Tina suddenly started crying, and I couldn’t help but hold my head in my hands. I looked at Elma and the others for help, but they shook their heads, made some signals with their hands, and bowed their heads. You mean I should do something about it? I see… Well, I was the one who made her cry… Wait, was it me…?
“Tina has been emotionally unstable since she came to this colony. It’s terrible for her.”
Scratching my head, I got up from my seat and sat next to Tina, patting her on the back.
“Big Bro… sorry for being so selfish… Uweeeh…”
“Yes, yes… I don’t mind….”
Tina clung to me and cried. I felt guilty when I saw her crying… she was always a big drinker, drinking alcohol to the point that she might easily burst into flames if she ignites. This girl.
“Don’t cry so much. I’m not mad at you.”
When I told her that, she cried even more. I think the best thing to do is to pat her back and keep quiet until she stops crying.
☆★☆
“Good work.”
“Yeah.”
I left Tina, who went to sleep not because she was tired of crying but because her eyes were a little swollen from crying, in Wiska’s care, and Elma and the others greeted me when I came back to the cafeteria.
“It’s not easy being a man of many shades, is it?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, but… I’m starving.”
Shrugging at Linda’s words, I shoveled my cold dinner into my mouth. Even Tetsuzin’s cooking would be a little less good if it was left to cool down like this. I would still eat it, though. It would be a waste not to.
“Actually, is it possible for Aylia to become the wife of an influential nobleman?”
“He’s a young man and only a little older than her… I think he’s going to be fine, but what do you think about it, Elma-san, as the daughter of a Viscount?”
“Why are you asking me that? I’m a rebel who ran away from the Viscount’s house by myself to become a mercenary.”
“What… So Elma-san is a noble… Eh? Really?”
“It’s true. She has a big house in the capital.”
Mimi opened her arms wide to express the size of the house. That sounded big, I guess.
“It’s not that big…the Black Lotus is much bigger. So, what’s the real question? Well, it doesn’t matter. Of course, something has to be done about the bloodline, but if they declared her to be a bastard child of Quartermaster Baron Reidius, it’s probably no big deal for her to join his side of the family. It might make things difficult for Quartermaster Baron Reidius’ family, but if it meant that he could repay his debt to Hartmut and receive some kind of favor, he would be willing to suffer that much dishonor.”
“Bastard?”
“Bastard is the word for a child that a person of noble status has with a person who is not his or her official spouse.”
“So you are saying that sister Aylia is going to be something like a hidden child of the former representative?”
“That’s what I meant. That would be better than simply adopting her, wouldn’t it? That would bring more ruin to Quartermaster Baron Reidius’s reputation.”
If we say that Aylia was someone he didn’t recognize until she was at her current age, then Elma’s proposition would be plausible to be of use, Quartermaster Baron Reidius’ reputation would be in ruins when set up that way, both inside and outside his family. Well, in a sense, it might actually be a non-issue, since his reputation should have already fallen to nothing more than trash by the time he was removed as the colony’s representative.
“Heh… then what’s a shikushitsu?”
“Well…a shikushitsu is a second or third wife that an aristocrat has in addition to his official wife. In our case, Mimi is the official wife, and me, Kugi, Tina, Wiska, Dr. Shoko, and Mei would be the side wives.”
“…”
I decided to remain silent. I didn’t want to interfere in this matter as far as I’m concerned. My feelings for everyone were equal. Everyone had their own unique qualities, and they were all good.
“Hmmm…”
Linda’s gaze hurts. Yes, I know I’m a scumbag. But I refused to apologize. Now that this had already happened, I intended to continue my mercenary work in a fun way every day in order to make everyone happy.
“I am not familiar with the manners of the Imperial nobility, but will Aylia-sama be able to adapt properly?”
“I’m sure she’ll be able to manage that. When it comes down to it, I’m sure there are plenty of ways to simply inject information directly into the brain.”
If there was technology to pull information out of the brain, there would also be technology to stuff it in. There may even be enhancement surgeries to improve the brain’s processing power.
“Hiro’s way of putting it is a bit extreme, but, well, yes. The empire is not lacking in that kind of technology, and it can be done with a little time. In the extreme, as long as she can get past the bloodline issue, it shouldn’t be too difficult for the two to be together. The rest is up to them, no?”
“It’s up to them, huh… what do you think Aylia will do…”
“I don’t know what she’s going to do. But a commoner woman being bewitched by a noble prince is a development often seen in holo-novels and dramas, isn’t it!”
“Indeed. Also, there’s also the bit of a badass mercenary as a partner, isn’t there?”
Linda looked at me after saying so. I was not a badass, just a bit, maybe. I was a mercenary who was well-behaved, pure and righteous. What? Are you telling me that a decent and upright mercenary would not abuse Singing Crystals to destroy a Federation Fleet? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
“Even if Hartmut was in a state of excitement, he’s not going to make a move today or tomorrow. We still have to destroy Bradys warehouses and production facilities, and the pandemic isn’t over yet.”
“Hiro…you…”
“Huh? No, no, no. I’m sure it’s going to be okay!”
It was about time we get rid of the jinx of something actually happening when someone mentioned something they’re worried about!
