Asaga was brought back to Heka Star System by Nero’s dispatched rescue team.
Heka Star System’s main forces were engaged in frontline combat in the western frontier, and there were countless teams transporting casualties between the frontlines and Heka Star System, shuttling frequently.
Members of Nero’s dispatched rescue team included teammates who had fought alongside Asaga.
They almost drove the medical shuttle all the way to the border point of the Black Gate’s headquarters, but completely failed to detect Asaga’s armor signal.
It wasn’t until the medical shuttle occasionally passed by a distant asteroid belt far from both the Black Gate and the Empire that they barely captured a life signal.
When the rescue team found Asaga on the desolate star, the ground was full of burning mecha wreckage after a fierce battle, resembling hell on earth.
Asaga’s mecha was also lying on the ground. The cockpit was cut off by nearly half, with oxygen leaking out.
Asaga was sitting alone in the cockpit, wearing tattered powered armor, his long hair dirty and messy, and a bloody head cradled in his arms.
The oxygen inside the armor was also running out.
But there wasn’t much expression on the man’s face. He just raised a pair of golden eyes, staring blankly at the sky.
“…Asaga!! You f***ing!!!”
The rescue team jumped down from the medical shuttle, pulling a stretcher as they ran towards him frantically, unable to help but curse loudly.
“What the hell are you doing in this godforsaken place! Do you want to confirm the charge of fleeing from fear of punishment?! Do you know how hard it is to find you?!! We all thought you were dead!! We didn’t dare to return to Heka Star System without finding you!!”
After cursing, they remembered something, only to realize that they had forgotten to bring the electronic handcuffs while busy pulling the stretcher.
“Damn it!”
A teammate hurriedly turned back to retrieve the handcuffs from the cabin, then, while changing his oxygen supply, snapped them onto Asaga’s wrists with a ‘click’.
“…By His Majesty’s decree, the criminal Asaga, who disobeyed military orders and pursued alone without authorization, has been arrested and will be immediately transported back to camp for trial!”
A teammate reported to the combat recorder. And upon hearing the words ‘His Majesty,’ Asaga’s slightly dull golden eyes, as if slowly awakening from a dream, gradually emitted a gleam of extreme joy.
“Yes, yes, His Majesty sent you to find me…”
“You are now a repeat offender, shut up!”
The teammate said impatiently, waiting for the recorder to close, then immediately lowered his voice.
“Hurry up and think about how to get through the military trial. I heard from Abel that His Majesty is really, really angry this time. When he went to report, His Majesty was so furious that his mental power went berserk!”
Asaga froze, visible concern flashing across his face.
He wanted to ask if his master’s psychic power had calmed down, but his teammates had already swiftly put an oxygen mask over his mouth and, with many hands, lifted him onto the hovering stretcher.
The rescue team quickly dragged the stretcher back to the medical shuttle. They thought that since he had fought his way in and out of the Black Gate’s headquarters, he must be gravely injured. However, after a thorough examination, they found not a single wound on Asaga.
His teammates were baffled.
But they could only give Asaga a nutrient infusion and let him sleep and rest for a while.
As it turned out, the decision to give him a nutrient infusion in advance was correct.
Because as soon as the medical shuttle arrived at Heka Star System’s port, Asaga, still in his battle-damaged armor, was immediately taken away by several Wolf Knights.
Except for the troops still practicing on the frontlines, all soldiers, officers, and even recruits in Heka Star System’s military camp received the notice of the military tribunal.
This was the first public military trial for the entire camp since the reconstruction of the Heka Star System.
And the protagonist of the trial turned out to be the legendary soldier who had achieved glorious feats during the Hunting Season.
Asaga had blatantly disobeyed the highest military order during the troop withdrawal phase and pursued the Star Pirates into their territory. Disobeying orders on the battlefield was always a serious crime in the military. All the officers knew that this trial would be hard to turn around, especially with Nero, who was known for his uncompromising stance on such matters.
But to say they weren’t at all regretful would be a lie.
Asaga’s combat prowess was well-known, and given time, he would undoubtedly become an invincible force on the battlefield.
Yet he had to commit such a grave mistake just as he was beginning to show his potential…
However, if Asaga were to be shielded simply because of his individual achievements, it would undoubtedly set a terrible precedent in Heka Star System’s military camp—
In the future, any soldier with some capability might emulate Asaga on the battlefield, violating their commander’s orders to gain military merits.
If everyone scrambled for glory, how could they fight a war?
“Sigh. Really.” An old imperial general took off his glasses, sorrowfully wiping the lenses, “What on earth was he thinking?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Occasionally, someone would glance up, sneaking a look at the steps in front of the courtroom.
There, the silver-haired, red-eyed young tyrant sat expressionlessly on the highest throne, with several rows of scarlet banners hanging behind him.
His sharp red eyes looked down coldly, his lips pressed into a tight line, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
Behind him to the right stood solemn Wolf Knights, holding their weapons; to the left, sat the Supreme Commander of the Heka Star System, Hermann Heidrich.
Further down the steps were the Chief Justice, several military prosecutors, and the jury.
“The court is now in session. Summon the imperial criminal, Asaga, to appear!”
With the sound of clashing shackles and armor, a tall man slowly appeared in the center of the courtroom.
After days of fierce fighting, he had fallen asleep as soon as he drank the nutrient solution on the medical shuttle, and his teammates hadn’t disturbed him.
No one expected Asaga to go on trial as soon as he returned to Heka Star System, resulting in the man still wearing his nearly shattered armor, with bloodstained, dirty long curly hair, and dried bloodstains on his face.
He just silently lowered his head, his hands cuffed in front of him, standing alone in the vast courtroom, like a stray dog that had just crawled out of a garbage bin.
“In the name of the Empire, swear. What you say in this court must come from your heart…”
The prosecutor read the courtroom discipline, then had Asaga take an oath. The military prosecutors at the table cleared their throats, opened the holographic screen, and began their work.
“Asaga, during the Heka Star System’s Hunting Season military operation on the 28th, you ignored Heka Star System’s military regulation number twenty-eight, and left your fleet on the battlefield without authorization. Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“Then, you ignored the highest military order of Heka Star System, not only failing to retreat with the fleet but continuing to pursue the enemy fleet, even entering the heart of the Black Gate’s territory. Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“Did you fully understand the highest military order at the time, which stated that ‘any disobedient pursuit will be handed over to the Heka Star System’s military court and executed by firing squad in front of all soldiers’?”
“Yes.”
“What drove you to disobey the military order?”
Asaga silently stared at the floor. After a moment, he finally spoke, “Because I coveted military merit.”
The courtroom erupted in murmurs, but quickly fell silent again.
The silver-haired Emperor remained indifferent, but because the throne was too far away, no one noticed his fingers trembling with rage.
“…Objection!!”
The defense attorney stood up abruptly, having to push the proceedings forward significantly due to Asaga’s shocking words.
“According to the testimony of Commander Abel and the mecha soldiers on the same ship, Asaga learned that the successor Leader of the Black Gate had repeatedly spread slanderous rumors about His Majesty among the Star Pirates, which drove him to recklessly infiltrate the headquarters and take the Leader’s head!!
“According to the Imperial Law, the Emperor and his Royal Family should be revered, and the dignity of the Royal Family is inviolable! All acts of offense and desecration against the Royal Family can be treated as major treason, punishable by exile, imprisonment, or death; and those who capture the treasonous offenders should be highly rewarded!”
The audience couldn’t help but silently breathe a sigh of relief.
The Chief Justice also quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead, lightly coughing, “The Imperial Law takes precedence over all. There is now testimonial evidence that Asaga’s pursuit was to capture a treasonous offender; I request the prosecutor to present the combat records of the G130 fleet members as material evidence.”
Then, he instructed the prosecutor, “Lower the broadcast screen.”
Asaga suddenly raised his head, looking in disbelief at Abel on the witness stand.
During the Hunting Season operation, all mecha soldiers and fleet soldiers carried combat recorders, which continuously recorded their actions for later score compilation.
In the prison cell, Asaga and his teammates had just returned from battle, with their combat recorders in automatic recording mode. The words and actions of that Star Pirate Leader must have been recorded in the devices—
…How dare they, how could they?!
To openly expose such insults to His Majesty in front of the entire camp, even the whole Empire?!
However, Asaga was shocked to find Abel on the witness stand looking equally terrified.
When their eyes met, Abel’s face was drenched in sweat, and he subtly shook his head.
…I deleted it all!
He frantically mouthed to Asaga, but the next second, he remembered: the Kaises Royal Family controlled the Imperial Database, and with a DNA key, no data could ever be truly deleted.
Then, His Majesty must have already…
Abel’s mouth opened wide, stunned.
“…Your Majesty, there’s no need to use physical evidence.”
With a ‘thud,’ Asaga knelt down.
Through the slowly descending light screen, he looked toward the distant throne, where the silver-haired, radiant young Emperor sat.
His large fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his voice shook violently.
“My teammates fought alongside me, so they covered for me. The truth is, I coveted military merit, I resented the early retreat order that prevented me from showing my true strength. I thought if I could get the head of the ‘Black Gate’ leader, I could prove… Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Judge, please, please turn off the screen, there’s no need to show the recorder!”
He nearly sprang up from the ground, attempting to destroy the light screen projector.
Two Wolf Knights behind him reached out, pressing down on his shoulders, their armored hands making him immovable.
Nero sat on the throne, his expression always indifferent.
He did not look at the struggling man in the courtroom; with a slight lift of his chin, he signaled the prosecutor to continue broadcasting.
The light screen fully descended.
The shaky footage from the recorder displayed the dim background of a prison cell.
Asaga recognized this background immediately: it was the detention cell of the G130 fleet.
“…Your Majesty!” His eyes reddened, his voice hoarse as he called out, “Please execute me! I committed the grave crime of disobeying orders on the battlefield out of greed, I acknowledge my guilt, please execute me…!”
“Silence in the courtroom!”
The Chief Justice, bewildered, pounded his gavel and silently permitted the Wolf Knights to gag Asaga.
The recorder’s footage began to play.
Slowly, Asaga quieted down, his golden eyes wide open.
The footage showed the G130 detention cell, with himself, Abel, and several mecha soldiers outside the cell.
But the Star Pirates in the cell were different; they hurled vile curses at the Empire and its ruler, their language so foul that some soldiers in the audience clenched their fists in anger.
Soon, the Star Pirates fell silent.
Because in the footage, when a Star Pirate began to slander Nero obscenely, Asaga silently reached through the cell bars and dislocated the Star Pirate’s jaw.
“Ahhhhh—”
The screams echoed through the courtroom. Kneeling, Asaga remembered: this was at the beginning of the Hunting Season operation, and the combat recorder captured the footage of another group of Star Pirate captives.
“…Errol said your Emperor is a coward! A bastard! An Omega-born whore! Go kill him, then! If you have the guts, go kill him!”
The screen went dark after that curse.
The military prosecutors huddled together, whispering. Insulting the royal dignity depended on the severity; any direct harm to a royal member’s body or spirit could result in execution by dismemberment, even for eight generations of the offender’s ancestors.
But this kind of verbal insult—although punishable by life imprisonment for cursing the Emperor—couldn’t justify Asaga’s disobedience as a meritorious act.
They discussed for a long time until one of them gave a signal to the throne. The remaining prosecutors suddenly understood:
Whether Asaga could offset his crime with merit depended on whether the Emperor wanted to retain him or deter the Heka Star System’s military.
So the front-row military prosecutors discreetly glanced back, hoping for a hint from the Emperor.
But the silver-haired Emperor remained expressionless, his beautiful face like ice, giving no indication.
They then subtly looked at Heidrich below the throne.
This had become an implicit understanding in the Heka Star System’s camp.
Although they admired Heidrich’s abilities, the Heka Star System’s officers no longer saw him as Nero’s ‘favorite.’ However, they all believed there was no one in the Empire who understood the Emperor’s intentions better than Heidrich.
Given Nero’s unpredictable nature, the officers had developed a habit: if they were unsure of the Emperor’s wishes, they would seek Heidrich’s guidance.
Sure enough, they soon received a hint from Heidrich.
The handsome, deep-eyed man seemed to sigh slightly.
Then, he raised his gloved right hand, lightly adjusting his collar, and then slightly loosening it.
The prosecutors immediately understood and hurriedly drafted the verdict:
“…Asaga disobeyed orders on the battlefield and should be immediately arrested and executed… However, the Leader of the Black Gate, Errol committed serious treason by insulting the sacred Emperor… Asaga risked his life to pursue the enemy to uphold the Emperor’s dignity… His punishment should be mitigated. His individual merits for the Hunting Season operation are nullified, and he will be publicly flogged and confined for twenty days…”
The verdict was passed up through the chain of command and returned unchanged, but now it bore the seal of the Silverleaf Rose.
The Emperor had approved it.
The prosecutors and the chief judge breathed a collective sigh of relief.
They read out Asaga’s verdict publicly, then moved on to formalities.
In front of the entire camp, Asaga’s leading hunting score was reset to zero;
Then Asaga knelt on both knees, his upper body straight, as the disciplinary officer walked in from the courtroom door with a military whip in hand.
In the recruit dormitory, all the new recruits crowded around the light screen. Seeing Asaga spared from execution, they collectively sighed in relief.
“But honestly, soloing the main base like that was so badass! This will definitely go down in the Empire’s war history, even if not, it’s sure to leave a lasting impression on His Majesty.”
“Sigh, I wish I were that strong. If I could be remembered by the Emperor like that, I think enduring the flogging and score reset wouldn’t be such a big deal…”
“Shut up! Disobeying orders in battle is a severe crime; don’t even think about imitating him!”
“You don’t get it. Disobeying orders that lead to significant losses is a severe crime; disobeying orders and bringing back an enemy leader’s head makes you a war hero! Sometimes you have to take risks to know your worth on the battlefield!”
“Actually, I also…”
“Shush! Shush!”
The recruits fell silent as they watched the silver-haired Emperor on the light screen suddenly stand up.
Nero grabbed the arm of a White Wolf Knight and opened the armor.
With a swish, he drew a glowing whip that crackled with electricity.
The entire hall fell silent.
The light whip from the White Wolf Knight’s armor was more symbolic than practical.
Essentially a metal whip with electric current, it was stored in the White Wolf Knight’s armor to punish those who made grave errors, but no member of the Kaises Family had ever actually used it.
Though symbolic, the light whip’s power far exceeded that of a leather military whip, designed to potentially crack armor and serve as an emergency weapon.
“Your Majesty…”
The White Wolf Knight was stunned.
He watched Nero don insulated gloves, grasp the crackling whip, and then descend the steps without a trace of emotion.
The Emperor’s elegant leather boots finally stopped before Asaga’s bowed head.
Due to inhaling too much of Errol’s foul pheromones in his pursuit, Asaga’s vomeronasal organ was temporarily desensitized.
But soon, the cold, rose-like scent he craved filled his nostrils, awakening every cell and making his hair stand on end as if electrified.
He slowly lifted his gaze from the leather boots.
First, he saw the slender ankles, then the straight, firm thighs wrapped in black military trousers, followed by the slender waist cinched by a military belt.
Finally, his eyes met the face of the Emperor, coldly beautiful and untouchable.
The silver-haired Emperor’s exquisite brows and eyes seemed covered in icy frost, and his crimson pupils reflected the cold electric light of the whip.
He stood before the kneeling Asaga, looking down at him, his lip line and jaw as haughty as ever.
…It was completely identical to the dream.
Lmaooo why do I get the feeling asaga is a quivering m