The Imperial Capital Planet.

Gathered in a location within the palace were the nobles of Cleo's faction.

Beside the renowned nobles in attendance were their trusted knights and subordinates.

The grand conference hall was tiered like an amphitheater, with the center being the lowest point.

The venue, which spread out radially from the center, was filled with a large number of nobles, knights, and military personnel.

Looking down on the scene from a special seat prepared even higher up was His Highness Cleo.

In the center, a holographic image of Planet Charleroi was displayed, rotating.

The one entrusted with the role of master of ceremonies was [Theodore Sera Zac].

His short, slicked-back hair shone brightly under the lights.

He was a handsome man, but his expression was audacious.

"Whoever conquers this Planet Charleroi will win the Empire! I want you all to understand just how important this battle is."

More than his words, his attitude seemed to say, 'You all better understand this clearly.'

He hailed from a baronet's family.

He was what you'd call a court noble without a domain, receiving a salary from the palace every year without having to do anything.

Apparently, having an official post would grant him an additional allowance, but Theodore had supposedly been unemployed until now.

The reason he could stand before us so full of confidence was because he was part of the honor guard that His Highness Cleo had personally established.

Clad in a specially prepared uniform, he wore the rank insignia of a Special Vice Admiral.

Just like when I was a Special Staff Officer in the military, it was likely a rank created specifically for him.

This was the Theodore who was now explaining about Planet Charleroi.

"Planet Charleroi is a magnificent habitable planet, one that can be colonized without any terraforming. However, the most important thing is the existence of rare metals. We have reports that a considerable amount can be mined."

Checking the documents in my hand, it was indeed a desirable planet.

Planet Charleroi, which would likely be dug up and turned into a tragic sight due to the existence of rare metals, was—a very beautiful planet.

"It's a blue planet. Reminds me of Earth."

As I was reminiscing about the Earth from my past life, Klaus, who was sitting next to me, asked a question.

"'Earth,' you say?"

"It's nothing. Now, what's your take on this?"

Klaus, after looking over the documents, gave a very honest opinion.

"It is certainly a wonderful planet with excellent conditions, but if it weren't for the succession dispute, it wouldn't be valuable enough for us to get involved."

—That's exactly it.

It was certainly wonderful, but not valuable enough for the nobles of Cleo's faction to go all out to obtain it.

Standing beside Theodore was Baron [Glyn], who claimed ownership of Planet Charleroi.

The slender, androgynous Baron Glyn had strikingly long black hair that almost reached the floor.

He was wearing a suit, but my eyes were inevitably drawn to his hair.

He had narrow eyes and a fox-like face.

"I am grateful for the cooperation of everyone in Cleo's faction. Charleroi is the territory of our Glyn family, yet the house of Viscount [Myatt] is trying to steal it. With everyone's power, I implore you to demonstrate justice."

I muttered under my breath.

"What justice? How hypocritical."

Klaus, seeing my foul mood, asked for the reason.

"Lord Liam, do you believe Baron Glyn has no justice on his side?"

"Something like that doesn't exist in this world. There's an attractive planet, so they want it. That's all there is to it, right? If rare metals hadn't been discovered, they would have left it abandoned forever."

They had thought it was just a planet with good living conditions, but once rare metals were found, they got serious about developing it.

However, the neighboring lord, Viscount Myatt, also had his eyes on it, leading to a scramble for control.

In the first place, there's no guarantee that bastard Glyn is even telling the truth.

From the Empire's perspective, it didn't matter which side won; as long as they got their taxes in the end, there was no problem.

It didn't matter who won.

It was merely a pretext for a conflict with Calvin.

Those around us were also giving that Glyn bastard cold looks.

"What a coward, can't even protect his own territory."
"If it was really his land, he should have just developed it sooner."
"He's probably just too incompetent to do even that."

As the surrounding people started saying whatever they pleased, that Glyn bastard stepped back and Theodore came forward.

"Silence! I would like to hear the opinion of Count Banfield."

When my name was mentioned, the noisy nobles fell silent.

After all, I was the head of this faction.

Seeing these tough-looking villains obey me felt truly wonderful.

"I have no interest in your chatter. Talk about how to defeat the enemy."

When I gave the order, Theodore and Glyn were openly displeased.

Still, they were able to maintain their composure, and Theodore admonished me.

"This is troubling, Count Banfield. While winning is certainly important, Baron Glyn is our ally. I hear his domain has been exhausted by the war, and we must arrange for relief supplies."

It's all well and good to prioritize the official story, but it's out of place in a gathering of villains.

Besides, the ones providing it wouldn't be Cleo—it would be us.

Why should we have to give handouts to Glyn?

"If you want to help him so badly, do it yourselves. We gathered here to defeat Calvin."

When I declared I had no intention of helping, Cleo, who had been watching the meeting, appeared in the air as a hologram.

It was only his upper body, but it was projected so large that we had to look up at it.

Being looked down upon was strangely irritating.

This Cleo then began to rebuke me.

"'Don't say that. I need you to help him. Baron Glyn is our ally, after all. I was hoping to entrust this to you, Count Banfield.'"

Cleo glanced at his right arm, the one that was supposedly injured.

His attitude seemed to say, 'I got hurt because of you, so you'd better concede on this.'

Klaus, sitting next to me, must have judged that we couldn't defy this, as he shook his head when I looked at him.

I glared not at the hologram, but at the real Cleo who was looking down at us from a room in the ceiling.

"I will send relief supplies immediately."

"'I'm counting on you. I hear he was hit hard by Viscount Myatt, so I'd like you to send ample relief supplies. It would also be a great help if you could dispatch personnel and assist with the reconstruction of his domain.'"

—He just keeps pushing one troublesome task after another onto me.

◇

After the meeting, Cleo summoned Theodore, the head of his honor guard.

In front of Cleo, Theodore voiced his dissatisfaction.

"Your Highness, Banfield's behavior is intolerable! Even during the meeting, didn't he act as if he were the one in charge!?"

The one who showed anger at Theodore's words was Lysithea, who was by Cleo's side.

Lysithea was a woman who, despite being royalty, had become a knight.

To protect her younger sister—now her younger brother, Cleo—she had renounced her right of succession and become a knight.

From Lysithea's perspective, Theodore's words were apparently unforgivable.

"You haven't forgotten that your current positions exist thanks to Count Banfield's support, have you?"

Theodore understood Liam's support, but it seemed he still couldn't stand it.

"Lady Lysithea, this faction belongs to His Highness Cleo. Isn't it only natural for the nobles who support it to provide aid?"

"When we were in dire straits, Count Banfield was the only one who extended a helping hand. Your behavior is tantamount to repaying kindness with enmity."

As Theodore reluctantly closed his mouth, Cleo spoke.

"That's enough, sister. —Theodore, you will participate in this war as a military inspector."

"—Yes, sir."

Theodore, who had been looking displeased just moments ago, readily accepted Cleo's order.

He looked strangely happy about it.

Lysithea seemed bothered by this.

"Cleo, if it were to increase our forces, that would be one thing, but what do you mean by a military inspector? Just observing without participating will only breed resentment."

Even after hearing her opinion, Cleo did not change his decision.

"It's already been decided. It will be fine. —Count Banfield will surely win. Let's just wait and watch from a safe distance."

Lysithea wore an unconvinced expression to the very end.

◇

After the meeting, I gathered the key members of the faction for a discussion.

In attendance were Baron Exner, Kurt's father.

And the white-haired, gentle-looking man, [Francis Sera Gannes].

And the muscular, eyepatch-wearing, pirate-like [Jericho Sera Goul].

These three formed the core of Cleo's faction.

Jericho grabbed a handful of the provided snacks and shoved them into his mouth, crunching on them loudly.

"Those cowards in the honor guard are getting cocky."

Francis, sipping his drink, agreed with Jericho.

"Thanks to our contributions, His Highness Cleo has apparently prepared a fleet of thirty thousand ships. I'm furious too, but I bet the one who's most fed up is Lord Liam, isn't it?"

Jericho and Francis looked at me with appraising eyes.

It seemed they were trying to gauge how I would handle Cleo.

"I hear he's saved some unemployed court nobles? Isn't that a good thing?"

Even as I said that, I downed my drink in one gulp.

From that alone, the three of them seemed to sense my dissatisfaction.

Baron Exner was troubled by how to deal with the honor guard.

"It seems that honor guard will be participating as military inspectors. They say they want to watch our exploits up close, but who knows how that will turn out."

That was what was angering Jericho.

"Those cowards with no real combat experience will just get in the way. Liam, can't you refuse their participation?"

I probably could refuse, but right now, I'm indebted to Cleo.

—But that wasn't the reason. I actually welcomed the participation of Theodore and his men.

"If they want to see it up close, then let's give them a show."

The three of them exchanged glances, and Baron Exner, speaking for the group, asked me a question.

"Uh, more importantly, what will happen with Lord Liam's wedding?"

That was the problem.

When I departed from my home planet, Rosetta came to see me off, but she never once brought up the topic of the wedding.

Still, I had the feeling she was forcing a smile.

Jericho said a battle of this scale would take a long time and suggested we just hold a quick ceremony.

"This could drag on for decades. Just have a simple ceremony now and do the real thing when you get back."

Francis seemed to think it couldn't be helped, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry.

"The timing was bad, but there's nothing we can do about it. Even if it ends quickly, it will likely take several years. Besides, the other side has their backs against the wall. A desperate enemy is a fearsome one. I feel for you, Lord Liam, but you should prepare for a long war."

Baron Exner remained silent, but he likely shared the same opinion as the other two.

As for me, I didn't mind if it took time.

I now had a legitimate reason not to get married, so I could use this to buy time.

—However, the sad look on Rosetta's face before I left still flickered in my mind.

"No need to worry. Everything comes after we win."

It's about time to settle things with Calvin.

Calvin, the man who cornered me, is not an opponent to be underestimated.

I won't let him pull the rug out from under me.