The fleet set to depart to rescue the House of Baron Gurin was assembled on a day three years before the wedding.

As Liam, the commander-in-chief, was also departing, Rosetta had come to see him off that day.

Around Rosetta were Amagi and Brian.

This was to show everyone that Rosetta would be in charge of everything while Liam was away.

It was an appeal to show that the two people Liam trusted were by her side, supporting her.

Rosetta spoke to Liam.

"Darling, please come back safely."

Worried about Liam, Rosetta clasped her hands as if in prayer.

Liam watched her with a calm expression.

His attitude suggested he hadn't even considered the possibility of his own death, but Liam had a track record of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat time and time again.

Those around him didn't see it as arrogance, but rather held him in respect.

Liam teased the worried Rosetta.

"A large-scale war takes time. It's a shame the wedding had to be postponed."

He said this knowing how much Rosetta had been looking forward to the wedding.

In response to Liam, Rosetta shook her head.

"I don't mind if it's postponed. As long as you come back, Darling, that's all that matters."

"—What a commendable sentiment."

Liam, sulking because she was no fun to tease, spotted Wallace in the crowd and called him over.

"Wallace, come here a second."

"What is it?"

Wallace, who replied casually to Liam, had known him since their days at the military academy.

Liam trusted him, and Wallace held a special position within the territory.

He had also shown talent in event-related work and was now in charge of overseeing the wedding preparations.

When Liam whispered something in his ear, Wallace looked a little surprised.

"Are you sure? It might all be for nothing, you know?"

Rosetta couldn't hear anything, but it seemed Liam had asked Wallace for something that might go to waste.

Liam's gaze turned to Rosetta.

"I don't mind."

Then, Liam turned his back to Rosetta and headed for the super-dreadnought he was to board.

Rosetta offered a prayer to his retreating back.

"God, please let my Darling return safely."

◇

The home base of the House of Baron Gurin.

It was a place where a stagnant atmosphere prevailed.

The area around Baron Gurin's mansion was well-maintained, but beyond it stretched a slum.

Because it was a desolate planet, the habitable areas were limited.

Even so, hundreds of years ago it had been a planet rich in nature, but the environment within the territory had deteriorated drastically since the current lord inherited it.

This was the result of environmental destruction caused by reckless development, followed by a series of failed, desperate attempts to rectify the situation.

Now, only the areas with arcologies were habitable.

But as for Baron Gurin, why was he living on such a desolate planet?

The truth was, he usually lived on the Capital Planet and was often away from his territory.

Having failed at development, he had lost motivation for managing his domain and had simply abandoned it.

When he returned with Theodul after a long absence, he noticed for the first time just how bad the situation at his home base had become.

"If it's this bad, we should be able to extract a great deal of support from Liam."

Seeing this situation, those were Baron Gurin's words.

Even Theodul was taken aback.

"Wouldn't it be more comfortable to just move to Charlow quickly?"

"Moving is a lot of trouble, so I'd rather not. Besides, I usually live on the Capital Planet. I don't come back often, so I can put up with it."

"Put up with it?"

In other words, he gave no consideration whatsoever to the people living in his territory.

Baron Gurin held a meeting with Theodul about their future plans.

"More importantly, is my role simply to pin down as much of Liam's forces here as possible?"

Theodul nodded, saying that would be fine.

To be honest, he had never expected anything from the House of Baron Gurin in terms of military strength from the start.

"That's fine. It's a losing battle anyway."

"If Liam loses this war, I'd like you to prepare a suitable position for me. I'm quite fed up with this planet."

Baron Gurin's goal was to abandon his frontier territory and live on the Capital Planet.

That was why he was participating in Cleo's plan.

Theodul relayed Cleo's words.

"His Highness Cleo has promised that if the Crown Prince ascends the throne without issue, a suitable position will be prepared for you as well."

Baron Gurin breathed a sigh of relief.

"In that case, let's pin Liam's forces down here."

Theodul smiled and shook hands with Baron Gurin.

"I'm counting on you, Baron."

(Just a rich kid born with a silver spoon. Once this is all over, we'll just have you disappear. For now, you can do your best to cooperate with us.)

◇

The home base of the House of Baron Gurin.

The Banfield family's fleet, which had arrived there earlier than any other, numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

Though their numbers had been steadily increasing, this time they were stretching themselves quite thin.

They had dispatched a fleet to the border with the Hegemony, and they also had to leave forces to defend their home base.

To be able to scrape together a force of three hundred thousand from what was left was also a testament to their daily efforts.

Thanks to the great development of my territory, we've become able to maintain a fleet of this size.

Well, it's also thanks to the Alchemy Box, though.

However, even with the Alchemy Box, we're starting to see certain limits.

No matter how many resources I can obtain, I can't be using the Alchemy Box around the clock.

And I'm anxious about entrusting it to someone else.

From now on, development will be difficult without a solid foundation of our own.

"Well, we're the first to arrive, but—this is awful."

The view looking down from space was, in a word, terrible.

Only the arcologies were habitable, reminding me of the Reysel family who took me in during my training days.

Of course, their situation was due to resource mining, whereas that bastard Gurin just ruined his land through failed development.

"This is what happens when incompetents do as they please. He should have just quietly relied on an AI."

The bridge of the super-dreadnought.

The floor was projecting an image, making it seem as if we were looking down on Baron Gurin's home planet.

I could only be amazed at this territory, which was like a textbook example of how even the most advanced civilization is helpless if its leader is incompetent.

A fired-up Tia started to flatter me.

"Exactly! An incompetent who can't even be considered mediocre is incapable of proper development!"

I'm aware that there are things I can't do, and I rely on others when I'm in trouble.

I've seen time and again how tragic things become for those who can't do that.

Being praised put me in a good mood, but the problem was the reception.

"That's all well and good, but there's nowhere to accommodate our fleet."

It was fine that we arrived with three hundred thousand ships, but unfortunately, there were no facilities to receive them.

I had checked thoroughly beforehand, but the Praetorian Guard insisted there would be no problem.

Marie was irritated.

"Because of those idiots in the Praetorian Guard, we can't even get properly resupplied! Summon the person in charge!"

As if in response to Marie shouting at the operator, a communication came in from Theodul, who was in Baron Gurin's territory.

'Well, well, Count Banfield. You've arrived right on schedule. However, if you wanted to show your motivation, shouldn't you have arrived sooner?'

Ignoring Theodul's every annoying comment, I expressed my dissatisfaction with the lack of preparations for our arrival.

"You're the one who lacks motivation. The reception preparations aren't ready."

'I believe I reported that the House of Baron Gurin has sustained damage. Our allies will be gathering here one after another. We'll have you, Count Banfield, use your skills to prepare a base. I hear you're quite good at it.'

I've done it a few times, but it's infuriating to be made to participate just to be worked to the bone.

"Well, fine. I wasn't expecting anything from you guys from the start anyway. Alright, begin."

"Sir!"

Klaus gave a short reply, and from the fleet, vessels carrying engineering corps and special work crews began their tasks.

They began constructing a temporary base with the supplies they had brought.

Vessels descended to the planet one after another and began constructing a ground base.

But this was just a drop in the bucket.

The allied fleets that would gather from now on would exceed a million ships.

The number was smaller than in a war against an external power, but for an internal conflict between nobles, it was an unbelievable figure.

The numbers had swelled because both sides were fired up for this battle.

Next to me, the commander-in-chief, stood Klaus, my head knight.

Today, as always, he was calm and completely reliable.

I grumbled to this very Klaus.

"It's a sad state of affairs that after investing all these people, resources, and funds, all we get is a new territory for Baron Gurin. Klaus, what do you think?"

When I posed this malicious question, Klaus gave a mundane reply.

"If it is a battle to decide the next emperor, I believe it holds more value than a mere planet."

I projected a holographic image of the planet Charlow onto the palm of my hand.

I like it because it makes me feel like I'm holding the planet in my hands.

"I don't see the value in it, though."

"Lord Liam, please refrain from such careless remarks."

Satisfied by the slightly flustered look on Klaus's face, I gazed at Charlow and remembered Earth.

"—I want this planet more than I want a position."

◇

Around the time the war over the planet Charlow was about to begin.

On the Capital Planet, Cleo's older sister, Lysithea, was showing signs of restlessness.

In the room where Cleo was working in his office, she would sit on the sofa one moment, then suddenly stand up and pace around the room.

Cleo let out a small sigh and chided Lysithea.

"Sister, worrying about it won't change the outcome of the battle."

Hearing this, Lysithea's face turned bright red.

"But I can't help but worry! Our sister Cecilia was worried too!"

"That's because her fiancé, Lord Kurt, is participating."

Cecilia—fiancée of Liam's best friend, Kurt, and the older sister of them both.

She had renounced her right of succession to become engaged to Kurt.

She now lived with Kurt's family, the House of Baron Exner, and Lysithea occasionally kept in touch with her.

"Lord Liam, Lord Kurt—there are so many others I don't want to see die."

Hearing Lysithea's pure sentiment, Cleo felt—nauseated.

(What is she saying about a battlefield where hundreds of millions could die? As I thought, my sister is naive.)

Lysithea, who became a knight to protect Cleo, was a good person at heart.

But she was too soft to survive in the imperial court.

That's why Cleo hadn't told Lysithea that he was cooperating with Calvin.

"The Count is strong. He will surely return victorious."

Liam had overcome adversity many times before, but this time, in terms of conditions, he was in a more advantageous position than Calvin. —On the surface, at least.

At Cleo's words, Lysithea regained her composure.

"You're right. Lord Liam is strong! Still, Lord Liam can do anything. I heard even the Prime Minister praised his skills in domestic affairs. With this, if you succeed to the imperial throne, Cleo, the Empire will be rock-solid with Lord Liam's backing!"

Cleo felt a sense of disgust in his heart at Lysithea's simplistic thinking.

"That's right. For that reason, let's believe in the Count's victory."

(If Liam wins as things are, the Empire will stabilize. Everyone will surely praise Liam, not me. But I can't stand that.)

Cleo clenched his fists tightly where Lysithea couldn't see.

(I clung to him to survive. Thanks to that, I'm now within reach of the emperor's throne. That's precisely why I think this—I hate everything.)

Until now, he had only thought about survival, but now that he had some leeway, he began to wonder, why did things turn out this way?

Who is to blame?

The Emperor, who made a spectacle of me?

My mother, who made me a man?

No, this country itself is to blame—.

Within Cleo, hatred piled up day by day.

Lysithea spoke to Cleo as if making small talk.

"Man, Lord Liam is really amazing. A true hero. If he didn't have a fiancée, the young ladies wouldn't have left him alone by now. Even you, Cleo—"

"Sister! I am a man!"

Cleo, cutting Lysithea off with a loud voice, stood up from his seat, his face filled with anger.

Lysithea, regretting her words, apologized.

"S-sorry. You're right. You are a man."

"Please be more careful."

Lysithea, while looking apologetic, pressed on.

"But, the truth is, you're actually—"

"That's enough."

Cleo didn't listen to Lysithea and left the office in irritation.

◇

In the research laboratory prepared by Cleo, scientists wearing masks were gathered.

Science, magic—experts from various fields were creating babies floating in a row of capsules.

When Cleo entered the room, the person in charge approached him.

"Your Highness, unfortunately, most of the subjects are unlikely to be able to demonstrate their full capabilities."

Cleo narrowed his eyes at the disappointing news, and the person in charge made an excuse.

"We are installing the One-Flash Style data collected in the education capsules, but the strain is too much, and many are losing their lives."

The babies floating in the capsules were clones created from Liam's genes.

However, many of them died during the growth stage.

"The rapid growth also puts a great strain on them, and their lifespans are not long. When we install the One-Flash Style data, most subjects suffer brain damage. Even if we succeed, they'd be lucky to last a few decades."

Cleo hadn't considered the length of their lifespan.

"I don't care. As long as they're ready for the upcoming battle. More importantly, it's pathetic that you've mass-produced so many without a single success."

"There is one survivor."

The person in charge led Cleo to another room, where there was a long-haired child who had grown to look around ten years old in a short amount of time.

Cleo immediately felt that something was off.

"So there is one. But something's strange. She looks like Liam, but—don't tell me, is it a girl?"

The person in charge nodded at the surprised Cleo and spoke about the surviving girl.

"She is the only successful case, but was initially treated as a failure. Other than her gender, she is the subject closest to the finished form."

Cleo crouched down to meet the girl's eyes.

"—What's your name?"

The girl tilted her head, her gaze shifting somewhere for a moment.

To Cleo, it felt as if she was looking at something he couldn't see.

Then, the girl opened her mouth.

"Number 3588."

It seemed she hadn't been given a name, only called by a number.

"I see. —What is the purpose of your birth?"

When he asked this, the girl replied with a sweet, lovely smile.

"To kill Liam."

"—Good girl."

Cleo stood up and left the room with the person in charge.