For now, a moment to breathe

At the same time that Shinosuke successfully completed his first assignment.

A new fleet commander arrived at the headquarters of the 2nd Fleet, located in the central colony of the Salius Province.

General Allenval of the Ares Space Force.

At the age of 49, he held the rank of general and was appointed commander of the 2nd Fleet—the backbone of the space fleet. Among a select few who knew him, he was regarded as a peculiar character.

As fleet commander, it was customary for newly assigned ships to greet the incoming commander at their previous base, but Allenbal, arriving with his family, immediately displayed his unconventional nature by traveling on a civilian passenger vessel and reaching the command headquarters via orbital transit systems.

Although he had arrived at the command headquarters in civilian clothes, having used public transportation, he encountered some trouble when the guards challenged his identity, leaving them astonished upon learning who he was. Yet General Allenbal showed no concern whatsoever.

" It's been a while since I've served on a fleet. It really gets the blood pumping. My daughters even said they couldn't believe their father was a fleet commander. "

General Arrenval, chatting casually with Lieutenant Colonel副官 as he changed into his uniform in the command center.

"Before you took over as chief of the Space Force Operations Command, you served as the academy's superintendent, correct? I regretfully missed your lectures— I graduated the year after you arrived."

No, no, my lectures aren't much compared to those of the other faculty members. I used to take pleasure in putting students to sleep. My purpose at the officer school was simply to mark promising young talents with a little spit, leaving the actual student development to the faculty.

Major also wore a微妙ly expression, unsure whether the words were a joke or meant seriously.

As for the commander's rank during his time as principal, it would be Lieutenant Commander Taylor, commander of the first squadron's cruiser fleet, and Lieutenant Commander Zacksman, deputy commander of the aggressive reconnaissance unit.

You're right—there were many others, but they were particularly outstanding. Still, there were other students worth noting. For instance, one student didn't stand out at all in academic or technical subjects, yet excelled in ship operations and fleet command simulations, even putting instructors to the test. I even fought him with a handicap, and I ended up regretting giving him that disadvantage. Of course, since his overall performance wasn't strong, his final evaluation was only 'Good' rather than 'Excellent' or 'Very Good.' I believe he was assigned to the Second Fleet...

While saying such things, Admiral Arranval finished changing and headed toward the conference room where the fleet staff had gathered.

Shin nosuke, having completed his first assignment and now with a clear timeline for repairing Cerberus, was relaxing in the pilot's seat on Cerberus's bridge—(it was the most comfortable place).

Perhaps due to his father's influence as a sailor, Shinosuke had developed a disciplined routine, and his internal clock, shaped by military habits, was remarkably accurate. Even without an alarm, he could wake up precisely at two or three in the morning when needed for some purpose.

Conversely, even when there was nothing in particular to do, he would naturally wake up at six in the morning, leaving him unable to indulge in lazy sleep and left with nothing to do but waste time.

At the central operator station, Marks is checking a message addressed to Shinnosuke.

"A call came from Sai Kou Ji Industry. They said the installation of the Gatling gun will be tomorrow."

Unlike Shinnosuke, Marks doesn't need rest, but moving around aimlessly when there's nothing to do would be inefficient in terms of energy use, so the central operator station has become Marks's usual spot when idle.

"Hmm, got it."

Although the central colony's broadcast was playing on the cockpit monitor, Shinosuke was staring blankly, not really paying attention.

"...Is it that the drink didn't suit your taste?"

Marks spoke without turning around, still checking the monitor's data.

In Shinosuke's hand was the synthetic fruit tea in question.

"Yeah... It's not that I dislike it, but it's just... kind of..."

"A rather unclear thought, isn't it?"

"Hey, don't look so shocked."

"I'm not shocked... not at all..."

Shin nosuke and Marks wasting time on a pointless conversation.

At that moment, an alarm sounded, signaling a visitor at the dock.

"Master, there's a guest arriving."

"Connect them to me."

The monitor in Shin nosuke's view displayed a close-up of Glen's face.

"Hey, Shin nosuke. Got a delivery for you!"

Though taken aback by the unexpected visit without prior notice, Shin nosuke knew the client was important, even if the work had been completed—turning them away wasn't an option.

Nodding subtly, Marks checked the area around the dock gate.

"Three visitors: Glen, Karen, and Alisa. They arrived in a 10-ton cargo vehicle. No suspicious activity around the gate."

"Understood. Open the gate."

Shin nosuke, having been instructed by Marks, disembarked from the ship and greeted Glen and the others.

As soon as the gate opened, Glen grasped Shin nosuke's hand.

"Thanks to you, this time really saved the day! We managed to get the treasure and return safely—all thanks to Shin nosuke!"

Shin nosuke, taken aback by Glen's enthusiasm.

"No, Glen-san, what you've achieved is entirely due to your own efforts. I simply completed the task you entrusted me with."

Glen laughs heartily at Shinnosuke's reply.

"Wahahaha! Still as stiff as ever, Shinnosuke. Anyway, there's no doubt that we'd all have been scattered debris in space without you. No matter what you say, this huge profit this time is all thanks to Shinnosuke!"

He laughs while slapping Shinnosuke's shoulders hard, but to be honest, it hurts a little.

"You're absolutely right, just like Glen said. Even though we were attacked by so many space pirates, Big Bear and Seeker Eye protected us without a single scratch. I still can't believe it. Right, Aliisa?"

"Yes. You risked your own safety to protect us, and we're truly grateful. Thank you so much, Shinnosuke."

Having been praised so much, Shinnosuke knew there was no point in saying anything further—it would only sound awkward. So, reading the mood, he managed the situation with a polite, forced smile.

"Then, I've come to deliver a gift of thanks to Shinnosuke! Karen, Alisa, help me bring it inside."

Following Glen's instruction, Karen guided the cargo wagon parked outside the gate into the dock.

"Shinnosuke-san, I'll borrow the forklift."

Alisa then climbed into the driver's seat of the forklift stationed at the dock for loading operations.

Wait a moment. I've already received the payment for this job.

Shin nosuke, bewildered.

"The down payment is the down payment. What I brought today is just a small token of our gratitude. I would've liked to treat you to a drink, but I'm no good with alcohol, so I can't keep up with you, Shin Nosuke. I'll treat you to a meal later, but the rest of the team is swamped handling the rare metals they brought back. You won't have the chance anytime soon. So, in lieu of that, I brought rare metals instead."

"Wait, what?"

A rare metal instead of treating him to a meal.

Shin nosuke couldn't grasp the situation, as if the conversation was completely off track.

"Hey, this time I reeled in far more than I'd ever expected. I've got over a hundred tons of high-purity rare metals. It's not just enough to cover the request fee—there's more than enough left over to make up for last time's losses. I'm so laughing I can't stop. That's what I mean. So, I'm giving you five tons, Shin nosuke."

"Huh?!"

Behind the increasingly confused Shin nosuke, Karen and Alisa had already begun unloading rare metals from the freight car.

"Hold on, please! Rare metals of high purity are extremely valuable commodities, aren't they? You can't just—"

"Yeah, I originally planned to bring ten tons, but the others—Kalen and the rest—stopped me, saying it'd be too much of a hassle if I showed up with ten tons all at once. I figured Shinosuke would feel awkward too, so I brought half that amount instead—five tons."

I have no idea what to do with five tons of rare metals, even if they were handed to me.

It'd still be a nuisance, and I'd feel obliged to refuse.

"Mr. Marks, where should I put this?"

"I'll open the cargo hold of Cerberus. Please place it there."

Alisa casually loading cargo while Marks accepts it without a word.

"You're not seriously expecting me to carry all this back, are you? Well, even if you did ask, I wouldn't go back on my word. A man can't take back something he's already offered!"

"But such a valuable item..."

Karin chuckles, watching Shinosuke and Glenn's exchange.

"Take it, Shinosuke. It's truly thanks to you that we're safe. And besides, we'll probably be asking you to help us with work from time to time, so consider it a token of our growing friendship."

It wasn't exactly a small token, but given how she put it, Shinosuke couldn't refuse any further.

Besides, with Marks and Alisa steadily advancing their work behind him, he couldn't very well say he'd take it home.

Understood. I'll gladly accept it... but what should I do with a rare metal like this...

Do you have a trading license, Shinosuke?

Yes, I do—E-grade.

"Why don't you try trading it? That rare metal I gave you can be sold here in this colony, but in the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth, you could get a solid price for it. You've only just become a free merchant from a soldier, haven't you? It's experience—give it a try. I don't think you'll lose anything by doing so."

Glen's words made sense, too.

It was true that Shinosuke couldn't just stick to escort duties now that he'd become a free merchant, and if he used the rare metals he'd received as capital, the risks would be lower as well.

"I understand. I'll think about it. By the way, how do you and Glen handle such a large amount of rare metals—over a hundred tons?"

We’ve got our own customers who buy from us directly, so we make a profit on that end. I do hold a trade license, but our ships are built for mining, not transport. Shipping the cargo all the way to the Damura Stellar Federation would require hiring escort vessels too, making it far too risky and troublesome. Honestly, it’s more efficient to just dig for treasure in nearby space regions than waste time on that kind of logistics.

In the end, it seems too risky and impractical for ordinary transport ships to deliver rare metals all the way to the Damura Cluster Republic, unless they're large corporations like Psychoj Company that can organize fleets.

That’s why having armed escort ships reduces the risk significantly.

(Well, might as well give it a try.)

Shin nosuke decided to take on this new challenge.

And thus, Shin nosuke’s day of rest passed by in a flurry of activity.