Captured by the Banfield family's fleet, Cleo was in a prison cell.

However, he was still the Crown Prince of the Algrand Empire, no matter how fallen.

To ensure he could live comfortably even in a cell, he had been provided with a room furnished with expensive items.

A maid was even provided to serve him, so it wasn't as if he was living a difficult life.

As Cleo sat in a chair, the serving maid placed a drink on the nearby table.

She was dressed as a maid, but she was likely trained as a knight.

Taking the maid hostage—that seemed difficult given Cleo's abilities.

Cleo took the glass, drained its contents, and muttered.

"—I never thought Lord Klaus would be waiting where I fled. He was once called a man of 'divine-like resourcefulness and stratagem,' and now I understand why firsthand."

Cleo had escaped from the fleet taken over by Farabal, but after a series of short-range warps, Klaus's fleet was waiting for him.

On the other side of the room, which was sealed with glass instead of iron bars to prevent escape.

Seeing Klaus standing there, Cleo's hands trembled slightly.

An unremarkable man with a blank expression looking down on him—but his true identity was that of the Banfield family's strongest knight, trusted by Liam.

He was a man said to be one of the top two strongest in the entire Empire.

—Even if he seemed unimpressive, he was a man as dangerous as Liam in this Empire.

He was putting on a brave front, acting composed, but a cold sweat was running down Cleo's back.

Klaus let out a small sigh.

To Cleo, it felt as if his bluff had been seen through, and he was ashamed.

At the same time, he felt frustrated.

Cleo made a last-ditch proposal to Klaus.

"If you were to switch sides, the Empire would promise you the highest possible treatment. Why not serve me instead of Liam?"

It was a proposal he didn't expect to succeed, and Klaus's reply was as he anticipated.

"I have no intention of switching sides. I am already employed by my house under special treatment. Besides, Your Highness the Crown Prince would not trust a man who would betray his master on the spot, would you?"

Cleo couldn't immediately reply, "It would be different with you!"

As he remained silent, Klaus spoke about what was to come.

"—Lord Liam has joined our fleet. He will be discussing your treatment, Your Highness, directly from now on."

"I-I see."

The time had finally come.

Cleo had thought he was prepared, but his body began to tremble.

(What kind of torment awaits me? Liam—you will surely never forgive me.)

Despite all that had been done for him, Cleo had betrayed Liam.

Naturally, he believed his life was forfeit.

◇

Klaus was suffering from a severe stomachache.

The cause was—.

"Not only did you defend the capital planet, but you also earned the merit of capturing Cleo—Lord Klaus, you're greedier than I thought."

Tia was smiling, but the light had vanished from her eyes.

"N-no, this was, well, a coincidence."

When he called it a fluke, the cheerful Marie now smiled at Klaus.

However, her eyes were bloodshot.

"A coincidence is still a merit! —Why don't you act a little prouder?"

Facing the killing intent from the two knights, Klaus's stomach ached unbearably.

Beside Klaus stood a smirking Chengshi.

For some reason, she was a knight who claimed to "like" Klaus and would protect him.

However, her true nature was that of a troublemaker no less than Tia or Marie.

"Are you frustrated that Klaus stole your thunder? How pathetic."

In response to Chengshi's blatant provocation, Tia and Marie's expressions turned blank as they reached for the hilts of their weapons.

Watching this unfold, Emma Rodman—Number Four—hurriedly intervened.

"Everyone, please calm down!!"

Watching Emma try to stop them, Klaus felt a slight reprieve from his stomach pain.

(I'm glad they're not all troublemakers. I'm truly glad.)

As he was on the verge of tears from relief, Ellen, who had been acting indifferent, straightened her back.

A few seconds later, Liam entered the room.

"All of you fought well."

Offering a curt word of thanks, Liam entered the room, sat on a sofa, and gestured for everyone else to sit.

As Klaus sat down, he immediately asked about Cleo's fate.

"Lord Liam, regarding the treatment of His Highness the Crown Prince—"

At the mention of the topic, Liam made a strange face for a moment before asking Klaus.

"What would you do?"

"Me? In this case, what Lord Liam desires is what's important. If you intend to continue your all-out resistance, he would be executed and his body returned to the Empire. If you wish to negotiate, we would set conditions for his return."

Ultimately, Cleo's treatment depended on what Liam aimed to achieve.

Tia, having her own thoughts on the matter, offered her opinion.

"He is the one responsible for devastating our territory to this extent. If he doesn't receive a fitting punishment, there will be those who are not satisfied."

It was a fact that the punitive expedition had ravaged the Banfield family's territory.

That Cleo, who had ordered it, must receive his just deserts was likely the majority opinion.

However, Liam's opinion seemed to be different.

"An incompetent but active person as Crown Prince is convenient for me. He'll probably be punished in the Empire once he's returned, but—begin negotiations for his handover."

At the order to send Cleo back unharmed, Marie hurriedly sought confirmation.

"Are you sure about that, Lord Liam!? He is a great sinner who betrayed you!"

Liam remained unperturbed upon hearing this.

"That's true. I could execute him, but—I just thought it would be more interesting if he survived."

"B-but..."

As if to silence the dissatisfied Marie and the others, Liam changed the subject.

"More importantly, Tia and Marie's performance was splendid. As promised, I will formally announce your entry into the Numbers when we return to the capital planet."

With their induction into the Numbers confirmed, Tia and Marie's eyes widened.

They immediately went before Liam, knelt, and bowed their heads.

"I, Christiana, pledge my further loyalty!"

"I will continue to strive for Lord Liam's sake!"

Seeing this, Liam adopted a dismissive attitude.

"Well then, keep up the good work."

Thinking the troublesome conversation was over, Liam started to leave, and Klaus hurriedly followed him.

◇

Once in the hallway, Klaus followed a step behind me.

Apparently, he had doubts about my handling of Cleo.

"Lord Liam, are you truly certain about returning His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Just use him as a bargaining chip. He's still the Crown Prince, no matter how fallen, so the Empire will have no choice but to offer suitable terms."

Guarding knights walked several meters away from us.

There was no one to interrupt our conversation.

Klaus had a hand on his chin.

"Gaining practical benefits is important, but there are many in the Banfield family who are furious with His Highness. There will be those who demand harsh measures."

"I'm sure there are. If I could kill him, I'd do it right now."

Klaus was slightly surprised by my reply.

"So you've swallowed your personal feelings and chosen practical gain? In that case, I have nothing more to say."

It was helpful that he seemed to understand.

However, even Klaus was likely unaware of my true thoughts.

—I can kill someone like Cleo anytime.

It's just a matter of timing.

Well, there's a chance he'll be executed by the Empire after we send him back—but either way is fine with me.

"From my perspective, it's more helpful to have that incompetent but active Cleo remain as Crown Prince. His mistakes this time reduced our own damages, after all."

"That's speaking in hindsight, but it's true His Highness's existence was a plus for us. However, I don't believe that will continue to be the case in the future."

"You're such a worrywart. Well, either way is fine."

Whether Cleo survives and appears before us again, or is executed in the Empire, it doesn't matter.

After walking in silence for a while, Klaus asked hesitantly.

"Um—Lord Liam?"

"What is it?"

"Actually, there's a report I can't ignore—there's information that you, Lord Liam, boarded an enemy ship and fought a Demon Lord, or something of the sort?"

A commander-in-chief boarding an enemy ship with only a few men during a war is unacceptable.

Feeling a slight pang of guilt, I averted my gaze from Klaus.

"That was a matter for the One-Flash School."

"So it was true."

Klaus placed a hand on his face and looked up at the ceiling with an exasperated expression.

He shook his head, then turned to me for confirmation.

"And now, regarding the matter of the Argos—"

◇

Awaiting the Argos upon its return to the Banfield capital planet were the engineers from the Seventh Weapons Factory.

Undergoing maintenance in its dedicated dock, the Argos exposed an engine that shouldn't have existed.

Examining that engine was Nias, a scientist who seemed to have discarded her personality in favor of ability.

The staff of the Seventh Weapons Factory were attaching various inspection devices to the Argos and running tests.

Amidst this, floating in zero gravity, Nias and I were having a detailed discussion about the engine the Argos had acquired.

"So the cause of the immortal fleet wasn't Farabal, but this thing."

"It's a threat, isn't it? To be able to control millions of ships, repairing and resupplying them."

The engine that had created the immortal fleet was now installed in the Argos.

With this, my fleet could do the same.

However, it seems it wouldn't work like it did for Farabal.

Nias was calculating the limits of the engine installed in the Argos.

"Maintaining millions of ships, as the stories say, is impossible. The most it can do is probably just the Argos itself."

"Did it degrade?"

"It's less that its capabilities have declined and more the result of being pushed too hard until now."

"He gave me a used item? That bastard Farabal, if he ever comes back to life, I'll cut him down again myself."

As I stood with my arms crossed, complaining, Nias turned to me with a serious expression.

"—So, Lord Liam, to what extent do you intend to use this thing's capabilities?"

To what extent? That was a question of whether he would turn the Argos's crew into immortals.

To me, it was a foolish question.

"It's not necessary. As long as it can resupply and repair the Argos, that's enough."

"Are you sure? It may be just one ship, but it's a super-dreadnought. Not having to worry about training a crew is a huge advantage."

Using excellent crew members as immortals was an attractive prospect.

But I had no interest in immortals.

"I'm not interested. Besides, people are meant to die."

"You're not interested in eternal life? It's the dream of every person in power."

Those who gain power seek eternal life.

Throughout history, many rulers have sought immortality.

—What meaning is there in that?

Besides, having a past life, I know of the Guide's existence.

"It's presumptuous for humans to meddle with souls."

At my murmur, Nias shrugged her shoulders.

"Coming from you, Lord Liam, with your usual arrogant attitude, that's not very convincing."

"—In any case, I won't use that function. Seal it away."

When I ordered it sealed, Nias smiled.

"I thought you'd say that."