The Banfield family mansion.

Walking down the hallway with a tense expression was the head maid, Serena.

“—It might already be too late.”

Her anxiety slipped out, and she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.

The reason the usually composed Serena was this flustered was Liam's actions.

Arriving at the communications room, which allowed for long-distance transmissions, she locked the door.

Serena set her terminal into the communication device and initiated her scheduled contact with the Prime Minister.

When the Prime Minister's image appeared on the monitor at the exact scheduled time, Serena skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

“It has been a while, Your Excellency, the Prime Minister. I apologize for the abruptness, but I must report that there are unsettling movements within the Banfield family.”

Serena straightened her back and stared at the Prime Minister on the monitor.

His expression was complicated.

‘I was wary after his break with His Highness Cleo, but I see it has come to this after all.’

A short while ago, Liam had broken ties with Cleo.

To antagonize Cleo, who had become the Crown Prince, would cast a great shadow of uncertainty over the Banfield family's future.

From Liam's perspective, gaining power for the future was a natural course of action.

But from the standpoint of the Empire's Prime Minister, the current Liam was becoming the greatest threat within the Empire.

Serena reported all of Liam's actions to the Prime Minister.

“He is successively purchasing territories burdened with enormous debt.”

‘I know. The Duke recommended several feudal lords to become court nobles. He’s buying them nominal positions with money and shoving the former lords into them.’

When Liam acquired territories, he made the original owners into court nobles.

He was making it appear as if the transfers were all happening without any issues.

Could such a thing really be allowed? —In the Empire, it could.

From the Empire's perspective, as long as someone was managing the planets, it was fine.

As long as there were no problems, the Empire didn't care who was in charge.

The buying and selling of territories was something they would even encourage, as long as the debt issues were resolved.

However, when Liam was the one doing it, they couldn't remain silent.

‘Give the Duke a warning. Any more of this will be considered an act of rebellion.’

The Prime Minister, aware of Cleo's betrayal, likely thought he understood Liam's anxiety.

That was why he intended to have Serena warn him to stop here.

“Understood.”

Serena bowed her head deeply.

◇

As Serena walked briskly down the corridor, she spotted Brian striding along with wide steps.

Curious about Brian's angry demeanor, Serena decided to speak with him.

“What's wrong?”

Brian, when spoken to, had lost his usual composure, seemingly furious.

“Lord Liam is returning to the mansion for the first time in years! I, Brian, intend to give Lord Liam a stern talking-to today of all days!”

“What are you angry about?”

“What about? Leaving the capital planet to expand his territory in the frontier is unacceptable!”

At Brian's answer, Serena felt as if she had found an ally.

(So Brian is also against the territorial expansion. Indeed, in this situation, we have no choice but to tell him not to provoke the Empire.)

With the indignant Brian on her side, Serena decided they would go to Liam together.

“In that case, let's go and advise him together.”

“Oh! With you by my side, Serena, I feel much more confident. Then let's go at once.”

The two of them headed for Liam's office.

◇

“Lord Liam, what is the meaning of neglecting Lady Rosetta for so many years! Furthermore, to leave the domain for years without an heir is out of the question!”

—The mansion's office.

I'd just returned after a long time, and I was already fed up with Brian starting a lecture.

It was amusing to see Serena looking a bit bewildered next to him, but even for Brian, bringing up the topic of children was unforgivable.

“Bringing that up here and now, am I to assume you have malicious intent towards me? If it were anyone else, I'd have made them rust on my blade!”

“I do not mind in the slightest! If it means an heir will be born, I, Brian, am prepared to be cut down right here!”

“Are you an idiot!? Dying over a topic like this!?”

“An idiot!? Did you just call me an idiot!? For the Banfield family, the matter of an heir is of the utmost importance!”

In the office were Amagi and—Rosetta.

I had summoned them to ask if anything had happened in the domain during my absence.

That bastard Brian was in front of Rosetta, basically shouting, ‘Hurry up and have a kid!’

He has no delicacy whatsoever.

“Darling, um! Y-you don't have to worry about it too much.”

Seeing Rosetta look so apologetic made me feel like I was being blamed, even though it wasn't my fault.

And Amagi! She was giving me such a cold look! —No, it was her usual expressionless face, but I couldn't help but see it that way.

I glared at Brian and told him to get out of the room.

“If you're done, then get out.”

“No, today of all days, you will hear me out. Serena feels the same way!”

When he brought her into it, Serena looked flustered.

“Huh? No, I was—”

“Serena, you too! You're all so noisy about an heir, an heir!”

Apparently, Serena had also come to talk about the heir situation.

What do these people think I am?

I'm the most evil lord in the Empire! If it weren't you two, you'd be executed on the spot!

“Get Brian and Serena out of this room. Don't let them near me for a while. —And make sure they don't get hurt!”

At my command, the knights waiting outside the room came in and gently escorted Brian and Serena out.

“Lord Brian, please withdraw for now.”

“L-let go of me! This is a crisis for the Banfield family! Why is no one offering their counsel!?”

In the office, after the two had left, I wiped the sweat from my brow.

“The moment I get back, they're already nagging about children.”

Then, Rosetta brought up a topic related to children.

“Darling, do you dislike children? If so, shall I handle the matter concerning Yasuyuki-kun?”

“Yasuyuki-kun? Huh, his education is already finished!?”

I'd been busy with work for a while, so I'd lost track of Yasuyuki-kun's situation.

“He's been receiving his basic education since he moved here, and now that's finished, I was thinking it's about time we had someone look after him.”

“—He's Master's son. I can't entrust him to just anyone. But in that case, who should I entrust him to? More importantly, what does Yasuyuki-kun want?”

It would be simple if he had decided what he wanted to be himself—thinking that, I asked, and Rosetta told me his dream with a smile.

“He says he wants to become a fine knight.”

◇

The son of the Sword God Yasushi and his wife Nina, his name was Yasuyuki.

Ever since Yasushi began living on Liam's capital planet, he had been living in a splendid mansion.

When he returned from school, a man working at the entrance greeted him.

“Welcome home. The young ladies are waiting for you.”

“—Yeah.”

Hearing 'the young ladies,' Yasuyuki immediately knew who it was.

The ones who visited the mansion almost every day were his father's disciples, Fuuka and Rinho.

When Yasuyuki headed to the reception room, Fuuka, who was waiting there, jumped on him.

“Welcome back, Yasuyuki!”

“Ah, yes.”

Pushing aside Fuuka who had jumped on him first, Rinho picked Yasuyuki up in her arms.

“You've gotten so big, Yasuyuki!”

“But we met yesterday, didn't we?”

His father's disciples, who doted on him.

However, their true identities were the legitimate successors of the One-Flash Style, a monstrous swordsmanship that produced the Empire's strongest swordsmen.

Fuuka and Rinho, while not on Liam's level, had also stepped into the realm of monsters.

While he was happy that two such people doted on him, as Yasuyuki learned more about the world, he began to think.

(Is it okay for them not to work?)

The two of them, who devoted themselves freely to their sword training under Liam's protection, didn't do anything that could be called work on a daily basis.

Apparently, they had been made to work as maids before, but that was just part of their etiquette training.

Liam was strict about their sword training, but when his junior disciples asked for an allowance, his purse strings loosened endlessly.

The two could get by without working.

As he was worrying about their future, his mother, Nina, returned home.

“I'm home~”

Nina, who poked her head into the reception room, was in a suit, having just returned from work.

After moving to the Banfield family's capital planet, she went back to university and was now working as a bureaucrat.

Working in the capital planet's government office—as a civil servant, a bureaucrat, she was the elite of the elite in the Banfield family.

Just as Nina got home, Yasushi came running into the mansion a little later.

“Nina! Please, give me some allowance! I'm so close to winning back my losses!”

“Yasu-kun, you lost again? You're hopeless~”

Having lost big at the casino and run out of allowance, Yasushi was getting more from Nina.

“You're a lifesaver. I love you, Nina!”

“Have fun~”

After receiving his allowance, Yasushi headed for the casino.

Nina must have been seeing him off with a smile. Even when she gave him the allowance, her voice was a mix of slight exasperation and the happiness of being relied upon.

A ratio of one part exasperation to nine parts happiness.

Yasuyuki thought.

(Mom works so hard, but Dad just gambles all the time—and Mom sees him off so happily—This is bad. I have to be the responsible one.)

Even as a child, Yasuyuki had doubts about his family environment.

Because of that, he was determined to become a responsible adult.

When Rinho learned that Yasushi had gone to the casino, she was disappointed.

“Master seems busy today, too.”

Fuuka, on the other hand, turned to Yasuyuki and smiled.

“I'd like him to watch our training once in a while, but it can't be helped if he's busy. More importantly, Yasuyuki. We got permission from our senior brother.”

Senior brother—hearing that permission had come from Liam, Yasuyuki's face broke into a wide grin.

“Really!?”

The reason Yasuyuki aimed to be a knight had a lot to do with the Banfield family's circumstances.

The Banfield family, which was in the process of strengthening its military, was looking for knights.

Since he was under Liam's protection, Yasuyuki felt that he should become a knight to repay his kindness.

It was true that Yasuyuki's father, Yasushi, was Liam's master and an object of his reverence.

However, he himself was only Yasushi's child.

He felt indebted for the fact that he was not only not wanting for anything, but was able to live a life of luxury.

His way of repaying that debt was the choice to become a knight.

Besides, the story that Liam had initially wanted Yasuyuki to become a knight had been passed down to him.

He figured that becoming a knight would be the best way to repay his debt, and that was his reason.

“Yeah, it's true. When we told him you wanted to be a knight, he reluctantly agreed. It seems he really wanted you to become an official, but he said he'd respect your wishes.”

Apparently, Liam had been troubled when Yasuyuki first expressed his desire to be a knight.

The reason was whether Yasuyuki, who had been declared by Yasushi to have no talent as a swordsman, could really make a living as a knight.

Rinho placed her hands on Yasuyuki's shoulders, bent down to meet his gaze, and looked at him with a serious expression.

“Yasuyuki, you got permission, but don't do anything reckless. If you're ever in trouble, you can count on me. —I'll cut down any of your enemies.”

The light had vanished from Rinho's and Fuuka's eyes; they truly intended to cut down any of Yasuyuki's enemies.

Even if he lacked talent in the One-Flash Style, to the two of them, Yasuyuki was the child of their revered master.

In other words, he was like a little brother to them.

Yasuyuki was completely put off by his 'sisters'' overly heavy sibling love.

“I-I'll be fine.”

Yasuyuki vowed to himself that he would at least become strong enough to defend himself, so that his sisters wouldn't have to draw their swords.