Brian, the butler of the Banfield family, sighed inwardly as he surveyed the mansion today.

The mansion, rebuilt by the previous-previous Count Banfield, was, to put it mildly, unique and eccentric.

To put it bluntly, it was in bad taste.

When guests arrived, they would grimace or try to avoid mentioning the mansion.

Many guests would offer a wry smile.

The corridors were winding, like a maze.

It wasn't uncommon for new servants to get lost.

As Brian walked down a corridor, he heard servants chatting from behind some cover.

They were a young man and woman.

The young man was a gardener, but he was playing around while the machines handled the garden maintenance.

He was talking to a woman dressed in a miniskirt maid outfit.

"Isn't it great?"
"But we'll get in trouble if we're caught."
"It's fine. There's an unused guest room."

The man put his arm around the maid's shoulders and led her away somewhere.

They didn't even greet Brian when he approached.

When hiring servants, appearance was prioritized, while necessary skills and personality were ignored.

Brian lamented.

"What a state of affairs."

It wasn't like this in the past.

When Brian first started serving the Banfield family, the mansion was more respectable, and the servants were more diligent.

However, due to the actions of the previous-previous Count – Liam's grandfather – the territory had fallen into ruin.

He squeezed the life out of the citizens, indulged in every luxury, and bankrupted the Count's finances.

As his debts grew, he fled to Cliff, leaving everything behind, and escaped to the capital planet.

Brian grieved for the Count's family, which had lost its former glory, but as he entered the study, he straightened his attire and his posture.

He touched the electronic equipment on the wall.

"Liam-sama, this is Brian."

Liam's voice came from the electronic device.

"--Enter."

A voice filled with irritation, unbefitting a child.

When the door opened and Brian entered, Liam, with Amagi standing beside him, was working in the study.

The desk was for adults, but a child's chair was being used.

His expression, unbefitting a child, showed no attempt to hide his displeasure.

Amagi stood by Liam like a secretary, supporting him.

"Liam-sama, is there something you need?"

Liam got down from his chair and clasped his hands behind his back.

It looked like a child acting very important.

"--Brian, I've never left the mansion before."

"Yes. Until a few days ago, you were undergoing rehabilitation and education. The mansion is also equipped with facilities for exercise."

There was no need to go outside.

That's why Liam hadn't noticed.

--How tasteless the mansion he lived in was.

"Don't you think this mansion is terrible?"

Brian wanted to agree, but as a butler, he couldn't disparage the previous-previous Count's taste.

"I think it's very creative."

"I don't need such flattery!"

Liam became furious and stamped his small feet.

Then, he looked at Amagi, and the mansions built or rebuilt by the previous-previous Count and the previous Count Cliff were projected around Brian.

The mansion, the villa, and numerous other buildings were projected around Brian.

All of them were, to put it mildly, in terrible shapes.

"Are you an idiot? You are an idiot, aren't you?! Why are you so fixated on eccentric shapes? It's inconvenient to live in!"

All of them were terrible mansions.

Some of them were mansions given to relatives.

However, the relatives, who knew the Banfield family's financial situation, had already fled to the capital planet, so there was no one there.

Liam was able to inherit the title and territory without any problems at the age of five, largely because his relatives did not object.

--No one wanted such a territory.

Moreover, the knights and hereditary retainers had either entered the service of other families or followed the previous-previous Count and abandoned the Banfield family.

Currently, the territory was managed by the citizens.

The army was also maintained by the citizens.

Liam had no retainers and no reliable relatives.

(How pitiful. To push everything onto a child and flee to the capital is unthinkable in Alistair-sama's era.)

Liam declared to Brian.

"Demolish everything. I don't need this mansion either. Prepare a mansion that suits me."

Brian panicked.

"W-well, what about those who manage the other mansions and villas?"

Liam looked annoyed.

"I'm not interested. Fire them."

Brian thought that would be problematic, and Amagi followed up.

"Master, please wait a moment before building a new mansion."

"Why?"

"I agree with the demolition. It will reduce maintenance costs. However, preparing a mansion that suits you will take time. Until then, how about preparing a mansion with the minimum necessary functions?"

Prepare a minimally functional mansion before building a grand one.

Brian was relieved to hear that.

(It's better than incurring new debt. Or will the demolition costs lead to more debt?)

Liam thought for a moment, nodded, and adopted Amagi's proposal.

"That's right. My mansion should be built carefully over time. By the way, can we secure the funds?"

Amagi immediately began discussing future plans.

"In that case, I believe we should reorganize our private army – the Count's army."

"Reorganize the army?"

Lord nobles are permitted to have armies.

Liam, who had just started working, didn't seem to be familiar with the internal situation of the territory.

When Amagi showed him the data, Liam was impressed.

"There are 30,000 space battleships? That's a lot."

Amagi nodded and said,

"Yes. However, the operational rate is less than 20%."

There were 30,000 ships, but fewer than 6,000 were operational.

Moreover, they were old models, making them 30,000 paper tigers.

"Therefore, after securing the number that can be maintained, the minimum necessary 3,000 ships, let's downsize the army. The maintenance costs will be astronomically lower."

"Can we manage our territory with that? After all, we are the rulers of the galaxy."

If they rule one galaxy, perhaps 30,000 ships wouldn't be enough?

Brian answered Liam's question.

With great difficulty,

"Liam-sama, our family does indeed have the right to rule one galaxy. However... our family only manages this planet and one resource planet. We cannot manage anything beyond that."

"Downsize the military."

Even if the territory they ruled was vast, the actual managed area was very small.

"Then, let's start the reorganization immediately. This should free up the budget."

"Showing off meaningless vanity."

Hearing this, Brian began to panic.

It was also a problem that Liam was readily accepting the artificial intelligence's opinions.

"Wait! Liam-sama, it is customary in the empire for the Count's family to maintain at least 10,000 ships. If we significantly reduce the military, we will be looked down upon by surrounding lords. It is very dangerous!"

Amagi said to the troubled Liam.

"The surrounding lords also have fleets assembled for show. Since they are old models, we can sufficiently respond by purchasing surplus weapons from the empire."

Their combat power would be reduced to one-tenth.

If they heard that, surrounding lords would think that house is dangerous, that it's in decline.

Furthermore, they would think they could win if they attacked.

Also, there were dangerous individuals in space.

Space pirates.

"Liam-sama, having a large fleet has meaning in itself. Please reconsider!"

However, Liam refused.

"I don't need paper tigers. What I need is an army that can fight. Amagi, proceed with the reorganization. We'll increase it eventually, right?"

Amagi nodded and spoke of future projections.

"We will train them into an elite force through re-education and retraining. After that, we intend to expand the scale according to the territory's financial situation."

Liam was satisfied with that.

"Execute it immediately."

--Brian thought.

(This decisiveness for a child--it reminds me of the Count I admired.)

Liam's great-grandfather, Alistair, was a splendid noble.

Brian saw Liam's resemblance to the excellent Alistair.

It was a shame that he was doting on a doll.

◇

--What is this? It's terrible.

After coming out of the capsule and undergoing rehabilitation and education for a while, I was stunned by the state of the territory when I started working.

"You can't even squeeze anything out of this!"

A world that should have developed with science and magic.

The lives of the citizens seemed worse than Japan in my previous life's memory.

There's an interstellar nation.

It's a world where space battleships shoot beams at each other, but it feels like my territory is stuck in the past.

I can't oppress them any further, even if I wanted to.

In the first place, the Banfield family's territory was like a territory after an evil lord had done everything they could.

"Why don't you develop the territory?"

Amagi calmly replied to my complaint.

"Because it develops on its own without anyone doing anything. For the ruling nobles, it's easier if it develops without intervention. The more it develops, the more management becomes difficult."

"Use artificial intelligence!"

"We are using it, but with a self-imposed rule of 'minimum necessary.'"

They seemed to think that they should extract taxes, and then give the citizens just enough leeway to develop. If people increased on their own, and if they needed knowledge or personnel, they could just put them in capsules and educate them.

They oppressed the citizens, as if they didn't need useless knowledge.

--There was no room for me to intervene.

I stumbled immediately as an evil lord!

"Hey, didn't my parents just leave me with a terrible territory?"

Did that guide deceive me?

As that thought crossed my mind, Amagi spoke to me gently.

"Master, it is true that the Banfield family's territory is in a dire situation. However, from here on, we can only improve. If we manage the taxes properly, we will see significant results in ten or twenty years."

It's a world where people live long lives.

The age of adulthood in this world is fifty.

Even at fifty, their appearance is like that of a thirteen-year-old from my previous life, which is terrifying.

Considering that, twenty years felt short.

"--Twenty years?"

"Yes. In twenty years, the territory will regain its vitality."

If Amagi says so, it must be true.

Even if I'm going to exploit them, it's no fun if the citizens don't have some leeway.

Besides, my body is still young.

I have plenty of time, so I decided to invest in the territory for a while.

I can always collect it later, so there's no problem.

"Allocate all funds except the necessary budget to territory development. I'll collect it properly later, but Amagi, I want power."

"Power, you say? If it's military power--"

"No. Personal power. My own power."

"Personal? You want to train your body?"

"Yes. I want to become strong, whether it's through martial arts or anything else."

In my previous life, I was afraid of simple violence.

I was scared of the burly men who came to collect debts.

I thought violence was meaningless, but in such situations, I realized that strength is necessary.

To trample on others--I want strength.

I want the strength to not fear others.

I want violence.

I wanted to become strong for that purpose.

"Master, I don't think it's necessary. I think the minimum necessary is sufficient."

"No. Gather first-class instructors."

All for the sake of not being robbed.

To rob everything--I wanted power.

◇

The guide was in a black space.

He was sitting on a suitcase, grinning as he watched a video.

The video showed Liam's ex-wife, who had become haggard over the years.

"She looks quite worn out. Her hair is messy too."

She was working multiple part-time jobs to barely survive with her daughter.

The guide watched his ex-wife with apparent amusement.

Around him, videos of people who had met similar misfortunes were displayed.

"Oh, I shouldn't just watch this. After all, my current enjoyment is him. Now, what's the situation--Hmm?"

He tilted his head.

The reincarnated him--Liam, who was now seven years old, was talking to a doll.

The guide chuckled.

"It's comical that he can't believe in a living woman and keeps a meticulously crafted doll by his side. Moreover, he doesn't realize that it's jeopardizing his social standing. What a delightful situation."

Despite being in an unfortunate environment, the fact that he hadn't realized it was a bonus.

In the video, Liam said he wanted power.

A person who feared violence in his past life desires power in his next life--the guide was overjoyed.

"You want power so you won't be robbed? How ordinary. But that's good!"

The guide reached out and touched the video.

Black smoke emanated from his body and seeped into the video.

"I will prepare a wonderful talent for you. Providing excellent after-sales service is my motto!"

The person he prepared this way.

He searched for a man who would become Liam's master and forcibly connected them.

This way, the man would inevitably become Liam's martial arts master.

"Please enjoy yourself, Liam-san. When you eventually meet your ruin, I will definitely come to pick you up."

The guide, whose mouth was the only visible part, watched Liam with a crescent-shaped smile.

◇

At the Banfield family's port.

A man arrived there.

He was wearing a kimono.

He was also wearing hakama, and his appearance was that of a samurai--no, a ronin.

He had a sword at his waist.

"--What a remote and rustic place."

The man's name was Yasushi.

His appearance was sloppy, and he was the man who had come to teach Liam martial arts.

Originally, the martial arts master Amagi had requested was a different man.

However, due to the Banfield family's bad reputation, that man wanted to refuse the request.

So, Yasushi received the request.

He was told that if he accepted the request in his place, he would receive the full reward.

Having debts, Yasushi reluctantly accepted.

The man recommended Yasushi, and thus it was decided that he would become Liam's master instead.

However--this man, frankly speaking, was not strong.

He had learned various martial arts, but he never stuck with any of them and drifted around.

He was the kind of man who lied about having mastered martial arts and earned a living by performing magic-like tricks.

"The client is a kid, so it should be easy to fool him. Still, it's pathetic that kid is going to learn martial arts from me."

He had learned the basics, so he could teach them.

However, techniques and secret arts were impossible.

He easily thought that a spoiled brat would get bored quickly, and if he guided him with moderate praise to keep him happy, he would be satisfied.

"Still, a sword, huh? I dressed the part too--it's strange."

Swords exist in this world, but they are not that common.

While there is a persistent popularity, most people tend to choose Western swords.

Yasushi also held a sword for the first time in a while.

"Well, shall I fool him well and squeeze money out of him?"

This man--frankly, he was a type of peddler.

A man who earned money by performing tricks was chosen as Liam's master due to the guide's malice.