I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary - Chapter 491: 「Pretend the Conversation Never Happened?」

「Whoa, that’s huge…」

「Wow…」

「What a magnificent mansion…」

Upon arriving at the Earl Dareinwald’s estate, we were completely in awe of its grandeur. It was enormous—truly massive. The garden was excessively vast, and the mansion visible in the distance was equally impressive. The building wasn’t particularly tall, but it was quite wide and deep. Just how big is the entire estate, including the garden?

「What an incredible garden… It must take a lot of effort to manage all these plants.」

「It’s an incredibly lavish use of space… Imperial nobles sure know how to live.」

A person who seemed to be a butler guided us through the gates and onto a ridiculously large vehicle resembling a golf cart, which then took us towards the mansion in the distance. This garden is just too big; it would probably take a good twenty to thirty minutes to walk across it.

「That mansion is huge too. It must be a pain to clean. But I don’t see any bots around?」

「They deliberately maintain everything manually to create employment.」

Dr. Shouko, Neve, Kugi, and Mei were all sharing their thoughts on the garden and the mansion as we went along. I always thought about building a house with a garden back on the ground, but this… This far exceeds anything I had in mind. I want something a bit more modest, more manageable.

Even so, I don’t really know how large my family will be in the future. Chris and Serena probably wouldn’t live in the house I was going to build, but even so, we would still have around ten people living there. And if we consider the possibility of having children… Yeah, even if it doesn’t need to be as big as this, the house will still need to be quite spacious.

Considering everything that had happened so far, I also had to account for the possibility of more people joining us in the future. After all, we recently took Neve in as well.

Wouldn’t everything be resolved if I restrained myself a little more? Sure, that’s true, but does that mean I should have abandoned Mimi, Elma, and Neve? I don’t think so. The same applies to Mei, Tina, Wiska, and Kugi, could I have just ignored their situations and brushed them off? Again, I don’t think so.

As for Dr. Shouko, it wasn’t like there was an urgent need, but I’d always thought we needed a ship doctor.

Linda? Who knows what will happen with Linda in three years. She doesn’t count for now.

I did my best to avoid getting too deeply involved with Serena, but despite my efforts from our first meeting up until the last moment things still ended up like this. As for Chris, avoiding her was almost impossible, I think. Not that I’m complaining about it—far from it—but it does bother me to be seen as some kind of unprincipled person.

Yes, it’s a false accusation.

「To think of making such a shameless, promiscuous fake nobleman, who keeps so many women around him, the companion of Lady Christina is absolutely outrageous! I am firmly against it!」

The person vehemently making this declaration, practically spitting as he spokes—or rather, actually spitting—was a middle-aged man. His name was Adolf Bushbaum, Viscount Bushbaum. Among the vassals of Earl Dareinwald, he held the highest rank, and as you can see, he was strongly opposed to my engagement, or rather, my marriage to Chris.

「Viscount Bushbaum, there’s no need to get so worked up. Your behavior could be seen as unbecoming. The person you are rudely pointing at with your finger is also an imperial noble of the same rank as you, a viscount.」

The mature woman elegantly hiding her mouth with something resembling a folding fan was Baroness Bettina Erztberger. She had yet to express any clear approval or disapproval regarding my becoming Chris’s partner.

「Even though it’s an honorary title, Hiro-dono’s rank was granted by His Majesty the Emperor in recognition of his achievements in saving the lives of many soldiers. To belittle that would be unseemly for a fellow Imperial noble. Moreover, is there any issue with Hiro-dono having relationships with multiple women? The only important matter is that he properly provides an heir with Lady Christina.」

The one reprimanding Viscount Bushbaum in a stern and authoritative tone was Baron Rutger Schnorr. He seemed to be in favor of my relationship with Chris, albeit reluctantly, and had repeatedly rebuked the loudly protesting Viscount Bushbaum.

「Ugh… My lord! Please reconsider!」

With a bulging vein on his forehead, Viscount Bushbaum urged Earl Dareinwald to change his mind, but Earl Dareinwald’s stance was firm.

「Captain Hiro will be welcomed as Christina’s partner. This is a settled matter.」

「If we do that under these circumstances, we will be seen as entering Marquis Holz’s faction! Please, reconsider!」

「Adolf, I understand your concerns well. However, there is still plenty of time before Christina will be in a position to lead House Dareinwald. Until then, we, the adults, can pave the way and guide her on how to walk it. Isn’t that right?」

「I… understand. If you insist, my lord.」

A heartfelt, if somewhat overwrought, display of loyalty between a lord and his vassal was unfolding before my eyes. Why do I feel like I am being left out of the conversation? Well, the lack of knowledge on my part doesn’t help; the only things I know about them are the names and titles I’ve just heard. I don’t know which star systems they govern or what roles they play within the Dareinwald territory. I have no information at all about them.

「And so, how does the future son-in-law intend to contribute to the Dareinwald territory after marrying Lady Christina?」

Oh, I was zoning out for a moment there, and now Baroness Erztberger is directing her question at me.

「At this point, it’s difficult to specify anything concrete. The extent of my personal abilities is limited to dealing with space pirates at best. The connections I possess are also quite limited. I don’t think I have the means to actively direct any significant profits towards the Dareinwald territory.」

My connections mainly include those with Marquis Halls through Serena, and informally, with His Majesty the Emperor through Mimi. I also have a personal connection with the elves governing the Refill Star System.

「Realistically speaking, contributing to maintaining public order within the Dareinwald territory in a military capacity is the most I can offer right now. I was the one who initially established anti-space pirate tactics for the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet. Given the accomplishments of the fleet under Serena’s command, I think that contributing in my area of expertise would be the most realistic option.」

In fact, the reputation of the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet led by Serena was well-known throughout the Empire. Of course, part of that was thanks to propaganda aimed at boosting the popularity of the Imperial Space Navy, but the numbers of pirate ships destroyed and pirate bases neutralized by them have not been exaggerated—at least according to Serena. So, my involvement in the fleet’s formation should be fairly recognized.

「I do hope to contribute to improving the security level of the Dareinwald territory. Of course, that doesn’t mean I can solely dedicate myself to tasks within the territory.」

「Hmph? Are you saying that even after marrying Lady Christina, you intend to continue wandering across the Empire and beyond as a mercenary? Do you really think such behavior would be acceptable?」

「If it’s not acceptable, then that’s the end of the discussion. I will pretend this whole conversation never happened.」

When I said this, Viscount Bushbaum, who had been antagonizing me, froze, his eyes wide in disbelief.

「Pretend the conversation never happened?」

「I’m saying that if my activities as a mercenary are going to be restricted, then I will have to decline the engagement.」

At my declaration, Viscount Bushbaum’s face turned a furious shade of dark red. Baroness Erztberger hid her mouth behind her fan, and Baron Schnorr tightened his lips into a firm line. Earl Dareinwald’s expression remained unchanged, while Chris looked on anxiously, clearly concerned about how things were unfolding.

I feel bad for Chris, but I can’t compromise on this. I can’t abandon my identity, and I don’t want to just gloss over this point. This is the moment of truth.