In this world, life is taken lightly.

It's the same even in an interstellar nation—no, it's far lighter than in the world of my previous life.

Even in a single skirmish-like war, tens of thousands of people can vanish in an instant.

It wouldn't be strange for millions to disappear in a single war, and such wars are still being waged somewhere even now.

No matter how much science or magic advances, it's all meaningless if people don't.

Well—that's enough of a preamble.

In an interstellar nation, the value of a life is cheap.

One of the reasons for this is how easily children can be made.

I was born in this world in a test tube and was subsequently raised inside a machine.

My parents probably had no affection for me either.

The moment I turned five, they abandoned the debt-ridden territory and left.

Children are born easily, and people die just as easily.

This is the world we live in.

"Let's hear your excuses. But before that, Klaus! Tell them their crimes."

Sitting in a chair with my legs crossed and my cheek resting on my hand, I looked down on the two bowing their heads.

I had summoned the busy Tia and Marie from their work and was making them prostrate themselves.

Beside me stood Klaus, his expression beyond exasperation, as if he had reached some kind of enlightenment.

I had him read out the charges.

"Neglecting Baron Norden's Isaac faction, unauthorized use of Lord Liam's fleet. Subsequently, inciting an uprising on a planet within the territory. Furthermore, illegally obtaining Lord Liam's genetic material in an attempt to conceive an heir—is that right?"

It's just too much.

If I'm away, it's the job of my knights to protect my house.

For them to act so selfishly is unforgivable.

"I've been disappointed by you two time and time again. But your greatest crime this time was betraying me and acting as you pleased."

Tia raised her face and began to make an excuse.

"Lord Liam! If you consider the state of the territory without an heir—"

I kicked the floor to silence Tia, having forgotten to tell them something important before they made their excuses.

"Sound reasoning is all well and good. But that's not what I want to hear. If you give me an excuse I find boring, I'll cut you down right here."

These two have supported me for decades, but I have no need for anyone who would betray me, no matter how competent.

I was thinking of gathering good-looking female knights, but if they're all like this, I can't add female knights to my harem.

From now on, I'll have them gather knights based on ability, not looks—I need to find a better bunch.

The two of them were at a loss for words.

They're just like Isaac and the others.

Just as I thought that and reached for the sword leaning against my chair, Marie swept her hair over her shoulder and exposed her neck to me.

She was telling me to cut her down if I was going to.

"Oh, how gallant. I'll cut off your head without any pain—"

"I wanted to have Lord Liam's child!"

"—Hey."

The excuse was so absurd I felt the urge to retort.

What in the world is she saying at a time like this?

Marie continued with her excuse, and it was just getting worse.

"E-Even if you didn't acknowledge the child, Lord Liam, and it couldn't become your heir, I intended to raise it all by myself! P-Please, forgive me!"

Troubled, I glanced at Klaus, but he seemed just as bewildered.

It seems she was making an excuse that would shock even a person with common sense.

Is this normal in an interstellar nation? I started to have my doubts.

Well, of course they aren't normal.

Tia also appealed to me, crying.

"I wouldn't dare ask for your favor, Lord Liam. But I desperately wanted a connection to you. Even if this incident hadn't happened, I planned to eventually conceive a child with your genes to preserve my family name. I had no intention of letting it claim to be the Banfield heir. Th-This time, it was a moment of weakness, you could say."

What is a child to you people?

"You wanted to bear my child, you say?"

Marie nodded while trembling and stated her reason.

"It was disrespectful, but I wanted a connection with you, Lord Liam. I, Marie, was aware it was a grave sin, but I couldn't restrain myself. However, to be cut down by you, Lord Liam, would be my greatest wish!"

A tool to seek a connection with me?

And on top of that, she says it's her greatest wish to be killed by me—that just kills my motivation.

Stunned, I pulled back the hand I had extended toward my sword.

"I can't revoke your qualifications as Imperial Knights. However, within my territory, I will not recognize your status or position as knights. For the time being, you will work as maids in the mansion."

I was going to kill them, but their ridiculous excuses took the fight out of me.

The two of them thanked me with tears in their eyes, but I really couldn't care less.

"Thank you, Lord Liam!"

"Even as a maid, I, Marie, swear the same unwavering loyalty to you, Lord Liam!"

I left them alone because they were competent, but it seems that was a mistake.

From now on, I'll have them learn some femininity under Celina.

"That's enough, you're dismissed. Oh, and Klaus."

"Yes?"

"Actually, I've been planning to assign numbers to my most prominent knights. You worked hard this time, so you're number one."

"Yes—huh?"

After nodding in acceptance, Klaus's eyes went wide.

He must have been bewildered at suddenly being called number one.

"I'll increase your authority and salary. Keep up the good work."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The sight of Tia and Marie staring at Klaus with lifeless eyes was quite memorable.

It seems my conversation with Klaus hit them harder.

"Tia, Marie."

"Y-Yes!"

"What is it, Lord Liam!"

"If you two had just done your jobs normally, I was thinking of making one of you number one. It's a truly disappointing outcome."

Satisfied with the two of them freezing in place, I stood up and left the room.

◇

Klaus couldn't stop the cold sweat.

A rumor had once spread that Liam was planning to assign numbers to his knights and create a special ranking system.

At that time, Baron Norden and other vassals, through some misunderstanding, started claiming that they were the ones worthy of being Liam's twelve supporting knights.

It had been ignored, but the children of vassals who were studying abroad in the territory had been spreading it around.

Liam had denied it, but I heard that the plan to assign numbers to his own knights was true.

Who on earth would be chosen?

It was a topic of great interest within the knight order, but—

(I never thought I'd be chosen as number one!?)

—For Klaus, it was a complete bolt from the blue.

In the room Liam had just left, besides Klaus, were Tia and Marie, who had failed to become number one.

The look in their eyes as they stared at Klaus was truly dark.

Tia slowly stood up. Her body seemed to lack strength, making her movements eerie.

"Sir Klaus—congratulations."

Marie also stood, but her eyes were lifeless.

Her movements were slow, almost like a zombie's.

"To be Lord Liam's number one knight is a wonderful title. Ahh, but if it weren't for this incident, I would have been number one."

Failing to become number one seemed to have hit them quite hard.

"N-No, it was sudden for me too. This must have been a whim on Lord Liam's part. After discussions with the knight order and the military, there's a chance it could be canceled—it should be."

The two of them were looking at Klaus with resentful expressions.

Klaus's stomach started to hurt again.

(Why do I have to become the head of the knight order!?)

Klaus's suffering was set to continue, now tasked with managing Liam's knight order, which, while competent, was full of problem children.

◇

—I'm at my wit's end.

On the capital planet, a man was racking his brain alone in the palace.

It was Calvin.

"I've finally been cornered."

On his desk, data on Liam was displayed.

What was written there was, 'Liam's greatest weakness is the fragility of his one-man rule in his absence.'

Just the news of Liam's disappearance was enough to cause a split and plunge the territory into a warring states period.

It is indeed fragile.

Normally, one would think it's a simple matter of just defeating Liam.

But that is the most difficult part.

"Assassination is no good. Sending him to the battlefield is no good. Spreading rumors in his territory is no good. What am I supposed to do against an opponent who thwarts almost all acts of sabotage?"

Thanks to the Shadow Clan protecting Liam, assassination is next to impossible.

Even if I were to try to kill him without regard for appearances, the chances of winning against Liam, who can even cut down a Sword Saint, are slim.

If he did that, Calvin would only tarnish his own reputation.

Furthermore, trying to eliminate him on the battlefield is also difficult.

Liam himself is a nuisance, but he also has competent knights and soldiers.

And with this recent incident, the officials within his territory have been brought to heel, making betrayal difficult.

The plan to slowly break him down from the inside has made no progress at all.

In the wake of this turmoil, Liam has cracked down hard on his territory, and Calvin's agents, as well as those of others, have been completely swept away.

Without Liam, the Banfield house would be nothing to fear, but he can't find a way to eliminate Liam.

On top of that—Calvin has found himself saddled with the excess baggage that Liam was supposed to be carrying.

Even Calvin didn't know what had happened.

He had only offered a little support, but before he knew it, he had been made into their backer.

"This is a precarious situation."

The possibility of him being deposed and Cleo becoming the Crown Prince was becoming real.

Calvin felt like clutching his head in this situation.

◇

There was a man clutching his head—no, clutching his hat.

It was the Guide.

He was crouched down on his small hands and feet.

"No matter what I do, it ends up benefiting Liam."

I thought I'd use summoning magic to send him far away and wreck his territory in the meantime.

It was successful at first, but before I knew it, all I had done was bring smoldering problems to the surface, only for Liam to deal with them.

Within the Banfield family's territory.

The Guide, crouching on a main street, looked up at a giant monitor.

"'This is video data released by the government office, but it seems Lord Liam and Lady Rosetta are attending a party together quite affectionately, aren't they?'"

"'They must have decided on this public release after hearing rumors of no progress. In any case, they make a lovely couple.'"

The news was broadcast, but despite Liam's repeated lavish spending on the capital planet, the populace's reaction was muted.

The people's interest lay elsewhere.

"What's this? They seem to get along just fine."

"There was no need to go as far as demonstrating."

"It was like a festival, wasn't it? At this rate, an heir will be born soon."

The citizens walking down the main street were laughing about it.

"'And now for our next story. The government office has announced a tax increase to enhance social welfare.'"

"'Regarding the enhancement of social welfare, from now on—'"

On the giant monitor projected in the air, a newscaster was talking about the tax increase.

The populace's reaction was dull.

"A tax hike, huh?"

"Lord Liam's the worst."

"More importantly, they say hospital treatment costs will get cheaper."

"Lord Liam's the best after all."

They disliked the tax increase, but since social welfare would be improved, things were moving in the direction of acceptance.

The Guide felt the ground was hotter than usual.

No, it was hot.

The ground was as hot as a griddle over a fire.

"Hot!? Hot, it's hot!? Gyaaaah!!"

He flailed his legs about, hopping up and down.

When he tripped and rolled, the hat-wearing Guide was roasted to a crisp.

"Noooo!! It's hot everywhere!!"

With a sizzling sound, black smoke rose from the Guide, sapping his strength.

At this rate, he would be burned to death.

The Guide rolled around, searching for a safe place, but there was none.

As he was being charred black, the Guide guessed the cause of this phenomenon.

"N-No way!?"

Floating into the air and rising all the way to space—the planet looked divine.

It was emitting golden particles, shining brightly.

"What is this? What's the cause!?"

For it to be an overflow of Liam's gratitude, the scale was far too large.

Could something like this, something that could swallow an entire planet and drive him out, really be possible?

Thinking that far, the Guide remembered.

"C-Could it be... the W-World Tree!!"

Something was flowing in from a distant planet, crossing time and space.

At its source was the recently revived planet.

It was the World Tree, under Liam's management and protection.

It had only just been revived and was nothing more than a small sapling—but perhaps out of gratitude to Liam, it was trying to protect him with its sacred power.

"The World Tree is protecting Liam!? H-How am I supposed to win against this!? There's no way!"

The World Tree.

It was a truly sacred plant, and for the Guide, it was like a troublesome poison.

The Guide was the one who, blinded by short-term gains, had defanged the evil elves who were supposed to have withered the World Tree.

However—normally, the World Tree wouldn't go this far.

Saving an individual was something unheard of.

The Guide trembled at this unforeseen situation.

"I-It's no longer something I can handle on my own. It's come to this—I have no choice but to gather others like me who exist in this world."

If he couldn't do it alone, he just had to ask for help.

But asking for help from his own kind was something his pride would not normally allow.

However, faced with the existence known as Liam, the current Guide cast his pride aside.

"To defeat Liam, I'll do whatever it takes!"

Brian (´・ω・`) "Lord Liam, this Brian believes it is disrespectful to compare those two with the other female knights."