Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 35: Return and Award
Today—the 27th Day of the 6th Month, Year 580 of the Yezra Unified Calendar—we finally returned safely to the Calumet Star System.
Looking back, it had taken us nine galactic days to reach the black hole sector, but twelve to make it back. The reason? Well, you probably already guessed—Eva’s "MC Correction" was in full effect.
Despite the fleet’s size, pirates weren’t deterred. After being petrified for so long, most ships looked battered, giving the impression of a ragtag assembly of derelict vessels—an easy target for big-time space raiders.
Of course, appearances were deceiving. These ships still belonged to the Militia, no matter how battered they looked. Even in their poor state, they were more than capable of tearing through any opposition—pirates or whatever. Even though the enemy also had Leviathan-class vessels, the crossfire lasted no more than a few hours before the pirates were reduced to drifting debris.
The return of Major Terrence and his fleet—despite heavy losses—was cause for celebration. Upon our arrival, the entire Narlia Commercial Hub erupted into festivities. But that wasn’t all.
"In recognition of their bravery—venturing into an uncharted corner of space in search of us, and even escorting us to safety against both aliens and pirates—we proudly present these Diamond Wing Medals of Honor to our saviors, Arthur Grail and Eva Beastol!"
As promised, an award ceremony was held the moment we returned. Though we had merely followed the quest directives—and ultimately failed to bring everyone back—we were still being honored for our efforts.
Eva and I stood at the center of the stage, dressed pompously for the occasion. The sea of eyes in the audience and the relentless flashing of cameras made the situation extremely uncomfortable.
"Thank you for saving my father, Sir Arthur."
But the soft voice of the woman pinning the medal to my chest—Mercy Greenwood—made me forget all about the noise around. As she finished, she placed a hand on my shoulder, leaning in close to whisper in my ear.
"After this event, please visit me. I have something to discuss with you."
Then, just as casually, she placed a quick kiss on my cheek.
"Ehe~!" She grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying my flustered reaction.
As expected of the number one receptionist—just her playful smile was enough to make my worries vanish. But before I could fully process what had happened—
"Argh...!"
A sharp pain shot up my foot as Eva stealthily stomped on it.
I turned to my right, glaring at her in silent protest, but she kept her gaze forward, a deep frown on her lips. What was her problem? Was she still sulking over the loot we had to leave behind in that pocket dimension? If so, taking her frustration out on me—in front of everyone—felt a bit uncalled for.
Next, Mercy moved on to Eva, carefully pinning the medal to her chest—before repeating exactly what she had done to me.
She leaned in and whispered something I couldn’t hear. Moments later, Eva’s face turned beet red.
"I-It’s not like that! He’s not my…! Anyway, it’s not what you think!!!"
She flailed in protest, her voice laced with panic.
… Not that I had any idea what she was denying so strongly.
---
Inside one of the private rooms in the Mercenary Union, four people gathered.
Of course, two of them were me and Eva, still dressed in the pompous attire from the award ceremony. When Mercy whispered to me earlier, I had some expectations about this meeting... but I should’ve known better.
The other two in the room were the father-daughter pair, Terrence and Mercy Greenwood.
"Once again, thank you for saving me and my subordinates," Terrence began, his expression warm with a smile. "If not for you, I would have left my daughter alone in this world with nobody to lean on."
I returned his smile, recognizing his attempt to appeal to our emotions. "It’s fine. We were just following your daughter’s request, anyway. And it’s not like we did it for free, right?"
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Just the initial quest reward was already a hefty 10 million credits. Add in the loot we secured on the way back—even after deducting repair costs for the Range Falcon—our total profit easily crossed 100 million. At that point, Mercy’s reward felt weak in comparison.
Mercy, as if reading my thoughts, smiled sweetly and nodded. "Yes, of course. The reward has already been deposited into your account, Sir Arthur. You can check it now if you’d like."
"Then..." I muttered, tapping my personal terminal. A few inputs later, my Mercenary Union profile appeared before me.
[---
Name: Arthur Grail
Mercenary Band Name: Knights of Camelot 〖Expand Members〗
Mercenary Alliance: None
Rank: Bronze (Upgradeable)
Completed Quests: 33 (Bronze), 1 (Silver), 1 (Special)
Account Balance: 228,307,150 Credits 〖Expand History〗
---]
The first thing I noticed—our rank was finally upgradeable. I had almost forgotten about that. As a mercenary, a higher rank meant easier trust-building and, in turn, better contracts. I should handle that later at the reception desk.
Next, I expanded the account history. As expected, Mercy’s quest reward was already in—8.25 million after taxes. There was also the payout from our sold loot, totaling a staggering 220 million.
Half of that would go into our mercenary band’s operating funds and savings. The other half would be split between me and Eva. Factoring in her share, rewards, and hazard pay, she’d be walking away with about 40 million credits. Definitely an unprecedented sum for her.
As for my cut—around 60 million—more than half of it would vanish immediately for the Range Falcon’s repair costs.
Well... I should’ve expected that, given the extensive damage it received. I held back the bitter tears threatening to form and spoke.
"I’ve confirmed the payment. Thank you, Miss Mercy." I gave her a polite nod.
"No, I should be the one thanking you." She smiled, placing a hand over her chest. "If not for your help, my father wouldn’t have returned safely. I offer my gratitude from the bottom of my heart."
The atmosphere was turning amicable again—until Major Terrence cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Now that we’ve settled your rewards, let’s move on to serious matters," he said, his tone shifting. "This concerns the traitors who fired at your ship—the ones aboard the battleship Schneider."
At the mention of the topic, my smile faded.
This was another major deviation from the original plot. Back in the game, all the traitors should have been identified and remained petrified until the fleet returned to the Calumet Star System. Not to mention, the Detonids—those dangerous, exploding aliens—weren’t supposed to be a part of the mission at all. Their presence had forced us into unnecessary danger.
"They weren’t part of the faction I was originally wary of," Major Terrence admitted. "After interrogation, they revealed that they belong to a third group involved in this matter—one that also intended to eliminate me."
He paused for a moment, staring me in the eyes, before revealing the name.
"The Astoria Conglomerate."
"…!"
My breath hitched. Of course, I knew that name—and not only because I’m in Gerard Astoria’s body right now. The Astoria was technically the main villain of the entire TSO’s main story, so hearing that name here wasn’t shocking in itself.
What was shocking, however, was the fact that Major Terrence—a supposed vassal of the Astoria Conglomerate—was now being treated as their elimination target. In the original plot, there was no reason for them to silence him at all!
This was another major divergence from the original plot.
’So many things are changing at once… It’s giving me a headache…’ I mused, frowning.
"Are you fine telling me that?" But first, I needed to get this question out of my system.
Major Terrence knew that I was technically an Astoria, yet he still revealed the identity of the third faction trying to take his life—Gerard’s, or rather, my current family. In short, there was a real possibility that I could report this discovery straight to the Astoria.
"Of course, it’s fine." But his response was, surprisingly, just an amused grin. "If you were part of the ones targeting me, then you could’ve killed me while I was in the medical pod long before we reached here. I’m convinced you’re not part of this plot."
"...I see." I shifted in my seat, fixing my posture. "Then that’s a relief."
After that, Major Terrence and I—with Eva and Mercy listening by the side—talked for a long, long time. As for the topic, well, let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant to hear, but it was mostly things I already knew.
Still, I acted as if I were hearing most of it for the first time, all the way until our talks were done.
---
"I was bored out of my mind..." Eva grumbled as we walked down the hallway. "Your discussion was too long!"
Of course, I could understand where she was coming from. However, she was definitely barking up the wrong tree. "Tell that to Major Terrence, not me."
Like her, I had mostly been listening too. Although I had to speak occasionally, trying to "guide" his thoughts without leaking too much about future events. As the old saying goes, some things are better left unsaid. Giving him too much information now would only backfire and potentially worsen the situation.
Anyway, our plan for now was to check out the Range Falcon before using Eva’s Hunter Frigate to visit the next key point for the main quest. But then, suddenly, I noticed an anomaly along the way.
The crowd of passersby parted mysteriously. At first, I thought they were giving way to us—the recipients of the Diamond Wing Medal of Honor—until I noticed the figure walking from the other end.
A woman walking with grace, like some royalty, with a sweet smile on her pale pink lips. Golden hair, curled into perfect ringlets. Piercing blue eyes, clear as sapphire. And an incredibly enticing figure that no man would dare call unattractive.
"N-No way..." I gasped, realizing who the person was.
But the problem was—she wasn’t supposed to appear until the 13th Chapter! I rubbed my eyes, but it wasn’t a hallucination. With trepidation, I muttered the fearful nickname that most TSO players dreaded.
’Why is the Crazy Princess here?!’
