Prologue
IN THE ALGRAND EMPIRE, there existed a planet without time zones.
The Capital Planet of this intergalactic empire was entirely encased
in a metal shell that blocked the sun's light. That would make it
uninhabitable for humans, of course, so the inside of the metal shell
emitted light to make up for it. The planet also had a climate that was
managed to be comfortable for the planet's residents. The weather was
completely under human control, which meant forecasts were accurate for
as far as a year in the future. Furthermore, the entire planet operated under
a unified time system, which meant no matter where on the globe you
were, morning always arrived at the same time. The controlled weather
varied throughout the planet, but the time was the same no matter where
you were. The only reason I found this situation unnatural was because I,
Liam Sera Banfield, had reincarnated here from another world.
The illustrious luxury hotel where I resided on the Capital Planet
was a high-rise building with a number of surprisingly spacious balconies
available for use as you made your way to the top floor. Since population
density on the Capital Planet was high, real estate was very pricey.
Buildings stood close to one another, so it was a mark of extravagant
wealth to have any sort of yard or garden on the ground. Even this long-
established hotel couldn't afford much ground space, so it used the space
around its upper floors to provide its guests with some greenery instead.
I reserved one of those sky-high gardens a little before dawn so I
could train in the Way of the Flash sword style with my new apprentice,
Ellen Tyler. While I practiced my moves, she stood beside me swinging a
wooden sword in much the same way. I was performing basic training,
demonstrating my form for her and explaining things as I went along.
"The Way of the Flash has only one technique. Everything else is
just standard movements."
"Yes, Master!"
Sweat dripped from Ellen as she vigorously swung her wooden
sword. She had the appearance of a six- or seven-year-old girl, but her
actual age might have been closer to fifteen or sixteen. In this world where
people lived long lives, there was hardly an appreciable difference in a
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single year's worth of aging. Adulthood began at fifty, and people only
tended to start paying attention to age once they hit that point.
As she practiced, Ellen's face scrunched into an earnest frown. This
small girl with short red hair possessed a good amount of energy. I chose
her as my student when I returned to my own domain, but I knew I
wouldn't be back there for some time, so I brought her with me when I
left. She was still just a kid, a girl who should have been having fun
without a care in the world, but now she was living with me away from her
mother.
My vertical practice swings gave way to horizontal ones, and Ellen
hurried to copy me. Her movements were still clumsy despite her efforts.
"Pay attention to the way your whole body moves. If you focus too
much on one area, you'll neglect the rest."
"Y-yes, Master."
Maybe I favored her just because she was my first student, but she
sure was cute when she called me "Master" so respectfully.
"C'mon, keep going."
"Yes, sir!"
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If she had proved to have no talent, I'd have regretted my decision,
but she was absorbing all the things I taught her at a steady rate. I felt
pretty good about it. If there was a problem with our arrangement, it was
just on my end. Master Yasushi had told me to train three students of my
own at the very least, that being a rule of the Way of the Flash so the style
wouldn't die out. I understood the logic behind my master's order, so I
intended to carry it out, but the problem was my own abilities.
Could I truly call myself a master of the Way of the Flash? Lately,
that question wouldn't leave my head, and it was all because of the
technique Master Yasushi showed me when I was a child. Just like Ellen, I
was entranced by the Flash—a strike that was impossibly fast—when I
first saw it. Of course, it was less that I actually saw it and more like I only
saw the result of it. The strike Master Yasushi showed me that day was so
incredibly swift that I didn't even notice him draw his blade from its
sheath. To me, it was as if the logs he aimed at simply snapped in half on
their own while he just stood there. That was Master Yasushi's Flash.
Ellen, on the other hand, had seen the moment I drew my blade
when I showed her my amateurish version of the Flash move. Masters of
the Way of the Flash demonstrated the Flash to their students as their first
lesson. Of course, it wasn't actually something anyone should be able to
see, so it was more like explaining the concept of the technique, but Ellen
had completely seen through my Flash nonetheless.
Ellen had special vision—not enhanced through use of an education
capsule, but apparently an inborn ability. Occasionally, people were born
with such special abilities in this world. These were not replicable with
science or magic, so they couldn't be developed in an education capsule no
matter how much time someone spent in one. Many of these individuals
went generally unnoticed by the world. I heard a lot of them were born as
commoners and went their whole lives without even knowing they'd
received these gifts simply due to their lot in life. When they were blessed
by circumstance as Ellen was, however, they had an opportunity to
distinguish themselves. Such blessed individuals often went on to
accomplish amazing things.
In House Banfield, the oft-rampaging Christiana Leta Rosebreia and
Marie Sera Marian were good examples of that. Chengsi Sera Tohrei
might've been another one. The same went for Kukuri, who commanded
my more unsavory forces. It wasn't uncommon for such unique
individuals to be gathered under a family with the rank of count in the
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massive intergalactic nation known as the Algrand Empire. Yet, all this
talent still wasn't enough for me. If I wanted to be an evil lord capable of
real savagery, I needed even more talent on my payroll. One more, at
least... So, right now, I just wanted one more underling I could really
count on.
If all went well, Ellen would eventually become a talented knight
herself. Watching Ellen continue her practice swings, I muttered, "I could
just wait for her to get to that point on her own, but that wouldn't be very
fun..."
While I toiled, showing Ellen how to execute her practice swings,
dawn gradually broke and was announced by a simulated rising sun
projected on the inside of the metal sphere that encased the planet. As I
turned my face toward the man-made sun, a figure in classic maid attire
arrived on the balcony with us.
My maid, Amagi, held a basket in one hand. A knight followed
behind her—my personal guard, Claus Sera Mont. He was an experienced
knight, and this showed in his face. In other words, he looked a little old,
but that was proof of his many experiences in life. Claus was valued by
House Banfield for his ability to make calm, rational decisions. He also
stood out just for being a man in the upper ranks of my knights, which was
otherwise dominated by fierce women. Claus was guarding the door to the
balcony while Ellen and I practiced out here.
Amagi approached me and announced the end of our training
session. "Master, it is almost time for the next item on your schedule.
Please consider your morning training concluded."
I sighed and glanced at Ellen. I wished I could have devoted more
time to training my student, but unfortunately, I was a busy guy.
I ceased my practice moves, and Ellen already looked a little sad.
Now that I could no longer supervise her, she'd be stuck doing the training
I assigned her on her own for the rest of the day. I would have liked to
leave a guard with her, but I didn't want unrelated people seeing how
practitioners of the Way of the Flash trained. As a result, Ellen would
remain alone. I felt sorry for her, but there wasn't much I could do about it.
"That's enough training for now, Ellen. Let's have breakfast."
"Yes, sir..."
Amagi handed us towels and drinks, so we wiped off our sweat and
rehydrated.
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Claus watched on in silence. He never tried to suck up to me to get
on my good side like Tia and Marie did, and that pissed me off sometimes,
but there was something to be said for a knight who did his job properly. It
would be way too much trouble if all my knights were as erratic as Tia and
Marie. Claus was cool, collected, and knew how to get the job done, which
made him one of my more useful knights. Nothing about him struck me as
particularly exceptional, but he had been recommended to me by Amagi.
Plus, the fact that he had that Chengsi woman under him and was able to
make use of her without issue did seem rather extraordinary. Maybe he
was the sort to exhibit his strength in a group rather than on his own?
"Getting used to the job, Claus?" I asked him.
He responded in his usual expressionless way. "Sir!"
"Good. Keep it up."
"Of course."
Our conversation was over instantly, just like that. There were all
sorts of things I wouldn't have minded talking to Tia and Marie about, but
they always overreacted when I said anything to them, and it wore me out.
Claus was laconic in comparison, but maybe that was better than the
alternative.
I headed inside from the balcony with Amagi and Ellen trailing me,
and Claus walking a bit behind them.
Amagi started informing me of my schedule before we sat down to
breakfast. "Master, you have a meeting with the new members of your
faction today."
"Yeah... I've got a bunch of new friends now that I've kicked
Linus's ass."
"But some nobles are acting suspiciously as well, so please keep
your guard up," she urged.
Not long ago, Linus, the second prince in line to become the next
emperor, had picked a fight with me. The end result was that I'd destroyed
him. I'm sure no one had expected the second prince to drop out of the
running quite so soon. Now, a bunch of nobles were cozying up to the
third prince, Cleo Noah Albareto, whom I supported. Of course, a lot of
these nobles were just in it to come out on top in the end, but what we had
to be the most careful of were enemies who only pretended to be allies to
get close to us.
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In other words, people like me—villains.
"Things are getting interesting," I mused aloud.
Amagi looked exasperated to see me enjoying myself when she had
just advised me to be careful. Since she was a lifelike robot, that didn't
show in her expression, but I could tell what she was feeling. In fact, her
next words stung me a bit.
"I do not think you should be enjoying the situation."
"Nothing I can do about that," I said. "This is a political battle
where villains compete to see who comes out on top. Whoever does will
be the biggest villain in the Empire. A fitting position for me, don't you
think?"
The biggest villain in the Empire—a worthy goal for an evil lord
like me. I was supporting the third prince, Cleo, who no one thought would
ever become emperor, and I was planning to install him for my own gains.
If that wasn't evil, then I didn't know what was.
I'm gonna win this and become the biggest bad guy in the Empire!
***
"Justice" was quite a handy word. No one would choose to be
scorned for being "evil" instead of being lauded for being "just." It was
useful that people fell in line whenever you started talking about justice as
well. Even if they didn't know if what they were doing was truly proper, if
they convinced themselves something was just, people felt like they were
on the right side. I found it disgusting and hypocritical, but still, I didn't
hesitate in the least to use the word myself.
"Justice is on our side!" I cried out. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
We were holding a welcome party in the hotel's banquet hall for the
Imperial nobles who had just recently joined our faction. The scale of the
event was rather large for a simple welcome party, but anything you did in
an intergalactic empire was excessive.
My speech to welcome the latest group of nobles joining Prince
Cleo's faction was full of platitudes. Good grief. Fighting for justice? The
duty of the nobility? I know it's coming out of my own mouth, but this is
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more than ridiculous. Justice wasn't real. After all, I was the one talking
about it, and I knew I was only in this for myself.
I was sure no one else here believed in it either—and why was that?
Because the whole room was filled with other villains just like me. The
hundreds of people in the banquet hall were pure evil on the inside; I was
sure of it. I was equally sure they understood my own aims here from the
start. I was supporting Prince Cleo because I put my own gains above all
else. "Justice" was just a pretense, and all the nobles here had joined my
faction because they were also looking out for themselves first and
foremost.
With my speech concluded, I headed out onto the floor and began to
chat with the attendees. As the organizer of this little event, it was my duty
to entertain my guests.
"Enjoying yourself?" I asked a viscount whose territory lay on the
outskirts of the Empire. Most of the domains on the outskirts were poor, so
this man was the hardworking type. He had a gentle-looking appearance,
but I was sure he harbored some ambition on the inside.
He replied with a smile, "Yes, very much so. You are a remarkable
one, aren't you, Count Banfield? Not many nobles throw parties this grand
on the Capital Planet, you know."
It was only natural that I'd put some money into this shindig. Part of
it was to demonstrate that I had wealth to spare, but it was mostly just
because throwing lavish parties was what evil lords were expected to do. I
had to be a bit humble with my guests, but what I really wanted to do was
throw my weight around.
"Well, I do like to show off, so I'm glad you think so."
The viscount nodded, looking impressed. "Showing off for Prince
Cleo's sake, I presume? I hear you're offering the prince quite a bit of
financial support."
"You could say that."
That support was mainly for my own amusement, but I also
considered Prince Cleo to be an investment. After all, if I, as the boss of
the faction, arranged grand displays like this, more and more people would
be convinced to come join us. Naturally, I planned to get a good return on
my investment.
The viscount smiled at me. "Prince Cleo must be greatly reassured
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by your support, Count Banfield. I may not be able to contribute much, but
I'll do whatever I can for the sake of the faction."
"That'll really help. I appreciate you lending us your aid, Viscount."
Nobles like him claimed to want to contribute, but I knew they were
only in it to benefit themselves. Most of the people attending the party
were lords of their own domains, but I paid for their travel to the Capital
Planet and for their lodging expenses myself. Why? Well, who would want
to spend money just to come to a party like this, traveling through the vast
reaches of space just to listen to that empty speech of mine? If I was the
one invited, I never would have come. As the head of this little
organization, however, I needed people to attend for the sake of my
reputation, so I decided to cover all those expenses.
Of course, money was hardly a concern for me. Thanks to the riches
produced from the alchemy box the Guide gifted me, I could afford just
about anything. A lavish feast like this was just a drop in the bucket.
Plus, the more I stood out in noble society, the easier it would be for
me to accomplish my goals. One goal of this party had been to put on a
show that might provoke the faction belonging to the first prince in line:
Prince Calvin. If Calvin made a careless move as a result of my
provocation, I planned to take full advantage of it.
The situation was more challenging than I hoped, however.
I was able to basically lead Prince Linus to his own self-destruction,
but Calvin was a different beast entirely. He wasn't completely unflawed
as a crown prince, but he had a large base of support. Another problem
was that he was so secure in his position that he likely didn't feel the need
to go out of his way to crush our little group. Of course, if we were to
betray a weakness of ours, I was sure he would move in to crush us
immediately. Calvin Noah Albareto would truly be a troublesome foe, as
you might expect considering his position of crown prince. It was actually
bothersome that he hadn't made a single move on me in all this time. I was
even here on the Capital Planet for long enough to finish my college
education.
In fact, the viscount I was talking to brought up my graduation next.
"To change the subject... You'll be working as an official soon, won't
you, Count Banfield?"
After graduating, nobles were compelled into civil service jobs as
part of their extensive training. The idea was that by gaining practical
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experience, we would deepen our political knowledge and perspectives. Of
course, most nobles just fooled around without putting any real effort into
their work. It was just a period of fun in the guise of training, but it would
be stupid of me to admit that freely.
I put on a serious face and feigned diligence. "Yes. I'll give it my all
for the sake of the Empire." The overblown tone I took was a bit of a joke,
and I knew if someone was listening to us, they might've thought I was
being shameless.
Instead, the viscount looked as serious as I did. "I admire your
commitment. I wish my son took things as earnestly as you do."
He was just going along with my joke...right? I couldn't tell by his
reaction if he was being sincere, so I didn't know what to say back to him.
I mean, I didn't plan on working hard at all. Why should I have to put in
any effort for the Empire? Sure, if it were for my own domain, I'd do
whatever was required, but there was nothing in this for me.
"So, where will you be working?" the viscount asked.
"Oh, I'll just be pushing papers in some office, I'm sure."
***
Liam Sera Banfield was a busy man. While attending an Imperial
university, he started up a faction in support of Prince Cleo's claim to the
throne. As such, he spent all his time at school attending classes and
getting his political group up and running. While the rest of his peers
enjoyed their college life, Liam alone spent his days being absurdly hard at
work.
"Darling's throwing another party today. I really should be attending
too, but..." Liam's fiancée, Rosetta Sereh Claudia, was murmuring to
herself alone in her room.
Rosetta's quarters at the hotel were on a floor below the penthouse
reserved for Liam's personal use. Despite their living so close to one
another, however, Rosetta seldom had the opportunity to see her fiancé.
One reason was how busy he was, but it was mostly because Liam simply
didn't bring Rosetta with him to the parties he threw. Rosetta wanted to
support her fiancé, but since he didn't ask for any help from her, there was
nothing she could do. Liam's only request of Rosetta was for her to "have
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fun at school." No doubt he only said this out of concern for her, but
Rosetta couldn't help feeling frustrated.
"I can't just enjoy myself while Darling's doing all that work by
himself."
A maid noticed Rosetta brooding and became concerned for her.
She was Ciel Sera Exner, a young woman who had asked to start her noble
training early and was happy to have been appointed as one of Rosetta's
maids. She had long silver hair, purple eyes, and an average build for girls
her age. The only thing about her that stood out, really, was the simple
braid she wore on the right side of her head. It seemed like it might have
been a custom of House Exner, since Kurt sported the same braid.
Ciel was as skeptical of Liam as ever. "Is Lord Liam really that
busy? Seems like he's having a lot of fun, going to parties every day." It
appeared to her that Liam was actually just fooling around, especially
since Ciel hadn't attended many parties.
Rosetta sighed and corrected her. "Ciel, not all parties are fun. This
is basically work for Darling." It was necessary for Liam to entertain
nobles in order to build power for Cleo's faction.
I don't have many good memories of parties myself...and
considering the challenging position he's in now, I doubt Darling can
enjoy himself either.
In the past, Rosetta was forced to attend certain parties only so she
could be ridiculed for others' entertainment. For that reason, her own
associations with such events were negative.
Ciel looked apologetic. "That was presumptuous of me. I apologize,
Lady Rosetta."
"It's all right. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. After
all, you're training with House Banfield to prepare you for your future in
House Exner."
While she was visiting from House Exner, Ciel was in truth no
simple maid. She was the daughter of Baron Exner, a sworn friend of
Liam's and sister to the baron's heir, Kurt. House Banfield was obligated
to treat her especially well, since she wasn't like the children of Liam's
vassals who came to train with House Banfield. House Exner might have
been of a lesser rank, but Ciel's family was still nobility just like Liam's.
That was why she was receiving a somewhat better education than the
other children House Banfield looked after, though it was Liam's policy to
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train all the children in a similar, strict manner. Ciel had the good fortune
to receive her training directly from Rosetta, but not so she could be
coddled. Rather, it was so that Rosetta could teach her personally and give
her a variety of practical experiences.
"Darling works so hard," Rosetta said. "I hope he doesn't push
himself too much."
Ciel watched sympathetically as Rosetta resumed fretting.
***
In Ciel's eyes, Liam just didn't seem like the laudable person
everyone else saw him as. To be honest, she considered him her enemy.
Why? The reason for this was that he had apparently thrown the heart of
her beloved brother into disarray. For that reason alone, Ciel couldn't help
but look at Liam with a harsher gaze than everyone else around him.
He's the worst.
Ciel only felt that much more resentful toward Liam when she saw
Rosetta worrying about him.
To her, Rosetta's abilities seemed perfectly average. Rosetta wasn't
particularly talented, but she wasn't incapable either. On the one hand,
Rosetta was a hard worker, which endeared Ciel to her, and Ciel hoped
they would share a long-lasting relationship. Personality-wise, Rosetta was
basically flawless, and yet she was a fatally bad judge of character when it
came to men.
Lady Rosetta is a good person, but she's being deceived.
It was true that Liam was busy every day, but Ciel knew for a fact
that he was also enjoying himself at those parties. A few days earlier, she
witnessed him talking about a particular event with one of his personal
merchants. "I've got more than enough money! Let's throw a lavish
event!" Liam had said, plenty excited. It didn't seem one bit like he was
throwing these parties only because he was expected to.
Everyone praised Liam to high heaven and called him amazing, but
Ciel was the only one who couldn't see it. After all, he was probably
responsible for the fact that her beloved brother may soon turn into her
sister...
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The very first time Ciel met Liam, she had her doubts about him.
Prior to that, whenever she heard rumors about him, she wondered if such
a virtuous person could really exist. In order to get closer to him and find
out the truth, she requested to have her period of training moved up and
applied to be Rosetta's maid. She would now endure this harsh training, all
so that she could open her beloved brother's eyes.
You've deceived this kind woman and fooled my brother too. I'll
never forgive you, Liam.
Her gentle brother Kurt, whom she always worshipped, had changed
after meeting Liam. He had once been so noble and sweet, but now he
always changed the topic of conversation to Liam whenever he could. Ciel
couldn't forgive Liam for dominating Kurt's thoughts to such an extent.
For her part, Ciel couldn't help hearing everything Liam said as
lines from a third-rate villain. His accomplishments were impressive, and
he did live a rather simple life outside of political events. If you looked at
the results of his actions, he came across as a perfectly upstanding person,
but Ciel just couldn't see it that way. Her instincts screamed at her that
there was something wrong about him.
I'll peel off that disguise of his and open everyone's eyes! I have to
protect my brother so he doesn't become my sister.
Ciel was determined to expose Liam for who he really was.
In contrast to Ciel's fiery determination, Rosetta wished only to
devote herself to her fiancé. She shook her head in an effort to dispel the
despondent air that had settled over her. "This won't do," she said, putting
on a brave face. "I have to pull myself together all the more since
Darling's not here. I have to take charge again today for Darling's sake."
As Rosetta pumped herself up, Ciel manipulated the screen on her
bracelet to check her plans for the day. Let's see... Today's schedule...
Huh?
Looking over it, a question occurred to Ciel. "Do you mind if I ask
you something, Lady Rosetta?"
"Yes?"
"Has Miss Eulisia been doing anything besides fooling around
lately? She's the only one doing nothing but going shopping or going on
vacations. Err...maybe it isn't my place to say, but don't you think maybe
she should be doing something else?"
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Eulisia Morisille was Liam's adjutant, whom he pulled out of the
military just for that purpose. Normally when a noble did that, it was to
make the adjutant a mistress or concubine, so Eulisia was being treated
well by House Banfield. However, if the mistress or concubine of a
powerful noble acted frivolously, that could prove to be a bit of a scandal
in itself. As their status was of an unofficial nature, such a person
shouldn't stand out quite as much as Eulisia was doing. At the moment,
Eulisia wasn't even fulfilling her role of adjutant.
Rosetta's face lost its usual benevolent expression and Ciel let out a
gasp of surprise. Rosetta sighed. "Just because Darling is leaving her
alone, we can't exactly let Miss Eulisia fool around forever, can we?"
"R-right!"
"Ciel, where might she be right now?"
"In her room. It seems she's usually asleep at this time."
"I see..."
***
In those days, Eulisia enjoyed residing in that high-class hotel. She
fooled around until late every night and often slept in until just before
noon. Now retired from the military, she spent every day living it up by
Liam's side.
Sleeping without an alarm, she woke at whatever time she pleased.
"Ahhh... I slept good."
With her long blonde hair disheveled and her face still looking
sleepy, Eulisia sat up in bed and stretched. She was truly indulging in her
happy lifestyle to the fullest degree.
"I don't think I want to do anything today. Guess I'll take a little
break from playing."
Just when she was considering going back to sleep, the door to her
room suddenly opened.
"H-hey, who's there? Eep!"
Eulisia grabbed the weapon she kept by her pillow. Though she was
now living a slothful life, she hadn't completely forgotten all her military
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training, however rusty her skills might now be. When she saw who
entered her room, however, Eulisia's face froze in surprise.
"Ros... Lady Rosetta?"
"Good morning, Miss Eulisia."
Rosetta was smiling, but a group of House Banfield knights stood
behind her. They were all women, and all of them were giving Eulisia
chilly stares.
"Err... Is there something I can do for you?" Eulisia asked, a
strained smile on her face.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself lately," Rosetta said.
"W-well, umm... It's just that Lord Liam won't give me the time of
day," Eulisia said, averting her eyes.
Rosetta's tone went harsh. "No excuses! You can't just fool around
while Darling is hard at work every day. I would never tell you not to
enjoy yourself at all, but you must consider the timing."
Eulisia indulging in her frivolous lifestyle while House Banfield was
so busy was stirring the ire of the family's retainers.
Eulisia shrank under Rosetta's criticism. "I'm sorry... I'll keep that
in mind."
"Actually, I think you should go back to the military for retraining."
"Huh?"
"You're supposed to be Darling's military contact, aren't you? You
can't just neglect your role. Go retrain yourself!"
"Nooooo!" Eulisia shrieked, but Rosetta's decision was final.
Before even coming here, Rosetta had already received Liam's
permission to order Eulisia back to the military. His reaction to her
suggestion was nothing more than a disinterested "Sure, whatever."
***
While Ciel was maneuvering to expose Liam's true nature, his real
enemy, the Guide, raged in agony.
"What can I do to defeat Liam? What do I do? What will it take to
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defeat him?"
No matter how much he considered the question, he just couldn't
find an answer. Up until that point the Guide did all manner of things to
make Liam miserable, but each and every time Liam unknowingly
thwarted his attempts. To make matters worse, as if trying to get back at
the Guide, Liam even expressed his gratitude to him.
On top of that, Liam's appreciation now had the thankfulness of his
entire domain's population behind it, so it was overwhelmingly difficult
for the Guide to endure. Typically, a single person's gratitude was nothing
more than a discomfort for him, but with all of Liam's subjects
contributing—people numbering in the hundreds of millions—the force of
gratitude had become unbearable. A subset of Liam's subjects even
worshipped him as if he was a god. The energy of their gratitude sickened
the Guide like a physical attack.
"I can't let him get away with this! You're going down, Liam, I
swear it!!!"
However, no matter how many times the Guide swore revenge
against Liam, it always backfired. He lent his strength to Liam's enemies,
but not once had those efforts paid off.
The Guide was reduced to weeping now, having completely lost his
confidence. "What am I doing wrong? Would I succeed if I did the
opposite? If I helped Liam and made his enemies unhappy? It couldn't
be..."
Purposely helping Liam was the last thing the Guide wanted to do.
If he did that, he would just end up enduring more of Liam's gratitude. He
shivered, picturing himself writhing in agony as Liam thanked him once
again.
"I'm sick of failing and suffering Liam's gratitude!"
He didn't want to feel this way anymore, but he just couldn't come
up with a solution to the problem. After all, he knew that no matter how
hard he worked to make Liam unhappy, Liam had gained enough power
now that he could deal with whatever the Guide threw at him. Not to
mention that the man was personally strong. Too strong. So strong, in fact,
that the Guide doubted there was anyone in the empire who could beat
him.
"How can I take him down? And what the hell is that Way of the
Flash, anyway? Damn you, Yasushi—how did a swindler like you manage
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to create such a monster?"
However, there were some similar monsters who might be able to
take Liam down. The Guide wanted to find a way to get those secret
weapons close to Liam, but at the same time, he was terrified to do so.
What could happen if that plot backfired too? The Guide was so
completely traumatized by Liam's gratitude that any plan made him
nervous.
"S-seriously, what can I do? I...I...!" After agonizing over the
matter for a while, he eventually came to a conclusion. "Right. It's the
only thing I haven't tried. I'll help Liam by making his enemies unhappy.
And if that doesn't work, then I'll just have to think of something else! For
now, I'll just help Liam out a little bit and see what happens."
Driven into a corner, the Guide made a perfectly preposterous
decision.
***
Crown Prince Calvin, first in line to the throne, looked tired as he
addressed his supporting nobles gathered before him.
"How serious is this situation?" he asked.
The reason for his distress lay with the United Kingdom of Oxys.
Oxys was an intergalactic nation actually comprised of a group of small,
allied nations. Together, the rulers of those nations governed the unified
nation as an assembly, and that unified nation was moving to invade the
Empire now that their deal with the deceased Prince Linus had fallen
through.
"It seems Prince Linus is still causing trouble, even after his death,"
one of the nobles remarked.
"The United Kingdom is indeed serious," another spoke up.
"They're hiding behind the secret agreement they had with Prince Linus."
"They hold a grudge against the Empire, thanks to that deal."
"Now that they're taking control of the unrest within their borders,
they'll concentrate all their efforts into getting back at us."
While alive, Prince Linus caused an internal conflict in the United
Kingdom of Oxys. He had promised to give Imperial territory to several of
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the nations that comprised the United Kingdom, and he provided those
nations alone with aid. Those actions threw off the Kingdom's power
balance and led to an intense internal conflict, resulting in serious damage
to the Kingdom.
Linus's death amid all this had changed the situation drastically. The
nations he supported quickly lost their bid for greater power, and the
United Kingdom was infuriated to learn of the Empire's involvement. All
of that led to their planned invasion of the Empire.
The nobles supporting Calvin were nervous. Another of them said,
"The present situation is precarious, Your Highness. That Liam fellow is
gaining more and more momentum, and according to the spies we've
inserted into his ranks, he blames us for escalating the damage caused by
the succession dispute. He claims Prince Cleo has justice on his side, and
he is gathering additional nobles who agree with him."
"Justice." These assembled nobles felt Liam was just blowing hot
air by flaunting that word. The problem was, plenty of people blamed the
royals for aggravating the succession conflict and dragging their subjects
into it. Such claims were hard to ignore when they came directly
from Liam.
Linus had carelessly given Liam the opportunity to exploit his
aggression and use it to take him down. These claims of justice were
dangerous coming from the man who'd taken a mule like Cleo and turned
him into a dark horse. Not to mention the fact that the one spouting this
rhetoric was a righteous noble who took a firm stance against piracy. Liam
wasn't just some nameless man, but a powerful foe. And chivalrous nobles
from the Empire's outskirts were gathering around him—another grave
problem in itself.
"If we simply leave him alone, Liam will only gain more fame."
If they just let him be, more and more nobles who were dissatisfied
with the Empire would join Cleo's faction, or at least lend them aid.
Normally, Calvin would just leave the situation to the military and regain
the nobles' support in due time, but he couldn't do that here.
The situation with the United Kingdom was bad as well. They had
settled their internal unrest and would attack the Empire in earnest next. If
the nations Linus had plotted with didn't make their allegiance known by
aiding in this invasion, they would doubtless lose their standings inside the
United Kingdom. The other nation was in a complex state of rage and
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repentance right now, and its momentum couldn't be underestimated.
Fending them off would no doubt lead to much damage and many
casualties.
Calvin considered his options. "If we assemble a large fleet and
dispatch it to suppress the invasion, we'll be shorthanded near the Capital
Planet. And Liam wouldn't overlook that opportunity."
The nobles in Calvin's faction wore equally uneasy expressions.
"It was a mistake making an enemy of him," said one.
"But if we lose Imperial territory to invaders," another said, "it will
only do more damage to our reputation."
"Circumstances are shifting to be in Prince Cleo's favor. Rather, in
Liam's favor. Your Highness, we must take action."
Everyone around Calvin was telling him how unfavorable his
current situation was, but there was a reason he'd survived the fierce
succession conflict up to this point. He wasn't one to lose his head in the
face of a challenge.
"No... We will not take action."
"Your Highness?"
"It's Cleo who will take action here. Let's give the boy a chance to
shine."
The nobles in Calvin's faction all began to catch on to what he was
implying.
"You intend to have Prince Cleo—no, to have Liam suffer those
heavy losses?"
Calvin nodded emphatically. "That's right. If he screws up going
against the United Kingdom, that will work, of course, but even if he's
successful he'll likely lose a vast amount of his fighting force. We'll make
sure of it."
What Calvin intended was to join forces with the invading United
Kingdom in order to vanquish Liam. All the other nation wanted out of
this invasion was to deal the Empire a heavy blow for revenge, but for
Calvin, this was a great opportunity to thin the fighting forces of a thorn in
his side like Liam. Not to mention that if Liam was forced to send his ships
out to war, his activities on the Capital Planet would undoubtedly be
slowed.
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Calvin already had his eye on the next part of his plan. "Once his
forces on the Capital Planet have thinned out, we'll work on thinning the
ranks of his supporters as well."
With their new instructions, the nobles all dove into action.
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