Severe damage

After losing Tsukikage to an attack from the Sacred Lemurian Empire fleet, Shinnosuke and the others fled like the wind, having obliterated the Lemurian destroyer fleet of fifteen ships in a single strike.

They might pursue us—Fubuki, take the lead! Milina, protect the rear of the main ship!

Understood!

Sera, monitor the rear fleet. Marks, begin electronic jamming.

Understood

While retreating the Yatagarasu, Shinosuke kept an eye on the rear fleet while initiating jamming operations.

Although he had destroyed the destroyer fleet in one blow, that was the limit of what Yatagarasu and Fubuki could achieve.

With Tsukikage sunk and only a few anti-ship missiles remaining, this force would be sufficient against pirate fleets—but facing a military army would be extremely dangerous.

"There are no signs of pursuit from the other fleet. Our ship has also escaped beyond their range!"

"Not yet—those ships are composed of fast vessels like fast battleships. They move quickly!"

Even after hearing Seira's report, Shinosuke remained on high alert.

"…That is the Black Rose Fleet."

"The Black Rose?"

Shinosuke turned to look at Milena, who had spoken.

"The Black Rose Fleet is the personal fleet of the Second Princess of the Rimlaria Galactic Empire. However, after the Second Princess went missing, it came under the custody of the First Princess and was merged into her White Rose Fleet. Yet, among the fleet we encountered earlier, the flagship of the Black Rose Fleet, Black Rose, was present. The fact that the Black Rose Fleet is operating independently means that their fleet commander, Belroza, has returned. And furthermore, this means the Black Rose Fleet has now aligned itself with the Sacred Rimlaria Empire."

After hearing Milena's words, Shinnosuke grimaced.

"Black Rose. Black Rose. Bell... Rosa. All I can imagine is something unpleasant..."

I've never met the Second Princess Belroza, but we do have far too many similarities. Too many, in fact—so straightforward and unoriginal, it's almost as if they were pulled straight from a cheap novel.

...

Shin nosuke felt uneasy but couldn't muster a reply.

"Well, if the master thinks so, then that must be how it is. Just like a clumsy story's telltale sign."

"...I still can't accept it."

Shin nosuke couldn't reconcile himself with Milina and Marks' words.

In the end, Yatagarasu and Fubuki managed to leave the sector without being pursued by the Black Rose Fleet.

"Ash, speaking of which, how's Andy doing? Did he get punched by Spana or someone in Madria?"

『Then there's no problem. He hasn't regained consciousness yet, but it seems Madria did hold back properly, and there's no actual injury. His unconscious state isn't due to being hit—it's a mix of the shock from taking responsibility for losing Tsukikage, and the relief of knowing Ellen and Madria are safe. For now, we're keeping him asleep since Ellen and Madria are watching over him, but his mental care will be handled by his partner Ellen and his employer Shinosuke.』

After hearing Ash's report, Shinosuke finally let out a sigh of relief.

Indeed, having lost Tsukikage and suffering such a massive expenditure on anti-ship missiles, this job had been far from profitable—it had been a major loss.

"Well, at least we didn’t lose any important crew members. That’s what matters most."

Shinosuke murmured to himself, trying to convince his own mind.

They continued sailing smoothly, and Yatagarasu and Fubuki safely returned to the Sirius Stellar Province.

As Yatagarasu docked and Shinosuke stepped off, Andy rushed over to him.

"Shinosuke-san, I'm so sorry!"

Andy bowed deeply to Shinosuke.

Ellen and Madelia, who followed closely behind, also bowed their heads.

"What are you apologizing for? Ah, I see—because you recklessly chose to share a ship and fate with them? If so, you should be thanking Ellen and Madelia, not apologizing to me."

Shinosuke feigns indifference, but Andy doesn't raise his head.

"I failed to protect Tsukikage! I was entrusted as captain, yet I couldn't fulfill my duty! I'm truly sorry!"

Shin nosuke sighs as Andy continues to apologize without end.

"Look, Andy. Sure, the ship is important, but the lives of the crew are even more so. If you can protect them, then you've fulfilled your duty as captain."

"But..."

A ship is ultimately just a consumable—albeit an expensive one. Andy, you've lost the Beetle and Tsukikage already, but I've sunk the Cerberus and wrecked the Fukuki more than once. Still, as long as lives are safe, we can start over anytime. Just do better next time. I'll get another ship right away to make up for this loss, and you'll be its captain again. So pull yourself together and do it right this time!

...Yes.

Andy is losing confidence, but in times like this, the next role must be assigned without delay.

It was a drastic remedy, but Shinosuke was certain Andy would recover.

To achieve that, he would need to secure a new ship immediately after reporting to the guild.

Though Tsukikage was an old used ship, it boasted the highest payload among the merchant fleet and was the top earner in trade and cargo transport, so the gap it left needed to be filled as soon as possible.