered my property. You might think it’s strange she was treated that way since mechanical intelligence also holds human (?) rights, but apparently, mechanical intelligence’s rights were a little different in some things.

「I hope it goes smoothly…」

「Wait, is there a problem?」

「There shouldn’t be. We have no issues with citizenship, and if the Earl Dareinwald’s House cooperates, securing land and constructing the structure shouldn’t be a problem. But considering everything that’s happened so far…」

「Don’t jinx it…」

Considering that something might go wrong due to some trouble, I had been trying my best not to jinx it by mentioning it out loud… But it’s entirely possible, given my track record. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that something strange happens and blows up the nearly completed house.

「Are you also planning to replace the mothership?」

「Yeah, It’s a pain to have Elma’s Antlion docked to an external docking port, right? I was thinking of switching to a mothership with a hangar that can accommodate medium-sized ships. Fortunately, we have enough budget.」

We should have enough budget if we trade in the Black Lotus and reuse as many modules as we can. Most of the weapons we have installed should be usable as is.

「I see. I’ll look for a few options that might suit our needs.」

「I’ll leave it to you. It’s better to have professionals make the selection.」

Given that these two used to work for a shipbuilding company, there’s no way they’ll pick something completely unsuitable. Especially since they’ve seen how we operate the Black Lotus firsthand. We haven’t decided what will we do yet, but it’s always a good idea to start considering it now.

As we were discussing this, my small communication device rang. Serena, huh?

「It’s a message from Serena. Apparently, there’s going to be a ceremony three days from now, before noon. It looks like I’ll be receiving another medal. The dress code is semi-formal. I guess the outfit I wore last time should be fine…?」

「Let’s have a new one tailored!」

「That’s a good idea.」

「I agree, it’s better to have a new one made.」

「Yes.」

Mimi, Elma, and Chris all insisted in quick succession that I should have a new outfit tailored. It’s not like we’re short on money, so I don’t mind having one made, but it’s a hassle… Well, if the three of them say so, then I’ll go with it.