A tremor ran through the inner palace shortly after Cleo received Liam's letter.

As soon as word from the spy planted with Cleo reached Crown Prince Calvin, a strategy meeting was convened.

The nobles who supported Calvin were gathered.

And they were perplexed.

"The down-and-out Banfield family is getting too big for their britches just because they've made a small comeback."
"Small? You should reconsider your assessment. The Banfield family is stronger now than they were in their heyday. The current head is without a doubt an extraordinary man."
"But to reject His Highness the Crown Prince's invitation is the height of arrogance."

The imperial court had been quietly watching to see whether Count Banfield would side with Calvin or Linus.

But now, he had declared his support for Cleo.

The nobles were in a great panic.

"—I wonder how the nobles close to the Banfield family will react."
"Many of them usually stay away from the court. Some will likely see this as an opportunity and lend their aid."
"Is Prince Cleo's faction going to become a third power? That would be bad at this time."

Calvin, who was listening to the meeting, was a handsome young man with a beard.

He listened to the nobles' conversation with a smile.

"Hmm, so I've been rejected. But what does he mean by siding with Cleo? Wallace, was it? If his younger brother is by his side, he should have heard about Cleo."

When Wallace's name came up in the meeting, Cedric's name was raised next.

"Prince Wallace was supposed to be close with Prince Cedric of the space forces."
"Was Prince Cedric a Rear Admiral? I believe he was receiving support from Count Banfield."
"In that case, are those two part of that faction? It would be troublesome if there are other members of the royal family helping them."

The emergence of a movement among the royals to support Cleo was also a nuisance for the nobles.

Calvin let out a sigh.

"I don't particularly want to lose my younger siblings."

In response, the nobles offered Calvin some harsh advice.

"Your Highness, compassion will come back to bite you."
"Misplaced mercy could cost you your life, Your Highness."
"We must re-investigate the circles of the other royals."

If anything inconvenient were to be found, the nobles intended to kick them down without a second thought.

The nobles were desperate to make Calvin the emperor.

After all, if Calvin became emperor, important posts would be prepared for them.

However, if Calvin were to fall from power, they had no idea what the next emperor would do to them.

"Prince Linus will surely not miss this opportunity to make a move. Your Highness, we must also act quickly."

There were internal matters within the Empire, but with the added circumstances of neighboring countries, now was arguably the best time for a succession dispute.

Calvin nodded.

"If only Linus would curb his ambition a little, I wouldn't have to make a move. Very well. I'll leave it to all of you."

◇

In another part of the inner palace, the faction of the second prince had gathered.

Linus, a young man with a harsher impression than Crown Prince Calvin, was the prince second in line to the throne.

And among the royals, he was one of the more ambitious.

"I've received a report from the spy I planted with Cleo. It seems Count Banfield will not be joining forces with me."

The nobles who heard this grew anxious.

"What!"
"He refused Prince Linus's invitation?"
"—Your Highness, what will you do?"

Linus was an ambitious, fox-faced man.

His eyes widened as he thought about the Banfield family.

"Not my elder brother, and not me, but Cleo. What could this mean? Is he saying Cleo is superior to us?"

The nobles fell silent.

Linus's faction was largely composed of nobles who couldn't get into the Crown Prince's faction.

Some nobles had joined Linus's faction hoping for a long-shot victory.

There were great nobles who intended to suck up to Linus once he became emperor, but in terms of quality, they were inferior to Calvin's faction.

That was precisely why they had reached out to the capable Liam.

"A mere count kicks aside my invitation to side with my incompetent younger brother, who's third in line for the throne. —That's unforgivable, isn't it?"

A noble who sensed what Linus wanted to say tried to dissuade him.

"Your Highness, we are currently in conflict with the Crown Prince's faction. If we also fight with the Banfield family, it will only benefit His Highness the Crown Prince. Furthermore, the movements of neighboring countries are also a concern. It would be a foolish move to focus too much on them."

"I don't intend to take them on that seriously. This is a crucial time."

"We implore you. This is a very important time."

Even for Linus, he didn't have the luxury of focusing solely on the Banfield family.

The movements of neighboring countries were becoming suspicious, creating an opening to exploit.

There were many other things he wanted to do.

"I know. But don't you think we need to draw a line? He refused my invitation and then kicked sand in my face as he left. I have no intention of letting this go."

The nobles exchanged glances.

They seemed to be contemplating what Linus was thinking—or rather, how far he intended to go with his punishment.

"Then, what sort of line do you intend to draw?"

Linus floated a smile.

"Rare metals are his source of income, aren't they? The Empire has already secured the necessary amount. Stop all purchases from the Banfield family immediately. And give strict orders to the merchants as well."

"Please wait! The Banfield family currently has the purveying merchants Klave and Newlands on their side. They have plenty of sales channels for their rare metals!"

Linus already knew that.

It was precisely because he knew.

"Elliot of Klave and Patrice of Newlands are his purveying merchants. The merchant guilds themselves are not supporting the Banfield family. That's the important part. Within the guilds, there must be people who want to kick those two down, right?"

In other words, to send a warning to the Banfield family, he intended to oust those two.

The nobles were convinced, thinking, "If that's all it is."

If they fought too much, it would interfere with their conflict against Calvin's faction.

"Please make peace with them at an appropriate point. The best course of action would be to win them over and use them in the conflict against His Highness the Crown Prince. I don't think His Highness will extend a hand again to the Banfield family after they've already refused him, but if we push them too far, they might come to hate us and join forces with him."

Linus agreed with what the nobles said.

"I'll just make him regret defying me. I'll make a mere count understand just who he has crossed."

◇

"Cheers!"

It was a popular tavern.

University students gathered there, making a racket almost every night.

This tavern also made good money thanks to the students, and there were many groups of them.

Several groups were having mixers.

And yet—and yet!

"Wallace, what is the meaning of this!"

Sitting at the counter, drinking forlornly with Wallace, I couldn't help but vent my frustration.

Wallace was drowning his sorrows.

"What happened to your promise to bring some cute girls!"

When I grabbed him by the collar and shook him, Wallace let out a strange laugh.

"It's over. I'm finished. A-apparently, my name came up in my brothers' conversation. I'm going to be dragged into the muddy succession dispute now."

Wallace had broken.

Despite his promise to invite some girls, here we were, the two of us, drinking alone in a noisy tavern.

"What happened to the mixer with the girls?"

I squeezed Wallace tightly, but he just kept laughing without giving a proper answer.

I let him go, and he started drinking again.

"You idiot, Liam! My name and Cedric's came up between our brothers! At this rate, we'll be killed no matter who wins!"

The struggle for succession is a life-or-death matter.

If you carelessly side with one, you'll be killed if they lose.

It depends on the next emperor, but the method of execution could vary.

A simple execution would be a mercy.

While some lose their lives during the succession dispute, the worst would be torture.

Wallace was a prince who had avoided getting involved in the succession dispute out of fear of that.

I felt sorry for him and poured him a drink.

"Calm down already. I'm not siding with the third prince without a chance of winning."

"Where!? Cleo's as good as lost from the start!"

"—What do you mean?"

When I asked, Wallace answered while taking a drink.

"Cleo is—was originally a girl."

"What?"

"She was born a girl, but her biological mother insisted she was a boy!"

Hearing that, I found it strange.

This world has advanced science and technology.

And its magic is quite something.

In a world like this, is it really not possible to determine a child's gender?

"She should have just given birth to a boy from the start."

"—It's Father's hobby. Cleo's mother's family originally belonged to a rival faction. Because of that, when Father inherited the throne, Cleo's mother was sent to him. Father forgave them, but apparently they caused him a lot of trouble."

Cleo's mother's family was large and powerful.

The emperor reluctantly made peace, but he hadn't forgotten his grudge.

And so, a vindictive revenge began.

"He made it so the child's gender couldn't be changed under any circumstances. He even got the doctors on his side and made sure the gender was never revealed until birth. Cleo's mother gave birth to three children, but all of them were girls. The third time was her last chance, and if she missed it, it would have been the end for her."

"The end?"

"She'd lose her standing in the inner palace. There are other mothers who have given birth to boys. Cleo's mother, with only daughters, would be treated as lower than them."

I couldn't just say it was only that.

After all, for the women who couldn't leave the inner palace, determining their position there was a matter of great importance.

"So, she faked Cleo's gender?"

"No. I heard she made Cleo a boy. When Father heard that, he laughed and said, 'In that case, I'll grant him the third rank in the line of succession.'"

"If he's a boy, what's the problem?"

So even sex changes are possible—this world is amazing.

"It's not good! If this were allowed, all my sisters would become brothers! That's why Father made a laughingstock of Cleo. 'The fool who faked his gender to become a prince,' he'd say."

The third rank in the line of succession was just for show, and Cleo's position was beyond precarious—it was abysmal.

Hearing that, I thought.

—This is a chance.

"Excellent!"

"What's excellent!? Were you even listening!? Cleo has no future!"

"Where's the problem? If he can function as a man, there's no issue. In fact, I was waiting for someone just like him."

A prince who might harbor hostility towards His Majesty the Emperor, a potential enemy.

Even if there's no hostility, it's probably a fact that they aren't on good terms.

In other words, Cleo had almost no connection to my "true enemies".

On the contrary, he resents the Emperor—meaning we have a common enemy.

Well, that is, if the Emperor is my enemy.

As I thought, I'm lucky.

To think someone like Cleo exists.

"Wallace, today is a pre-celebration. You can drink as much as you want."

When I said that and asked the owner to bring some expensive liquor, Wallace started drinking again.

"Even if you didn't tell me, I'd drink it all! Dammiiiit!!"

◇

The luxury hotel on the capital planet where Liam was staying.

A single knight was assigned there.

His name was [Klaus Sera Mont]—he was over three hundred years old, and his appearance looked aged, like a man in his thirties.

His face was aged from the hardships he had endured, but he was a knight who had come to serve the Banfield family several decades ago.

However, he hadn't been captured by pirates, nor had he been petrified.

He wasn't a knight who loved to fight; he himself was an ordinary knight.

Before coming to the Banfield family, he had served another house.

But that house was destroyed, and while searching for a new place of service, he simply ended up with the Banfield family.

For that reason, he possessed no excessive loyalty.

He intended to fulfill his duties as a knight, but that was all there was to the man.

And yet, he was now in a position to command Liam's guards.

"How did it come to this?"

He had been sighing more often lately, and though he tried to stop himself, he couldn't.

The reason was simple.

He sought a stable life and had little interest in promotions.

The reason such a man as Klaus was so close to Liam was that Tia and Marie had been stripped of their positions as chief and second-in-command.

The two of them were now back in the territory, diligently hunting pirates to earn merits so they could return to Liam's side.

The one sent from the territory in their place was Klaus.

Within Liam's knightly order, his work was generally unremarkable.

He would support others and yield his achievements on the battlefield.

Part of it was that he liked doing the thankless jobs, but in doing so, he had been promoted normally.

At first, he was happy to be recognized, but being promoted this far made him feel intimidated.

As Klaus walked down the hotel corridor, his subordinates approached.

"Captain Klaus! Are we not sortieing yet!"
"Let's go hunt pirates near the capital planet!"
"Let's go pick a fight somewhere!"

His hot-blooded subordinates were drunk again today, trying to pick a fight with anyone and everyone.

(Why are so many of my subordinates so hot-blooded?)

Those whose lives were saved by Liam and are thus overly loyal.

Those who came to serve Liam because they could fight as much as they wanted.

And others whose thoughts were a mystery—he was surrounded by such subordinates.

"Be prepared so you're ready whenever Lord Liam calls."

The subordinates saluted Klaus's calm reply.

"Yes, sir!"

As his subordinates left, Klaus's shoulders slumped.

"I want to go back to a normal knightly order."

They were excellent, but he hated having hot-blooded subordinates.

As he was thinking that, Klaus's second-in-command approached.

"Oh? You're not looking very energetic, Klaus."

The female knight who called her superior by his first name was clad in a knight's uniform based on a cheongsam.

"Chengshi?"

Her black hair was done up in buns on both sides, from which twin tails extended.

She was tall, and her slender limbs made her look like a woman who had nothing to do with combat.

But she was a knight, and a powerful one at that, on par with Tia and Marie.

Her name was [Chengshi Sera Tourei].

She had upturned eyes, with red makeup at the corners.

She was beautiful, but she gave off a very thorny atmosphere.

"Has Lord Liam not returned yet?"

Klaus thought this one was the most dangerous.

(Why does Lord Liam keep someone so dangerous by his side?)

"He has not yet returned. And also, Chengshi, stay away from Lord Liam."

Klaus warned her.

The reason was simple.

"How cruel. And here I was, thinking I'd finally get to test the skills of the rumored One-Flash Style."

She was gleefully planning to pick a fight with Liam.

There were many of these kinds of unhinged knights in Liam's order.

Knights with a barbarian-like mindset, who purely wanted to know who was the strongest.

Among them, Chengshi possessed outstanding skill and was also competent at her job.

"I should have told you many times. If you draw your sword on Lord Liam, I won't let you get away with it!"

"—I've been publicly stating that I want to see his skills for a while now. So, if I was summoned to his side, isn't that the same as him telling me to try?"

Liam had chosen her as one of his guards.

Therefore, she interpreted it as permission to challenge him to a match.

(Why are my subordinates so damn hot-blooded!?)

Klaus wept in his heart.

Brian: (；゛゜'ω゜'): "Nooooo! It's too much! Lord Liam, please stop picking fights with everyone you meet! This Brian is suffering from a stomachache!"