Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Laviel of the Mechanios system.
The place where the heroine of My Space Crown Prince, Erina Roengrantz, was born and raised.
And the only flower garden in this otherwise dark and brutal universe.
To be precise, it was a place where everyone’s heads were flowers.
And that was allowed there.
Because buried beneath that planet were OOPArts that could change the fate of an entire star system even if there was just one of them.
A world where invasion, poverty, and suffering simply didn’t exist.
The heroine, once a miserable noble’s daughter in the original setting, was born there as a revered saint and raised in love.
It was, essentially, a healing-type romance fantasy.
And that “healing” was the main selling point of My Space Crown Prince.
Anyway, even if the Krig were heading there, it shouldn’t be dangerous.
…Unless the original plot somehow twisted into absolute garbage for no reason.
She tried to end the transmission with her usual cold tone.
“Wait. Secretary. Hold on.”
Regardless of the shocking news, there were still things I needed to do.
“I have a personal request.”
She frowned at that.
Still beautiful, but I could guess what she was thinking.
Something like: I don’t want to do anything you ask.
But this wasn’t a bad deal for her either.
“Would you consider staying here for a few weeks and observing the changes in Amiratess? There is still time left in the grace period.”
“You could even stop by your hometown planet, Winterhold.”
Her expression remained unreadable.
There was a reason I was trying to involve her.
I was planning to track the Krig swarm.
Nothing might happen… but if, against all odds, some ridiculous twist occurred and the heroine—the saint—died?
That would be unacceptable.
For my own safety, I should avoid getting entangled with her too deeply.
But her dying outright was a different matter entirely.
So I needed to confirm things.
But while I was gone, time would still pass in the north.
Things had improved, but deaths from cold and starvation would still occur.
Some temporary measure was needed.
If the Imperial Chief Secretary was present, civil unrest would be far less likely.
The golden fleet of the Imperial Secretary’s office alone was enough to freeze rebellion in its tracks.
The only problem was if she refused.
If she said something like, “I decline.”
That would be a problem—but not a major one.
“…Hm?”
“Ah.”
She gave a light bow and ended the transmission.
“Phew…”
I leaned back in my chair and exhaled.
At least some of the pressure had lifted.
But the uneasy feeling remained.
Because of the image stuck in my head.
The heroine’s first meeting with the male lead, the crown prince.
The experimental activation of an ancient OOPArt-class ship unearthed underground.
A white-dressed girl standing excitedly on the massive ship’s stern.
Then sneaking onto an escape pod and drifting through space…
Only to accidentally fall into a wormhole.
In any other story, that would sound like nonsense.
But this was a romance fantasy world.
A place where such absurd accidents were almost allowed.
And as if it truly was an OOPArt, the escape pod survived even the wormhole.
That drift would become the bridge connecting her to the crown prince.
So far, so good.
The heroine meets the prince, and everything becomes happy.
Even I benefited from that—the prince eventually overthrows the emperor and leads the empire into progress.
But now there was a variable at the starting line.
Even if I couldn’t fix it, I needed to observe it.
The only issue was that if I went to Laviel, I’d get shot down by planetary defense systems nine times out of ten.
“…Ah.”
Wait.
There was a way.
Hidden deep in the hangar of the Glory of the Wolf.
An imperial relic from the golden age.
Black Night Calamity.
A stealth ship with strong cloaking and fast travel capabilities.
The problem was… it was so old I had no idea if it would even start.
I immediately contacted the secretary office.
“Secretary. Who is the most skilled ship technician we have?”
A quick answer.
That meant he was the real deal.
“Contact him. Tell him to come to my office.”
The sense of speed inside a spaceship was nonexistent.
Space was simply too vast and empty.
Fortunately, the Krig bio-ship had not yet landed on Laviel.
We arrived safely in time.
And even more fortunately, Laviel’s planetary defense systems were not targeting us.
So the stealth still worked.
“Your Grace. We’ve detected the Krig bio-ship.”
The navigator zoomed in on the view outside.
A bio-ship.
The Krig’s mother vessel.
It deployed drop pods to consume planets.
It also generated new Krig lifeforms through genetic synthesis.
And at its core—
The Hive Mind.
“…Your Grace. Shall we fire the main cannon?”
The captain asked from the side.
“No. We can’t. If we fire something that powerful, Laviel’s defenses will notice us.”
“…!”
If the planetary defense systems turned their fire toward us, even a golden-age relic wouldn’t survive.
“Then… what should we do?”
“In situations like this, the protocol is ramming and close-quarters boarding.”
“…That is correct, but Your Grace, we are in space—”
“Good idea.”
The knights around me grinned.
“Captain, you know your stuff.”
“Finally some proper glory for us.”
I pointed at them.
“I brought knights here for exactly that reason. We can’t use the main cannon anyway.”
“You… planned this from the beginning?”
The maintenance crew panicked.
“Your Grace! This vessel is a priceless relic of the golden age! You can’t just ram it into things!”
“Its value is beyond money!”
True.
But they were missing something.
“Are you planning to sell it somewhere?”
“…No.”
“Then stop worrying about it. A golden-age relic won’t get scratched from a single ram. Helm, engage maximum force shields and proceed with impact.”
The navigator sighed.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The knights, on the other hand, were delighted.
“Time to gear up.”
“Ramming and boarding… finally something better than those boring cannon fights.”
These testosterone-filled lunatics.
The Winterwolf Knights were originally a villain faction before joining Kaneil.
War-crazed berserkers obsessed with honor.
Especially the lower-ranked ones—they were desperate for promotion.
And now they had witnessed the activation of the Stellar Fusion Melter.
That glory would follow them forever.
So jealousy had naturally begun to spread among those who stayed behind.
All from a few minutes of conversation with Vera.
Which was exactly why I brought a separate unit here—to release their frustration and handle the situation quietly.
Luckily, Vera accepted my proposal, and the risk of rebellion dropped.
I had also arranged stockpiles through the Fenrir household before departure.
It wouldn’t last forever, but it was enough.
This operation would solve multiple problems at once.
“Brace for impact!”
3… 2… 1…
KRAAANG—!!
The ship slammed into the side of the Krig bio-vessel.
A massive, whale-like scream echoed through space.
“Knights. Prepare for boarding.”
“Yes!”
The soldiers boarded their reinforced suits, eyes gleaming.
I followed suit and put on my helmet.
“Yes!”
Hiss—
The airlock opened.
We stepped into the bio-ship in perfect synchronization.
“Listen as we move. Today, we are here to stop the Krig infestation of Zenith-VI.”
The knights kept walking.
“Even if we cannot eradicate them all, we can reclaim part of our home.”
“Today, you will be remembered as heroes who reclaimed Zenith-VI.”
The knights slowed slightly.
Then stopped.
And then—
From every direction, Krig monsters poured out.
“FOR THE EMPEROR!”
They roared and charged.
I stepped slightly back.
Let them handle it.
The system needed a leash.
Beep—
A signal suddenly appeared in my suit.
Beep.
Again.
A distress signal.
[Emergency rescue signal detected.]
“God… if you exist, please grant me a miracle…”
The moment I heard the voice, my thoughts stopped.
A scene from the novel flashed through my mind.
[Her voice was as pure as a bell at dawn.]
[A warm, soothing voice that healed wounds… and the crown prince—]
A desperate distress call… and that unmistakable sacred aura.
No doubt.
The saint was here.
Inside this bio-ship.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
I was about to go from a losing bastard…
to a winning bastard.