Book 11: Prologue
Vol. 11: Prologue
What is the worst deed?
It is betrayal.
I [Liam Sera Banfield], who suffered a terrible betrayal in a previous life, was reborn as a count in the interstellar nation of the Algrand Empire.
I was born a winner, and now I've risen through the ranks to become a duke.
I have won the battle for the succession of the empire and am now enjoying prosperity in the empire.
But I was planning the worst betrayal in the world.
In my mind, it is a legitimate right, but in the eyes of others, it would be an ugly act.
After all, I am about to betray Cleo, the third prince whom I myself had favored.
I have been supporting Cleo to make him emperor for some time now.
With huge funds and a strong army, I have pushed Cleo up to the position of Crown Prince.
What do you think?
Cleo, who became the crown prince, now sees me as an obstacle and has turned against me.
It's infuriating, but at the same time I see it as an opportunity.
After all - I can now betray the empire.
For me, who aspires to be a corrupt lord, betrayal is an everyday occurrence.
To be honest, I thought Cleo would betray me someday.
I have learned from my previous life that humans are only that good.
So, I am not so furious.
--But I will make Cleo and the empire pay for betraying me.
For that reason, my priority right now was to gain ground.
"Master, the settlement situation on the frontier planets is behind schedule, but within acceptable limits."
Listening to Amagi's report in the Oval Office, I furrow my brow.
There is a delay of a few percent from the plan, but there is certainly no need to be alarmed at this level.
The problem is that I don't have the luxury of time right now.
Now that I have decided to fight the Algrand Empire, I want as much strength as possible.
For that reason, even a delay of a few percent is not acceptable.
However, rushing to pioneer will not bring good results, and even if we rush, the impact on the whole will be negligible.
What to do then?
--All we have to do is get a planet that has already been pioneered.
"Steady pioneering isn't a bad idea, but we can't spend too much time on it. Amagi, make a list of the incompetent nobles whose territories are on fire."
Incompetent aristocrats - those who do not develop their own territories and only increase their debts in order to live a luxurious life.
Amagi quickly prepared a list, and I frowned at the list.
"There are a lot of them."
"The empire is vast. Still, I have a hard time understanding it. If the territories were managed more efficiently, the empire's national power would have been multiplied several times over."
It is ridiculous that the power of the country has been greatly reduced because the nobles have been entrusted to rule.
But ironically, it gave me a better chance of winning the empire.
"The empire has no interest in the frontier. --Amagi, we're going to get this planet."
"Master, is there a lord on your planet?"
The planet I tried to get was ruled by a viscount.
It was a less developed, debt-ridden territory with nothing to see.
The reason why I set my eyes on such a planet was because the Viscount lives on the capital planet.
In other words, the viscount has no interest in the territory.
We will buy the planet from this incompetent viscount. It's easier to get something that already exists than to develop it from scratch.
As was once the case with my fiefdom, development is possible as long as there is some foundation.
"You mean to say that you will take on the Viscount's debts? Would you give up your lands for it?"
Only incompetent people are proud.
They won't give up their fiefdoms easily.
"If you give them enough money to live on for the rest of their lives, in addition to the debt, they will gladly give it up."
It hurts my pocketmoney a little bit to prepare that much budget.
Even though I have the alchemy box, my budget is limited.
To be honest, the empire is more impressive than me with my alchemy box.
I can always gather rare metals from all over the world and other necessary resources in large quantities even if I don't say anything.
It is a difference in geographical strength that cannot be overturned even with the alchemy box.
I can feel Amagi's concern for me, even though she has no expression on her face.
"--Are you seriously going to fight the empire?"
"Of course. It was Cleo who betrayed me first. If I don't win here, I have no future. Rest assured, I will not be defeated."
With the blessing of my guide, there is no such thing as defeat.
While I was selecting a planet to purchase, Amagi brought up the subject of Ellen.
"I see. I'm going to change the subject, but I would like to talk to you about Ellen-sama.
"Ellen? She was tossed into an elementary school, what happened to her?"
"Yes, she graduated from elementary school a while back. This time, she has finished her military life and is now preparing to go on to college at Capital planet. Why don't you let her return to her home planet once?"
While things were floundering, her military life, not to mention her elementary school, had come to an end.
Amagi projects Ellen's military reputation into the air.
Her final rank was major, and she had earned several decorations.
"That was quick. It feels like I sent her off just the other day."
"That's how busy the Master has been."
After completing her studies as an adult, we decided that she was of age and threw her into a elementary school.
Ellen was not originally a noble, so she was not allowed to enter an elementary school.
The reason I used my authority to push her into the school was because I wouldn't be able to take care of Ellen for a while.
I am really busy managing the territory.
I have my hands full with my own training and work.
Normally, as the inheritor of One-Flash, I would like to strictly instruct Ellen.
But I don't have time for that, so I threw her into an early elementary school as a desperate measure.
I wanted to leave her with my master if I could, but my master refused.
He said that he was too deeply wounded to release a One-Flash and that he was not suitable for the job.
The next candidates would be his younger apprentices, Fuuka and Rinho.
Both of them, however, are currently frequenting the master's house.
The master's son, [Yasuyuki]-kun, seems to be cute, and has been going there to see how he is doing.
Since they were very relaxed, I can't leave Ellen with them, that's what I really think.
--I'm going to take care of her strictly on behalf of my master when the work is done.
I can't allow them to go to their master's house all the time to play.
I would have liked to visit them myself, but all I want to do is work from morning till night.
I can't complain about that work because I'm adding to it.
"Let Ellen go to college as she is."
When I instantly decided on a policy, Amagi was not happy.
She has a blank expression on her face, but I took her in as an apprentice and she doesn't take care of me? It shows the feeling of "I'm not a good master."
"We have not confirmed your intention to do so?"
"I'm busy. --Send Ellen's mother to the capital planet."
Let's give them some time to be alone with their parents.
Amagi is a bit taken aback by my decision and speaks with a bit of sarcasm.
"You're keeping yourself very busy, you know. If you buy a planet and develop it, you'll be even busier."
"When Ellen becomes a full-fledged knight, maybe I'll let her help me with my business?"
"--Master."
Amagi narrowed her eyes at me, and I shrugged and went back to work.
After finishing the work in front of me, I let out my true feelings only to Amagi.
"I'll tell you this, but the Banfield family doesn't have enough generals to lead for the number of troops they have. That's why I'm counting on Ellen."
I had originally wanted her to concentrate only on One-Flash, but we can no longer afford to let her play with it.
Also, there was the expectation that since I could do it, Ellen could do it.
Amagi was also concerned about the number of generals.
Even though there are many talented ones, there are very few top-notch ones like Klaus and his men.
There is a great variety of grains, including Klaus, who can handle any situation, Tia and Marie, and Kukri, who is in the dark side.
But there are just not enough of them.
This would not be a problem for a single lord, but against an empire, it is a big problem.
"Now, how do we get the numbers?"
This is a problem, but it is not just a matter of having the best and brightest elites who have completed their education.
We want strong people who have experienced actual battles and have a proven track record.
Before the battle against the empire, we want generals who are not as good as Klaus, but at least in the Tia or Marie class, or slightly inferior.
If I ask the guide, will he be able to provide me with them?
--I'm too much of a parasite.
I'm usually taken care of, so this time I'll take care of it myself.
At that time.
The guide was in the capital planet of the Algrand Empire.
He was sitting on a dumpster in a dirty alleyway in a gymnasium, saddened.
"Damn it," he said. "--I hate Liam. I hate him so much."
The guide, now in only his hat, tears streaming from his eyes, where they are not to be found.
Sobbing, he spoke ill of Liam.
Why is the guide here? Why is he crying?
It was all Liam's fault.
He tried to play a prank on Rosetta at her wedding and it bounced back at him hundreds of times over.
He came here, disembodied and battered, to the capital planet of the empire, where negative emotions swirl.
"I really feel at home here. Negative emotions flow in just by being here. It's like a wonderful planet set aside for me."
Feeling comfortable with the negative emotions that have built up, the guide plan his future strategy.
Just then, a passing human dumps out an electronic paper, so he picks it up.
He unfolds it and sees that it is a long-ago newspaper.
"I have to get information from such a scrap of paper. --How did I fall so far?"
In the past, I could get the scenes I wanted to see and all kinds of information just by snapping my fingers.
But now I am hurt, weak, and unable to do anything.
When he maturely unfolds the newspaper, a portion of the article plays.
The photo part became a video.
Rumors spread that Crown Prince Cleo's relationship with the Duke of Banfield, with whom he had been cooperating, had deteriorated.
Even on the capital planet, the theory that Liam and Cleo do not get along is spreading.
The guide knew about it, but apparently the two had completely parted ways.
However, the guide are not able to interfere now.
"I want to support Cleo as much as I can, but now I can't do anything. I'm so frustrated with myself."
Tears fall on the electronic paper.
The guide looked up at the sky of the capital planet.
The heavens of the Capital Planet, where the planet is surrounded by metal and even the weather is under complete control, are fake.
It is merely an image on the shell that covers the planet.
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