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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Karl racked his brains, trying to devise an escape plan. As long as he was restrained, there was no way to escape on his own. That meant he needed someone’s help…!
“Hey, pretty lady over there.”
“…Me?”
“Yeah, who else here is pretty besides you? …Come here for a sec.”
Karl called out to the youngest member of the pursuit team. The cute-looking woman approached the cell where he was confined.
“Why?”
“Well, looking at you again, you’re totally my type. Really pretty. You’re right up my alley.”
“…Really?”
“Really. You’re a hundred times better than that hideous bitch.”
“Shh. If the boss hears, we’re in big trouble.”
“It’s just between us.”
Karl, sensing an opportunity, laid it on thick.
“What’s your name?”
“Anna.”
“Pretty name, Anna. …Want to be friends?”
“Friends? No way.”
“Why? Just talking friends. I’m stuck here anyway. I’m bored. I just want to chat. …Can’t even do that?”
“The boss said no contact. Big trouble if I disobey.”
“Just say I forced you. Then it’s fine.”
Karl needed a pretext. So he sweated, trying to persuade Anna.
She seemed a bit too gentle for a bounty hunter. Of course, he couldn’t judge by appearances alone, but he had to grasp at straws. He had to try, however slim the chance.
“…Fine. Try it.”
Gotcha—.
So Karl started chatting animatedly with Anna. Then, he subtly began to sow discord.
“You know those two guys who came to catch me yesterday?”
“Beef and Cole?”
“Oh, those guys’ names are Beef and Cole? What ridiculously stupid names.”
“Pfft. They act pretty stupid too.”
Anna burst out laughing. Karl, who had been smiling faintly, suddenly hardened his expression.
“But you know, you should be careful.”
“What?”
“They’re planning on raping you. …Surely you’ve noticed something strange?”
“What?!”
Anna’s expression was one of utter shock. Karl shushed her and gestured for her to lower her voice.
“You didn’t know? This is bad. …What are you going to do? You’re in real danger.”
“Really? They really said that? …I can’t believe it—! They’re my colleagues—!”
“Fuck, there are no colleagues in this world. …They’ll definitely pocket the money themselves, right? With that much money, do you think they’ll share it with you?”
“No. They’d never do that.”
“You’re so naive. …That’s why I like you.”
Karl’s voice softened.
“I’d hate for those bastards to get my bounty. I’d rather you have it all, Anna. What do you say?”
“…What?”
“If you’re going to get screwed over anyway, might as well be the one doing the screwing. You take all of my bounty.”
At that moment, Anna’s eyes narrowed. A look of suspicion. Karl was relieved. If she were too naive, she wouldn’t have believed him.
“You’re trying to trick me, aren’t you? You think I’m stupid?”
“Anna, I’m telling you this because it’s you. They’ll be trying to cut down on the number of people to share with, and who’s the easiest target, huh? They’ve probably already planned it all out. You’ll work your ass off and not get a penny. …I feel sorry for you, okay?”
“They’re not like that—!”
“Ha….”
Karl sighed deeply, as if truly regretful. He was, in fact, regretful. That she wasn’t falling for it easily.
“Do you know how much my bounty is?”
“Isn’t it 100 million jenny?”
“Hmph, 100 million? It’s a billion jenny.”
—!!!
Anna was startled. Ten times the amount she thought it was.
Actually, 100 million jenny was correct, but Karl deliberately inflated the number. It was all a ploy to deceive Anna.
“They’re already lying.”
“Th, that’s not possible. I definitely heard it was 100 million jenny—!”
“It’s a billion jenny, a billion jenny—! Do you really think your boss would risk her life for a measly 100 million?”
Of course, 100 million jenny was a huge sum, but compared to a billion, it seemed rather small.
“R, really?”
“See? This is why you get tricked. You’re so naive. …Do you think they’ll give you 250 million jenny? They won’t even give you 25 million. That’s the price of a building, a whole building—!”
Anna gulped. Karl figured she was almost hooked.
“So, you have to strike first. Otherwise, you’ll be out of the picture without a trace.”
“…Wh, what should I do then?”
“What do you mean? Kill them all when you’re on navigation duty. Dump the bodies in space, who’s going to know? …Just say they died fighting me.”
It was a chilling story, but Anna seriously considered it. A billion jenny was an enormous sum. Enough to make her want to kill her colleagues and take it all.
“A, alright.”
Karl grinned as he watched Anna walk away. …But his smile didn’t last long.
When Anna returned, a sly smile played on her lips. The naive girl was gone.
“Sis, look at this guy.”
…Sis?
Anna had brought the boss. Karl’s face paled.
“You know what this guy said? It was so funny, I almost died laughing.”
“What?”
“He told me to kill everyone. So I could have the bounty all to myself.”
“Really? Well, I expected as much. …This guy, he looks slimy.”
Karl cursed, “Fuck—,” and flopped down. He’d danced his heart out, only to realize he was in the palm of their hands. …Escape seemed impossible.
The boss leaned close to the bars. And spoke ominously.
“Don’t even dream of escaping, you bastard. Hmph, you think I’d give up 100 million jenny that easily? No way.”
“…You’ll really regret this.”
“Regret, my ass. Idiot, I’ll never regret it.”
“I warned you. I’m serious.”
Karl looked at the boss with the utmost seriousness. She felt a chill run down her spine. And she was instantly angry that she’d felt a moment of fear.
“Fuck off, asshole.”
She stood up, fuming, and ordered that he be given no water until the next day. Anna gave her a look that said, Isn’t that a bit much?
“The merchandise isn’t going to spoil just because he doesn’t drink water. …And don’t make me say it twice. Got it?”
“…Got it.”
Anna glanced at Karl and left.
Fuck—. Karl wondered if he shouldn’t have resisted. His throat was already parched from all the talking.
“Hey, Anna. Anna…! Fuck, I’ll suck your pussy, just give me some water, please?”
Karl tried every obscene word he knew. Later, he even started singing. Then Anna told him to shut up before she gagged him. So he shut up.
Karl failed to escape before they fully recharged at the high-temperature star. He resigned himself. Escape seemed impossible.
With its energy replenished, the spaceship began space jumping. After several jumps, they finally arrived at a planet with a warp device.
Earth.
The only planet among the warp locations without a number—.
The spaceship finally headed for Earth.
They jumped tens of thousands of light-years using photon jump technology, a technology of the Earth Galactic Legion, which had come to dominate the entire galaxy.
Earth, the precious blue star in the galaxy—.
Phoebe, the boss, gasped,
“Wow.”
This was her third visit, but she was still awestruck by the blue planet. Compared to other barren planets, its color was incredibly beautiful.
Should I live here after I get the money—?
It wouldn’t be easy to get into Earth, where all the big shots lived, but with that much money, she figured she could manage.
“But how did that guy get on the bad side of someone on Earth?”
“How would I know? And what difference does it make? We just get the money, that’s it. Do we have to know every little detail?”
“No, not really, heh heh.”
Red Head was already giddy with the thought of the money and chuckled. Phoebe also indulged in pleasant fantasies of what she would do with 100 million jenny. Of course, she would share some with her subordinates, but she had no intention of being fair. She planned to pocket half, 50 million jenny, for herself.
Enormous ships lined up near Earth. Million-ton class ships, rarely seen. There were even two ten-million-ton class ships, each capable of obliterating a planet.
It was an airtight defense.
Compared to them, Phoebe’s spaceship was a mere speck. The sheer scale of it all was naturally intimidating to her and her crew.
A warning signal was sent to them. Phoebe accepted the connection request. She knew what kind of retaliation would come if she refused. Hundreds of ion cannons from the battleships would vaporize her spaceship in an instant.
State your purpose.
“We’ve captured a fugitive.”
Fugitive number.
“E-67198540014.”
A brief silence followed.
Repeat the number.
Phoebe’s brow twitched. But she politely repeated the number.
“E-67198540014. …Is there a problem?”
Silence again. This time, it was longer. But Phoebe waited patiently.
A ship will be dispatched. Follow its instructions.
“Excuse me? …Oh, yes. Understood.”
Phoebe was a little surprised that they were sending a ship. Well, given the enormous bounty, he must be quite the VIP. Even her expensive spaceship wasn’t worth even 5 million jenny.
But when she saw the ship that was approaching, her jaw dropped. It was a ten-million-ton class battleship. Her spaceship was a speck of dust in comparison.
—!!!
Not only her, but all her subordinates were also in awe.
Enter the scanning bay.
Before entering the landing bay, they had to pass through a scanning bay. Phoebe slowly passed through. Soon, it determined that there were no threats. Of course, she had a few missiles on board, but they posed no threat whatsoever.
Phoebe entered the landing bay. The entrance closed again with an energy barrier. The boss dragged the captured fugitive out of the cell. Karl was wearing a strange smile. A look of disdain.
“Wipe that smirk off your face!”
But Karl just smiled without saying a word. Phoebe felt strangely uneasy. Something felt off. Her gut told her so.
She’d learned during her long career as a bounty hunter that it was best not to know the details of a fugitive’s identity. But this time, it felt different. She had a feeling things were going south.
“Sis….”
Anna, her sister, also seemed to sense something amiss and called out to her softly. Only the two clueless subordinates were still giggling, thinking about the money.
“It’ll be fine. We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“…Right?”
The four of them dragged the bound Karl out of the spaceship. Countless people were lined up there. …Excessively grand for welcoming a fugitive.
What is this….
Phoebe became increasingly certain that something was wrong. Even her clueless subordinates, sensing the unusual atmosphere, looked back at their boss.
“Bo, boss.”
“…Fuck, let’s just go.”
They forced their trembling legs to move forward. The imposing presence of the Imperial Army lined up before them was enough to make them shudder. Oh—. Phoebe gasped when she saw the emblem on the Imperial soldiers’ chests. A golden emblem shaped like the sun.
The Solar Knights.
The Solar Knights, the empire’s elite knight order. Each one possessed monstrous strength, and they were all lined up for a single person.
…No way—.
Phoebe slowly looked at Karl, whom she was dragging along. He had a smug look on his face.
“What did I tell you? You’d regret it, right?”
Someone strode forward. A female knight with a sharp, disciplined air, like a honed sword. Two more knights followed her.
Overwhelmed by the aura, Phoebe dropped Karl and stumbled back. She was also a former Imperial soldier, but from an insignificant, nameless unit in the backwaters. Naturally, her status was worlds apart from these elite knights.
The female knight gestured to the two knights.
“What are you waiting for? Untie him.”
The knights sliced through the alloy shackles binding Karl’s hands with their energy swords. The heavy shackles clattered to the floor. Once the shackles on his feet were also removed, Karl stretched, as if finally able to breathe.
“That’s better.”
The female knight knelt on one knee and bowed.
“You have arrived.”
“Wow, Ellis. Looks like you’ve climbed the ranks, huh? Now you’ve got subordinates to give orders to.”
“It’s been five years. Plenty of time for things to change.”
“Five years….”
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“I’ve been safe enough.”
Karl looked back at Phoebe and Anna. Phoebe, ever defiant, didn’t avert her gaze, but Anna, her sister, hung her head in shock, realizing they’d messed with someone they shouldn’t have.
He walked towards them with a smile. He could see the tension in Phoebe’s posture. He looked at the emblem on her chest. It was the emblem of the Imperial Army.
“What unit were you with?”
“…1087th Sector, 5th Division, 2nd Regiment.”
“1087th Sector? That’s far out.”
Karl patted Phoebe’s shoulder, with a hint of emotion.
“I told you you’d regret it…. Right?”
He could see Phoebe clenching her jaw and fists. But there was nothing she could do. She had definitely messed with the wrong person.
She should have realized it from the abnormally large bounty. She had lost her head over the huge sum. She had royally screwed up.
“I received some rather harsh treatment as a prisoner. I wanted water, but they wouldn’t give me any. …I was so upset.”
Karl smirked. Ellis’s eyes sharpened.
“That’s a violation of the Prisoner’s Rights Act.”
“Oh, and they also confiscated my belongings without permission.”
“That’s also illegal.”
“And their spaceship seems illegally modified. …We should check it out.”
Karl snapped his fingers. The two knights quickly moved towards the spaceship. Phoebe’s face hardened. She quickly knelt before Karl. Forget the money; she might end up in prison.
“Please, forgive me.”
“Forgive you? There’s nothing I can do. It’s the law. Oh, and I’m not going to keep your money. You’ll get it. So don’t worry.”
The money wasn’t the problem. The problem was that she might not be able to use it.
Phoebe knew how cunning Karl was. He was the kind of guy who would detonate a missile in front of his own spaceship. Having crossed him, she had to be prepared to lose some flesh.
“How much was it? 100 million jenny? Give it to her. She’s my benefactor for bringing me here so nicely.”
It wasn’t money she could accept without consequences. It was poisoned money. …No, it was more than poisoned.
It’s deadly—.
So Phoebe declined.
“No. I won’t accept it. It was an honor to escort you here, your highness.”
“That won’t do. No, no.”
The knights who were inspecting the spaceship returned. They reported multiple illegal modifications. Ellis stated that those were also violations. Phoebe finally bowed her head to the ground. The blood drained from Anna’s face as she watched.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’ve committed a grave sin. Please forgive me. Please, please forgive me.”
“What are you doing, Boss Phoebe? What power does a mere fugitive have?”
Ellis gestured to the knights. To arrest them.
“Please forgive me, please! Please forgive me—!!”
But Karl, with a mischievous smile, simply waved at them as they were taken away.
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Well that was quite the 180