Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Space Fortress
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‘Even if it’s just once, something dangerous is still dangerous.’
That was my thinking, but I didn’t show it.
There was no need to argue the point.
I simply nodded and asked in a subtle tone.
“So, you’re really against it?”
Revel Major General let out a small sigh in response to my question.
By now, he must have realized how firm my resolve was.
“……Not exactly.”
“Then?”
“Do as you like. If the Superhuman Unit Leader is going that far, what could I possibly refuse?”
Revel Major General’s face had completely changed as he said it.
He’d finally made up his mind.
I smiled and replied.
“We’re going to get a lot busier from here on out.”
“As long as it’s just chewing up Aliens, I’m game for as much as you want.”
Revel Major General stood and extended his hand.
Our handshake carried a solid strength.
*
The Laplacia Star System.
It was humanity’s living space closest to the Styx front lines.
Development had begun about a century ago, and thanks to its terraforming-friendly environment and stunning cosmic vistas, it had grown rapidly.
In just those hundred years, the residential population had swelled to around 400 million.
But the Laplacia Star System, which everyone thought would remain peaceful forever, took a direct hit when war broke out.
In mere months, a hundred million people fled in terror from the Aliens to safer places, and the pride of its tourism industry shrank dramatically.
Daily life and industry crumbled, reaching the point where it couldn’t survive without Union aid.
It had plunged into crisis overnight.
But no one said it had to die.
Ironically, the war was also the reason its dying economy began to revive.
The so-called war boom.
Thanks to its geographic proximity to the Styx front—closer than anywhere else—the Laplacia Star System became home to numerous supply depots.
Military factories sprang up to cut logistics costs, and soldiers on leave flooded in, drawn to its excellent tourist facilities.
Signs of prosperity were emerging.
The ruling class, who had sold off everything dirt cheap and fled on their own two feet, beat their chests in regret.
But property that had fallen into others’ hands wasn’t coming back.
Even forcing it wouldn’t work.
Why?
Because the one who had snapped it all up was me—the owner of the Golden Fleet and leader of the Superhuman Unit.
Despite me devouring all their assets, they couldn’t voice their complaints easily.
I hadn’t set out to profit this much at first, either.
My main goal had been to make resettlement easier for the evacuees.
But those who couldn’t find buyers begged me to take their stuff off their hands.
I just bought it all up on impulse at rock-bottom prices.
Since it wasn’t money made through anything illegal, I had no qualms.
Plus, I’d taken on risks too.
Early on, with the front lines unstable, there was a good chance Laplacia’s planets could face air raids.
If a real attack had hit, all my money would’ve gone down the drain.
Of course, I’d pushed the relocation because I figured the odds were high it wouldn’t happen.
In any case, it let me rapidly expand my influence.
Especially on Laplacia’s main planet, with its massive tourist colony—I wielded more sway than even Prime Councilor Borneo.
So when I showed up after just a few months, it was chaos.
*
“…….”
‘Zoning out.’
By definition, a state of doing absolutely nothing, as if your mind has checked out.
That described exactly what I was doing right now.
In truth, I wasn’t thinking of anything.
Not even thinking about not thinking.
I was just lying on a sunbed, staring out at space.
“……….”
The nebula reflected light into a fantastical aurora.
Up close, it swirled in patterns, with stars at the centers emitting multicolored glows.
Like distant candles flickering beyond the window.
Anyway, the key point was it never got old, no matter how long you looked.
“………….”
I wanted to stay like this forever.
After wracking my brain nonstop, just spacing out felt relaxing.
Comforting.
Was this what a worry-free paradise on earth was like?
“ Ah…………?”
Then, out of the corner of my eye, a face appeared.
It looked displeased.
“Not getting up?”
A vague anxiety hit me—I needed to react somehow.
But after zoning out so long, my brain wouldn’t turn over.
“……You’re just gonna ignore me, huh?”
The intruder’s voice grew louder.
Only then did my eyes break free from their fixed point and turn to her.
A woman in a two-piece swimsuit with a sheer sky-blue cardigan draped over, her long silver hair wet from the water and swept over one shoulder.
Her face was flawless, her figure perfect.
She looked like a goddess fresh from a photoshoot.
It was a shame my vision was inverted, making her look upside down.
“……Merdi?”
Her name slipped from my lips unbidden.
It wasn’t something I’d thought out—it was pure reflex.
But I should’ve stopped there. Caught in the flow of my drifting mind, my mouth kept going, spilling my thoughts.
“You look insanely sexy.”
Merdi snorted at my words, accepting it as a given.
“At least your eyes work.”
But now that I’d said it, I wasn’t so composed.
“……Merdi!?”
“Feeling with it now?”
I shot upright.
With my vision righted, her outfit stood out even more.
And as my gaze landed, she struck a pose that accentuated her curves, almost provocatively.
I had nowhere to look.
“Say it again.”
“……Didn’t you say you were going shopping?”
“That’s not what I want to hear.”
“Ahaha…….”
No escape in sight.
I scratched the back of my neck lightly and opened my mouth.
“……That outfit suits you perfectly.”
Merdi narrowed her eyes at me.
Then she straightened up and spoke.
“Hmm, since it’s a good day, I’ll let it slide.”
“Ahem…….”
“But were you like this all day since morning?”
“Yeah. Probably…….”
I had no sense of how much time had passed.
I glanced at R3D3 standing off to the side.
It had shifted into parasol mode to match the vacation vibe.
-Beep!
Helpfully, it projected the current time in hologram.
I checked and was shocked.
‘I zoned out the whole day?’
I’d come out after breakfast, and it was well past dinnertime now.
No wonder Merdi came looking.
‘It was too quiet.’
This was a tourist colony floating above Laplacia Prime.
And our lodging—the priciest one.
They’d cordoned off an entire section for it, so plenty of space and no bumping into anyone.
Plus, I’d asked R3D3 to stay quiet until I got up. Easy to lose track of time.
“You need downtime too, huh.”
“……I’m human.”
“I figured you were a workaholic ghost who died on the job.”
Merdi smirked as she said it.
Hearing that, I had no good comeback.
The six months after the Superhuman Summit? I’d been possessed or something, nonstop.
‘Training with Roze, scouting hatcheries, handling work……. Total blur.’
Back to sleeping one hour a day in the sleep pod.
“If you burn out and drop dead from all that, who’s gonna compensate us?”
“Haha…….”
“Take it easy. Look after the people around you too.”
“Got it.”
Never thought I’d hear this from Merdi.
It made me grin despite myself, but she whipped around and walked off.
“I’m heading in first. Snap out of it and come on.”
“Huh……?”
She’d gone all out on the outfit just for this?
The question popped up, but she was gone before I could ask.
I stretched a bit where I stood, then picked up R3D3.
After real rest for once, my head felt clear.
‘Back to work tomorrow, I guess.’
First vacation in six months, but no time to lounge.
I’d come to the Laplacia Star System to build a factory here for the space fortress construction.
I’d agonized plenty after my talk with Revel Major General.
Consulted the family, gathered data, weighed options for the best approach.
Lots of input, but the conclusion: no need to chase perfection.
‘That makes everything easier.’
An impregnable space fortress with every bell and whistle.
It’d cost a fortune and take forever to build.
And if it got hit mid-construction? Unthinkable losses.
Even with endless money, not feasible.
‘Gotta ditch the fantasy of what a “fortress” means.’
A military facility built organically and solidly to withstand any enemy attack.
That’s a fortress in theory.
But practically, we needed a large structure in planetary orbit that could serve as a defensive strongpoint.
It could take damage. Get weakened.
Even let Aliens slip past.
Ground forces could handle those anyway.
Instead, it just needed to provide fire support, conserving the fleet’s strength until the Hive Nest showed after an raid.
Prefabrication was ideal for this.
Prefabrication means making standard-sized blocks in advance—like for mobile colonies—and assembling them on site.
Advantages aplenty.
First, with enough pre-made blocks, construction finishes fast—no fretting over raids mid-build.
Sure, structural weakness is an issue, but damaged blocks can be swapped out after repairs, and low production costs mean less burden anyway.
‘Long-term, building it right might be better. But if the need vanishes, it becomes dead weight.’
We had to assume the space fortress fulfilled its purpose from the start.
“……Yeah. Work can wait till tomorrow.”
I looked up.
Man, the view was gorgeous.
I’d be coming to the Laplacia Star System often.
*
“Long time no see.”
Our reunion after nearly two years.
With worries eased, Lachesis Family Head looked brighter.
And matching his changed face, his demeanor had shifted too.
“Please, come in. We’ve been waiting.”
He treated me with utmost deference, like a superior.
“No need for that, Family Head. Treat me like before.”
“I’m no longer the Family Head. And our house owes Leonard immense grace. I couldn’t bow enough.”
It was so formal it threw me off.
“……You’re not the Family Head anymore?”
“The new head must not have mentioned it.”
“The new head… You mean Shia?”
“Yes. House Lachesis has become your vassal house, Lord Leonard. Please, speak freely.”
Vassal houses and such still felt alien to me.
It wasn’t about understanding.
Just my modern upbringing clashing with the idea.
I could barely accept it between others—now aimed at me? Super awkward.
“Umm…….”
Shia probably knew this about me, so she hadn’t said anything.
Telling or not, things would’ve played out the same.
‘House Lachesis always had strict customs.’
I’d noticed from the first visit, tagging along with Tana to their estate.
The servants’ bearing, the old-style mansion, Shia’s poise even in illness.
But I hadn’t expected this level of rigidity.
“……Treat me however you like, former Family Head. But don’t dictate my speech.”
“As you wish.”
Fortunately, he didn’t push back on that.
I followed his lead inside.
‘Huge.’
The building we entered was among the largest I’d seen.
Not just big, either.
A megatower.
Housing, amenities, restaurants, shops—all in one, designed so you could live your whole life without stepping outside.
The structure was a city unto itself.
And crucially, it was mine now.
I’d heard the original owner, who sold it to me dirt cheap to escape the planet, was kicking himself over it.