Chapter 5:
Practical Training
THINGS HAD SEEMED BUSY lately for the Imperial Army. The
military academy had set up reeducation and retraining facilities on
another planet, which had been operating at full capacity for the past few
years. The activity wasn't confined to just that planet, though, as things
were similarly busy at many other of the Empire's facilities. A rumor was
going around the academy that the Empire was planning some sort of big
operation.
At present, I was a senior at the academy, in my sixth year. Tia had
graduated before me, so I had given her the funds to put together my own
patrol fleet. I was curious about her progress. I looked forward to the big
reveal of what kind of fleet she'd assembled, but frankly I was pretty sure
I'd given her way too much money to do it. I didn't even remember how
much I gave her. Then again, what was the point of riches if you only let
them pile up? It was a waste to let my riches sit around doing nothing, so I
had just thrown whatever at her.
"It's going up again now..."
A portion of the tax revenue from my domain went into my pocket,
but the amount was so huge it made me dizzy to think about it. The
amount in my account increased way faster than I could use it, so there
was almost no point. Hell, I was thinking I was probably failing as an evil
lord if I couldn't think of a way to spend my money!
While I was lost in these thoughts, Wallace appeared and
immediately launched into a plea for cash.
"Liam, gimme some allowance!"
"I just did that last week, didn't I?"
"I used it up already. I had to go out and treat my underclassmen."
It pissed me off that Wallace could boast so openly about goofing
off. He regularly broke curfew, going out for drinks with his
underclassmen and meeting girls. And it was all on my dime!
"Why should I give you more money to fool around with?"
"'Cause you're my patron. W-wait, please, don't hit me! N-nooo!!!"
Page 85
I stood up threateningly, and Wallace covered his head with both
arms.
"You don't have to get so mad!"
"It pisses me off that you're the only one having fun here."
"Well, why don't you goof off too, Liam?"
"If I could, I would, dammit!"
Of course I wanted to go out and party too, but I couldn't forget
what had happened to Peter Sera Petack when we had both trained at
House Razel. What the hell kind of STI causes your junior to explode
anyway?! The viruses in this world are way too scary! Even for an evil
lord, that type of thing was terrifying. I knew as a noble I could afford to
be treated with an elixir for any serious malady, but who would want to
risk having their thing blow up in the first place?!
"How could I ever enjoy myself like you without being afraid I
might lose it?" I blurted out, before I could rein in my true feelings.
Wallace laughed. "You and Kurt were both like this all through
primary school! You never played around back then either. Come on, they
can test you for STIs when you get back here. And if you're unlucky, the
worst that'll happen is that you can use an elixir if you're positive and lose
your junior for a bit."
"But I'd still be missing my member! Unless the possibility is zero,
I'm not partying, okay?!"
Incidentally, I'd heard of two fellow cadets here during my six years
who had suffered as Peter did. Others might joke like this was no big deal,
but as long as there was even a slight chance of losing my small-but-
mighty, I would prioritize my safety and skip that kind of fun. But still, I
was an evil lord and wanted to have a good time too, dammit!
"It's not like you have to go all the way," Wallace said. "You can
still have fun just drinking with the ladies, can't you?"
"Well... I guess so."
I couldn't imagine that going out drinking was all that much fun, but
then again, maybe it was time for this evil lord to indulge himself more
and properly waste some money. Splurging on opulence with the money
my citizens earned with their blood, sweat, and tears, eh? Now that's what
an evil lord should be doing! But...honestly, I just wasn't all that
interested in it.
Page 86
While I pondered all this, Wallace asked me about my plans for
after graduation.
"By the way, Liam, any changes in plan for when you graduate from
academy?"
"Still going to the Capital Planet. Big-shot nobles like me have to do
their busywork there."
If you were born into a prominent house, you naturally ended up
having to train somewhere important, and no place was more important
than the Capital Planet. The same would apply to Wallace, due to his
lineage.
"Then I'll be there with you. Anyway, I am royalty, so it's expected.
Kurt will be there too, at least, so we'll be able to hang out for the first
time in a while."
I didn't envision the three of us doing a lot of hanging out. There
were a few reasons for that. Kurt would have graduated from university
and have his own training period to deal with. Plus, the Capital Planet was
ridiculously immense, so we might not even run into each other much, if at
all. The palace itself was a big place. I mean, using a whole continent as a
palace? There's excess and then there's that! I didn't think it'd be that easy
for us to meet up with him.
I said, "You don't think he'll be too busy?"
I did communicate with Kurt every so often and he seemed awfully
busy whenever I did. Still, Wallace was insistent.
"Kurt will come for sure if you invite him to join us somewhere,
Liam! We shouldn't leave him out, right? At the Capital Planet we can
hang out like we used to in primary school!"
"I just don't want to bother him by inviting him somewhere when
he's busy."
"Don't you remember, Liam? At graduation, when you decided to
move on to the military academy, Kurt was sad to hear it, wasn't he? Even
if you still talk here and there, it's not like seeing each other in person. If
you want to stay close in the future, then you really should get together."
Thinking back on our graduation from primary school, I
remembered that Kurt was crying, wasn't he? It wasn't like that was our
final farewell or anything. That guy was simply too dramatic.
"Guess I'll reach out to him when the time comes, then."
Page 87
"You should. Kurt will be really sad if you don't! Oh yeah, and
Rosetta will be on the Capital Planet too, right?"
My heart grew heavy when he brought up Rosetta. I knew she was
on the Capital Planet too, but I didn't think we'd be running into each
other again quite so soon... I thought I might've been able to get away
with not seeing her for another six years or so.
"What, should I reach out to her too?"
"What do you mean what? Why wouldn't you? She's your fiancée,
isn't she?"
After my talk with Wallace, I started to feel just a little anxious
about my forthcoming life on the Capital Planet.
***
After his conversation with Liam, Wallace snuck away from the
academy to a secret meeting with a certain girl. Yet this wasn't a romantic
tryst, and Wallace's face was tense with anxiety.
The girl who sat waiting for him on a bench below the streetlights
was Eila, who wore a displeased expression on her face. She made a show
of checking the time and criticized Wallace exaggeratedly.
"I can't believe you! Fifteen minutes late?"
"What do you want from me? I have my own life!"
"I don't care about your life! You kept your promise though, right?"
"Of course I did!" Wallace puffed his chest and proceeded to tell
Eila what he'd accomplished. "I pushed Liam to invite Kurt out when he
gets to the Capital Planet. It was hard work getting him to agree because
he was all worried about how busy Kurt will be." Wallace shook his head,
as if to emphasize how difficult the effort had been.
Eila looked away and smiled widely, eyes sparkling. "So the two of
them will be able to hang out again. Ah... LiaKur really is the ultimate,
supreme pairing. I knew the two of them had to part, but I couldn't stand
Wallace taking Liam away from Kurt."
Eila boldly expressed her feelings with no regard for Wallace's
presence right in front of her. It wasn't worth it to her to keep up
appearances before him.
Page 88
Meanwhile, Wallace looked on in disgust. "Those two aren't
actually like that, you know."
"I know that! But... But... Staying true to your one true pairing is
just what a fan does! No matter what!"
"What a terrible fan. I feel sorry for Liam and Kurt."
Ignoring Wallace's exasperated expression, Eila rambled about how
much she'd suffered at the military academy.
"I'm sure you wouldn't understand. Do you know how close I came
to breaking at the academy? Just because those two went to different
schools, there's a comic now that has you stealing Liam from Kurt! And I
hate to admit it, but it's hot!"
The plot of the comic was that Liam and Kurt had headed down
different paths, and though they continued to think of each other, they
became involved with different men. The comic had aroused Eila, but then
she'd sunk into self-loathing because of her guilt.
"I can't understand how someone would dirty their hands with such
heresy when they're that good at art!"
Wallace didn't even know how to react to Eila's impassioned words.
"Uh-huh..."
"If they would draw a pure love story between Liam and Kurt... I
said I'd pay them three times the reward! I really did!"
"You did?"
"Yeah! But you know what they said? They only draw what they
believe in! I have to admit their pride impressed me, but I would have
cheered them on forever if they hadn't stained their hands with this
horrible plotline! It's sickening to me to get off on a different pairing..."
Eila groaned in self-disgust. "Being unfaithful to my own OTP... I'm a
failure of a fan!"
"Do you 'fans' realize how disrespectful you're being to these real
people?"
Wallace's words didn't get through to Eila one bit. She was
preoccupied, thinking about the future of LiaKur all by herself.
Wallace cleared his throat loudly. "Anyway, Eila, you haven't
forgotten your promise to me, have you?"
Disgusted by Wallace's smirk, Eila answered irritably, "Yeah, yeah.
Page 89
A mixer with some girls, right? I just can't believe you."
"Well, duh. My patron is Liam, you know. I've got to make the
most of having a rich guy on my side."
Sure, they were feuding with House Berkeley at the moment, but
since House Banfield was in an advantageous position, Wallace was able
to be rather cocky. The only reason he had agreed to this arrangement with
Eila was because she'd offered to set up this mixer for him.
"Just please promise me you won't get close to Liam for impure
reasons."
"Like what you're doing is even a bit righteous..."
***
Having parted with Wallace, Eila headed back to her dorm in high
spirits.
"If Liam and Kurt become close again, I'm sure those heretic
pairings Liallace and LlaceLia will disappear! I'll never accept those
terrible twists."
Having completed her objective, Eila was in such a good mood that
she didn't notice a figure approaching her from behind. When she finally
sensed the presence she spun around, only to be pinned to a wall.
"Huh?"
It had only taken a second, so at first Eila didn't comprehend what
had happened. When she realized who was pinning her, she could only
exclaim in surprise. Before her stood Tia and Marie, and in their hands
were copies of the comic book Eila had published.
As Tia strengthened her grip on Eila, she leaned closer with a
frightening smile. "Eila Sera Berman, you may be a friend of Lord Liam's,
but I'm going to have to ask you for some information on this publication.
If you could just tell me exactly who produced this comic featuring Lord
Liam, and for what purpose they did so, I would be most appreciative."
Next to Tia, Marie was so worked up her eyes were bloodshot. She
had already drawn her sword with her free hand, and the blade trembled in
the air ever so slightly. It would be clear to anyone that she was practically
frothing with rage.
Page 90
"Depending on your answer," Marie said, "you may suddenly find
yourself in much smaller pieces."
Both knights obviously felt their revered Liam was being ridiculed.
Eila was surprised to see the two of them working together when they
were usually at each other's throats.
This is bad. This is so bad! If I'm honest with them, I'll die, but if I
lie, they'll probably kill me too! Is this the end for me?!
It seemed to Eila that no matter what she said, the two of them
would strike her down on the spot. Now that she thought about it, she
hadn't run into anyone else on her way back to the dorm. The two of them
had probably been prepared for her and somehow blocked off the area.
When she realized that, Eila gave up on the idea of calling for help.
There's only one path open to me if I want to live!
Eila was stubborn.
"I-I have a file on my tablet. Open it."
As Tia kept the young woman pinned, Marie took Eila's tablet from
her and opened a hidden file that Eila guided them to. As a result, several
images were displayed before the three of them.
"Wh-what the...?"
"What in the world is this?!"
Page 91
Page 92
Tia and Marie gaped at the projected images. Tia was so shocked, in
fact, that she let go of Eila. The pictures were of Liam during his time
training at House Razel and in primary school. The images showed him
hanging out with Kurt, his chest bared, and in other states that the two had
never seen him in. The knights blushed, entranced by the dazzling smile
Liam normally never showed his subordinates.
Released from Tia's grip, Eila sank to the ground. She proposed a
deal to the two women. "If I die, all this data disappears. Also, I have
more...extreme records stored more securely elsewhere."
The eyes of the two ferocious knights were filled with bloodlust, but
Eila was no longer afraid, confident as she was that they would take the
bait.
"If you let me go, then I promise to sell any future data I get on
Liam to you two."
Both women shuddered at Eila's proposition, but they quickly
feigned calm. Eila, however, could see right through them. The anger was
gone from their eyes, which darted back fervently to the holographic
images of Liam.
Tia refused Eila's offer, in order to gain a superior bargaining
position. "You think we'll listen to such nonsense? You don't think very
highly of us, do you?"
Eila shot a glance at Marie, who was piggybacking off of Tia's
position.
"Indeed. You really think we'd do something to betray Lord Liam?"
Eila knew her deal was tempting, but it seemed their loyalty to Liam
had won out in the end. Still, she remained calm and kept on negotiating.
"Do you really think it's okay to apprehend me?"
Tia's eyebrows raised at Eila's confident attitude. "Threats won't
work. We're well aware that House Berman has no power to threaten
House Banfield."
Eila just shrugged at that. "It's not a threat, I'm just trying to make a
deal. I'm telling you that it'd be better for you to let me go if you want to
protect Liam."
Marie tightened her fist around her sword's grip and raised it higher.
"I don't agree. Why would letting you go benefit Lord Liam?"
Page 93
"It really would," Eila insisted, staring coolly at the two of them.
Tia and Marie both seemed to realize that Eila's confidence meant
she wasn't bluffing. They went quiet so she could explain herself.
"It's true that I had a hand in the comic going around now."
At that, the gazes of both knights hardened.
Eila ignored that and went on. "And it's true that the comic turned
out rather extreme. But if I'm removed from the picture, even more
extreme works will start circulating."
Marie's sword quivered again. "E-extreme?"
Eila explained to them that she led the largest collection of people
creating these works, and that they generally fell under her management.
"It would be bad for House Banfield if these works circulated without any
sort of regulation, right? If you let me go, I swear I'll hold these creators to
higher standards."
For a moment Tia remained silent with indecision, but then fixed her
icy glare on Eila. "All we need to do is round up your entire group after we
take you in."
"I wouldn't recommend it. These comrades of mine are spread out
all over the Empire. I think you'd have a hard time catching each and
every one of them. A good number of them operate underground,
anyway."
Marie clicked her tongue, imagining the difficulty of tracking down
these individuals, at the same time a war appeared to be brewing.
Begrudgingly, she said, "I suppose it would be more trouble if these
people were unregulated."
"Right? And if you let me go, I wouldn't mind selling you two all of
the data I've accumulated up until now. The original files, of course."
Hearing this, Marie returned her sword to its scabbard. "Ugh! How
cocky you are! But...if we kill you, there's a chance these allies of yours
will run rampant. Preventing that is our duty as Lord Liam's retainers.
Yes, that's right, it's our duty!"
It sounded to Eila like Marie was trying to convince herself of this,
so she took advantage of the knight's indecision. "That's right. At this
point, there's nothing else that can be done about this. How about you,
Miss Tia? Don't you think it's best to let me go too?"
Page 94
Tia shoved past Marie and began bargaining with Eila. "Sell all your
data to me! I'll make sure everything is fine! I'll give you enough money
so you can spend the rest of your life in comfort! Trust me, I'll collect it
from the knights in my faction—we can give you more than you could
possibly need!"
Both knights looked positively glassy eyed at the prospect of
obtaining Eila's secret image files. The other woman snickered to herself. I
win! I get to live!
"What?" she said. "Oh, I couldn't do that... I want us to get along in
the future, so I'll sell them to you for a reasonable price. Anyway, you'll
let me go, right? And...you'll let me collect all sorts of new data from now
on too, won't you?"
Tia nodded her head over and over again. "I suppose we must. You
are Lord Liam's friend, after all, and it's normal to take pictures and
videos of your friends. Of course!"
Marie pressed her palms together ardently. "I do hope you'll
continue to be a good friend to Lord Liam from now on."
Eila smiled. "And I hope we'll be friends too!"
***
Around this same time, Rosetta was greeting new young ladies who
had come to train at the Imperial palace on the Capital Planet as their
senior. She explained to them how they must conduct themselves
henceforth.
"You are here for etiquette training, so you must remain humble.
Taking your family's status and waving it above other servants will not be
tolerated."
Rosetta was a lot more confident than she had been when she first
arrived herself.
"Yes, ma'am," the new girls replied nervously.
Rosetta smiled, to help them relax. "I will do whatever I can to
assist you, so you can learn as much as you possibly can here. Let's all
work to improve together, shall we?"
It was imperative that a senior student earn good marks as an
Page 95
educator when she took on juniors to train. Otherwise, she would never be
able to move on to the role of an actual teacher.
The girls who had ridiculed Rosetta in the past watched in
frustration from a distance. None of them had been picked to teach any
new students.
When Rosetta sent the new girls on their way, the frustrated group
took their leave as well. Cattleya approached Rosetta, smiling at her. She
was happy that the once insecure woman she'd trained had turned out to be
so responsible.
"I'm relieved to see that you're doing such a good job. You almost
look like a different person than when you started here."
Rosetta bowed and thanked Cattleya for her compliments. "It's all
due to your guidance, Miss Cattleya."
"Part of it is, but it's also because of your own ability. Have pride in
yourself."
Having worked so much harder than anyone else during her training,
Rosetta was now acknowledged by everyone around her as a skilled maid.
In part, her success was due to the fact that she had grown up in such a
harsh environment at House Claudia. Her training was nowhere near cruel
enough to break her.
Thinking of the girls who'd just run off, Cattleya shook her head in
disappointment. "I hoped those stupid girls would have learned from your
example, but at this rate, they're not going to get very high marks. Am I
right, Rosetta?"
"I have no particular comment on their abilities."
Despite them being fellow trainees, Rosetta had nothing to say about
them.
Seeing Rosetta decline to complain, Cattleya smiled. She had
advised Rosetta that small talk and grumbling about coworkers had no
place at the palace. "You don't let your true feelings slip...just like I
taught you. You've really learned a lot. You're only here for one more
year, Rosetta, and during that time I'm going to leave these new girls in
your hands. Show me you can handle it."
"Yes, ma'am."
"By the way, I've got a message for you from my grandmother. It
seems Count Banfield will be stationed on the Capital Planet for his next
Page 96
round of training next year."
"Darling will be here?! Oh, umm... Pardon my outburst."
Rather than disapprove, Cattleya chuckled to see Rosetta blurt out
her feelings and stammer in embarrassment. "You two are very close,
aren't you? Yes, he'll be staying here for two years, but men his age tend
to indulge in less-than-savory entertainment with their seniors. You should
be careful, Rosetta."
"Lord Liam would never amuse himself in such ways."
"Well, men who don't allow themselves to relax tend to get too
worked up, and serious people tend to take their failures much more
seriously. You'll have to keep a tight hold on his reins, Rosetta, but don't
smother him too much."
It wouldn't be at all strange for someone in Liam's position to have
a number of concubines one day. In fact, House Banfield might even be in
trouble if he didn't, because at present, there was no direct line of
succession. If something were to happen to Liam, one of his distant
relatives or even his predecessor might end up having to take his place.
Amagi, Brian, and even Serena were especially concerned about this issue.
The general opinion among his retainers was that Liam should be fooling
around, even if it meant ignoring Rosetta's feelings for him. What House
Banfield needed right now was an heir, and it wasn't necessary that said
heir should come from Rosetta.
In fact, Rosetta had been delicately advised of this situation by Brian
and Serena, so even if it hurt, she understood the situation as it stood.
"I understand that," Rosetta said to Cattleya morosely.
"You don't seem to accept it, though. Well, not that I can't
understand how you feel. You know, if you can provide an heir yourself,
you can do whatever you wish after that."
Many noblewomen freely pursued romance after they gave birth to
an heir. Both Liam's grandmother and mother had formed families with
the other men they truly loved after fulfilling their duty to give their
husbands an heir. For Rosetta, though, this concept held zero appeal.
"Lord Liam is the only one for me."
"I envy that you can say that," Cattleya remarked, and then returned
to her work.
Page 97
***
On the Capital Planet, a luxury hotel with a long history was being
remodeled with great haste. Thomas Henfrey, who had come to supervise
the construction, surveyed the exposed walls and workers operating
machinery as he stood beside the hotel's manager.
The manager gave Thomas a status report. "We're working as fast
as we can, but I still don't think we'll make it by next year."
The hotel might once have been a high-class establishment, but in
recent years, it had fallen into a sorry state and had barely been doing any
business. During that period, it had caught the eye of Liam's personal
merchant. Thomas was the head of the Henfrey Company, a merchant who
traveled the stars.
With his plump body, the man looked gentle at first glance, but his
eyes were sharp. "Worst-case scenario, I don't mind if the parts of the
building Lord Liam won't see take a little longer. How's the staff training
going?"
When Thomas came across the hotel, it was barely functioning as a
business.
"We tried rehiring some people who used to work here, but we
couldn't get all of them. We're training the new hires as best as we can,
but without any on-the-job experience for them..."
"Just please get them ready as fast as you can. Once Lord Liam
graduates from the military academy, this will be his home base for a
while."
"Yes, sir." The manager's eyes were deathly serious and his
response was firm, showing his dedication to seeing this project through.
It wasn't actually the hotel's fault that guests had been driven away,
causing its finances to plummet. The problems had actually originated
with a single guest. This guest had gone on a drunken rampage, upsetting
other visitors, and the hotel had no recourse but to throw the belligerent
guest out. It was only later that they learned the man had been a noble.
What happened next was your typical story of an entitled noble's revenge.
Harassment from that noble quickly led to the hotel's decline in popularity.
Even a respected luxury hotel was doomed to go under if it became the
focus of the elite's ire. Conversely, though, if the hotel could ally itself
Page 98
with another noble, it would be able to turn its fortunes around.
"Incidentally," the manager asked Thomas, "are you sure I should
pick the people who'll be serving Lord Liam simply on the basis of
ability? Shouldn't their appearance also be taken into consideration?"
The manager was concerned about giving Liam the opportunity to
partake in the staff, if he felt so inclined.
Thomas smiled and shook his head. "Lord Liam has no interest even
in the servants at his own mansion. It has nothing to do with his
preferences—he's just very strict with himself. He'll think more highly of
you if you put only competent workers at his side, rather than people for
the purposes you're thinking of."
In Thomas's mind, Liam was an extremely virtuous noble.
The manager was impressed by what Thomas related. "I've seen
many nobles here on the Capital Planet, but Lord Liam sounds truly
admirable."
In good spirits, Thomas spoke more on the subject of Liam. "He has
a bit of a sailor's mouth, but the man is truly compassionate. He shows no
mercy to his enemies, but he's very generous to his allies. I don't think you
have anything to worry about here. If you and your staff simply perform
your jobs well, Lord Liam will show his appreciation."
The manager stood up straighter and held his head high. "You can
count on us."
Things were in motion on the Capital Planet to prepare for Liam's
arrival upon graduation. Thomas stood contemplating all these
preparations with a sense of satisfaction when one of his employees came
running toward him.
"Mr. Henfrey, sir!"
"What is it?"
"W-well, some Capital Planet merchants wish to meet with you!"
"What? Who are they?"
It was unusual for Capital Planet merchants to want to meet with a
backwater merchant like Thomas. Normally, he would be the one trying to
set up meetings with such people.
"Mr. Elliot of the Clave Firm, and Ms. Patrice of the Newlands
Company. They both wish to arrange a meeting with you."
Page 99
Thomas's eyes widened. "Those are big names."
The Clave Firm was one of the foremost merchant companies on the
Capital Planet and was a personal merchant for the Empire. And while the
Newlands Company had its main store on this world, they also did
business all throughout the domain. They both operated on a completely
different scale than Thomas's Henfrey Company. It was the same as if the
CEOs of two nationwide companies wanted to meet with a store owner
who had only a few locations out in the middle of nowhere. The manager
had also heard of these famous merchants and couldn't hide his surprise.
These were two household names, and they wanted to meet with him.
"I can only think of one thing they'd want to talk about..." Thomas
mused.
As he couldn't well refuse, Thomas prepared for his meetings.
***
For the next phase of my training, I was assigned to a logistics
department on the Capital Planet. Not only did we handle the distribution
of personnel and supplies, but there were all sorts of other managerial
duties to be dealt with. Frankly, the work was pretty boring. I didn't think
it was a suitable position for someone who had graduated with exemplary
grades and earned the rank of lieutenant.
Of course, those "exemplary grades" of mine were partly fabricated,
since I heard that nobles got bonus marks just for being nobles. The only
reason I was made a lieutenant was because of my ancestry too.
So why was I working in logistics? Because if I scaled enough
mountains of paperwork here, I would automatically be promoted to
captain in a year. In two years, I supposed I'd be a major. Nobles moved
up through the ranks just by sitting safely in the rear doing desk work.
What a wonderful world this was indeed.
Then, when I moved on to my official post, I could spend four years
lazing about with the patrol fleet Tia had prepared for me and that would
be it. I'd be completely done with my military training, and all I'd have
left to do was spend some time at university, followed by a stint of more
busywork as a government official.
Nobles enjoyed a nice little fast track through life without having to
Page 100
put in much effort, while watching everyone else struggle. Sitting back and
living this life? I was the very picture of an evil lord.
At my new post, I still resided in the barracks as I was in training,
but on my days off, I could get away to a hotel here on the Capital Planet. I
spent every day working regular hours, enjoyed my evenings, and returned
to the barracks to rest. It was truly felt good sneering at the elite military
types, slaving away at their busy posts.
My place of work was a drab building that didn't get any natural
light. Since the view out the windows was just of the neighboring
buildings, images of nature were projected on the glass in lieu of actual
scenery. It was an unpopular, cheaply made structure, but my personal
workspace was spacious and comfortable enough. It looked just like your
typical office environment from my previous life, except that all the
employees wore military uniforms.
Beside me, I saw Wallace working with a dissatisfied look on his
face, and beyond him, I spotted Eila being instructed in some task by one
of our seniors. It was also due to our being nobles that the three of us had
been assigned to the same post.
While I continued my work and thought about this a bit, Wallace
stood up and left his seat. He told me he was going to go to the bathroom.
Before he walked away, though, he said, "Hey, I heard there's someone
here who wants to chew us out."
"Huh? Did we screw something up?"
Who could have made a mistake? The work we oversaw here was
largely left to artificial intelligence. Of course, there was also work that
actual human beings had to handle, so the screw up must have been there.
"Well, they want to complain about a supply order that was assigned
to you, Liam."
"What?"
***
Many in the military looked down upon logistics departments, since
their people never went out on the front lines, not to mention their heavy
use of artificial intelligence. Nearly the entire Empire, from the military to
the citizenry, generally had a distaste for artificial intelligence.
Page 101
Nevertheless, if the work were to be done entirely by humans, efficiency
would drop dramatically, so they were forced to rely on AI assistance.
Regardless, there persisted those soldiers who didn't understand this
necessity. For example, one of those was the soldier who had come to
Liam's department to complain.
"How dare you brainless AI-reliant fools deny my request?!"
A colonel with a pronounced belly came by after lunch to lodge his
complaint. Presently a brigadier general was dealing with him, and though
this man was of a higher rank, the colonel was a noble.
"I-I'm sorry, Colonel," the brigadier general said. "We'll get
whatever you need at once, so please just forgive this misunderstanding
—"
Because of the prevalent attitude toward AI and the logistics
department, nobles barging in here to haughtily make demands was
practically an everyday occurrence.
The colonel wasn't being placated by the brigadier general's words.
"Bring me the idiot who arranged the resupply for my ships! I'll educate
him myself!" The colonel smirked, whip in hand.
"You can't do that, Colonel." The brigadier general took an anxious
step forward. "I wouldn't recommend it."
"I'm just going to provide a free lesson to a coward who will never
see the front lines. You should be crying with gratitude for my generosity."
The colonel apparently had a thing for tormenting those weaker than
himself. He was absolutely sure that he was in the right.
The brigadier general gave up on persuading him and slumped his
shoulders. "I warned you," he sighed. He told one of his staff, "Go get the
lieutenant."
The colonel smacked his hand with the whip, a sharp sound ringing
out. "Heh. So it's a newbie, huh? Some brat still in training? I need to
teach him what being an Imperial soldier is all about."
As the colonel went on about "young people these days," the
brigadier general averted his eyes and muttered, "A lesson some people
desperately need to learn."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Page 102
A moment later, there was a knock on the brigadier general's door
and the colonel barked out, "Enter!"
Liam entered his superior's office with a displeased look on his face,
rather than any visible shred of anxiety. This alone seemed to worsen the
colonel's irritation.
"You're the one in charge of supplying my ships? Do you
understand what you've done, you imbecile?!"
Liam snorted brazenly. "Who the hell are you?"
"Wh-what was that? Do you not understand rank insignia, boy?"
"Don't get all uppity with me. You're nothing more than a noble
handed a rank and a patrol fleet. Brigadier General, sir, I have a lot of
work to do—I'd prefer if you didn't call me for trivial matters like this."
"I apologize," the brigadier general replied. "You see, the colonel
insisted on educating you."
When he heard this, the look on Liam's face darkened. "Educating
me, you say?"
"Yes, you!" the colonel growled. "What are they teaching you brats
at the military academy these days? That's it, you're not going home
tonight!"
While the colonel imagined the ways in which he planned on
making Liam suffer, he suddenly felt a sharp pain. "Ack!" He hit the wall
behind him, and before he could figure out what had happened, he heard
Liam's voice.
"Brigadier General, sir, would you mind contacting this man's
superior?"
"W-well, I..."
"He requested all sorts of equipment and personnel unnecessary for
a battleship, you see. I just want to ask his superior some questions about
this do-nothing patrol fleet."
The brigadier general was getting a headache, but he nevertheless
asked Liam exactly what sort of equipment and personnel the colonel had
requested. "Can you give me the details?"
"Well, he's requested a casino be installed on his battleship, and
about a hundred women for 'entertainment.' You see, I'm not sure exactly
what military purpose such things could serve. I did some digging, and his
Page 103
patrol fleet appears to be nothing but a gathering of incompetents with zero
achievements to their name. In fact, it's pointless giving them any type of
resupply at all."
"I see..."
"I just want to know what sort of Imperial officer would be so stupid
as to officially request his ship be stocked with women and booze. Now,
would you kindly contact this fool's superior?"
With Liam grinning at him, the brigadier general shakily replied, "I-
I suppose so." On the spot, he used his tablet to call the colonel's superior,
a major general who commanded a patrol fleet in the area of the
Capital Planet.
The call connected, and the holographic image of an irritated man's
face appeared in the air before them. "What do you want?"
"Hey, Major General." Liam addressed the man casually. "One of
your men has decided to pick a fight with me. As his superior, I was
hoping you'd take some responsibility."
The major general's face at first turned red with anger, but when he
realized it was Liam he spoke with, his face blanched. "C-Count
Banfield!" The major general was a noble too, but as the current head of
House Banfield, Liam's noble "rank" far outstripped his own. In addition,
Liam had gained a certain notoriety due to his feud with the Berkeley
Family. The major general was clearly panicked to be speaking with him.
"I-I'm terribly sorry for my subordinate's rudeness, my lord. Please
send him back to me at once."
Liam sent the colonel flying with a kick. The gruesome sound it
made intimidated the major general even more. "Send him back? You
come here and get him yourself! Are you really giving me an order? Who
do you think you are? You think you can look down on me just because of
our military ranks?"
Normally, within the military, Liam's attitude would be unthinkable.
It was a different story though when it came to nobles throwing around
their status. That meant that even if someone was of a lower military rank,
if they were a higher-ranked noble, the lesser-ranked person had no choice
but to obey them.
"O-of course, my lord. I'll be right there, as fast as I can."
"Hurry it up. And another thing: the supply orders your people send
Page 104
me are full of nonsense. Tell them not to put items on their orders that'll
waste my time, got it? I want to go home on time every day. Do you
understand that?"
The major general wasn't sure what to say to that. Basically, Liam
was denying his men entertainment and all other luxuries. "W-well, I..."
"If you've got a complaint, I'll listen. Go on, what is it?"
Though he said he would listen, Liam would likely deny whatever
the major general requested. No matter what reasons he listed, he had to
know Liam was in the right here and wouldn't be swayed, so the major
general simply gave up. "N-nothing, my lord."
Giving fleets special treatment outside of regular regulations took
extra time and effort. Liam didn't like that.
"I like a guy who knows his place. Now, come and get your
incompetent subordinate."
"Yes, my lord."
The major general ended the call. Having now learned that Liam
was a ruling count with a significant amount of power, the colonel
trembled in terror.
"Well, you've got a lesson to teach me now, do you?" Liam said to
him. "That's fortunate, because I was worrying about losing my edge,
doing all that desk work. This should make for some good exercise, eh?"
The colonel hurriedly stood up and saluted Liam. "I-I'm so very
sorry for my behavior, my lord!"
He finally acknowledged that Liam was in a higher position than
him, but just a little bit too late. Liam laid his hand on the man's shoulder
and the colonel flinched.
"I applaud the about-face, but I'm not a lenient enough man to let
you off the hook that easily. So, until your boss comes to get you, how
about I educate you? That's a good deal, right? It's okay, you can weep
with happiness."
Liam dragged the trembling colonel from the room by his lapel. The
brigadier general watched them go, smiling from the stress relief that came
with the sight.
"Heh... It was the right choice recruiting Lord Liam."
He was glad that his department's work went so much more
Page 105
smoothly now that they had the young man. Far too many military people
looked down on logistics and made unreasonable supply requests from
them. For that reason, the brigadier general had wanted a noble with some
influence on his side. If it had been a corrupt or less powerful noble, like
someone from House Berkeley, they likely wouldn't want the position or
would even hope to exploit it to their advantage. However, a diligent noble
like Liam wouldn't allow any misuse of the system.
The brigadier general had offered the position to Liam before his
training on the Capital Planet began, thinking it couldn't hurt to try. To his
surprise the count had actually accepted. Not only that, but Liam was
putting in even more effort than the brigadier general had expected from
him.
"It'll be nice if we get fewer unreasonable demands from now on,
with Liam in our corner. I still can't believe we ended up with such a hard-
working noble..."
Even as the brigadier general was grateful for the count's work
ethic, he just couldn't understand why.
***
As for Marie's training assignment, she had been made a soldier on
the front lines.
"Damn that ground meat woman!"
Outfitted in a powered suit, she jumped from a transport craft,
cursing Tia under her breath. The suit had no parachute, but it deployed a
barrier just before she landed, which absorbed the impact. Finding herself
in a dense jungle, Marie cautiously surveyed her surroundings.
"You all right, Marie? I heard you shout something," said a voice
inside her helmet.
"Everything's fine," she responded curtly, and the commanding
officer she communicated with didn't pry further.
"Got it. Then infiltrate the enemy's hideout and rescue those
hostages. It'll be a difficult mission, but I have every faith in your
abilities."
Having been given a completely outrageous mission to raid an
Page 106
enemy base and rescue a number of hostages all on her own, Marie
thought, How dare Tia assign me here! When I get back, I'm gonna
separate that ground meat woman's head from her shoulders.
The reason she'd been assigned to this special ops unit was because
Tia had secretly pulled some strings. The woman had actually had the
audacity to come out and tell her, "There's no place for you at Lord
Liam's side."
Marie moved nimbly through the jungle, taking out lookouts with
her knife when she found them. Watching her quick work remotely, her
commanding officer praised her abilities.
"Incredible work. You remind me of an old subordinate of mine."
Marie conversed with the officer as she continued on, her curiosity
piqued. "You had someone as skilled as me? Who was it?"
The idea that there was someone out there as strong as her piqued
her interest.
"She went through many names. She was also a spy, you see. She
was definitely strong in battle, but she saw any kind of mission through
with ease."
"I'd like to meet her."
"Well, I can't divulge that, but I assure you, she was just as skilled
as you are."
When the enemy base was in sight, Marie cut communications and
began to infiltrate.
"Well, if I want to make it back to Lord Liam, I'll have to hurry and
finish my work here. I haven't had any kind of fun lately—I need an
opportunity to blow off some steam."
That day, thanks to Marie, one crime syndicate ceased to exist.
***
Getting a little exercise definitely felt good. After slapping the
colonel around a bit, I was in a much better mood.
"And I still get to go home on time today."
While I was congratulating myself for another job well done,
Page 107
Wallace came up to me with a tired look on his face.
"You really care a lot about going home on time, don't you, Liam?
You think that's okay? There are a bunch of people who have to stay late."
The senior officers who still had work to do were giving us looks as
we prepared to leave. Standing with Wallace and me, Eila looked like she
felt awkward too.
"We kinda stand out, don't we?" she said.
I didn't care one bit. My own work was finished, and that was that.
"Overtime is overrated," I declared.
One of the other workers left his desk to approach me. "You're not
gonna help us out?" he asked. "We'd be done in no time if you did, you
know."
I told him to do his own work and shoved him aside. What value
was there in helping out my coworkers? Fostering a spirit of cooperation?
Each individual helping support everyone else's weight? Pointless.
"What's even the value in it?"
In my past life, I had worked hard for the good of my company, for
the good of my coworkers, and it hadn't done a thing for me. Work was
meant to be finished on time, so you could go home and have time enough
to rest. As long as you did the work, your salary was paid, and that should
be enough. Of course, they'd always want more from you, but if it
wouldn't do you any good, there was no point putting in the extra effort.
Oh, they might thank you for working hard, but very seldom would you
actually be rewarded for your efforts. That was why in this life, I made
sure to only do what I was paid for, and nothing extra.
"No matter what anyone says," I said, "I won't do more than I need
to. If anyone wants me to put in overtime, then they'd better stack up some
gold bars and bow their head to me when they ask!"
I said my piece, and Eila shrugged.
"Yeesh, there's Liam's love of gold again."
"Yep, I don't deny it. Now come on, let's get out of here."
I led the two of them out of our place of work, and outside the
building we found a large limousine waiting.
"Well, that's fancy," I said. "Is somebody important coming outside,
or something?"
Page 108
The elegant limousine confused me. There weren't many nobles
working in this unpopular building, so the car must have belonged to a
visitor. Then again, I couldn't think of a reason a rich person would have
to visit our workplace. Was it some bigshot noble here to lodge a
complaint? While I was wondering all this, Wallace noticed something.
"Isn't it here for you, Liam?"
"What?"
I approached the vehicle, and a door immediately opened. Out from
the car stepped Rosetta, dressed casually. It was my first time seeing her in
quite a while, and she looked a little bit more mature.
"Darling!" she exclaimed.
"Rosetta?!"
I felt the impulse to dodge her as she threw herself at me, but she'd
probably fall to the ground if I did, so I could only catch her in my arms.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" I stammered.
"You're done with your work for the day, aren't you? My training is
done too, so I'm staying at the hotel now. I came to get you so we could
spend some time together!"
When Wallace and Eila heard this, they slipped right into the
limousine.
"Hey, that's nice of you," Wallace said. "We'll take you up on that
ride, then. Hey Liam, it's crazy in here! There's booze and snacks! And
it's all the good stuff!"
Eila gushed, "The upholstery in here is amazing!"
I rushed to try to stop them, but was too late because they already
hopped right in.
"H-hey! Weren't we going out today?"
Wallace was already munching snacks. "We can do that at the hotel,
can't we? I'm broke anyway, so one place is as good as another so long as
I don't have to pay."
Damn you! I knew Wallace wasn't going to be any help, so I looked
to Eila instead. Her eyes were glued to the snacks in the limousine.
"Is it okay to eat these, Rosetta?"
Standing with me outside the limo, Rosetta smiled at Eila. "Of
Page 109
course."
"Yay! Come on, Liam, get in! I was curious where you were living
anyway. I want to see it!"
You're not gonna be any help either?
Rosetta looked up at me with sorrowful eyes. "You were about to go
out, Darling? You have to spend time with your coworkers... That makes
sense, I understand. I-I won't insist, then."
Why did I feel guilty looking at Rosetta all of a sudden? And I was
just gonna go tour some bars with Wallace and Eila. It wasn't a work
thing.
"N-no, I was just gonna go drinking with these two. It was nothing
important."
For some reason, I answered truthfully, and sealed off my own
escape route.
"Really? Then let's go to the hotel! There are so many different
kinds of restaurants there, I never get sick of them. Oh, and I've heard they
already have all sorts of alcohol in stock just for you, Darling."
Page 110
Page 111
"O-oh yeah?"
When I'd first met her, I'd thought of Rosetta as a level-headed
woman with an unbending steel will, but as soon as she became engaged to
me, she'd ended up like this. I'd expected her to be upset about the
engagement I myself had pursued, so it was a letdown that I couldn't have
any fun tormenting her with it. Becoming her "Darling" was an
uncomfortable surprise.
In an attempt at small talk, I asked Rosetta about her life at the hotel
and what she was doing there.
"I'm studying Capital Planet culture with some other noble girls
who are here now. It's a lot of fun."
Was it like a young wife attending cooking classes? That did sound
fun, I supposed...not that I had the least bit of interest in her studies or
cooking classes.
Rosetta's expression darkened. "Also, Darling... You have some
visitors."
"Visitors?"
More visitors, eh? I just hope it's not like that colonel from earlier...
***
After Liam left, two of his coworkers leaned closer in their chairs to
talk about him. They were both veterans of the department, having worked
there for decades. During that time, plenty of nobles had come to work in
logistics for their training periods, so these two had a collection of them to
compare Liam to.
"Why does he come to work normally and do everything that's
expected of him?"
They were actually surprised that Liam was working as diligently as
he was.
"It makes no sense. You expect a noble to come in late and leave
early. Most of them don't even come to work in the first place, and they
don't do anything except goof off when they do show up."
Many nobles had come and gone from logistics for their training
Page 112
periods. The thing was, most of them didn't actually appear for their shifts
and just did whatever they wanted instead. The fact that Liam and his
friends were actually doing work was highly unusual.
"Hey, did you see the brigadier general? He went home on time,
humming to himself."
"How many decades has it been since that guy didn't need to do
overtime?"
The two logistics clerks were in awe of Liam, after being put
through hell by the unreasonable behavior of nobles up until now.
"We don't even hear a peep of complaint from patrol fleets
nowadays."
"The 'education' he gives them really seems to be helping. Count
Banfield really is as diligent as people say, isn't he?"
"Diligent, hardworking, and doesn't throw his position or influence
around... I guess nobles like him really do exist."
Oh, Liam could be violent with those like the patrol fleet colonel
who visited today, but he never raised a hand against the people he worked
with regularly. Because of all this, most of his colleagues considered him
to be an exemplary noble.
"I thought it was just a rumor, but he really is a wise ruler, isn't he?"
"Man, I'm jealous of the people who live under House Banfield."
Page 113