Three years were about to pass since Liam had set out on his training journey for the Issen Style.

Around that time, on the Banfield family's home planet, a large-scale fleet was being assembled.

Visiting the space fortress were Rosetta and Yurishia.

Behind the two of them was Ciel.

In the space fortress's dock, vessels purchased from the Third Weapons Factory were lined up.

The battleships floated in zero gravity.

Yurishia, holding documents, was talking about the weaponry.

Perhaps she was in work mode, as her usual pathetic demeanor had vanished, making her seem like a different person.

"They aren't the latest models, but we've gathered a large number of the current mainstream type."

The original plan was for a small, elite force, but to grant Rosetta's wish, they had focused on numbers.

Wanting to help those who had suffered like herself, the knights she gathered were primarily those in difficult circumstances.

Similarly, the crew was mainly composed of wandering people with nowhere else to go.

That was why Yurishia confirmed again.

"We are fulfilling Lady Rosetta's wishes, but are you truly sure about this? Other than the flagship and its escorts, we haven't paid much attention to appearances. Even the flagship is plain compared to those of other houses."

Even Liam made his flagship extravagant.

Rosetta's Royal Guard was truly modest.

"As long as the basic appearance is in order, there's no problem. Please prioritize practicality over ornamentation. I want them to help people who are in trouble."

The Royal Guard Rosetta wished for was not one to surround her.

It was an existence meant to help the people of troubled planets.

"My darling is in the midst of a power struggle at the heart of the Empire. There are things he can't get to, so I want to do something about it myself."

"I understand your ambition, but the scale of this is..."

It wasn't a few hundred ships.

It exceeded ten thousand vessels and was still growing.

One reason was the large number of destitute people, but above all, the Banfield family was focusing on territorial development and accepting immigrants.

They were settling them on one new pioneer planet after another.

Yurishia seemed to have her own anxieties.

"This is no longer the scale of a Royal Guard. I'm surprised Lord Liam approved it."

It was as if a private army for Rosetta had appeared within the Banfield family's military.

Although the chain of command was topped by Liam, Rosetta effectively held the reins.

If the two were to clash, it would develop into a major problem.

Even if there was no issue between them, there was a possibility that their successors would cause conflict in the future.

That was what worried Yurishia.

"I will eventually propose to Lord Liam that the scale be reduced."

"I don't mind."

Rosetta answered immediately that it was fine, but it was Ciel who looked dissatisfied.

(It seems I should gather the people's hearts for Lady Rosetta as soon as possible.)

Among the many who were devoted to Liam, Ciel was one of the few who knew the truth.

That Liam was not the good person he was known to be, but an existence who proclaimed himself to be evil.

Not wanting such a person to gain any more power, she was maneuvering in the shadows alone.

"Lady Rosetta, even if you assemble a Royal Guard, training alone is not enough."

"Oh, is that so?"

Although knowledgeable, Rosetta had not graduated from a military academy, so she intended to rely on Yurishia for such matters.

The way Yurishia looked at Ciel was one of suspicion.

However, since it wasn't wrong, she didn't deny it.

"Training is just training, after all. Real combat is a different matter, so you're not wrong. However, I don't think you should act on your own. It would be better to get permission after Lord Liam returns."

Told the sound argument that even Rosetta's Royal Guard shouldn't be moved without permission, Ciel thought.

(This woman, she's usually so pathetic, but at times like these...! ...Ah, I know!)

Ciel persuaded Rosetta.

"It is because Lord Liam is absent that we are saddening the people who come seeking help. Lady Rosetta, now, when Lord Liam cannot act, is the chance for the Royal Guard to shine. That is why they were prepared, is it not?"

Told that this was the Royal Guard's reason for being, Rosetta thought for a moment.

"You're right. My darling is 'doing his best,' so I want to do what I can, too. We've received so many petitions, so I'll do what I'm able. But I don't think I can handle the important ones."

Even if she were to mobilize the Royal Guard, she couldn't do it too conspicuously.

It would only end up hindering Liam later, so the most she could do would be limited to things like disaster relief.

She had to avoid sending reinforcements for skirmishes and the like.

"Of course! Let's help those in need!"

Ciel, if things went well, intended to increase Rosetta's allies.

"Yes!"

Watching the motivated pair, only Yurishia had a cold look in her eyes.

◇

After moving away from the two, Yurishia called out to the shadow unit that was supposed to be watching.

"...Will you come out?"

She tried calling, but didn't know if she'd get a response.

They might not be there, or they might.

However, a masked woman immediately emerged from Yurishia's shadow.

Screaming internally but managing to keep it in, Yurishia spoke about Ciel.

"Is it really okay to leave her be? That girl is using Lady Rosetta's motivation to plot something."

The woman who had appeared was Kunai.

A person who had been named by Liam.

"Lord Liam's orders are to let her do as she pleases, merely keeping her under surveillance."

"I wonder what he's really thinking. Even the Banfield family's military department has been complaining, right?"

There were generals within the military who viewed the excessive size of Rosetta's Royal Guard as a danger.

Like Yurishia, they were appealing for a reduction in scale for the sake of the future, regardless of Rosetta's intentions.

"We have pushed through by stating that Lord Liam has given his permission. —Sir Klaus is keeping them in check, so there should be no problem."

Klaus was handling the troublesome matters.

Hearing that, Yurishia felt relieved.

"I'm relieved you brought him back from the border. If he weren't here, the discontent might have exploded by now."

"If that were to happen, they would be targets for a purge."

If anyone were to defy Liam, Kukuri's clan would purge them, even if they were family.

Yurishia broke out in a cold sweat.

"Even you people are letting that girl go, huh."

"Because those are Lord Liam's orders."

With those words, the masked woman disappeared back into the shadows.

◇

We, who were traveling in search of Master Yasushi, were heading for the next planet.

After finishing my daily training and washing off the sweat, I talked with my junior disciples.

"What should we eat today?"

It's fun to travel around and see various planets, but I've grown tired of the food on the ship.

Tired isn't quite right; I'm looking for something more exciting.

A different meal comes out every day, and it's delicious, so I have no complaints.

But I want some excitement.

When you eat a full-course meal every day, you start to miss the food you ate when you were poor.

I tried ochazuke and various other things, but I wanted to try something else.

"You know, not some luxurious dish. Isn't there something like the food you ate during hard times?"

Since all my requests had already been fulfilled, I was relying on my junior disciples.

Fuuka and Rinho looked at each other.

"When we were poor? You mean before Master picked us up?"

"We were scrounging through garbage, so I don't have very good memories of it."

—I had stepped on both of their landmines.

Normally, I would have barked, "Don't talk about such heavy stuff in front of me!" but I couldn't say that in front of my cute junior disciples.

I've decided not to bring my evil lord creed into matters related to the Issen Style.

I scrounged through garbage many times in my past life, and I have no desire to do that again.

"Think about after Master picked you up."

Rinho crossed her arms and thought.

"Even if you ask what was delicious, just being able to eat was the best."

Fuuka was thinking with her hands clasped behind her head.

"Yeah. Everything tasted good. Like the slightly burnt fish Master made."

Since the two of them couldn't decide, I turned my gaze to Ellen.

"What about you, Ellen?"

"Uh, umm. I—I don't have any."

Seeing her gaze wander, I saw right through her lie.

"Don't lie. There's something, isn't there? Spit it out. If you don't, today's meal will be all the things you hate, Ellen."

"Eek! U-um, well..."

Ellen frantically tried to name a food she liked, but she looked at us and seemed to find it difficult to answer.

Ellen squeezed out the words.

"I want to eat my mom's cooking."

Seeing Ellen look down, I reflected that I had once again stepped on a landmine.

A child who looked not even ten years old was on a training journey away from her parents.

It couldn't be helped if she missed her mother.

I'm just making one mistake after another today.

"You two, isn't there anything?"

I sent a pleading look to Fuuka and Rinho, but neither of them seemed to get the hint.

"Anything's fine as long as we can eat."

"If it looks good in pictures or videos, that'd be great for us, I guess?"

"Anything" is the most troublesome answer.

As I was struggling with what to do about the meal, Fuuka seemed to remember something.

"Oh, I want to eat bread."

"Bread? Western food?"

"The first time we met Master, he gave us bread. It was cheap bread, but for us, it was a taste we'd never had before."

Fuuka recalled the memorable taste, looking nostalgic.

Rinho was the same, but she had a hand on her cheek, looking entranced.

"That bread was so delicious. The guys we were fighting over garbage with came to kill us, so we fought them off. That's when we met Master. He was kind to us and gave us bread."

Fuuka tilted her head.

"Huh? Didn't he save us when we were being attacked?"

"Either way is fine."

No, isn't their first meeting a bit too vague? But then again, they met Master when they were very young.

They probably have a lot of misremembered details.

But still, do they miss bread that much?

"Alright, I'll have the head chef make some bread. What kind?"

"Sweet bread!"

"I want the one with jam!"

And so, our meal became sweet bread.

◇

That day.

The head chef of the battleship Liam was aboard was waiting for an order.

Among the chefs serving the Count's house, preparing a meal for Liam was a monumental task.

Skill was naturally required, but furthermore, only those who had reached the pinnacle of status and honor among chefs competed for the position.

A chef with both skill and pride was waiting for Liam's order.

"Head Chef, an order from Lord Liam!"

When his subordinate rushed in, he showed a stern expression.

"Calm down! No matter the dish, I shall prepare it to perfection."

He was annoyed by his subordinate's panic, but upon hearing the order, the head chef ended up clutching his head.

"U-um, he ordered you to make bread."

"A dish that goes well with bread? It's vague, but that's no problem."

"No, just bread. Only bread."

"—Hmm? What are you talking about?"

Being told that he wanted to eat only bread, the head chef was at a loss.

"Well, um... he said to make sweet bread."

The other chefs in the vicinity also froze.

He was ordering the chef who had reached the pinnacle of his craft within the territory to make sweet bread.

"A-and, he said to use this as a reference."

The image provided was of cheaply sold sweet bread.

The head chef was bewildered.

"What is this? Is he testing me? Lord Liam wishes to see how far I can take this, yes? That's it, isn't it!?"

To the head chef's pleading words, the subordinate shook his head.

"The order is to make it as cheap-looking as possible, with a high degree of reproducibility."

The head chef swayed, about to collapse, and those around him supported him.

And then, the head chef gave an order.

"G-get the ingredients. If it is an order, I will recreate it perfectly. E-even if it is a cheap-looking sweet bread."

Such was Liam, making the most talented personnel create cheap sweet bread.

◇

When the sweet bread was served, Rinho and Fuuka began to devour it.

"Ah, this is it. This is the stuff."

"It's not as good as the taste I remember, but this is about right."

Seeing the two of them eating happily, Ellen also took a big bite.

She turned her face towards me.

"Master, the cream bread is delicious."

"Is that so? Eat as much as you like."

"Yes!"

I felt apologetic towards the three of them, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was really okay for the meal I'd prepared as an apology to be cheap sweet bread.

It's tasty, but—isn't something off here?