I have certainly been granted a second life.

My new name is [Liam Sera Banfield]—when I look in the mirror, I see the form of a young child with black hair and purple eyes.

I am five years old.

While playing in my room, I recalled memories from my previous life.

There are many scattered toys around me, and all sorts of types are available.

"—This is a spacious room."

The guide told me to be born into the family of a powerful person, a noble.

It seems they kept their promise.

In my memories, I am indeed born into a noble family.

The Banfield Count family.

The Interstellar Nation Algrand Empire—the Albariate Dynasty.

In such an empire, I was born as the heir to a Count family that controls one galaxy.

In other words, I am the future lord.

No, I am someone who can become king, ruling over a single galaxy.

"Did you keep your promise?"

A smile forms on my lips.

I don't know what their intentions were for reincarnating me, but it's surprising they chose someone like me.

If they expected me to be a good person, their plan has gone awry.

After all, I don't aim to be a good person.

I intend to become a proper wicked lord in the future.

However, there's a problem. What exactly should a wicked lord do?

In historical dramas, they seemed to oppress their citizens, so should I do that?

Other images that come to mind are—alcohol, women, and gambling, perhaps?

"For now, shall I aim for a life of 'wine and women' [shuchinikurin]?"

I don't have many images of a wicked lord.

Should I imitate bad politicians, waste taxes, and accept bribes?

In any case, I should just live as I please.

"This is getting fun. —Huh?"

Something fell on my head.

It was a letter.

It was carefully sealed, and when I opened it, I found a letter from the guide.

"Why don't you show yourself?"

The answer to that question was written in the letter.

It was a congratulatory message for my successful reincarnation.

At the same time, it stated that they were a bit busy and couldn't watch over me.

However, it also said they would provide support so I wouldn't have any trouble.

Furthermore, it mentioned that someone who would support me would come to my side.

"Support?"

As I tilted my head, my parents entered the room with a servant.

Cliff Sera Banfield.

Darcy Sera Banfield.

The two approached me with smiles and presented me with something like a glass plate.

Documents appeared on the glass plate.

What was written there was the transfer of my title, territory, and other rights to me.

—You're suddenly handing everything over to a child?

"Father, what is this?"

I don't have many memories of interacting with my parents.

It's troublesome to have new parents now.

I said "Father," a word I'm not used to, and as I gauged their reactions, they began their explanation. However, the explanation was quite abrupt.

"Liam, happy fifth birthday. My gift to you is everything of the Banfield family."

Everything.

They said they would transfer their title, territory, and all other privileges to a five-year-old child.

Are they insane?

I thought so, but at the same time, I remembered the letter I had just held.

It had disappeared from my hand at some point, but this must be what they meant by support.

Then, my mother, Darcy, showed me a catalog.

"My gift is this. I'll buy you a maid robot to take care of you. Now, choose as you please."

What Darcy showed me was a robot made to resemble a human, or rather, a person. A robot that looks exactly like a human. An android?

I took the catalog and opened it, and images were projected around me.

The images, videos, and holographic projections displayed in the air felt futuristic.

"W-what is this?"

Darcy explained how to use it with a smile.

"You choose what kind of maid you want. Make her cute."

It seems I can request a robot with a feel similar to character creation in a game.

I started choosing.

Numbers were displayed below, but since I'm not the one paying, I figured any price was fine and selected the highest specifications.

For her facial features—I made her a Japanese-style beauty.

I tied her long black hair into a ponytail, with the bangs longer on the right side and swept back on the left—and I chose a large bust.

I could read the text and understand its meaning, but it also came with a function for processing sexual desires.

My eyes widened.

Cliff teased me.

"You're my child, after all. You have good taste."

"Oh, is it because you're a child that you like breasts?"

My parents smiled, watching me, a child, about to purchase a robot with adult functions.

To be frank, it was an abnormal scene.

Brian, the butler standing behind us, who looked elderly but had a straight posture, showed a complex expression.

He looked sad, and also bewildered.

Does it look abnormal to everyone else?

But, with this, it became clear.

—This must be the support the guide mentioned.

It was a thoughtful gesture to eliminate the troublesome parents and place a woman who fits my ideal by my side.

I can't trust real women.

That's why I thought the maid robot was a very thoughtful gift.

After all, there's no worry of her betraying me.

In any case, I continued to choose, aiming for the highest specifications.

After the final confirmation, I had her wear a classical-style maid outfit.

A miniskirt would be too much.

I debated whether the skirt length should be above or below the knee, but ultimately decided on below the knee.

Darcy's pleased reaction felt rather awkward.

Your son is buying a maid with sexual functions and his tastes fully realized, you know?

"Oh, how cute. Liam, you can leave your care to this robot, and you'll be safe."

I felt a sense of unease from my parents' behavior.

I looked up at them and asked.

"Are you going somewhere?"

Cliff stroked his chin.

"We've bought a mansion on the Imperial capital planet—the capital. We're moving there. You, as the lord, must protect your territory properly."

I was also made to sign electronic documents for inheriting my status, territory, and so on.

Darcy showed me another electronic document.

"Now, Liam, please sign this as well."

That was a document for sending living expenses to the capital planet every year.

Handing everything over to me and living in the city, huh.

—Truly pathetic parents.

It was comical that they didn't know that their child, me, was a reincarnated person and an old man inside.

I don't know what the guide did, but these man and woman, who are losing everything to me.

If this isn't pathetic, what is?

I can't see them as parents now, but perhaps I can at least send some support to these pathetic two.

"Yes!"

My face broke into a smile.

I took everything from these parents who knew nothing.

As I signed the electronic documents, I looked forward to my future life.

◇

A few days later.

Liam's parents, protected by escorts, arrived at the spaceport within the territory.

They boarded a specially prepared shuttle, but they sat separately.

In the shuttle with luxurious interiors, they would travel to space, and from there, they would head to the Imperial capital planet by spaceship.

It's a place that has achieved development far beyond comparison to a frontier Count family.

Cliff, reading an electronic newspaper, spoke to Darcy with annoyance.

They weren't making eye contact.

"Giving a doll as a present, do you have no sense of being a mother?"

In response, Darcy was drinking tea.

There was no love between them.

It was simply a political marriage as nobles.

"He's just a child who inherited my genes. If I had given birth to him with pain, perhaps, but with that kind of appearance, I don't feel any attachment."

Liam was born from the genes of the two.

He was just that kind of existence.

Cliff placed the newspaper on the table, and then Darcy spoke.

"More importantly, was it okay to push everything onto a five-year-old child?"

"Then, will you stay?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Darcy replied after taking a sip of tea.

"If I hadn't known I could become free in the future, I wouldn't have wanted to marry you. But, honestly, I feel a bit heavy-hearted because I deceived an ignorant child. Perhaps putting a doll by his side was the least I could do out of pity?"

Cliff laughed.

"A noble who keeps a doll by his side is just a laughingstock, isn't he?"

"She won't betray me, and in that regard, she's trustworthy. If something happens to that child, we'll have to come back here. Do you understand that?"

"I'd rather not."

Darcy looked worried.

"Is it really okay to hand over the title to a five-year-old child? You won't be blamed later, will you?"

Cliff reached for his drink.

Freed from everything, he was in a very good mood and smiling.

"There are precedents. The court has also given its permission. Many others are doing the same, so there's no need to worry. In this era, it doesn't matter who is the lord. No one wants a territory like that in the frontier, though."

The empire permits handing over status and property to a five-year-old.

There's a reason for this.

"The empire also doesn't want to get too involved with frontier matters. As long as there's a proper administrator and they fulfill their obligations, they think it's fine."

To be an interstellar nation, governance was very difficult.

Moreover, the empire, from its origins, does not use artificial intelligence much for governance.

Humanity, in the past, was ruled by the artificial intelligence they themselves created.

Not accepting that, the people who built the empire stood up.

For that reason, nobles generally do not look favorably upon dolls equipped with artificial intelligence—like maid robots.

They would use them if necessary, but the trend in noble society was that it was desirable to use them only to the minimum extent.

Darcy looked down at the ground from the window of the departing shuttle.

The planet owned by the Banfield family.

There was no vitality, and the level of development was minimal.

On top of that, it was burdened with enormous debt.

"Eventually, when Liam learns about the territory, he'll probably get angry."

Cliff drank strong liquor, and his face was slightly flushed.

"He'll probably abandon the territory to his child and flee to the capital planet like I did."

A territory that wouldn't be welcomed even if received.

That was the territory of the Banfield Count family.

◇

The Banfield family mansion.

At the age of five, I became a Count, a man who ruled over one galaxy.

"Truly a person of power. Or perhaps, a king?"

It seems there are many Count families like the Banfield family in the empire.

But, within my territory, I am the king.

I am an absolute ruler.

As I sat in the oversized chair in the study, Brian brought me a report.

"Lord Liam, the maid robot has arrived."

"Is that so? Bring her here."

"Yes. —Come in."

The study door opened, and the maid robot I saw in the holographic projection entered.

Her movements were not unnatural.

There was nothing that screamed "I am a robot."

As she came before me, she curtsied, lifting her skirt and bowing.

"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am your master's Amagi."

I gave her a Japanese name. I named her [Amagi].

There's no particular reason.

Brian remained composed.

"From today, I will be by your master's side to serve you. However, it seems I require maintenance once a week."

"Maintenance?"

When I looked at Amagi, she was standing straight after finishing her greeting.

"It is regular maintenance. It will be completed in about two hours."

"That's surprising. I thought you'd move more."

As I expressed my dissatisfaction, Brian explained.

"Maintenance refers to checking the body. It also includes body cleaning. If there's a serious malfunction, repairs at the manufacturer will be necessary."

Is it amazing that she can operate without issues if she gets two hours of rest per week?

That aside, I extended both my hands towards Amagi.

As Amagi approached, she gently lifted my small body and held me.

When I touched her chest, it was a large chest that my small hands couldn't fully grasp.

"You're soft. The softness a man desires."

Her breasts were not too soft, but firm, possessing a truly wonderful shape.

Brian looked bewildered.

"Lord Liam, you must not do such things in front of others."

I heard that Brian, who has served the Banfield family for a long time, has been managing the mansion since before the previous generation.

He is a person who cannot be easily dismissed, as the mansion cannot be maintained without a butler.

However, I am the master.

It's foolish to try and cover it up, so I abandoned my childish demeanor.

"Whatever I do is my prerogative. More importantly, report on the state of the territory."

Brian touched his bracelet, and images appeared around us.

They represented the territory's condition with numbers and graphs.

Maps were also displayed, but—.

"—I don't understand."

Brian also seemed a little disappointed, saying, "I see." However, his face showed no such emotion.

But, I'm in trouble.

I have no idea what to do.

As I was struggling, Amagi, who was holding me and I was fondling her chest, spoke.

"I have a governance support function. If you'd like, I can support your work, Master?"

"Really? But I don't understand anything."

"I recommend entering the education capsule. During that time, I can also manage the territory on your behalf."

Upon hearing this, Brian hastily warned me.

"Lord Liam, no! Allowing artificial intelligence to manage is considered evil in the empire. Only support is permitted."

However, Amagi retorted.

"There are no such regulations in the empire. It is merely considered desirable to do so. However, I will follow Master's instructions here."

Education capsules are convenient devices.

When you enter a capsule filled with liquid, it enhances your physical abilities while implanting knowledge into your brain.

It was said that about six months in the capsule would be sufficient for elementary school-level knowledge.

The problem is that even if knowledge is crammed in and the body is strengthened, it won't be acquired unless you go out and actually study or exercise?

Still, I heard it's much more efficient than studying normally.

However, looking at the numbers and graphs, I have no idea what they indicate.

—I can't use modern knowledge for internal affairs cheats.

"Brian, prepare the capsule. Amagi, while I'm in the capsule, I'll leave the territory to you."

"Lord Liam!"

Brian shouted, but Amagi simply said, "Leave it to me."

It seems she only listens to my commands.

How wonderful.

I tried to persuade Brian.

"Brian, listen. Wouldn't it be more frightening if I, who knows nothing, were to meddle in territorial affairs?"

"W-well, that's true, but—"

"It's only for a little while. If you understand, prepare it."

Besides, if I can entrust it, I should.

They say it's bad to rely on artificial intelligence, but that doesn't concern me.

Still, I'm in trouble.

I didn't expect to need to study even to extort from the citizens.

However, I'll stay quiet for a while.

My body is still that of a child.

Even if I oppress the citizens and squeeze taxes later, a child would be unreliable, so.

As I fondled Amagi's chest, I pondered such things.