The fleet led by Ellen, Knight Number Three, arrived at the planet scheduled for invasion.

However, before Ellen and her forces arrived, a conflict had already broken out on that planet over the position of the family head.

Children and relatives were engaged in a bitter struggle over the title of Viscount.

The forces they possessed were divided into several factions and were fighting amongst themselves.

On the bridge of the flagship, Ellen frowned as she witnessed the scene.

Despite the arrival of their enemies—themselves—many of the factions were trying to cozy up to her instead of being wary.

Several individuals related to the viscount's family were projected as holograms on the bridge.

"Admiral, I am the legitimate heir of the Viscount's family! Please recognize my inheritance. If you do, our family will swear absolute loyalty to the Banfield family!"

"You, an incompetent fool, as the Viscount? Don't make me laugh. Admiral, I am the former Viscount's younger sister and have long assisted my brother. Appoint me as the next Viscount."

"No, not them! I am the one!"

The holograms bickered amongst themselves, yet all sought to rely on Ellen's power.

After all, the Viscount's family fleet numbered only around ten thousand ships, even if they scraped them all together.

Ellen had brought a fleet of thirty thousand.

It was clear that whoever could get Ellen—and by extension, the Banfield family—on their side would be the victor of this conflict.

Ellen addressed the fawning individuals.

"Isn't this a matter to be brought before the Empire, not me?"

Hearing this, the legitimate heir's gaze wandered.

"N-no, right now, the Ducal House of Banfield is our leader."

With the defeat of the punitive expedition, the Empire was being invaded by numerous interstellar nations and was unable to act.

Therefore, they claimed they would look up to the Banfield family as their leader and follow them.

It was likely a necessary measure for survival.

However, Ellen was a disciple who had received Liam's tutelage.

(These people will surely defect to the Empire when it matters most, won't they?)

It was fine for now, but she could easily imagine that if the Empire regained its strength, the Viscount's family would betray the Banfields, no matter how much they owed them.

(Now then, should I bring them in, knowing this, or should I destroy them and absorb their territory?)

If I incorporate them with the expectation of betrayal, I can expand our power with minimal effort.

But they will betray us eventually.

If I destroy them, the burden on the Banfield family to rebuild the Viscount's territory will increase.

Ellen was pondering which option was best, but there was something else that concerned her more.

"—To begin with, what is the reason for the Viscount's position being vacant?"

When she asked, the bickering individuals' eyes widened in surprise.

The former Viscount's sister spoke up.

"You must be joking. It was the Banfield family that sent the assassin, wasn't it?"

At those words, Ellen raised both eyebrows.

In the first place, dealing with the Viscount's family had been entrusted to Ellen.

Did another department act prematurely? Or was it a human error amidst the chaos? In any case, something was wrong.

"What do you mean by that?"

"A swordsman of the One-Flash School boarded our ship. Are you trying to say the Banfield family had nothing to do with it?"

From there, Ellen acted quickly.

She turned her back on the holograms and issued orders to her subordinates.

"The main fleet will remain on standby. I will return temporarily via high-speed vessel to seek our Master's instructions."

The second-in-command looked startled.

"Admiral!? Are you planning to just leave them like this?"

Ellen sensed that this matter was no longer just a problem for the Banfield family.

"As a knight, this might be unacceptable. However, as a swordsman of the One-Flash School, I cannot overlook this issue."

She already had a suspect in mind.

(Satsuki Rinhou... that disgrace to the One-Flash School!)

◇

When Ellen returned and disembarked at the spaceport, unbelievable news awaited her.

"—Master is furious with Ed, you say?"

The knight who brought the report seemed a little hesitant.

"Yes. I thought it was information that should reach your ears, Lady Ellen, so I waited for you here at the spaceport."

The reason he didn't use a communicator was likely to prevent the Banfield family's internal affairs from spreading.

Ellen thanked the knight and broke into a run.

"Thank you! I'll be on my way, then."

(For Ed to anger Master...)

For Ellen, who was one of his tutors, it was her own sin as well.

(I have to hurry and meet up with them, no matter what.)

◇

I stood before an out-of-place structure built in the middle of the office district.

"It looks like an entertainment complex. It seems quite fun, but—don't you think it's out of place in this district?"

They've built quite a large building.

They must have crammed several entertainment facilities inside.

But the surrounding area is an office district.

It's a district that Amagi and I planned and laid out together when I was young.

Hearing that it was Edward who had erected an illegal structure in this district, a place I could even call memorable, I was trembling with rage.

As I stepped out of a black vehicle, men in black suits who were waiting at the entrance approached.

"You seem to be riding in a pretty nice car, but this ain't a place for someone dressed like you. Go change and come back."

Did he post guards at the gate who don't even know who I am?

He's certainly surrounded himself with a low-quality bunch.

What's more, they're exactly the type of people I hate.

To gather a bunch of thugs who remind me of the ones who oppressed me in my past life—that idiot son of mine!!

I grabbed the arm of the black-suited man reaching for me and snapped it.

"Agh!? H-he broke my arm!!"

I looked down on the man in black as he collapsed to the ground, crying.

"Don't touch me so casually."

The man's companions each drew their hidden weapons.

At that moment, vehicles resembling armored cars appeared one after another from the sky.

Armed ground troops descended without ropes, landed, and aimed their assault rifles at the men in black.

A soldier with a colonel's insignia asked me,

"Shall we open fire?"

I could have them shot and killed right here, but we were attracting the attention of the people around us.

The people working in the office district were peering out to see what was going on.

"Capture them all and interrogate them. They tried to point their weapons at me, so you don't need to handle them gently."

The men in black didn't seem to understand what was happening, but they apparently realized the situation was bad.

"You think you can get away with doing this to us? We've got Lord Edward on our side—!?"

I stomped on the head of the man in black who had mentioned Ed's name.

And then I told him.

"Not knowing my face was your fatal mistake. I'm Ed's father."

Just saying that much was enough for the men in black to understand.

The color drained from their faces.

They immediately tried to beg for their lives, but the ground troops forcibly dragged them away.

"H-help us! We were just following orders!"

"Is that so? We'll hear all about it in detail later. Be prepared. You've made an enemy of the most important person on this planet."

Because of the commotion at the entrance, the patrons of the entertainment facility were looking our way.

I entered in my loungewear to find a crowd of young people dressed up to the nines.

On top of that, every last one of them was dressed in bizarre outfits.

It was like a costume party.

"Is this the latest trend? It's quite far from my own tastes."

I'd been so busy with work that I hadn't paid attention to the trends in my domain. It seems eccentric fashion is in vogue.

Come to think of it, my subjects were the type to do this sort of thing.

A bitter memory comes to mind—the tornado hairstyle.

As I entered the lobby, followed by the ground troops, a young woman stepped forward.

"Excuse me, could you not barge in here dressed so boorishly? This is Edward Tower, the cutting edge of fashion!"

Edward Tower!? What the hell is with that name!?

As my cheek twitched, a ground troop soldier whispered in my ear.

"She appears to be the daughter of a high-ranking government official."

The girl, with her hands on her hips and chest puffed out, was strong-willed, as if she'd always gotten her way.

"Pay her no mind. Arrest them all."

"Sir!"

At my command, the ground troops pinned the spoiled girl to the floor and restrained her, drawing criticism from the onlookers.

"Stop! Where do you think you are!"

Where do I think this is? he asks.

"This is supposed to be an office district. If you want to play, go somewhere else."

Even before intercepting the punitive force, I was flying all over the place.

It's been so long since I've shown my face in my own territory that many people seem to have forgotten what I look like.

"Are you ordering us around? Listen, we're the chosen ones. And the ruler of this place is—"

I certainly didn't choose you, though.

Just as I was thinking that, someone came down the grand staircase.

"That's enough. —Has it been a few months, Father?"

Ed, wearing sunglasses and a fur-like coat, looked down on me.

My son's overly eccentric attire made my cheek twitch.

"Were you always this much of an idiot?"

My son's fashion sense made me tremble.

◇

Looking down at his father, Liam, Edward didn't grasp the gravity of the situation.

He figured that even if his father barged in with ground troops, he'd be forgiven if he just showed his face.

With each step, his slippers made a silly pweep sound.

Dressed in an outfit he never wore at the mansion, he stood before Liam.

Liam wore an indescribable expression.

"You knew this was an office district, didn't you? Why did you build an entertainment complex here?"

To Edward, the inside of the ridiculously large building was like an amusement park.

New toys and games were always in stock, and people could visit and play all day long.

He had wanted a place like this.

So he simply had one made.

"Because it was close, of course."

"—Huh?"

"Being an office district, the transportation is good. It's close to the mansion and easy to get to. And—there were various other convenient factors."

The reason it was 'convenient' was that it had been prioritized to have everything necessary for the development of the Banfield domain.

Edward, who had arbitrarily built an entertainment facility in such a district, did not correctly recognize the gravity of his actions.

Liam was smiling.

"I see. So you built this thing for such a trivial reason."

"Yes, Father. If you'd like, please stay and have some fun. I'm sure you'll like it."

This should settle the matter—just as Edward was thinking that, Liam's fist slammed into his cheek.

"You little shit!!"

"Fubuh!?"

Sent flying, Edward slammed into a wall and fell to the floor.

For a moment, he couldn't understand what had happened.

As Edward tried to get up, Liam stood before him with an expression he had never seen before.

"—Get up, you idiot son. You broke my laws, so from this day forward, I will no longer treat you as a child. Atone for your own mistakes."