Chapter 8
Too Late
THE NEXT DAY, Viscount Razel stood in the party hall, reviewing some of
the celebration details. An enraged Hot-Blooded Knight strode up to him.
"What is the meaning of this, Lord Randolph? You will bring shame to
House Razel if you ban one of your students from the celebration!"
Viscount Razel let out a sigh. Several of his other subordinates stood
nearby, along with a bandaged Peter. Having become officially betrothed to
Katerina, Peter was already being treated as a member of the family.
"Shame?" Peter said. "Why don't you tell him what's what, Viscount?"
Viscount Razel said to the stubborn knight, "Do you think it's acceptable
for students to wreak havoc for the house that kindly took them in? That fool of
a boy has no right to enjoy our grand event. I'm not ruining my daughter's
engagement with another vulgar outburst from some whelp."
Peter followed suit and expressed his own complaints. "Yeah, such a poor
person shouldn't be at an important party like this, anyway."
They continued rattling off reasons why Liam should be excluded, but the
simple truth of the matter was that they couldn't allow someone who had
shamed them so badly to attend. Viscount Razel's first priority was his future
with House Petack.
"Throw the Banfield boy out as soon as the party is done!" the viscount
snarled. "I don't ever want to see his face again. We'll have no more to do with
that house."
When the party ended, so too did the nobles' training, and they could
return home. Some of them couldn't leave immediately, so it was customary for
their host to put them up for a few more days, but Viscount Razel and Peter were
so incensed with Liam that they wouldn't tolerate that.
The Hot-Blooded Knight clenched his fists in frustration.
Meanwhile, Peter had started finding fault with the venue decorations.
"Anyway, Viscount, what's with this gloomy-looking plant over here?"
Viscount Razel wasn't quite sure how to respond. After all, he thought the
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plant—a bonsai—had been a gift from House Petack.
"Well, it was a gift from your family. I figured I should display it for the
occasion."
This caught Peter off guard. "Huh? That's not possible; I wouldn't dare
gift something so ugly. I wouldn't want you to think I had bad taste."
Viscount Razel brought a palm to his face, embarrassed. "There must have
been some sort of mix-up, then. If it wasn't a gift from House Petack, I'll just get
rid of it. You there, throw this out."
It was left to the Hot-Blooded Knight to take care of the bonsai.
***
"You went too far, Liam," the Hot-Blooded Knight told me.
"And this is what I get for it? Viscount Razel sure is petty."
"Come on, you know I serve the man. I don't entirely blame you for
thinking so, though."
Before the grand celebration started, I'd been escorted to a spot far from
the venue hall. It was a special venue prepared just for me, with a lunch box and
a drink laid out on a table. At the conclusion of my training period, I was being
given my own little personal send-off in the courtyard where I'd spent much of
my free time. Next to me sat the only other person: the Hot-Blooded Knight,
who for some reason was holding Brian's bonsai, his shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry about this. I raised my objections with Lord Randolph, but I
couldn't get him to listen."
"The sad story of a knight not valued by his lord, eh? If you came to work
for me, I'd welcome you with open arms."
At my offer to recruit him, the Hot-Blooded Knight just threw back his
head and laughed loudly; he must have thought my invitation was a joke. I was
actually being serious, so his reaction made me a little sad.
"You're funny, but I'll be staying here, I'm afraid. I owe Lord Randolph,
after all."
"Huh, you surprise me. Well, maybe not."
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Nice guys like him often pledged their loyalty out of a sense of duty, and
Viscount Razel was one of the more scrupulous nobles...or so I'd thought. I'd
begun doubting that, to be honest, but it was still obvious that the viscount and I
were too different to ever get along.
"So I'm to have a lonely lunch here all by myself, huh?"
"Sorry. Actually, the food and drink came out of my own pocket. I just felt
too bad for you."
Well, he is the instructor who's taken care of me all this time, so I
understand his sympathy. Anyway, all I came to House Razel for was the
training, so I'm not gonna raise a fuss about the viscount's stupid insult.
"Wow, I'm so happy," I said sarcastically.
"You sure don't look it. Your orders are to get outta here after you eat this.
You really drew the short straw here, didn't you?"
There was no point in complaining to the Hot-Blooded Knight. I pitied his
predicament too.
"My ride's already here waiting, so that won't be a problem. What are you
going to do with that, though?"
I was curious as to why he was carrying around Brian's bonsai. The Hot-
Blooded Knight looked perplexed.
"Well, I don't really know, but it seems to me like it's worth something.
Lord Randolph told me to get rid of it... Guess I've been reluctant."
"Oh, yeah? Well, could I have it as a memento, then?"
"Sure, I don't mind. That helps me out, actually." The Hot-Blooded
Knight handed me the bonsai, then stood up. "Well...you take care." With that,
he took his leave.
I held up Brian's bonsai and studied it. "You can't tell what it's worth, eh?
That's for sure."
I felt anger seething in my gut. I was overcome by the desire to cause
some chaos, but I was quickly distracted from this impulse when Kurt and Eila
showed up in the courtyard. The two of them looked ready to depart, not at all
dressed for a formal gathering.
"There you are, Liam."
"We were looking for you."
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I set the bonsai down and asked the two of them what they were doing
here, considering the party hadn't even started yet. It was strange that they
already appeared dressed to leave. "What's up, you two?"
Kurt scratched his cheek, looking rather bashful. "Well, we heard you got
kicked out and figured we probably wouldn't be all that welcome either, so we
decided not to attend."
"If our ride's here, why don't we just head to the spaceport?" Eila
suggested.
So both of them intended to leave the mansion with me rather than attend
the celebration? Our strong bond as evil lords hummed in my heart.
"Sure, let's go."
***
While Liam and friends were leaving the mansion and heading for the
spaceport...
The attendees had entered the party venue and were beginning to make
merry. Thomas Henfrey, who'd been invited, greeted people while he searched
for Liam. He figured the boy must be somewhere in the venue, but the merchant
was having a hard time finding him.
"I don't see Lord Liam anywhere."
Just when he considered contacting her, Nias of the Seventh Weapons
Factory popped up in front of him in her military uniform. "Oh, Mr. Henfrey!
Did you find Lord Liam? I've been looking for him everywhere, but I haven't
seen him!" Nias had looked high and low too, but she'd had no luck.
"No, I can't find him. Maybe he hasn't shown up yet?"
Nias seemed on edge about something. "I don't know; he's not really the
type to be late. Is there some reason he couldn't come, do you think? This isn't
good... I was hoping we'd be talking business by now."
"Huh? You wanted to talk business here? During their send-off party?"
Thomas couldn't believe that Nias was eager to sell him something before
he'd even left House Razel's domain.
Nias averted her gaze and laughed awkwardly. "Oh, well, you know, I just
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—"
A familiar voice said, "You're just looking for a place to unload a fortress-
class ship you couldn't sell... Is that right?"
"E-Eulisia..."
Their conversation had been interrupted by none other than Eulisia, who
had stepped up to them in an elegant dress. She was attending the party as a
representative of the Third Weapons Factory.
"I've heard the rumors, you know. You've got a fortress class on your
hands with no home. You came all the way here because the only thing you can
do is get Lord Liam to buy it, correct?" Eulisia was smiling, but each of her
words directed at Nias was a thorn.
"O-oh, like you're not here for business! And what is that you're
wearing?"
"I'm just dressed to celebrate the end of the count's training."
"You always immediately stoop to seduction! I know you're hoping to sell
him something too!" Nias's tone was desperate, but Eulisia maintained her
composure.
"I would never try to get him to sign a contract on a day like today.
Actually, Liam's family is going to pick him up today in the superdreadnought
we constructed for him. We delivered some other new models as well. I'm here
today to thank him for his purchases. Of course, if we end up talking business as
a result of that, I won't be opposed to it."
Thomas felt like he could almost see sparks flying between the two. They
were arguing with icy smiles on their faces, their rivalry as weapons factory
representatives and as women on full display. Thomas averted his eyes from the
embarrassing sight. Lord Liam sure has his hands full with these ladies,
doesn't he? But really, where is he? I'd like to see him.
It wasn't just these three who felt that way. Numerous people had attended
the party just for the opportunity to connect with Liam. All those who searched
for him were puzzled by his absence, unsuccessful in their attempts to find him.
Viscount Razel's voice finally broke up the unsettled atmosphere. "Thank
you so much for attending this party today, everyone." From his simple opening
greeting, he then moved on to announcing his daughter's engagement.
Neither Nias nor Eulisia were too interested in the news. "Just a political
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marriage between nobles, eh?" Nias said.
"It happens a lot. He probably found a family with favorable prospects."
It was pretty standard for the host to wed their daughter, if they had one, to
one of the students who'd come for training. What was unusual about this
particular union was the boy they'd chosen to wed her to.
"I'd like to introduce you to my daughter Katerina's fiancé, Lord Peter
Sera Petack."
Quite a few of the guests who'd come so far for the celebration were
surprised to see the son of House Petack introduced thereafter. Nias blithely
clapped along with everyone else in the hall since she was not familiar with the
family, but Eulisia was blinking, blank-faced.
Thomas himself was so astonished, he could barely process the
information. "Er... Uh... Huh?"
Why would House Razel want to form ties with House Petack?! I can't
think of a single reason to unite with such a family. I would think House
Banfield would be the prime candidate.
Knowing the truth about House Petack's affairs from his business dealings
with them, Thomas found all of this quite baffling.
Eulisia felt the same way. "That's Count Petack's son, right?" she said to
Thomas. "From the House Petack? I hear they have vast amounts of debt and
their domain isn't doing well either."
"Yes, that's what I've heard. And yes, he's definitely the son of the Count
Petack."
Now that the engagement was public, holographic images of Peter and
Katerina floated throughout the venue.
Eulisia couldn't believe what she was seeing. "I wonder if House Petack
discovered some rare metal or other resource."
If that were true, then this marriage might make some sense. It was
possible, but Thomas sincerely doubted it.
"I've looked into the family in the course of my own business, but I
haven't heard anything like that."
While many other of the guests looked just as shocked about the
announcement, Nias paid no mind to the confusion and glanced around,
resuming her hunt for Liam. She pulled aside a caterer and asked, "Ah, excuse
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me, do you know anything about Lord Liam—Count Banfield? He's been here
studying with House Razel."
The caterer looked away awkwardly. "Lord Liam, er...caused a bit of a
problem at the martial arts exhibition yesterday. The viscount was furious and
expelled him. It'll still be recorded that he completed his training, but he's not
allowed to attend this party. He's probably at the spaceport right now."
Having overheard their conversation, Thomas couldn't understand what
the caterer was saying, but his face grew a shade paler with every word. He soon
began to tremble.
"Lord Liam was expelled before he could attend the celebration?"
"Yes." The caterer nodded.
Nias grabbed the caterer's shoulders and started shaking him. "Y-you
can't be serious! So he's not here? Why? Why?!"
The caterer backed away from Nias, annoyed, and snapped, "I told you, he
was kicked out! He's left the mansion, so he's probably headed for the spaceport
right now. He brought this on himself for angering the viscount."
Nearby, Eulisia appeared to be contacting someone on her tablet. Thomas
was already charging out of the venue, hoping to reach the boy before in time.
"Lord Liaaam!"
***
At last, House Banfield's fleet had arrived at Viscount Razel's spaceport.
The ships were all lined up in formation, three hundred of them in total. House
Banfield's flagship, a superdreadnought battleship, attracted attention from every
other ship nearby.
House Banfield's knights—including knight-candidate Tia—alighted from
the flagship and prepared to welcome Liam in the spaceport. A great number of
people shuffled around eagerly at their assigned gate.
"I'd like to put up more decorations," Tia told one of the spaceport staff.
"Holographic images are just too typical." Tia wanted to spruce up the plain-
looking gate area.
The staff person frowned. "Give me a break—you can't just decorate this
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place without permission."
Tia got where he was coming from, but greeting Liam for his trip home
was immensely important to her, so she was very fired up about it.
"I understand that, but we're welcoming home our lord here. I'd like the
place where we greet him to look a little more grand. We'll cover all the costs...
Isn't that enough?"
They were still in preparation mode because, according to Liam's original
schedule, he would be departing a few days from now.
The staff person wouldn't hear it, however. "I'm sorry, you can celebrate
any way you choose upon your return home." Then, he changed the subject,
expressing interest in the gargantuan battleship. "Say, that's a very grand
battleship, isn't it? This is the first time I've seen a superdreadnought."
"Well, it is our flagship."
"I'd expect nothing less from House Petack's fleet! Completely different
from a family in decline like House Ban...field?!"
The spaceport employee nearly choked on his words as the tip of a rapier
—Tia's thin-bladed sword specialized for thrusts—entered his mouth. If he so
much as twitched, his mouth would be full of blood.
Tia's polite attitude from a moment ago had vanished. "I believe you've
mistaken the crest of our glorious House Banfield...or did you intend to insult
us?"
Seeing this, a number of the viscount's knights and soldiers in the area
rushed over, and House Banfield's knights drew their own weapons. They
squared off with each other warily. Tia removed her rapier from the man's
mouth and grabbed him by the jaw, lifting the grown man right off of the
ground.
"You mistook our crest. This is an insult to our family. Am I wrong?"
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It would be one thing if this man had nothing to do with them, but Liam
had been studying at this place for the last three years. For someone in this
man's position to mistake Liam's crest was a terrible affront.
"I-I'm sorry. Please, let me go!"
As the man squirmed in discomfort, Tia narrowed her eyes and squeezed
her hand as if to crush his throat.
"I don't believe I will! In fact..."
Just then, an alert dinged from her tablet; it was a call from Liam. Tia
hurriedly tossed the worker aside and accepted the call, a small holographic
window appearing before her eyes. Framed within it was Liam's face, looking
rather displeased.
"L-Lord Liam! Where are you right—"
Liam's low growl cut her off. "How dare you guys not come pick me
up." He sounded truly angry.
***
We'd come to the spaceport boarding gate assigned to House Banfield's
fleet, yet there wasn't a single ship in sight.
While my two friends and I sat on a bench and waited for our ride to
show, we watched TV on a large screen between two windows that looked out
into space. It was the final episode of a series that was popular in House Razel's
domain. As the credits started to roll, Eila peeked out one of the windows,
confirming that my ships still weren't there.
"They're not coming."
I crossed my arms and drummed my fingers against them, lamenting the
incompetence of my no-show subordinates. They were shaming me in front of
my friends, and I couldn't let them get away with that. Kurt was even trying to
be polite, which was just making me even more embarrassed.
"Just think of it this way: Now we don't have to wonder about how that
show ended."
While I sat there, irritated, a nearby elevator door opened, and who should
emerge from it but a sweaty Thomas Henfrey.
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"Lord Liaaam!"
What are you doing here? I shot at him in my mind, but I didn't let my
grumpiness show outwardly.
"Long time no see, Thomas. I didn't know you were here."
Thomas must have heard from someone that I was at this gate. He was
gasping for breath.
"I could hardly believe it when I heard you were expelled from House
Razel's mansion, Lord Liam. There are a lot of strange things happening here.
I'm very confused."
Well, the world is nothing but strange things—such as my people being
late to pick me up.
I answered, "The viscount just doesn't like me. Can't say I don't feel the
same about him." I glanced at Brian's bonsai, which rested next to me. What the
hell was he thinking, throwing out Brian's prize-winning bonsai?
"I-Is that so? You don't see eye-to-eye with Viscount Razel, then?"
Thomas looked relieved. He'd probably been worried I'd be influenced by
the virtuous Viscount Razel, but that would never happen. I wouldn't be a true
evil lord if my convictions could be swayed by someone else's righteousness. I
was evil to the core.
It had clearly been a mistake coming to study at the serious, upright House
Razel, but I was the type to learn from my mistakes. I had learned a lot from my
mistakes in my past life, after all.
"My time here will look good on my record, but it's not like I'll be
making the viscount my role model or anything."
Thomas nodded over and over again. "My company will be raising a
strong objection to the viscount."
"You don't need to do that. I don't plan on having anything to do with him
again, after all."
"So you'll be returning to your domain right away?"
"Yeah, but first—"
While Thomas and I were chatting, the elevator door opened once again.
Two women emerged, and Kurt looked confused.
"Huh? This gate is reserved for you, isn't it, Liam? Are those two lost?"
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"Oh, I know them."
It was Nias and Eulisia who had appeared from the elevator. Their clothes
were slightly disheveled, as if they'd hurried to get here. Having spotted me,
Nias came running over, shoulders heaving with her heavy breathing.
"Ohmigod hello Lord Liam it's been so long also please buy a fortress-
class vessel!" she blurted.
I gave Nias a cold look for greeting me and beginning a sales pitch in the
same breath. Eulisia looked equally disgusted with the engineer as she gingerly
wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Will you stop that? It's pathetic! Hello, my lord, it's been a while. I heard
you would be using the ships you purchased from the Third Weapons Factory
today. If you would allow me to board with you, I could explain their attributes
in greater detail."
Eulisia smiled gracefully. She had dressed up to attend the party today,
and her makeup looked good on her. Her outfit was alluring, and with her
clothes slightly askew, it just ramped up the sexiness. Still, I had already lost
interest.
"Oh, yeah? All right, you can come along," I said matter-of-factly.
Eulisia seemed perplexed by my reaction, but I couldn't let that bother me.
I was too busy remembering my wife from my past life. Now that I thought
about it, whenever she got all dressed up like this and went out with makeup on,
she was on her way to cheat on me. That made women in flashy clothes a huge
turn-off.
"Huh? Er, my lord? Did I do something wrong?"
Eulisia didn't know what to make of my sudden change in attitude. She'd
probably ensnared countless men with her charms. When I thought about that,
my interest diminished even more. She had probably planned on seducing me
today and was worried now that I didn't appear to be taking the bait.
Nias was laughing at Eulisia. "Aw, you okay?" For her part, she was
sweating as if she'd sprinted to get here. She was obviously overheated because
she'd undone one of the buttons on her top and was fanning herself with her
hand. I could tell this wasn't a seductive move, however. There was nothing
erotic about her appearance. Her shirt was wet with perspiration, and I could
detect the faint outline of a sports bra beneath it, a purely functional garment.
When Nias noticed my gaze centered squarely on her chest, she crossed her arms
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and smiled, looking embarrassed.
"Erm, it's not that my pay has dropped and I can't afford nice stuff or
anything. I'm just, you know, like... Oh, right! I've started working out, so I've
been wearing things like this lately!"
Nias was even more pathetic when she started making excuses for herself.
How pathetic, you ask? Well, Thomas was averting his eyes, as if he were so sad
that he couldn't bear to look at her. Even Kurt, who was usually the naïve type,
had caught on and was flushed with embarrassment. "So...your pay dropped,"
Eila said, looking at Nias in sympathy.
Pitied by everyone around her, Nias covered her face with her hands and
started crying. "It's hard for me, okay? My livelihood is on the line here!"
Seeing Nias like this, I couldn't help but find her kind of cute. I forgot my
anger from a moment ago and reached out to her.
"How much?"
"Huh?" Nias raised her head and looked at me with tears in her eyes.
"How much for your fortress class?"
"Y-you're going to buy it?"
"You're so much trouble. Come on, give me the contract. It's one ship,
right?"
"Please buy a destroyer and a cruiser too! They're brand-new ships, but
we couldn't sell them!"
"You really are too much. Three hundred max, okay?"
"Thank you so much! Yeees! Now I can finally escape poverty!"
Nias raised her arms and cheered. Every time she did, I could see through
her shirt to her unsexy underwear. Yeah, I liked this practical style better. I
ended up buying a fortress-class ship from her as thanks for the nice view she
gave me. Amagi was sure to be pissed at me again for making this purchase
without consulting anyone. Just how big was a fortress class, anyway? I still
hadn't studied military matters too deeply.
As I thought these things, Eulisia grabbed me by the arm. "W-wait a
second, my lord! Sh-should you really make your decision so quickly? If you
bought from the Third Weapons Factory instead, we could prepare a fortress
class for you right away—"
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"Nah, it's not like I really want one anyway, so I'm good."
After I blew her off, Eulisia froze in place.
Nias pointed at her and laughed. "See that? This is about the bond
between me and Lord Liam! There's no room for you to sidle on in!"
She really is a mess. She's gonna gloat right in front of me? If she
didn't do crap like this, she could pass as a cool, intellectual beauty. Well, I
guess Nias is Nias. That's fine with me.
The elevator opened again, and a female knight came flying out of it this
time. She sprinted over to us and slid into a bow, halting right at my feet. Okay,
that was kinda cool.
It was Tia.
"I-I-I'm terribly sorry, Lord Liam! The spaceport staff made a mistake and
directed us to the wrong part of the spacepo—ouch!"
When she looked up at me to apologize, I flicked her forehead hard.
"Don't make excuses. All that matters is you made me wait."
Seeing that I was a little cross with her, Tia looked absolutely devastated.
What a drama queen. If this was what passed for a talented knight, this world
had some serious issues. Why did all the people around me seem so messed up?
Tia drew her sword and pressed its blade to her neck, right on her carotid
artery.
"I-I offer my head as recompense!"
Are you the world's dumbest smarty or the world's smartest dummy?
Did you really think that would please me? I recruited you for your looks, you
know. I'm not expecting much from you other than that.
"Are you stupid? Hurry up and get my things—we're going home. And
don't you dare drop that bonsai!"
"Y-yes, my lord!"
I held out my packed bag and Tia hurriedly stood and accepted it. I placed
the bonsai on top of the bag.
Tia was trembling. "D-do you forgive me?"
Forgive you? You really are an idiot. An evil lord would never forgive
your incompetence just for carrying his luggage.
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"I'm gonna work you like a dog on my ship, so be ready for it. Kurt, Eila,
give her your bags too. Just think of her as a friendly pack mule." I motioned for
the two of them to make use of her, but they didn't seem too keen on it.
"Liam, I can't make a woman hold my things," Kurt said.
Eila shook her head. "Seems like you've got some interesting knights
working for you. I'll pass, though."
They're even nicer than I thought.
"It's just punishment for her making me wait, you fools. Whatever. Let's
just go. Where's my ride, anyway?"
"Oh, it just arrived," Tia answered, gesturing out the window. "This is the
Vár, House Banfield's new flagship."
Beyond the window was the superdreadnought I'd been longing to see.
The Vár, crafted by the Third Weapons Factory, floated closer to the dock. I'd
requested a large one, but they hadn't sacrificed functionality in making it so
big. After all, an oversized ship was only valuable if it had the firepower to back
it up; otherwise, it was nothing more than a target. This was especially important
since I was going to be traveling on the mammoth ship myself. We wouldn't
want it to go down too easily.
Eila was glued to the window, jumping up and down like a giddy little kid.
"Wow! This is incredible! So that's a superdreadnought?! Only lords
acknowledged by the Empire can own ships like this, right? C'mon, Kurt, you
gotta see this up close!"
"It is incredible. I can't wait to go aboard." Kurt seemed just as excited,
albeit in his own way.
Well, I'd expect that from a guy. Eila's going nuts, though, so I guess
some girls are into ships too.
"Why don't you buy one of your own?" I suggested.
Kurt shook his head. "I-I couldn't. It's too expensive, and I wouldn't be
able to get permission. Considering the maintenance costs, it'd make more sense
to stick with destroyers and cruisers."
What a pragmatic guy...though I just impulse-bought those kinds of
ships from Nias too. Our military expansion plan is gonna be messed up
again, but I just couldn't help myself! It's pretty wild that you can impulse-buy
military spaceships in this world. Still, when I think about what Amagi's
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gonna say when I see her...oh, man!
"I'll give you some of my extra ships, then."
Once Amagi discovered my extra purchases, she'd scold me for jacking
up our schedule once again. But if I could foist some of them off on Kurt, they
just might fly under the radar.
"Oh, no, I couldn't do that. Battleships are overly generous gifts, don't
you think?"
He wasn't taking the bait, so I pushed harder. I don't wanna make Amagi
mad, so I need this guy to take them before she finds out!
"Actually, I have too many, so it'd really help me out if you could take
some off my hands."
"R-really? Perhaps I will, then. It would certainly help me too. With a
little fixing up, used ships will be perfectly serviceable. We need to bolster our
numbers more than anything else at the moment, considering our pirate
problem."
Wait, he thinks he's getting used ones?
***
Meanwhile, Viscount Razel stood frozen in the middle of his grand party
venue, absolutely bewildered. He should've been joyously mixing and mingling
right about now, but most of his guests had left early. Only a third or so
remained, leaving the venue fairly empty. Those out of the loop looked rather
uneasy, and the viscount had ordered one of his staff to investigate the cause of
this mass exodus.
"Wh-what's going on?" someone said.
At that moment, the viscount's staff member ran back to him with a
report.
"Lord Randolph! S-something truly awful has happened!"
"Will you just calm down and tell me?"
Once his subordinate had caught his breath, the man made his report in
earnest.
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"The guests who left are all swarming the spaceport! Some sort of incident
broke out there as well!"
"Why are they rushing to the spaceport?"
"Well, erm..."
"Spit it out!"
"Apparently, they're all clamoring to meet with Count Banfield, who's
waiting there for his ride home. Some of these guests are also raising strong
objections to his expulsion."
Humans were reactionary creatures. If a noble had shortcomings, others
would quickly distance themselves from that noble. The opposite was also true;
if a house was on the rise, people would flock to it. Merchants, who always had
one eye on the market, were seeking to join Liam's entourage, and that meant
the boy was sitting on something big.
"I want you to investigate House Banfield at once."
"Huh? But, sir, we've already done that."
"Well, do it again! Right now!"
Viscount Razel had a very bad feeling about this.
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