Today marks the end of Chapter Twelve, "The Defensive War, Part One."

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Liam's home planet.

Unlike the battlefield, daily life continued unchanged.

However, with the battlefield so close, a tense atmosphere hung in the air.

Amidst this, the government prepared numerous screens projected into the sky to announce the good news and report on the war's situation.

"The defense fleet led by His Excellency Klaus has dealt a major blow to the enemy's main force. With a fleet of several hundred thousand, they have temporarily repelled a fleet of several million."

Scenes from the battlefield were displayed in the sky, announcing that the Banfield family was winning.

There was more.

"Colonel Fuuka Shishigami has significantly increased her kill score. In a truly lion-like rampage, it has been announced that she has destroyed over three hundred mobile knights."

"Colonel Chengshi Sera Tourei has destroyed over one hundred enemy vessels. The military has announced they will be awarding her a medal for this achievement—"

"Regarding the planet defended by Vice Admiral Christiana, she is holding back the fierce assault of the enemy fleet. We will now bring you live footage from the scene."

As one piece of good news after another was announced, the citizens living on the home planet erupted in cheers.

◇

The Banfield family mansion.

While the domain was in a state of elation, Rosetta furrowed her brow at the successive reports.

Amagi, supporting her nearby, questioned Rosetta's feelings.

"The current situation shows less damage than anticipated, and I judge that we are approaching a great victory. So why, Lady Rosetta, do you look so sad?"

Despite the situation being a much greater victory than expected, Rosetta's expression was grim.

Rosetta rested her forehead on her clasped hands.

"—Too many people are dying. Tens of thousands of people are dying so easily. It's not just our allies. A great number of enemies are dying, too."

In fact, the expeditionary force's losses were likely greater.

The casualties among the soldiers forced to charge recklessly by Cleo's orders were on a different scale.

Liam would have understood that in this world, human life is the cheapest commodity.

And because he held a deep-seated aversion to people, he didn't care about the lives of his enemies.

Amagi showed a certain degree of understanding for Rosetta's sorrow.

"—War is inefficient, isn't it."

"You think so too, don't you? And yet, I wonder why humans continue to fight."

Rosetta stopped thinking and focused on the work in front of her.

◇

The mansion's courtyard.

Edward was playing with his attendant children.

Besides the guard knights, he was also being protected by the Black Ops from unseen locations.

However, Edward was feeling down.

Unable to bear watching him, Wallace approached.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

"—Oh, it's just you, Wallace."

"Calling me by my name without an honorific is quite rude. I'll have you know I'm a former member of the imperial family and a friend of Liam's."

"The imperial family are enemies, right? Nata told me."

When Wallace looked at the girl called "Nata," he saw a child close to Edward's age.

However, the aura she exuded was different from the others.

She seemed to blend in well, but there was no doubt she was from the Black Ops—a member of the Kukuri clan.

(I knew the Black Ops were raising a new generation, but to place one by Edward's side?)

Is it right to place a member of the Black Ops, who does shady work, next to a child? We must not let impurity near Lord Edward! —Opinions like these existed within the Banfield household.

However, Liam, for the simple reason that "she is competent," had placed her by Edward's side, regardless of her being from the Black Ops.

This girl from the Kukuri clan, however, had murderous intent in her eyes as she looked at Wallace.

(I'd heard they were a clan that held a grudge against the imperial family, but I wish they wouldn't pass that hatred down to the children. Besides, I had nothing to do with it.)

Wallace tried to speak to Nata to improve their relationship.

"Nata-chan, you're misunderstanding me. I'm—"

At that, Nata turned her face away.

"Please don't talk to me. If you weren't the Master's friend, I wouldn't have wanted you near Lord Edward in the first place."

"I-Is that so."

Faced with Nata's blatant hostility, Wallace gave up on persuading her and spoke to Edward instead.

"Edward, I'm not an enemy. I'm on Liam's side. After all, Liam is my patron right now."

Edward looked up and tilted his head.

"But you don't do anything, do you, Wallace? If you're an ally, then help Father."

At the child's blunt words, Wallace's cheek twitched.

"Me, help Liam? At a party, maybe, but I'm useless on a battlefield. Keeping you company like this is the best I can do."

The other children listening to Wallace's remark looked at him with exasperation.

Only Nata was glaring at him.

As for Edward.

"You're useless, aren't you, Wallace."

"Hey! How much do you think I've contributed to Liam up until now!? In the first place, the one who does the least work is Chino!"

Where Wallace pointed stood Chino, who had wolf ears and a tail.

The silver-haired woman in a maid outfit was small and had a cute appearance.

Right now, she had a mat spread out on the lawn and was eating the snacks prepared there.

Seeing her sitting formally and happily eating sweets, Edward shook his head and turned his gaze back to Wallace.

"Father said Chino is in the 'pet' category, for viewing pleasure."

"For ornamental purposes!? That's a terrible way to treat Chino!"

Edward looked up at the sky.

"—Wallace, will I have to go to the battlefield too someday?"

Wallace struggled with how to answer the child's question.

(It's better for a child to have dreams and hopes, right?)

"By the time you inherit everything, Liam will have finished it all and created a peaceful world."

Wallace knew that was impossible, but he couldn't bring himself to state the cruel reality in this situation.

—Besides, behind Wallace, Nata was directing a murderous gaze at him.

She probably wouldn't let him get away with it if he said anything unnecessary to Edward.

(—Nata-chan is scary.)

◇

"Why? Why would a machine prepared by the Arsenal lose?"

On the bridge of the expeditionary force's flagship—a fortress-class vessel—Cleo leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling.

The super-large mobile knight he had used as a trump card had ended in a mutual kill with one of Liam's mass-produced Griffins.

In terms of performance, the fake built at the Imperial Arsenal was definitely superior.

Normally, it should have won.

Having lost his trump card, Cleo now had to break through Klaus's defenses with conventional tactics and conquer the Banfield's home planet.

But—

"We can't break through the enemy defense fleet!"

"Vice Admiral Rodria has been killed in action! Major General Anson has taken command and is retreating the fleet—they're being attacked by the enemy's pursuit force!"

"Our mobile knight units are being destroyed by the enemy's ace squadrons!"

—The reports coming in were all far from victory.

Cleo turned his gaze to the monitor, looking at the Banfield's home planet.

He thought of the knight defending it and clenched his jaw.

"The title of the Empire's Strongest is not just for show, it seems."

A military officer beside him offered advice.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we should retreat for now and retake the supply base. After that, we can reorganize the fleet and invade the Banfield territory again."

The officer knew that a retreat would be difficult, but he must have concluded that they couldn't win by continuing the attack.

Cleo also inwardly admitted that his strategy had failed.

"Retreat. Inform Hampson as well—"

But someone appeared to stop that order.

Projected on the giant monitor was the recorded image of Emperor Bagrada.

"Cleo, I hear you're having a tough time. Oops, this is a recording, so there's no point in asking questions."

The bridge crew stared wide-eyed at Bagrada's flippant attitude.

Then, Bagrada narrowed his eyes.

"Actually, the Hegemony Kingdom is making a move, so I can't send you reinforcements. Normally, retreating would be the right call, but—I want you all to fight as long as you possibly can."

"—Huh?"

As Cleo stood there, stunned, Bagrada smiled.

"I'm counting on your efforts."

◇

The planet serving as the expeditionary force's supply base.

Having occupied it, I was rushing to have the fleet serviced and resupplied.

My adjutant, Eulisia, reported to me while operating her terminal.

"The work is eighty percent complete. Also, we've received a report that General Cozmo's cryosleep procedure was successful."

"He's a souvenir for Tia, so handle him with care."

The destination for Cozmo, who led the pirate fleet, is Tia and her forces, who are locked in a fierce battle with Marquis Hampson.

Tia and her people, who despise space pirates from the bottom of their hearts, will surely be overjoyed to receive him.

I can't even imagine what kind of treatment Cozmo will receive, but frankly, I'm not interested.

It's a thoughtful gesture for my hardworking subordinates—well, there's no doubt he's in for a terrible time.

"Vice Admiral Christiana and her forces will likely receive him with glee."

Perhaps Eulisia was also imagining Cozmo's future, as her expression clouded over slightly.

"Feeling sorry for a pirate?"

"That's not it. It's just that Vice Admiral Christiana's inner darkness is deeper than I imagined, and it's making me think."

She looks like a perfect, beautiful female knight, and her abilities are top-class.

The knight order she leads is also elite, but Tia and her people harbor a strong hatred for pirates.

Their treatment of pirates is more horrific than one can imagine.

If they were serving ordinary nobles, they would have been either unmanageable, kept at a distance—or perhaps, because of their competence, used up and discarded.

"Inner darkness is perfectly fine. I strive to be generous to subordinates who contribute to me. —Though I have no use for the incompetent."

As long as they produce results, I'll laugh off that level of inner darkness.

A champion of justice might find it abhorrent, but unfortunately for them, I am an evil lord.

Eulisia let out a small sigh, somewhat exasperated by my attitude.

"It's true that you are generous."

"That's a loaded way of putting it. If it were anyone but you, I'd be punishing them right now."

"More importantly—"

She just brushed off my talk of punishment.

—It's a bit pathetic for an evil lord, but punishing Eulisia here and now would just create more trouble, so I'll endure it.

—Just you wait until the war is over and we're back in my territory.

"We've completely destroyed the supply base, but what's our next move? The Imperial Army's main force is attacking the home planet, so we can't approach carelessly."

I looked at the simple battlefield display in front of me and considered my next strategy—no, where I wanted to go on a rampage.

"Anywhere is fine, but I want to do what the enemy would hate the most."

"You truly have a wonderful personality, Lord Liam."

"They'll receive their punishment for rampaging through my territory. —We're going to crush them completely."

If we smash the expeditionary force here, it will be a heavy blow to the current Empire.

—Now, this is where the real show begins.