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CHAPTER 3 – I’M JUST AN EARTHLING, CAN I STOP AN INTERGALACTIC WAR?
PART 03
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From space, Phenerita appeared as a green planet. As we touched down onto the ground, large fields stretched as far as the eye could see. If Earth was classified as a world of water, then Phenerita was definitely a world of grass.
As Iris’ spaceship was anchored tightly to the others in the fleet, we could only be carried along wherever they went. And that wherever turned out to be a tall tower hidden in the midst of clouds. There was an opening, like a mouth, on the side of the tower, and the spaceships filed in one by one.
It seemed like this was the headquarters of Phenerita’s high council, “Owaria”.
Iris and I were made to alight from the spaceship, and my laser gun and warp watch were confiscated. I’d actually thought about escaping with the warp watch, but was told by Iris that “Owaria” was installed with devices that prevented warps from forming properly. With such measures in place, attempting to enter a warp here was just too dangerous…
We stepped onto a pedestal-like elevator. As it was ascending, I peered over the edge, wondering if anyone had fallen off before, but was assured by Iris that there was an invisible force field keeping us in and safe.
“……”
Escorted by the police guards surrounding us, Iris remained mostly silent. Her lips were pressed tightly together as she kept her eyes to the floor.
Well, I guess anyone would be in a bad mood, after being treated this way by their own father.
And just what was he, the council president of “Owaria”, thinking?
Like unshackled prisoners, we were soon brought to the highest floor of the tower… It was a room decorated with a round table where members of the high council sat. The room appeared unnaturally bright, and I soon realized that one of the walls was made of glass, offering a view of a sea of clouds outside.
Seated at the round table and dressed in clothes with high collars were a bunch of middle-aged and elderly men. Their expressions were stoic, and I guessed it was because they were members of the high council.
Hey hey, couldn’t it get any more unwelcoming than this?
Then, the man seated on the opposite end of the table from where Iris and I stood -a muscular man with well-kept short silver hair and a deep frown on his face-, rested his chin upon his clasped hands and glared sharply at Iris.
“Who is that?”
I silently mouthed to Iris.
“That’s…my Papa. ‘Owaria”s council president.”
“Why is he so angry?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s because I ran away from home… But I’ve never seen him so mad before.”
Hmm…
I cast a sideways glance at R, hoping for an explanation, but she just shrugged in response.
“I can’t guess the situation if I don’t know anything about it.”
Guess that’s true.
Either way, I needed to gather some information. Without it, I probably wouldn’t be released, and would have to stay here indefinitely.
“E-erm…”
“I don’t know who you are, but do shut up.”
But I hadn’t even said anything yet…!
It seemed like I would be making no progress here.
“Iris,” I prompted the girl standing beside me, hoping it would get her to start speaking.
“Oh, erm…”
Iris hesitated, probably because of the glare still directed at her, but she finally raised her head and spoke in a timid voice,
“Erm…Papa?”
“Yes?”
He might be speaking to his daughter, but the council president’s voice remained harsh.
“Gasp…! Erm…”
Iris swallowed and cast her head down again.
“D-did I do something wrong?”
The moment she managed to force the question out, the mood around the table immediately turned icy.
Oi! That was the wrong question to ask!
I managed to stop myself before I shouted at her.
Judging by the atmosphere, I could understand why the council president was angry. After everything, Iris still seemed to have no idea of what she’d done. It was like adding oil to the fire.
As expected, the men slammed their fists on the table in a fury.
“What do you mean, did you do something wrong!”
“Do you even understand the consequences of your actions!?”
“President! She may be your daughter, but she has gone too far this time!”
It was a storm of reprimands that made me want to cover my ears. But it seemed like the ones making the most noise were the members unrelated to the two. In contrast, Iris’ father remained silent, his lips sealed as he waited for the rest to quieten down.
“Uuh… What is this…?”
Unable to comprehend the situation, Iris’ voice sounded tearful as she asked.
While I understood what had caused the outburst, it didn’t feel right hearing how most of the reprimands were pointless insults that had nothing to do with the situation at hand.
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
R seemed like the only person who understood what was going on.
Before I could get her to explain, Iris’ father picked up a tiny silver bell resting on the round table and rang it. The high-pitched sound resonating throughout the room seemed to pierce through my eardrums, and soon the room was silent again. That must be some device used to maintain order during council meetings.
“Our planet is currently facing the gravest danger she has ever encountered ever since the start of the universe.”
Finally, the council president started speaking to us…or rather, to Iris, in a low resonant voice.
“In the past, Phenerita was just a planet devoid of our own resources. We slowly built up our financial prowess by importing materials from other planets, processing them, then exporting it out again. You know that, don’t you?”
“……”
Iris gave a small nod, but remained silent.
“To put it bluntly, we are a planet that probably can’t survive on our own. If, for whatever reason, the other planets decide to stop supplying us with materials, we will all die of starvation.”
The council president ended off with a heavy note, as every member at the round table turned to look at Iris.
I didn’t need any more explanation to understand that the hopeless scenario described by the president was about to come true. Phenerita was headed down the road to destruction because,
“Iris, this is all because you rejected the Satamonian king’s marriage proposal.”
Yes, I knew it.
Unable to comprehend the situation, Iris shook her head.
“But… It can’t be…”
Her voice trailed off, and she could only shake her head mutely.
“W-wait a minute!”
I couldn’t take it anymore, and decided to interject. I could feel everyone’s gazes immediately turn towards me.
“Who are you?”
I swallowed hard before answering the council president’s query.
“My name is Namidare Rekka. As to why I’m here, it’s a long story to tell, but I think you’re all acting really weird.”
“Brat! Get out!”
One of the council members bellowed at me, but the president raised a hand, halting his progress.
“Namidare Rekka-kun. I would want to know why you’re here, as well as where and what my daughter had been up to in her absence, but that can wait. However, I wish you can be respectful with your words.”
Iris’ father spoke like a schoolteacher. In other words, he was someone I’d rather not deal with. However, there was no way I was going to remain silent.
“Everyone seems to be finding fault with Iris, but it was the Satamonian king who forced the marriage proposal onto her, wasn’t it? That means she had every right to reject him!”
“…Sorry, but that is out of the question.”
“Why?!”
“Because Iris is my daughter.”
The president’s voice remained emotionless as he said that.
“I am the ambassador of Phenerita. Therefore, anything that grants this planet peace and prosperity will be my priority, and that includes how I choose to deal with my daughter.”
“No, the ultimate decision lies with you.”
“And I would make decisions that cause the people to starve?”
“Erm! No, but…”
“The Satamonian king is tenacious and overbearing. In the worst case scenario, we could be invaded by his troops. There is just no telling what lies he would concoct in the name of justifying a war against us.”
Do people normally go to such measures over one girl…?
No, it was because the Satamonian king was far from normal, and that was the problem. If he was serious about starting a war, then nobody would be able to stop him. That was probably why everyone in the council was so upset.
The president glanced over at Iris again.
“Iris, you have led a very fortunate life thus far. All your selfishness had also been forgiven, because you are the daughter of the council president. Don’t you think that you should repay everyone’s kindness by taking responsibility for this?”
“……”
Iris had not raised her eyes from the floor, but her face appeared deathly pale. She probably hadn’t imagined that her actions would lead to this.
Oh, what should I do? I couldn’t think of a way to rectify this situation, because I knew the president was right.
A hush fell over the round table as Iris and I stood frozen.
Just then, the lights in the room suddenly went out.
“What’s happening!?”
I heard one of the council members shout, but it was so dark that I couldn’t see anything.
Everyone started speaking at once, and for a moment, all that could be heard was a chaotic babble of noise. Suddenly, I heard the president’s voice ring out, commanding security to investigate the matter.
Not knowing what was happening, there was nothing I could do to help. Just as I was standing rooted to the spot… I suddenly felt a hand tug at my jacket sleeve.
From our positioning, I guessed it was Iris who was tugging at me, and I could feel her trembling.
“……Oh.”
Just as I was about to reassure her, the room suddenly lit up again.
However, the light source came not from the ceiling this time, but from one of the walls in the room, which had morphed into a huge screen that glowed bright.
[Geb geb geb, Iris-chwan! You look as adorable as always~]