Facing an enemy fleet of one hundred and twenty thousand ships, the Banfield family's fleet calmly changed its formation.

The way they swiftly adapted to the enemy fleet's formation was truly the mark of an elite force.

Watching the scene from the bridge of the Argos, I listened to the voices of the military personnel.

"The enemy fleet is dispersing and reforming into a spherical formation."
"They've grouped up with fleets that can coordinate with each other."
"They intend to surround and crush us."

The difference in strength was one to four.

For a pirate fleet, facing us with four times our numbers, they gave a surprisingly solid impression.

It seemed the rumors of them being trained by the military were true.

"A four-to-one difference... this is more than manageable."

When I muttered my honest thoughts, my adjutant, Eulisia, who was standing next to me, glanced over.

Her attitude was tinged with exasperation, but there was also a hint of resignation.

"Since you're Lord Liam, who has always defeated large armies with a small force, I suppose a number like this is well within your comfort zone."

"What's with the thorny tone? I'm your employer, you know."

"If we survive this, I'll be more than happy to flatter you. What we're facing are elites prepared by the Imperial Army."

They had gathered former space pirates and given them education and training on par with commissioned officers.

They were supplied with nothing but the latest state-of-the-art weaponry.

The ships and Mobile Knights used by the regular forces leading the pirate fleet were likely the same models currently serving as the mainstay of the Imperial Army.

While the rabble of pirates didn't matter, the enemy had brought both quantity and quality.

From Eulisia's perspective, she probably wanted to scream, "Don't treat this like your usual pirate hunts!"

"It doesn't matter. I will be the one to win."

"Where does all that confidence come from?"

A simplified view of the battlefield situation was displayed on the monitor. It showed our formation, the enemy's formation, and other information.

Looking at it reminded me of the old days.

"—I've fulfilled my promise to Brian."

"Sir?"

Eulisia looked at me quizzically, wondering why I'd bring up my butler's name. I decided to tell her an old story.

"Do you know about the time I downsized the military when I first inherited the territory?"

I posed the question, assuming she would naturally know, but Eulisia shook her head.

"No, I do not."

"—Our private army back then was all for show, with abysmal operational rates. When I tried to secure a budget through downsizing, Brian opposed it, saying we'd be looked down upon if our numbers decreased."

As I explained, Eulisia's expression showed she understood.

"I can understand the butler's reasoning."

"I made a promise to Brian back then. I told him that while we would downsize, I would one day provide a fleet worthy of me. Seeing the thirty thousand ships I command now, I just felt that I've fulfilled that promise to Brian."

As I was lost in thought, Eulisia was watching me with narrowed eyes.

"What is it?"

"Reminiscing in a situation like this... you certainly are composed."

"That's because I am composed."

Even after I answered, Eulisia placed a hand on her hip and let out a small sigh.

Th-this woman! If she weren't my adjutant, this would be the part where I'd have her executed for lèse-majesté.

◇

Facing the Banfield fleet, Cozmo restlessly watched the monitor with his arms crossed.

He looked on resentfully at the simplified battlefield display.

The beautiful women he usually had fawning over him had been dismissed, leaving only his beautiful female adjutant by his side.

"Forced to retake a supply base from that Banfield bastard, of all things."

As he grumbled about the situation that left him no choice but to fight Liam, his adjutant asked, albeit hesitantly.

"But we outnumber the enemy four to one, don't we?"

"That guy can shrug off a minor disadvantage like it's nothing. I'm sure you've seen the data on him, haven't you?"

Though a former space pirate, Cozmo was not incompetent.

If he were, he would have dropped out, unable to endure the Imperial Army's rigorous training and education.

Moreover, he was a man who had risen to the rank of admiral.

He had thoroughly studied the information on Liam beforehand, which was why he had agreed with Hampson's plan to avoid a fight at all costs.

In fact, he had been planning to run even if he wasn't asked to.

If ordered to fight, his plan was to engage lightly and then feign a rout.

He believed it was better to take a hit to his reputation than to die.

His adjutant looked unconvinced as she glanced at the simplified display of their forces versus the enemy's.

"We are superior in both quality and quantity."

"If that was enough to win, neither Goaz nor Berkley would have lost, would they?"

"—Those are some rather nostalgic pirate names."

"Both were pirate crews that were active since I was a youngster. That bastard Goaz commanded a fleet of tens of thousands, even as a pirate. When I was young, I boasted that I'd become an even greater pirate than Goaz."

It was a complicated feeling for Cozmo that his own goal had been so effortlessly crushed by Liam.

His adjutant looked troubled.

"Goaz aside, the Berkley family were Imperial barons."

Cozmo began to talk about the Berkley Family, which had been destroyed by Liam.

"Even if they were nobles, their true nature was that of space pirates. And even the Berkley Family, which commanded a fleet of hundreds of thousands, was defeated by Liam. You know, when I was young, I swore I'd become a pirate big enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them."

Perhaps tired of the old stories, the adjutant let out a small sigh.

"You are quite distinguished now, Your Excellency. You are in no way inferior to Goaz or Berkley."

"—Yeah, you're right. Well, that's enough reminiscing. For the sake of His Highness the Crown Prince, that incompetent workaholic, let's hurry up and retake that supply base."

"Running is also an option, you know?"

"Idiot, idiot! Try running now. The punitive force will meet a tragic end, and we'll be held responsible and executed. —We have no choice but to advance."

Having steeled his resolve, Cozmo readjusted his pirate hat and pointed his right hand forward.

"All fleets, surround and crush the Banfield fleet! Don't get complacent just because the enemy is small in number. They'll devour us!"

At Cozmo's command, the punitive force began to move.

◇

Watching the enemy fleet move to surround the Banfield fleet, I stood up from my seat and gave an order.

"This looks interesting, so I'll take command. Charge towards their most fragile point."

Since there was no point in letting ourselves be surrounded, I had them target the fleet of pirate ships, which seemed to be the most obvious weak spot.

The commander received my order and began issuing detailed commands.

"Yes, sir. All forces, target the space pirates."

Following the commander's order, the staff officers relayed detailed instructions to the entire army.

Normally, a noble like myself is supposed to just sit here.

A good noble would probably be better off not interfering with the work of the military personnel and just laughing haughtily.

A noble like me who meddles is disliked by the military.

But so what?

This is the army I prepared.

I am their employer.

"Kill those unsightly space pirates first."

The Banfield fleet charged, aiming for the weakest part of the enemy fleet.

As both sides advanced straight towards each other, the space ahead flashed incessantly as long-range optical weapons were fired.

The optical weapons were blocked by the energy fields protecting the ships, causing them to emit light.

The staff officers on the bridge issued a rapid succession of orders.

"Move the shield ships to the front!"
"We'll be transitioning to close-to-mid-range combat shortly. Hurry with the preparations."
"Mobile Knight units, prepare for launch!"

A pirate ship was on a direct collision course with the Argos.

Realizing this, Eulisia, despite knowing what was happening, turned her face away and let out a small scream.

"Eek!"

"—Break through."

Surprised that the Argos wasn't evading, the enemy ship tried to turn, its bow swinging to the right.

"Hey, hey, don't show me your belly."

The prow of the Argos pierced the enemy's hull and tore it apart.

An explosion occurred, but it was blocked by the energy field, and the Argos didn't even shudder.

As a solid block of rare metal, the Argos couldn't even be damaged by something of this level.

Then, the cannons on the Argos took aim at the enemy.

It fired its optical weapons.

Sliding armor plates revealed a large lens, from which a laser was fired, piercing a pirate ship near the Argos.

The pirate ship's energy field was easily penetrated, and the point of impact glowed red and melted.

Since it was a passing attack, the laser's path was drawn like a line, and the ship exploded as it moved away from the Argos.

"Fragile, far too fragile. Were you really sure you should have come before my fleet in a pirate ship like that?"

The situation was the same for the other ships as well.

The pirate ships were being destroyed without being able to do anything, and when the fleets clashed and passed through each other, only we had maintained our formation.

The gathering of pirate ships had lost its formation and scattered like mist.

The Banfield fleet, having assumed a charge formation, broke through the encirclement and set its sights on its next prey.

"Next—shall we target the regular forces?"

◇

Having witnessed the Banfield family's method of fighting, Cozmo had half-risen from his seat.

"Are those guys sane? Charging head-on, even against an inferior opponent? They're even crazier than the rumors and data suggested."

Even though his allied fleet had been beaten, Cozmo was laughing, his right hand covering his face.

The Banfield fleet, maintaining its momentum, was now heading towards the regular army fleet dispatched by Hampson.

The regular fleet was trying to form a defense-oriented formation to meet the charging Banfield fleet.

However, they seemed to be struggling with the sudden change in formation.

Watching this, the adjutant was slightly irritated.

"Useless bastards."

The pirates, easily defeated by the Banfield forces, were calling for help from Cozmo's fleet.

Cozmo ignored them and instructed his subordinates to change formation.

"The fleet Hampson gave us is useless. We'll change formation now and strike the Banfield family."

At Cozmo's command, his staff officers began issuing new orders one after another.

The adjutant, seeming to have anticipated Cozmo's thoughts, looked impressed.

"A pincer attack with the regular fleet. Striking the enemy from behind while they are held up is an effective tactic."

She must have thought of a plan to strike the Banfield family from behind and pincer them while their allies held them off.

However, Cozmo rejected his adjutant's strategy.

"No, we'll wipe them out, allies and all."

"What?"

The adjutant was stunned into silence, but Cozmo was feeling a sense of crisis from the Banfield fleet that he had never felt before.

"I've had many near-death experiences. But this time, I've got a bad case of goosebumps. My gut is telling me that they are truly dangerous. If we don't go into this prepared to make our own sacrifices, we'll be in danger too."

The ones making the sacrifice would be the unsuspecting regular fleet, but his adjutant was also a former space pirate.

Trusting Cozmo's intuition, she shook her head as if to say, "What a pain."

"They're unlucky, the ones who were dispatched."

Seeing his adjutant's look of understanding, Cozmo laughed, as if to say, "That's my adjutant."

"On the battlefield, it's the unlucky ones who are in the wrong."

An operator announced that the allied and enemy fleets had entered combat range.

"Allied fleet has entered combat range with the enemy fleet! —The enemy fleet isn't stopping!?"

But the change in formation was too late, and the Banfield fleet, in its cone-shaped formation, easily pierced through them.

Cozmo thrust his right hand forward.

"Now's our chance! Kill Banfield, even if you have to take our allies with them!!"