What's next?

Unable to resist the unexpected crew member's demands, Shinnosuke reluctantly agreed to take Milina on as an apprentice.

"From today onward, I shall be joining your crew. As an inexperienced apprentice, please assign me any chores—cleaning or whatever you need. But since I'm completely unfamiliar with the ways of the world, please don't hesitate to tell me what to do."

With that, Milina bowed politely to Marks and Seira.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Marks. Please take care of me."

"Seira here. Please look after me."

Though unexpected, Marks and Seira had surprisingly accepted them without hesitation.

"Both of you are taking this very casually."

Sinnosuke, who had just hired them, now conveniently forgetting his own role.

"What can I say? It was Master who hired Milina. I'd already predicted that Master wouldn't be able to refuse once Milina arrived."

"I assumed that once Milina arrived, I'd naturally become part of Cerberus. I know it's odd for me to say this, but Shinnosuke can never refuse a request from a woman."

Shinosuke, taken aback by the unexpected assessment from Marks and Celia, could not argue—after all, it was true that Milina had outmaneuvered him.

In any case, since Milina was being hired as crew, there were formalities that had to be completed.

Shinnosuke decided to head to the guild with Milina and Celia.

While completing Milina's registration, he also planned to look into finding her a new job.

"Oh, Shinnosuke-san, and Milina-san?... So it really did happen, after all."

Lina immediately understood everything upon seeing Shinnosuke and Milina.

"What do you mean?... Surely not!"

"No, I didn't do anything. I did ask Milina if ShinnoSuke was recruiting crew members, but I only explained, 'He probably isn't recruiting, but why don't you ask him directly?'"

Indeed, Lina had been involved in this all along.

Like Marks and Seira, Lina must have anticipated this outcome.

"Yes, here is Milina's registration certificate as an apprentice pilot."

Lina, proceeding with the registration process as smoothly as if she had prepared for it all along, issuing the certificate without delay.

Yet, now that things have come to this, there was no point in speculating further.

With half resignation, half escape from reality, Shinnosuke stopped pondering deeply.

Now that Milina’s registration formalities were complete, Shinnosuke decided to reconsider his next task, his eyes catching on one item from the list of requests posted by the guild.

"Convoy escort... The client is Langlord Trading Company, transporting two large cargo ships and six medium cargo ships to the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth. Two escort vessels for the convoy...?"

Typically, for a standard escort mission, one escort vessel is standard for two or three target ships. With eight target vessels, three escort vessels would be ideal.

However, Langlord Trading Company is only requesting two escort vessels.

The reward per vessel is higher than market rate, but requesting only two escort ships for a mission that requires three is clearly cutting corners on costs.

I thought no ordinary escort captain would take on such a request, yet one escort ship has already accepted the job.

"Escort Ship Beetle, Andy? You're kidding me!"

To my surprise, Andy had accepted the assignment.

Anyone else accepting this request would clearly be taking a huge risk.

Upon checking the request conditions, the reward amount was determined by the merchant class being escorted, with lower-class merchants offering a higher bonus rate.

It seemed unlikely that Andy, who had only just become a guard ship pilot, would jump at such a reward—yet given Andy's personality, that thought was hard to dismiss.

Seyra, who seemed to share the same thought, looked at Shinosuke as if trying to convey something.

"This request feels off. Why go so far to cut costs on convoy escort? With a fleet this large, if pirates attacked even once, the damage would be catastrophic. Isn't it better to spend a little more to hire a superior escort vessel? You shouldn't skimp on expenses meant for safety."

Milena's concern is valid, but in fact, there's more to this escort request than meets the eye.

"This is typical of Langrode Shipping's tactics. Unlike escort vessels, merchant ships are insured, so they reduce escort costs by thoroughly insuring the cargo ships and their freight. If pirates don't attack, that's ideal. But if pirates do attack and things go badly, the crew abandons the ship and escapes using lifeboats. True space pirates don't target escape shuttles. So even if pirates seize the ship or cargo, Langrode Shipping is considered a complete victim and receives insurance payouts. Depending on the premium, they might even turn a profit."

After hearing Shinnosuke's explanation, Milena grimaces.

"Disgusting. To be honest, he's a scoundrel."

"I understand Milena's feelings, but it's not entirely fair to say that Langrode's methods are wrong. They're known as a ruthless company that doesn't hesitate to use any means to make a profit, but that's not necessarily illegal, and surprisingly, their reputation among customers isn't bad at all. After all, if their customer feedback were truly poor, they wouldn't be able to survive in business. The fact that Langrode has grown to its current size suggests that this is simply how they operate as merchants."

Whether it's Langrode Company or Layered Company, regardless of their merits or flaws, they've both established a solid position as merchants.

Milena looks unconvinced, but seems to understand Shinosuke's explanation, saying nothing further.

However, while she can accept Langrode's methods, she still can't make peace with what happened to Andy and the others.

No matter what kind of work a free merchant takes on or what the outcome may be, it's entirely their own responsibility—Shinosuke has no right to interfere. But asking about the circumstances, that's perfectly acceptable.

Shinosuke decided to test things by asking Lina directly.

"What? The circumstances behind Andy and the others taking the job? That was Andy's own decision."

Her reply was blunt and straightforward. But after glancing around to make sure no one was listening, Lina lowered her voice.

"That said, there are circumstances involved. Even so, it's ultimately Andy's responsibility. The truth is, Andy actually owes money to the Ranglode Company."

Apparently, after training, Andy had immediately tried to consult the union about acquiring an anti-aircraft gun, but his budget wasn't sufficient to buy a new one outright.

That's when the Ranglode Company stepped in.

The Ranglode Company, which also deals in weapons, offered Andy a discounted loan of their stock of anti-aircraft guns, and Andy eagerly accepted.

"I couldn't refuse the escort mission, since they'd already lent me the weapon..."

"That is indeed Andy's own responsibility. However..."

It was Shinnosuke who had advised Andy to upgrade the anti-aircraft gun on his escort ship, Beetle.

It is Andy's own responsibility, of course—but there's still something bothering me.

"We've secured a cheap escort vessel and are waiting to accept one more job. But experienced sailors rarely take on such work, so if no one steps forward at the last minute, we're planning to pull in a sailor whom Andy's already done a favor for."

I see. The escort request has been made, but everything seems to be accounted for already.

At that moment, Seira tugged on Shinosuke's sleeve.

"Um, I know this sounds incredibly bold, but I've obtained my crew certification and officially become a member of the Cerberus. So, isn't it fine for me to have an opinion on the job?"

"Of course. I'll make the final decision, but I'll listen if you have something to say."

I had a general idea of what Ceyla was trying to say.

"Um, is it really not possible to accept the request from the Ranglode Company...?"

Milena's eyes lit up at Ceyla's suggestion, but she refrained from speaking further—perhaps mindful of her position as an apprentice.

"Sending eight ships under our protection with Andy, who lacks experience, would be far too dangerous. Are you still certain you want to take it on?"

...Honestly, I'm scared too, but I can't stop thinking about Andy and the others... I fully understand that it's Andy's responsibility since he accepted the request. But if I may be so bold, I truly believe that if Shinnosuke is in charge, we might just pull through. Plus, there's Orion in the convoy as well...

Orion, the cargo ship of the Langrode Company, was the very first ship Seira ever escorted during her initial assignment.

Even though it belongs to another merchant, it clearly holds special meaning for Seira.

Mireina remains silent, but naturally stands beside Seira, watching Shinnosuke.

Meanwhile, Rina has already begun operating her terminal, preparing to accept requests at any time.

Shinosuke lets out a sigh.

"Hah... If we take on this job, it's also our own responsibility, isn't it?"

"Yes! I... think I understand that."

In the end, Shinosuke decided to accept the convoy escort mission.