To the Duchy of Poloukks

The preparations for departure were complete, and the day had come to set sail for the Duchy of Poloukks. Linah appeared at Shinnosuke's dock.

Despite being on duty, she had taken a personal leave to come see him.

"I'm sorry, I've made Shinnosuke go through something strange because of my selfishness. I'm truly sorry for the trouble I've caused."

While the other crew members continued preparing for departure (Seyla and Milena clearly worried and unable to focus), Rina bowed deeply to ShinnoSuke.

"No, there's nothing for you to apologize for, Rina. Please don't worry about it."

Rina gently raised her head as ShinnoSuke fidgeted in embarrassment, then gave him a warm, familiar smile.

It was Rina's usual smile.

"If you put it that way, I do feel a bit disappointed... Sorry, I wanted to apologize before you left, ShinnoSuke. Even though you say you're not bothered by it, it's my own feelings, and I don't want to regret anything later."

With that, Rina gently handed ShinnoSuke a single card.

"What's this?"

"Please keep it."

The item she handed over was a photo card.

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary metal card, but its surface can display photos and videos.

Although this card can store vast amounts of photos and videos, the one handed to him contains only two photo files.

A photo of Rina in her union uniform and another of her in casual clothes.

It's a bit embarrassing, but I can't go with Shinnosuke-san, so at least... a photo, like a good luck charm. It's sturdy, so in case something happens and Shinnosuke-san gets shot...

No, no, Miss Rina, that's a bit...

Though Lina speaks in grim metaphors, being saved by a talisman she keeps close to her heart would likely violate the unofficial military regulations of the Acneria Army.

Still, it's thoughtful of Rina to go through all this trouble.

Since there was no option to refuse, Shinosuke deliberately placed the card carefully into the inner pocket of his right chest.

Watching the scene from the bridge monitor were Seira and Miliena.

"What an outrage! Even if it's just a photograph, being embraced by Lord Shinosuke—this is a grave, no, a dire situation!"

Seira remained calm in contrast to Miliena's tense demeanor.

"It's fine. Once we set sail, the advantage will be mine. One or two photos—no big deal at all."

Seeing Seira's calm demeanor, Miliena gradually regained her composure.

"That's right. Once we set sail, it'll be me... no, not just me, but us, right?"

Looking at Seira, Miliena received a warm smile in return.

"Just me, Miliena. We're crewmates on the same ship, but that's entirely different."

Miliena forced a strained smile onto her face.

"You seem awfully confident, Seira. Haven't you grown stronger yourself?"

"Yes. I'm no stranger to life at sea. Besides, I've known Shinosuke longer than you have, Miliena."

"Hmph. I'll turn that supposed advantage around in an instant."

Seira and Miliena exchanged sharp, crackling words.

Shinosuke remained oblivious to the growing tension between Seira and Miliena, as well as to the encircling net aimed not just at his life, but at his very heart. Carefree, he exchanged farewell greetings with Rina.

"Then I'm off."

"Yes. Please be careful."

With Rina watching from the dock, Fubuki and Tsukikage set sail.

Their destination: the Duchy of Polruke.

The Duchy of Polruke is a small nation located beyond the Damura Stellar Federation, and while one might assume it's necessary to pass through the Federation, which remains at war with the Rimulia Galaxy Empire, that is not always the case.

There exists a spatial jump point just before the Duchy, located in international space, allowing one to bypass the Federation entirely.

"This time, we'll skip over the duchy using a spatial jump, but we'll be passing through the combat zone known as international space. We'll avoid danger as much as possible, but there's still a risk of getting caught in combat, so remain on high alert as we proceed."

Sinnosuke gave the order while holding a synthetic fruit tea in one hand from his captain's chair.

Although Mireena, who was at the controls of Fubuki, had only just obtained her qualification, she was already comfortable handling the ship's controls.

Only Shinnosuke, Marks, and Mireena were qualified to pilot the Fubuki, now that Mireena had obtained her license.

Due to Madelia's arrangement, only Andy and Madelia were responsible for piloting the Tsukikage.

Shinnosuke's company was also beginning to have extra personnel, allowing their range of work to expand.

After several weeks of sailing, the Fubuki and Tsukikage finally reached the spatial jump point just before the Damura Star Cluster Kingdom.

"Alright, initiating spatial jump."

Shin nosuke was at the helm of the Fubuki.

"Affirmative, coordinate calculation complete. Jump destination coordinates are locked. You may proceed at any time."

"This is Tsukikage. Our preparations are also complete."

After receiving reports from Seira and Andy, Shin nosuke nodded and pushed the throttle lever, accelerating the Fubuki.

A moment later, Tsukikage followed closely behind.

"Reached jump insertion speed. Jump point approaching, countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2... Wah!"

"Tsukikage, continuing! Warp!"

The Fubuki and Tsukikage entered spatial jump.

Emerging from the spatial jump, the destination, the Duchy of Poluks, was right before them.