The medal awarding ceremony concluded without any issues. This time, there were no members of the imperial family in attendance, so it proceeded quietly. Eh? The medal I received? I was awarded my second Silver Sword Wings Assault Medal. Considering the results, it was expected… Four battleship-class vessels including the flagship, seven cruiser-class ships, twelve destroyers, three corvettes, and eighteen fighters were an exceptional achievement for a small ship. Not only did we surpass the achievements of the other small ships that participated in the battle, we blew them out of the water.

By the way, Elma also destroyed around thirty enemy corvettes and fighters with just the Antlion, so she was awarded the Bronze Sword Wings Assault Medal. She looked composed, but her ears were perked up more than usual, so I think she was happy about it.

「Still, it ended quickly, didn’t it?」

「That’s because of the scandal.」

Serena shrugged her shoulders, on her hand she held a small glass filled with a golden, sparkling drink. Why is there no cola when they have sparkling wine? Why? I don’t understand.

「Scandal?」

「A noble entrusted with territory and with a secure position by His Majesty the Emperor attempted a rebellion. That’s quite a scandal.」

「I see.」

Now that she mentions it, that’s true. As Serena said, the betrayal and treasonous activities of Earl Ixamal House must have severely damaged the authority of the Imperial Family. Fortunately, their plans were thwarted by our intervention before they could be fully realized. When I think that the one who intervened so we were in a position to thwart their plans was that fucking Emperor, it makes me realize once again that he is no ordinary man. As expected of an Emperor who controls thousands of star systems.

「Everything is within His Majesty the Emperor’s grasp, huh?」

「Oh, even someone like you, Hiro, feels the Emperor’s influence?」

「Thinking about how he placed Serena and me in that location, at that time, knowing my bad luck and tendency to get into trouble, it makes sense. Well, it might be a coincidence… but it’s too perfect to be just a coincidence. Both the process and the outcome. Of course, I can’t help but be a bit impressed.」

There must have been something behind those arrangements—whether it was the experience accumulated due to the long history of the Empire or the support of artificial intelligence—but there’s no doubt it was an extraordinary maneuver. When you see something so impressive, there is no other way than to acknowledge it.

「Besides, he even arranged such a great party.」

I said this as I put a piece of roast beef-like dish on my small plate into my mouth. Hmm, delicious. Although it looks like beef, the taste and texture… is this seared bonito? No, well, it’s delicious, but it’s kind of unexpected.

After the awarding ceremony ended, it was party time. Although it was a party, it was in standing buffet style so it didn’t seem particularly high-class. There were more soldiers here than nobles. In addition to the medal ceremony, the aim might be to boost morale by letting us eat and drink delicious food.

「By the way, your crew is very popular.」

「So it seems. Also, I’ve just realized now that there are more female soldiers than I expected.」

「Women are surprisingly suited to be sailors. When you use power armor, the physical strength difference between men and women almost disappears. Although the ratio still leans more towards men.」

「I see. Thanks to that, the girls don’t have to be too tense.」

Mimi and the others, dressed in something similar to military outfits, as well as Dr. Shouko, Tina, and Wiska in their dresses, and Kugi in her exotic shrine maiden outfit, were all chatting happily surrounded by female soldiers. Dr. Shouko, in particular, perhaps due to her being tall and with an outstanding figure, was popular and looked a bit flustered surrounded by female soldiers, which was adorable. Her elegant style combined with her shy reactions made her really popular.

The male soldiers were just glancing sideways at my crew and the female soldiers, not making any moves to approach them. Well, it would take a lot of courage to break into that atmosphere and strike up a conversation.

「I have a general idea of what you’re thinking, but the reason no one’s approaching them is because they know they’re your women, you know?」

「Huh? Why would that stop them? Well, I guess that makes things easier for me.」

「Listen, everyone here was involved in resolving the rebellion, you know? Do you realize how many enemy soldiers you brutally took down on your own while unarmed? Think about it from their perspective. They’d be too terrified to make a move.」

「Eh…? Well, if you put it that way…」

I didn’t keep count of how many I took down, but I definitely killed more than ten or twenty. It might have even exceeded fifty. I don’t think it reached a hundred, though. Let’s see… would I try to make a move on the women of a ruthless mercenary who is able to fight back after being drugged unconscious and fully restrained, and not only fight back but also steal enemy equipment and kill dozens of fully armed soldiers while doing so… Yeah, I wouldn’t dare mess with them either. Absolutely impossible.

「I just hope my reputation doesn’t change in a weird way…」

「Mercenaries are meant to be feared. You’re as odd as ever, aren’t you?」

The one who spoke to me was… who is this big guy? He looks familiar. Oh, I remember now. He’s the head of the Grakkius branch of the Mercenary Guild. His name was…?

「Branch Chief Johannes.」

「Yes, Branch Chief Johannes.」

「You know, you could at least pretend you remembered my name. Well, considering you don’t usually operate out of the Imperial Capital, I suppose it’s understandable.」

Branch Chief Johannes gave a wry smile as he lightly tapped my chest with his fist. I was able to remember him after Serena quietly reminded me of his name, but I must have been too obvious.

「My apologies. If you were a beautiful lady, I’d definitely remember your name.」

「Oh dear. A man who has bedded three noblewomen sure has his priorities set.」

「Still only two. I haven’t touched the third one yet.」

「That sounds like just a matter of time.」

Branch Chief Johannes glanced briefly at Serena as he said this. Serena maintained a composed and aloof expression. Yes, I have already made a move on her. Anyway, it’s probably best to change the subject.

「So, Branch Chief, I didn’t expect to see you here. Chasing after free drinks?」

「You’re the face of our guild, after all. When the face of the guild achieves such remarkable feats and gets awarded, it’s only proper for the branch chief to attend.」

「I see. Well, thank you for your efforts. So, how’s business? Any interesting news?」

「Business is good. To be honest, the response to the documentary covering your daily life has been tremendous.」

「Seriously…?」

「It’s true. Mercenaries were often seen as rough thugs, drunks, addicts, or men who bring women onto their dirty ships and do as they please with them. But your documentary is changing that image. People are starting to see that some mercenaries are clean, celebrity-like, stoic, and gentlemanly.」

「Sure, I do try to maintain a good living environment and take care of the welfare of my crew, but stoic and gentlemanly? That’s not really me.」

The clean and celebrity-like feel is because Mei manages the ship well, and the women, starting with Mimi, voice their opinions about improving the living environment. I just nod along and provide the funds. The stoic and gentlemanly evaluation makes no sense to me. If I have free time, I’m always flirting with everyone.

「No, compared to the average mercenary, you are quite stoic and gentlemanly.」

「Yeah… you’re remarkably stoic. I don’t know about gentlemanly, but at least you don’t indulge in alcohol or drugs, and you don’t force yourself on the women you’ve brought aboard. You don’t cause trouble in the colonies either. From my experience with various mercenaries, you’re incredibly upstanding.」

「Maybe it’s not that I’m special, but that the average mercenary is just that bad?」

「As I said before, the bad behavior I described is the usual behavior of a mercenary. The best thing is that while you live an upstanding life, you’re still merciless to space pirates. You show your good sides that dispel the bad image of mercenaries while maintaining the fearsome image that a mercenary should have. Plus, your documentary, showing your kindness towards women, is really popular. You might not be thrilled about it, but thanks to that, people who never approached the Mercenary Guild are now bringing jobs to us, which is why business is booming. Some mercenaries criticize you as being soft, though…」

「I don’t recall being hassled by any mercenary lately.」

「That’s because you’ve built up a solid track record, and you’re an honorary noble. Plus, you’re too skilled in melee combat.」

「In the end, violence is the best solution. Everything is solved with violence.」

「Well, we are mercenaries.」

Serena gave Johannes and me a cold look as we nodded at each other. What can you do? Mercenaries trade in violence. The strong are respected, and the weak can’t complain about the strong. This is the basic principle in our world. Of course, if things go too far, the guild will intervene.

Well, I had my share of food and drinks, it’s time to retreat.