Book 10: Chapter 1: Traitor
"How dare you tell my master! This is what I'm going to do to you!"
"Ow! It really hurts, stop!"
I, Count [Liam Sera Banfield], had called a girl to my office.
I was punishing the girl [Ciel Cela Exner] by clamping her head between both fists and moving her with a grisly motion.
Ciel's crime - that is, he informed my master [Yasushi], who is called the Sword God, that I was reluctant to marry Rosetta.
I had been on the run from marrying my fiance, [Rosetta Sele Claudia], but when Ciel told my master everything, I lost my escape.
Ciel used my master to push me into a corner.
"Hah, hah - this one time I was in a cold sweat. I never thought you would outwit me."
Ciel, freed from my muzzles, holds her head in her hands and stares at me with tears in her eyes.
"I didn't think it would end like this either!"
You didn't see this coming? If you had assumed I wouldn't go on and marry Rosetta?
Unfortunately, that's not true.
"Hmph! I was going to marry Rosetta from the beginning because I wanted her title. I would have married her within ten--nay, within a hundred--years even if Master hadn't told me."
Normally, I would be treated as a full-fledged person once my training as an aristocrat is complete.
Not in terms of age, but in terms of society.
People around me say things like, "Get married to Rosetta and have children."
It seems ludicrous that a society that still places so much importance on blood relatives can live in space when people can now live in space.
But that is the world we live in.
I am a winner in this world and I intend to make the most of my position and enjoy it.
In my second life, I have decided to live freely without having to worry about anyone.
Marriage with Rosetta was important for me to obtain such freedom.
If I obtain Rosetta's ducal title, I will be one of the most powerful aristocrats in the empire, both in name and reality.
--If it were true, I had planned to get married quickly, but Rosetta fell for me so quickly that my plans went awry.
Originally, I would have been forced to marry Rosetta, who hates me.
Ciel is still looking at me in protest, holding her head in her hands.
"I won't let you do what you want."
Rosetta fell easily, but this girl still resists me.
I'm going to let her off the hook this time for her attitude.
I absolutely cannot forgive her for taking advantage of my master, but Ciel is a precious daughter entrusted to me by a lord and nobleman with whom I have a partnership.
It is not easy to punish and this level of resistance is more interesting.
Besides, no major irreparable damage has been done.
Ciel is only capable of that level of mischief.
"Do you think you can stop me?"
"I'm definitely going to wake everyone up and show them what a scoundrel you are!"
"That'll be fun. I hope your word gets out."
"Ba, you fool! I'm going to get you out of your hide, I promise!"
This is it, this is it! It's a conversation between a scoundrel and a girl who wants to do the right thing!
But - if it's me and Ciel, many will judge my words to be right.
Because people trust me more than they trust the words of Ciel, who knows the truth.
Ciel can't outsmart me.
--My master got in the middle of this case and it was an accident.
"No matter how much resistance you put up against me--hmm?"
I shift my gaze from Ciel to the office window.
Black smoke is rising in the distance.
I also felt a slight earth tremor, so I wondered if there had been an explosion.
"An accident? No, it's not."
"Huh? What?"
Ciel's side doesn't seem to understand what happened.
This dullness is proof that this girl cannot be a threat to me.
I shifted my gaze to the floor and decided to call for my escort.
"What happened?"
Seeing me questioning the floor, Ciel first gave me a foolish look. Who are you talking to? She has that kind of look in her eyes.
But when a black shadow appears on the floor, a person looms up from it.
It is Kukri's subordinate wearing a mask - [Kunai].
"Bandits have invaded. We've already set up a perimeter."
"-is that a break-in?"
I narrow my eyes at Kunai, who kneels down and hangs her head.
Kukri and his men, though few in number, are excellent.
But failure is not an option.
"What's wrong with Kukri?"
"The chieftain is in command on the ground."
"Call them out when you're done. You let those bandits into my mansion."
I saw Ciel rattling and shaking as the slightest hint of irritation and murder leaked out.
I thought I had made a mistake and hurriedly suppressed my killing intent.
I was worried that Ciel might stop resisting in fear of me, but she was acting stout-heartedly.
Good, you're the best!
"Kunai, I trust you've taken care of all the bandits?"
When I looked back at the Kunai again, she would normally respond immediately, but she was stymied for a moment.
I guessed that a bad report was waiting for me, and I became even more annoyed.
"I am sorry, --I'm sorry, sir, but we've lost all the bandits. We are currently working with the military to block the bandits' expected escape routes."
"Did they send in the best?"
We were alarmed that someone had been sent in to outwit Kukri and his team, but something was wrong with Kuna.
"Well, that's not even confirmed."
"You guys haven't been able to confirm it? Hey, what did those bandits do? Amagi or Rosett--did they target anyone? Or are they after the treasure?"
For a moment, I worried about Rosetta's safety, but swallowed my words.
"Fortunately, no one was hurt. However, it was Liam-sama's genes that were stolen."
"What?"
I was relieved to hear that no one had been harmed, but then stunned for a moment when I heard that my genes had been stolen.
The same people who outfoxed Kukri and his friends and stole my genes without a second thought to my head or my treasures?
Is it some kind of demonstration?
Near the main planet of the Banfield family.
There were several secret imperial special purpose ships there.
In the hangar, selected personnel from the dark side of the empire, including special forces, are gathered.
The man conducting holds up Liam's genes in a container that looks like a test tube.
"You got it easier than I thought you would."
Those around them expressed relief, but some looked as if they were shrugging their shoulders at the results that were so disappointing.
"You have not seen any of the Shadow Clan, have you?"
"I'd heard there weren't many of them, but this is too staggering."
"They are outdated, bloodthirsty beasts. They must be ill-equipped for anything other than assassination."
They did not encounter the dark side of the Kukris and other Banfield families that they had been warned about.
This had tarnished the Kukris' reputation among them.
I wondered if I could even properly protect the mansion where my precious master resides.
But there is a reason why they were able to complete their mission successfully.
"They were able to succeed thanks to whom? If you guys had done better, I wouldn't have taken so much damage."
On the floor was a guide who had been reduced to only a hat.
The tattered and burnt marks showed that he had struggled to protect them.
The body that had been so hard to recover had been lost in Liam's gene-grabbing operation.
The fact that they didn't run into Kukri and the others, and that they got the gene safely, was all because the guide were guiding them.
The guide shed tears in the form of a hat.
"Because if I hadn't helped you, you would have been wiped out many times over!"
To help them, the guide became only a hat.
f
But the guide wiped away his tears and looked up at Liam's genes.
"But it was worth it. Liam--you are your own enemy!"
"You blundered, Kukri."
Inside a specially prepared domed room, Tia, who is placed on the border of the empire, was joined by video and audio.
Tia is shown in a large projection, but she is looking coldly at Kukri, who is begging for forgiveness in front of me.
The same goes for the people around her.
Marie, for example, was holding back from slashing at him with her arms crossed in annoyance.
"She was really useless, not only allowing the bandits to invade, but also letting them escape. Aren't you ashamed of yourself as a member of the Dark Division?"
Kukri, who is blamed by both of us, does not talk back, but apologizes only to me.
"I apologize with my head and the heads of all the men involved in this fiasco. However, my family will remain loyal to the Banfield family. Please give us another chance."
She snickers at Kukri, who has started to say that he will die and apologize.
But Klaus, who was by my side, defended Kukri and the others.
"Liam-sama, there is no dark side in this family that can replace them. If the punishment is too severe, it will hinder our future activities."
Up until now, Kukri and his team had been so competent that they had been left to their own devices, and this had been their undoing.
Since Klaus has a point, it is decided to let Kukri off the hook.
"I'll let you off the hook for what you've done so far, --But you must find the bandit and deal with him.
"Ha!"
When Kukri replied, both Tia and Marie looked like they wanted to say something to me.
--If I were to kill Kukri here, I would have executed all of you long ago.
Klaus, sensing a change in the atmosphere, makes his next report.
"Liam-sama, I have the next report."
"--about the attack on His Highness Cleo, is that right?"
"Yes, sir. His Highness Cleo was attacked by someone and all the guards we sent were killed. Not only knights and soldiers, but also three of Kukri's men were among them."
"All of them?"
I mutter a few words, and all eyes around me turn to Kukri.
Kukri is probably boiling in the gut, even though he is trying to keep his cool.
Tia says, "I'm sorry, but I can't help it."
"It's so unsightly." he said.
"Why don't you say something?"
Kukri said nothing.
In the awkward atmosphere, I thought.
The only one in the room not looking like a fool was Klaus, who was doing his job without a care in the world.
Then, Klaus defended Kukri.
"Knights and soldiers have also been killed,the enemy must have been very skilled. It cannot be said that Kukri-sama is solely responsible.
Klaus is right.
We can't keep talking about it forever.
Let's get on with the matter at hand.
"Klaus, send a new escort for His Highness Cleo."
"As to the matter at hand, His Highness Cleo says that the Banfield family does not need an escort."
"What?"
"He said he could not bear to do so because of the damage he had caused in this case. However, he really seems to think that we are not worthy of his trust. We are told that they have prepared their own SS."
While entrusted to escort him, he failed and injured Cleo himself.
A fiasco indeed.
Marie wrinkles her brow.
"You say we can't be trusted? Do you have any idea how many people, goods, and money we have provided? Without Master Liam, I wouldn't even be a portable shrine, and he's got the nerve."
Tia likewise makes no attempt to hide her frustration.
But she was calmer than Marie.
"The knights and soldiers we sent to His Highness Cleo were elite. The enemy who defeated them is thought to be quite capable. Liam-sama, I think we should dispatch someone here to the capital planet."
The main people present are.
Tia and Marie, who have personality problems but can get the job done.
Kukri, who failed this time but has a proven track record.
And Klaus, who is the most reliable.
"It would be best if we could dispatch Klaus. Tia can't be moved, and I want to leave Marie to guard the main planet. Then, the only one left is Kukri."
He grins and looks at Kukri, and then he himself stands up.
He must have guessed what I was going to say.
"I would like the opportunity to clear my name."
"-- all right. There won't be a next time."
"Ha!"
"Klaus, prepare the forces to be entrusted to Kukri. Everything is yours."
We decided to dispatch Kukri, but it is not only the dark side that will be sent to the capital planet.
Lost knights and soldiers had to be dispatched as well, and Klaus decided to leave the selection process to him.
"Yes."
I looked at Klaus, who replied without hesitation, "This is it, this is it!" I thought to myself.
No matter if she is a beautiful woman, a knight with character issues should not be.
Tia, Marie, I'm talking about you guys.
Kukri approaches Klaus.
"Sir Klaus, I have something that I would like you to prepare for me. May I have a meeting with you immediately?"
Klaus looks at me, I nod and he and Kukri leave the room.
Klaus and Kukri leave the room.
Klaus, but inwardly he was scared.
(Why am I walking alongside the dark side? These people scare me.)
For some reason, Klaus is trusted by Liam and entrusted with various tasks.
However, from his point of view, he does not understand why he is being treated as an executive at all.
Moreover, he is even given the position of the first knight of the Banfield family.
Keeping his face expressionless so that he would not realize his troubled inner thoughts, Kukri spoke to him. Kukri is tall and speaks to him as if he is looking down at him from an angle.
Kukri spoke to me as if looking down at me from a slant.
"You owe me?"
"Yes, sir. We were saved thanks to the protection of Klaus-dono. I don't mean to thank you for that, but if there is someone you want to kill, please let me know. Whether it's Christiana or Marie, I'll make sure to eliminate anyone who gets in my way."
"Kuhihihi," Klaus reflected as he looked at Kukri, who was laughing.
(Is he still angry with those two? No, it's more like killing each other among friends, absolutely not!)
"I'm not interested in assassination. Help me when I am in trouble."
"Those two are after your position. They will certainly try to kill you if they get the chance."
(Those two would kill me and try to take the first position. I'd like to take their place right now, but I'm not sure if Liam-sama would approve--)
When Kukri told him that Tia and Marie were trying to kill him, Klaus did not think of killing them on the contrary.
They understood that if someone was missing in the current situation, it would be a major blow to the Banfield family.
Klaus also valued his own life, but he also owed a debt of gratitude to Liam.
He did not want to drag him down.
To be more precise, he did not want to get involved in a radical factional war.
"It's useless. It's not good for the Banfield family. Then how about the price of protecting me from both of them?"
"--Then so be it."
Klaus has also made connections with the dark side because of his protection of Kukri.
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