We returned to Planet Mistral.
Before long, the other five recruits arrived at the landing field of the Duke's mansion. Coming from a frontier world, the urban landscape of the Duke Territory left all seven of them in a state of sheer awe.
“What’s with those tall buildings…?”
“Whoa! Look, a dragon is flying!”
The "dragon" the boy pointed at was likely a Large Surveillance Drone. Those things were usually equipped with plasma cannons, programmed to open fire the moment they detected even the slightest hint of rebellion.
Personally, I didn’t mind a justified uprising—say, if the people were suffering under genuine hardship. In those cases, you just had to replace the person at the top. The problem was the all-too-common pattern where people started a revolution without any sort of plan, getting swept up in the heat of the moment with slogans like, “Kill the Emissaries who exploit us! Let’s try the God-Slaying Challenge!!!”
In essence, colony planets were little more than prisons. They might have been profitable during the early days of the frontier era, but now they were nothing but a burden on the Empire. It wasn't as if these people were assigned planets with abundant mineral resources, so actual exploitation was impossible. Their balance sheets were perpetually in the red; if anything, the lords of nearby planets provided secret subsidies just to keep them afloat.
So, what do you do with the "trash" who start a rebellion despite that? You have to put them down.
History was littered with incidents where residents of colony planets stole transport ships and carried out massacres on neighboring worlds. Those large drones were the "extermination machines" introduced specifically as a countermeasure.
How would these recruits feel if they knew the truth? It was a difficult question. It would be a massive headache if they had some sort of awakening and decided that "The Empire is evil!" and started an insurgency.
That was why people from colony planets were subjected to such rigorous education. They were drilled relentlessly on the actual state of the galaxy and the intricacies of society—crammed with just enough knowledge to make them capable of a rational discussion.
Man, they have a rough road ahead of them…
I looked at them with sympathetic eyes. Sensing my gaze, Edge spoke up.
“Leo, what should I do?”
“First, I’ll introduce you to everyone. Then I’ll show you to your rooms so you can rest for the day. This was your first time in space; it puts more strain on the body than you’d think.”
“Understood.”
As expected of a silent-type protagonist, he was remarkably compliant.
First came the introductions. We started with the Imperial Guard veterans… and immediately, Major Piggett and Edge found themselves locked in a silent staring contest. After several long seconds, the Major broke into a wide, toothy grin.
“…He has good eyes. Lord Groom, I leave this one to you.”
“Gladly.”
Next, I introduced myself to the other five. The group consisted of one boy and four girls.
“I’m a bit late with the greetings. I am Leo Kamishiro, the student representative of the Imperial Officer Academy. This mohawked old man here is Major Piggett. He’s a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Guard. Try not to cross him; he’s terrifying.”
Major Piggett immediately grabbed my head, grinding his fists into my temples. Wait, ow, that hurts!
“You understand, don't you? Everyone, this officer is actually quite kind.”
“S-Stop! Don’t lift me up while you’re still grinding!”
The recruits watched with varying degrees of horror.
“Incredible… he’s lifting a whole person…”
“So this is the power of an Emissary…”
“The one getting beaten is laughing, too…”
They were completely appalled. Meanwhile, my bride and Melissa were laughing hysterically. Claire turned her face away, pretending she didn't see anything, and Ren just looked normally exasperated.
“As punishment, you’re the guide,” Piggett declared, finally releasing me.
“Fine, fine. Okay, your turn for self-introductions.”
The boy went first. “I’m Van. Apprentice hunter.”
“Yo,” I replied.
“What is that, Lord Groom? You’re being too lax,” Piggett grumbled.
“Ahaha, let’s just take it easy. Everyone, eyes on me. This is Her Highness Veronica. She is the highest-ranking person on this ship.”
“I look forward to your service,” Veronica said.
The group bowed their heads in unison. We moved on with the rest of the introductions.
The girl with blue hair spoke next. “I’m Cyan. I helped out at home.”
A farmer, then. On a colony planet, "farmer" usually meant someone who could do everything from basic blacksmithing to large-scale agriculture. As for the blue hair, that wasn't a natural color; it was likely a result of genetic modification.
“Nice to meet you!” I said.
Next was a girl with brown hair. I noticed patches of what looked like scales around her neck. It seemed many of these people had stabilized genetic traits.
“Coco. I’m a guard.”
“Nice. Okay, next—”
“Wait, um… Leo…-san?”
“You can just call me Leo.”
“Then, Leo, you’re strong, aren’t you?”
“Not really, unfortunately. I’m mostly just over-evaluated.”
“Please,” Coco said, her eyes narrowing. “Spar with me.”
“Eh? But we’re still in the middle of introductions…”
“How interesting,” Piggett chimed in. “Go on, Lord Groom.”
“Ehh…”
True to the routine, I tried to make a break for it, but Major Piggett caught me and dragged me toward the martial arts hall. I noticed Edge watching me, too.
How lewd! I thought. He’s totally sizing me up. I’m going to end up having to fight Edge later, aren’t I?
“I’m telling you, I’m weak!” I shouted as I was handed a bamboo sword for practice. I made sure to receive it with both hands to avoid getting smacked for a breach of etiquette.
Once I was geared up, Coco put on her own protective equipment with Melissa’s help.
“Heh, so this is how Emissaries train.”
“We don’t actually spend that much time on it,” I admitted.
“I don't know your style, so I’m going to do things my way.”
Coco took a one-handed stance with the bamboo sword. I considered using my usual Satsuma Martial Arts… then thought better of it. I’d stick to Imperial Style Swordsmanship. I took a standard two-handed Seigan stance.
“Begin!”
The match started with my bride’s relaxed signal.
Coco lunged forward with a sharp thrust. I didn’t parry it directly; instead, I let the blow slide naturally past me. Her posture crumbled ever so slightly.
There, an opening.
Striking her hard with the bamboo sword felt excessive, so I released my right hand and delivered a light, playful chop to the top of her head. Boop.
“Eh…? I lost? No way… I couldn't even touch him.”
Coco’s eyes were wide with shock. It was debatable whether that counted as a decisive "win," but since she had conceded, I was happy to leave it at that.
“That Melissa over there is way stronger than me, you know,” I said, pointing.
“Ahaha, don't listen to him. Recently, the Captain has stopped being human,” Melissa teased.
How cruel.
“Next is Edge? You want a go?”
Edge gave a solemn nod. He geared up, and we stepped into our marks for the second match.
“Begin!”
Ah, bloodlust.
The moment the signal dropped, Edge swung his sword back.
“Uoooooooooo!”
His technique was cruder than Coco’s, but his spirit was on another level. I dodged the opening strike. While parrying might have been better for his form, I wanted to avoid a clash of blades. In a real fight, swords break—and if you’re using a chainsaw, the kickback can send it right into your own face. I decided to use my movement instead.
“Hmph!”
He followed up with a full-power thrust. I stepped half a pace diagonally, letting the tip of the bamboo sword whistle past my face. In one fluid motion, I trapped his extended arm between my hand and the hilt of my sword. I swept his leg and threw him.
With a satisfying thwack, Edge hit the floor. I leveled the tip of my sword at his throat and maintained my Zanshin.
“I give up…”
It was a victory.