Reliable Person

[So that's why you ended up reaching out to me huh.]

"That's right, brother-in-law."

When I said those words with a grin on my face, the expression of the

pretty boy on the other side of the screen turned into a grimace.

[I really don't want to be called brother-in-law by the likes of you.]

"Now, now, don't say that. Your cute younger brother-in-law didn't have

anyone else to rely on, so I called a reliable person like you."

[Not cute. You're not cute at all, dammit.]

The name of the pretty boy whose forehead veins were popping out in

vexation on the other side of the screen was Ernst Willrose. He was

Elma's older brother who was residing in the imperial capital.

The Windas star system was a high-tech industrial system located near

the imperial capital, so if one made use of hyperspace comms, one

could easily communicate with people in the capital in real-time. If one

went a little bit further out, long-distance real-time hyperspace

communication would be rendered impossible unless one made use of

the gateway network. Using the gateways would incur really high fees,

so most people rarely used it.

If one wasn't concerned with communicating in real-time, one could

always opt to send messages as holo-message data that will reach the

recipient's data terminal after a number of days, depending on the

distance. One could also send the medium that recorded the holomessage itself. Interstellar communication in this world can also be

quite a hassle sometimes.

[Nonetheless, I suppose helping you out wouldn't be so bad if it ends

up helping Elma as well and keeping her safe… After all, you dying will

definitely make Elma sad.]

"As expected of you, dear brother-in-law. You're really dependable, just

like I thought."

[Can you please stop calling me brother-in… Haah, forget it. In any

case, there really are power armor makers that serve as purveyors to

nobles who mainly use swords to battle.]

"Oh, that's great news."

Basically, the Drawn Sword Faction was a group made up of staunch

traditionalists who continue to pursue their perceived ideal image of a

powerful aristocrat. The sword was the main symbol of the Graccan

Empire nobles, but it was said that good swords needed to be paired

with good armor.

For the Graccan Empire nobles, the sword was a symbol of martial

power while armor was a symbol of financial might. I do remember

something about the aristocratic armor worn by medieval knights back

on Earth being really expensive. Was the situation in this world an

extension of that?

[However, on top of refusing first-time customers, they wouldn't do

business with commoners as well.]

"What absurd business practices."

[However, if you have a letter of introduction in addition to being a

noble yourself, the story will be different.]

"Will my honorary noble title do?"

[Most likely. You are an honorary viscount, you fully displayed your

abilities in that tournament, and even got personally commended by

our dear emperor himself. I'm sure there won't be any problems.]

Brother-in-law Ernst sent some data over while explaining. Apparently,

this was the letter of introduction he was talking about. In addition,

map data showing the location of the shop in question was also

provided. Even if he acts all surly, my dear brother-in-law is actually

very considerate. If I were a girl, I might have fallen for him.

[Their main shop is in the capital, but they do have a branch in the

Windas system as well. There are many aristocratic soldiers over there

after all.]

"Are there actually noble military officers who wear armor while in

combat?"

[There are plenty of realists even in the Drawn Sword Faction. No

matter how one struggles, there are limits to avoiding lethal laser shots

with just one's own body, and once you do get hit, you probably

wouldn't be able to avoid severe injuries. The defensive capacity of

personal energy shields has a limit after all. No matter how strong a

noble is after enhancements, they wouldn't fight while carrying a heavy

power generator on their backs without any mechanical assistance. So

wouldn't it make more sense to use power armor to make full use of

said generator?]

"I… suppose? Yeah, that does make sense."

Should I just give up fighting with swords in the first place? Nah.

Depending on the situation, there are times when swords might be

more effective than a laser gun or rifle.

[Well, you can hash out the details with them later. I am actually quite

busy, so I'll be excusing myself now.]

"Thank you very much for your help, brother-in-law. I owe you one."

[Hmph… If so, then bring Elma and visit the imperial capital from time

to time. Father and Mother will probably be relieved when they see her

as well.]

"I will do my best."

After I saluted him, brother-in-law Ernst sighed audibly and cut off the

call. Now, just what was with that sigh in the end? Well, just as brotherin-law said, it would be nice to pay a visit to the capital from time to

time. We might be called upon by the princess or by that damn emperor

though. But let's just deal with it when it happens. I'm a young man who

knows how to properly repay favors after all.

"Now then… I guess I should call the rest."

By the way, I was all alone in the hotel room right now. Where did the

ladies go, you ask? They went shopping for Kugi's daily necessities.

They felt that she had far too little on her, so they decided to go

shopping for her sake. Well, the mechanic sisters needed to report to

work, so they didn't get to participate in the shopping spree. Being a

company slave sure is harsh.

"And so, I managed to snag a letter of introduction and information

about the shop from brother-in-law."

"Ooh–"

"I was wondering what you were up to, but to think you called my

brother…"

Mimi clapped readily while Elma displayed a bitter smile. It seemed

that the task of buying Kugi's daily necessities was pretty urgent, so

after some considerations, it was decided that I'd stay behind in the

room while they shopped. As for those considerations, they were things

like serving as escorts and mutually looking out for each other, and

covering each other's backs while out and about.

Actually, I haven't completely trusted Kugi yet. The same was true for

Elma and Mei. From yesterday's story, it can be inferred that the Holy

Vuelzarus Empire readily employed psionic technology and techniques,

including powerful mental interference. We weren't sure if Kugi had

such an ability, but if she did, she might attempt to use it on us to mess

with our heads.

Therefore, I decided to let Mei, who was the only one among us who

won't be affected by such a technique, stick together with Kugi. Mei

does have her own sentience and personality, but she doesn't seem to

have a 'spirit' that can be interfered with by psionic techniques.

But on the off-chance that it does work on her after all, Mei had already

performed several self-checks yesterday and even made a memory

back-up just to be sure. So even if she does get subjected to mental

interference, it will be possible for her to recover quickly. Hence, she

was perfect for keeping an eye on Kugi.

Mimi and Elma tagged along because it made sense for Kugi to be

accompanied by other women when shopping for personal effects, and

if she did attempt something, it would be easier for Mei to notice

anything wrong.

Mimi was just too straightforward and honest, so we didn't tell her

though. I feel bad that we're basically having her act as bait, but… if we

confirm that Kugi can be trusted, I'll just have to spill the beans and

make it up to her somehow.

"Are you going to head to that armor smith now, My Lord?"

"I was thinking of doing so."

"I see. I'm looking forward to seeing power armor made by imperial

armor smiths."

While nodding, I took a sip from the contents of a cup made of a plasticlike material I didn't recognize.

The drink had a peculiar taste. It resembled sweet milk tea, but it was

also strangely spicy. I wonder if they actually used spices when making

this? I've never tried it before, but maybe this drink was similar to chai

that's drunk in India.

"H-Hot… Fuu–, fuu–"

Apparently, Kugi was cat-tongued, and she frantically blew on the tea to

cool it down. That's kinda cute man. But fox ears combined with cat's

tongue huh. Interesting.

Mimi kept on glancing toward such a Kugi. She wasn't acting hostile or

suspicious. It felt more like she was troubled about how to best interact

with the other party.

"Alright then. We'll head to the shop after a short rest. I'm feeling up for

some bubuzuke after drinking this though."

"Bubuzuke?"

"It's a dish from my hometown."

And so, I described bubuzuke to the ladies. Well, it might seem strange

to talk about bubuzuke at this time, but it's an easy-to-understand and

feel-good topic after all.

We continued to chat and killed time until the cat-tongued Kugi finally

finished drinking her tea.