Above Baron Glyn's home planet.

In the grand conference room of the flagship Argos, I had summoned Viscount Myatt.

Without the nobles of the Calvin faction, his backers, he was as meek as a borrowed cat.

He was sweating nervously, cowering before us, the nobles of the Cleo faction.

"Viscount Myatt, congratulations. This is your victory."

When I took the lead and applauded, the stern-faced nobles followed with a smattering of claps.

But Viscount Myatt was terrified.

He hardly looked like a victorious man.

But could you blame him?

On the surface, it was a struggle for territory, but this was a crucial battle to decide the next emperor.

The Calvin faction may have won the territorial dispute, but they lost most of their main forces, effectively losing the succession war.

Viscount Myatt knew the circumstances, so he probably couldn't bring himself to celebrate.

"We were unable to rescue Baron Glyn in time; he was killed in the midst of battle. Well, I must say, I was impressed by your fighting."

I was the one who killed Baron Glyn.

To be precise, I only ordered Tia to do it, but I was the one who made the decision.

Viscount Myatt spoke in a faint, mumbling voice.

"B-But you were the ones who did in Baron Glyn."

"That's a baseless accusation. We tried to save Baron Glyn, but we were just a step too late. Isn't that right?"

When I demanded his agreement menacingly, Viscount Myatt nodded.

It was the only choice he had.

If he refused, the House of Myatt would simply be eliminated.

"Now then, shall we move on to post-war arrangements? The House of Glyn was defeated and lost its territory. The head of the house was killed in action, and they have no land. There should be no problem with dissolving the House of Glyn, correct?"

When I asked those around me, they all either nodded or showed a lack of interest.

They weren't interested in some other lord's territorial dispute in the first place.

After all, it didn't line their pockets in the slightest.

"Rejoice, Viscount Myatt. From this day forward, Baron Glyn's home planet is yours."

"I-I can't possibly maintain a planet like this. Besides, I can't accept being saddled with the House of Glyn's debts."

Baron Glyn's planet was desolate, but naturally, it also came with a mountain of debt.

That's why Viscount Myatt started saying he didn't want it.

"You were the victor. You should take it without reservation. It's useless to try and cast it aside. After all, the House of Glyn is gone. You destroyed it."

"B-But that's—"

With no one left to take responsibility, and the reason being that the House of Myatt destroyed them—he couldn't talk his way out of it.

The Empire would surely hold Viscount Myatt responsible.

As Viscount Myatt turned pale, I presented my terms.

"Hand over Charleroi. Do that, and I'll take both the baron's home planet and his debts off your hands."

Viscount Myatt jumped at the proposal.

◇

The Capital Planet.

Having received the details of the proxy war, Calvin had summoned Cleo.

"Let me ask you one last thing. Did it go as you expected?"

He had no intention of holding a grudge at this point; Calvin was purely curious.

But Cleo, with a cool expression, spoke his true feelings before Calvin.

"This result was unexpected. I never thought he would annihilate my personal guard."

"—It seems he found out. So, what do you plan to do now? The House of Banfield has risen to become the strongest in the Empire. Even you, who will become Crown Prince and eventually Emperor, won't be able to do as you please with him."

"He killed my retainers, so he will receive a fitting retribution."

Hearing Cleo's answer, Calvin gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"To think I lost to someone of your level—as I thought, my only true enemy was Count Banfield."

"What do you mean by that?"

Cleo showed his displeasure, but Calvin was not afraid.

The reason was that it had already been decided that Calvin would be placed in Liam's custody.

No matter what Cleo said, Liam would surely not listen.

"You really should have kept quiet until you became emperor. From now on, he will treat you as an enemy. Not only will you be unable to use methods that would have been possible if you'd lulled him into a false sense of security, but if you're not careful, you'll be the one who gets overthrown. With his power, he could probably prop up Cedric, whom he's looking after, and still beat you in a contest."

If he wanted to defeat Liam, he should have laid low.

At these words, Cleo furrowed his brow, but Calvin just looked up at the ceiling.

"You acted too hastily. No, perhaps the same could be said for me? If I had gone to him myself and bowed my head back then, my position would have been secure."

Calvin recalled summoning Liam to try and bring him into his faction, never imagining at the time that things would turn out like this.

Calvin stood up.

"Cleo, Father is summoning you. From now on, you are the Crown Prince, first in line for the throne. Allow me to congratulate you."

◇

As Cleo headed for the audience chamber, Lysithea accompanied him.

"To think you'll be able to speak with Father face-to-face! Cleo, you've finally made it to the top!"

The Emperor was Lysithea's father as well, but she only ever saw him from a distance and had no memory of ever properly conversing with him.

What's more, she had been given the cold shoulder, so her treatment was even worse than her other siblings'.

A smile played on Cleo's lips.

"When I become emperor, the first thing I'll do is introduce you to some men, sister. You'll have your pick of wonderful young nobles."

Hearing this, Lysithea blushed and looked happy.

"R-Really? That would be wonderful. I see. So I can get married too. I thought it was enough that sister Cecilia could get married, but if I have the chance, I'd like to as well."

Freed from a situation where she didn't know when she might die, Lysithea was a little giddy.

Cleo watched his sister and thought.

(I've finally come this far. All that's left is to inherit the throne without any issues, and I will rule this country. Liam—you may have climbed to the rank of a great noble, but I am the emperor of this nation. Once that happens, I won't need to fear even you.)

As they approached the audience chamber, only Cleo was allowed to enter.

Alone, he proceeded deeper, and a magnificent audience chamber, befitting the great Empire, spread out before him.

It was called an audience chamber, but it was almost entirely outdoors.

The reason it was open-air was that the weather was controlled, making a roof unnecessary.

Bathed in the warm light of an artificial sun, Cleo—having an audience with His Majesty the Emperor, [Bagrada Noah Albalate]—felt a terrible chill.

(W-What is this? This is His Majesty the Emperor?)

Bagrada, seated on his throne, had the appearance of a good-natured man in his late twenties.

His shoulder-length hair was loosely tied back.

His build was taller and more solid than Cleo's, and he looked as if he possessed considerable skill as a knight.

At first glance, he seemed to be a smiling, gentle man—but he looked incredibly eerie.

"I-It has been a while, Your Majesty. I heard you summoned me, and so I have come."

He quickly lowered his head to avoid looking at Bagrada.

Cold sweat broke out on Cleo's brow, trickling down his cheek and dripping onto the floor.

Bagrada replied in a gentle tone that matched his appearance.

"I hear you defeated Calvin. I never thought you, Cleo, would be able to become Crown Prince like this. If things continue as they are, considering the handover and all, you'll probably be able to ascend to the throne in about thirty years."

There were many things Cleo wanted to say to the frankly-speaking Bagrada.

About being appointed the Third Prince as a game—and about not being allowed a sex change.

That's right, Cleo was a woman.

The fact that she had lived her life pretending to be a man was all part of Bagrada's game.

If she lived a normal life, it would likely be discovered, but Cleo lived in the rear palace.

Her appearance could be covered to some extent with suits and the like, and since she was surrounded only by family, there were few opportunities for anyone to notice.

That was why Cleo, having obtained the position of Crown Prince, wanted to resolve the issue of her gender.

"Regarding that, I have one request."

"No."

Before she could even say anything, Bagrada rejected Cleo's request.

"You want a sex change, don't you? If you do that, I will disinherit you."

"But it's true that being a man would be more convenient in many ways. I have official duties as Crown Prince, so even just for that period—"

"No. Then I wouldn't be able to see your disgusted face, would I? Now, raise your head and show me your beautiful face."

Obeying Bagrada's teasing command, she raised her head to see the figure of a smiling, handsome man.

But for some reason, she felt a sinister aura from him.

Bagrada smiled at Cleo as he spoke.

"By the way, I hear you've had a falling out with your backers, the House of Banfield."

"—I have secured the backing of other nobles to replace him. A succession of people wishing for an audience have appeared, so I believe his backing is no longer necessary."

"Ah, that doesn't really matter. I've met the rumored prodigy here several times, but I've never had the chance to speak with him. Bring him to me sometime."

What would Bagrada talk to Liam about?

Cleo was curious, but the atmosphere was not one where she could ask for a reason.

His tone was gentle, but Bagrada seemed as if he would not permit refusal.

"I will bring him as soon as he arrives on the Capital Planet."

"I'm counting on you, my dear Cleo. I've wanted to have a long talk with him. In the struggle for the position of the next emperor, he has magnificently risen to the top of the Imperial nobility."

The candidates Cleo had defeated so far.

Princes like Calvin and Linus had all been backed by great nobles.

And powerful ones at that.

Liam, who had brilliantly made Cleo the Crown Prince, had pushed them all aside to become the number one great noble in the Empire.

It wasn't that Cleo had become the Crown Prince.

It was that the prince Liam chose had become the Crown Prince.

Cleo looked down and clenched her jaw.

Seeing this, Bagrada narrowed his eyes into crescents and showed a malicious smile.

"Do you dislike Count Banfield? You have a look on your face that says you can't help but hate him, the very man who pushed you up to the position of Crown Prince."

Hit right on the mark, Cleo was surprised for a moment but quickly composed herself.

"It's not to that extent. If you command it, I will get along with him from now on—"

He was probably going to mediate between her and Liam for the sake of the Empire.

That was what Cleo had expected, but Bagrada's reaction was surprising.

"Unnecessary. Don't you dare join hands."

"—Huh?"

As Cleo was taken aback, Bagrada stood up.

And he praised Cleo.

"That's what it means to be the Crown Prince of the Empire. You are the one worthy of being the next emperor. I am quite fond of you, who would envy and try to oust the ally who supported you with all his heart."

"Your Majesty?"

"Continue to entertain me, my beloved child."

◇

The audience ended, and Cleo staggered back to her residence in the rear palace.

A worried Lysithea had accompanied her, but now she was alone on her bed.

Tossing aside the suit she wore to disguise herself as a man, Cleo's chest had a swell that could fit in one's palm.

Her frame also looked smaller than usual, likely because her slender, feminine curves were more prominent.

Raising her right hand, Cleo made a grasping motion in the air.

Her audience with Emperor Bagrada had been mentally exhausting, but there was hope in her expression.

"—Liam, you chose the wrong person to make Crown Prince."

Cleo would officially become the Crown Prince, but at the same time, she would now be Liam's political rival.

He was an extremely troublesome opponent to have as an enemy, but Cleo felt a thrill at the prospect of being able to fight him.

"The one who will defeat you is me—no, I."

◇

The Algrand Empire, Albalate Dynasty.

Originally, the imperial family's surname was Algrand, but it was changed to Albalate along the way.

Well, you can just imagine that a messy, bloody conflict unfolded, and the Albalate branch family became emperors somewhere in the middle.

And so, I was now before Bagrada, the current emperor of an empire with a history stretching back thousands of years.

I had met him before, but now I was close enough to be able to converse with him.

In other words, this was also an indicator of just how important a figure I was in the Empire.

If I were just one of the crowd, I might be allowed into the audience chamber, but I wouldn't be able to get close to His Majesty the Emperor.

Bagrada was applauding me.

"You did well to defeat Calvin. You've also taken down the great nobles who supported him. Now you are, in both name and reality, the number one great noble in the Empire."

"You are too kind."

I put on a praiseworthy attitude, but inwardly I was furious with His Majesty the Emperor—no, with Bagrada.

"And another thing, I hear you're fighting with Cleo?"

If you call annihilating Cleo's personal guard a 'fight,' then I suppose so.

To this guy, does our conflict look like a mere squabble?

"There were traitors among His Highness the Crown Prince's personal guard."

"That's a shame. You should talk with Cleo after the audience is over. I would be pleased if you continue to support Cleo in the future."

Bagrada, who could pass for a smiling, pleasant young man, but I had realized something.

"I pledge my unwavering loyalty to the Empire, now and in the future."

"With Count Banfield around, the Empire is secure. Or rather, if you're taking in the House of Claudia, will you soon be a Duke?"

"Yes. As soon as I return to my domain."

"That is wonderful news."

"Thank you."

Behind the smiling Bagrada, I could see something dark and sinister.

A disgusting, sticky, hideous presence.

Getting closer turned my suspicion into certainty.

The Guide's previous comment about a 'true enemy'.

A while ago, I'd felt there was a high probability the Emperor was suspicious, but the black aura enveloping Bagrada, something no ordinary person would have, made it decisive.

It was something I could only notice now that my own power was approaching my Master's level.

My true enemy—it was confirmed to be the Emperor of the Algrand Empire.