I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary

right.
I will see you later, Hiro-sama.”

“Understood, Master.”

We’ve already handled Balthazar, so I think it’s fine already, but I’ll have May accompany Chris just in case.
Well, even without May’s escort, there’s still those laser gun and rifle-wielding maids and butlers though.
But I decided to relieve May of her bulky laser launcher and will be bringing it back along with the other equipment.

I checked with the ship personnel if there was still some fighting going on in other sections of the ship, but they confirmed that the enemies have all been eliminated, so I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Man.
I feel exhausted.”

Maybe it’s because we apprehended the ringleader going after Chris, but I couldn’t help but relax my guard.
How do I put it? I just feel kinda drained by this whole fiasco so I couldn’t help but want to finally relax.
I know I should still keep a minimum amount of vigilance, but I couldn’t help it.
I gotta get my act together.

I walked with lumbering steps that attracted the attention of the maid and butler-sans I passed by until I made it back to the hangar.
The escort fighters stationed on the ship started to return as well.

There were units that were pretty much unscathed aside from a few nicks and there were some that were so beat up, it was a wonder how they actually made it back.
The fighter escorts were your standard imperial fighter model.

They sported two mounted multi-cannons and two seeker missile pods on each wing.
They had great speed and maneuverability.
Their armor was virtually paper thin, but nevertheless, they were excellent units overall.

Mercenaries tend to prefer models with greater cruising range and cargo capacity though.
But there were also some mercs who preferred these models instead.
They looked like badass sci-fi fighter planes and were quite cool.

Krishna towered over all of them though, and was pretty conspicuous.
It was classified as a high-speed small combat craft, but its overall size was actually quite close to medium-sized ships.
Its specs and combat abilities was another matter altogether though.

I walked through the hangar, which was busy with mechanics heading to and fro for maintenance and repairs, as well as personnel aiding the injured fighter pilots, and headed back toward Krishna.
Since I was carrying a bulky laser launcher, I had to be careful not to accidentally injure the personnel running around inside the hangar.
They also cleared the way for me, so I managed to pass through without any incident.

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I went up the ramp, went through the hatch, and made it back to Krishna’s cargo bay, where Elma and Mimi were waiting.

“Hiro-sama!”

“I’m back.
Anyway, I’ll get out of my power armor first.”

“Yes!”

Mimi followed after me as I went to park the power armor.
I didn’t really get injured, but she still acted worried.
I went over to the armory and placed the laser launcher back on the weapons rack.
I then tossed the destroyed splitter gun inside the junk box and parked the power armor.

“Puhaaa! Freedom at last!”

“Good work, Hiro-sama!”

I took the towel Mimi handed over and wiped my head to get rid of all the sweat.
The power armor has an air conditioning unit installed, but going through an intense firefight still made me sweat a lot.

“Thanks, Mimi.
Oh, right.
Get a load of these.”

I took down the swords I got as trophies from defeating Balthazar and showed them to Mimi.

“Swords? These are the ones used by nobles, right?”

“Yep.
May and I beat Balthazar up together, and Earl Daleinwald gave them to us as a reward.”

“Can you really obtain these just like that…?”

Mimi displayed a perplexed expression.
Yeah.
I kinda get that.
I was confused about it too.
But there’s no use worrying since I already brought them back anyway.
It looks like they weren’t against me taking them, and May also said it was okay.

“Well, I was reluctant to receive them at first, but they insisted, so…”

“I-I see……”

Mimi switched from being perplexed to being curious.
To Mimi, these swords were the very symbols of nobility.
In other words, they were things only those who ruled above the masses possessed.
In Japan, they are kinda like the badges worn by national diet members, I guess.
Uh, that example might be a little off.
A-Anyway, they are not something your average joe can have.

“Do you want to check them out?”

“Is it okay?”

“Sure.
Here you go.
Oh, and be careful since it’s really sharp.”

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“Yes.”

I handed the short sword to Mimi while I checked out the long sword.

Fumu.
It was surprisingly thinner than I expected.
It was at least thinner than the sword Major Serena had.
But I guess its sharpness was about the same huh.
I haven’t really seen these swords in action apart from today, so I can’t say for sure.
It was double-edged.
The blade wasn’t that wide, and the point was sharp.

I guess they prioritized speed and handling instead of power when they made this huh.
Well, the thickness of the blade doesn’t matter much if they focused on sharpness, so I guess being lightweight and easy to handle is better.

“They look quite grand, don’t they?”

“Really? Hm.
Maybe.”

I exchanged items with Mimi and checked out the short sword next.
This one was thicker compared to the long sword.
It may be just as sharp, but it kinda looked more solid over all.
This wasn’t made for attacking, but defending instead.

“…What are you guys doing over there?”

We turned toward the entrance of the armory and found an exasperated Elma with her hands on her hips.
I held the short sword aloft so she can take a better look at it.

“Do you want to check out the spoils as well?”

“Spoils huh…… Did you receive those from the earl?”

“Yep.
May and I beat up Balthazar and rescued Earl Daleinwald, so he rewarded us with these.”

“You’re talking like it’s no big deal……”

Elma displayed a pondering expression as she eyed the swords.

“Was it bad for me to take them?”

“No, it’s not like that, but…… Well, I guess it’s up to the other party to decide what to make of this.
It’s not like we can do much about a noble’s whims.
Anyway, what about our preparations for tonight’s celebration? Just put away those dangerous-looking things and let’s get to it, you two.
But first, take a shower Hiro.
You stink of sweat.”

“Yes!”

“Okay, I got it.”

I listened to Mama Elma and obediently put away the swords inside the weapon case, then walked out of the cargo bay.
Mimi and Elma stayed to take out the foodstuffs and beverages.
I went for a shower as Elma suggested.

After showering, it’s straight to partying baby!