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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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While Irina of the Escort Unit and Riosk of the Combat Unit were locked in a fierce battle for 2nd place, an emergency alert sounded throughout the Curble Knights.
Karl, wondering what other damn thing had happened, arrived at the headquarters office a little earlier than usual, fueled by curiosity. Perhaps due to the emergency, even the senior agents of the Intelligence Unit, who usually came in late, were already present.
Karen, the head of the Intelligence Unit, announced with a rather solemn expression that a meeting would be held in 10 minutes. Louis, the boastful type who was always in the know, revealed everything he knew with a smug look:
“It seems like space pirates have appeared.”
“…Space pirates?!”
Dana, the pink-haired agent with a surprisingly timid heart, jumped at the mention of pirates. It seemed the situation was more serious than initially thought.
“They seem to have hijacked a civilian ship, either a passenger liner or a cargo ship, headed for Arcman City.“It’s complete chaos right now.”
“Isn’t that a big deal?”
“It is. Probably the entire Knights order will be dispatched.”
Dana, barely two years into the job, couldn’t hide the anxiety on her face. Still, she tried to maintain composure and even comfort Karl:
“It’s okay, Karl. Trust me, alright?”
“…Yes.”
Karl responded, suppressing a chuckle.
Ten minutes passed, and the Intelligence Unit began their morning meeting. The meeting was about the emergency signal. As Louis had said, the emergency was due to space pirates.
“A passenger ship has been captured by pirates. Their identity is Red Duck. Scoundrels who will do anything for money.”
The Red Duck Space Pirates – their notoriety was well-known, even to Dana. Karl, too, had encountered them during his years as a knight and fugitive.
Of all the groups, it had to be those crazy bastards…. Just how crazy were they? Unlike other pirate groups, they were bold enough to venture into the heart of the Empire. Their known force consisted of one 100,000-ton ship and three 10,000-ton ships. The mere possession of a 100,000-ton ship set them apart.
“I doubt they hijacked the passenger ship without reason. Do they have any demands?”
When Ellie asked, Unit Chief Karen nodded.
“Of course. Ten million zenny per passenger.”
Ten million zenny per person – at that absurd amount, a stunned Louis asked:
“…How many passengers are there?”
“Exactly 245, including the ship’s crew.”
That meant the pirates were demanding 2.45 billion zenny – an outrageous sum.
“Are you sure that’s their demand? They must know it’s unreasonable.”
“I don’t know their intentions beyond that. They cut off communication after making their demand.”
Everyone exchanged troubled glances.
“Then… what do we do?”
“For now, the entire Knights order will be dispatched along with a negotiation team. And we’ll organize a special forces team as a precaution. I’ll be part of that.”
“…You too, Chief?”
At the mention of a special forces team, a tense atmosphere filled the room.
“Of course, we don’t know if they’ll be deployed yet. It’ll depend on the situation. If the special forces need to be deployed, Ellie, you’ll be in charge of the Intelligence Unit temporarily.”
“Understood.”
Unit Chief Karen lightly slammed her fist on the table:
“This is a real situation. So everyone, focus. We don’t know how long we’ll be gone once we’re dispatched. We probably won’t be back until this is resolved. It could be a week, a month…or even longer.”
She looked directly at each of her subordinates and continued:
“If we just stick to what we need to do, there won’t be any problems. All accidents start with small mistakes. So don’t let your guard down, even with the small things. Understood?”
“Yes, understood!”
“Good. Everyone, go back to your quarters, prepare for dispatch, and return to the headquarters office. I’ll give you 30 minutes. That’s all.”
As Karen stood, the others saluted. As soon as she left, they scattered to their quarters and then returned. Karl, who had packed a hefty bag, was reassured by Dana:
“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay. Trust me. I’ll protect you.”
“Yes, I will, senior.”
Soon, the entire Intelligence Unit gathered and headed to the basement. They boarded a transport vehicle and headed to the spaceport. They remained silent throughout the journey.
After a while, the transport arrived.
As the Intelligence Unit disembarked, a massive 100,000-ton ship came into view. Dana gaped in awe. Seeing this, Louis bragged:
“You guys haven’t seen anything like this, have you? I’ve been on these all the time. My father is the vice-captain.”
“That’s truly amazing.”
Dana quickly agreed. The Intelligence Unit passed the identity check and boarded the ship. Dana let out a “Whoa!” as the elevator ascended. Awaiting them were guides. Karen separated from her subordinates to meet the captain. The Intelligence Unit members were led to Section C-22, where they each took a tiny private room. Karl’s room was next to Dana’s.
After they unpacked and were chatting in the common area, a wave of knights from the Escort Unit surged in. Their number seemed five or six times greater than that of the Intelligence Unit. Karl spotted Irina and Alyssa.
“Oh, isn’t that your senior’s sister, Senior?”
“…Right. But it’s not really the atmosphere to act all buddy-buddy with her right now.”
“Ah, yes, you’re right.”
Karl suppressed the urge to mention certain… intimacies. Not long after the Escort Unit arrived, the Combat Unit also arrived. Riosk immediately caught Karl’s eye. The Escort and Combat Units were much more disciplined than the Intelligence Unit; trainee knights were frantically carrying the luggage of their seniors.
In contrast, the Intelligence Unit had a culture of self-reliance. A while later, the unit chiefs returned. Karen reserved a meeting room and gathered her unit.
“As I said earlier, I’ll be operating separately as part of the special forces team. So Ellie will be leading the Intelligence Unit temporarily. You can handle things without any problems, right?”
“Yes, don’t worry about us, Chief.”
“Good. This is a real situation. And it’s very serious. It seems they’ve already killed a few hostages as an example.”
Dana gasped in shock.
“They’re the worst of the worst. So don’t let your guard down. Understood?”
“Yes, understood.”
“Then I’ll be going now. I might come by to check on you occasionally.”
“Yes, Chief.”
Karen departed. The other unit chiefs must have also left, as senior members were acting as unit leaders. Ellie worked diligently to fill the Chief’s shoes. She established communication lines with the temporary unit leaders and instructed the Intelligence Unit members to be prepared.
“Keep in mind that we’re not here for leisure. This is a state of emergency. That means you sleep in your battle suits. And you need to be connected to the communication network at all times. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Senior.”
The speakers chimed. An announcement stated that the ship would be taking off. A rumbling vibration started. As the countdown ended, the ship began to ascend. Everyone looked outside. The land receded.
The ship moved further away from the planet. The blue sea, the curved horizon, and then the blackness of space appeared. They had entered space.
In approximately ten minutes, we will initiate a spatial jump. We repeat, in approximately ten minutes, we will initiate a spatial jump. If you are experiencing any physical discomfort, please proceed immediately to the medical bay.
The Encraiser warmed its engines. The countdown began again.
30, 29, 28, 27….
Dana’s tension grew.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The Encraiser initiated its spatial jump and vanished.
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