Marion wakes up in his home.

Sleeping next to him in bed is the woman he picked up last night.

When the awakened Marion raises his hand, the window ceases its light-blocking function and lets in the light. The room begins to move on its own, starting the morning preparations.

Marion also gets up and prepares himself to go to the office.

Then, he speaks to the woman who has yet to wake up.

"Lady, it's about time."

As he speaks in a sweet, gentle voice, the woman awakens.

Remembering the events of last night, she hastily covers her body.

"You're cute."

Finding her appearance endearing, Marion reaches out a hand to her hair. The woman's face turns bright red, and she grabs her clothes scattered around before rushing into the shower room.

"Even though we had so much fun last night. —Well, it's about time for me to head to the office, too."

He looks down at the scenery visible from the window.

The gray landscape, typical of the Capital Planet, spreads out before him.

"I don't like how crowded it is here. —Though I do like the beautiful women of the Capital Planet."

He murmured such a thought.

◇

"Good morning, Liam-senpai."

It was Marion, greeting me with a friendly smile.

It seems like I run into him in the elevator every single time.

"You smell of perfume again today."

Marion took out his terminal and began to boast about his accomplishments from the previous day.

"I found a cute girl, you see. And I managed to win her over. Oh, this is her."

It seems he wants me to believe the perfume smell is because of a woman.

It's a different woman from the one he showed me before.

My only image of this guy is that he's constantly trying to pick up women at night.

It seems many women are deceived by his cute appearance.

My impression is—he really goes for it.

Marion shows me his recent conquests. Perhaps he has a preference for strong-willed beauties, as they are all mature women.

"How about you join me, Liam-senpai? It's like shooting fish in a barrel."

Once ordinary women find out we're officials working at the palace, their eyes change. After all, in the Empire, being an official means you're among the ultimate winners.

They're extremely popular on the Capital Planet.

"Tell them you'll be returning to the countryside once your training period is over. They'll run away in a heartbeat."

"I'll do that when we break up. Still, Liam-senpai, you don't play around with women, do you? Is it because you'd feel bad for your fiancée?"

Feel bad for Rosetta? Is this guy an idiot?

Why should I have to be considerate of Rosetta? She is my property, but I am not hers.

The reason is that if I play around too much, Amagi and Brian will get noisy.

Amagi would start saying things like, "If you lay a hand on them, you must take responsibility," and Brian would say, "Lord Liam has finally taken an interest in women! —However, please be careful of honey traps. Beyond that, I will do nothing more." —Wait a minute. Were they actually encouraging it?

But if I even touch one, they're likely to make a big fuss, so I'll pass.

"It's because there are no women worthy of me."

"You've got some nerve. But it's fun to just eat your fill and play around, you know."

Looking at the smiling Marion, I wondered if this guy would get stabbed one day. But he's a noble, too.

Getting stabbed by a commoner would be a disqualification for a noble.

When the elevator arrived at our floor, we got off. As I headed to my workstation, I saw Randy talking with his entourage around my desk, even though it was morning.

"Lord Randy, congratulations."

"Thank you."

"By joining the Cleo faction, the importance of the Langran family will only increase."

"Things are about to get busy. I'll need your help."

He was deliberately talking about joining the Cleo faction around my desk.

Marion looked at me, amused.

"He's provoking you."

"Let him."

Ignoring Randy and his group, I sat down at my desk to find a single file placed on it.

"Hey, Liam."

Randy, addressing me without any honorifics, placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You're being too familiar. Get your hand off me."

When I gave him this warning, Randy wore a scornful smile.

"I've been summoned by His Highness Cleo today. I'm busy, so do my work for me. We're comrades in the same faction, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

—A few days ago, Cleo had informed me after the fact that he had approved the Langran family's entry into the faction. That in itself wasn't surprising.

If anything, I felt a bit let down, as if this was all it amounted to.

"I don't mind at all. I can think of it as part of my job as the faction's top dog to look after the newcomers. Go on and wag your tail for His Highness Cleo and try to get in his good graces."

When I said this with a smile, Randy's expression changed slightly. He kept smiling, but his cheeks were twitching.

He can't even maintain a poker face despite being a noble? —The thought crossed my mind, but it's natural for nobles to be fawned over in their home territories and mansions.

He's not used to being provoked, so he can't hold it in.

This guy must be the type who's been treated like a king in his hometown.

"Well then, I'll leave it to you."

Randy and his entourage departed, a hint of frustration in their demeanor. Marion, who had been watching the whole thing, looked at me with exasperation.

"This has become quite troublesome. I can't believe His Highness Cleo would bring the Langran family into his fold. Given the size of His Highness Cleo's faction, I don't see any urgent need to absorb them."

Adding one or two nobles from the riffraff won't change the situation.

Besides, those who have cozied up to him after seeing the political climate are highly likely to betray him if the situation changes.

It's unthinkable to take someone you can't trust into your inner circle—or so one would think.

"Let's just see how far the Langran family can go. I'll enjoy the show."

I picked up the file Randy had left behind. The contents were quite—voluminous. An incredible amount of work was packed into this small file.

He must have gone out of his way to gather up work and dump it on me.

As I closed the file, Marion spoke to me.

"With that workload, you're guaranteed to be working overtime. Shall I help?"

"No problem."

I have a policy of not working overtime.

So, I'll just finish it all by the end of the day.

◇

Randy, with his entourage in tow, had come to a break room inside the building, despite it being the middle of the workday.

It was a café-like space, with waiters and waitresses present. Other nobles were also using it since morning, and some of them smelled of alcohol.

The young nobles, who were supposed to be in training, were slacking off.

Randy had stopped by to kill time until his meeting with Cleo.

His followers, sensing that Liam's attitude was just a bluff, looked on with scorn.

"In the end, he just got work dumped on him. That's all he amounts to."

"I'll admit his military record and personal skill, but he's too ignorant of politics. He's a textbook backwater noble from the frontier."

"And it will be our job to manage such a foolish country noble."

Randy's family, the Langran House, was located close to the Imperial Capital Planet—close in the grand scheme of the Empire—and possessed a developed territory.

For this reason, they looked down on country nobles like Liam.

However, Randy alone was slightly different from his entourage.

"The faction of His Highness Cleo relies on the military power of that country noble. Listen, never, ever challenge him in anything other than politics."

"W-We understand, Lord Randy."

Randy did not underestimate Liam's personal strength, nor the military power of the Banfield family.

It was Liam who had defeated the pirate noble, the Berkley family.

Randy contemplated his future plans.

(I'll be able to drive Liam out of the Capital Planet soon. I just have to be patient until then.)

Having secured Cleo as an ally, Randy was preparing to oust Liam from the Capital Planet.

(Don't think you can survive in the world of politics just because you have military might.)

Randy intended to challenge Liam with political power, something that military strength could not overcome.

◇

In the building where Cleo resided within the rear palace, Lysithea was indignant.

"Cleo, why did you listen to Randy's opinion!"

Cleo was in his office, signing electronic documents.

The documents were petitions addressed to Cleo.

They were requests for aid from nobles suffering from poverty, but some of the contents were suspicious.

Despite that, Cleo was promising aid as if he were squandering money.

"What are you talking about, sister?"

Noticing the petitions, Lysithea rebuked Cleo for carelessly promising support.

"Y-You, are you planning to sign all of those petitions? If you offer aid so easily, the number of people trying to cozy up to you will only increase!"

"These are people who are in distress due to the invasion of the Gudwar Hegemonic Kingdom. I can't just leave them be."

Faced with such a plausible reason, Lysithea couldn't argue back strongly.

"You should consult with Count Banfield."

Cleo gave a small laugh at that.

"W-What is it? Count Banfield is the one funding you, isn't he? I think it's disloyal not to consult him at all."

To Lysithea, who was stating the obvious, Cleo gave a small nod and continued signing the documents.

"Of course. I will consult with Count Banfield, and I'm thinking of entrusting him with a major task as well."

Lysithea felt a sense of relief upon hearing that.

She had been feeling a sense of crisis about Cleo bringing in the Langran family to act as a rival to Liam.

"That's good. It would be a bad move to neglect Count Banfield."

"I know. For a figurehead like me to survive, the support of a great noble is necessary."

Lysithea, who couldn't interfere in politics, was convinced by Cleo's words.

"So, what is this major task you're entrusting to Count Banfield?"

Cleo's gaze was fixed on the electronic documents, and he signed them without paying much attention to their contents.

"There is a house that has been crushed. The Empire has made their territory a directly controlled one, but since it's on the frontier, it has become necessary to dispatch someone. I will entrust that to Count Banfield."

"—Huh?"

Lysithea's reaction was delayed by her surprise.

A certain noble house had been abolished. The lord who managed their planet was gone, so a magistrate had to be dispatched. —So far, so good.

But the problem was that he was sending Liam there.

"You're sending Count Banfield away from the Capital Planet!? N-No! It's because Count Banfield is here that the rabble don't make a move! Cleo, reconsider!"

"Count Banfield is exceptionally skilled in military prestige and governance. He's the one who brilliantly restored his family's territory, after all."

"Even if he's the right person for the job, don't move an irreplaceable man!"

To the tearful Lysithea, Cleo explained the situation of the planet where Liam was being dispatched.

"Sister, it's a very important planet. Imperial citizens are evacuating there due to the Gudwar Hegemonic Kingdom's invasion. Not only do we need to prepare to receive them, but we also lack rear support bases. I couldn't refuse when they came to me crying, asking me to dispatch someone with military experience and excellent abilities."

Being told it was necessary for the sake of the Empire, Lysithea was at a loss for words.

Cleo delivered the final blow.

"I also got the Prime Minister's permission. He acknowledged that while it may be harsh for a young man in training, Count Banfield would surely meet expectations. Besides, if we accomplish this request, we can prevent brother Calvin from having a one-sided victory. We'll be recognized for contributing to the war, at least to some extent."

Lysithea's shoulders slumped.

"I'm relieved that you're thinking about various things, Cleo. B-But, without Count Banfield, your guard, or rather, your backer, will be absent."

Cleo stated nonchalantly.

"We'll just have the Langran family do their best in that regard."

Afterword:

Brian (´；ω；｀): "It's painful. It's painful how enemies keep appearing one after another."

Wakagi-chan (Young Tree-chan) (屮゜Д゜)屮: "Get things fired up! For the sake of 【The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs Vol. 6, on sale July 30th】, get even more fired up, Tsurai-an!" (A pun on Brian's name and 'tsurai,' meaning painful or tough)

Wakagi-chan (；＞＜): "Kuh! I have to try harder for the sake of promotion—"

Wakagi-chan (*ノ∀ノ): "Ah, I know. For the sake of promotion, I'll—I'll strip! I'll reveal my naked body! All the readers will be overjoyed! Sales are sure to double with this! It's Naegi-chan's (Seedling-chan's) nude. Kyaaa~ how embarrassing~"

Brian (； ・`ω・´)?: "...Aren't plants usually naked anyway?"