I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary

Chapter 203

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

The area around the table where the dishes were lined up was packed with people . It even looks like samples of all of the ingredients locally available on Comatt III was assembled on that single table .

“I sure hope there isn’t anything overly strange mixed in……”

“At least, I don’t see anything that looks like it might cause an upset stomach . If guests get food poisoned at a party like this, the Dareinwald House would lose a lot of face after all . ”

“That’s true . ”

Elma does have a point . I was relieved and approached the table with some peace of mind . But there was an item that immediately caught my eye . The item in question was a roasted caterpillar-like creature the size of a piglet . Its oily, white surface was lightly browned in some places, and it did seem well-cooked .

“……”

“What’s with those eyes? Oh c’mon . I’m sure it’ll be tasty . ”

Elma exchanged glares with me . Eh…… You’re telling me this thing will taste good? You sure?

“Look, they’re starting to carve it apart . Go, go . ”

“Seriously……?”

Elma pushed me toward the roasted giant caterpillar-like creature that was now being carved apart and served to the guests . Perhaps its appearance didn’t inspire any appetite, because the other guests were ignoring the thing altogether and Elma kept pushing me to try it for some reason . W-Wait . Where’s Mimi anyway……? There she is . But she desperately turned her gaze away the moment she noticed me . Damn . You’re gonna abandon me just like that, Mimi!?

“Here you are . ”

“Y-Yeah . ”

A chef expertly carved the roasted giant caterpillar and a portion was placed on a plate . The chef then handed the plate to me . It seems the chef placed the skin and the mushy insides of the creature on top of a cracker and they were supposed to be eaten together .

“Muh……?”

I dipped the serving on the green sauce placed on the side of the plate and ate it . The moment it entered my mouth, a refreshing aroma pierced my nose . Apparently, the green herb sauce used a basil-like herb as a base . The crispy texture of the cracker coupled with the creature’s savory well-roasted skin and a rich cheesy flavor spread inside my mouth .

“Despite its appearance, it’s actually quite tasty . ”

“Isn’t it? It does look a bit grotesque, but the taste is superb . ”

“Please give me another one . ”

“Sure . ”

I ate another caterpillar cracker serving . Un, it’s good . Elma had a skeptical look on her face . She was probably thinking ‘This guy can’t be serious, right?’ or something like that . C’mon, get a taste of it as well . I asked the chef to prepare another serving and handed a plate with a caterpillar cracker to Elma .

“Ara, it really is delicious . ”

“See?”

Perhaps Elma’s positive reaction was the trigger . The other guests also started ordering caterpillar crackers .

“I think Comatt III will prosper if they can produce more local specialties like this one . ”

“Hm? Are you suggesting they build a giant caterpillar farm or something? Somehow, just thinking about it gives me the goosebumps . ”

“Stop that, you! We’re in the middle of eating you know……”

I wonder what size the adult creature would be with a larva like this . What kind of creature was this a larva of in the first place? I’m kinda curious, but somehow, I feel like I really don’t wanna know the answer .

“So a colonization project isn’t as simple as preparing a planet for wide-scale habitation huh . ”

“I don’t think it’s all that complicated, but local specialties are still important, right? I mean, they’ll become an advantageous revenue source in the long run . ”

“I see…… Anyway, it’s amazing that creatures like these actually survived the terraforming process . How surprising . ”

“Some creatures are just more adaptable to new environments compared to others . I think there were also a lot of local species that didn’t make it in the end . ”

“I see . ”

So this caterpillar creature was adaptable enough to survive the long and rigorous terraforming process huh . Well, I guess its vitality was just that strong .

However, it seems that terraforming does come with its own set of troubles . It kinda feels like a topic environmentalist groups would make a huge fuss about . Well, isn’t it? Perhaps some groups already did protest in the past, but they were simply crushed by the power and influence of the nobles . A huge amount of money is involved in the terraforming business after all, and I think the ones who would profit from it would move to crush any form of dissent even without the nobles exercising their power in some cases .

As I lost myself in thought, Mimi and the others approached us . She already held a plate with a serving of the caterpillar cracker . You sure have grown, Mimi .

“Mimi…… Were you planning on ignoring us earlier?”

“A-Ahaha…… I’m sorry . ”

“We just gave you first dibs, Boss . ”

“You were really gutsy, big brother . It’s a bit too much for me……”

It seems Whisker didn’t get a caterpillar cracker for herself . All the dishes on her plate looked like safe choices and their amounts were just right .

“Whisker’s a bit picky when it comes to her food, Boss . ”

“It’s not good to be too picky, okay?”

“Um, I’m just bad with bugs……”

Well, there’s no need to pressure her into eating it, I guess . But, come to think of it, the bug-like creatures we’ve managed to sample up until now all turned out pretty tasty . How surprising . I guess there isn’t any point to distributing anything in the market that does taste bad huh .

“Ara, it looks like our princess is here . ”

“Oh?”

Elma pulled my sleeve and got my attention . I followed her gaze and saw Chris all dolled up in a beautiful dress . The dress wasn’t overly flashy although it had some frills here and there . It had a very modest and pure impression . It felt like she was a young girl who didn’t resemble girls of her age…… She had the air of a mature lady .

“How do you do, Captain . Are you enjoying the party so far?”

“Yes, Christina-sama . We were just sampling a specialty product of Comatt III . ”

I then glanced at the roasted caterpillar in the middle of the table, and Chris seemed to have shivered slightly at the sight of it . It looks like the sight of the roasted giant caterpillar caused some mental damage to Chris, who was currently in ‘elegant noble lady’ mode .

“I-I am glad that you found it to your liking . ”

“Sorry about that . ”

I whispered an apology to Chris, whose smile was twitching . For the time being, let’s change positions so the roasted caterpillar doesn’t come into her sight .

Afterward, there were no other incidents worth noting, and I passed the time while having a friendly conversation with Chris and sampling various novel dishes with Mimi . The party ended without any particular hiccups . Though I only noticed them midway, it seems the media folks who came with us also filmed the party . But since they weren’t actually invited, they weren’t able to sample the various fancy dishes and alcohol . My condolences, guys .