Chapter 12:
A Pet Dog
I HADN'T KNOWN they'd come get me in the new superdreadnought I'd
ordered. I'd had the Seventh Weapons Factory create an entirely new
flagship for House Banfield, sparing no expense—either in terms of the
overall budget, or the quantity of rare metals used in the ship's
construction.
The superdreadnought's functionality was obviously top of the line,
but its interior was also lavish. Each and every facility aboard was
outfitted solely with luxury components. Although it was my flagship, I
was probably the only person in the Empire who would funnel such
outrageous funding into a single spaceship. Frankly, substituting standard
items for some of the custom-made parts wouldn't just have been cheaper;
it would have improved the ship's performance somewhat. It was an
extravagant creation, but it was perfect for an evil lord like me, who
adored excess above all else.
My new ship was called the Argos. According to Nias, it was now
the Empire's top-performing ship. I didn't exactly trust her seal of
approval—"top-performing" would change as time passed—but it tickled
my boyish heart to ride a ship considered the "best," even temporarily.
Beyond that, my mood was as poor as could be. The Argos was now
far from the planet I'd been summoned to. I was in my personal quarters,
and there, Amagi and Brian made me sit still and lectured me. The reason
for that? Chino, who I'd brought with me from that undeveloped planet.
Chino was lying in my bed right now, snoring without a care in the
world, no doubt satisfied by the meal she'd just eaten. Ellen touched her
ears and tail with great interest, but Chino showed no sign of waking; she
slept face up, exposing her stomach. The dumb dog had her guard down
completely. Being a "proud wolf" or whatever had to be a lie—she came
off as a pet dog through and through.
Ellen put her thumb in her mouth and started sucking it. Until a few
minutes ago, she'd been bawling her eyes out. Now she was absolutely
thrilled to watch Chino, like a kid who'd just received a new pet.
"She's so cute, Master!"
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Right now, I couldn't share Ellen's innocent happiness.
"I am absolutely speechless, Master Liam," Brian was saying. "It's
unbelievable that you took a beastwoman from an undeveloped planet
because you saw her as your 'pet.'"
Looking away from Brian only brought an exasperated Amagi into
my field of vision. She glowered down at me like I was a disobedient
child. "Let us return her to where you found her."
It was as though I were a kid who'd brought home a stray dog, and
my mom was telling me, "Take that back to where you found it!" Actually,
that was pretty much what I did. But I couldn't go back now—this was a
matter of personal dignity.
"Come on, it's fine!" I protested. "Finding a rare creature and
keeping it as a pet is par for the course for nobles, isn't it?"
Amagi coolly refuted my point, using data to back up her argument.
"True, there are fewer beastmen in the universe than humans, but not so
few as to call them rare. There was no need to bring one home from an
undeveloped planet."
Her argument was so logical that I couldn't counter it, but I
wouldn't just give up. My mental image of an evil noble was of someone
who collected rare creatures, even from planets he wasn't supposed to
visit. The whole point of being noble was getting to do selfish stuff!
When I didn't agree right away to take Chino back, Amagi stared as
if I were a spoiled brat.
Ugh! D-don't look at me like that! "Come on, Amagi. I promise I'll
take care of her. Would you just let me get away with this?"
Amagi and Brian glanced over at Ellen, who still stared in
fascination at the sleeping Chino. Brian looked uncertain, but as far as I
could tell, Amagi appeared fed up.
"You said that about Miss Ellen, and you caused her a great deal of
sadness when you left," she reminded me.
Brian jumped in. "Why not keep a normal dog, Master Liam?
Would there be anything wrong with that?"
"I don't want a normal dog. They don't live long, and I'd be sad
when it died."
I thought back to the dog I'd owned in my previous life. It was so
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adorable and sweet, and I was devastated when it died. I didn't want to go
through the same thing again. Luckily, I wouldn't have to, since Chino's
lifespan was nearly human.
"We're done discussing this," I said forcefully. "Right now, we need
to go punish those idiots back home."
I'd have to pummel my moronic knights, who couldn't handle
something as simple as safeguarding my domain while I was away.
Brian wiped his tears with his handkerchief. "The situation only
became so complicated because you refuse to address the issue of your
heir, Master Liam."
"That's not my fault." I turned away from Brian.
"It is your duty to appoint an heir to succeed you, Master," Amagi
said, in a sterner voice than usual. "If you had a proper head knight, that
could also have prevented some of the chaos."
Their arguments really were too sensible to refute, so I simply fled
from their accusatory expressions, leaving my quarters to focus on
preparing for my return to my domain.
***
A fleet of thirty thousand ships had entered House Banfield's
territory, having come together for one simple purpose: to plunder Liam's
domain. Commanding these ships were mainly nobles disguised as space
pirates, though some actual pirates bolstered their numbers.
There were even nobles from the faction Liam had established to
support Prince Cleo. They had just joined the faction recently, and were
interested in siding with the succession conflict's eventual winner, not in
Cleo or Liam themselves. If anything, they envied Liam for reviving the
once-ruined House Banfield, and becoming powerful enough to participate
in the Empire's succession conflict.
"The little brat's only getting the rug pulled out from under him
because he acted so self-important."
Aboard one ship, a noble from Cleo's faction relaxed in a room that
looked as if it belonged in a palace, sipping a glass of alcohol. He was the
typical evil lord, someone Liam should have been striving to emulate.
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He'd installed this wastefully large lounge for nothing more than the
luxury it provided, despite the ship's limited space. As a result, the ship
performed worse than its catalog specs would suggest.
"It's very generous of him to allow us to pillage whatever we want
from House Banfield's domain," he continued. "He must be desperate to
ruin the boy."
These nobles were invading Liam's domain, throwing caution to the
wind, because they had a backer. They had received plenty of information
from inside House Banfield's domain as well. The house's vassals were
divided, and the previous lord's family and associates were fighting
amongst themselves for position. It was the perfect time to plunder.
These nobles weren't the only ones taking advantage of House
Banfield's current chaos to steal their resources. They were accompanied
by space pirates whose gangs House Banfield had tormented thoroughly
until now. Having joined forces, the nobles and pirates scrambled to grab
any riches they could on a first-come, first-served basis.
"Their defenses are pathetic. I suppose that's all you can expect of a
house that rose to prominence in a single generatio—pfft!"
Just as the man took an elegant sip of his drink, his ship rocked
violently.
***
On our way home, we stumbled across a fleet of some thirty
thousand ships, but they didn't make me nervous.
I was lounging in my captain's seat on the Argos's bridge, my
apprentice Ellen beside me. I thought I should teach her a thing or two
every so often, since I was her master and all.
"Let me show you my way of doing things, Ellen."
"Yes, Master!"
She agreed so cheerfully, I wanted to tease her a bit. Chino stood
next to her, not listening at all. She must not have been interested; she was
clutching her pillow and nodding off. She's sure relaxed on the bridge of a
battleship. She was just a pet, though, so I let it slide.
Meanwhile, Ellen was so pumped up I figured I'd give her some
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intense training. "We'll destroy every single space pirate who trespassed
into our domain. No exceptions!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Well—maybe a few exceptions. If there are any pirate women
pretty enough to catch my eye, I suppose I might show them mercy."
"Yes, Master!"
Ellen's eyes sparkled. She accepted everything I said as the gospel
truth, and I immediately regretted the joke I'd made. I'd show mercy if a
woman was pretty enough? What was I saying to a little kid? I'd been
forgetting myself too much lately. I needed to work on that.
I felt Amagi and Brian's cold stares drill into me from behind. So
upsetting did Amagi find my little comment, she stepped forward to scold
me, even on the brink of battle.
"Master, please consider the time and place when you make jokes.
Comments like that could negatively affect Miss Ellen's education."
I agreed, but I decided to laugh it off. "Ha ha ha! W-well, let's wipe
out all these pirates, people! They bring me fame and fortune, so I should
give them a warm welcome!"
Outside, my rescue fleet launched a surprise attack against the
massed pirates. The enemy overwhelmingly outnumbered us, but my fleet
consisted of the cream of the crop. To us, our enemies were nothing more
than rabble.
My bridge crew calmly reported on the battle.
"The enemy fleet is in disarray."
"A portion of their fleet has begun to retreat."
"Enemy breaking formation."
We'd just begun our attack, but the enemy was already completely
disordered. They'd broken formation, and some ships actually crashed into
allies.
"Time to hunt. Wipe them out!"
At my order, my fleet all fired at once on the enemy. The exploding
ships were almost comical.
Next to me, Ellen glued her attention to the battle. "W-wow,
Master!"
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The sight seemed to scare her. As a student of the Way of the Flash,
I couldn't baby her, but maybe it was too early for her to see something
like this.
"Amagi, escort Ellen off the bridge," I instructed.
"Yes, sir."
When Amagi actually tried to remove her, though, Ellen protested.
"I-I'm okay. I'm with you, Master."
As she pleaded with me, tears in her eyes, I looked over at Chino.
Now that the battle was underway, she was glancing all around, as if
startled awake.
"Chino's freaking out. Take her back to my quarters, and have a
snack together or something."
We were in the midst of a battle, but my quarters were especially
well-shielded, so they'd be fine there. Ellen reluctantly took Chino's hand,
and Amagi led the two off the bridge.
The Royal Guard's captain had been waiting to give me a report,
and now stepped forward. "Lord Liam, we received a message from the
pirates. They wish to surrender."
Pathetic. They thought they could waltz into my domain and get
away with it? Not likely.
"Denied. It's their own fault for coming here. On that note, summon
the fortress-class ship stationed nearby. That'll clean these lowlifes up."
I gave normal orders, but the captain reported something
unexpected.
"Lord Liam, there are those claiming to be nobles among the pirates.
One identifies himself as Burns of Prince Cleo's faction. Shall we cease
the attack?"
Burns? I knew multiple people with that name, and I had no idea
which one it was. Actually, now that I thought of it, I recalled an overly
friendly sycophant of a man, who had recently joined Cleo's faction and
introduced himself to me as Burns. Could it be him? Well, if it was, that
didn't change anything.
"What? You believe nobles would join forces with pirates? Such
disrespect," I cautioned the captain, grinning mischievously.
She picked up on my meaning and gave an exaggerated shrug. "I
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apologize for my rudeness. It's exactly as you say, Lord Liam—proud
nobles would never ally themselves with pirates. I will accept whatever
punishment you deem necessary for my transgression."
I wouldn't punish her, obviously. I was a tolerant guy toward those
who obeyed me. "Just be careful in future. Now, as I said, don't let a
single pirate vessel escape."
Of course I understood there were nobles among the pirates; it
wasn't rare for them to join forces. Actually, the two were fundamentally
the same. Imperial nobles were basically just well-mannered pirates, so
there was nothing strange about them working together. Nobles or not,
though, I couldn't forgive them for putting the squeeze on my domain. My
only choice was to crush them.
"Time to show off my new ship. Let's make a real spectacle of it."
The Royal Guard's captain bowed her head reverently.
The bridge commander—who'd listened to our conversation—thrust
a hand forward, shouting, "Flagship, advance! Prepare to charge!"
***
The nobles and pirates found they were being attacked by a fleet
with less than a third of their own numbers.
"Why can't we beat them?" one cried out.
"They're House Banfield's elite forces! A-and one of their ships
is...strange!"
A huge superdreadnought picked off pirate ships one after another,
and not one of their attacks affected it. Anything that got through its
protective field just bounced off its hull.
This superdreadnought, on the other hand, destroyed multiple pirate
ships with each attack. A single shot from its main cannon could pierce
dozens of their ships. It wreaked havoc on the battlefield, abnormally
efficient for a ship of its vast size.
Now the nobles hidden within the pirate fleet were preoccupied with
survival.
"Contact them and surrender!"
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"W-we've been trying, but they won't negotiate! Their last message
was 'death to the insolent space pirates masquerading as nobility'!"
The noble slammed his fist on his armrest. "Damn Liam's dogs! Do
they seriously intend to kill us?! I'm part of a precious Imperial bloodline!
I can't die in a place like this! Keep calling them!"
Even as he shouted, the superdreadnought continued to blast pirate
ships to pieces one by one. The slaughter—it was too one-sided to be
called a battle—only paused when Liam finally accepted their requests for
communication.
Displayed on their bridge's main monitor, Liam wore an arrogant
expression. The noble smiled desperately at him, his hair disheveled from
panic. "L-Lord Liam, it's been ages! You remember me, don't you? It's
Burns!"
He'd just barely managed to maintain his composure when Liam
appeared unexpectedly. What's he doing here? I thought he was missing!
Could Prince Calvin have deceived us?
Liam's attitude remained cold. "I'm not acquainted with any of you
pirates, and a noble couldn't possibly invade my territory unannounced.
Hence, you die here."
Burns was speechless for a moment before exploding into red-faced
rage. "Do you know what will happen if you kill me? I have powerful
people backing me!"
His threat had no effect on Liam. "I don't care. I can't imagine a
pawn like you has any worthwhile information for me."
Having said that, Liam cut the call. The negotiation had failed.
"W-wait—!" Burns reached out to the monitor Liam had already
disappeared from, as if to cling to him. He'd realized he was truly about to
die.
"A fortress-class ship has appeared!" an operator shouted. "As well
as at least six thousand other ships! We believe they're House Banfield's.
Th-they keep warping in!"
More and more of Liam's ships were joining the battle. Burns
watched on the main monitor as House Banfield's powerful spacecraft
picked off his allies' vessels one by one. The enemy plowed steadily
forward, among them that monstrously strong superdreadnought. Now
among the faction being decimated by a much more powerful enemy,
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Burns lost the will to fight completely.
"S-so this is...Pirate Hunter Liam," Burns muttered, as his ship was
enveloped in light and vaporized.
***
Near House Banfield's Second Planet, ships streamed out of a
fortress built within an asteroid. Among them was the Vár, the
superdreadnought Tia captained. She was on its bridge, communicating
with a member of her team.
"Have they responded to our messages?"
"Only to call us dirty traitors. In short, the 381st Patrol Fleet
declined to cooperate with us."
"I see. That's unfortunate."
Tia made a mental note of the uncooperative fleet with a halfhearted
smile.
After the call ended, her adjutant Claudia gave her a worried look.
"Don't let it bother you, Lady Tia."
Tia smiled at her considerate adjutant. "It doesn't bother me, but I
admit I hoped they'd pad out our forces when we deal with that fossil."
By now, Tia's faction had assembled eighteen thousand ships. That
might have seemed like enough, but considering the opponent they
planned to fight, Tia wanted as many vessels at her disposal as possible.
Claudia assessed the enemy's fleet size. "The fossils are using Lady
Rosetta's presence to attract ships. I estimate they currently have around
twelve thousand spacecraft."
Tia brought a hand to her chin, brow furrowed. "Six thousand ships
is a decent advantage over them, but they're a formidable enemy. I want
more."
Tia always referred to Marie as "fossil," but she didn't
underestimate the other knight's capabilities. Nor did Claudia; Marie was a
hated enemy, but Claudia analyzed her faction's strength calmly.
"The knights piloting Teumessas will be trouble," she told Tia.
"Honestly, they surpass us in ability—they're incredibly skilled pilots."
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On an individual basis, Marie and her knights were more skilled
than Tia's, and Tia understood that.
"Teumessas will be hard to combat in Nemains," she mused.
"Yes. Nemains are excellent for mass-produced machines, but
Teumessas outclass them in performance."
Nemains, the primary mobile knights utilized by House Banfield,
were extremely high-performance machines. In addition to their high
specs, they were easy to build and maintain. Building and maintaining the
more expensive Teumessas was more difficult, but they performed so
strongly, they were a perfect match for ace pilots. Anyone could pilot a
Nemain, while Teumessas were designed for aces.
Tia folded her arms and considered her options, tapping her foot.
Soon, she came to a decision. "All right... I'll permit the unit under my
direct command to use Valkyries."
The Valkyrie was an optional Nemain add-on distinguished by its
extravagant operating cost.
Claudia's eyes bulged. "Are you sure? Valkyries would definitely
let us beat them, but..."
Tia smiled. "Well, I'd say we have them on hand for just such a
situation. Prep Brunhild for me, will you?"
As Claudia gave Tia a knight's salute, a drop of cold sweat dripped
down her cheek. "Yes, ma'am."
***
Maintenance techs approached the Nemains stored in the Vár's
hangar. These crewmembers wore space suits, and several pairs carried
large storage containers between them. The Nemains had already been
partly stripped of their normal armor.
"They're really gonna use these?" one rookie maintenance tech
asked.
"Aren't we fighting our own allies?" a coworker added.
"Don't question it! Just swap out the parts!" scolded their team
leader.
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The rookie techs hurriedly removed the add-ons from their
containers and started installing them.
Equipped with the Valkyries, the Nemains' slender figures appeared
more heavily armored. Additional armor now protected their wing
boosters, and they were also equipped with powerful new beam cannons,
as well as an added set of boosters adapted from research with
experimental craft. These additional boosters had been a beast for test
pilots to tame—they'd virtually chosen their riders—but the Valkyries'
boosters had been tempered to the point that normal pilots could handle
them.
As more optional parts were added, the craft's shielding looked
bulkier and bulkier. One tech glanced at the add-ons for Tia's machine,
which he could see in the distance. "That one's huge."
A few techs were securing an enormous add-on, bigger than the
main craft itself, to the back of Tia's Nemain.
"Hey, the boss will be pissed if we don't hurry up," one of his
friends cautioned.
"R-right."
***
Inside a massive fortress-class ship being used as a temporary base
near House Banfield's Third Planet, Marie's fleet was preparing to deploy.
On the bridge, Marie fumed. She'd reached out to ask a patrol fleet
to join her forces, but its overly serious members refused for reasons she
honestly couldn't argue against.
"You're rebelling! We will not support you, even if Lady Rosetta is
with you!"
"The nerve of them. I'll remember their faces," Marie said as the
call ended, maintaining a smile as her face twitched.
"Rebuffed again, Marie," her scruffy adjutant chuckled.
"If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'll sew it closed."
"Nice try, but I know I'm safe while you're still using your polite
tone." He dropped his teasing manner. "So, think we can beat them?"
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Marie frowned. "Frankly, I'd feel more comfortable with more
supporters."
Both their knights and ships were outnumbered by Tia's.
Her adjutant agreed. "One on one, there's no way we could lose. But
their side has strong command experience."
"It vexes me to admit it, but that ground meat woman does have a
rather impressive ability to command a fleet."
Though Marie always referred to Tia as "ground meat," she didn't
take the other knight lightly.
"Well, with all our team's loose cannons, we have some issues with
cooperation," the adjutant joked. "Still, it's hard to imagine losing in our
Teumessas."
The Seventh Weapons Factory had developed the Teumessa
specifically with ace pilots, omitting all autopilot functions. They were
incredibly difficult to control, but when mastered, they far outshone
Nemains. In Teumessas, Marie's forces didn't have anything to worry
about from Tia's Nemains.
"We'll just have to finish things quickly," Marie added. "Letting the
battle drag on too long would be just what that ground meat woman
wants." She rose from her seat, narrowing her eyes and putting on a daring
smile. Dropping the polite tone she usually affected, she ordered her
forces, "Tune up your craft to their best condition, bastards! Screw up on
that battlefield, and I'll kill you myself!"
Her adjutant and subordinates responded to her fierce display just as
heartily. "Ha ha! Now that's our Marie!"
***
The Guide's copy watched from a corner of the bridge as Marie and
her underlings pumped themselves up.
"They're ready for the big showdown, and I barely did anything."
He'd planned to manipulate Marie more than this—to nudge her into
creating havoc—but she was doing that well enough on her own.
Ultimately, all he had to do was leave her be. He couldn't just depart,
however, being linked to Marie by an invisible connection. The Guide's
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puppet string wasn't easily severed; it would be almost impossible for
Marie to free herself on her own. Still...
"What is my purpose?" the Guide's copy muttered, hugging his
knees. "What was the point in making us copies?"
What was he even doing here? All he could do was ponder that
question.
***
Although he still looked haggard, Claus was relieved when he
received word from the Royal Guard and elite forces.
Thank goodness! If Lord Liam is on his way home, these problems
will just go away. At least, I hope so.
House Banfield had split into two factions, and nobles claiming a
right to succeed Liam had swarmed his domain, causing problems every
day. House Banfield had also needed to deal with traitors in their midst.
Claus and his men had done their best to maintain order, but he knew it
was a matter of time before everything broke down. Thus, Claus looked
forward to Liam's return.
I'm sure it'll stay hectic for a while, even after he gets back, but I'll
be happy just to be free from my current situation.
For some reason, Liam's elite forces and Royal Guard had both
elected to join Claus's command in Liam's absence, making him House
Banfield's de facto head knight—a representative of Liam himself.
Stomach pains tormented Claus daily due to the heavy responsibility thrust
upon him, but Liam's return would unburden him.
If I endure a little longer, all this pressure will be behind me.
While Claus reflected on this, some of his men burst into his office.
From their pale faces, Claus surmised they were here to inform him of an
emergency.
"What is it?"
"Lord Claus, it's them!"
***
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Claus and his men hurried to a mansion break room reserved for
knights. There, he found House Banfield's former knights, headed by
Keith. The room contained various pieces of leisure equipment, such as
pool tables, but it had all been destroyed. Worse, sprawled bloody on the
floor were Claus's top men. Keith and his men smirked down at them.
Claus looked at the saber in Keith's hand. The former head knight
wasn't even trying to hide the blood on the blade.
"Is this your doing?" Claus demanded.
Keith exchanged a look with his men, shrugging his shoulders.
"Sorry for the commotion. These men were rude to me."
"Rude?"
Keith again glanced at the wounded knights on the floor. The men
who had rushed here with Claus were giving them first aid. One of the
injured men shook his head.
"That's not true! They were the ones who insulted us!"
Claus returned his gaze to Keith. "He says something different."
Keith frowned, obviously not having expected Claus to challenge
him. "This is no way to talk to your betters. You're being rude to the
senior knights of House Banfield."
Claus hesitated for only a moment. "Your coming before us has no
bearing on what happened." They are our predecessors, certainly. But
there's no one here anymore who actually knows them from before, except
maybe Mr. Brian. I can't think of anyone else. Even Lord Liam doesn't
know them.
Regardless, Claus understood that Keith's men wanted to act like
their seniors. Thus, he remained polite despite criticizing their actions.
Keith heaved a sigh. "Not very quick on the uptake, are you? Once
Lord Isaac formally becomes head of the family, I'll be head knight, so it
would be in your best interest to respect me."
That took Claus aback. "Lord Liam will return. Lord Isaac will not
inherit House Banfield."
"We'll see about that!"
Keith lunged at Claus with his saber. As always, he was acting like
the lowest of the low, but his speed was first-rate.
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Claus leaped back to put distance between them, drawing the
longsword at his waist. "What do you think you're doing?"
He had no idea why Keith attacked him, but he was a knight as well,
and drew his sword to defend himself. Since Keith hadn't officially
returned to House Banfield's service, he was a mere fellow knight rather
than a superior. In fact, Keith was a visitor if anything. And if he displayed
such rudeness to his hosts, they had a right to treat him in kind.
Keith began to disparage his opponent's swordsmanship. "You're
clearly without talent. From the way you moved just now, I know exactly
what you're capable of. Liam must have been short on personnel if you're
his most trusted knight."
"My face is burning," Claus replied, but Keith's mockery didn't
bother him much, since he didn't think he was particularly talented. He
envied Keith's apparent skill, although that was the only thing.
"If Liam really does come back, I'll greet him by tossing him your
severed head!"
Keith lunged forward and thrust his saber at Claus a second time.
Claus matched his movements and swung his sword. Everyone in the room
had predicted Claus's immediate defeat, but what actually happened was
unexpected.
"Wha—" Keith blurted.
The tip of Claus's longsword pressed against the other knight's
throat. Keith was so shocked, he dropped his saber. Gathering that his
opponent admitted defeat, Claus returned his longsword to its sheath.
"Now," he said, "explain to me what happened."
He wanted to investigate the attack against his men, but Keith just
motioned for his knights to follow him from the room, seething with
frustration over losing their duel.
"Don't get full of yourself, second-rate!" he called back to Claus.
He runs even from something like this? Well, I'd better not chide
him about it. He'd likely get violent again, Claus thought, watching Keith
leave.
While Claus pondered the problem of this other knight, his men
surrounded him, jabbering excitedly.
"I'm so impressed, Lord Claus!"
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"You always say you aren't a talented swordsman, but if you can
beat a knight like that, you're way too humble!"
"That's our Lord Claus!"
"I just held my own in this one duel," Claus said, unsure why his
men were again glorifying him.
Skilled knights often slack off on their training. What's more, Keith
has performed guard duties for a long time, rather than actively taking
part in battle. Under different circumstances, he could've performed much
better.
In truth, since Keith was born talented, he hadn't felt the need to
train much. He did nothing but guard Cliff's family, getting little
experience in earnest. Claus might not have Keith's natural ability, but he
had long years of real service and diligent training behind him. His victory
came down to those differences. If Keith had trained properly and joined
in as many battles as Claus had, their fight would certainly have ended in
Claus's defeat.
Claus tried to calm his excited followers. "Please focus on treating
the wounded. I'll go after Keith's men, and get them to—"
Before he could finish, another subordinate burst into the room.
"Lord Claus! Christiana's and Marie's forces have deployed to settle
things between them!"
Claus looked up at the ceiling, holding his stomach. No more! Lord
Liam, please get back here!
***
Tia's fleet was facing off against Marie's.
The two fleets occupied a sector of space within House Banfield's
domain. Since they were confronting their own allies, the ships' crews felt
uncertain. Now, with the other faction's ships directly in front of them,
they seemingly started to question what exactly they were doing.
That uncertainty extended to the commander of Marie's fleet.
"We're really going to fight our own allies? We could still..." He was
cooperating with Marie, but facing allies made him hesitate.
Marie sat in her chair, filing her nails, concerned only with the state
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of her manicure. "We are. We can't sleep well at night as long as that
ground meat woman is alive, can we? All you need to do is follow my
orders."
In this battle, Marie intended to rid herself of Tia.
Lord Liam will return—I know it. I need to create an order of
knights fit to serve him when he gets back. There won't be a place in that
order for ground meat.
She needed to solve her problems rapidly, while Liam was still
absent. Once this was over, she'd blame everything on Tia. Of course, Tia
planned the same thing.
A communication line opened between the two command ships, and
Tia's face appeared on Marie's monitor. Marie threw aside her nail file
and leaped up, eyes crazed.
"Ground meat woman!"
Tia's expression was icy. "Seems like the time has finally come,
fossil. I look forward to killing you myself."
Marie's eyes were bloodshot, and one twitched. Her cackle left
everyone else on the bridge speechless.
"You really think a pirate's plaything like you can kill me? Maybe I
should capture you and see how much a pirate would pay for you. Where
was it Lord Liam found you again? In that pirate stable? I'll put you back
there myself."
Tia's eyes widened at this reminder of her painful past. She had only
one response: "I'll kill you."
Marie's wild grin disappeared. "Drop dead," she said, ending the
call.
Ignoring her commander, she ordered her fleet to begin the attack.
The bridge crew just exchanged glances; no one repeated her order.
Marie clicked her tongue. "Tch! Wimping out now? You're a bunch
of gutless cowards!"
She was disgusted with her crew, but at the same time, she wasn't
sure she should strongarm them into the battle. They were allies with those
other soldiers until just recently. If I'm too forceful now, it will only lead to
trouble down the line.
Observing the enemy fleet through her monitor, she saw that they
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also showed no sign of moving.
"There's only one thing to do."
Marie decided to end things herself.
***
"Why aren't you following orders?!" Claudia shouted from the
bridge of the Vár.
The bridge crew, including the captain and fleet commander, looked
away.
Before Claudia could raise her voice again, Tia tapped her shoulder,
shaking her head. "It's not happening, Claudia."
"B-but..."
"The enemy isn't moving either." They were close enough to
Marie's fleet for the battle to commence, but neither side wanted to initiate
it. "Let's finish things ourselves."
Just then, an operator nervously reported, "Umm... A-a mobile
knight has deployed from the e-enemy fleet!"
Instantly, Tia rushed off of the bridge. "Let's hurry and deploy,
Claudia! We'll kill them all!"
Claudia likewise left the bridge, following the ominously grinning
Tia. "Yes, Lady Tia!"
***
The Guide's copy tied to Tia floated in space as the two fleets faced
each other.
"Hmm." He grimaced. "This is the result I was hoping for... Why
do I feel so unsatisfied?"
House Banfield had fallen into chaos, as he'd planned, yet somehow
he wasn't happy about it.
"I mean... Does that woman have no compunctions about killing her
allies?"
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Watching Tia head off jubilantly to kill Marie, the Guide found
himself wishing she was a bit more conflicted. He would have preferred
her to suffer as she vacillated between her desires and her reason. Tia's
reason, however, wasn't functioning in the slightest. She was eager to kill
Marie, her own ally. The copy could only conclude she had a few screws
loose.
As he watched the drama, a voice called to him.
"Oh, it's me."
"Hey, me."
The other copy had come into space to observe the battle too. They
watched together cordially.
"By the way, me, how'd things go?"
"Marie was even crazier than I expected. She didn't question killing
her own ally at all. In fact, she seemed excited about doing so. I wish she'd
exhibit a bit more ambivalence."
"Ah. So, the same as things here."
Both had found that the women they were created to manipulate had
done exactly as they planned—and then some. They'd expended almost no
effort to get here.
"Did we even need copies to control these two?"
"Don't ask me. Save your complaints for the original."
Both copies sighed, watching Tia and Marie deploy their respective
mobile knights.
***
Inside her purple Teumessa, Marie smiled fearlessly. "So you're
here, ground meat. Huh...?"
Marie's squad of knights had deployed first, and now hung in space
between the two fleets. Watching as Tia's own squad joined them, Marie
raised an eyebrow in confusion. Naturally, she and her squad were aware
that Tia's knights piloted Nemains, but she wasn't familiar with the model
their foes had just deployed.
Marie's squad was just as confused, and her adjutant took it upon
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himself to ask the question they all shared. "Those are Nemains, but they
got quite the makeover, didn't they?"
At first, Marie thought Tia's faction might have obtained entirely
different mobile knights, but her scans did identify the units as Nemains.
They were heavily modified, but she saw traces of the machines she was
familiar with under that new armor.
Marie's finger tapped her control stick thoughtfully. "I heard there
were tentative plans to enhance the Nemains," she recalled, "but I didn't
pay attention to the details."
"Well, our craft are Teumessas. Nemains won't become a threat to
us just because of heavier armor. Let's crush them already."
The Nemains speeding their way split into trios. Seeing this, Marie's
Teumessas launched their attack.
"Kill them all!"
"They'd better be tougher than pirates!"
"They think a Nemain can beat a Teumessa?"
Marie 's eyes widened at her allies' unflinching confidence in their
piloting. She clicked her tongue. "Careful, idiots! That's not just extra
armor!"
Her team members thought the Nemains had simply added shielding
to their frames, which would have slowed them down, but in fact the
Nemains moved faster than usual. They sped away, gaining distance from
the charging Teumessas and forcing them to break formation.
Simultaneously, each Nemain model removed the weapon its pilot
specialized in from storage.
Marie's squad was surprised to see Tia's knights wielding weapons
somehow larger than the storage containers they came out of.
"Where the hell were they keeping those?"
The Teumessa pilots were momentarily stunned by the unexpected
weapons' appearance, but the Nemains were attacking.
"Are you stupid?" one pilot cried angrily. "How long are you going
to grandstand in the middle of a battlefield?"
"Time to hunt some foxes!"
"Don't underestimate Valkyries!"
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The Teumessas' confusion undercut their teamwork; though they
were part of the same squad, they weren't the best at cooperating.
Suddenly the Nemains were chasing Marie's disoriented squad around the
battlefield, exhibiting superior teamwork and considerable firepower.
Watching all this, Marie gritted her teeth. "Special spatial-magic
containers, eh?"
The containers fitted to the Nemains' additional armor utilized
spatial magic, enabling each pilot to store whatever weapon they wanted
aboard their craft.
"You went that far, eh, ground meat woman?!"
The containers had one flaw—they were single-use only. Unlike the
exceptional Avid, these craft purged emptied spatial storage to keep costs
down. That cut costs, but the disposable parts remained terribly expensive
simply due to their function. Each container was about the same price as a
basic Nemain unit.
Angrily shouting in her cockpit, Marie suddenly got a bad feeling.
She quickly maneuvered her Teumessa, acting on instinct. That instinct
proved correct when a beam stronger than a blast from a ship cannon shot
through the space she had occupied.
"Too bad for you. If that attack had finished you off, you would have
died a quick, painless death."
Marie glowered as she heard this transmission. On her cockpit
monitor, she now saw Tia's personal Nemain, large add-ons fixed to its
back. Like the other Nemains, the craft sported extra spatial-magic
containers in addition to huge beam cannons mounted on support arms to
either side of the unit.
The craft in front of her, Marie concluded, was a monster clearly
modified based on Tia's exact specs. As the barrels of Tia's beam cannons
retracted, Marie sped away from the mobile knight.
"I didn't think we'd scare you into going this far."
Her monitor still showed Tia's face in a small window. Tia's mouth
curled in a smile, her eyes giving off a bewitching light.
"You should be proud. It proves how strong an adversary you
were."
Were? Marie's face twitched at Tia's implication that her victory
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was certain. "Don't act like you've won yet, you crazy ground meat
woman!"
"Oh—so you've reverted to the vulgar tone of the lowlife you really
are!"
Laser guns emerged from containers attached to Tia's Nemain.
Marie's Teumessa wove through their streaking beams, avoiding each at
first, yet there were simply too many. Eventually, a beam pierced her
defense field, melting a small spot on her craft's armored plating.
"Damn it! All craft, avoid independent dogfights!" Marie tried to
order her squad to regroup and work together.
Yet this was where Tia's truly formidable talent shone. "All units,
maintain groupings and stick to your prey. Some enemy craft are breaking
formation. Prioritize them for elimination."
Marie shuddered at the calm with which Tia delivered her orders. Is
she monitoring the full view of the battlefield even as she's fighting me?
Her optional parts aren't...
Tia seemed to realize what Marie wanted to ask when she saw the
woman's expression on the monitor. "What do you think? My Brunhild is
really something with improved command functions, isn't she? I didn't
simply enhance her combat prowess, you know. I can lead a whole fleet
from right here inside my mobile knight."
"One might say that's excessive." What was the Third Weapons
Factory doing, giving a mobile knight such absurd functionality? Isn't that
the Seventh's specialty?
Not just anyone could have commanded several hundred Nemains
while simultaneously fighting in her own craft, but Tia's subordinates
were executing her orders flawlessly. It was almost as if Tia was flying
hundreds of Nemains all on her own.
She's a monster!
Marie was staggered that Tia was capable of so much from inside of
her mobile knight.
Evidently finished with its lasers, Tia's Nemain purged the spatial-
magic containers that had housed them. The power that had flowed to the
containers was redirected to other systems to save energy.
"If I can just gain some distance..." Marie mumbled.
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"I'm not letting you get away, fossil!"
Marie flew the Teumessa at top speed, but Tia's Nemain easily kept
up. Despite its size, it boasted incredible speed. The energy rerouted from
the disposable storage containers probably helped supply that power.
"It's over. Bye-bye, you old fossil."
Tia pointed her oversized beam cannons at Marie, firing them at the
Teumessa's back.
"I'll thank you not to underestimate me, ground meat woman."
***
Aboard her customized Nemain, the Brunhild, Tia moved in to take
down Marie's Teumessa, but then noticed a change in the Teumessa's
movements. An optional unit on the craft's back—almost like a tail—
began projecting holographic duplicates to confuse her targeting system.
Tia had anticipated this. "Nice try. You think I don't have
countermeasures in place?"
A device on the Brunhild projected its own disruptive wave of light
to interfere with Marie's illusion. The Teumessa's duplicates quickly
vanished, exposing the craft itself, which had been hidden.
"Damn!"
The Teumessa couldn't yet create further illusions; nor could it
cloak itself to blend into space, or otherwise fool Tia's systems. The
Nemain's massive rifle fired straight at its cockpit. Marie was able to
avoid a direct hit, but at the expense of her mobile knight's left leg.
"Ah ha ha ha! This is my first time fox-hunting, but it's pretty fun!"
Tia grinned at the damage she'd done to Marie's Teumessa.
Then, however, Marie responded, "Ah... So that's it. I've figured
out your beast's weak spot."
Tia figured she was just bluffing. "That's an interesting thing to say
in your position. You must want me to toy more with you before I kill you.
All right—I hope you can entertain me!"
Homing lasers emerged from several of the Nemain's storage
containers, and their curving beams sped toward the Teumessa. The
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Teumessa wove between them, although its lost leg compromised its
balance. It couldn't dodge all the tracking beams, however, and lost its
right arm next. Lasers also grazed its head and torso, melting sections of
its armor.
"So persistent," muttered Tia. "What kind of reflexes does she
have?!"
In the course of evading the lasers, the Teumessa turned, and now
came curving back to face off with Tia's craft.
"Not a good idea!" Tia warned, frustrated.
Her homing lasers focused on the Teumessa's careless approach. In
another second, Tia expected to see Marie's craft explode. Instead, it
vanished.
"Wha—"
Tia looked around wildly for the Teumessa, then found herself
lurching forward from an impact to her machine. Straightening in her
pilot's chair, she heard a voice coming from behind her.
"Caught you."
"You...! How did you—"
Marie's mobile knight clung to the huge add-on affixed to the
Brunhild's back. She thrust its left arm straight into Tia's light-emitting
device and destroyed it.
"I figured your jamming wouldn't be perfect. I just needed to elude
you for one split second."
Tia furrowed her brow, slightly panicked by how easily Marie
latched onto her back after only a moment's distraction. Her reaction times
are unbelievable! And her instincts?! Is she even human?
Marie had destroyed the Brunhild's major add-on, so Tia separated
her Nemain from it. Having jettisoned the optional part, she could unfold
her Nemain's regular wings.
"I just need to endure until the rest of the fleet backs me up."
The Nemain itself was still unscratched, so she could continue the
fight. Marie's Teumessa, on the other hand, had taken serious damage.
Nevertheless, in Tia's monitor, Marie smiled. "You're a slow one,
aren't you? What do your little readouts tell you about the battle?"
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"What do you—"
Tia had thought her allies would come to her aid at any moment, but
she found the other Nemains were being driven back by the Teumessas.
Claudia's squad was putting up a fight, but Marie's adjutant had her
pinned down; she couldn't assist her beleaguered squadmates.
"Why're they—"
"That monster accelerates explosively, but it's not so smooth at
changing direction. It helps that your clumsy movements are so easy to
predict."
Tia's team had made use of expensive add-ons, but Marie's pilots
still surpassed them in sheer ability.
"If only you didn't exist," Tia muttered.
Marie felt exactly the same way. "I'll erase you from my sight!"
The mangled Teumessa launched its attack. Tia responded in kind,
although a one-on-one fight was now disadvantageous. The Teumessa
cloaked itself and, a moment later, sheared off the left arm of the Nemain.
"Damn you!"
"Let's start with that!" Marie laughed.
Tia bit her lip. "I swear I'll kill you! I'm the only one Lord Liam
needs at his side!"
Negative emotions flooded Tia. No—it was more like she sucked
them from somewhere outside herself. She intended to use every bit of
strength to defeat the enemy in front of her. The Nemain emitted an
ominous aura, its eyes glowing red as its metal body groaned.
"Wha—"
A strange shockwave issued from the Nemain, disrupting Marie's
illusion and once more exposing the Teumessa.
"There you are!"
The Nemain sped toward the Teumessa, firing its oversized rifle
until it ran out of projectiles. It tossed that weapon aside and switched to a
beam sword, which the Teumessa barely managed to avoid.
"If not for you, I would've been supporting Lord Liam on my own
this whole time!"
Responding to Tia's hatred, the Nemain powered up further.
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As she noticed the change coming over Tia, Marie's bearing
changed too. "Screw you, you little brat! Do you know how long—how
many thousands of years—I waited for someone like Lord Liam? I swear
to you, I will kill you!"
A change came over the Teumessa as well. As it drew more power
from Marie's hatred, it purged its arms and legs, red sparks shooting from
its now-exposed joints.
"Die!"
"You die!"
***
While that happened...
"Nooo!"
"They're sucking us up!"
The Guide's copies were supposed to be controlling Tia and Marie,
but instead, the women were draining the copies' negative energy through
their inseverable connection. The copies withered as Tia and Marie sucked
their power.
"This is insane! I can't believe it!"
"How the hell are they controlling us?"
Rather than using Tia and Marie like puppets, the copies now served
as unwilling batteries as the two knights absorbed more and more negative
energy.
Although Tia and Marie were unconscious of the connection, they
still shouted at the two Guides.
"More...! Give me more!"
"I need the power to kill her!"
Their strong wills began to sap the negative energy that sustained
the Guide's copies.
"Stop!"
"S-somebody save us! Originaaal!"
As the copies' negative energy ran out, their bodies crumbled like
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charcoal.
"W-we have to tell the original..."
"Stay away from those two... They're bad news..."
Their negative energy absorbed, the copies faded away into space.
***
Tia was out of ammo, and no longer had enough energy to power
her beam sword. Both her Nemain and Marie's Teumessa were so
damaged, their frames were exposed, yet the two continued pummeling
each other.
"Everything would have been fine if not for you!" Tia raged. "If he
hadn't picked up garbage like you, Lord Liam wouldn't have been led
astray!"
"Shut up, you ground-meat monster! Stay away from me and Lady
Rosetta's Lord Liam—you'll dirty him!"
Inside her cockpit, Tia spat blood. Breathing was becoming harder.
This isn't good... My vision's getting blurry. But I can't let things
end here. Even if it takes the rest of my life force to accomplish, I must—
Up until a minute ago, a strange power had been surging within her,
but it must have come at a cost—she now felt utterly drained and battered.
Even if she won this fight, she didn't think she'd be able to move for some
time. It pained her to move even now.
I'd give my life just to defeat her. It would be for the good of Lord
Liam!
She was willing to squeeze out every last ounce of lifeforce to kill
Marie, and Marie felt the same way about her. She was spitting blood,
staring at Tia with bloodshot eyes. The two were mustering the very last of
their strength when...
"You absolute idiots!"
...the very voice they'd longed to hear issued from their cockpit
speakers.
Without even consulting their scanners, both women turned to face
the direction the voice had come from. Sure enough, there it was—the
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Avid. Behind it they saw a fleet, but the Avid had zoomed ahead between
the battling Nemains and Teumessas.
"Who gave you permission to fight like this?" Liam's voice was
calm, but they could tell how furious he was.
Gripping a huge sword in one hand, the Avid lunged at the mobile
knights, who were too frenzied to see anything but their enemies. It
severed the limbs of each craft it met—Teumessas and Valkyrie-equipped
Nemains alike. Then, finally, the Avid charged at Tia and Marie.
"Lord Liam!"
"Lord Liam!"
Tia and Marie cried out as the Avid made its way to them, cowed by
the sight of the huge sword on the Avid's back. Their mobile knights
didn't move; they must have been at their limits, because they both
stopped functioning.
"You're safe, Lord Liam!" Tia exclaimed. "I was worried about—"
"You were worried about me, so you stole part of my fleet to fight
your own allies with? And Marie, what's your excuse?"
When Liam addressed her, Marie panicked. "U-um, I, well... Y-you
see, someone claiming to be your blood relative took over the home planet,
so I escaped with Lady Rosetta. But that ground meat woman treated me
like a criminal and attacked me!"
Tia's face twisted in rage when Marie blamed her and Isaac. "You
old fossil! Want me to turn you to stone again?!"
"Shut up, you lump of ground meat! Nothing I said was a lie! I'll
tear you to pieces!"
Resuming their typical bickering right in front of Liam was a bad
move. He glared at them coldly over their monitors.
"Hmm. So you two can't even be trusted to housesit?"
They hadn't remained to protect Liam's home planet. That meant
they had failed him. Faced with that fact, Tia and Marie went quiet and
trembled with fear.
"I'll deal with you two later. First, I have to exterminate the vermin
infesting my domain. We'll attack with our three fleets. Let none of them
leave alive."
He ended the transmission, and the Avid turned its back to them,
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rejoining Liam's rescue fleet. Tia and Marie could do nothing but watch it
go with flushed cheeks.
"Lord Liam... You were as fantastic as always today."
"Laying down the law suits you, Lord Liam."
***
A number of ships hovered in the sky directly above House
Banfield's mansion.
Their insolence infuriated Isaac. "What idiot has their ships standing
by directly overhead? Bring them to me this instant—I'll chop their head
off myself!"
As Issac drew his sword from its gem-encrusted sheath, the people
in the room reacted in different ways. Some wondered what in the world
was going on, but many realized exactly who had returned. Baori broke
out in a sweat, and the three government officials he'd collaborated with
exchanged panicked glances. Keith alone reacted coolly.
"Lord Isaac, it appears Liam has returned," he informed his lord,
sounding nonchalant.
Isaac was equally unruffled. "Liam, eh? Hmph! Lucky for him to be
rescued."
The reason the pair weren't astonished had to do with Prince Calvin
on the Imperial Capital Planet. Isaac had Calvin's backing; the plan had
been to oust Liam if he wound up returning, using the conflict his
disappearance produced as an excuse. The crown prince's backing lent
Isaac and inner circle significant confidence.
"Arrange a meeting," Isaac said. "Honestly, it's so much trouble
having a brother with no shame. The only thing we share is blood, yet it
infuriates me. Hmm? Where'd Baori go?"
Keith shrugged. "He ran off a minute ago. Must be awfully scared of
Liam."
Isaac was disgusted. "What is there to be scared of? He's nothing
but a backwater lord."
Isaac had been born and raised on the Capital Planet, so to him,
Liam was a crude, unrefined bumpkin. In Isaac's opinion, Liam was unfit
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to lead House Banfield, one of the few noble houses that had risen to fame
in the Empire.
"I grant that he has the skills to raise a powerful army and amass a
fair amount of wealth. But in the end, he isn't a fitting lord for House
Banfield as it is now. I'll instruct him to hand the headship over to me
immediately."
Isaac saw no reason to fear Liam. He was confident the man
wouldn't kill someone backed by Prince Calvin. Support from royalty—
from the crown prince, no less—went a long way on the Capital Planet.
Not even Liam would do something to earn Calvin's ire, Isaac reasoned.
Keith felt the same way, evidently. He wasn't afraid of Liam in the
slightest. "House Banfield's former lord was just keeping the seat warm
until a proper ruler arrived."
The head knight's implication—that Isaac was that ruler—improved
the young noble's mood.
"I will at least express some gratitude to Liam...right before I
remove his head to present to Prince Calvin. Are you ready if he resists
us?"
"Yes—fully prepared."
Isaac clasped his hands behind his back and started forward.
Suddenly, he found his path blocked by several members of Liam's Royal
Guard.
"Lord Isaac, Lord Liam is calling for you," their captain told him
without even a proper greeting.
Isaac's mood soured again, but he didn't protest. He needed to meet
with Liam anyway, so following his "command" wasn't an issue.
Keith criticized the captain in Isaac's stead. "That's quite the
attitude to take with the next ruling lord. I hope you don't think your
positions are guaranteed just because you're with the Royal Guard."
The red-haired captain chuckled mockingly. Isaac raised an
eyebrow.
"I'd worry about yourselves if I were you," one of the Royal Guards
told Keith. "But I have a hunch it's a little late at this point."
***
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I was finally back in my own home.
I decided to meet this "relative" of mine in my audience chamber, a
large hall where I'd originally planned to assemble my grand harem. Since
I hadn't yet found any concubines, I'd remodeled the room.
Knights, bureaucrats, and military officials sat in raised rows of
lavish chairs, looking down at the proceedings.
I yawned as this younger brother I'd never met was brought before
me.
"Here I am, Liam."
I'd wondered what kind of guy he'd be. It turned out he was just a
cocky brat.
Looking down on my brother, I retorted, "That's 'Lord Liam' to
you, you little brat. Now, what are you doing in my mansion? It looks like
you really made yourself at home here. Your excuses will determine your
punishment."
Isaac wasn't intimidated in the least by my threat. "I'm here to take
over, obviously. Hurry up and transfer headship to me."
"Take over?"
"You're not very bright, are you? I'm going to be the next Count
Banfield. I already have permission from my father and grandparents, as
well as Prince Calvin's backing. Liam, I'm afraid you're done."
His long black hair and blue eyes meant Isaac was a pretty boy, but
his rotten personality showed through, just like mine did. That actually
made him seem like kin. Still, he was trying to steal headship, and I
couldn't let him get away with that. Even though we were brothers, I
already liked him less than the average Joe.
"You want to seize the throne, eh? Well, my response is simple. Get
lost, you snot-nosed brat."
"Wh-what? I told you, I have Prince Calvin's support!"
This kid didn't know anything. I decided to tell him what was what.
"I'm in conflict with Calvin. Why the hell would I go along with his
nonsense? If you drag him into this, I'll just name-drop Prince Cleo. That
should go equally far in the palace. Also, do you have Calvin's so-called
backing in writing?"
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When I asked whether Isaac had Calvin's official support, he was
visibly flustered. I guessed he had stupidly relied on Calvin's verbal
promise. My parents on the Capital Planet might actually have done
likewise. Either way, Calvin's influence in the palace was waning by the
day; he could hardly interfere with the leadership of House Banfield. Since
I'd returned, there wasn't even any need for someone to succeed me.
I glanced past the tongue-tied Isaac to his knights. "Whoa. If it isn't
the knights who abandoned House Banfield. And not only have you
shamelessly come back, I hear you've thrown your weight around an awful
lot."
House Banfield's former head knight, Keith, scowled at me. He'd
no doubt trusted Calvin too. From their seats, my current knights stared
down at Keith murderously. Simply abandoning your employer's domain
when its fortunes declined was hardly chivalrous, nor was coming back as
if nothing had happened when those fortunes radically recovered. My
current knights must have wanted to ask how Keith's men dared show
their faces.
Of course, I didn't trust anyone, and I understood how Keith and his
knights approached things. They'd proven themselves treacherous; there
was no way they'd be working for me. On the other hand, some of the
people who were supposed to be working for me here had proven just as
unreliable.
"It seems idiots on my staff also betrayed me by siding with Isaac,"
I continued.
The people I alluded to reacted with fear, as I'd known they would.
Others in the room called them traitors aloud, piercing them with icy
stares.
One bureaucrat stepped forward to make an excuse. "Lord Liam, if I
may speak..."
I did him the favor of hearing him out. "Go on," I said, granting him
permission.
Standing beside me, Claus was taken aback. "Are you sure, Lord
Liam?"
"Of course. If his excuse is amusing enough, I'll forgive him. Come
on, then. Let's hear it."
"This incident exposed House Banfield's weaknesses, Lord Liam,"
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the official explained, face ashen. "Your disappearance divided the army
and negatively affected the government, all because you have no heir."
The guy hit me right where it hurt, but he was right. What could I
say to counter that? My domain had fallen apart because I hadn't
appointed a successor or substitute ruler.
"A reasonable perspective," I commended the traitor. "It wasn't at
all amusing, though, so I won't spare you. Try again in your next life."
"Wha—?!"
A reasonable ruler would probably have mulled over what he'd said.
Too bad for him I was a villain. His opinion meant nothing to me.
As I considered ending this pointless meeting, I glanced at the maid
robots standing to one side. They all should have been in the audience
chamber, but I noticed one face was ominously absent.
"Where's Tateyama?"
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