Chapter 1:
Fun, Fun Primary School
FINALLY, THE DAY of my admittance to primary school arrived. It was a
comfortable spring day on the planet dedicated solely to hosting the school, but
the entrance ceremony was more boring than I'd thought it would be.
Plenty of children had gathered there from all over the Empire, everyone
from princes to nobles in name only. There were so many that it hardly seemed
this many could be considered society's elite. It was just the kind of scale you
had to consider with a vast intergalactic empire.
I'd thought there would be a grand ceremony inside a building that could
contain tens of thousands of students, but it turned out they were dividing the
students by rank and holding several smaller ceremonies. In the end, the one I
attended was rather plain.
The First Campus, where I'd been assigned, contained a collection of the
best and brightest young nobles. Since only talented kids would be housed there,
I guessed I had a pretty decent reputation. The large donation I'd made couldn't
have hurt, either.
"Huh. Money talks."
"Liam, you'll be scolded if you're not quiet," Kurt Sera Exner warned me
quietly. I was sure his father, Baron Exner, had paid a hefty sum as well.
I replied, "You're too serious, as usual."
Kurt and I had studied together under Viscount Razel, and being the same
age, we were classmates once more. The Exners were still a young, upcoming
villainous family, but I liked that they had the guts to suck their subjects dry.
Though he was a rather serious type, Kurt aimed to become an evil lord like
myself, so we were villainous buddies. He was a master swordsman of a major
school called the Ahlen style, and he was good-looking and tall on top of that. In
fact, he'd gotten even taller in the few years since I'd last seen him. He looked
like a good-natured young noble, but I knew on the inside he was a pretty
interesting and vile guy.
I glanced around and found us surrounded by just the sort of people I'd
expect to see at a gathering of rich kids, all looking like they had authority and
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wealth to spare.
"Everybody here looks so self-important."
"That's obvious," Kurt said. "It's impressive just getting into the First
Campus. Tons of kids wish they could, but don't have the standing and talent.
Everyone here's probably really nervous."
Well, wasn't I just a villain for getting in with money alone then? Not that
I cared about that. You can pretty much do anything if you have money.
I scanned the faces of my classmates and saw that Eila Sera Berman was
one of them. Her brown hair was gathered in a ponytail. Eila had been born to a
family of villains, just like Kurt and me. Her father was Baron Berman, and
she'd also trained with us under House Razel.
"She looks a lot more mature now."
"Yeah. Why don't you go give her a compliment? I bet it'd make her
happy."
"You do it."
Eila was another friend of mine, one I'd kept in contact with over the last
few years, and she did indeed look older in person than she had in video calls. It
seemed girls grew up faster than boys in this world too.
While I enjoyed seeing a familiar face again, I couldn't help but notice
another girl.
"Kurt, check her out. I've never seen blonde ringlets like that in real life!"
I nodded toward a girl with long blonde hair done up in big curls. Her
hairstyle looked like it would be a pain to maintain, but it was proof of the time
and money spent on it. Plenty of people here had hair that sparkled underneath
the lights, but to me, this girl's hair shined like gold.
She stood tall, with a rather noble look to her. Well, obviously everyone
here was a noble, so that wasn't wrong, but she seemed to embody it more than
most. Her breasts were large for her age, while her waist was narrow. She had
almond-shaped blue eyes, a small, round face, and juicy lips...and I thought I
could sense her strong will from the expression on her face.
Due to my staring, Kurt probably assumed I was interested in her, so he
told me what he knew.
"It's rare for you to be so starstruck, Liam. She's a duchess-to-be."
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"Duchess-to-be?"
A duke or duchess was two ranks above a count, so I was a little irritated
to find out she came from a higher-ranked family than me.
"She's famous. Her name is Rosetta Sereh Claudia. Her family is well
known for being matrilineal."
There were way too many nobles in this world. In the Empire, dukes
represented branches of the Imperial family, but there were a ton of them. It was
impossible to remember them all, but even if you could, they might vanish at any
time. New noble families were coming into existence at that very moment, while
others faded away. However, I actually had heard that name before.
"Claudia, eh? I remember the name now."
"They pass the family headship on to women, and she's their only
daughter right now."
"Their only daughter, huh? I see. So she'll be a duchess one day."
Having only one child was extremely dangerous, because if that child
were to die, your whole line went with them. Of course, if the parents were still
alive, they could try to have another kid, but it was still rather risky.
"She's probably the second-most important person here, then. The first
would have to be that guy."
I looked from the blonde girl to a boy with long, straight blue hair. His
appearance screamed "noble son," and I knew he was Wallace—the 120th
Imperial Prince.
This one's got too many siblings. I mean, a hundred and twenty princes
and princesses? How does anyone need that many potential heirs?!
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I supposed I should consider myself lucky that I had gotten into this
school in a world full of so many noble offspring with money and authority to
spare. Right now, though, I just wished I could see Amagi. It was surprising just
how quickly I ended up feeling homesick.
***
At the primary school's Second Campus, students received a different sort
of special treatment. This campus was removed from the other school buildings
and was practically isolated.
In the dorm near the Second Campus, a welcome party for new students
was underway.
"Nice dancing there! Keep it up!"
"Booze! Bring...me...booze!"
"Gya ha ha!"
It would hardly appear to be a party held at a reputable school. Prostitutes
had been called in to dance as entertainment, and the students were waited on by
personal servants they'd brought with them from home. Fancy food and all sorts
of alcohol covered the tables, and the new students ate and cavorted with
upperclassmen.
In the center of them all stood the third-year student who ran things on the
Second Campus. Derrick Sera Berkeley had brown hair, and his skin tone was
unhealthy, but he possessed a lean, strong build thanks to his time spent in an
education capsule. His uniform was decorated with gaudy adornments.
Derrick was making merry, practically pouring alcohol over himself.
"Hey, new kids! Just do what I say and I'll help you make some really great
memories here at school, okay?"
Like Liam, Derrick was already a reigning lord, being the baron of a small
territory on the Empire's outskirts. In his position, he shouldn't have had much
money, but his financial situation was quite favorable. After all, Derrick was a
member of the Berkeley Family. Liam and he were both ruling nobles, but while
Liam was known as the Pirate Hunter, Derrick was the leader of a family called
the Pirate Nobles.
"You rule, Derrick!"
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"I'll stick with you forever!"
"A toast to Derrick!"
Derrick drank in both his alcohol and the students' energetic cheers.
"It's a pity all the others can't come to the Second Campus and have to
spend their time in school like good little boys and girls instead," he said, as if
studying at a school was the most ridiculous concept he'd ever heard of.
The Second Campus was where students like Derrick, who had paid large
donations for special treatment, were sent. If the school were to force them to
take classes with other students, they would only cause trouble, so they were
sequestered here. This situation was one of the problems plaguing the Empire
right now.
One of Derrick's lackeys came in to report to him. "Hey, Derrick, I just
found out Liam starts school here this year."
"Huh? Who's that?"
The lackey was surprised that Derrick hadn't heard of him. "You don't
know who I'm talking about?"
Annoyed by his lackey's impudent wording, Derrick swung the bottle he'd
been drinking from and brought it down on the boy's head. The bottle shattered,
alcohol and blood spraying onto the floor.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Will somebody beat the crap out of
this kid? He's your next punching bag." Derrick directed his other lackeys to
converge on the boy.
The now-targeted student clung to Derrick's legs, crying. "I-I'm sorry,
Derrick! Please, forgive me!"
"Shut up!" Derrick kicked the boy and sat down on the couch, fuming.
Some other boys dragged the student away, and the whole room grew quiet.
While the servants cleaned up the broken bottle and blood, a greatly
irritated Derrick asked about Liam.
"Now that he spoiled my fun, somebody tell me who this Liam kid is."
"Y-yes, sir!" Voice trembling, the student who'd spoken up explained
further. "Liam is Count Banfield. He's taken down several famous pirate gangs
and goes by the nickname 'Pirate Hunter.'"
Derrick raised an eyebrow, a displeased look on his face. "Pirate Hunter?
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Guess that'd make him my enemy, wouldn't it?"
As the Berkeley Family were called Pirate Nobles, and Liam was making
a name for himself as the Pirate Hunter, there was no way Derrick couldn't see
him as his family's enemy.
"N-no way! He's no match for you, Derrick!" The other students tried to
improve his mood.
The obvious flattery nevertheless did the trick, and Derrick lightened up.
"Right?" he laughed. "Probably just some country bumpkin noble getting too
cocky. Oh hey, and something else occurs to me. The prince is starting school
this year, too, isn't he?"
"Yes! His Highness Prince Wallace!"
Derrick smirked. It'll be fun to see him kneel before me.
Thinking something very disrespectful about the Imperial family, Derrick
decided this year's batch of new students would be an entertaining group.
***
After the entrance ceremony, we headed to a classroom in the First
Campus to get an overview of our new school.
At the podium stood our teacher, Mr. John—though from the stern look on
his face, I thought a more fitting name would be Mr. Demon.
"As of today, I'll be your homeroom teacher! The name's John...but
you'll call me Mr. John!"
From that look on his face, Mr. Demon would be a more fitting name. He
doesn't seem like the type you'd want in charge of a class that's supposed to get
special treatment. While I was thinking this, he gave another student a sharp
look.
"You, there!"
"Who, me?" A boy with blue hair—I saw it was Wallace—stood up
gracefully. Now that I got a better look at him, I noticed his ears were pierced.
"What's that you have on your ears?"
"Oh, these? I bought them in town before the entrance ceremony. They
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look good on me, don't they?"
I guess he's the type who wears his idiocy proudly. Serena, House
Banfield's head maid, had told me to be careful around Wallace, and now I saw
why. Right off the bat, he came across as a problem child.
"Student Wallace, this is a place for nobles to learn the fundamentals of
their roles. Do you really believe such accessories are necessary for that
purpose?"
"Huh?"
It was clear Mr. John wouldn't be making any exceptions to the rules,
even for imperial princes, but I was curious about something. If he was going to
scold a student for piercings, why ignore other students who appeared more
deserving of scolding?
One such student, by the name of Tom, wore his hair in a towering
tornado style that in my opinion should have been buzzed off on the spot. I
mean, are you serious about that goofy hair, Tom? But Mr. John wasn't paying
him the slightest bit of attention.
Wait, does this have to do with money? Even my head maid had said that
when you had a hundred and twenty royal offspring, princes weren't all that
valuable anymore. Wallace's family must not have paid much for him to be here,
with all those other siblings to be cared for.
"Student Wallace, one hundred push-ups."
"W-wait a second... They're just accessories! And I'm an imperial prince,
you know!"
"I'm aware of that. Yes, you're an imperial prince, and therefore should
understand the conduct expected of members of the Imperial family. Now, you
must do one hundred pushups!"
What is this, an army education? And Mr. John still hadn't said anything
about Tom's hair. Tom's family had to have paid a major sum to the school. ...I
knew it. Money opens all doors.
"This isn't right!" Wallace complained as he got down and began his
pushups, but Mr. John remained cold.
"It is you who is in the wrong. What did you think primary school was
going to be?" When Wallace finally finished, our homeroom teacher continued.
"Now, let's move on. Firstly, there's something I want you to understand. This is
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not your home. You will be living together in a dorm, and it will be your own
responsibility to care for your needs."
Everyone looked upset about that, but I had a different perspective. For
instance, the laundry machines in this world were fully automated, far more
advanced than those of my past life. Here, you put your clothes into one of these
machines, and in a matter of minutes, they'd be cleaned, dried, and even ironed!
It didn't mean much to be told that you were responsible for your own needs in
an environment like that.
"No one is going to be coddled here. What is expected of you is that you
will become nobles who are worthy of bearing the future of the Empire on your
shoulders."
This wouldn't be enough to turn us into admirable nobles. So this was all
primary school would amount to.
"In today's homeroom session, I'm going to lay out the basics of living
here for the next six years. I will accept no disorderly conduct. You'd best
understand that."
Disorderly conduct? What are we, grade-schoolers? Well, seems like
school isn't going to be so easy for some of the people here.
"First of all—"
As I listened to the rest of Mr. John's lecture, I found myself surprised for
another reason...
***
Wallace Noah Albareto was an Imperial prince, but only one of hundreds.
Returning to the student dorms, Wallace collapsed onto his bed, exhausted
from all the activities of his first day at school.
"Damn them all, making a fool of me..."
When there were so many Imperial princes and princesses, each individual
one had no real clout on their own. Things would have been different if his
mother were a noble of special distinction, or if he was in the single digits in line
to the crown. Even if he were thirtieth in line to the throne, he might have had
some power. But in reality, being well past that, even members of the Imperial
family weren't treated with much importance.
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Wallace hardly felt like an Imperial prince at all. He'd only met his father,
the Emperor, a few times in his life. He lived in the palace, sure, but just as one
of hundreds of princes and princesses doing the same.
"P-primary school might be tougher than I thought it'd be. I dunno if I'm
gonna make it..."
Wallace had received a decent amount of education before this, but
primary school was indeed turning out to be more rigorous than he was
expecting. He'd attracted the attention of his teacher, Mr. John, right on the first
day, and not in a good way. He was scolded and made to do push-ups several
times after more after that first instance.
"And we have to get up at six in the morning? That's crazy..."
The students had to be at school by seven. Their schedules were packed,
and by the time Wallace got back to the dorm every day he was exhausted.
Martial arts training was especially intense. Wallace had previously trained in
the Ahlen sword style, but this school's regimented curriculum of basic martial
arts was harsh for him.
"Am I going to be able to achieve my goal here?"
Wallace had a dream, and in order to achieve it...
"I can't give up yet. I will pick up girls while I'm here!"
...first, he had to pick up girls.
It was no mere fancy for him. Wallace was seriously driven to pick up
girls at primary school as it would be the best way to start achieving his real
dream.
***
One day, after three months at primary school, I came to a realization
while sitting in my dorm room, deep in thought.
Just what is this?
"It's too easy here. I shouldn't have wasted all that money on a big
donation. Well, maybe that was necessary to keep Mr. John off my back..."
Mr. John was strict with everyone, but he'd never given me one of his
stern warnings. Other than that, though, he treated me like any other student.
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Every morning after we woke, we did a little workout, and then it was on
to our studies. After that came martial arts training, and after that we went home
and slept. Some of the other students complained about our schedule, but I was a
little concerned at how it wasn't a challenge at all.
I mean, our classroom studies were mindless. Everything we "learned" in
class I already knew, thanks to my time in an education capsule. The half-assed
martial arts training was nothing more than a warm-up for my strengthened body
either.
This was completely unexpected. I figured primary school would be a lot
harder, but it reminded me of my earlier training at House Razel. It was so easy
it was making me nervous.
"This can't be right. Is it really okay? I didn't think it'd be like this. How
is this supposed to prepare a noble?"
Since I planned on becoming a fully-fledged evil lord, it was important for
me to train my body. "Violence is pointless," people liked to say, but that was a
lie. Generally speaking, for the common person, one's physical strength was
meaningless in this world. However, I had learned in my previous life just how
important strength could be. Bad guys committed violence, and good guys
feared the bad guys. Violence was a type of power. Therefore, I'd been training
for years in order to achieve that level of power, yet in this lax environment, my
skills were sure to rust.
"No, this isn't good. I mean, I thought after three months we'd be getting
into the real thing, but this 'training' isn't getting any more serious..."
At first, I thought we were just waiting for everyone to get acclimated to
the routines here, but after three months, nothing had really changed. The routine
was still barely more than a warm-up for me. I was starting to suspect that
neither the physical training nor the course of studies would ever get any harder.
While I was fretting over this, I received a call from home. It was from
Brian.
What, it's not Amagi? I lay down in bed and took the call, to be greeted by
a crying Brian.
"Master Liam, how many times did I ask you to contact us regularly?"
This guy is way too overprotective.
The primary school was well equipped, and if they acknowledged your
need for it you could get a personal communication device installed in your
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dorm room. I had obtained one easily enough, thanks to my status as an actively
ruling count. Thus, I could stay in contact with Brian at home.
"Don't get so worked up just because I didn't call for one day. What, is
there some problem there?"
"No, everything's fine. I was just so worried about you, Master Liam!"
Did Brian think so little of me that he was so concerned about me even at
primary school?
"There's no problem here either."
"I'm so glad to hear it. Serena's been worried about you too. How is your
relationship with His Highness Prince Wallace?"
"Wallace? We get along fine."
"What was that? Y-you get along?" This seemed to shock Brian for some
reason.
"We're not close. I say hi when I see him. That's normal, isn't it?"
"I'm relieved to hear it."
Wallace's background was apparently a bit problematic, so people tended
to steer clear of him. His personality didn't help things either, but I hadn't had an
issue with him.
"And... Master Liam?" Brian changed the subject.
"What?"
"Have you taken interest in any of your female classmates?"
"Female? Not really."
"I-I see..." I could see Brian's shoulders slump when he heard I hadn't
become interested in any of the girls in my class. Both Brian and Amagi never
lost an opportunity to ask if any girls had caught my eye, since I didn't have any
ladies by my side yet.
But none had. Well, wait a second...
"I guess there's been one."
"Wh-who is it? Circumstances allowing, we can contact her family
immediately!"
"Slow down! One just caught my eye is all."
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Rosetta. It was Rosetta, the duchess-to-be.
***
The next day, I approached the girl who was doing her best to be
unapproachable.
Rosetta sat in the classroom, giving off an intimidating aura, as if she were
purposely trying to keep the lowly masses from speaking to her. Her face was
always dour in expression, and if you talked to her she would reply with obvious
wariness.
We were presently on a break between classes, and those students who
were close to each other were chatting amiably.
I ambled up to her and said, "Hey, Rosetta."
"...Do you have some business with me?" She only gave me a brief
glance out of the corner of her eye before returning her gaze to a holographic
image projected in front of her. She was using even her short break time to
study.
What, studying is more worthwhile to her than talking to me?
"I just wanted to chat with you. Have lunch with me."
"I must respectfully decline."
She shot me down in an instant. I winced, and some classmates who'd
been watching us giggled. I gave them a glare and the group scattered.
"Come on, don't be like that. Let's be friends."
As it was headed by a duchess, Rosetta's family was higher ranked than
mine. I didn't know how much power they actually wielded, but there was
nothing that could be done about the difference in our status. I gave it another
modest try, but Rosetta shot me an uncomfortable look.
"I apologize, but I'm busy. I'd like to eat lunch alone."
"I get it."
Guess she doesn't like me much. I thought of myself as a relatively well-
known figure. A decent amount of people in my class talked about me, and the
same went for the rest of the school. Apparently, upperclassmen sometimes
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sought me out to try to get a look at me. It was possible that Rosetta didn't know
who I was, but it was pretty unlikely. I wondered if maybe she didn't like me
because she knew me to be a villain.
Well, I guess I don't have a chance with her.
***
I went on to the student cafeteria for lunch, without her.
By now the first-year students were getting used to primary school, and
groups of friends chatted comfortably here and there in the cafeteria. I sat at a
table with my evil lord buddies, Kurt and Eila.
"Brian won't shut up about me keeping in touch with him."
"That's your butler at home, right? You can at least give him a quick call
sometimes, can't you?"
While Kurt gave me a serious answer, Eila responded while eating from a
container of pudding. "It's always annoying when they're overprotective, isn't
it? I'm always getting scolded by my granny, so I get it."
I agreed completely with Eila. "It must be hard for you too. I don't even
know what there is to talk about now, anyway. It's not like anything ever
happens here. Every day's the same old stuff. The only thing interesting I've
done lately is find a way to sneak out of the dorm."
"You found a way to sneak out, Liam? Tell me about it later, okay?" Eila
replied.
Typically, we weren't allowed to leave the school except on days off, so if
I wanted to have any fun outside of those days, I had to be able to sneak out of
the dorm. It was no easy task, either, since the entire school was surrounded by
high walls. Of course, I could have tried bribing the gate guard, but because I'd
been so bored, I ended up finding a way to sneak out instead, just to have
something to occupy myself with.
Kurt didn't seem too happy about the way I was spending my free time. "I
can't tell if you're a serious guy or not, Liam."
"I probably don't seem very serious to a serious guy like you. You're too
serious, though."
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"Y-you really think so?" Kurt seemed insecure about my little dig.
See? He's so serious, he's even worrying about being serious.
Eila smiled as she watched us, though I didn't know what was so amusing
about our conversation. She'd finished her pudding and had now propped her
elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, I was just remembering when I'd watch you two during our training
at House Razel. You guys are making me nostalgic."
Back at House Razel, eh?
"Now that brings me back," Kurt piped up. "Back then, Liam and I—"
"Yeah! You two really didn't get along at first, but—"
I let the two of them reminisce and returned to my lunch. The cafeteria's
menu wasn't popular with these noble students and their refined palates, but
despite the food being specifically nutritionally balanced, I didn't think it was
bad. Eating luxurious meals every day could be too much. It seemed perfectly
satisfying to me.
While I was eating, we heard a commotion from another table.
Eila stopped talking and looked in that direction, narrowing her eyes. "It's
Wallace again."
She didn't refer to him as "His Highness Prince Wallace" anymore, and
instead used his name with open disgust. The same went for the rest of our
classmates, for that matter.
I glanced over and saw Wallace was engaged in his usual activities.
"Want to eat together, little kittens?" He had forcibly claimed a seat at a
table occupied by several girls by placing his lunch tray down on it. The girls
were giving him strained looks.
Oblivious to their discomfort, he continued, "By the way, I don't suppose
any of your families are looking for a son-in-law of good lineage to take in? Or
have a fortune grand enough to reward financial independence to a certain son-
in-law?"
The girls averted their gazes awkwardly at his straightforward desire to be
married into one of their families just so he could gain a role of importance
there.
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"I-I'm only a second daughter, so..."
"My brother is the heir of my family."
"M-my parents plan to have a son."
Hey, Number Three, doesn't that just mean your family doesn't have a
male heir? "Planning" doesn't mean it'll happen!
Wallace accepted all their excuses, though. "I-I see. That's too bad. Ah,
sorry, girls, you'll have to excuse me."
Wallace leapt from his seat and began chatting up another girl he spotted
nearby.
"You there! How would your family like a great son-in-law? I'm available
right now!"
He hardly looked the part of a prince.
"It's just wrong for that guy to be in line for the throne."
Wallace's embarrassing attempts at hitting on girls was shattering my
image of an Imperial prince completely. He not only approached our classmates
in the First Campus, but he indiscriminately went after any female
upperclassmen he saw too. He even tried to pick up Eila as well, but when she
told him her family wasn't in the market for a son-in-law, he just said, "Oh," and
lost interest.
"He does this every day," I said. "Doesn't he get tired of it?"
"Well, Prince Wallace has his reasons," Kurt said. The way he said it
seemed like he understood, or maybe he just pitied the guy.
I couldn't imagine what those reasons might be, but I was curious, so I
asked, "Does he have some special circumstances or something?"
Kurt explained to me what happens to the unneeded princes and
princesses. "Apparently anyone past the hundredth in line for the throne isn't
treated very well. From the first to the thirtieth, they have some standing, but
after that they might be considered even less important than nobles with no
money."
"Guess even Imperial princes can have it bad."
"Those born to the royal family can't give up their noble status, and if they
can't achieve anything as royalty, their only option for a respected position is to
try and become a government official or a member of the military. Some of them
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make names for themselves in other fields, but Prince Wallace doesn't seem like
the type for anything like that."
Many royals ventured into fields like art, but Wallace seemed set on
becoming independent.
Eila's tone was cold when talking about the prince. "He wants to marry
and take over another house, but it's clear from how he acts that he's completely
unreliable."
What about the Empire?
I asked Kurt, "Can't the Empire just fund his independence?"
Since Kurt's family had made their own name for themselves, he didn't
seem to know how to answer this, so Eila spoke up instead. "It's not that easy to
become an independent noble. Without any supporters, there's nothing he can do
on his own. Like Kurt says, he has too many siblings for his family to care to set
him up like that."
Well, I now understood how tough it was to be an Imperial prince who
had no chance of becoming heir, but the fact that Wallace chose to chase after
girls as his path to independence made me laugh.
I watched Wallace hurry about, tray in hand, hitting on girls
indiscriminately, but his efforts ended in failure every time. He even approached
some girls two or three times, apparently having forgotten he'd already talked to
them. He was getting sloppy and desperate.
As Wallace walked nearby us with shoulders drooping, I decided to call
out to him and ask some questions. "Hey, Wallace, c'mere."
Kurt and Eila were both surprised when I called his name.
"Liam!"
"Don't get his attention, Liam!"
Wallace turned around when I called out to him and shook his head when
he saw us. "What is it? I have no interest in men."
I frowned, and Kurt turned slightly pink. He also seemed irritated by
Wallace's comment. For some reason, Eila was the angriest.
"What? Say that again!"
"Eep!" Wallace exclaimed at Eila's threatening tone, but he quickly
cleared his throat and regained his composure.
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"I think you should use more discretion in choosing who you associate
with, Liam," Eila warned me. "I don't think Wallace is a good fit for you."
Isn't that a little harsh? But I was interested in this person, so I chose to
talk to him anyway.
"Where's the harm, huh? He seems interesting. Wallace, don't worry, I'm
not interested in your body, so come over here and sit down."
Wallace reluctantly approached our table. He appeared to be frightened by
Eila, who was glaring at him like some sort of delinquent.
"Y-you're awfully rude, Liam. I thought you were a model student, but
you're pretty vulgar, aren't you?"
Yeah, this guy's an idiot. I can't believe he thought I was a model student.
"It's better than being a pickup artist, isn't it?"
"Ugh!" Wallace knitted his brows at my suggestion that I was better than
he was. Since he didn't refute my statement, though, he must have agreed with
me at least partly. "O-oh, shut up. I've set aside my shame so I can work for my
future."
"Shame, eh? I suspect you didn't have much of that in the first place."
He definitely seemed to enjoy chatting up girls too much for it to be the
sacrifice of dignity he tried to make it out to be.
"Well, I've lived in the palace until now, and I barely had any
opportunities to talk to girls," Wallace explained. "The only women around were
my mother's attendants, my father's women, and my sisters."
"Huh? But you had your own female attendants, didn't you?" Kurt asked,
confused.
Wallace shook his head. "Not with a hundred and nineteen siblings. The
servants work for our mothers, not us. And my mother would never let me lay a
hand on them. Plus, I couldn't trust any woman in the palace, attendant or not."
Eila chuckled when she heard that. "It's pretty impressive that you still
became a womanizer after growing up in an environment like that."
"Do you have something against me?"
"Yeah."
Apparently, Wallace had some bad memories related to women, and I
could understand. Flesh-and-blood women really are a hassle. Amagi will
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always be number one for me.
"Do you really want to be independent that badly, Wallace?" I asked him.
"Of course I do!" he barked. The noise attracted attention from all around
us, but when people realized it was Wallace making a racket, they lost interest.
Just then, Rosetta passed by, giving off the same unapproachable air of a
high-class lady as always. Wallace didn't so much as turn to look at her.
"You're not gonna chat up Rosetta?"
"That woman can't provide for me," he replied, as if it were completely
obvious.
How does this guy say such embarrassing stuff with confidence?
He continued, "As I've told you, my goal is to become independent. I
want to live on my own power."
"Your own power?"
Apparently, Wallace desired to become someone who could support
himself instead of being supported.
"I don't care if I'm in the Imperial court or ruling my own territory as a
lord... I just want to be able to stand on my own two feet. You might not know
this, but when you're an Imperial prince, you basically have no freedom."
"I think you're pretty far from standing on your own if you hope to rely on
other people to gain your independence." Kurt spoke honestly after hearing
Wallace's explanation.
"Urgh! I-I know that, but it's the only way. If I entered the government or
the military, I'd never really have any freedom, and I don't want that."
"I guess it is pretty hard for you, Your Highness." Kurt said
sympathetically.
"That's right. Hey, so what do you say about becoming my patron?"
"I-I don't know about that..."
"Why not?"
Kurt wasn't soft-hearted enough to financially support an Imperial prince
who couldn't provide him with anything in return.
I really did think that Wallace was an interesting guy, though. It was fun
watching him struggle to fulfill his ambitions. I took a liking to him.
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"What about marrying into the family of a low-ranking official or a minor
lord?" I asked, wondering if Wallace would consider a more realistic approach
to independence.
Apparently, he'd considered that, but it didn't work for him.
"I wouldn't mind that, personally, but I am still an Imperial prince. The
palace would never accept it. Imperial princes are only allowed to marry into
houses ranked baron or above, or into those of court officials no lower than fifth-
rank. To become a minor lord myself, I'd have to personally develop my own
territory, and even if I could pull that off, it wouldn't be acknowledged by the
Imperial court."
I had to respect the fact that this guy was doing what he could with
severely limited options.
"I see. Then I'll become your patron."
Kurt and Eila both shot up from their seats at my declaration.
"You can't do that, Liam!"
"No, Liam! There's no benefit for you if you do that!"
Kurt tried to stop me, and Eila reminded me of just how pointless such a
thing would be. But I ignored their protests, my mind already made up that I
would look after Wallace.
"You'll have the support of the house of Count Banfield. If you're all right
with being situated out in the boonies, I'll grant you your independence."
Wallace was dumbstruck for a moment, but he quickly stood up and
straightened his posture and uniform.
"I entrust myself to your care!"
He bowed deeply before me.
This is hilarious.
"You can't take this so lightly, Liam. It won't be easy to sponsor Prince
Wallace." Kurt was still trying to dissuade me, but I didn't intend to back down
on something I'd already decided.
"There's no advantage in supporting him. In fact, it's pretty much all
disadvantages! Come on, you can still take it back!" Eila chimed in and didn't
bother hiding the fact that she thought Wallace was completely worthless.
Wallace's face was twitching. "Don't you think you've been a little harsh
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this whole time, miss?"
I wasn't truly sympathizing with Wallace or even impressed by his
dreams. I just thought it was amusing to watch him struggle, so I wanted to keep
him around so I could see it. Plus, it couldn't hurt to make an Imperial prince my
lackey. I was liking that idea more and more.
"I'm a count and the head of House Banfield, and so my words are law.
Therefore, there's no problem here and I don't intend to take back what I've
said."
"B-but..."
"Oh, you're so stubborn, Liam."
It seemed that Kurt and Eila simply couldn't understand my decision.
Well, of course they couldn't. It was completely irreverent, setting it up so an
Imperial prince would become my lackey.
"I'll keep my word," I assured Wallace, who was watching our exchange
nervously. "I'll support your independence."
"Great, thank you! I don't care where I have to go, as long as I can stand
on my own as the lord of my own territory. No matter how small my house is, I
just want to live under my own power."
Not that that was easy.
"Just leave it to me. I'll have some decent land ready for you by the time
our training is over."
Kurt held his forehead in his hand, exasperated. "Don't expect any help
from me with this, Liam."
Eila had her head in both hands. "I can't believe this. Liam and Wallace...
It's just terrible!"
The two of them were really worrying way too much. It would be no
trouble for me to support a single Imperial prince.
***
On the Imperial Home Planet, news of Wallace at primary school reached
the prime minister as he toiled on his government work.
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"Count Banfield has named himself Prince Wallace's guardian," one of
his subordinates reported to him dryly.
"What?" The prime minister stopped in the middle of his work. At first, he
wasn't sure he'd correctly heard what his underling had said.
"The count has declared himself Prince Wallace's patron. His Highness
submitted the paperwork to make it official, effective immediately."
The prince had officially moved to abdicate from his royal status and his
place in the line of succession. From now on, Liam would be responsible for
supporting an independent Wallace. Liam wouldn't benefit in any way from
becoming his patron, however; it would be almost impossible for Wallace to
ever repay him in any significant way.
The prime minister simply replied, "It must just be a whim of the count."
"Well, at least one of the lesser princes has managed to become
independent now."
"There shouldn't be any problem with it since it's Lord Liam, but I don't
know why he'd bother helping the prince. Unless he's after...?"
The prime minister began to read into the situation. Despite Liam being
called a child prodigy all of his life, the man began to vastly overestimate him.
The count's personal accomplishments aside, House Banfield has a rather
stained reputation. Is this to demonstrate that they're contributing to the
Empire?
Was that why Liam was supporting Wallace, who would do him no harm,
but bring him no good either? If that were the case, then maybe there was some
benefit to Liam, after all.
It will be hard to clear the Banfield name after two generations of sullying
it, but with this move, Liam should gain back some of the trust of noble society.
If Wallace successfully became independent, then House Banfield's
reputation would likely improve among the nobility. If that was Liam's aim, then
it all made sense to the prime minister.
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