Chapter 2:
The Guide's Perfect Plan
THE GUIDE COULDN'T BELIEVE what he'd learned. Liam was actually
in trouble.
The Guide's hands trembled at the realization, but from joy this
time, not fear. He was filled with elation such as he'd never known before.
"Liam's having a hard time?"
That in itself wasn't unusual, but the Guide had never been
personally responsible for Liam's troubles before. Up until now, no matter
how he used his powers or manipulated circumstances to make Liam
miserable, Liam always ended up benefiting from it in some way, so he
couldn't stop trembling at his current success.
"I assisted Liam, which made Calvin unhappy...b-but Calvin has
made the best of his situation and is causing Liam to suffer instead. So I'm
helping Liam, but his troubles are only growing! What's going on?"
He clutched his head as he tried to work out the mechanics of it all,
but the Guide just couldn't stop smiling at how things were working out.
He was thrilled that his new mode of attack was seeing results. Yes, he
was still tormented by the flaming gratitude shots Liam constantly sent his
way, but the intense euphoria he felt almost made him forget the pain. This
pleasure was all the stronger for the agony he'd suffered up until now.
"It's like The North Wind and the Sun! Instead of trying to make
Liam unhappy, all I had to do was try and make him happy and it all
worked out! Of course! I should have known!"
After all his previous failures, the Guide couldn't see past the
excitement of the present situation. He was so overcome with joy that he
didn't think deeply about what might have actually transpired.
"Now I know to give Liam as much aid as I possibly can! Ah, it's
getting to be so much fun now!"
As the Guide stood there, guffawing, a ghostly dog glared at him
sight unseen from the nearby shadows.
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***
As House Banfield's domain gradually expanded, it continued to
gain inhabitable planets, but for all this new territory, the domain's overall
population was still low. They expanded too rapidly and simply didn't
have the numbers to fill the new planets under development. House
Banfield needed time to better address this problem, but Liam needed
manpower for other things now, so he had to find a quicker way to bolster
his numbers. That quicker way was immigration.
In this alternate reality, many nomadic peoples wandered through
space. It was a common story for a people's home planet to be destroyed,
leaving the survivors to travel through space for decades searching for a
new planet on which to settle. Some refugees even wandered for thousands
of years in search of that new home. To complicate matters, people like
that often had their own unique cultures, so it was difficult for other
planets to accept them easily. And even if they were welcomed, it often
took time for the newcomers to integrate into society. For that reason,
House Banfield set its sights on intergalactic nations that directly bordered
the Empire.
The domestic conflicts Linus had contributed to in both the United
Kingdom of Oxys and the Intergalactic Rustwarr Union had caused a flood
of refugees to leave those nations, and Liam figured he could boost his
territory's population by accepting them. There was one flaw to this plan,
however.
House Banfield's domain was relatively peaceful, with good public
order. They had recently taken in a large number of immigrants from the
United Kingdom and the Rustwarr Union to boost their population, but...
"We won't be ruled by a dictator!"
"The aristocracy is nothing but a dictatorship! Democracy is the
only way!"
"Yeah! The Union's way is how it's got to be!"
With his new initiative, Liam succeeded in increasing his domain's
population, but in exchange, the immigrants from the Rustwarr Union
were already holding protests on several of House Banfield's planets.
On one of those planets, the leader of the local protest group met
with someone in a deserted alleyway.
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"We have a lot more people now, thanks to you," the protest leader
said. "We'll topple the aristocracy—just you wait."
This protest leader was an enthusiastic young man from the Union
who hoped to establish democracy within Liam's domain. He preached
about the downfall of the aristocracy, trying to sell his fellow immigrants
on a democratic system. His name was Alex Rebhorn. With brown hair
and blue eyes, Alex looked like a perfectly nice young man, but the
Algrand Empire was a nation with a nobility system and Alex was hot-
blooded enough to try and campaign for democracy in such a place.
Supporting Alex in his efforts was the person he met with—a spy
from Prince Calvin's faction.
"Hey, we just want to help you," said the spy. "We'll destroy the
nobility system together."
The spy held out his hand and Alex gripped it firmly. "Of course!
We'll start by making this planet a democracy!"
Inside, though, the spy was laughing. You'll put on a good show for
us, won't you? If this weren't Liam's planet, we'd just burn the whole
thing down and start over fresh without you troublemakers...but I suppose
you don't understand that's how it works in the Empire.
This young agitator had likely never had his activities suppressed
before in the Union. However, it was a whole other situation here in the
Empire, where suppression was commonplace. From the spy's perspective,
Alex's former freedoms had left him hopelessly naïve.
Make the chaos as big as you can, the spy thought to himself. Then,
when you're done serving your purpose, we'll rid ourselves of you.
Calvin's faction planned on destroying this politically contaminated
planet entirely after they finished dealing with Liam.
The Empire doesn't need democracy.
***
"THOSE LITTLE SHITS!!!"
"P-please calm down, Master Liam!"
I cleaned up my workplace nicely and returned to my hotel room
only to be met with an emergency message from my domain. The person
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relaying the bad news to me was my butler and personal assistant, Brian.
"What would you like us to do, Master Liam? We didn't expect the
immigrants we accepted to stage such large protests..."
"Those idiots from the Union want democracy in my domain, eh?"
"Well, they're used to the political system of their homeland. It will
take them time to get used to the Empire's aristocratic ways."
There was no way this group would start organizing for democracy
as soon as they landed on one of my planets. Someone was clearly
propping them up from behind the scenes. Calvin was the most likely
offender, but I didn't have any proof, so I couldn't condemn him publicly.
"Kukuri!"
I called out for my head covert operative, and Kukuri appeared from
out of my own shadow. The large man slid out from the darkness on one
knee, with his head bowed.
"Here I am."
"There's someone behind this democracy movement. Why haven't
you discovered them yet? Did they really organize these protests all on
their own?"
For these people to have begun their protests as soon as they had
two feet on the ground was just too suspicious. I could understand it if I
was mistreating them or something, but I felt I'd prepared pretty well to
accommodate them. After all, I wanted to make use of them as human
resources right away, so I was sparing no expense and giving as much aid
as needed. They were provided for in terms of residences, education, and
job training...all so that I could work them to the bone as quickly as
possible, of course. Even if they came to my domain penniless, these
refugees would be able to have a home and a place to work. Their children
would receive free education too. In that kind of environment, why start
protesting right away? All because they didn't agree with the political
system here?
Yeah, someone really has to be manipulating them. Dammit! Now I
regret taking in people from the Union...
"An investigation was launched," Kukuri reported, "but several of
House Banfield's people have already gone missing."
The investigators working on this had nothing to do with Kukuri's
underground organization.
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"What happened?"
Kukuri's men were talented, but there weren't many of them, so
they could only cover so much ground on their own. That was why House
Banfield also had a public safety organization, much like the one that
existed in Japan in my past life. However, if several investigators from that
organization disappeared, that was a big deal.
"C-come to think of it, I did get a report about that," Brian added
hastily, as if he'd just remembered about the missing people.
"Is everyone who works for me an idiot?" I lamented, but Kukuri
corrected my assumption.
"I wouldn't say that. They weren't particularly exceptional, but I
can't imagine they would be tripped up so easily. Master Liam...I believe
there are more people like us operating within your domain."
"Like you?"
"Yes. There are many clans and organizations like ours within the
Empire. Even in the age during which we operated, there were more than a
hundred such groups. And there was one clan in particular we long feuded
with."
Organizations from two thousand years ago, huh...? It wouldn't
surprise me if they were still around, but they'd have to be pretty skilled to
make it this long. If they could compete with Kukuri and his men, then
they were extremely capable. If people like that truly were operating within
my domain, it could lead to all sorts of trouble.
"So you think they managed to sneak in?"
"We have our hands full protecting you and doing our work on the
Capital Planet right now, Master Liam. Unfortunately, only a very small
number of us remain to monitor your domain."
It was really exasperating that there was trouble in my own domain
when I was already so incredibly busy elsewhere. I'd have to make sure
my precious alchemy box, stashed away in my domain, was safe before
someone stole it. But where to put it...?
"Would you like to dispatch us to your domain?" Kukuri suggested.
"Well, there's trouble all over the place, but I can't move you
around constantly. Just tell the people you have in my domain to maintain
their current mission and stay alert."
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"Yes, sir." And just like that, Kukuri vanished back into the floor.
I was getting really irritated. Those ungrateful protestors wanted to
depose me and establish a democracy? It made me want to get rid of them
right away, but I was so busy that I didn't have time to handle that
problem. I had to assume that my enemies were entrenched pretty deeply
in my business.
"Once this is all over, I'll execute the whole lot of those
troublemakers!" I yelled.
Brian was surprised to hear me say that. "Y-you can't do that,
Master Liam! You must be patient with them!"
"You want me to simply endure this? Are you an idiot? If you want
to know how I really feel, I'd like to return to my domain right this minute
and cut the whole lot of them down with my own hands. I only accept
subjects who'll obey me, Brian. Any who defy me are no better than
garbage."
"M-Master Liam..."
Brian was hanging his head in shock, but why was he surprised?
This was how I always was.
My irritation was reaching its peak, and just then, Amagi entered the
room, so I cut off the call with Brian. My apprentice Ellen entered behind
her, holding my maid's hand. I was in such a bad mood that when I saw
the way she hid behind Amagi with her wooden sword, I became even
angrier.
"Ellen, what's the meaning of a student of the Way of the Flash
hiding behind a maid?"
When Amagi saw how afraid of me Ellen was, she reached out and
stroked the girl's hair. The look my maid directed my way was fierce. Of
course, her face was as expressionless as always, but her eyes were
distinctly narrowed. I knew her well enough to know when she was angry,
and she was really angry.
Seeing her like that made me flinch. "A-Amagi?"
Amagi stepped forward as if to protect Ellen. "It is disgraceful to
take your frustrations out on others, Master."
"I-I'm not! It's just...you know... My subjects are protesting! As a
noble, I should use force against them!" I tried excusing my actions by
explaining that I was upset about the emergency in my domain, but Amagi
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remained implacable.
"I have received no reports of these protests. If the matter can be
handled with the forces on site, we should simply let them handle it."
"B-but it makes me so angry... I'd like to punish them myself!"
Amagi's eyes narrowed further, into reproachful slits. "There are
more important things for you to be doing, Master. Miss Ellen?"
She pushed Ellen forward, and the girl stood before me with head
bowed.
"M-Master, you promised to train me, but you haven't seen me in
three days."
I gasped when I saw that Ellen was on the verge of tears. I'd been so
busy for the last few days that I wasn't able to oversee Ellen's training at
all. I figured it was fine since she was only learning the basics at this point,
but...what had I done? I couldn't believe I neglected training a successor
to the Way of the Flash. How could I ever show my face to Master
Yasushi? During my own training, Master Yasushi was always there,
watching over me.
Amagi's reproachful glare stabbed into me further. "You brought
her here for you to look after, Master."
"Y-yeah."
I did say I would raise her as my successor in the Way of the Flash.
With Amagi criticizing me like this, I couldn't just run back to my domain
and go after those protestors. I didn't have time for it anyway, not with my
work at the office and preparing for the war. I was obligated to train Ellen
too, but it was stressful that I felt busier than I ever was before.
Amagi's stern tone became a little more consoling. "I understand
this is a difficult time for you, Master, but please turn your attention to
those around you a little more. I am worried about you."
"Ugh!" It squeezed my heart to hear Amagi say she was worried
about me. I sank to my knees.
Ellen ran over to me. "Master! A-are you all right, Master?"
"I-I'm fine, Ellen. Anyway, let's get training. I promised my master
I would train my own student, after all."
Ellen cocked her head. "Master's Master?"
"Yeah, Master Yasushi. He's so amazing, he's called a Sword God."
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Well, I was the one who designated Master Yasushi as a Sword
God, but it was a fitting title for him. I wonder if Master has heard about
that, and if he's happy about it.
I stood up, determined to bring Ellen to our training ground that
instant. "Let's go."
"Yes!"
We went and Amagi followed us.
"By the way, Ellen," I started as we walked, "you're still diligently
practicing the basics, right?"
"Y-yes! I'm working really hard!"
Amagi then spoke up, indicating that she'd been watching over
Ellen in my place. "While you were absent, Master, I made sure she was
practicing properly. Miss Ellen has indeed been working hard."
I was shocked to hear that. "Ellen, you've been alone with Amagi?
She hasn't given me any time lately, despite how busy I am!"
"I-I'm sorry," the little girl squeaked out.
Amagi seemed truly appalled when she heard Ellen apologize to me.
Anyone else would see the beautiful robot as being expressionless, but I
could tell!
"Master, what are you saying to a child?"
***
"It's happening! It's all going my way!"
From afar, the Guide was able to sense Liam's frustration, and it
thrilled him—and actually filled him with power. In the past, every time he
did something to curse Liam, something else had interfered and caused the
Guide pain instead.
Liam had wanted to increase his domain's population, so the Guide
had extended his influence to send him plenty of immigrants. As a result,
Liam had obtained more human resources, but the people who'd come
from the Union weren't used to the Empire's system of aristocracy and
resented it. Furthermore, thanks to the agitation of spies from Calvin's
faction, those immigrants were holding protests right in the middle of
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Liam's domain.
The more the Guide tried to help Liam, the more it hurt him instead.
The Guide felt deeply rewarded by these results.
"It was so simple. All I needed to do to bring Liam down was assist
him! I've just been doing it wrong this whole time!"
Having realized why he'd failed in all his previous attempts, the
Guide vowed to continue helping Liam in the future. He no longer had any
doubts about his course of action.
"Liam, let me help you be happy—all so that you might suffer!"
What the Guide said seemed to make no sense, but the contradiction
didn't faze him. He had proof now that when he lent Liam his support,
things got worse for him.
"I'll help you with everything in my power! I swear, I'll make you
happyyy!!!"
***
In House Banfield's domain, citizens who had been born there
watched in confusion as protesters marched through the streets. The
demonstrators preached democracy and freedom, but that didn't mean
much to the people who had actually lived under the Empire's aristocracy.
"Those people came from a place called the Union, right?" one
citizen said to another.
"They sure are full of energy..."
"Is democracy really that great?"
"I hear more and more people are joining them. Lots of young
people are getting involved."
Some of the people watching the protest remembered how things
had been many years ago. Unlike the younger citizens, they knew how bad
things had been before Liam's rule and were therefore appalled by the
display.
"Kids these days don't know what it used to be like. They don't
know how good we have it now."
"It's been decades since the last protests, right? The last time, it
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was... Oh yeah! It was when we protested against Lord Liam in favor of
the tornado hairstyle!"
"Yeah, right... I remember campaigning for that. Nobody has
tornado hair anymore though."
"It was like a festival. I remember people had food stands set up and
everything."
"Maybe these people feel like it's a festival too."
"That must be it! I get what they're doing now."
As Liam's subjects continued watching the protest, some youths
who had immigrated from the Union approached a group of them.
"Do you all think the aristocracy should continue to exist?" one
youth demanded.
The natives exchanged looks.
"Eh? I mean, why not?" a citizen replied.
The youths exploded with anger at the natives who casually
accepted the nobility system. "What do you mean, 'why not'? Of course it
shouldn't exist!"
The youths passionately raged against the nobility system. "Isn't it
wrong for matters like taxes to be decided according to the whims of a
single ruler? And for that ruler to be completely untouchable by the law?
It's dangerous for one person to have all that power! That's why each
person in this nation should have the right to vote, and we should pick our
own representatives!"
"R-really?"
An older couple who had been listening reminisced about the past.
"Now that you mention it, things really were bad before the current
lord took over," the husband said.
"They were," his wife agreed.
The youths only smiled when they heard this. "I bet they were! But
if we carry on with the nobility system here, who knows when things will
get that bad again!"
While the youths continued their impassioned speech, some of the
younger citizens who were watching the protest came up to the couple and
asked them about the past.
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"My parents say it was hard when they were kids too. Was it really
that bad?"
"It was worse than bad! Everyone has it easy now that Lord Liam is
in power, but before him we were all destitute. Most houses didn't even
have electricity."
"Oh, yeah... I heard that too."
"Thank goodness Lord Liam became our ruler. Hopefully nothing
bad happens and the next lord carries on with Lord Liam's policies. Um,
the next lord..."
The couple gasped when they realized something.
"Hey, does Lord Liam have an heir?"
"N-not that I've heard of."
That made the couple nervous, and the young people picked up on
it.
"Wait, that's bad?"
"What would happen to us if Lord Liam were to die right now?"
Recalling past examples of such a situation, the older couple
explained.
"In situations like that, the Empire will send a ruler or choose
someone from the lord's family. F-from the lord's family..."
The couple looked at each other in dread, and the other people
around them caught on to what they were thinking. Right now, Liam's
only family consisted of his parents and grandparents—none of whom
were upstanding nobles by any measure.
A buzz went through the group.
"Lord Liam's engaged to Lady Rosetta, right?"
"But there's no announcement that she's pregnant or anything, is
there?"
"And the scary thing is, Lord Liam's the type to charge onto the
frontlines of battle himself!"
His people's worries only grew. What would happen if Liam died on
the battlefield? House Banfield had no heir right now, so the only ones
who could take over for him were his parents, the ones who ruined the
domain in the first place. Fearing that the hard times of the past might
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return, the citizens were suddenly very nervous about their future.
The passionate foreign protestors noticed the sudden change in the
crowd's mood. "E-err...have you been listening to us?"
The natives glared at them.
"Can it! We're talking about something important right now!"
"Hey, maybe we should start protesting too," said one of the
citizens.
"You're right! We shouldn't entrust our whole future to one
person!"
"We should hurry. I'll get some of my buddies involved!"
"Me too!"
"Same here!"
When they noticed the natives talking about joining the protest, the
youths preaching democracy walked away happy, believing that their
rhetoric had managed to convert more people.
Thereafter, protests on a scale never seen before broke out across
House Banfield's domain.
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