The residents of Sector Sixteen were paralyzed with fear. War with the Imperial Marshal had become an established fact.
Whenever people gathered at bars, the air was thick with the same frantic discussions.
“Shouldn’t we be evacuating?”
“Surely not. Would they really target civilians?”
“Exactly. This is just a conflict between the higher-ups.”
Then, someone from the next table interjected.
“Don’t be fools!”
“Do you know something we don’t?”
“The Imperial Marshal’s reputation might be skyrocketing lately, but he doesn’t have the capacity to manage Sector Sixteen.”
The patrons scratched their heads.
“He’s using his son’s death as a pretext for plunder. He isn’t coming here to occupy this land.”
“Which means…”
“He doesn’t intend to rule us, so he won’t care about civilian casualties.”
“Hey now—surely it won’t be that bad.”
“The Imperial Marshal expanded his territory too quickly. He’s broke. It just so happens that our Sector Sixteen didn’t suffer much damage during the Great Invasion. Revenge is a perfect excuse, isn’t it?”
“If that’s true…”
Everyone’s faces turned pale.
“Where on earth are we supposed to evacuate to…!”
“Why are you asking me? I’m just a powerless citizen too.”
The intellectuals who understood the ways of the world realized the gravity of the situation. Although Marshal Humildas controlled the media, he couldn’t stop the spread of rumors. Fear began to stain the hearts of the people.
[Marshal Yougogirl arrives with troops to save Sector Sixteen]
The Marshal’s Office released news to calm the public’s agitation. However…
“Damn it. Isn’t Yougogirl a has-been?”
“He shriveled up completely after being pushed around by Kranos-Kan.”
“The man can’t even look after his own sector. Why is he coming here?”
“Simple. If Sector Sixteen falls to the Imperial Marshal, he knows he’s next.”
Kranos-Kan and the Imperial Marshal were allies. Yougogirl helping Sector Sixteen was an unavoidable choice for survival.
[Marshal Poena fiercely criticizes the Imperial Marshal! Justice will prevail!]
But there was no news of reinforcements from her.
“That woman is just flapping her gums again.”
“Can’t she send some troops?”
“She’s probably struggling to handle her own business. It hasn’t been long since she was soundly defeated by the Imperial Marshal in the last battle.”
The people began to sink into despair, especially those who didn’t have the means to flee between star systems. Then, amidst the hopelessness, a promising new article was updated.
[Our hero Pak Yu! He’s done it again. With support from Marshal Jojida, commander of the Silver Mobile Corps…]
“That rascal?”
“Well, he is the best in our sector when it comes to drinking, singing, and dancing. Maybe his entertainment skills are top-notch.”
“True. Rumor has it Marshal Jojida is a real man’s man. Maybe they hit it off…”
“When he was out causing trouble, I wondered why we even had a guy like that. But I guess he’s useful at a time like this.”
“The Pak family isn’t a prestigious house for nothing.”
“Werent you the one singing about how they needed to be ruined just a while ago?”
The rascal Pak Yu, who used to be criticized daily, was now receiving praise.
“With this, don’t we have a chance?”
“It looks like the troop numbers are becoming comparable…”
“Let’s trust Marshal Humildas. Thanks to him, our Sector Sixteen was peaceful during the Great Invasion.”
“Yeah! Our Marshal is a capable man too!”
The rumors that Marshal Humildas was a toothless tiger vanished.
—
“Ha ha ha!”
Marshal Humildas let out a hollow laugh.
“Even a slug has a talent for rolling, it seems.”
“I didn’t expect much, but to think he’d bring back 3,000 ships.”
“And fifty of them are apparently heavy bombardment ships.”
“Why did he bother bringing those expensive things? A few hundred corvettes would have been much better.”
Humildas didn’t particularly like heavy bombardment ships. They were incredibly tricky to utilize on the battlefield. To quite a few Marshals, heavy bombardment ships were treated like an awkward burden—useless to keep, yet too good to throw away.
“What about Marshal Yougogirl?”
“He brought 1,500 regular navy ships.”
“Regular navy” was a roundabout way of saying it was a mix of various ship types.
“This might actually be a fair fight.”
The Imperial Marshal’s fleet that had disappeared from the center consisted of 5,000 ships.
Humildas’s Private Army: 3,000 regular ships.
Yougogirl’s Private Army: 1,500 regular ships.
Jojida’s Reinforcements: 3,000 militia ships.
A battle of 5,000 versus 7,500.
Of course, it was difficult to judge by numbers alone. The composition, quality, training, combat experience, and morale were much higher on the Imperial Marshal’s side. Furthermore, this side was an allied force, whereas the enemy had a single chain of command.
However…
‘We’re the ones on the defensive.’
The Imperial Marshal had to conquer each star system from the outskirts inward. Large-scale armies, in particular, had limited movement routes. Space was not open in every direction. Because they had to use warp drives and acceleration drives, distinct paths existed.
Additionally, there were local defense forces and noble private armies. The enemy had to advance while toppling the fortresses these forces defended. This process would force them to take damage.
*Thump!*
An intelligence officer rushed inside.
“Marshal! The Imperial Marshal’s grand army has appeared in the Acacia Star System!”
“What?! How did they get there already?”
They had bypassed the front-line surveillance network and immediately breached the third line of defense. No matter how he thought about it, it was strange. Even calculating backward from the time the enemy disappeared from the Imperial Marshal’s headquarters, the distance made no sense.
“Marshal! General Naparre has just arrived at the Center!”
“Perfect timing. He arrived just before things got worse.”
Since the third defense line had been breached, they had to take action quickly.
—
A fleet of 3,000 ships arrived at the Sector Sixteen Center Star System. Ordinarily, they should have docked at a planet on the outskirts, but they were brought all the way to the center for public relations purposes.
All forces were gathered. Seeing 7,500 ships in one place was a magnificent sight.
*Flash! Flash!*
Footage of this scene spread throughout Sector Sixteen. The citizens cheered. They outnumbered the enemy. Marshal Humildas actively promoted this, hoping that the Imperial Marshal would withdraw on his own.
*Trumpet sounds!*
Hundreds of military bands played. Huge crowds gathered, and reporters were busy snapping photos.
*Flash! Flash!*
Naparre and I stepped out of the limousine.
“It feels good to receive such a welcome.”
He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. It was likely because he had only been treated with contempt under Marshal Jojida. It must have been a very long time since he had received such treatment.
“Welcome, Pak Yu!”
The Raccoon Man flew toward me on a hover-plate. He patted my shoulder. The reason he insisted on physical contact was out of habit; the Raccoon-kin naturally had poor eyesight.
“Let’s head inside.”
Marshal Humildas led the way. Naparre and I followed him.
*Click!*
In the grand hall, key figures were lined up on both sides. A few people were dressed in military uniforms, but most were in bureaucratic attire.
‘These people still haven’t come to their senses.’
The atmosphere was entirely different from Marshal Jojida’s hall. It was thick with an air of optimism. They had enjoyed peace for far too long.
“Thank you for coming all this way.”
The Raccoon Man welcomed Naparre with a benevolent expression.
“Restraining the ambitions of that insolent wolf attacking the famously generous Marshal Humildas is something any soldier of our Empire should naturally do.”
Generous, my foot. It was just a rumor created by neglect and incompetence. Because he interfered so little, the nobles praised his generosity. In a way, it was a backhanded compliment.
“Ha ha ha. I appreciate you thinking so highly of me.”
Look at him, shrugging his shoulders without even realizing it. Sometimes he was sharp as a razor, and other times he seemed like a fool. His competence fluctuated wildly.
“Sir Pak Yu.”
When did I become a knight? I suppose I could be called one since I received a medal. It was a type of honorary title. Naturally, it came with no duties or rights. It was just a hollow means to exploit a civilian.
“You have truly done a great deed. Once the war is over, I shall reward your devotion.”
That means he’s going to wipe his mouth. By then, he’ll be too busy looking after those who achieved military merit in battle. My role in bringing reinforcements will fade from his memory.
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”
I replied bluntly while picking my ear. It felt like lasers were shooting from the eyes of the ministers. Naparre seemed flustered by my attitude.
“I would like you to do one more task.”
“I don’t really feel like it…”
“Try requesting reinforcements from Marshal Poena.”
He’s assigning me work like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Marshal. It’s Pak Yu.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that for someone like me, I’ve worked too much already and I’m tired.”
He must have forgotten that I’m a rascal. I’ll have to give him a lesson.
*Clump, clump.*
I sat down on the edge of a fountain off to one side.
“I haven’t even recovered from the fatigue of the journey. You’re being too harsh.”
Just then, I saw an apple floating in the fountain. Judging by the two golden lines on its surface…
‘Oh, what do we have here?’
It was a Space Apple. Not only was it good for the body, but it was also excellent for Force training. A single crate of those apples was worth as much as a corvette.
*Crunch!*
I fished it out and bit into it.
“My… my apple?!”
Now that I thought about it, this was Marshal Humildas’s favorite food. He cherished them so much that he never gave them to anyone else. He wouldn’t usually store them so carelessly, but I was lucky.
*Whoosh!*
The Raccoon Man raised both of his short arms high in a threatening posture. It was what Raccoon-kin did when they were angry. They tried to make themselves look bigger to be intimidating, but a Raccoon Man was still just a Raccoon Man.
‘You should have boosted my reputation within reasonable limits.’
In Sector Sixteen, I was the only person he couldn’t touch. This time, I had even brought reinforcements. So far, the primary contributor to this war was me. Then again, there was no one else to promote besides me.
“Ahem!”
He eventually lowered his arms. Fidgeting and glaring at me was all he could do.
*Click!*
At that moment, a side door opened and an intelligence officer rushed in. He whispered something, but I heard every word.
“Marshal! The Imperial Marshal’s army has also broken through the second defense line.”
“How… how?! How much time has passed since the third line fell?”
A ghostly marching speed. That was the terrifying thing about the Imperial Marshal. His army could leap through space entirely. He was like a ghost, appearing here and there.
So, how did so many troops suddenly pop up at the second defense line? To explain this, I have to go back to the point when I possessed a body in this world.
Why did the Imperial Marshal bother scattering independent detachments everywhere before the war even began? Wasn’t that just raising awareness?
It was to stamp coordinates.
He possessed a special relic.
Hermes’s Footsteps.
It was a pair of shoes covered in feathers. By plucking a feather and building a shrine on a specific planet, he could open a temporary wormhole in the vicinity.
That was the reason why independent detachments were found all over Sector Sixteen even before the war started. The Sagitta detachment I fought was one of them.
Added to that, the activity of suspicious merchant ships had also increased.
‘This is a bit problematic.’
I didn’t realize the Raccoon Man would be this incompetent. I never expected the second line to be breached so easily. This never happened in the game.
‘Is this because of me too?’
I suspected that withdrawing Sagitta’s detachment right after I dropped into this world was the cause. From the Imperial Marshal’s perspective, the coordinates for one direction hadn’t been secured. Therefore, he seemed to be advancing even more boldly to cause confusion.
“What on earth should we do?!”
Everyone wore grave expressions. An Imperial army that had breached the second line unscathed would be terrifying.
“Report! The Pu-ja Star System has been attacked! The space station has fallen, and massive civilian casualties have occurred.”
“Urgent news! The Mansul Star System has been plundered…”
“We have a crisis! The Imperial Marshal’s army is in the Geumgoreu Star System…”
“Emergency! Massacres of civilians in the Dodon Colony…”
Reports came flooding in. All of them were places famous for being wealthy in Sector Sixteen.
“Marshal. If you recognize the independence of the Lucifel Star System, I will push the Imperial Marshal back to the second line for a while.”
“Sir Pak Yu, you?!”
I nodded. In a way, this was an opportunity.
‘If it becomes independent, I can sell it off without having to worry about what others think.’
A wormhole created by the relic Hermes’s Footsteps couldn’t be used indefinitely. Once they were pushed back to the second line, they wouldn’t be able to use it again. Then, this time, they would have to advance by occupying territory step by step in the orthodox way.
“Is… is there a way?!”
“It’s Pak Yu.”
I tapped my chest. No matter what anyone said, the number one contributor to this war was me. No matter how much they cursed me as a rascal, I was the only one in Sector Sixteen who had achieved military merit.
“You must trust me completely.”
“Fine… very well. If you can make that happen, I will even grant you the two neighboring star systems.”
The stingy man was being generous. Of course, they weren’t particularly nutritious lands.
“Give me the independence as well.”
“I shall certainly do so. However, you must prove yourself first.”
Since there were additional rewards, proof was naturally required. I beckoned to the first mate standing in the corner by the entrance.
“Go and bring Eung-run.”
“Yes, Captain!”