Dark clouds were spreading over the capital planet of the Algrand Empire.

On a planet where the weather is controlled, it rains periodically.

Today was one of those days.

A gloomy atmosphere was spreading, but the weather wasn't the only reason.

The people living on the capital planet were abuzz with a certain topic inside their buildings.

"Is it true the punitive force lost?"
"How could a grand army of six million ships lose to a single lord?"
"The opponent was Duke Banfield, wasn't he?"

For the people of the capital planet, a provincial lord who had angered the Empire being eliminated in a war was just a trivial, everyday occurrence.

But the result was defeat.

Unease was spreading among the people of the capital planet.

"Speaking of Duke Banfield, he's the one who cut down the Sword Saint, right?"
"Does swordsmanship even matter in a war?"
"I heard he had competent knights, but I never thought it would be to this extent."
"More importantly, what happens now?"
"Will Duke Banfield invade the Empire?"
"Forget that, what about the Hegemonic Kingdom and the other nations? Now that they know about this defeat..."

People who had believed they could live safely on the capital planet were beginning to feel anxious.

◇

Having returned to the palace, Cleo was in the audience chamber, unable to raise his head before Bagrada.

"My sincerest apologies. H-However, if you would please look over the documents I've submitted, you should understand that our defeat in this battle was due to an unforeseen accident."

Cleo had his own excuses.

The cause of the great fleet's defeat was the mistake of the de facto commander, Hampson—while he couldn't say that for sure, it was a fact that Hampson had abandoned his own forces mid-battle to act on his own.

He planned to use this to lighten his own responsibility, even if just a little.

Bagrada, who had been silently reviewing the documents, suddenly had his eyes wide and was trembling.

Then, he spoke to Cleo.

"What happened after this?"

"Eh?"

"I mean after you engaged the Banfield family's fleet in a decisive battle. I understand that the Unknown fleet appeared, but what happened after that?"

Rising from his chair, an excited Bagrada was glued to the documents.

Cleo raised his face and shook his head.

"A-After that, we retreated, so I have no detailed information. Surely, Banfield must have used some heretical methods. They are a despicable bunch."

He spun a tale of how they had lost due to the enemy's cowardly tricks.

However, Bagrada saw through Cleo's lies.

"—Pathetic."

"Your Majesty?"

"If you had only remained on-site a little longer, you could have confirmed the outcome. We finally found a clue, yet now we can't get any information from it."

It seemed Bagrada had some idea about the Unknown fleet.

Cleo asked.

"Do you have information on the Unknown? Who in the world are they?"

Bagrada did not answer Cleo's question.

He placed a hand on his forehead, lost in thought, before speaking about Cleo's future.

"You, who lost so disgracefully, should by all rights be executed—but I suppose you still have some use."

Being told he had use was infuriating, but knowing he still had a chance, Cleo clenched his fists.

"If you give me the opportunity, I will show you that I can defeat Banfield this time! They are exhausted from this battle. Please, I beg you, add me to the second wave!"

Cleo volunteered for the second wave of the invasion into Banfield territory, but Bagrada shook his head.

"I won't be sending the second wave out right away. To begin with, we no longer have the luxury of focusing only on the Banfield family."

"—The Hegemonic Kingdom and other neighboring countries?"

While the Banfield family and the punitive force were fighting, neighboring countries had begun their invasion of the Empire.

To counter this, the Imperial Army was also busy.

"That's right. For a while, we won't be able to make a move on them. You'll need to do your part on other battlefields."

Cleo, now being sent to another battlefield, furrowed his brow upon hearing this.

"This time, I will meet your expectations."

"—I'm counting on you, Cleo."

◇

Around that time.

The forces of the Hegemonic Kingdom had crossed the Empire's border and were continuing their advance.

Leading the fleet was a woman with long, silver hair.

Dressed in a black military uniform, the woman had taken command of the entire army in place of Aryuna.

Beside her stood the person who had supported this invasion from the shadows.

It was the beautiful woman dressed as a man, Marion Sera Orgren.

The reason she, a viscount's daughter, was here was because she was cooperating with the Hegemonic Kingdom's invasion under Liam's orders.

The silver-haired woman had her arms crossed, nodding in satisfaction as she listened to the report that the Banfield family had won.

"As expected of the Empire's strongest, the Banfield family. I thought they would win, but I never imagined it would be such a perfect victory."

She had expected them to be worn down fighting the punitive force, but looking at the results, the Banfield family seemed to have won with ease.

Marion was also surprised.

"I never thought my senior would be such a master of warfare. Well, I suppose most of the credit goes to Lord Klaus, though."

As Marion expressed her admiration, saying that the Empire's strongest knight was no joke, the silver-haired woman spoke.

"You're wrong about that. Without Lord Liam's caliber, a knight like Lord Klaus would not follow him."

"Is that how it is?"

"That is how it is. —Now then, as promised, let us wear down the Imperial Army."

An Imperial reinforcement fleet was closing in on them to deal with the invading Hegemonic Kingdom's army.

The operators reported to the silver-haired woman.

"Your Majesty the Hegemon, the enemy fleet is approaching!"

The silver-haired woman—the Hegemon—smiled slyly and thrust her right hand forward.

"Annihilate them!"

◇

Banfield's homeworld.

Flying in its skies was the flagship Argos, demonstrating that it was still intact.

For the triumphal return, the battleships formed a procession, and mobile knights were launched to show off their military might to the populace.

"This should be enough to reduce the number of citizens holding stupid protests."

Looking down at the scenery of the homeworld from the bridge, I could see the populace shrinking back before the intimidating presence of my army.

Surely, they would refrain from stupid protests in the future—probably.

I spread my arms in high spirits.

"When all was said and done, it was a complete victory. Well, since it's impossible for me to lose, this outcome was inevitable."

There's no way I, with the Guide's protection, could lose! I thought, while also thinking that I shouldn't rely on the Guide for everything.

I'd be happy if my efforts in this battle contributed to the result, even just a little.

However, to a third party, I must seem incredibly confident.

Yurishia was looking at me in utter amazement.

"It's amazing that you actually win. I can't even complain about it."

"Did you think I was going to lose?"

"The only ones who could declare victory against those numbers are you, Lord Liam, or Lord Klaus. More importantly, since you won, please remove me from your list of concubine candidates!"

She's telling me to remove her from the list, even though I don't remember making any such promise.

"—I could just remove you from being a concubine altogether, you know?"

When I said that mischievously, Yurishia staggered and clung to me.

With the light gone from her eyes, she clung to me, crying.

"It's too late for me to change the course of my life now! Are you abandoning me here? You're a demon, Lord Liam! A devil!"

"L-Let go! Stop saying things that sound bad to others! Besides, the crew is watching!"

The surrounding soldiers who heard our exchange were smiling wryly.

I was just starting to build up my image as an evil lord, and now you're making me look like a pathetic one!

"Fine, I'll remove you as a candidate! From now on, you're—unofficially confirmed as a concubine."

"Forget unofficially confirmed, just make me a concubineee!!"

I've practically made it a done deal, yet she's complaining about it. What a greedy woman.

"Ah, I can't. Come to think of it, it's time for my daily prayers. —So, I'm going back to my room. Leave me alone."

Fleeing the bridge, I headed off for my daily prayers.

Today—no, especially today, I will offer my prayers of gratitude to the Guide.

This complete victory must surely be because the Guide was helping me behind the scenes.

So today, I will thank him thoroughly.

Should I call Ellen and the others, too?

◇

Farabar lost to Liam—upon learning this fact, the Guide was at a loss on a planet of nothing but rock and sand.

"What do you mean he beat someone like Farabar! That's a being of a higher rank than me—to beat him, Liam can't be human anymore!!"

Farabar was more evil than him and had a worse influence on the world.

He had never imagined that such a being would lose to Liam.

Well, deep down, there was a tiny bit of anxiety, a thought of "what if, by some one-in-a-million chance, Liam actually wins?"

However, he couldn't believe that Farabar, who was stronger than him, would lose.

He hadn't thought it possible, and yet.

"I did my best! I secretly gathered negative energy and put everything I had into supporting Cleo for this day!"

Time and time again, he had gathered negative energy on the capital planet and wandered through various battlefields.

Hatred, sorrow, anger, resentment—he had gathered all sorts of negative emotions, combined them with curses, and poured them all into this battle.

And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't beat Liam.

The Guide wiped away his tears.

"Maybe I should just give up? Maybe I should just ignore Liam and go to some other world to build up my power by making people miserable?"

Exhausted, the Guide was starting to think things like, "Let's leave the city and live a slow life in the countryside!"

"Heh heh, I'll do that. I don't have to spread misfortune as flamboyantly as before. I'll meticulously and carefully make people unhappy and enjoy that."

It was the kind of mood where one wants to find happiness in the little things.

I'll stop getting involved with Liam—just as he made that decision, he felt a stabbing pain around his stomach.

"Ugh! My stomach hurts again. Is this Liam's influence too? Haa, I'll just leave this world and prepare to go to another—"

The Guide, dejected and speaking meekly, felt something strange as he pressed his right hand to his stomach.

"—Something's not right. It feels like something is rampaging inside my stomach—Hiek!?"

As he let out a scream, the Guide felt the pain intensify.

Something was gathering inside his stomach.

It was—the feelings of gratitude from Liam.

Naturally, the gratitude of the populace and the World Tree—of the stars—was mixed in, and a cold sweat poured from the Guide's entire body.

"Wh-Why!? Why—I didn't do anyth—Hah!?"

At that moment, he remembered one thing that might be the cause.

It was the spirit of the dog that had been secretly protecting Liam.

Because it had interfered with him so many times, he had eaten it out of spite.

That dog's spirit had a connection to Liam—using the dog's spirit as a landmark, the feelings of gratitude were now heading for the Guide.

"I-I have to spit it out right away—Guhah!!"

Before he could spit it out, the Guide's stomach began to swell.

"St-Stop! Somebody help meeee!!"

As he continued to inflate like a large balloon—he burst, and at the same time, a dog appeared, its brow furrowed in fury.

The dog was baring its teeth, and in its mouth, it was chewing on a rope-like object shrouded in a black mist.

It was something like the Guide's internal organs.

"Y-Youuuu!!"

The Guide reached out his right hand, but his body vanished from the shocking event.

Now just a hat, the Guide extended a small hand.

"Doooggg!! You of all beingsss!!"

Writhed in intense pain, the Guide glared at the dog.

As for the dog—it spat out the innards, which turned into black smoke and disappeared.

As if refreshed after rampaging inside the Guide's stomach, the dog's spirit approached with a light, skipping-like gait, a grin on its face.

"N-No way. Not now. Noooo!!"

The dog opened its mouth wide and bit down on the Guide.

◇

After the dog's spirit had left.

The Guide's body—his hat—was in tatters.

Parts of it were bitten off, looking like it had been mauled by a dog.

The Guide slowly stood up.

"—Unforgivable. I will never forgive this."

The Guide had not fallen so low as to back down after being humiliated to this extent.

Or rather, he wasn't mature enough to endure it.

"That mutt—and its master, Liam—I will make them see hell."

The Guide who had been thinking of enjoying a slow life in the countryside was gone, replaced by a figure seeping an intense aura of rage from his entire being.

"First, I'll head to the capital planet. I'll heal my wounds there while I devise a plan to drag Liam down to hell. This time—this time for sure, I will show Liam hell!!"