Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 57: A Gentleman?

Thankfully, no irregular events occurred while I was on guard duty. Four hours ticked down slowly but peacefully.

I was greatly shaken by the sudden ringing alarm of my terminal, but thankfully, there was nobody around to see my panicked reaction. Otherwise, it’d be a bit embarrassing.

I should’ve lowered the alarm volume first...

Since it was time, I moved toward the cabin and knocked on the door three times, each knock a second apart. It was the pre-arranged signal we had set up to ensure it was me knocking, and not someone else.

I repeated the three-knock sequence every ten seconds, until a minute later, when Eva crawled out of the cabin in her spacesuit, her visor down.

{Enough knocking! I know...!} She growled, irritated, before closing the door again.

Only after five minutes did she properly step out of the cabin, now fully equipped in her powered suit. Her scowl was evident, but I was sure it was just her being grumpy about being woken up mid-sleep.

Well, that’s just how things were, so she couldn’t really snap at me for it.

{Wait...} Eva grabbed my shoulder just as I was about to enter, her eyes narrowing. {I’m warning you—the walls are thin. Don’t even think about doing anything you’ll regret later.}

This girl… was she seriously worried I’d "attack" the sleeping Cassandra? I grinned, shaking my head lightly.

"Don’t worry. I won’t." I declared confidently. "If it were you in there, then the story might be different though." I teased before stepping inside, leaving a flabbergasted Eva behind.

Only a few seconds later did she regain her senses, shouting through the comms.

{Don’t you dare fucking mess with me, bastard!!!}

I just shrugged at her outburst. There was no need to tell her that although I was teasing, I was slightly serious about what I said. Some things were better left shrouded in secrecy.

After crawling through the short passage of the depressurization chamber, I finally entered the main part of the cabin—the sleeping space.

’As expected, it’s like a tent in terms of size… a medium-sized tent.’

Upon entering, to my right, Cassandra was curled up, sleeping on her side, facing the wall. Although I couldn’t see her expression, judging from the relaxed rhythm of her breathing, she was still asleep.

Was she a heavy sleeper? To think she wouldn’t wake up even when Eva was practically roaring through the comms…

Careful not to shake her awake, I crawled to the other sleeping bag and carefully slipped inside. However, it was still warm from Eva’s lingering body heat, and her flowery scent clung to the fabric—a bit too much for my psyche to handle.

I shut my eyes, pushing away certain thoughts and trying to fall asleep, but…

"Dear, are you awake?"

"..."

Cassandra suddenly spoke. I glanced in her direction, but just like before, she was facing away. I couldn’t see her face, nor tell whether she was awake or just sleep-talking.

I kept silent, waiting for her to continue, but she didn’t utter another word after her initial question.

The silence was stifling, with nothing but the sound of our breathing filling the narrow cabin. If this continued, I might be forced to respond, just to disperse the weird atmosphere.

"I… I’m scared..."

Right then, her voice trembled.

"The voice calling for me... What if it’s something that means to harm us? I can’t help but worry… that I’m bringing you and Miss Eva into danger..."

My breath caught in my throat.

It was the first time I had seen the Crazy Princess show such vulnerability—not even after she had entered the Player’s harem.

I was lost for words, unsure of how to comfort her… but did I even need to in the first place?

Turning away, my back now facing hers, I spoke.

"It’s good that you’re thinking about us, but don’t underestimate the two of us, Cassandra," I said firmly, my tone carrying a hint of anger—a trace of intimidation.

"Eva and I know what we’re doing. We’re aware of the dangers. We’re not naïve enough to assume that what’s calling you is 100% a good guy."

Silence returned, but this time, it wasn’t awkward—it was a contemplative stillness.

A few seconds later, Cassandra let out a short scoff.

"You two… are really amazing. You’re so in sync that even your responses are practically the same." She muttered with a sad undertone.

"I guess… I’m just a hindrance to you two’s relationship..."

Taking a deep breath, as if resolving herself, she continued.

"After I return to the Meyers Palace, I’ll make sure you two are rewarded handsomely… And then, I’ll leave you two alone. I can’t drag you any further into my mess..."

The conversation was heading in a weird direction, so I quickly corrected her.

"Eva and I aren’t in that kind of relationship. We’re just an employer and his employee. The same goes for you and me."

I retorted, ensuring my stance was clear.

"And as for dragging us into your mess... it’s too late to back out now. The enemy has already identified us. There’s no way they’d leave us alone, even if you walked away. We’re all in this together."

Cassandra, however, hummed lightly, as if she was shaking her head.

"Don’t worry. Once I’m back in the palace, I’ll ensure you two won’t be targeted by the ones chasing after me any longer."

Her words carried a tangible weight, as if—

"You… Did you realize the identity of the one who wants you dead?" I asked, my tone grave.

Although she didn’t say a word in reply, her silence was loud enough to confirm my doubts—and also clarified some of the backstory that wasn’t revealed in the game.

"As expected, is it your father who’s after your life?"

"...!"

A short gasp escaped her lips as if she hadn’t expected me to guess correctly on the first try. But well, as someone who played TSO’s main story to completion multiple times, I suppose connecting a few dots wasn’t too difficult.

In the future, when the Player reached the Meyers System and confronted the Crazy Princess, the King was no longer present. He had already kicked the bucket a long time ago.

Then, there was the Eclipse Sovereign, an EX-Class ship that couldn’t be owned by just any random group—which later ended up in the hands of the Militia.

Finally, there was the backstory about King Meyers and his deep love for his family—to the point of being obsessive.

There were still a few gaps that weren’t included in the game’s backstory, like the exact reason he wanted Cassandra dead. But as a gamer, I could overlook a few details as long as I understood the general flow of the plot.

Anyway, Cassandra remained silent for a good few seconds. She was probably trying to ask how I came to that conclusion—but in the end, she just threw the thought out the window altogether.

"That’s right," she muttered with determination. "As long as I beg Father, in exchange for my life, he should let the two of you go. There should be no repercussions for you later on."

"..."

Here, nodding my head would surely clear us of the immediate danger.

However, that would also mean giving up on Cassandra—who was a pivotal figure in "clearing" this world. In other words, choice was nothing but an illusion for me. My answer had been decided long before she even asked.

"Cassandra, you are a member of my crew, the Knights of Camelot," I explained, my voice flat and matter-of-fact. "And as long as you’re a member of it, I promise that I will use all my power to help you with your troubles."

I shifted in my sleeping bag, turning around to face Cassandra. To my surprise, she had already turned in my direction as well, her blue eyes blurred by a waterfall of tears.

Although I wasn’t sure why she was crying or what was on her mind, I extended a finger and wiped away her tears.

"And don’t think it’ll be easy to leave my mercenary band. I’ll make sure you stay with us until all your troubles are dealt with!" I declared, flashing a cheeky grin. "So don’t cry. We’re your allies, until the end."

With my hand resting against her cheek and my thumb moving to dry her tears, I could feel her face grow warmer as she blushed.

The next moment, she pulled herself deeper into her sleeping bag, hiding half her face and escaping from my hand. Just from a glance, I could tell she was embarrassed, but for what reason, I wasn’t too sure.

"T-Thank you, Arthur..." she mumbled. "But… any more than this is bad for my heart. I-I’ll just go to sleep. Good night...!"

And as if escaping, she twisted her body around once more, leaving me staring at her back. I smiled lightly before doing the same, turning in the opposite direction.

’... It went well.’ I thought. ’She didn’t even suspect that I just stole the Player’s lines from the game.’

I had been worried when she first realized I used the same line as Eva. After all, that line was only supposed to appear when Cassandra—the Crazy Princess—was halfway through becoming the Player’s ally. Eva used her line way too early, plot-wise!

’The plot’s too messed up now... I wonder if this is an isolated case or if it’ll trigger a butterfly effect and mess everything up later on.’

Although the idea worried me, I couldn’t do anything to correct the plot’s course right now. I was still too weak to even influence the major events that were supposed to happen.

’Three… no, after claiming four more End-Game rated modules and weapons, I’m sure...!’

To be specific, I need that one module that enables us to travel around more freely ASAP—something I can get as long as I put my heart into it.

However, even if I tried to rush it, gathering that many End-Game items would take at least ten years. For now, I could only slowly build up strength… until the right time came.

’Well, first we need to get out of this dimension and return to the real universe before anything else.’

And to do that—while ensuring everyone’s survival—I needed sufficient rest.

I closed my eyes, steadied my breathing, and began counting the seconds—four seconds inhale, seven seconds hold, eight seconds slow, whistling exhale—a form of meditative breathing I used to fall asleep quickly.

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And just like that, soon after, I entered the land of dreams.