Ch.47Terraforming (4)

# Chapter 47: Terraforming (4)

What happens to someone who doesn’t return within the specified time after receiving an angry emperor’s ultimatum?

The result typically involves a visit from the emperor’s personal guards—genetically enhanced soldiers with the best combat training and equipped with the empire’s finest gear.

Usually, those intimidating gentlemen would forcibly drag you to the imperial palace, but…

*Whoooosh…CRASH!*

“Your Excellency, are you alright?!”

“…”

Perhaps even those fearsome imperial guards couldn’t have anticipated that a minister and duke would be stranded on a planet due to natural disasters caused by terraforming.

They were surely sent by Artraia’s command to apprehend me.

When their assault pod—which had crashed through the atmosphere—opened, and the imperial guards emerged, what I saw was…

A shuttle equipped with various medical devices and a VIP operating room.

And from inside, a pitiful civil servant with a bewildered expression rushed out, loaded with all sorts of bandages and first aid supplies.

For their sake, as they must have been shocked by the news of my isolation, I tried to reassure them with a relaxed posture and voice.

Besides, Gaia was sleeping right next to me due to exhaustion, so I didn’t want to get up suddenly.

But perhaps that backfired.

“I’m fine—”

“His Excellency is in critical condition!”

“Transfer him to the medical box immediately!”

I was merely lying down to appear relaxed.

Yet these imperial guard gentlemen were trying to stuff me into the medical box inside their operating room without any explanation.

‘Are these bastards trying to naturally turn me into Crown Prince Sado?’

Perhaps because I knew the reputation of the imperial guards…

That cutting-edge medical box felt like the rice chest from my previous life.

The moment I felt that, I immediately got up.

“Huh?!”

Leaving the startled Gaia behind, I raised my hand toward the charging imperial guards and shouted:

“No, I’m really fine, so don’t worry!”

At my reaction, the charging guards slid to a stop on their knees right in front of me.

As a result, I ended up covered in dirt and grass…

“Your Excellency! Thank goodness you’re safe!”

Unfortunately for the guards who were bowing their heads, they missed the sight of my disheveled appearance.

“Well… I didn’t expect this to happen either, so I don’t know what to say.”

Faced with this bizarre scene, all I could do was shrug my shoulders.

“Anyway, everyone stand up. We have things to do right now.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

At my command, the imperial guards finally relaxed their rigid postures and stood up, but…

“…!!!”

“Y-Your Excellency!”

“Oh, it’s just me.”

“We sincerely apologize!!”

Not only was I covered in the dirt and grass they had scattered…

They were horrified at the sight of my clothes, which had been reduced to rags after just a few days of wilderness living.

“I deeply apologize, Your Excellency! I will take full responsibility for this…”

“It’s really fine, don’t worry. My clothes are torn simply because I’ve been living here…”

“I have no words to express my regret!!!”

“No…”

———————-

After that chaotic meeting…

“Understand? My appearance was solely due to being suddenly thrown into wilderness living.”

“I will engrave Your Excellency’s words into my bones.”

“That’s… not necessary.”

“The imperial guards will never forget Your Excellency’s boundless grace!”

Having changed into clothes the imperial guards had brought, I was finally able to start a normal conversation.

“By the way, what happened to the research vessel in orbit?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. The research vessel’s crew kept trying to come with us despite being unable to enter the atmosphere, so we forcibly transported them to the Kesada Space Station.”

“Hmm, that was the right decision.”

As I finished buttoning up, the colonel, the highest-ranking imperial guard present, addressed me again.

“Your Excellency, what happened to the other personnel?”

“Ah, you mean them.”

I nodded at the colonel’s question and answered.

“They’re all safe. They’ve just gone to gather food ingredients… or collect data on new flora and fauna, which is why I was alone here.”

“I see.”

To be precise, I was just treated as an extra because I was useless in wilderness survival…

But having some sense, I decided to keep that part to myself.

“As expected of Your Excellency, such courage to guard the base alone while everyone else is away…”

“Ohhh.”

True to his role as an imperial guard, the colonel immediately offered appropriate flattery based on my words…

And seeing the other guards chiming in with affirmations, I understood why emperors throughout history had cherished their imperial guards so much.

Such natural talent and skill for flattery isn’t common.

While I was thinking this, other imperial guards approached us.

“For the glory of the Empire! Your Excellency, how should we proceed with searching for survivors?”

It seemed they wanted to form search parties to find the research team.

I waved my hand dismissively and replied:

“Ah, there’s no need… they’ll return soon if we wait here.”

“Understood. Everyone, stand by here!”

“Yes!”

After waiting for a few minutes…

“…!”

“…!…!”

At the sound of voices coming through the now-dense trees, the imperial guards immediately aimed their weapons in that direction…

“Oh, they’re—”

“Who goes there! Show yourselves immediately!!!”

A thunderous voice beside me drowned out my words, and from beyond the forest came frantic replies:

“I-I’m coming out! Coming out now!”

With rustling sounds, a group of ragged figures in tattered lab coats—no, the research team—emerged.

*Rustle, rustle*

*Creak, creak*

*Thud!*

“…”

Their appearance seemed quite shocking even to the imperial guards.

Various plants, animals, soil, water, and air samples they had collected from everywhere.

Storage containers categorizing each element, belts to hang the containers.

And various equipment they had brought for experiments and tests, each carried on their backs.

“Your Excellency! Be careful!”

“Techno-cultists appearing in a place like this? Everyone, prepare to attack!”

“Waaah?!”

“W-wait! We’re not those people!”

The imperial guards, mistaking the research team for some bizarre religious cult called “techno-cultists,” nearly caused a massacre…

“Colonel, they really are the research team…”

“All units cease fire! They are not enemies!”

Thanks to my incredulous intervention, a terrible massacre was fortunately avoided.

“Sob, Minister…!”

“W-we thought we were going to die.”

Perhaps due to receiving murderous glares from the human weapons that were imperial guards…

The research team, who had been moving just fine while carrying massive equipment and various specimens, all collapsed with weakened legs.

“Hmm, well…”

The colonel, observing this scene, could only scratch his closely-cropped hair.

“When unprepared civilized people suddenly fall into the wilderness, it can’t be helped.”

“Hmm…”

“Especially since neither I nor those researchers have any training for isolation situations.”

Realizing what the colonel was thinking, I decided to provide some defense for the research team.

“Your Excellency is right, but seeing it in person… it’s quite a complex feeling.”

Of course, as the colonel said, there’s a visual difference between knowing something intellectually and seeing it in reality.

“Your words are also correct. To be honest, I didn’t expect them to transform into such strange states either.”

“Haha…”

At my quietly spoken words, the colonel could only give a dry laugh.

But immediately after, the colonel seemed to notice something and carefully whispered to me with a changed expression:

“…By the way, Your Excellency, where is that humanoid who always accompanies and assists you?”

At the colonel’s question, I subtly averted my gaze and carefully replied:

“Didn’t I mention? Some personnel went to procure food.”

“…Surely you don’t mean…”

My response filled the colonel’s eyes with disbelief, but…

*Whoosh!*

“Minister! I caught some fish—what’s going on?!”

“…”

“…Hmm.”

Having discarded her fine suit and other clothes, she was dressed in attire made only of natural materials.

When the colonel saw Riel swinging down from a tree on a vine, holding a spear made of stone and wood with fish skewered on it…

I could read just one emotion in the colonel’s eyes and nodded as I spoke:

“You feel it too, I see.”

“Is that… really a humanoid?”

“I wonder sometimes myself.”

And that reaction seemed to intensify as we watched Riel offering fish from the tip of her spear to the bewildered imperial guard.