086 Drifting Arc 26: Stratagem

"Idiot. Didn’t even know the details of his own research request were leaked… shows up alone, right into the trap like a fool.

Even better—no need to waste our forces. The rogue starship nest’ll handle him themselves."

The prince lounged in some station corner, in high spirits.

He’d successfully buried Akira—his thorn in the eye—inside the nest of rogue starships.

He’d hacked into Akira’s research permit, confirmed only a small number of ships could reach the nest.

Then, he’d had his allies lie in wait for Akira in hyperspace.

And after Akira passed through the Dimensional Jump Gate, the prince shut and locked it behind him.

He’d even confirmed Akira had fired a railgun into the nest.

This place was a nest of stray spacefleets. If you didn’t slip through the Dimensional Jump Gate, there was no way you were getting out alive.

The Prince couldn’t stop laughing.

“Wasn’t that a anticlimactic ending, Akira?

I set you up with every trap I had… and you still acted like a fool thanking me for it. Your luck was just too damn strong.

If it weren’t for that, I might’ve actually liked you. It’s your damn birth that’s the problem.”

The Prince’s laughter went on and on.

After catching his breath, he glanced at his watch.

“Already this time? Then I suppose I’d better go fetch my servant back.”

He boarded his Personal Ship and set course for the Anoi System.

With five thousand escort vessels, the Prince’s Personal Ship passed through the Dimensional Jump Gate and emerged into the Anoi System.

Before the Anoi Fortress, three thousand beastfolk troops and two hundred Earth forces were deployed.

Officially, it's a royal visit—so no preemptive strikes.

"Everyone, I, Prince of the First and Second Lineage, have returned.

Don’t shoot. There’s no point in fighting us.

The fake prince, Akira, has been dealt with. You’ve been deceived by the false prince.

You beastfolk, you Earthlings—misunderstandings happen to everyone.

The fake prince is to blame. So we won’t hold your past actions against you.

Let’s work together again, okay?"

Under a smiling mask, the Prince’s face twisted with malice.

Of course, beastfolk scum are just a mob clinging to power.

Sweet words? They’ll bend toward our authority in no time.

Now the beastfolk are in our pocket, and Earthlings can be used however we like.

Next, should I take out that gullible elder brother who handed over our forces?

The Prince was already projecting his awareness toward the next target, still clinging to his absurdity.

"Something wrong? I’m your cousin by marriage, after all. Come now—lend me your strength."

The Prince was utterly selfish.

To call the so-called "beastfolk" by their old discriminatory term, then pretend to be enlightened—like they’d ever follow someone like that.

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I was in the Personal Ship’s CIC, watching the Tactical Weapon Integration Control System data link fail, the holographic display flickering out.

The fleet sent to raid the rogue space vessel nest had been overwhelmed—sunk by a horde of rogue space vessels.

I’m currently in the office’s Personal Ship hangar.

Sitting in the Personal Ship’s pilot seat, I was remotely piloting the fleet sent to the rogue space vessel nest via dimensional communication data link.

I’d repurposed the captured cruiser into a dummy Personal Ship.

The defining feature of this vessel was its Long Barrel 5cm Railgun, capable of firing specialized rounds.

The rogue space vessel nest was a hellish place—tens of thousands of rogue vessels patrolled its perimeter, guarding the nest.

No one would send a manned ship there, not even for reconnaissance.

And the fact that I was investigating the nest? That intel had already been stolen—by someone (Prince), from his faction.

The fact that access was limited to only a few ships? That was common knowledge too.

So I was using the Wide-Area Communication Device and the Tactical Weapon Integration Control System to control the dummy ship.

Of course, the auxiliary ships were also mass-produced vessels remotely controlled via my Personal Ship through data-link.

The dummy fleet was attacked by someone's forces—somebody who'd stolen information during this survey (Prince).

I expected a direct assault, but instead got a power-saving tactic: the Dimensional Jump Gate was shut down and locked.

Left stranded in a nest of rogue space vessels, the dummy fleet was pounded into scrap by the wildspace raiders.

I’d been simulating the whole thing through a virtual screen.

“Still playing dirty. Even if you can’t fight in the subdimension, you wouldn’t dare step out of the Dimensional Jump Gate to face me, would you?”

I chuckled at the cowardice.

Just being able to fire off an Erosion Bullet was a victory.

Besides, I’d planned to wait days after firing the Erosion Bullet anyway.

Zero casualties—pretty impressive, all things considered.

Now then, will the mastermind—Prince, who thinks he’s already buried me—come sauntering out so politely?

That’s just like him. Once he’s rid of me, he’ll feel safe enough to step into the light.

Show-off. Prideful little fool. There’s no way he’d miss this grand stage.

I send a message to the entire fleet.

‘Ready for interception. We’re going to meet that Prince head-on!’

The greatest battle of all begins here.

For now, I’ll just keep updating at my own pace—whatever I can manage each day.

If I mess up, I’ll revise and improve later.

So updates won’t be fixed at midnight. More like somewhere between midnight and seven in the morning—loose timing, really. If I can’t manage it, I might just take a day off. No big deal.

Thanks for sticking with me. I’ll keep doing my best.