Chapter 8:
The Engagement Ceremony
IN MY PERSONAL ROOM in the mansion, I lay spread-eagle on my bed with
Amagi's lap serving as my pillow. This sensation really made me feel that I was
home.
"Amagi, how's Rosetta doing?"
"She was shown around the mansion and is presently resting in her
chambers, happily chatting with her family."
That's not very interesting. I wanted Rosetta to despair more, or show a
little rebelliousness. She must just be happy about reuniting with her family. I'll
give her a little more time.
"That's too bad. I think she should have a little more awareness about her
situation. You know, like how I'm stealing everything from her."
"Everything? So you slept with her already?"
That made me pause.
"Huh? Why?"
Amagi gave me a troubled look, which was a little cute. No, it was really
cute.
"Master, you will be taking a wife, so if you continue concerning yourself
only with me, your betrothed will fall out of love with you."
"Well, I'll just get rid of her, then. And that's that."
I would never let anyone try to take Amagi from me.
"If you were to abandon Lady Rosetta, you would lose the trust noble
society has placed in you. You would lose your new peerage as well."
"Then I guess I'll lock her up, instead. I don't want a woman who
complains about what I do."
My wife in my previous life had been that way before our divorce. She
would complain about everything I did. I still remember one incident where she
complained about a present I bought for her and she ended up throwing it in the
trash. It made me sick to recall my humiliation. I wished I could see her again,
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just so I could kill her with my own hands. I wondered if the Guide would bring
her soul here if I asked him to. No, on second thought, I didn't actually want to
ever see her again, in any form.
I should take out all these negative feelings on Rosetta. I know it's
misplaced frustration, but I bet it would be entertaining. And she'll resist, so I
can thoroughly—
"Master."
"What is it?" Amagi snapped me out of my fantasy by calling for me.
"Lady Rosetta is to be your wife. Please be kind to her."
I couldn't respond to that. After all, I had chosen Rosetta to be my wife in
order to torment her. I couldn't deny that the constant pressure from Amagi and
Brian to find myself a wife had contributed to my decision as well.
I turned my face away, remaining silent, and Amagi stroked my head.
"We are planning the engagement ceremony for after your graduation."
"I see... No, wait." I sat up and turned to face Amagi.
"Is something the matter?"
"We'll have the engagement ceremony right away. We'll do it during this
long break. Begin the preparations immediately!"
"Immediately? Even if we hurry, there is simply not enough time."
"I don't care. You're thinking about a lavish ceremony for Rosetta, right?
It can be a modest affair; it doesn't matter, just so long as we can do it right
away."
"There is Lady Rosetta's education to consider, as well. At minimum, she
will require one month in an education capsule."
At this point in her life, Rosetta had only had the bare minimum of
education and physical strengthening in an education capsule, resulting in her
unfortunate grades at primary school. To help this, we planned on putting her in
an education capsule over long breaks in the hopes of raising her grades a little.
"Then throw her in now while we start preparing for the ceremony."
"Very well."
Maybe a rushed engagement ceremony would wake the steel-hearted
Rosetta up to the reality of her situation, and speeding things up would enable
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me to steal the position of duke from House Claudia all the sooner. We still
wouldn't be officially married, but I'd be in a position of "duke-to-be." Then
after our noble training was finished, we'd have the wedding, and my position
would be secured.
"I can't wait," I said aloud.
Rosetta... Your despair has only just begun.
***
"You cur! How shameless can you be?"
Wearing the white dress I'd ordered for our engagement ceremony,
Rosetta glared at me.
"That expression of yours is ruining the effect of your beautiful dress.
How about acting a little happier, huh?"
I gave her a worried look and Rosetta turned away from me. She must not
have wanted me to see her face all scrunched up in frustration. The sight of this
alone was enough to entertain me, so I rewarded her with some cheap words.
"You look stunning, Rosetta. Like you truly belong at my side."
I could hear the fabric of her white gloves creaking as she clenched her
fists.
"Shameless! Don't you feel pathetic obtaining your title with money?"
If anyone else had said that to me, I would have warmed my blade with
them. Since it was Rosetta, though, I walked over to her with a broad grin on my
face and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me.
"Your family bowed to that money, you know. How does it feel, having
your precious peerage taken from you? Tell me, daughter of a duchess. No...
There's a more important title in your future now, isn't there? You're my bride-
to-be, after all."
"For it to be stolen by you, of all people..."
Rosetta desperately held back tears, but her eyes were wet with the
vexation of losing one of the few things supporting her: her peerage. I snickered
and let go of her.
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"No matter how much it upsets you, you're my bride-to-be. Let's get
along, Rosetta."
Rosetta crumpled to the floor, clenching her teeth and glaring up at me.
"I will take my peerage back. I won't lose to you."
I slipped my hands in my pockets and turned to leave the room, but I
paused for a parting line.
"I'm looking forward to it. Show me your struggle."
It's gonna go like this! I'm sure of it!
I was full of satisfaction. Now that she had settled in a bit, Rosetta's steely
will had resurfaced. Her proud resolve would afford me plenty of entertainment.
"I can't wait!"
As I imagined how this future scene might play out, Amagi watched me
from my side. She wore an expression that was hard to describe on her face.
"As long as you are enjoying yourself, Master."
***
In the room housing the education capsule at House Banfield's mansion,
doctors and security maid robots stood around Rosetta. The young woman wore
only thin clothing to hide her body.
"This doesn't look like the simple education capsule we have at home."
House Banfield's high-performance capsule was nothing like the one
Rosetta's family owned. Female technicians, who specialized in running the
device, performed adjustments to the machine while a female doctor explained
Rosetta's treatment plan to her.
"We'll just be doing some short-term adjustments this time. Including the
necessary physical therapy afterward, the process will take about a month."
"That's almost my whole break."
When Rosetta hung her head, one of the doctors moved closer to console
her.
"We're aware of your grandmother's condition. I'm sure you'd prefer to
be by her side as much as you can, but this was Lord Liam's decision."
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"Yes, I know. I know that it's what my grandmother wants too."
She wiped her tears away. Her grandmother wasn't in good health. Liam
had authorized the use of an elixir to restore her, but all that elixirs could treat
were illness and injury. They couldn't prolong someone's natural lifespan. In
other words, Rosetta's grandmother was simply reaching the end of her time. It
was possible to prolong it somewhat, but not by much. In reality, Liam had used
an elixir already, but there wasn't much effect. Rosetta making use of the
education capsule was essentially her grandmother's last wish.
Regarding the education capsule, the doctor told her, "We'll do what we
can in this short period, Lady Rosetta, but please remember this is merely a
stopgap measure. You'll need to make more serious use of the capsule after you
graduate from primary school."
Rosetta looked up, her expression stiff.
"I understand."
Before entering the capsule, Rosetta removed her clothing and lowered her
nude body into the liquid inside. Once fully inside the capsule, she curled up like
a fetus.
Grandmother, you have to live long enough to see the engagement
ceremony...
Her consciousness grew distant, and her education and physical
strengthening commenced.
***
Thomas Henfrey, Liam's personal merchant, was in quite a panic.
"Hurry! We need to get everything ready for the ceremony as soon as we
can!"
The date for Count Banfield's engagement ceremony had been officially
announced, but it left little time for preparation. Thomas' employees worked as
quickly as they could to load containers onto a ship bound for House Banfield's
planet.
One of Thomas' bustling people complained aloud. "Why the big hurry?
Can't he hold the engagement ceremony after he graduates from primary
school?"
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Thomas explained the situation as they worked.
"It's his fiancée, Lady Rosetta. Her grandmother doesn't have much time
left, I'm afraid."
Those words were enough for the employee to get the picture. Liam was
rushing the ceremony because he wanted Rosetta's grandmother to be there for
her big day, and Thomas was doing his best to make that happen for him.
"She's had a rough time of it until now. If we don't work our butts off
here, we can't rightfully call ourselves House Banfield's personal merchants.
Sorry, but I'm counting on you, all right?"
The employee quit his complaining and got back to work.
***
It was weird.
Things had definitely become weird inside my domain.
My domain had always been a strange place with strange fads and
fashions, but the current trend was...a moving story about me. I didn't
understand why, but people seemed to think I was rushing the engagement
ceremony for the sake of Rosetta's grandmother.
At the moment, I sat watching the news on a monitor, and the anchor was
talking about that very subject.
"Lord Liam's fiancée Lady Rosetta has led a rather troubled life."
The news story began with a look at Rosetta's past, relating in detail the
horrible treatment that House Claudia had suffered up until now. Even I was
taken aback by what the story laid out. It was far worse than what I'd heard from
Wallace.
Then, the news story shifted into talking about how great I was for having
saved Rosetta and taking her as my fiancée. My domain's mass media was under
my control, but it was honestly kind of creepy that they were flattering me this
much. Did they have an ulterior motive or something?
"Lady Rosetta's grandmother, the former duchess, is unwell and not long
for this world."
I'd heard that they were using elixirs to extend her life, if only just a little.
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I permitted their use myself, in fact, in the hopes that she could participate in the
ceremony. It wasn't to "save" her, though. I just thought that having her dying
grandmother attend would make the ceremony more painful for Rosetta. I
wanted to see Rosetta humiliated in front of her grandmother for having the
peerage she tried to protect be pried away from her. Yet, apparently, everyone
thought I was just being nice to her.
I had only found this out that very day. I had no idea they were shaping
the situation into this maudlin, noble tale.
As I watched this in my private chambers, I looked over at Amagi as she
attended to me. I pointed at the screen.
"What is this about?"
Amagi, who'd been with me for a long time, knew exactly what I was
asking.
"Your engagement to Lady Rosetta is very moving, Master. Many people
are enjoying the story. There are even plans to portray the events in a movie and
a serialized drama."
"That can't be true."
"It is."
I guess they all want to spin me and Rosetta meeting into some grand tale
of destiny. There wasn't a single thing like that about how we met, but I guess
they wanted it to be a moving tale. Are the people in my domain okay? Is there a
riot coming or something? Have I squeezed too much out of them? Maybe I
should lay off a bit and start taxing them more later.
"Amagi, see to it that taxes are reduced. Just a little, though."
"A rather abrupt request. Though, as the engagement ceremony is a joyous
event, the tax reduction can be done in its honor."
"That's it! I just want to let up a little on the people so they're not feeling
all stressed out."
"I shall arrange it."
I was starting to get concerned about my subjects. Why were they
publishing heartwarming stories about a guy who taxed their incomes so much?
Were they trying to convince themselves that I was some wonderful person?
Doubt me more! Are you all stupid?!
No, wait... I can use this situation.
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When Rosetta found out that our humiliating meeting had been warped
into some kind of feel-good story, how exasperated would that make her? I
imagined the amusing expression of frustration I'd get to see on her face every
time she saw mention of that serialized drama and theatrical movie.
Smirking, I said, "I'm looking forward to this engagement ceremony."
"I am glad you are enjoying yourself, Master," Amagi said with a smile as
she watched over me.
***
The long break from primary school was approaching its end.
Numerous guests had come to stay at House Banfield's mansion. In a
handsome formal outfit, Wallace mingled among them, sipping a beverage.
"I was picturing a much more lavish party. This is sort of understated."
Kurt and Eila had been invited too, and therefore, they wore formal
clothing as well.
"It looks pretty lavish to me," Kurt remarked.
"Yeah! This is a huge party from a baron's point of view," Eila added.
The two of them were from families with a lower status than Liam, so
what was lowkey for him seemed extravagant to them. Wallace felt differently,
having been an Imperial prince and thus being more familiar with noble society.
"It's very subdued for a count's celebration. Not frugal, I would say, but
just that it's sort of comforting how it's not very eccentric."
Many nobles enjoyed throwing very strange parties with unexpected
themes to see how much they could surprise or shock their guests.
Wallace went on, "Other than bucket parties, though, you can count on
one hand the number of those crazy theme parties have actually succeeded."
Kurt perked up when Wallace mentioned the infamous bucket party.
"The bucket party is really the standard for eccentric parties, huh?"
"Yeah. I've attended a few of them, and they really are something. It's no
wonder they're the standard. The person who thought that up was a genius."
"I want to go to one, just once..." Eila sighed enviously, cupping a glass
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in both hands.
Wallace frowned. "Well, they're nice when they're successful, but a failed
bucket party will be one of your worst memories."
Liam's gathering was buffet-style, so the attendees drifted about carrying
drinks and plates of food. Kurt looked around for familiar faces.
"A lot of nobles are here. My father was having a real time of it earlier,
trying to greet them all."
More nobles had come for the engagement ceremony than had attended
Liam's coming-of-age ceremony. That was the proof of the power he'd gained
since then.
Is this what Liam was after? Wallace wondered to himself.
Liam had practically announced his open hostility toward House Berkeley.
Wallace had feared this would drive many nobles away, but those with good
sense were gravitating toward him instead. There were probably many who were
waiting to see what would come of his declaration before making a move, but
Wallace was surprised to see how many allies Liam was already making.
If more noble houses get involved, this conflict between House Banfield
and House Berkeley could turn into a proxy war inside the Empire.
If so, it would be a contest between the high-minded nobility and the
villainous. With Liam, of course, representing the high-minded.
It couldn't be... Could it?
***
Rosetta and I were in a waiting room, preparing for the engagement
ceremony to commence.
Serving as Rosetta's personal bodyguard was Marie, who had volunteered
for the duty. She waited quietly and wore a knight's impressive formal attire.
At my side was Tia, also in formal knight's attire. Both knights were quiet
and composed, trying to blend into the background so as not to get in the way of
my conversation with Rosetta.
Rosetta was dressed in the pure white dress she had tried on before her
time in the education capsule. Additionally, she wore a veil over her face, so I
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couldn't see her expression.
I told her, "You look beautiful, Rosetta."
I'd fantasized about this moment again and again, but now that the time
had come for the real thing, it was hard for me to actually utter the shameless
lines I'd practiced. I supposed I was more nervous than I had expected.
Rosetta's only response was the trembling of her shoulders.
"Nervous? That's fine. It's almost time. Don't think you're getting away,
now."
Aside from that little warning, I couldn't manage any of the taunting and
gloating things I'd planned on saying at this point. Well, I'd have plenty of time
for that sort of fun later. There was no need to rush.
"Let's go," I said to Tia.
"Yes, sir."
I left the room with my escort, still regretting that I hadn't practiced more
lines beforehand.
***
When Liam and Tia left the waiting room, Rosetta's trembling grew
stronger.
"Wh-wh-what do I do, Marie?! I couldn't answer him at all. Do you think
he was mad? Was he disgusted with me?"
Rosetta turned to Marie for support as she had been too nervous to
respond to Liam. When Marie looked back at her, she simply saw her long-dead
friend.
"Not at all. Lord Liam understands you're nervous, Lady Rosetta. There's
nothing to worry yourself over."
Her blood really flows in this girl's veins. She's just so sweet.
Two thousand years earlier, Marie had been something of a wild and
uncultured knight, and it had been the daughter of House Claudia who had
taught her how to speak and conduct herself like a lady. Rosetta's ancestor was
never frightened of Marie and had become fast friends with the wild girl. They
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lived in different worlds, but Rosetta's ancestor accepted Marie without
prejudice. In fact, she would sometimes play pranks on the knight, and those
days of laughter were bittersweet memories for her now.
She was so nervous before her wedding, too.
Marie couldn't help smiling as she gazed upon Rosetta. She noticed
Rosetta had hung her head, though, so Marie asked her worriedly, "Is something
wrong?"
"Err... There's been so much happening, I haven't really thought about it
before this, but...what should I call Liam? We're engaged, but just calling him
by his name doesn't seem right somehow."
Rosetta looked embarrassed, as if she expected Marie to say, "What in the
world are you talking about at a time like this?" But Marie just considered it for
a moment.
Now that I think of it, there was a term of endearment she used when
addressing the man she loved, wasn't there? Recalling what her old friend had
called her husband, Marie gave Rosetta a suggestion.
"You wouldn't want to call him the same thing his friends do, I should
think. What about 'Darling,' then?"
"Darling?"
"Yes. No one else would ever call him that, so it would be a special pet
name only you could use."
"Darling... R-right. I'll call him that, then!"
Marie smiled, watching Rosetta delight in her new nickname for Liam,
while the other female knights and attendants nearby gave them somewhat
dubious looks. Marie and Rosetta didn't even notice.
***
The engagement ceremony had begun.
Sealing a vow with a kiss in front of a crowd of people was a custom that
Earth and the Intergalactic Empire shared, it seemed. Some things weren't too
different, I mused, but I was also a bit preoccupied with wanting to see Rosetta's
face, as it was covered by that veil.
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The celebrant who presided over the ceremony instructed us to make our
vows, so we faced each other. This was the big moment of the day, and the part I
was looking forward to the most as well. I was sure that beneath the veil, Rosetta
was biting her lip or fighting back tears in bitter frustration. Or perhaps she was
doing her best to show no expression at all, storing all her hatred for me deep
inside her heart. Either way, this was a life-changing moment for a woman, and
she was being forced into this bond with a man she didn't even love. Rosetta
must have been absolutely mortified.
"How does it feel, Rosetta?" I asked her sweetly.
She didn't respond, probably too frustrated to even speak.
"Everything you have inherited is about to become mine. Your family,
your peerage, and all that comes with it—it's all mine now."
I slowly lifted her veil, exposing her face from the bottom up. The first
thing I saw was her chin. Her skin had always been clear, but its beauty was
enhanced even more by makeup. I lifted her veil a little more and revealed her
lips. Made vivid with lipstick, they looked luscious.
H-huh? Isn't this strange? I thought she'd be gritting her teeth, but she's
not. Maybe she's listless because her spirit is broken? Well, that's just as
satisfying, I guess.
Lifting the veil the rest of the way, I took in the sight of Rosetta's whole
face and saw that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wet and shining,
staring only at me.
Wait a second... What's going on here? Why are you wearing that
"maiden in love" face? Don't tell me you've given up resisting! Aren't you
supposed to be the woman with the steel will?!
While I stared at Rosetta, dumbfounded by her unexpected expression, a
single tear rolled down her cheek.
"I'm so grateful to you for accepting a girl like me. Darling, I... I'll stay
by your side forever!"
Darling?! Did... Did you eat something weird?
I was starting to suspect one of House Banfield's doctors, wanting to make
things easier for me, had brainwashed her while in the education capsule. The
maid robots had reported that the doctors had given her a standard program,
though, and they wouldn't lie to me, but...
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Rosetta closed her eyes and raised her face a little, taking a step toward
me. I was surprised; I thought she would be a lot more unwilling when it came to
this part.
Seeing Rosetta this way, and so up close, I couldn't deny how cute she
was...even beautiful. In any case, to move the engagement ceremony along, I
kissed her. As I did so, another tear ran down her cheek.
Maybe she's just trying to trick me. Th-that'd be okay, I guess. It would
mean she's got enough spunk left to lull me into letting my guard down, so she
can kill me in my sleep or whatever later.
I nervously removed my lips from hers.
"Rosetta... I'm looking forward to what comes next."
When I said that, what I hoped to convey was my intent to destroy her
spirit. I grinned at her in what I intended to be a villainous manner. In return,
Rosetta wiped her eyes and gave me an absolutely brilliant smile.
"Yes, Darling."
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Hold on! Have you given up already?! I thought that part was supposed to
come later, after you broke down and I turned you into a sobbing wreck! This
isn't how Nitta told me these things went!
***
Laughter echoed through the venue at Liam's flustered reactions during
the ceremony, but the guests weren't ridiculing him. They simply found his
innocence heartwarming.
Among the crowd was Wallace, who studied the row of knights in Liam's
service, standing off to one side. In particular, he eyed Liam's head knight
Christiana and the next in rank beneath her, Marie. They were extraordinarily
talented female knights, both of whom seemed to have appeared at House
Banfield out of nowhere.
"Where is Liam finding his personnel? You'd be hard-pressed to find two
knights at that level in the palace."
At the end of the engagement ceremony, letters of congratulations were
read, one of them being from the prime minister. Wallace just quietly sipped his
drink without reacting to it outwardly.
Does the prime minister have high hopes for Liam as well? No, that old
timer isn't such a nice guy. He's probably just waiting to see if it's Liam or the
Berkeleys who come out on top in their conflict.
Even so, that meant Liam was a significant enough figure in the Empire
for the prime minister to have his eye on him.
Wallace smiled as he sipped from the alcoholic beverage in his hand. "I
couldn't be happier, having a guy like Liam for my patron. I guess I should help
him out a bit, too. Things wouldn't exactly be great for me if my patron were to
disappear, after all."
Wallace was grinning, but Eila just gave him a sidelong look
"Why are you acting like you're so important?" she asked him coldly.
"What do you think you can do for Liam?"
Eila was totally different with Wallace than she was with Liam and Kurt.
Only with Wallace was she so cold and harsh.
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"I-I can help him a little bit!"
"I dunno. It would probably help him more if you just stayed out of his
way."
Eila's words stabbed into Wallace's chest.
***
The knights, now off-duty, lingered in the banquet hall after the ceremony
was finished, sitting at tables eating and drinking. Tia, Liam's head knight, was
one of them, and she was overjoyed at Liam's engagement. Seated around her
were many of the knights who had been captured by pirates and gone through
hell with her before Liam had rescued them. What they discussed, naturally, was
Liam.
"I'm just so happy to hear about Lord Liam's engagement."
"Didn't you hope to be his first wife, Tia?"
"Of course not... I wouldn't dream of it. Lord Liam shines far too brightly
for someone like me. I'm happy just serving at his side."
As Tia and her fellow knights chatted enthusiastically, a slightly different
group approached their table. These were also knights who served Liam, but
they were a bit of an odd group who had joined more recently. Their leader,
another female knight, strode directly to Tia and brought her face right up to
hers.
"So you're Christiana? This is our first time speaking, isn't it?"
When Marie addressed Tia by her name, the knights around them quieted.
As a hush fell over the banquet hall, Tia sipped at her drink, looking up at Marie
out of the corner of her eye.
"I suppose it is, mutt. Did you need something from me?"
Tia's attitude toward Marie was just as rude, if not ruder.
"I heard you were captured by pirates. Don't you think the position of
Lord Liam's head knight might be a bit too heavy for your delicate little
shoulders?"
Marie mocked Tia, provoking her. And Tia couldn't just let her ridicule go
unremarked upon.
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The knights who had been captured by pirates along with Tia and
subjected to similar tortures, looked ready to draw their weapons on the spot.
In response to Marie's insult, Tia jerked the glass in her hand and splashed
its contents onto Marie.
"Bold words from someone who allowed herself and others to become
petrified."
Marie swiftly drew her sword and held the blade up to Tia's neck, but in
the same instant, Tia's rapier was poised at Marie's chest. The two had drawn
their weapons and pointed them at each other in less than an eye blink, and now
that they had, all the other knights around them drew their weapons, too.
Marie glared at Tia, but she sheathed her blade with a creepy smile. "I'm
sure it will just be for a short while, but please do serve Lord Liam well as his
head knight. I'll be taking the position from you sooner or later."
Tia sheathed her sword as well; her eyes were still glinting icily. "I don't
know, I think second-in-command might be a bit heavy for you. It's no job for a
senior citizen...or, should I say, a fossil?"
This provocation caused Marie to become crazed. "You whelp! I should
crush you and turn you back into the pile of ground meat Lord Liam had the
misfortune of discovering! Or perhaps you enjoyed being a pirate's plaything,
hm?"
"I'd like to see you try. I'll turn you back into stone, and then smash you
into so many tiny pieces that no one'll make the mistake of reviving you again!"
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Sparks flew between the two women. Of the knights watching this
exchange, some were exasperated while others appeared to be thinking that both
ladies should be taken down so they could become head knight themselves.
Some of the knights kept quiet, as if this dispute had nothing to do with
them, but others allied themselves with either Tia or Marie. A violent clash
between the two factions looked imminent.
When Liam had inherited his domain, House Banfield hadn't had many
knights, but that was no longer the case. Some had volunteered to serve him
because of his growing reputation, while others served him to pay back the debt
they owed him for rescuing them from harrowing circumstances. Some wanted
to improve their social status, and some simply wanted to prove their martial
abilities. Basically, there were all sorts among them.
As House Banfield gained power, it also gained more and more talented
knights. As these knights were all individually powerful, there wasn't yet
someone who could keep them all in check.
Tia and Marie were the best candidates to fulfill that role, but the two of
them had no intention of working together. Maybe one of them could have
handled the position by herself, but instead, both had devoted too much focus on
the position of head knight. Unfortunately, neither of the two planned on
yielding to the other.
Marie started to walk away, and Tia watched with a look filled with
bloodlust.
"Lord Liam doesn't need a mutt like you. I'll do him a favor and get rid of
you for him."
Marie stopped and turned to look back at Tia, eyes ablaze.
"You're the one Lord Liam doesn't need. I'll prove that to you soon,
ground meat woman."
The two female knights had gone from rivals to enemies.
***
Among the knights in the tense banquet hall was one who had started
working for Liam relatively recently.
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I picked the wrong house to serve.
The feud between Tia and Marie had quickly escalated from a shouting
match to a situation that threatened to spill blood. The knight who had witnessed
this sorry display and regretted his decision was named Claus Sera Mont. A
tired-looking man with the appearance of someone in his thirties, he wasn't
especially talented like Tia and Marie, but he wasn't incompetent either.
I only applied because the conditions looked good, but things are worse
here than I could have imagined.
Claus had been dismissed from his previous position at another house. His
dismissal had been for financial reasons, but the tragic reality was that Claus was
just too good of a person. He'd not only allowed his bosses and colleagues to
take credit for his work, but even some of his subordinates as well, and as a
result he hadn't built a good reputation for himself. He also tended to be the
scapegoat for other people's blunders out of convenience. His personality was
such that when other people begged him for things with tears in their eyes or
asked him for favors, he couldn't say no. Before he knew it, he'd garnered a
reputation for being an incompetent man who could barely perform his duties
and who constantly made mistakes. Branded useless, when the house he served
began to decline, he was quickly let go to cut costs.
The only place where he'd been able to find new employment was House
Banfield, which had been severely lacking in knights. They'd been gaining
power at that time, but had lacked vassals for several generations now, so they
were rather desperate for new manpower. The fact that Claus, with his poor
reputation, was able to be hired by them was proof that they weren't being too
picky.
Now that he saw how things were playing out, though, with the
organization and leadership of Liam's beefed-up force of knights, Claus couldn't
help regretting that he'd applied here.
Still, I have my family to consider, so I can't exactly quit... Honestly,
though, it's just as flawed as my previous workplace. Just in a different way.
Claus leaped at the offer from House Banfield because the conditions
seemed good, and the treatment he received even now wasn't bad. Their pay was
higher than average, and while they were kept busy, they got sufficient breaks
too. If it were just about working conditions, House Banfield would be a vast
improvement over his previous place of employment. This rising conflict
between the two factions was terrible, though, and honestly too much for him to
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endure.
House Banfield had recruited some seriously talented knights, like Tia and
Marie, but there was no unity among them as a whole. In fact, there were several
different cliques with multiple powerful knights all vying for the position of
Liam's head knight.
Claus gave a quiet sigh. This is no place for somebody like me.
With this many powerful but hotheaded knights trying to make names for
themselves, Claus felt out of place as a knight who strove for professionalism
and balance. He wanted to quit as soon as he could, but what other prospects
were there for a knight with no accomplishments to his name and a reputation
for being useless? His only option was to put up with things at House Banfield
for now and hope that things would be sorted down the line.
This is just too much, though.
With the joyous engagement ceremony over, the atmosphere in the
banquet hall should have been celebratory and harmonious. Instead, knights who
all served the same family sat glaring at each other, seemingly ready to kill each
other.
I want to go home. I just want to see my family's faces and go to bed.
Claus, a rather mundane knight, was very much worried whether he'd be
able to continue serving House Banfield with all its extreme personalities.
***
Rosetta... I'm disappointed in you.
"Does this look good on me, Darling?"
"Yeah."
"Thank goodness. Amagi picked this one out for me!"
"Oh yeah?"
Rosetta didn't own any clothing or goods that were suitable for her
position, so I had Thomas Henfrey bring a huge selection of merchandise. When
I told her to pick whatever she liked from it, she'd done so with great
enthusiasm, so now here she was happily modeling her selections for me.
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I'd thought she was the woman with the formidable steel will, but that will
had been broken all too easily, and her transition to her current contented state
had been much too smooth.
This is bull!
Rosetta spun around in her new dress. Her ringlets floated into the air and
then settled back down as she did. As long as I was only looking at her, she was
a beautiful future wife. Also, due to her family's humble situation, her
personality was reserved, and she didn't spend money as one would expect of a
future duchess.
Not that I was concerned enough to look into it much. I didn't care about
Rosetta's spending habits, after all. I was the one who actually paid for what she
bought, but she stayed within the budget I'd allotted her. I would have
complained if she had gone outside that budget, but to be honest, there was no
need for me to worry about expenses.
Now I wondered if there had really been a need to rush the engagement
ceremony. In any case, we'd both have to head back to school soon. I was
wondering how things might be different for me there now when Rosetta
bashfully called out to me.
"Darling, about our plans for tomorrow..."
"You want to go visit the grave, right? Should I come with you?"
Rosetta's grandmother had passed away peacefully in her sleep after
living just long enough to witness her granddaughter's big day. Rosetta had
bawled her eyes out. She'd recovered now but would probably become
emotional and get lost in her memories when she visited the grave for the first
time.
Since the ceremony, Rosetta's mother had tearfully thanked me over and
over again for making it a reality, and for helping her grandmother live long
enough to see it. On top of that, Rosetta never stopped referring to me as
"Darling." How could this be happening? I hadn't expected all this praise from
them.
While I mused about all this, a new chapter of a serialized drama began
playing on the room's giant screen.
"Oh, it's already this late?"
This drama featured Rosetta as its heroine. I showed her the first
installment, thinking it would frustrate her, but she became bashful about it
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instead. You're really okay with this? They've made our meeting into this feel-
good story, but it wasn't like that at all, was it? Shouldn't you be exasperated
about how they've misinterpreted everything? Why aren't you saying, "This is
nothing like me!"
At best, Rosetta seemed bewildered by the show's portrayal of her.
"They're treating me like I'm some sort of glamorous princess. I'm not like
that."
The actress who played Rosetta in the drama was decently attractive.
Overall, Rosetta seemed pleased with the show, so I felt a bit relieved—Wait, no
I don't!
She sat down next to me on the couch to watch, blushing slightly. There
was a bit of distance between the two of us, but she shifted closer, looking a little
embarrassed by her actions.
Well, aren't you cute? But what's with this maiden in love routine you've
got going on? Oh, woman of steel, where are you?
Rosetta watched the show with a look of confusion on her face. "I didn't
live in a huge mansion like that." She made comments like that every so often,
about how poor she actually was. It was hard to listen to.
Toward the end of the episode, a handsome actor portraying me appeared.
I didn't really care what he looked like, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it. It
irritated me that he was actually more attractive than I was, but if he'd been less
attractive than me, that would have been annoying in its own way.
As for the plot of the show, the action started just before we entered
primary school. The guy who played me was excessively cool, and all his lines
portrayed him as a kind lord who cared about the wellbeing of his people. That
just showed how badly my subjects misunderstood me. This was just their
idealized image of me, an illusion they'd convinced themselves was reality. I
wasn't a kind lord! I didn't care about my people at all.
I found myself curious about the filming location for this episode.
"Wait, that looks just like my mansion..."
While I marveled at how they'd managed to reproduce my mansion for the
program, Brian came in with a little tea trolley. Not that I cared, but I noticed he
looked like he was enjoying himself greatly. He just couldn't get enough of
seeing me and Rosetta getting along, I guess.
"Pardon me... I've brought some refreshments."
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Not knowing what to talk about with Rosetta, I chose to speak to Brian
instead. "Look at this, Brian. It looks just like my mansion. Don't you think
they've reproduced it well?"
As Brian poured tea, he explained, "Why, of course it resembles the
mansion. We rented out a portion for them to film in. You know, sir, there was a
time when my aim was to become an actor myself, so I was perhaps more
excited than I should be at my age, for having played a small part in the
production."
This was the first I'd heard that the drama's production crew had been
allowed to film here. My mansion was so excessively large that I hadn't run into
them. No wonder the location looked so authentic—it was the real thing.
What, you were in on this, Brian? You should stick to one story about your
youthful dreams, by the way. So were you going to be an adventurer, or an
actor?
Brian bashfully admitted, "I was able to obtain an autograph from an
actress I've always admired."
Oh, yeah? Good for you.
In the show, the strong-willed Rosetta met the noble me for the first time,
and then the episode ended. I didn't know where to begin with my criticisms of
the program. Rosetta seemed to have enjoyed it, at least, though she looked a
little embarrassed too.
With the episode finished, she looked over at me. She appeared to be
expecting something, but there was no way for me to know what it was if she
didn't tell me.
As I was thinking that, Wallace burst into the room.
"Liam, let's go back to school!"
"We leave three days from now," I replied quickly, and Wallace made a
face like it was the end of the world.
Rosetta gave him a displeased look.
"Is there a particular reason you want to?" I asked Wallace, and I found
the answer he gave to be rather pathetic.
"It's Serena! That nasty old hag is so strict! She keeps scolding me, and
complaining that my manners aren't up to snuff! I finally got out of the palace!
I'm not just gonna keep living the same life I did back then!"
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So he wanted to go back to primary school to get away from Serena. What
an idiot. Serena wouldn't have had anything to complain about if he would only
put a little more effort into his etiquette. She'd scolded me for my unfiltered
mouth before, but that was about it.
"This is a good opportunity for you. Why don't you learn some valuable
lessons from her over the next three days, yeah?"
"You traitor, Liam!"
"I'm telling you this for your own sake, Wallace."
Knowing me and my moods well, several of my attendants entered the
room, bowed to me, then collected Wallace and took him away.
"Nooooo!"
I sipped my tea as I listened to Wallace's fading cries. I'd taken him on as
a sort of evil lord's henchman, but it sure wasn't turning out like I'd expected.
Lately I seemed to make nothing but miscalculations.
"Incidentally, Master Liam," Brian informed me, "we received a report
that something interesting was discovered on the frontier planet."
"Something interesting?"
"Yes, sir. It is most likely a replica, created as a sort of good luck charm.
How much do you know about planetary development devices?"
Mostly I just knew such devices were used to terraform planets, making
hostile worlds habitable.
"I've heard some. What about it?"
"Well, the devices used by ancient civilizations were actually more
sophisticated than the ones we use now. That's what our people have discovered,
or at least something like it. I know you're intrigued by mysterious ancient
artifacts, so I've already had it delivered to the mansion."
I put a hand to my chin in thought. I'd encountered similar strange
discoveries in the past. I felt the Guide had directed me to them, and the alchemy
box, for one, had led to me gain vast riches.
"I'll take a look at it right away. Rosetta, why don't you rest in your own
room?"
"Of course, Darling."
I stood and started to follow Brian from the room. As I left, I glanced back
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at Rosetta. She looked a little lonely.
What, did you want to talk to me some more? ...Were you really that kind
of girl?
***
A green sphere had been delivered to the mansion. It was about the size of
a soccer ball, with lines all over its surface that formed an enigmatic pattern. In
addition, it gave off a faint green light. The thing was beautiful.
As I gazed at the sphere, mesmerized, Brian explained a bit about
planetary development devices.
"When such a device is placed near an inhospitable planet, that planet will
become habitable to humans. There are many imitations of ancient devices like
this that have been kept by planetary development teams as a kind of good luck
charm to ensure success."
"That's pretty amazing."
"However, just as such a device can make a planet bountiful, if misused, it
can result in a dead planet. Ancient civilizations left many planets barren in that
way, by converting the energy absorbed by the device into elixirs. It's a rather
frightening device, to tell the truth."
A device like this, if it was authentic, could turn wasteland planets into
environments rich with nature's bounty, but could do the opposite too.
When I touched the globe curiously, its green glow changed to red.
Brian exclaimed, "Oh! It's unusual for it to glow red like that. Usually,
they're just known to glow green."
"Oh yeah?"
I mused that this might be a big find, since I felt there was a good chance
it was the real deal. As I inspected the device, I recalled the gold necklace I'd
obtained in House Razel's domain. With my curiosity about the necklace
renewed, I asked Brian what he thought about it.
"Brian, does this look familiar to you at all?"
"That, sir? Hmm... You seem to attract unusual charms like this, Master
Liam."
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"This is another charm?"
"Yes. It's meant to repel poisons and curses. There are many tales of
emperors seeking out such necklaces."
A good luck charm, eh? I'd been wearing the necklace since I'd come into
possession of it, and from what Brian said, it sounded like I should continue
doing so. I suspected it might be a present for me from the Guide.
Now then, about this planetary development device...
"Tell me more about how to use this device, Brian."
When I expressed my interest, Brian smiled and began his lecture.
"I'm delighted you have a thirst for knowledge and adventure, Master
Liam. Let's see... If what I remember from old history books is accurate..."
Soon after listening intently to what Brian had to share about operating
this device, I headed right into space.
***
While Liam headed into space, Rosetta summoned Amagi and they sat
facing each other.
The beautiful robot in her maid's outfit was as expressionless as always.
"Is there something I can do for you, Lady Rosetta?"
"I've learned about Darling's circumstances from Brian and Serena. His
parents abandoned him, and you were the one who essentially raised him... Is
that right, Amagi?"
Amagi nodded. "Rather than care for him themselves, Master's parents
and grandparents moved to the Capital Planet, and I was installed here to care
for him." Assuming it likely that Rosetta found her presence unpleasant, Amagi
continued. "I am sure you are not pleased by my presence, but I am unable to
oppose my master's wishes. I will endeavor to make myself as inconspicuous to
you as I am able."
Most of those who knew of Liam's tendency to surround himself with
dolls considered it to be his one flaw. Thus, Amagi naturally assumed that she
made Rosetta uncomfortable.
Yet, Rosetta's response to Amagi's words was unexpected. "Wait... You
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think I'd complain about something like that?"
"Lady Rosetta?"
Rosetta handed Amagi a present she'd crafted herself. "I learned how to
do this in my spare time. It's the only thing I can give you right now..."
It wasn't something she bought in House Banfield's domain or ordered
from Thomas. Instead, it was a braided cord she had created out of thread.
"Is it all right for me to accept this?"
"Of course it is! You're important to Darling, aren't you?"
Amagi smiled, though the subtle expression struck Rosetta as being a
touch sad. "I suppose I must be..." She accepted the braided cord from Rosetta
and expressed her gratitude. "Thank you very much, Mistress."
Rosetta blushed when Amagi called her Mistress. "I-I'm not your mistress
yet, Amagi. You're being a little premature."
"I suppose you are right." Amagi bowed her head deeply to Rosetta. As if
on some sudden impulse, she added, "Lady Rosetta, please take care of Master."
***
When people waged war in space, it created a massive amount of junk—
space debris—which drifted around freely. The dirty scars of war remained out
there indefinitely.
In the Avid, I had come to an area rife with such scars to test out the
planetary development device. According to Brian, the device manipulated an
environment's vitality.
"Now, let's see what happens."
Inside my cockpit, I touched the planetary development device to activate
it, and its glow turned red as the sphere began to suck up the surrounding
vitality.
Why was there "vitality" here, anyway? All I could think was that the
souls or life energy of the pirates who attacked my frontier planet and were
killed out here, drifted among the mangled scrap.
Sucking up vitality and refining it into elixirs was this device's other
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function, besides terraforming. I hesitated to use it for such inside my own
domain, but against the pirates out here, I had no concerns.
Once the device was finished sucking up whatever residual life energy
drifted here with the debris, its light faded. Confirming that it had finished, I
inspected the device.
"According to Brian, I just do this now..."
As I fiddled with the sphere, red liquid started to pour from it. The liquid
spilled onto my lap and instantly hardened into stones, which clattered to the
floor. I picked one up and held it close to my eye. I recognized it; this was the
crystalized form of an elixir.
"Is this real elixir? That's pretty amazing. Now I can even make elixirs by
myself!"
I gathered up all of the stones I could from the cockpit's floor, but I had
lost sight of a few. However, I only searched for them for a few seconds before
realizing I didn't need to be so desperate. There were plenty more where those
came from.
I took out a bottle and poured the remaining elixir from the planetary
development device into it.
"How much would this amount go for, I wonder?"
I shook the bottle of elixir. The liquid splashed around inside, then
solidified, and then melted into liquid again. A very mysterious fluid indeed.
Acquiring this artifact couldn't possibly be coincidence, or just dumb luck.
No, it had to have been predetermined.
"This was the real thing too, and not just some charm. I'll have to thank
the Guide!"
The fact that treasures like these kept falling into my hands was proof that
the Guide still watched over me. If I had one lucky charm on my side, it was the
Guide himself. If not for him, there was no way I'd be getting my hands on stuff
like this as often as I did. I found it amusing that even though I hadn't joined
forces with Derrick, I'd still gotten my hands on a method to produce elixirs.
The Guide must have really been looking after me, carrying through with
the follow-up service he'd promised to provide. He hadn't shown himself lately
though.
I wonder how he's doing... I knew there was no point in me worrying
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about him, but I still couldn't help but think about him a bit. I was sure he was
fine, but I did miss him a bit. I wanted to thank him in person for all his help, but
I just hadn't gotten an opportunity lately.
"He was all embarrassed last time I did. Does he just not want to show his
face because of that? I think he's on the humble side."
Since gratitude was important, the best I could do right now was to will
my feelings of thanks to reach him.
"Thank you, Guide. Because of your help, I have even more power now."
To be honest, though... Even before receiving this mysterious sphere, I
hadn't exactly been lacking in elixirs. Since I'd been making a killing using the
alchemy box, I could easily buy elixirs or whatever else I wanted with a ton of
cash to spare. Sure, I could make a massive number of elixirs now, but I didn't
exactly need to.
"There's no point in destroying uninhabited planets just to make elixirs.
Maybe I should just keep this thing on my fortress-class ship and use it to
terraform planets."
The immense fortress-class ship I'd bought from Nias had proved useful
as a mobile defense base. I could station it in orbit around pioneer planets and
use this baby to develop them. The standard use for the device was to enrich the
vitality of the target area. A planet that already possessed ample vitality made it
easier for plants and animals to grow healthy and prosper under the device's
amplifying influence. Terraforming planets was way better than using it to refine
elixirs. The device had much more merit to me that way.
"I'll send this off with the fortress-class as a good luck charm."
I could just embed the sphere in a statue or something and no one would
be the wiser about its effects.
Holding the beautiful planetary development device in both hands, I
couldn't help but grin at the Guide's present.
"The Guide works so hard, sending me all this convenient stuff. One of
these days, I'll get the chance to thank him to his face again."
***
At that same moment, the Guide was on the Capital Planet, spreading his
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arms wide in glee.
"Mwa ha ha ha! The thousands of years of pent-up negative emotions in
this place are filling me with power! The Capital Planet is practically
overflowing with discontent!"
The Guide's absorption rate of negative emotions he required for
sustenance had plummeted lately, but there was no shortage of them on the
Capital Planet. The accumulation of negative emotions over the years was
strengthening the Guide. He was beginning to get his power back, but it was still
nowhere near what it had been before because Liam's feelings of gratitude
constantly sapped strength from him.
"Now I can make that accursed Liam taste hell. Just you wait!"
While he hadn't regained his full power, he still had more than enough by
now to resume his efforts to destroy Liam.
"What shall I do first? Should I have the whole universe become his
enemy? Wait, maybe I should just put him down with my own hands!"
While the Guide rejoiced over the prospect of destroying Liam, a lurking
concentration of light observed him. This light possessed the faint outline of a
dog, and it was angry. The animal bared its teeth and silently growled at the
Guide.
The dog suddenly looked up.
The Capital Planet was protected by a vast metal globe that encased the
entire planet and contained its atmosphere. Nevertheless, through one of the gaps
in that enclosing metal, Liam's gratitude came flying in the form of a golden
spear, headed straight for the Guide. This shining gold spear plunged right into
the back of the maniacally laughing entity.
"Hwaah!" he yelped at the sudden impact. The spear pinned him to the
ground. "Wh-wh-what just happened?!"
Confused, the Guide attempted to grip the golden spear and pull it out of
his body, but its shaft burned his skin the moment he touched it. Foul-smelling
smoke hissed from his hand.
"Aaaah!!! I-is this Liam's gratitude? Wh-why?! I haven't even done
anything for him!"
The Guide writhed in pain, pierced by the king-sized manifestation of
Liam's gratitude.
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"I-it's draining out of me... All of the power I'd finally gained back...
The power I went through all that hard work to gather. Can this really be
happening? You... Curse you, Liiiiiaaaaam!"
The Guide hadn't even done anything this time, but he still ended up being
burned by Liam's feelings of thankfulness.
The dog of light took all this in and disappeared, as if heading somewhere
else.
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