Fated to Die to the Player, I’ll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!

"Ugh..."

I groaned as my eyes slowly fluttered open. At that moment, the first thought that crossed my mind—and the first thing I uttered—was:

"I'm... still alive?"

My gaze wandered around the room. The surroundings felt oddly familiar. A space that radiated wealth and refinement—ornate paintings adorned the walls, sculptures sat quietly in every corner. An "expensive" room, no doubt.

"This is... my room in the Duchy..." I muttered under my breath, piecing the memory together.

But more important than where I was... was how I got here. My memories returned in vivid detail, as if the events had occurred mere hours ago. I remembered detonating two antimatter grenades in a desperate gambit—nearly killing Eva and myself in the process.

And then, Cassandra appeared. My backup.

She arrived just in time, stepping through a rift created by her prismatic key—the unmistakable treasure of Meyers Royalty. I only caught a glimpse of the cockpit, but I recognized it instantly: the Range Falcon. It was outfitted with the Warp Nexus Module, the only ship capable of reaching us so quickly.

"So I was saved by the Medical Pod inside the Falcon..."

As I sat up, ready to assess my condition—

*Knock!* *Knock!*

A soft knock echoed from the door.

It opened a moment later, as if whoever stood behind it hadn't expected a reply—me, speaking.

"Come in," I called out hoarsely.

"..."

The door stopped moving, then quickly swung open. And there weren't just one or two people waiting. There were five.

"Duke Arthur!"

The first to rush in was Cassandra—the blonde, angelic woman who never quite managed to hide her emotions. Her face was a mix of relief and barely-contained worry as she dashed to my bedside.

"Bastard... Sleeping for a full week..." grumbled the next visitor, walking in with deliberate calmness.

It was Eva, the red-haired beauty with a killer figure and a sharp tongue. "If you were going to wake up, the least you could do is send us a a notification!"

Trailing behind her was a woman I recognized immediately—despite her now-healthy frame.

It was Eva's mother.

She no longer bore the gaunt appearance of someone dying from not one, but two terminal diseases. Now, she looked vibrant—alive.

"Ah, my savior... My prince... So you've finally awakened," Another figure whispered, voice trembling with reverence. One of the the final pair to enter, Voltherians.

Of course, I knew them by face—Empress Kachia and her daughter, Princess Nyssra.

Though human facial features were generally more distinct, the Voltherians always threw me off. Kachia and Nyssra looked so alike that, without context, you could mistake them for sisters. Honestly, if not for their unique voices and my prior knowledge of their relationship, I'd still be wondering who was who.

But then, Kachia called me something strange.

"Savior...? Prince...?"

Those words echoed in my mind, a jarring note in an otherwise expected reunion.

"What...?"

Eva rolled her eyes and muttered, "Ignore that crazy woman." Then, turning to me more seriously, she continued, "Anyway, there's a lot to catch you up on. Let's get to the important stuff first."

"Right..."

The Primula Heist. The culmination of all our plans. I had literally gambled my life on that mission. I needed to know—how had it ended?

"First, about the research on ESD and VND cures," Eva began. "Thanks to the massive stockpile of Herticalcium, and with the combined efforts of top researchers from across the galaxy, a cure for both diseases was finally developed."

She stepped closer, kneeling at the side of my bed. Her hands reached out, gently clasping mine.

Her eyes flicked toward her mother—silent among the group—before she bowed her head, whispering:

"Really... thank you, Arthur."

"...I didn't do anything." I shook my head slowly.

Sure, I'd offered a few pointers. Dropped a few hints. But the real work? That belonged to the doctors and scientists who had pushed themselves to the brink.

Before I could say anything else—before I could even enjoy the warmth of Eva's touch—

*Wham!*

Cassandra kicked her aside without warning—literally at that.

"I'm up next!" she declared, proudly taking Eva's place and grabbing my hands for herself.

"Thanks to the Civil War that broke out in the Voltherian Empire," she continued, "the Emperor's reputation crumbled. All of the Elders—every last one—were executed for orchestrating the conspiracy. Meanwhile, Nyssra and Empress Kachia are officially considered dead."

She grinned, fingers tightening around mine.

"...Huh?"

That... was not something I expected to hear.

"Also," Cassandra wasn't done yet.

"The Shadowless Hawks raided the entire star system, leaving it battered and completely out of shape," she declared, flatly and without pause.

"Unable to maintain their own protection after losing both their secret weapon and most of their military strength, they had no choice but to fall under the protection of the Meyers Royal Family—as our vassal state."

"...That's... a lot to happen in just a single week."

"Yes, well..."

"Alright, my turn again!"

Before Cassandra could continue, it was Eva's turn to kick her aside—again, quite literally. The poor princess tumbled across the floor, rolling until she hit the wall with a thud, breaking a statue in the process.

Is she alright...?

"Next up is your Mercenary recruitment progress," Eva continued as if nothing had happened, taking my hand once more. "We've narrowed down the candidates and selected a total of 500 for the final interviews. Out of those, only 252 passed."

"...Right..."

So before I even woke up, the Knights of Camelot had already gained 252 new recruits? That's one hell of a timeskip.

Eva pulled up a holographic list, neatly displaying names, profiles, and details—but something caught my eye.

"...All male?"

"Of course," she said without hesitation.

"..."

I feel like there's some heavy bias in their selection process... But at this point, it's probably best not to ask too many questions.

"Ah! Right, Arthur!" Nyssra raised her voice from behind the group. "The Primula is being safely stored inside one of the kingdom's capital ships—was it the Eclipse Sovereign? Yes! It was mounted there."

"And," added Empress Kachia, stepping forward with a gracious smile, "my daughter and I are now officially working under you as your personal maids. It's our pleasure to serve you, Duke Arthur."

"I see... Wait, what?"

Did I just hear that right? Maids?

"Stop bringing that up again and again," Eva growled, glaring sharply at the Voltherian pair behind her. "You two can't be counted among Arthur's wives just yet. We need to assess your characters properly—and figure out Arthur's own intentions, too."

"Oh my, I wasn't grumbling, Lady Eva," Kachia said with a small laugh, placing a graceful hand over her mouth.

That's all well and good but...

"Wives?"

Why is it that every word out of their mouths today feels like a shock to my system?

More importantly—when did I get wives, plural? I'm pretty damn sure I was still single when I passed out!

"That... There's a reason for that..." Eva murmured, her voice softening as she avoided my gaze.

It was then that I noticed the ring on her left ring finger.

I see... So she's one of the "wives" she was talking about.

"A reason, huh...?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then pray tell, what sort of reason would prompt me to marry someone without my consent?"

"That's..."

"I'll tell him," Cassandra interrupted, pushing herself upright and wiping the blood from her nose.

She walked straight toward the window and yanked the curtains wide open—and what I saw left me speechless.

Gone was the familiar lush greenery, the calm blue sky, and the cheerful hustle of pedestrians. In their place: scorched earth, crimson skies, and vegetation withered into colorless decay.

"A day after returning from the former Voltherian Empire, all the greenery on Planet Mithra died," she said in a grave tone. "And... this isn't isolated to just this planet. It's happening across the entire Meyers Star System."

Eva added quietly, as if the words tasted bitter.

"Because Mithra was the first to suffer the phenomenon, the interplanetary committee blamed you. They... voted to execute you."

"..."

That's a ridiculous leap in logic. But knowing how politics works... maybe not that ridiculous.

"As such," Cassandra declared, voice rising again, "we decided to marry you—publicly—to elevate your political standing. Making you the crowned king makes it much harder for them to target you directly."

"After all, it's a lot more dangerous to make a move against a monarch than a mere duke."

"A king...? Me?"

My head felt like it was about to explode from the constant stream of insane news.

But despite the chaos, despite the surreal pace of everything...

One truth stood clear in my heart.

'The Bad Ends are coming—much, much faster than I thought—we have no more time to waste.'

I may just be a small, insignificant man in the grand scheme of things—but I have my allies, my ship, and my will. The Range Falcon is still at my command. And together, with those I trust...

I'll make damn sure that the worst never comes to pass.

Thus, our misadventures continue.