It's been three months since the start of my days at the academy.

I've realized something.

--What is this environment?

I found myself lost in thought in my dorm room, overwhelmed by the circumstances.

"--The academy is too easy. I guess I didn't need the donations. Or, was it necessary to avoid becoming a target for Professor John?"

Professor John is incredibly strict, but he's never once reprimanded me.

However, in all other respects, I'm treated the same as the other students.

Wake up in the morning, do some light exercise, study without doing any work, learn martial arts -- then come back and sleep.

Even though the people around me complained, it was so easy that I started to feel uneasy.

Frankly, the classes are simple. I already have the knowledge from the educational capsules.

My enhanced physique means that half-hearted training is nothing more than a warm-up.

--It's too unexpected.

"No way. It's so easy that I'm worried if this is really okay."

As someone aiming to be a corrupt lord, strengthening my body was important.

In this world, violence is meaningless.

School studies are unnecessary once you enter society.

All those sayings are lies.

Indeed, individual violence is practically worthless in this world.

However, I learned how important violence is in my previous life.

Bad people use violence, and good people cower.

Violence is also power.

Yet, I trained to gain such violence, and in this lukewarm environment, my abilities will rust.

"No. That's not good. More importantly, I thought proper training would start after three months, but there's no sign of it."

At first, I thought they were waiting for the others to get used to it, but even after three months, the content hasn't changed much.

It's barely more than a warm-up.

What should I do -- I'm starting to worry.

Then, I receive a call from my family.

It's Brian.

--What, it's not Amagi?

As I lay on my bed and answered the communication, Brian was crying.

"Liam-sama, didn't I tell you to contact me regularly!"

Isn't this guy too overprotective?

"Don't cry just because I forgot to contact you for a day. Was there a problem?"

"No, everything is going smoothly here. More importantly, I was worried about you, Liam-sama, so worried."

Am I not trusted?

"I don't have any problems here either."

"That's good. Oh, and the head maid was worried. How are your relations with Prince Wallace?"

"Wallace? Ah, that guy. He's -- well, we're getting along."

"--Eh?"

Brian looked dumbfounded.

Wallace is a man with a complicated background.

Because of that, people around him kept their distance -- but in his case, he also had personality issues, so people kept their distance from him.

The next day at the student cafeteria.

It's around the time when the first-year students are starting to get used to life at the academy.

In the cafeteria, groups of friends are chatting.

I was talking with Kurt, my fellow corrupt lord.

"That Brian guy is being annoying, telling me to contact him."

"He's your butler from home, right? You should contact him properly."

"I have nothing to talk about. My life here is a monotonous and boring daily routine. The most I can talk about is how I succeeded in finding an escape route from the dorm."

I'm looking for an escape route to go out into the city and have fun, bypassing the high walls surrounding the academy.

If I want to have fun on days other than holidays, I need to find an escape route.

It's a problem that could be solved by bribing the guards, but I'm looking for an escape route because I'm too bored and have nothing else to do.

"Liam, I can't tell if you're serious or not."

"If you see me as serious, then I'm not."

"R-really?"

Kurt blushed when I praised him as a "serious -- serious corrupt lord."

I return to my meal.

The student cafeteria's menu mostly consists of nutritionally balanced meals.

It's not that it's bad, and I'm satisfied.

Having luxurious meals every day would also be a pain.

Then, I hear a noisy voice from another table.

--It's Wallace.

"Hey, little kittens, won't you join me for a meal?"

The girls gave strained smiles to Wallace, who had placed his tray on the table and forcefully secured a seat.

"By the way, are there any families here looking for a son-in-law? Or perhaps someone whose family would allow their daughter's husband to become independent?"

The girls averted their gazes at his blatant attempt to find a husband.

"I-I'm the second daughter."
"My brother is the heir."
"There's a younger brother expected to be born."

The third girl -- doesn't that mean there are no male heirs at the moment?

However, Wallace seemed satisfied with this excuse.

"I-I see. That's a shame. Hmm! You all, excuse me."

Wallace, who suddenly stood up, called out to a newly discovered girl.

"You there! How about becoming a son-in-law!"

Seeing Wallace like that, I think.

"--That guy is completely wrong as a prince."

Wallace, who is destroying the image of a prince, continues his flirting.

He's approaching girls indiscriminately in the first building.

"Prince Wallace also has his circumstances, you know."

"Circumstances?"

Kurt tells me about the career paths of the many princes.

"Honestly, the princes from the hundredth position onwards are treated poorly. I hear that up to around the thirtieth position, they have backing. Anything beyond that, they might end up in a worse situation than impoverished nobles."

"Princes have it tough, huh."

"There are no paths other than nobility, and if they do nothing, they can only become officials or soldiers. There are many who are active in other fields, but Prince Wallace isn't that type."

There are many royals active in various fields, such as artists.

But what Wallace chose was -- independence.

"I wonder if he wants to marry in and become the head of a family."

"Independence? Why not just get support from the Empire?"

"Independence isn't that easy. Without backing, you can't do anything alone, and I wonder if Prince Wallace is thinking about that too."

--Is that okay, Prince of the Empire?

Becoming independent through flirting -- I can only laugh.

Watching Wallace, who was aggressively flirting while holding his tray, I see that all his attempts ended in failure today.

Some of the girls he approached for the second or third time are starting to treat Wallace more roughly.

I called out to Wallace, who was dejected.

"Hey, Wallace, come over here."

Then, Wallace turned around and said to us.

"What? I don't have any homosexual tendencies."

As I frowned, Kurt blushed a little.

Kurt seems to be angry too.

"Liam, why are you calling him over!?"

I smiled and replied to the flustered Kurt.

"Because it looks interesting. --Wallace, I'm not interested in your body, so hurry up and come here."

Wallace reluctantly came to our table.

"What rude people. I thought you were honor students, but your mouths are foul."

This guy was indeed an idiot.

He seemed to think we were honor students.

Well, Kurt looks serious at first glance, so he's definitely an honor student.

"Better than a flirt."

"Guh!"

Wallace scrunched his eyebrows, but the fact that he didn't retort suggests he has some thoughts about it himself.

"I-It's annoying. This is for my future, enduring the shame and working hard."

"Enduring shame, huh? It looks like you're enjoying it quite a bit?"

"--In the harem I lived in before, I rarely had conversations with girls. There were my mother's maids or my father's women, and the rest were my blood-related sisters."

This guy has also suffered.

But Kurt remembers.

"Huh? The maids are women, right?"

Wallace averted his gaze when he was told that.

"--Their masters were my mother, not me. Besides, my mother wouldn't allow me to lay a hand on them."

"Do you want to be independent that badly?"

When I asked, Wallace shouted, "Of course!"

Although the surrounding gazes gathered, they quickly lost interest once they realized it was Wallace who was making the noise.

Rosetta walks past us.

However, Wallace doesn't even look at her.

"Huh? Aren't you going to talk to Rosetta?"

In response to my question, Wallace said--.

"--That woman can't support me."

--Why can this guy say such embarrassing things with such confidence?

"Besides, my hope is independence."

"Independence?"

Wallace apparently wants to become a full-fledged man through independence.

"I don't care if it's a court noble or a territorial noble. I want the power to live by my own strength. You guys probably don't understand, but being a prince is inconvenient for everything."

"You're far from being independent if you're relying on others."

"I-I understand! But there's no other way. No matter if I become an official or a soldier, what awaits me is a life of being kept in a cage. I don't want that."

Kurt has an indescribable look on his face.

"Your Highness, you have it tough too."

"I do. That's why, why don't you become my patron?"

"Th-that's a bit -- I'll have to decline."

"Why!?"

Kurt isn't so foolish as to become a patron for a prince with no use value.

But -- he's a truly interesting prince.

His struggle for independence is interesting.

I speak to Wallace.

"Why don't you marry into a minor lord's or minor official's family?"

Wallace is also troubled.

"I myself would be fine with that, but I am still a prince. The palace won't approve. There are rules for marrying in, and it's前提 that the family must be at least a barony or have a rank of fifth class. It's possible to become a minor lord by embarking on pioneering work yourself -- but the palace won't approve."

With the limited choices available, this guy is also struggling.

Isn't that interesting?

"I see. Then, I'll be your patron."

"Liam!"

Kurt tries to stop me, but I ignore him and talk to Wallace.

"The Banfield Count family will support you. If you're okay with the frontier, I'll lend you a hand for your independence."

Wallace, who was stunned, stood up and straightened his uniform --.

"I'll be in your care from today!"

Wallace, shouting with his hands raised high, is somehow foolish.

His comical nature is truly amusing.

"Liam, you shouldn't think about something like this so easily. Becoming a patron for Prince Wallace is not a simple matter."

Kurt tries to persuade me, but I can't go back on my word.

Besides.

I don't pity him, nor am I moved by his efforts.

I just want to keep him by my side and watch him struggle because it's interesting.

More than anything -- a prince of the Empire will become my subordinate.

Isn't that a very pleasant thought?

"I am the head of the Count family. My word is the decision of the Banfield family. There's no problem."

"B-but."

I say to Wallace, who looks worried.

"I'll keep my promise. I'll support your independence. You're lucky to be a minor lord, aren't you?"

"Ah, please! Anywhere is better than the cramped life in the harem! To be the lord of a castle -- no, even a small house is fine. I want to live by my own strength."

Isn't it simple?

"Leave it to me. By the time your training is over, I'll prepare a suitable territory for you."

Kurt covered his face with his right hand in exasperation.

"Liam, I won't be responsible for what happens from now on."

Helping a prince achieve independence is no big deal.

Kurt is worrying too much.

The capital star of the Empire.

The Prime Minister, who was diligently working on state affairs in the palace, received news about Wallace.

A subordinate is reporting calmly.

"Count Banfield has stepped forward as the guardian of Prince Wallace."

"--What?"

The Prime Minister, who stopped his work, didn't understand what his subordinate was saying.

"The Count has publicly stated that he will be Prince Wallace's patron. Prince Wallace has already begun the procedures."

Renouncing his royal status.

He had begun the procedures to give up his claim to the throne.

Liam will now have the obligation to support Wallace's independence.

Becoming Wallace's patron offers Liam no benefit.

It's almost impossible for Wallace to repay Liam.

In such a situation, there are very few nobles who would become Wallace's patron.

"The Count is quite eccentric."

"However, this will allow one prince to achieve independence safely."

"Pioneering is not easy, but the Count should be able to do it. Even if left alone, there will be no problem in the future -- or, perhaps he was aiming for something?"

The Prime Minister began to overthink.

This is also a result of overestimating Liam, who is starting to be called a child prodigy or a gifted child.

(Even if the Count himself is like that, the Banfield family's credit is quite low. Is this to show their contribution to the Empire?)

For that purpose, didn't he support Wallace, who is neither here nor there?

With that, the Prime Minister thinks that Liam will also benefit.

(It won't be easy to wash away the stain of two generations, but perhaps this will earn some trust in aristocratic society.)

If Wallace can achieve independence safely, Liam -- the Banfield family will gain more trust in aristocratic society.

The Prime Minister is convinced that this was foreseen.

Brian (´；ω；｀) "It's painful. It's painful that Liam-sama has become the patron of some insignificant prince without consulting me. --Liam-sama! You should consult me about this too!"