I just received a notification on my smartphone that a war between Brefilmora Prime and the Space Octopus Confederation has started, so I rush back to Tortilla Double.
The ones who stayed back here are chatting as they watch the monitor.
“I’m back. I hurried back, but was there no reason to rush?”
“Welcome back. Yes, we’re not involved.”
“We should perhaps run away quickly if it looks dangerous. It is a perk of not having a permanent residence.”
“But it is also a chance to earn money.”
Kori and Vasilisa move over to Suzuri’s side, and their cola float and octopus legs start tapping and wrapping around her. Is this a negotiation over the storage magic items!? Ah, Saratha is also coiling her tail around Suzuri’s legs.
“A chance to make money…”
“Brefilmora Prime’s colony was attacked first, so it is a defensive battle. If you were to attack the enemy’s base, it would not violate your principles of sticking to defensive battles, correct?”
“I would like to refrain from commenting.”
I’m not opposed to wanting to get back at them for destroying a colony, but I just got dragged into it.
“What’s the situation like? What are mercenaries and civilians being told?”
According to Iris, space octopuses are divided into two groups. One is like cattle, and the other is composed of ones like workers and leaders.
Were the octopuses in the colony divided like that? Then again, I’ve heard that some races can’t tell domesticated orcs, wild goblins, and citizen walkers apart.
Domesticated orcs…
So the space octopuses attacked Lumomo Fourth. They didn’t contact them or issue a declaration of war, because they don’t speak the same language. Apparently they saw it as an attack on primitives anyway.
The attack was repelled, and then somehow an alien appeared that can communicate in the same wavelength. Apparently it connected to the super FTL communications device made from a magic stone of a giant octopus.
Mechanical intelligence worked hard on translating, and it took twenty hours for them to be able to talk. Negotiations broke down immediately, because they said the reason for the colony battle was that the twenty-eighth prince of the leader octopuses was killed.
And so, they formally declared war. They didn’t see this part directly, so they don’t really understand.
I can’t help but feel like this reminds me of something, but there are plenty of octopuses around.
So the octopuses are attacking because royalty was killed… What now?
“About the transmission from the Space Octopus Confederation. Brefilmora Prime was unwilling to bet on the octopuses not having FTL travel, so they left one destroyer in Lumomo Fourth, and spread the others and frigates in key locations.”
“So a big fleet reached Lumomo Fourth?”
“They are saying it is more like a scouting fleet. Five organic frigate class appeared, and while four corvettes of Lumomo Fourth were downed, they managed to take down the five.”
Frigate class? So between two hundred and one hundred meters?”
“Aren’t those small for octopuses?”
“Hence why they are called a scouting fleet. They are moving a hyperspace catcher to five hundred kilometers away from Lumomo Fourth.”
“Do they have any information on these organic frigates?”
“They said they would not share more information with people uninvolved. Although they welcome the help of a Highway three mercenary.”
I see.
“All right, what stance will the Galactic Credit Union Alliance, the Federation of Star Systems, and the Mercenary Guild take in a situation like this? Will they send reinforcements if they’re asked?”
“The Federation of Star Systems has already been asked, and they are sending a force to end the battle, centered around destroyers. They are on hyperlanes as we speak. The Galactic Credit Union Alliance has established communications with the Space Octopus Confederation, and requested a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. The Mercenary Guild has put out a quest for a defensive battle.”
Hm, the quest in Lumomo Fourth is paying five thousand puni up front with an extra thousand per day. Food cartridges and water are provided every ten days. They are fighting organic spaceships, so they need to record them with ship cameras, and while it depends on the size, each kill is worth at least five hundred puni. The contract is renewed every ten days, and desertion is not allowed.
“The contract pays too little puni. The hexarapid hunt paid ten thousand!”
“Isn’t that because it was an emergency?”
“And they don’t allow salvaging~~~.”
“What about these storage magic items? I could just buy one for myself, but does anyone else want one?”
Everyone raises their hands. Everyone!
“It’s fine, we can afford it.”
“Then we should all go! We must all register our storage magic items!”
We all go to the Mercenary Guild to buy them, return to Tortilla Double, and keep making that rainbow light appear.
“Hahahahaha~!! The light is always so weird~!!”
“My eyes are flashing…”
“This is annoying. The magic energy waves touch my skin too… I’ll only store a gun, no, makeup and accessories too… Doing it to all of them is annoying.”
“Will it all go in together if you put the makeup in a bag… Oh, Vasilisa, is doing that. Isn’t that bad?”
After we’re done and everyone is settled, we move to Lumomo Fourth.
▽▽▽
We exit hyperspace and arrive at Lumomo Fourth. I see two ships I think are destroyers, and over two hundred combat ships.
“There are a lot of them, including destroyers and resupply ships… Are they going to be okay?”
It feels like it isn’t much because I was thinking about there being a thousand, but this is it. Actually, the war just started, so I guess this is about right.
“I think I’m going to accept the request to join the war. Any objections?”
“It’s you darling~. You had a problem~.”
“It’s a big quest, so it will be prestigious for mercenaries.”
“Let us do our best to earn a million and a half, Genma.”
“We’ll only shoot them from behind, so it’s easy.”
“We have a transmission from the Mercenary Guild. They welcome the savior of Lumomo Fourth. Are you accepting it, master?”
Let’s do it. We’re taking part in another kill or be killed war.
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