Chapter 478

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 478: Beyond the Orbit (4)

The time given to Emel and the other heads of houses to escape: five seconds.

It felt even shorter than actual time.

Before Yeongwoo could even finish folding the fingers he had spread wide, Earth had already started preheating the thrusters.

Kududududu...!

As the high-density energy collected from the sun gathered in Earth’s thrusters, which were about to be activated for the first time, it felt like the planet itself was trembling.

—Ma… madness.

Emel’s face was quickly overtaken by shock.

And at that same moment, Earth began a planet-wide broadcast.

《In a moment, our planet will be departing from its natural orbit.》

Like an in-flight announcement before takeoff.

《There may be irregular shaking during orbit departure. Please find a safe location and remain seated if possible.》

Then Earth looked at Yeongwoo and nodded.

It meant all preparations for departure were complete.

At this, Yeongwoo gently shifted his gaze from Earth to Emel.

Then—

Click.

Of the five fingers spread at shoulder height, he folded one.

“Four seconds until departure.”

Upon seeing this, Emel clenched his teeth and suddenly lunged at Yeongwoo.

Taaat!

—H-Huh?

Startled, Jiseon tried to draw her sword, but Yeongwoo waved a hand to signal her to stay put.

“No, it’s not that.”

—…What?

Unlike before, neither the regional swordsmanship technique nor the golden flash treated the action as an attack.

And indeed—

Swoosh!

Emel’s left hand, cutting swiftly through the air, didn’t strike Yeongwoo, but instead grabbed his right hand, the one he was using to count down.

Grab!

—I acknowledge that you are the boldest among the lesser beings.

“You flatter me, Vice-Lord.”

—But you will not live your allotted lifespan.

It was a threatening remark, but in reality, this moment was humiliating for Emel.

Flash!

Because through the contact of their hands, 10 billion Karma was being transferred to Yeongwoo.

‘…Wait, this actually works?’

Just how large is the House of Shirach, really?

True, the idea to demand 10 billion was based on the fact that Prince Aldo of the Shelbir royal family casually spent billions of Karma—but even so, it was shocking.

Emel was the vice-lord of Shirach.

And yet, he had the authority to authorize a 10 billion Karma payment without additional approval.

‘I thought he’d try to split the payment.’

Unexpectedly receiving Shirach’s wedding gift all at once, Yeongwoo relaxed his grip.

Emel then let go of Yeongwoo’s hand roughly and looked around.

—I hope I get to see this city burn someday.

Then he pulled a small orb from his robe and dropped it at his feet.

He was finally returning to his ship.

Shiaaat!

Emel’s body turned into a hologram and scattered into the air, and the other heads of houses hurriedly initiated their own remote return sequences.

Then finally, when Maon began to glow brightly, Yeongwoo approached him and said,

“House Leader.”

—You persist in tormenting this old man. What is it now?

“You clearly said earlier that to chase after us would require immense sacrifice.”

—So?

“That means… there is a way to track a planet-ship that’s left its orbit.”

At those words, Maon puffed out his chest and burst into laughter.

—So you do live a mortal life! After threatening the heads of houses, now you fear for what comes after?

“No. It’s just, if the planet-ship can be tracked, then I should at least know how, so I can prepare for it.”

Maon let out another hearty laugh, clearly amused.

—With enough resources, even the impossible can become possible.

Then Maon raised his hand and pointed at Earth.

—The planet-ship will tell you how. I have no interest in dealing with you further today.

Tired of Yeongwoo after just a few hours, Maon quickly lifted his head to the sky.

His body lit up again, turning into a mass of light that traced an arc through the sky toward his ship.

His attending knights followed suit, throwing down return devices and teleporting away.

—Huh. They just… left.

Jiseon stared blankly at the now-vanished Maon, deep inside the ship.

Then, as if she had just remembered something, she asked Earth,

—By the way, Earth, this method of tracking a planet-ship… if it exists, wouldn’t that be a serious problem?

She said this, realizing they might have just made a future enemy.

Earth, still watching the ships rapidly leaving orbit, replied,

『W-Well… planet-ships can use stars as energy sources to travel between star systems continuously, but to catch one of those…』

Earth scratched its forehead, unsure.

Then, unexpectedly, someone else spoke up.

It was none other than Chairman Dogo.

—They can only track a planet-ship through one method: a bounty.

“…Sorry? A bounty, you said?”

—Even if they use stars as energy, that doesn’t mean they can warp forever.

Shhk.

The chairman drew a massive blade and slowly sliced through the air.

—All movement has a destination, doesn’t it?

In short, just because a planet-ship leaves its orbit doesn't mean it’s aimless.

When its movement stops, somewhere in the universe, someone will witness it.

Whether it’s a nearby passing ship or a nearby planet.

“No way… So to track it, they’d have to issue a galaxy-wide bounty and rely on sightings?”

—Those pitiful houses don’t have the authority to issue universal bounties. So instead, they’ll have to resort to bribing the countless specks scattered across the universe.

“Ah.”

Maon’s words about it being ‘close to impossible’—

Yeongwoo finally understood what he meant.

―The universe can only be navigated to the extent that you know it. But your universe is still small, so your escape route will be equally small.

In other words, Shirach’s pursuit wasn’t entirely impossible.

It seemed the Chairman had decided to set off as well—

Yeongwoo could already feel a familiar presence approaching from the sky.

Ssssssshhhhaaaaa!

It was the massive steel anchor—signature weapon of the Tombstone ship.

And the moment Yeongwoo sensed the presence, the anchor plunged down behind the Chairman.

BOOOOM!

『…….』

The impact was so immense that even the Sun Moro had to raise a hand to shield her face.

Then, the Chairman leaped up onto the anchor, gripping the heavy chain.

CLANK!

―Move. Your small universe lies out there.

“Chairman! Then… does that mean even you won’t be able to find us anymore?”

Yeongwoo threw a slightly provocative question at him, but the Chairman didn’t even glance his way.

He simply ascended into the sky along with the anchor.

―Even when your star’s life ends, you still won’t have reached the edge of my universe.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

In other words, no matter how far Yeongwoo fled—he wouldn’t escape.

Not even by the end of the sun’s lifespan.

“Ch-Chairmaaan…!”

Yeongwoo, once again awed by the Chairman’s flair for theatrics, raised both arms high and ran under the fading wake the Chairman left in the air.

From afar, Proxima—watching silently—murmured to her daughter.

『As long as he’s the head of that house, your second family will never fall.』

Parina’s second house—that was Renaissance.

『But thanks to them, we might be the ones who fall, you know?』

Parina still spat sharp words, but meanwhile, Earth turned politely to the assembled stars and addressed them.

『Everyone, we’ll be departing shortly.』

It meant: if you want to leave Earth, now’s the time.

Proxima turned to Moro, concern written all over her face.

『Will you truly be alright?』

Her wife, Sun Moro, was now the energy source of Earthship, and a member of this new planetary system—a being set to sail the cosmos.

So it was a genuine question: Will you be alright?

Especially since her partner in this voyage was none other than Jeong Yeongwoo07.

But in Moro’s eyes, there was nothing but anticipation.

『For over 4 billion years, I’ve orbited a designated path. And now, I have as many years ahead of me as I do behind.』

From her perspective, this was the halfway point of her life.

『We can’t know what awaits us outside this orbit. But it’s fine. I’ve had enough of a predictable life.』

At those words, even Proxima—and even the always-prickly Parina—fell silent.

Then, around that time, the very ground beneath the stars began to holographically shift.

Ssssshhhh!

『Oh?』

『Huh? What’s that?』

The stars, including Moro, stepped back in surprise, and Earth calmly explained:

『Thankfully, the control room is free of charge.』

『…What?』

『Wait—that’s the control room?!』

FWOOSH!

The hologram on the ground expanded further, and just as the stars instinctively pulled back, a massive structure began to rise from beneath.

RUMBLEEEEE!

It was a kind of tower—

A giant pillar supporting a massive dish-like platform at the top.

“That’s the actual control room?!”

Yeongwoo asked as he stared up at the structure that rose hundreds of meters.

Earth nodded.

『The control room is up there, on that platform. You steer the ship from the sky.』

Then Earth pointed to the base of the pillar holding the platform.

SSK.

A panel opened to either side, forming a large doorway.

『It’s possible to launch blindly, but if you issue the departure command from the control room, you can set a destination.』

Detailed configurations for attached facilities could also be managed from the control room, Earth added—

Things like upgraded thrusters or the docking bay.

『And you have to set a destination, because…』

“What else is there?”

『Only then does it count as an official launch. Which benefits you too—operating a planetary ship is practically a monumental feat.』

“Oh.”

Yeongwoo suddenly felt completely awake.

The universe rewards rarity and greatness.

And transforming predictable celestial bodies into unpredictable ones—like launching a planetary ship—was certainly a rare feat.

“You’re right. There’s probably an achievement for planetary ship launches. At the very least, it should boost my prestige.”

As Yeongwoo nodded, Earth began walking toward the control room tower and said:

『Then you’d better choose your first destination wisely. It’s meaningful, after all.』

“That’s true.”

The first destination of the Earthship—

Where should they go to make that inaugural voyage meaningful, while minimizing risk?

Sure, planetary ships were inherently unpredictable.

But it wouldn’t do to be swept up in chaos from the very first stop.

“Hmm… Then Doatel might be a good choice.”

『Doatel?』

“It’s the planet where Prince Aldo lives. I hear it’s a sanctuary in this universe… Maybe they’ll welcome us.”

At that, Earth paused at the control room entrance and looked back.

『We’re classified as literal space bandits, and you want to waltz into a universal sanctuary? Why not just rob Shirach again while you’re at it?』

“Hey, I’m not only doing bad stuff! I already racked up some good karma in the promotion arena.”

Then Yeongwoo revealed his real reason.

“Besides, we have to go there anyway. I’ve got a court mandate.”

[Planetary Court] “Balanced Fate”

Reunite with the following three individuals: (0/3)

-Aldo, the second prince of Doatel

-Amana, the guardian of Sacred Sutral

-Taru, the last hope of Pigot

<Special> Must use a family-owned spaceship.

<Reward> Adjustment of karma score guaranteed by the Planetary Court.

It was an official redemption program issued by the planetary court.

With all the karma debt Yeongwoo had piled up, clearing his name without this was impossible—

Especially if he wanted to complete the [Burning Ice] achievement.

[Burning Ice]

| Ensure that your total points of evil karma do not exceed twice your points of good karma.

‘No matter how much bad karma I rack up, all I have to do is meet those three fools and the court will clear my past. Hehe.’

As Yeongwoo smirked wickedly, Earth sighed and stepped inside the tower leading to the control room.

『If it’s a sanctuary, they probably have ridiculous amounts of good karma stored up… Are we even allowed to go there?』

Unlike Yeongwoo, Earth had a conscience.

And shame.

Naturally, Yeongwoo had neither.

“Are we really that bad? Not that bad. Besides, for a place like that, meeting a planetary ship is a pretty big deal too.”

『…How exactly is that a good thing for them?』

“They encounter a pirate ship but don’t get bombarded. Isn’t that good enough?”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]