Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 114: Fragments Reunited

After we were done with the bookmakers, we didn't overstay our welcome and returned. At least, that was the plan—

[Captain Arthur, you have an incoming transmission request from the Aegis Grand Prix Committee. Do you wish to accept it?]

Percy's crisp mechanical female voice echoed throughout the bridge.

"The committee?" I muttered, tilting my head slightly in curiosity. "What now? Are they going to accuse us of cheating and try to take back our championship or something?"

Though suspicious, I still went ahead and accepted the call.

The lights across the bridge dimmed swiftly, and the main visor lit up to reveal a group of unfamiliar faces—middle-aged men with plastered smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes.

{Captain Arthur Grail of the Knights of Camelot Mercenary Group... am I correct? I'm Piero, the chief organizer of the race.}

The man in the center, half-bald with thinning gray hair, spoke quickly and confidently. Thankfully, he didn't waste time with pleasantries and got straight to the point.

{We're contacting you regarding the grand prize for winning the Aegis Grand Prix. Would you prefer to retrieve the item yourself, or should we arrange for it to be delivered?}

"The prize..."

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. If memory served right, the reward for first place was a mysterious ancient module, excavated from Sector-1904 in the Franet Cluster.

I wasn't exactly familiar with the geography of that area, but based on the phrasing—"unknown module"—I had a good guess what it was. It should be one of those rare modules that appear early in the game, usually falling into the hands of a semi-named NPC.

'I'm pretty sure it's that one...!' I barely managed to hold back a grin as I cleared my throat and responded, "Ah, then we'll collect it directly. We're still nearby, anyway."

{That would be ideal.} The organizer gave a nod, his fake smile stretching wider. {And if possible, may I ask if your pilot could attend the closing ceremony? She'd only need to appear on stage, wave at the audience a bit—nothing too demanding.}

"..."

I had a feeling this "harmless request" was the real reason behind the sudden call. It wouldn't look good if the winner—who left the other racers trailing by nearly two hours—didn't show up at the awarding ceremony.

But unfortunately for him...

"You're aware we were attacked mid-race, right?" I said, my voice darkening. "Unless I can guarantee her safety there, I won't send her."

{...I see. Understood.}

He backed off fast. Probably because he knew full well how the race committee turned a blind eye to us being ambushed. They didn't bother locking down the course or protecting participants properly. Pathetic, really.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a mole among them working directly for Eden.

Either way, I wasn't about to risk Cassandra's life on a public stage when there could still be hidden threats lurking around.

Shortly after, we received map coordinates pointing to a secure warehouse operated by the AGP. Apparently, the grand prize was being stored there. Though it was sealed inside a bulky metallic container, its size and shape already gave me enough clues. I had a good idea what this module truly was.

Still, unboxing it should be done once we're back in the Astoraxia-001 system. That's the only place I could confidently call safe.

"Engines are preheated and at optimal temperatures. Ready to depart on your command."

Eva, who had been absent until now, returned to the cockpit with her usual cool demeanor. The only thing different… was her.

Or maybe it was just me. For some inexplicable reason, she seemed... more alluring than before.

Was I imagining things? Every subtle movement she made, every soft breath—there was a strange sensuality in her presence now. I couldn't look away.

"...?"

Eva suddenly turned, brows furrowed into a glare. I'd clearly stared for too long. I quickly averted my gaze to avoid her sharp eyes, only to meet a different kind of surprise—Cassandra was watching me too, expression unreadable, face completely blank.

I had no idea what was going on in her head either.

If only I had the power to read minds...

Using the Range Falcon's short-distance Warp Module, we zipped back to the main Warp Gate in just a few minutes. Fortunately, our timing couldn't have been better. The next warp sequence was just about to begin.

As we queued up with the other ships, waiting for the gate to activate, a soft beep came from my personal terminal.

Naturally, I was caught off guard. My terminal's address was private—only a select few even had it. No spam, no junk, no random messages.

Puzzled by who it could be, I tapped the notification and opened the message.

"...What?"

The contents were unexpected.

It came from an unregistered sender.

At first glance, the message seemed harmless, merely offering congratulations on our Grand Prix victory. But what came next raised every red flag in my head.

[I know where the Primula is kept. And I want your help in moving it to a safer place.]

This... This was practically a request for me to assist in stealing the Primula, wasn't it? They even provided contact information, along with a specific date and location for a rendezvous. Everything about this screamed sketchy.

I couldn't decipher the sender's true intentions.

But for some odd reason, I had this creeping sensation... like the person who sent this—was someone I knew. Quite well, even.

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'Well, the date mentioned is still a ways off. I'll just shelve it for now. If it's that important, they'll message me again.'

Soon enough, the warp gate powered up. I shoved the message out of my mind and refocused on piloting the Falcon.

First things first. I need to get those last two Warp Nexus fragments from Anderson!

---

"Sorry, Young Master Gerard. But President Astoria just left on a sudden business trip. He won't be back for at least a week." The soldier, standing guard before the president's office, explained plainly.

"...Damn it. This timing..."

I pressed a hand over my face, lamenting my unluckiness. To think Anderson would leave... Does this mean I can only get the fragments in a week?

Turning around, I scanned Eva and Cassandra's expressions.

They looked the same as usual. Eva wore her habitual frown, while Cassandra had that thin, unreadable smile of hers. It was as if they were leaving the decision up to me.

"Alright," I sighed, trying to keep my frustration in check. "Then contact me as soon as Father comes back."

We can't stay still for a full week, after all. That'd be a complete waste of time. As I turned around, about to leave, the same soldier suddenly called out.

"Ah, wait, Young Master!" He extended a hand, patting my shoulder. "Actually, the president left a note for you, along with this briefcase. He said to give it to you when you arrive."

"Thanks..."

I took the note and passed the briefcase over to Eva. First, I checked the note. It was simple, written on standard paper in neat blue ink.

[There are rebel movements around the new wormhole you told us about. Sorry, my son, but I need to go there to handle the site myself. The reward from our bet is in that briefcase. Take good care of it.]

I see... So the sudden business was because of the wormhole I told him about earlier.

But rebels? Is he talking about pirates? I guess those bastards tried to take over the wormhole and claim it for themselves... Don't they know they need a large amount of funds just to stabilize, much less control, a variable wormhole?

Some say ignorance is bliss, but in my eyes, there is no sin so great as ignorance! Those ignorant pirates are wasting our time and funds!

I gently shook my head, before turning to the soldier. "Thanks again. Tell Father that I received the package." And left a short verbal message.

"Yes, Young Master!"

With that over, we made our way back to the ship, walking for a few minutes. Upon reaching the hangar, Eva suddenly asked, "What the hell is this, anyway?"

Her curious gaze was fixed on the briefcase, as if she wanted to pop it open and see for herself.

"Wait a moment..."

But first, I rushed back to the cockpit, and from one of the special storage modules under the control panel, I took out a small, floating, tetrahedral artifact—the first fragment of the Warp Nexus we got some time ago.

Its surface still gave off a faint purple glow, even now, making it look mystical. With it in my hand, I returned to the hangar and greeted the girls.

"Alright, open the briefcase." I commanded.

Unable to hold her curiosity any longer, Eva complied. She placed the briefcase on the ground, removed the two latches holding the case closed, and the top portion popped open, moving slowly outward automatically.

Inside it were two more objects, their shapes slightly different from each other.

However, one couldn't deny that they looked the same. The minute patterns, the purple glow, even the material's color and finish—they were identical.

"..."

Seeing the remaining two fragments, I slowly brought my hand forward.

Both fragments started to shake, as if a magnet were drawing them in, pulling them up.

It happened then.

The three fragments flew, meeting in the middle. Though I was holding the piece tightly, it phased through my palm, as if it wasn't solid in the first place. A strange phenomenon.

The three fragments, like parts of a puzzle, moved with perfect precision. They fit the broken sections together, forming a pyramid-shaped structure. Its square base was about as large as both my palms together. Its height was roughly the width of my hand.

The purple glow of the inscriptions around the pyramid's surface no longer just glowed. It now became something like a thin forcefield, covering the entire object in a gentle, aurora-like purple light.

If this were in the game, a special notification would've popped up by now, telling me about creating a historical feat.

"This is it..." I muttered, touching the object with my gloved hands.

"The completed Warp Nexus!"