I was surrounded by Crab-chans when Big Brother Cyrus came to my rescue.
"Why the hell are you out on the front lines?!"
This was bad, no matter how I looked at it.
He was the former 2nd in the Line of Imperial Succession. Now, he was a top candidate to be the right-hand man for either Thomas or my wife. Once the war took a breather, he’d surely be restored to power. Don’t put a VIP on the front lines!
"I am currently a mere soldier."
"Big Brother Cyrus, come on! There’s no way that logic actually flies!!"
"Leo, there is no time. Let us go."
"Hey, listen to me!"
Claire followed behind as we entered the quarry.
The quarry was an open-pit mining facility with several warehouses and shacks scattered across the surface. There was no sand here, so it seemed the desert creatures didn't like coming this far in.
A horn honked behind us. When I turned around to see what was happening, the idiot boys had finally arrived.
"Are you okay, Leo?! We’ve come for you!!"
It’s already over!
It was too much trouble to even retort. I decided to just ignore them.
"Wait up! We have a message from the Prince."
"What is it?"
"He said, 'We are abandoning this planet. Evacuate once you have rescued the survivors.'"
Well, that was a given. Who would want to stay on such a terrifying planet?!
"Understood. Big Brother Cyrus, you're fine with that too, right?"
"Of course."
"So, where are the survivors?"
"The warehouse."
We all headed for the warehouse. The building had a sturdy, locked door. There was a push button next to it. I took the stance for a "ditch-and-dash" prank!
"Ding-dong! Black Nyanko delivery! I've come to deliver your doujinshi—"
Even in a world with such advanced science, paper books haven't gone extinct. That said, they aren't commercially viable anymore, so doujinshi are the main focus of the industry.
Suddenly, the door opened. Oh, it was the type that slid sideways.
"Get in."
A young man and an older guy stepped out. Both of them were clutching ballistic rifles.
"Hello. We've come to rescue you—"
"What a ridiculous brat... Wait, hey! Are you Leo Kamishiro!?"
"Nice to meet you! I'm Leo Kamishiro!"
"H-Hey! Everyone! A rescue really did come!! The Leo Kamishiro is here!"
"What do you mean 'really'?"
"I'm Salma. This young one over here is Jimmy. Some pirates acting all kind told us they'd let us escape."
"And what happened to those pirates?"
"They became Crab bait along with their ship. The Lord’s family and the merchants too! Even though the Lord died fighting!"
The end for villains was truly miserable. They tried to flee and abandon the residents, but when they boarded the pirate ship, they were eaten along with the vessel. Wait, but if they couldn't leave... then who was that representative?
"I wonder what happened to Jean. He went to call for help on a small ship a week ago."
I see. So that’s how it was.
"He's alive. We only came because Mr. Jean asked us to."
"So he made it. Jean is one of our youngsters; he does transport work... Thank goodness. So... how many people can you take?"
"We have Veronica’s super-large battleship. If you don't mind the rooming situation, we should be able to fit five thousand."
Though if we actually took in the maximum of five thousand, we’d end up having to throw away supplies to compensate for the weight.
"No, there are only five hundred of us."
"I heard the population was a bit higher than that."
"The people from the trading company became Crab bait along with the pirates."
So that’s what happened.
"Then come with us. We killed the Crabs around here, so now is probably your best chance."
"Understood."
And so, the transport operation began. We moved them using trucks and transport craft. Let’s get out of here quickly while the Crabs are away.
Most of the survivors were workers and their families, along with some employees from the trading company who had been left behind.
"The plan is to drop you off at a nearby colony where there are no Crabs. You can evacuate from there."
I didn't know if they would actually stay there, though. Then, a lady from the trading company asked me in a panicked state.
"I-Is it Planet Kamishiro?"
"My home planet seems to be included in the evacuation destinations."
"P-Please! We want Planet Kamishiro!!!"
"It's a backwater place with nothing but the Agricultural Cooperative, you know."
Ah, but a mall was being built there, wasn't it?
"I heard that since it's Marquis Leo's home planet, there are no Zorks!"
"I exterminated them, so they won't appear. Probably."
"T-Then, please!"
"Sigh, well, I'll put in the request for you."
What was this? It felt like my home planet was being held to excessive expectations... Was that really okay? There was nothing but fields. Fortunately, since depopulation had progressed and they were in a state of overproduction, there was plenty of food.
"I-I! I can do sales!!!"
"Ah, yes. My Big Brother is acting as the deputy, so I'll let him know."
People who could do sales were necessary, after all. I’d contact Big Brother Sam once I got back to the battleship.
...I wondered why, though? It felt like the place was being overly evaluated. I could understand my own reputation since I’d gone on a bit of a rampage, but I couldn't understand this excessive praise for my home.
"I saw the cultivation of mushrooms and citrus on a program!"
"Pardon?"
I hadn't heard about that. What was that? Big Brother Sam... since he basically let things run freely, hadn't a bunch of people who just wanted to do whatever they liked gathered there? The old men back home were just fossils who wanted to be in control...
"R-Right now, the only places where proper filming can be done are Planet Kamishiro and Planet Mistral. I-I think it’s a chance!"
Ah, I see. I understood why internet programs were featuring our territory. It was because no Zorks appeared there. Even though it was close to the Imperial Capital, it was strange that it hadn't been featured in programs before... The scale of the debuff caused by my useless, incompetent father was truly terrifying.
Everyone boarded the transport craft. I was separate from the residents, along with the tank unit. Our vessel was slow, but it could carry a massive amount of cargo. I guided everyone and then boarded as well. Just in case, I waited at the loading entrance of the transport craft, holding an anti-materiel rifle.
Just as we were about to close the loading entrance, the "just in case" happened.
"The Crabs have arrived! I've also confirmed Parasites that have hijacked humanoid heavy machinery!"
"Open it!"
The hatch of the loading entrance opened. I deployed a cliff-descending winch from my humanoid fighter and secured it to the hatch. It wasn't its original purpose, but I’d let that slide. I held my anti-materiel rifle ready.
"Leo! I'm providing targeting correction!"
Simultaneously with Claire’s words, I focused. More than the Parasites, the Crabs were the threat. The Parasites would be helpless once we were in the air, but the Crab-chans? They could normally swim through outer space! In the end, the main force of the Zorks was the Crab-chans.
I shot a Crab. It shattered in a single hit, but there were far too many of them.
Come to think of it... I knew Crab-chans flew in from space, but how did they move from planet to planet?
Perhaps it was bad that the question had even occurred to me, because the Crab-chans flew. Insect-like wings sprouted from their backs as they took to the sky. I tried to aim, but their trajectory was unstable, like a drone beetle.
"I can't get a steady aim!"
Even Claire was at her wit's end. The moment I thought that, a Crab-chan accelerated with a sudden vroom. It flew like a rocket, emitting ignited gas.
"I've got a lock-on!"
I pulled the trigger. The Crab-chan exploded. Terrifying! As I thought, they weren't to be underestimated. They were creatures with total screws loose in their heads.
Author's Note: I found many mistakes where I wrote Alysa as Coco. I want to fix them, but perhaps because of the typhoon, the neck and head pain from my cervical spondylosis is too severe, and I've currently turned into an idiot. Please wait a little bit.
8/25 The headache is terrible. I'm at the level where I'm writing "winch" as "turn signal," so I'm sorry if I can't write.