The Imperial University on the capital planet.

Although it's called a university, it's actually a collection of several universities.

The number of students attending is enormous, and there are many buildings.

Depending on their choice of classes, it's even possible for classmates who enrolled together to never once see each other.

Walking through this vast campus was—Rosetta.

Her long, blonde hair was styled in vertical ringlets.

Such a hairstyle might stand out, but this was the national university on the Empire's capital planet.

With students from various planets, there were many eccentric hairstyles, so hers didn't stand out.

The scene was like a costume party or a cultural festival being held every day.

Surrounding Rosetta were the daughters of nobles brought from Liam's home territory.

They were mainly the daughters of houses that looked up to Liam as their patron lord; to put it simply, they were the daughters of his vassals' families.

While attending the university, their job was also to take care of Rosetta.

It was like a high noble enrolling with their entourage, a not-uncommon sight.

"Lady Rosetta, what would you like for lunch today?"
"How about the cafeteria?"
"Eating in such a place is out of the question."
"Oh, come on. It'll be a good memory of our university life."

Although she brought them along, they were still students, so they were somewhat boisterous.

However, Rosetta didn't reprimand them.

She understood their excitement.

"The student cafeteria sounds nice for a change. Shall we eat there for lunch, then?"

When Rosetta agreed, two of her attendants were overjoyed.

A serious-looking girl with glasses spoke to Rosetta.

"Lady Rosetta, their objective is—"

"I know."

All sorts of students gathered in the student cafeteria.

Some students who had classes in other buildings even made the trip over.

The reason—to pick up girls.

Even the nobles were hiding their status and having fun.

A bit of fun during their student days—they wanted to enjoy their free time.

Several of Rosetta's attendants also seemed to want to find someone to have fun with.

"Is this alright?"

"As long as they don't go too far, I'll allow it. Besides, they don't have fiancés, do they? It won't be an act of infidelity."

"B-but, if there's any premarital relations, it could become troublesome."

"That's not so unusual these days. Besides, I hear many people find their future partners here. I won't interfere if it's a serious relationship."

Seeing them, who had come from the countryside to the city, frolicking about, Rosetta was a little worried.

However, being too strict would only lead to dissatisfaction, and this was also an opportunity to observe their character.

She wouldn't get in their way.

If they did something, they would simply have to take responsibility for it themselves.

As Rosetta and her group headed to the student cafeteria, they saw Liam there.

"Ah, darling."

Blushing, Rosetta was about to approach Liam, but—seeing him in a serious discussion with Wallace, she decided to be considerate and not call out to him.

◇

"Liam, it's not like I was out playing around and came home late yesterday."

Wallace, with a bump on his head, was making excuses to me.

"I heard you're out drinking with your bad friends every day. And what's this about you treating them with the money I gave you? Treat me too."

"Isn't that backward? I think this is a situation where you should be treating me. Anyway, yesterday really wasn't about fun."

"—Did something happen?"

It was strange for the usually frivolous Wallace to stay out all night without even playing around.

And this morning, he seemed to be lacking energy.

He had a worried look on his face.

"W-well, the truth is—I got a call from my older brothers."

"Older brothers? Cedric?"

Cedric is a prince who, like Wallace, is treated as one of the "also-rans."

He's currently serving in the military as a Major General.

"No. It was my brothers who are first and second in the line of succession. Do you understand what that means?"

Wallace is trying to test me.

I can't allow that.

"Don't test me. Get to the point."

"—Alright. My brothers are thinking of recruiting you. So, they asked me to act as an intermediary. It's really annoying. Just when I was trying to escape the court struggles, I get dragged right into the middle of it."

Wallace had always wanted to avoid court struggles.

The reason was that a single misjudgment could cost you your life.

The number of people with a claim to the throne, believed to be in the rear palace, could potentially be in the thousands.

That many successors fight, crush each other, and disappear.

"An intermediary for me? Didn't the third prince just reach out?"

If I remember correctly—it was His Highness Cleo, right?

"That was Cleo requesting a meeting directly. In this case, you're supposed to go through me and request to join my brothers' factions."

"Huh?"

I didn't get it.

"In other words, you, Liam, are supposed to bow your head and ask to join their faction. You'll need a gift to bring, and probably a large donation as well."

I was starting to get angry.

It was like they called out to me, only to say, 'You come and bow your head to us.'

I'm not above sending bribes or fawning over my superiors.

But compared to this, the third prince, who formally requested a meeting, made a much better impression.

"They're pretty high-and-mighty, aren't they?"

"Of course they are. My two brothers are the top candidates for the next emperor."

So it's only natural for them to be arrogant.

"Hm? Wait a minute—does that mean those two already hold a fair bit of power?"

A certain anxiety crossed my mind.

It was about the "true enemy" the Guide had mentioned before.

I had assumed the Emperor was the suspicious one.

As the most powerful person in this country, he should be able to manipulate the Berkley family as he pleases.

But now, the number of candidates has increased.

"A great number of nobles are working for my brothers. In that sense, they hold great power. Some of our other siblings have power too, but the top two are in a league of their own."

"—I see."

In that case, they aren't suitable for me to wag my tail for.

It's possible that one of them was manipulating the Berkley family from behind the scenes.

If I had just gone along with it, I would have been used and abused.

In fact, aren't they the very enemies the Guide warned me about?!

That was close.

"Wallace, then tell those two for me. —I refuse."

"Whaaaat!? W-what are you saying, Liam!? These are my brothers who are first and second in the line of succession! If you refuse their invitation, you'll definitely make an enemy of them!"

"So what? They're already my enemies."

There's a high probability they were manipulating the Berkley family from the shadows.

The Emperor, or the princes squabbling over the succession—but now, an interesting party has emerged.

"Wallace, if what you say is true, that means the third prince in line for the throne has no decent backing, right?"

I've heard about the third prince from Wallace.

He said the prince's claim to the throne is in name only, and he has no real supporters.

In other words, he's a powerless prince.

But for that very reason—.

"Cleo has no decent backers. There's no doubt about that. After all, even his own mother's family has abandoned him."

"What's he like as a person?"

"As a person? W-well, he's a cute little brother. No, maybe pitiful is the word. Even from my perspective, he's in a pitiable position, but I think he carries himself with fortitude."

"So from your point of view, he's not a bad guy."

"Among the top three, Cleo is definitely the overwhelming winner in terms of character. Well, he just came of age, so he's a bit naive about the world. I think he's serious and kind. Though I can't say what the future holds for him."

"That's enough."

—It's been determined that he's not a threat to me.

Precisely because he's a prince with no real power, it's hard to believe he was the one manipulating the Berkley family from the shadows.

He's a safe bet, in other words.

The Emperor, the two princes—if my true enemy is among them, then choosing any of their factions is dangerous.

Besides, I don't like the idea of being ordered around like a newcomer.

"How wonderful. I'll meet with this Prince Cleo right away. Tell him to arrange a meeting immediately."

As I said this while sipping my cafeteria coffee, Wallace was trembling.

"Eh? Are you serious?"

"Of course. I'm serious. I'm going to seriously—support Prince Cleo."

I have the power to do so, and it's my subordinates who will be on the front lines handling things.

Also, those two princes who might be my enemies—I won't let them become emperor.

Becoming Cleo's backer and preparing an emperor who will move at my beck and call—isn't that an interesting story?

An action befitting a corrupt lord.

"This is getting fun."

When I said that, Wallace weakly shook his head.

"You're the only one enjoying this."

I think I'll join the court struggle.

Well, they probably can't beat me, though.

Freed from my financial problems, I am strong.

A couple of Imperial princes are no big deal!

Besides, I have a powerful guardian deity on my side.

With the Guide, I am invincible!

◇

A planet far, far away from the Imperial capital planet.

It was another interstellar nation.

There, on the rooftop of a building, was the figure of the Guide, looking down on a great metropolis.

"I have been wrong until now."

Reflecting on his past actions, the Guide had distanced himself from Liam, traveling to other planets to gather negative emotions as if drinking muddy water.

As a result, he reached a single conclusion.

"Getting involved with Liam was a mistake. And the Liam of today is not an opponent who can be dealt with through mere petty tricks."

He calmly analyzed Liam's strength and concluded that it would be difficult to deal with him from within the Empire.

So, will he give up?

No. Absolutely not.

The Guide spread his arms wide.

"I just need to crush the entire Empire! Yasushi is raising the swordsman who will kill Liam. In line with that, I will steer events so that the Empire collapses."

It was a grand plan to kill Liam, one that would involve other interstellar nations.

What is necessary for that?

"First, I shall nurture the seeds of discord in this country—I will go around lighting fires in the nations surrounding the Empire, and eventually, they will become a great flame that will assault the Empire!"

The Guide was lending a hand to what would eventually become a major problem, trying to turn it into a catastrophe sooner.

And not just in one country.

"I will involve all the nations bordering the Empire! A great chaos will surely erupt, centered on the Empire!"

For the sole purpose of killing Liam, the Guide decided to prepare a grand scheme involving other interstellar nations.

And as for Liam himself—.

"Liam—for now, I will do nothing to you. If I act now, it will surely benefit you. But do not forget—I act for the sake of your misfortune!"

The Guide shouted.

"Liam, from this place where your gratitude cannot reach me, I will kill you!"

From a distant—a very distant place, the Guide directed his killing intent toward Liam.

◇

"Cleo! Have you heard the reply from Count Banfield!"

Lysithea, who burst in while Cleo was taking a bath, was clutching a letter in her hand.

She was in such a hurry that she had barged in on Cleo while he was soaking in the hot water.

The few servants present were surprised, but since Lysithea was also royalty, they couldn't say anything.

In the spacious bath, Cleo looked at Lysithea with exasperation.

"Sister, I'm in the middle of a bath."

"This is no time to be calm! Wallace brought a letter from Count Banfield!"

When Cleo stood up, the servants hurriedly covered his body.

They dried him with a towel and brought him a gown.

Walking towards Lysithea, Cleo told the servants, "That's not necessary," and took the letter while still wet.

(It's probably just a letter of refusal anyway.)

Watching the excited Lysithea, Cleo broke the seal with a somewhat detached air.

Then he took out the letter and read it.

The content was very formal.

It was partly because they had never met, but he couldn't get a sense of the man's character from the letter's contents.

However, the greeting was brief, and it quickly got to the main point.

It was written there that a large donation would be sent immediately.

It was a number Cleo had never seen before.

"—That's quite a large sum for severance money."

As Cleo said this in confusion, Lysithea's face turned red.

"Read it to the end! I've already heard the gist of it from Wallace. Count Banfield is going to support you with all his might, he said."

"Eh?"

It was no wonder Cleo was surprised.

After all, not just the Crown Prince, but even the prince second in line for the throne had reached out to Liam.

Two powerful princes had approached a mere count with whom they had no connection.

It was exceptional treatment.

In contrast, he himself was a powerless figurehead.

"I-is he planning to make me a puppet?"

Lysithea laughed off Cleo's worry.

"Are you confused? There isn't a single noble out there who would support you with the intention of making you a puppet."

"Y-you're right. I—I'm not even worth that much."

Then why would a noble like Liam declare his support for him?

Cleo was just confused.

"Anyway! A young and powerful noble is on your side! And that's not all. Nobles who have stayed away from the court until now might gather when they hear the Banfield name. You'll have your own faction!"

A faction for Cleo will form, centered around the Banfield family.

That meant that Cleo would obtain powerful strength.

"—I don't know what he wants in return. He might be a dangerous person. I think I'll decide after meeting him."

Seeing Cleo's attitude, Lysithea also calmed down.

"Y-you're right. But this gives us a little hope."

One of the servants who had been listening to their conversation, unlike the other joyful servants, had a slightly flustered expression.

Brian (*´∀｀) "Oh my, were you surprised? Chapter 5 will be updated twice a day, at 6:00 and 18:00. From now on, you can see Lord Liam's great achievements twice a day—"

Wakagi-chan ヽ(°▽、°)ノ "Uhyahyahyahya—!!"

Brian (´；ω；｀) "—A strange plant has appeared, and it's painful."