Chapter 5:
House Banfield in Chaos
F OLLOWING LIAM'S disappearance, House Banfield was in turmoil,
which only proved how important Liam was to his domain.
Liam's butler Brian, who was in charge of running House Banfield's
mansion, held his head in his hands and wept. "Augh! I still can't believe
Master Liam was taken! If only we knew that he's all right!"
Standing beside Brian as he wetted his handkerchief with tears was
Amagi, who was conducting her own investigation into Liam's abduction.
She wished she could take charge of House Banfield's forces and lead the
search for her missing master, but she had decided some time ago to limit
her time outside House Banfield's domain. The family had enough capable
personnel nowadays that she'd also decided it was time to step down from
her position of authority. In light of that, she wielded little actual influence
within the domain at this point. Amagi was only seen as important to
House Banfield now because of Liam's feelings for her. Since her power
had been reduced, there wasn't much she could actually accomplish with
Liam gone.
Amagi displayed several news videos around her as holograms,
quickly processing the information found in each. Her eyes immediately
narrowed ever so slightly at what she saw in one video.
"The news has leaked."
Brian's head whipped around at that ominous report. "What was
that?"
"The information that Master disappeared into a summoning circle
has leaked. No... It was spread intentionally."
"Wh-who would do such a thing?!"
While Brian panicked, Amagi calmly searched for the source of the
information. Its exposure was a serious matter for House Banfield. And
yet...
"The trail is too convoluted to determine the information's source.
With Master's authority, I am sure I could name the individual
responsible, but..."
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"I can't believe someone would betray House Banfield like this."
Liam's absence was such a dire problem for House Banfield.
Brian's face paled at the thought of people plotting at such a time. The
butler sank to the floor, grumbling about their top knights' behavior.
"They're supposed to bring the domain together in emergencies of this
sort!"
Even Amagi, who was usually expressionless, wore a look on her
face that seemed to match Brian's. "I admit some responsibility for not
having better plans in place in the event of Master's absence, but...what
are Christiana and Marie doing, acting up at a time like this?"
Liam's two highly skilled knights should have kept the entire order
of knights united and quelled the confusion in the domain. Tia and Marie
outshone most of the knights in the Empire, so one would think they were
perfectly capable of preventing turmoil on behalf of House Banfield, even
with Liam gone. However, that was not the reality at the moment.
Brian slammed his fist on the floor. "Master Liam, please come
back to us!" he wailed.
***
In one of the mansion's hallways, a large group of knights stood
split down the middle, each side glaring at the other. Half belonged to
Tia's faction—a group of like-minded knights who all wore their uniforms
according to regulation.
Tia stood at the head of her group and glowered at Marie, who faced
her. "Did you not hear me when I told you to move?" she growled in a low
voice. "I suppose you grew hard of hearing when your ears turned to
stone."
Marie smiled at Tia's provocation, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Awfully full of yourself for a lump of ground meat, aren't you? What
exactly do you think you're doing, constantly getting in our way?"
When Marie got too worked up, she tended to drop her usual regal
tone, so an observer might see her as relatively calm at the moment.
Hidden behind her composure, however, was an uncontrollable urge to kill
the woman before her.
The knights of Marie's faction were somewhat less refined than
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Tia's. Each had modified their uniform in whatever way they desired, so
they didn't present a unified front like Tia's faction. The one area where
they aligned perfectly was attitude. These knights were all crude and
violent, like Marie.
The two groups were like oil and water. However, they had run into
each other by chance. Normally, the presence of knights in the mansion
wouldn't have been remarkable. But when passing servants spotted the
two factions, they fled as quickly as they could, crying out.
"Run, before we get caught up in it!"
"Oh, if only Master Liam were here!"
"Retreeeat!"
When Tia was satisfied that all the servants had fled, she drew her
blade and lunged at Marie, who had already armed herself. "Die, fossil!"
Blocking Tia's homicidal strike with her double blades, Marie
grinned. "You want to be ground meat again, is that it? I can help you with
that!"
When the two clashed, the other knights began fighting as well.
Their weapons shattered windows and cut into the nearby pillars and walls.
Confrontations like this had broken out frequently since Liam's
disappearance, and though there hadn't been any casualties yet, numerous
people had been badly injured.
As the knights clashed, and blood flew everywhere in the hallway, a
lone maid robot appeared. She attempted to mediate, her voice faint
beneath the clamor.
"U-umm... Please don't fight!"
Interrupted, the knights rounded on the maid robot, murder in their
eyes. When Tia and Marie saw this, they swiftly jumped back, calling off
their factions.
"Stand down!"
"Cut it out, you pack of morons!"
At their leaders' shouts, the knights ended their aggressions at once.
Quickly lowering their weapons, they looked on nervously. Tia and Marie
had only backed off because of the maid robot's intervention. Had it been
a complete stranger, they wouldn't have stopped for a moment, but the
maid who had intervened was Tateyama, a favorite of Lord Liam's. There
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was a real possibility that if Liam returned and word of this confrontation
got back to him, everyone there would end up beheaded.
"You can thank Tateyama for your continued existence, fossil," Tia
said, turning to march away.
Marie turned her back as well. "You talk a lot for being little more
than a pile of ground meat," she called after Tia. "I'll back off today, in
deference to sweet little Tateyama, so I hope you're grateful. Next time,
I'll do you in."
Both factions of knights departed, leaving Tateyama to glance
around at the mess and begin cleaning up. "When Master returns, I'll open
my stand here again, so I'd best make it tidy."
This was where Tateyama usually set up her little sales booth, where
she sold Lord Liam novelty paraphernalia. She wanted to keep the area
neat, since she'd reopen it upon his return.
Cleaning tools in hand, Tateyama hung her head with a somber
look. "Master... Please come back soon."
***
As all this was happening, a knight elsewhere in the mansion held
his head in his hands. It was Claus Sera Mont, a top knight who had just
led a massive battalion to victory for the Empire. Of course, it was Tia
who had actually commanded their fleet, with Claus serving only as
support. The man was painfully aware of his own inadequacies. His
stomach constantly ached from other people's inflated expectations of
him; right now, it was killing him.
"Lord Liam still isn't back?"
Graaah! With Lord Liam gone, there's no stopping Lady Christiana
and Lady Marie! Someone, please do something about thiiis!
On the outside, Claus merely sighed quietly, expressionless. On the
inside, he was panicking. Claus was absolutely confident in one of his
skills: his poker face. No matter the situation he found himself in, he could
always prevent his emotions from showing in his expression or attitude.
He'd had more opportunities than ever to apply that skill lately, so it was
only becoming more polished.
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Even as Claus lamented Liam's absence, his cool expression earned
gazes of admiration from his subordinates.
"He's so calm, even in a situation like this," one remarked. "Lord
Claus really is the pillar of House Banfield!"
"The other factions are a total mess in comparison."
"It really should be Lord Claus who commands House Banfield's
forces, don't you think?"
Their inflated expectations and passionate gazes nauseated Claus.
"Stop flattering me and get back to work," he muttered under his
breath.
Please! My current position is already too much for me! If you hold
me to these standards, my stomach will explode! If only I could speak my
mind... But if my subordinates find out how faint-hearted I really am, it
will just make them anxious. I have to avoid that.
While Tia and Marie intensified the conflict between their factions,
Claus did his best to maintain order in House Banfield's domain. Actually,
it was more like he just dealt with work that piled up, neglected, while the
two quarreled. The domain would suffer if someone didn't take care of
those tasks, so Claus and his subordinates did everything possible to stay
on top of them. Although Claus was used to drawing the short straw, he
felt terrible for inflicting the same on his subordinates.
Once Lord Liam comes back—or things at least settle down a bit—
I'll have to thank them. W-wait a second... Where's my biggest problem
child?
Claus glanced around, but he didn't see Chengsi Sera Tohrei
anywhere.
He asked one of his subordinates a dreaded question. "Where's
Chengsi?"
***
On a bench in one of the mansion's courtyards sat two maids
holding cleaning tools. One maid, Riho, was clearly slacking on her
chores. The other, Fuka, had been working diligently.
Riho unabashedly took out her tablet and checked some videos
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she'd posted. Looking at the comments and view counts, she clicked her
tongue. "Tch. My views are down. I'm getting fewer comments, too. I
need to cut people if I want to call myself the bloodiest idol in the
universe. This is no time to be wearing a maid outfit and cleaning!"
Looking over at her, Fuka sighed. "Will you get to work already?
Old lady Serena's gonna yell at us again."
"What, you're scared of her?" Riho asked, disgusted. "You're such
a wuss. You've always been all bark and no bite."
Fuka's expression immediately changed. "Say that again. I dare
you."
She stood, furiously gripping her mechanized "broom"—a high-
efficiency cleaning machine—as a weapon. Riho grabbed her own broom
device, which she'd set aside.
"I'll say it as many times as you want, wuss," Riho taunted, smiling.
"You smartass." Fuka's expression darkened further. "I'll kill you!"
"I wouldn't make promises you can't keep. If you want me to kill
you, though, I can oblige."
The two glared at one another, then abruptly looked in the same
direction. As they both leaped away, dust flew into the air, and slashes
appeared in the ground where they'd stood a second earlier.
Riho and Fuka immediately forgot their fight, facing the source of
the slashes instead.
"I didn't think there was anyone stupid enough to start a fight with
me here," Riho said, grinning murderously at the woman who'd
interrupted them.
"I'll kill you! I'll damn well kill you!" Fuka snarled, glaring with
bloodshot eyes.
The slashes had been unleashed by a smiling Chengsi. "My, you
dodged my attack, eh?"
As usual, Chengsi wore a knight's uniform modified into a
cheongsam. There was something strange about her today, however—her
arms, to be precise.
Riho narrowed her eyes, disgusted. "You had your arms modified?"
Chengsi's arms were now long enough to reach the ground. Her
nails were like blades, and the wrists that peeked out beneath her sleeves
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had a metallic sheen. She had mechanized part of her body to become a
cybernetic organism—a cyborg.
Fuka's nose twitched. She grimaced at Chengsi's scent. "That
machine smell is terrible. You mechanized more than just your arms,
didn't you?"
Chengsi smiled, saying nothing in response. When she did open her
mouth a few seconds later, a gun muzzle appeared from within. Riho and
Fuka jumped back. This time, a laser burned the ground.
"Tch!" Riho clicked her tongue and lunged at Chengsi, swinging her
cleaning device. Chengsi caught her blow. Her body no longer even
resembled a human's; her mouth was open too wide, her joints
hyperextended, and extra arms with weapons attached emerged from her
back. She had transformed into a monster, but Riho wasn't fazed.
"I'm guessing your head's still fleshy—all I have to do is squish it.
The senior pupil won't complain if it's self-defense, right?"
"Good idea!" Fuka agreed. "Now we can relieve some stress!
You're game, aren't you?"
Their monstrous foe only excited the wielders of the Way of the
Flash. Chengsi felt just as excited. She was itching to test her new abilities
against these strong opponents—pupils of the formidable Liam.
"I obtained this power to defeat Liam, but you two present a great
opportunity to test it."
Fuka laughed. "Just die already! Flash!"
"Hey, don't steal my prey!" Riho huffed, as Fuka beat her to using
their special technique. "Flash!"
As the two utilized the Way of the Flash with their broom devices,
Chengsi only smiled. "Those toys must weaken your Flash somewhat,
huh? Or are you just that much weaker than Liam?"
Chengsi had dodged both their Flashes. Fuka gaped at her, shocked,
while Riho gave her an enraged glare.
"True, I can't get serious without a sword," Riho admitted. "But
you...you used precognition just now, didn't you?"
Fuka tossed aside her broom, her expression hardening. "You
needed to mess with your brain, too? Weaklings really have it rough,
huh?"
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Indeed, not even Chengsi's brain was untouched. She'd had it
modified to attain a sort of sixth sense. Chengsi opened her eyes wider,
their lenses zooming in and out. "Anything to become stronger. I can kill
Liam anytime I want now."
Riho laughed at the idea of Chengsi abandoning her body in order to
kill Liam in a duel. "You loser. You really believe you can beat the senior
pupil?"
Fuka looked ready to burst a blood vessel. "You think you can beat
the Way of the Flash with modifications? Don't get cocky just 'cause you
turned yourself into some freaky machine. I'll end you."
Chengsi lunged at the pair. "I appreciate your enthusiasm," she said.
"Now...entertain me, won't you?"
***
Once, twelve noble houses had supported House Banfield. By
becoming its vassals, the heads of those families had obtained aid from
House Banfield after its miraculous recovery. That aid allowed the twelve
houses to develop their own domains, but after a few decades of success, a
subset of the nobles had grown arrogant. They believed they were the ones
supporting House Banfield, rather than the other way around.
To be fair, they were technically in a position to help House
Banfield. The vassal system existed because of the Empire's vast size. On
the outskirts of the Empire's territory—where the Imperial family's reach
didn't quite extend—the most well-established noble houses would look
after smaller houses.
House Banfield was powerful enough that it served as leader of the
region containing its domain. In exchange, it was the vassals' duty to help
the house when it was in trouble. If House Banfield went to war, its vassals
were expected to fight alongside it, and if House Banfield requested any
assistance at all, vassals were obliged to provide it.
Yet Liam had never relied on his vassals. That was partly because
they were too powerless to provide real assistance, and partly because—
under Liam's guidance—House Banfield always had the power to
accomplish whatever it wanted on its own. That was evidence of House
Banfield's strength, but in the current situation, their self-reliance was
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backfiring.
Baori Sera Noden, who had once been part of the twelve families
serving House Banfield, alighted on that family's planet, Hydra. The
arrogant head of House Noden was a small man, with thin limbs despite a
large, bloated stomach. He wore a striped suit and clenched a cigar in his
mouth.
Baron Noden stepped into House Banfield's mansion, his mouth
spewing foul-smelling smoke. "I haven't been here in a while, but it seems
pretty noisy, doesn't it?"
Trailing behind Baori were the three bureaucrats from House
Banfield's government office.
"It's awfully embarrassing," one of the officials said self-
deprecatingly.
Baori was in a good mood. "If Liam hadn't been too proud to accept
our support, he could have avoided a situation like this," he boasted. "I
suppose he was nothing more than a narrow-minded child."
When meeting with Liam, of course, Baori had always bowed and
scraped unceasingly. He had been completely dependent on whatever aid
Liam provided him. However, the eldest son of one of Baori's vassals,
Baronet Clover, had gotten on Liam's bad side; subsequently, Liam
severed all ties with Baori. Cut off from House Banfield's support, Baori
now struggled. He claimed his assistance could have benefited House
Banfield, but in truth, he certainly didn't have the ability to back that up.
Understanding his situation, the traitorous officials nodded.
"You're exactly right," one said. "Things will be different now,
though. The new head of House Banfield will count on your support."
Baori and the officials turned to see a child entering the mansion. He
was flanked by knights of the old House Banfield, who had served the
former ruler rather than Liam. The child the knights protected was Isaac
Sera Banfield, a son of Liam's father Cliff. Isaac was seventy years old,
though he only appeared fifteen or so, and was a beautiful boy with long,
glossy black hair and bright blue eyes.
Despite his good looks, Isaac's attitude left much to be desired. He
had graduated from primary school, but had not yet attended the military
academy or college. Until a short while ago, he had lived a luxurious life
on the Capital Planet with his father. Cliff had chosen Isaac to become the
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next Count Banfield, set to inherit Liam's peerage and domain, which was
the reason Isaac was now visiting House Banfield's domain for the first
time in his life.
As he laid eyes on the mansion Liam had built, Isaac began to
complain. "What is this incredibly dull building? It's so plain! There's not
so much as a hint of artistry to be seen here! Why, frugality is its one and
only merit. I won't live in such a place."
No one around Isaac chastised him for his rudeness in disparaging
Liam's mansion. Baori, in fact, unashamedly tried to curry favor.
"You're exactly right, my lord. You deserve far better than such a
shabby mansion. Let's demolish it and build a new one as soon as you've
inherited your domain."
He acted as if it was already set in stone that Isaac would be the new
Count Banfield. After all, Baori was complicit in the officials' scheme to
make that happen.
You'll regret disrespecting me, Liam! While you're gone, I'll make
this brat the head of House Banfield. Through him, I'll hold the real power
in your domain!
House Noden had originally been nothing more than a barony in
service to House Banfield, but now Baori was attempting to seize control
by way of Isaac. The government officials were well aware of his
ambition. It was why they'd chosen him for their plot in the first place.
Like Baori, they tried to curry favor with the boy.
"House Banfield will flourish with you at the helm, Lord Isaac," one
said. "Liam did not understand how to run a territory. Things only went
well for him by coincidence and luck. It's terribly embarrassing that an
Empire noble made use of dolls the way he did."
The three officials were taking this opportunity to vent pent-up
frustrations. Putting Isaac in charge of House Banfield was their chance to
depose Liam and line their pockets in the process.
The next person who spoke was one of the knights dispatched to
protect Isaac. He was an effeminate man with wavy blond hair named
Keith Sera Levker. Tall, thin, and wearing blue lipstick, he had a unique,
somewhat strange air. A saber with a blade of razor-sharp steel hung from
his waist.
"Liam did not have the character of a leader," he said, playing with
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his hair with one hand. "The knight families who have served House
Banfield for generations can finally rest easy with a worthy man running
things."
Keith's family had served House Banfield in the past, but fled to the
Capital Planet when Liam took control. Keith's sword skills were no joke.
In fact, he had been the head knight for Liam's father and grandfather.
Thanks to Keith's swordsmanship, Cliff considered him a reliable
bodyguard back on the Capital Planet. Now, however, Keith had been
dispatched to guard Isaac so that Cliff and his family could claim the vast
fortune House Banfield built while Liam was in charge.
Baori smiled at Keith. "I didn't think Lord Cliff would give you up
so easily, Lord Keith. You were House Banfield's most powerful knight,
after all."
Keith didn't seem displeased with this compliment. "That was in the
past, I'm afraid. Things here are run by a bunch of outsiders now."
The "outsiders" Keith referred to were the knights who had begun
serving House Banfield during Liam's rule.
Isaac apparently took issue with Liam's knights as well. "Knights
who haven't served the same family for generations are mere riffraff. Liam
really was a nobody."
Isaac had seemingly dismissed Liam as a pathetic loser none of his
family's knights would have wanted to serve.
Keith bowed reverently. "From now on, Lord Isaac, I will take
charge of House Banfield's knights for you."
"I leave them in your hands."
Isaac entered the mansion; Keith and his knights followed.
Baori and the officials stayed put, however. Dropping the
obsequious attitude they'd given Isaac, they stared hatefully at the
departing knights.
"Some knights they are. They abandoned their duty and fled to the
Capital Planet," Baori said, speaking his true feelings.
The other officials expressed similar frustrations.
"Things here improved drastically right after they left," one replied.
"They won't say it, but I imagine they're quite irritated by that fact."
"If Keith hadn't fled, he would likely still be House Banfield's head
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knight."
They could only imagine the frustration House Banfield's
longstanding knight families must have felt when the domain rose to such
prominence after they left alongside Cliff. If they had stayed, they could
have secured lofty positions; they would be reaping the rewards of those
positions now. The current situation would allow Keith and his fellow
knights to return to their former roles. They were guaranteed important
positions so long as they remained loyal to Isaac. Any knight would dream
of commanding a force like that of the present-day House Banfield, so
Keith and his comrades had leaped at the chance when it was presented to
them.
Baori smirked. "They may be cowards, but they're not weak. We'll
need strong knights to shut up any noisy people in this domain."
Baori and the officials were not equipped to deal with House
Banfield's skilled current knights, so it reassured them to have strong allies
like Keith on their side.
It was clear that a variety of people whose interests aligned had
joined forces to take over House Banfield.
***
Brian was so shocked that he couldn't even speak. Not only had
three officials from House Banfield's government offices barged into the
mansion, Baron Noden—with whom Liam had cut ties—accompanied
them. Worst of all...
"You'll find Lord Cliff's signature on these documents," said one
official. "Now that Lord Liam is deceased, headship of House Banfield
falls to Lord Isaac."
Isaac sat in a reception room chair, his brow furrowed as if he was
in a foul mood.
While Brian's mouth flapped open and closed like a fish's, the head
maid Serena spoke up. "Lord Liam's death has not been confirmed."
The officials merely laughed off Serena's objection. "Terribly sorry,
but we cannot simply allow this situation to go on forever, can we? For the
time being, the government office will take the reins within the domain."
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Things were moving too fast. Serena was suspicious. Those idiots
who fled to the Capital Planet are moving hastily out of a desire for Lord
Liam's vast assets. I wish they had displayed such motivation earlier. But,
in any case, they're too well organized.
Some in House Banfield had expected Cliff and his followers to
make a move after Liam's disappearance. Still, they had taken action much
sooner than anticipated, and Serena was one step behind them.
"Are you defying Father and Grandfather's orders? Off with her
head," Isaac commanded haughtily.
When Isaac threatened to have her executed, Serena's tone grew
tougher. "I may not look it, but I was employed in the Imperial Palace
before this, boy. I don't care to die just yet. If you want to execute me, I'll
have to make use of some my connections. Is that all right with you?"
Isaac scowled when Serena called him "boy," but before he could
respond, Keith spoke up calmly. "I would suggest rethinking her
execution, Lord Isaac. Any trouble on the Capital Planet would likely
burden Lord Cliff and your family."
"You get to keep your head for now," Isaac told Serena, averting his
eyes.
Serena shook her head. What a contrast to Lord Liam.
Understanding Isaac only too well from that brief exchange, Serena
foresaw a dark future for House Banfield if Liam failed to return.
Brian had been silent all this time, but he finally recovered the use
of his voice. "Lord Keith... What are you doing here? You abandoned
House Banfield and fled to the Capital Planet, did you not?"
Brian's anger toward the knights who had deserted House Banfield
was profound. Keith and his contemporaries had left the young Liam
behind to sink or swim when they fled to the Capital Planet.
Keith gave him a bold smile. "Don't be that way, Brian. I regret
what I did, can't you see? That's why I'm here now. Just leave things to
me from now on, and you can live out the rest of your life in peace."
"A-after all this time, you can't just...!" Brian balled up his fists.
Serena stopped him before he could go further. "Brian."
"I...apologize."
Seeing Brian unable to raise his clenched fists, Keith scoffed. "A
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wise choice. An ordinary person couldn't hope to win against a knight. Do
as I say henceforth, for your own good."
Brian squeezed his fists even tighter, but lowered his gaze. "If only
Master Liam were here," he muttered.
***
Someone had been watching Isaac and his cronies barge into House
Banfield's mansion: the Guide.
"Great," he said to himself. "This is fantastic! This guy's a lot more
of a villain than you are, Liam! Isaac, you're exactly what I've been
looking for!"
The more the Guide observed Isaac, the more he liked him. The boy
was just as heartless as the average Imperial noble. Now that Isaac was
about to inherit headship of House Banfield, the Guide's goal of ruining
Liam seemed within reach. The family's domain would decline, its
subjects falling into despair. There was only one problem.
"There'll be trouble when Liam's female knights find out about my
darling little Isaac." The Guide had taken such a liking to Isaac, he was
already using endearments. "They'll eliminate him. I just know it."
Keith was here as Isaac's protection, and he was a skilled knight.
Unfortunately, his abilities hardly compared to those of Tia and Marie.
When they got wind of this situation and came crashing in, it was doubtful
Keith could defend Isaac from them.
"I have to step in to protect the dark future my darling Isaac will
create!"
The Guide was raring to go.
***
Oddly enough, when the Guide went looking for Tia and Marie, he
found them together, fighting over who should take charge in Liam's
absence. He wasn't sure what to think.
"This is awful. I usually like seeing such terrible displays, but these
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two have taken things in such a strange direction."
Tia and Marie flew at each other, weapons drawn and intent on
murder.
"Erode away already, you fossil!"
"Go rot, you pile of meat!"
The fierceness of their clash had already scratched their weapons.
Both were covered in scrapes as well, but they tossed aside their battered
blades and began trying to kill each other with their bare hands instead.
Marie dropkicked Tia, embedding her in a wall across the room,
then moved in to finish her off. However, Tia just kicked off from the wall
and sent Marie flying with a headbutt.
In the face of this shameful display, even the Guide could only
shake his head and mutter, "This isn't the dark future I desire."
There was no denying the danger these two presented, regardless of
their undisciplined behavior. The Guide stroked his chin in thought,
watching as the pair went on trying to kill one another. Eventually, he
arrived at a conclusion.
"I didn't really want to use this tactic, but if it goes well, it will
strike a terrible blow to Liam. I have a dance for you two to perform. No...
maybe 'puppet show' would be a better way to put it."
The Guide spread his arms wide, and the negative energy he'd
absorbed from the elves flowed out from him. This energy congealed into
two figures at his sides—exact copies of himself. Once the copies were
complete, he directed them toward the feuding knights.
"These two will be perfect for sowing strife around House
Banfield's domain," he told his copies. "I want you to stimulate their
desires and bend them to your will."
The copies nodded, circling behind Tia and Marie. Unable to sense
the entities' presence, the two knights allowed the copies to get behind
them easily. The knights' instincts were still frighteningly sharp, however.
"What?"
"Who's behind me?"
Tia and Marie whirled around, sensing something, but found
nothing there.
The Guide guffawed. "It's too late... My copies are already
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connected to you! Now, let's see what you two desire!"
The copies standing close to Tia and Marie spread their arms as the
Guide had done. A change came over the knights as strings like ectoplasm
extended from the copies' fingers, binding the knights' bodies.
"You won't escape me now," the Guide said.
The two women hunched over in pain, and the copies laughed.
"You want to be Liam's favorite?" the copy attached to Tia said.
"All right! You just have to prove to him that you're the best!"
"What is it you wish for? Let's hear it!" said the other copy.
"Unleash it, why don't you?"
Desires amplified by the Guide's copies, Tia and Marie shakily
stood with dazed looks on their faces. Their duel forgotten, they faced
away from each other and began walking unsteadily, as if hypnotized.
"I will be...Lord Liam's favorite. It will be...me," Tia muttered.
"That's right... His favorites will be just Lady Rosetta and me. Just
my lady and me," Marie cackled.
The Guide smiled with satisfaction, watching the two. "Good! If you
want to become his favorite, just destroy everyone else! If there's no one
else left, Liam will naturally prefer whoever remains! Erase anyone and
anything that gets in your way."
The two knights started forth to carry out the Guide's orders, his
parasitic copies following them as they left. Just as the Guide had said, the
women had been reduced to his loyal puppets.
"Well, that's those nuisances taken care of." The Guide watched
them leave with a satisfied smile. "Now, if I just leave everything to my
darling Isaac, House Banfield will decline all on its own. Ooh, I can't wait
to see the look on Liam's face when he returns!"
Laughing loudly, the Guide vanished as if he'd been sucked into the
ceiling.
***
Tia awoke atop her bed in her room. She sat up and brought a hand
to her face, finding it slick with sweat.
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"What am I doing in my room? I could have sworn I was just..."
When she tried to remember what she'd been doing before she
found herself here, she was struck with a terrible headache. And then...
"Lady Tia, it's an emergency!"
One of her adjutants, a knight named Claudia, had opened a line of
communication without Tia's permission.
Knowing Claudia would only do such a thing if the matter was truly
dire, Tia asked, "What's the situation?"
"Lord Liam's brother Isaac has arrived from the Capital Planet!
His family is trying to regain control of House Banfield!"
When she heard that report, Tia's first impulse was to squash Isaac
and those plotting with him, but she found her desires interfering with that
instinct.
We have to get things under control! No, wait... I can make use of
this situation.
The appearance of Isaac and the knights from the capital would
throw House Banfield into disarray. Tia believed that Liam would
eventually return, though, so Isaac was ultimately of no concern to her.
Her only worry was how she could exploit his presence.
"Claudia, get the faction together. Contact the army and have a fleet
prepared as well."
"Huh? But, er..."
"We can't have these morons from the Capital Planet manipulating
things here. We should hurry up and drive all those idiots out of this
place."
Claudia had misgivings, but Tia was her trusted superior, so she put
her faith in the other woman. "You must have an idea. Very well... I'll
gather the troops immediately."
"Good. I'll join you in space once I take care of something here."
"Yes, ma'am!"
When the call disconnected, Tia scrambled out of bed, giggling to
herself. "I should just have done this from the start. Now, before doing
anything else, there's something important I have to collect."
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***
The "something important" Tia had remembered was held under
strict security in a mansion vault, though it appeared to be a simple test
tube containing fluid. Going through various security protocols, Tia
entered the vault exultantly and laid claim to the item. She rubbed the cool
glass of the test tube against her flushed cheek giddily.
"I can obtain legitimacy as long as I've got this. Isaac is
unnecessary. If I bear Lord Liam's child, it will solve everything!"
The test tube so carefully guarded here contained Liam's genetic
material.
"I'll become pregnant with Lord Liam's child! Nothing could make
me happier!"
Her desires running rampant, Tia had decided to use this situation to
give Liam an heir. Naturally, such an act would never have been allowed,
even in an emergency like this. Liam was unlikely to acknowledge any
child that resulted, but with her desires manipulated, Tia was severely
lacking in judgment.
The Guide's copy watched her excitedly claim Liam's preserved
DNA.
"I know I was the one who made her follow her desires, but this is
something else," he said to himself, disgusted by what he saw. "The other
one isn't this bad, is she?"
Tia's behavior appalled even him.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion...
"Darling, where have you gone? I wish I could see you!"
Holed up in her room, Rosetta lay upon her bed, crying. She had lost
weight since Liam's disappearance, since she had no appetite. She spent
all her time lamenting his absence.
Looking after her was Ciel Sera Exner, still in House Banfield's
domain for her training. Ciel wore her silver hair long, sporting the side
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braid that members of her family tended to wear. She was an outlier at the
mansion in that she was openly skeptical of the much-adored Liam. She'd
actually been happy to hear about his disappearance, but she was
heartbroken to see Rosetta so devastated.
Liam really is the worst, hurting Lady Rosetta like this. Not to
mention that other little problem of mine...
Rosetta wasn't Ciel's only headache right now. Her brother, Kurt
Sera Exner, was another cause for concern. There was apparently
something Kurt badly needed to speak with Liam about, but he couldn't
get in contact with his friend, and was unaware of Liam's disappearance.
Thus, Kurt had begun sending messages to Ciel instead.
Ciel opened her tablet and checked her latest messages from her
brother, a strained look on her face.
"5 min. ago: Ciel, I can't reach Liam. Is he busy right now?"
"4 min. ago: Ciel, if Liam's busy, could you tell him to contact me
later?"
"3 min. ago: Ciel, are you getting my messages? I need to talk to
Liam. Whenever he's free is fine, but could you just tell him to contact
me?"
"2 min. ago: Ciel, it doesn't look like my messages are being
marked as read. Are you working? They give you breaks, right?"
"1 min. ago: Ciel? Why aren't you answering?"
The flurry of messages was really starting to worry her.
I didn't see any of these, she decided. As long as I tell Kurt it was an
emergency later, he'll forgive me, right? He will, won't he? I'm getting
nervous.
Ignoring her brother's messages, Ciel returned her tablet to her
pocket. There was no way she could tell Kurt that Liam was gone, anyway.
She might only be in training, but she was a maid of House Banfield right
now, and therefore had a duty to protect their secrets. An aristocrat would
normally prioritize their own family over the host family training them, but
Ciel decided it would be better to stay quiet in this instance. If Kurt found
out about Liam's disappearance, she knew he'd lose it, and House
Banfield was in too much danger now for that.
This place is crawling with suspicious people, she reflected.
Opportunists were bound to fight over House Banfield. It's rich, and it has
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tons of assets.
With the head of the family gone, and no heir named, House
Banfield would make tasty prey for nearby nobles. They could try to lay
claim to the family's wealth and military might by providing House
Banfield with "support." House Banfield couldn't even trust the nobles in
Cleo's faction right now.
The only reason Ciel wasn't getting out while she could was
because she didn't want to simply abandon Rosetta. The missing lord's
fiancée was currently lying in bed, crying as she watched videos of Liam.
Ciel was about to try to comfort her when a female knight suddenly burst
into the room, practically kicking down the door.
The knight's outrageous behavior stunned Ciel. "Wh-what do you
think you're doing?!"
The knight—Marie—was breathing heavily, eyes bloodshot. She
ignored Ciel's protest and approached Rosetta. "Lady Rosetta, this is an
emergency! Villains are here to take over House Banfield!"
When the already overwrought Rosetta heard this, she clung to
Marie. "Wh-why?! Darling's not dead! He was just summoned
somewhere! Right, Marie?"
Marie didn't indulge her. "Our enemies don't care one way or the
other. Some are taking full advantage of the fact that he isn't here. You
yourself are in danger now, Lady Rosetta. I'm sure there are fiends who
plan to harm Lord Liam's fiancée too!"
Plenty of people disliked Liam, and no one knew what they would
do, so Marie had rushed here to safeguard Rosetta.
When Marie suggested Rosetta herself was in danger, Ciel asked,
"Lady Marie, can you not drive these people out of the mansion?"
"I cannot," Marie answered curtly.
Ciel was taken aback. Marie would normally have been eager to
slaughter them all, but she was uncharacteristically subdued today.
Is that because she's putting Lady Rosetta's safety first? You'd think
she'd be on a rampage.
"We must flee for now," Marie insisted, hurrying Rosetta. "It's
frustrating, but we cannot defeat them. We must leave for the time being
and create a plan for our return."
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"I-I can't lead House Banfield," Rosetta protested. "The knights and
army will only listen to Darling! He told me not to get involved."
People were here after the financial and political power House
Banfield wielded, and Rosetta could do nothing about it. That was at least
partially Liam's fault. Since he insisted Rosetta stay out of governing his
domain, she held little sway over his followers.
Marie apparently had some sort of strategy, though. "Do not worry.
There are those who share my vision. I will soon have knights and soldiers
ready for us on another planet. There, we will raise Lord Liam's legitimate
heir!"
"Heir? Er, Marie, I haven't actually..."
Before Rosetta could explain that there was no way she'd bear
Liam's child, Marie revealed her scheme. "Not to worry! I saved Lord
Liam's genetic material in case something like this happened!"
She took out a box in which a test tube was stored. Rosetta only
cocked her head curiously, but Ciel realized what the test tube was right
away.
Sh-she didn't! No...she hasn't yet. But she's planning to!
Marie's eyes were crazed but determined. Rosetta hadn't figured it
out, but Ciel had guessed Marie's aim.
She plans to impregnate Lady Rosetta with Liam's genetic
material?! She can't just create an heir without his permission!
"Now, Lady Rosetta," Marie continued, "let us carry on House
Banfield's legitimate bloodline! We won't let anyone usurp Lord Liam's
domain!"
At that point, Ciel caught on to the full scope of Marie's plan. Sh-
she plans on impregnating herself too! Marie was going to take advantage
of the situation and bear Liam's child as well.
In her agitated state, all Rosetta was focused on was maintaining
followers for Liam's return. "I suppose you're right... We should gather
knights and soldiers who will obey Darling's orders, so they can support
him when he comes home."
Rosetta was taking action for Liam's sake, but Marie was merely
pursuing her own interests. Ciel was disgusted with the knight.
What do I do? What am I supposed to do about this?!
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She would normally consult her brother in a situation like this, but
she didn't think he'd be much help. Whatever mental state he was in was
making him send an anxious message every minute. There was no one she
could rely on, but she couldn't abandon Rosetta. In the end, Ciel simply
decided to go with her.
***
Things were going according to the Guide's plan, though his copy
didn't look very pleased as he watched over the manipulated Marie.
"I gave her desires a little boost, but she shouldn't be going this
crazy, should she?"
The copy was bewildered at how far Marie was taking things. He
felt like he'd just given her a little push, and she'd taken off straight into
the sky.
"The original didn't really need to copy himself to manipulate her,
did he? If I'd known she was going to react this strongly, I would just have
stimulated her desires a little and left it at that. I wasted some energy,
huh?" The Guide's copy sighed. "Sheesh... I should just have stuck with
the other woman. I'm sure she's not as bad."
The copy envied his other self who'd gone with Tia. Filled with an
emotion he couldn't describe, he continued observing Marie.
***
"Everything will be fine in the end," Tia crooned. "As long as there
is a child with Lord Liam's blood, they will be his legitimate heir."
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She kissed the test tube containing the precious fluid before stowing
it in her pocket. Then she faced her faction of knights, her expression
carefully composed. They had gathered on the bridge of House Banfield's
former flagship, the Vár, a space battleship over three thousand meters
long.
Claudia, Tia's adjutant, approached her. "We're all set, Lady Tia."
"Good. Then let's depart."
Tia had gathered more knights whom she knew to be highly loyal to
Liam; they'd abandoned their posts at her summons. She'd even pulled a
portion of House Banfield's army to create a decent-sized fleet, though by
no means House Banfield's full force.
"Lady Tia, Marie Sera Marian has secured Lady Rosetta and taken a
force of knights and soldiers to the Third Planet," Claudia reported sourly.
"Meanwhile, she has charged most of House Banfield's forces with
maintaining public order within the domain."
Claudia displayed a three-dimensional holographic map of the
worlds in House Banfield's domain. Tia clicked her tongue as she looked
it over.
"The Third Planet should serve well as a temporary base of
operations. She gathered a lot more people than I expected, though."
"It's unfortunate that she won over Lady Rosetta. Many have joined
Lady Marie's forces simply due to Lady Rosetta's presence."
"I took Lady Rosetta's popularity too lightly. In any case, what is
the Elite Fleet up to?"
The Elite Fleet had fought directly under Liam for quite a while
now. They were the cream of the crop among House Banfield's forces, so
they were allies Tia wanted on her side no matter what. Claudia was giving
her an apologetic look, however. She'd likely failed to recruit them.
"I contacted them, but they weren't interested in hearing me out,"
she admitted. "They say they'll follow Lord Liam's orders and his orders
only. The Royal Guard had the same response."
The Royal Guard was the force of knights that served as Liam's
personal guard. They were a separate unit from the main body of knights,
and they'd also rejected Marie's request for aid.
Tia sighed in disappointment, then decided to consider this good
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news. "Well, that means they aren't siding with Marie either, so that's fine.
I'll consider it a plus that they at least won't be our enemies. Anyway, we
have to secure a base for ourselves."
Claudia nodded. "I've already contacted the Second Planet and
begun sending our forces there."
"Well done. It helps that you're so on top of things."
The Second Planet was another world Liam had developed. It would
serve as a suitable base in its current state.
Liam's own people were dividing up the territory he'd spent so
much time developing.
Though she had already ordered their fleet to the Second Planet,
Claudia still had reservations about Tia's plan. "Should we really abandon
our home planet? I believe we are fully capable of wiping out the filth
that's invaded Lord Liam's mansion."
They certainly had the power to turn around right now and drive off
Isaac and his cronies if they wanted to. If they did, though, Tia couldn't
take advantage of their current situation.
"We can't fight a war on Lord Liam's home planet," Tia said firmly.
"Don't you think it would be disrespectful to stain his mansion with
blood?"
I need to buy enough time to bear Lord Liam's child. It might be
tricky to do right away, but once the situation calms down some...
Tia was lying blatantly to Claudia; she knew Baori and Isaac were
no threat to her. Not even the former head knight serving as Isaac's guard
presented a challenge. However, she couldn't resist her desire to exploit
this situation for her own ends.
Tia spread her arms. "All we can do is gather our forces for Lord
Liam's return! We'll prepare an army to wipe out these impertinent fools
when the time comes!"
In the meantime, I myself will give Lord Liam an heir! No greater
happiness could exist in this universe!
When Liam returned, Tia planned to tell him, "There was nothing
else I could do! It was a family emergency!" A family emergency—that
was exactly what the out-of-control Tia and Marie were themselves
creating. Isaac's invasion of the mansion should have been easily handled,
and these two were making things worse by deliberately not handling it.
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"All forces assemble!" Tia commanded. "We go forth to secure
Lord Liam's rule!"
The thousands of ships in the fleet began to move. Watching over
them was the copy of the Guide.
"I know I'm manipulating her behind the scenes," the copy said, still
mystified by Tia's behavior, "but I honestly didn't expect her to take
things this far. She's kind of freaking me out."
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