Prologue
T HE INTERGALACTIC NATION called the Autocracy—or more
officially, the G'doire Autocracy—was, in simple terms, a military
dictatorship. Its military power was incredible for its size. All neighboring
nations feared it, and even the massive Algrand Empire avoided conflict
with it. A nation that valued military strength above all else—that was the
Autocracy. Their national policy was very simple: survival of the fittest.
The weak submitted to the strong.
The Guide had just alighted on the Autocracy's Capital Planet.
"My, my... It's even worse here than last time I visited."
The Autocracy was smaller than the Algrand Empire, but it was still
an intergalactic nation in its own right. Its Capital Planet had a very
different ambience from the Empire's, however. Unlike the Empire's well-
maintained capital, the Autocracy's was a mishmash of buildings without
any harmony whatsoever. Things were as busy as one would expect, yet
the streets were dim under a sky heavy with dark clouds. No consideration
had been given to the environment, and as a result, the planet wasn't
particularly suited to human habitation. Only human wisdom had made it
livable.
Strolling around that Capital Planet, the Guide encountered any
number of arguments and fights breaking out in the streets. At one such
fight between two men, a police officer appeared to be among the
spectators. Yet all he did was jeer along with the other onlookers watching
the brawl excitedly.
The Guide glanced up at a large screen on the side of a building. It
showed nothing but discussions on fighting tournaments: who'd won the
latest tournament and become champion of which martial art, which
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martial-arts schools were currently most popular, and so on. Even news
reports here veered that way.
The Guide shook his head, exasperated. "I see things haven't
changed here. That just shows the influence of this place's leadership."
Strength was everything in the Autocracy. However low you started,
you could climb to any height through strength alone. It was what mattered
—the only thing that mattered. That was the extreme mindset of the
Autocracy's citizens.
"In a sense," the Guide said to himself, "things are fair here. Still,
it's not how I like to do things."
Somewhat annoyed by the constant tumult around him, the Guide
continued on, heading for an arena.
After he'd walked for some time, the round arena finally came into
view. It was a massive building reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum, the
only place on the slipshod Capital Planet that seemed invested with history
and tradition. It stood out considerably from the surrounding buildings.
This arena the Guide had tracked down was sacred to the Autocracy.
It was a symbol of the nation where the strong put their lives and pride on
the line to fight. Yet there was a strange being in the area that didn't seem
to fit that "sacred" image. From the neck down, the figure was human,
dressed in a suit. However, its head resembled an octopus.
The creature crouched in the center of the arena, the eight tentacles
that protruded from its head wriggling. Its sharp, thin, pointed beak was
stuck into the ground, and it appeared to be sucking something up. The
area around it was covered with the blood, sweat, tears, flesh, bones—and
more—of the strong.
Once it had completely sucked up something no one else could
perceive, the entity pulled its narrow beak from the ground and stood,
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thoroughly satisfied.
"However many times I taste it, the blood of the strong is
delicious!" it exclaimed. "It's the finest wine to get me drunk! The victors'
joy, and the losers' pain and humiliation, fill me!"
Seeing the monster intoxicated by the blood that had seeped into the
ground, the Guide sighed quietly. "I see you prefer a fight to unhappiness,
as always."
This monster was a similar entity to the Guide. What differentiated
them was their preferences. Both beings were harmful to humans, yet—
unlike the Guide—this monster enjoyed battle more than anything else.
People fighting and dying was his favorite thing in the universe.
"Long time no see, G'doire," the Guide called out.
G'doire turned around, looking displeased that he'd been interrupted
while savoring his meal. "Huh?" When he realized who was visiting, his
mood improved somewhat. "Now, here's a rare visitor. But what could
you want with me when you can travel freely between worlds in your
search for misfortune?"
The monster's name was G'doire. The reason his name was the
same as that of the Autocracy was because he'd been involved in the
nation's very founding. G'doire controlled the Autocracy behind the
scenes—it was he who built the nation into one that so enjoyed conflict.
The two individuals were meeting for the first time in a long while,
but neither had any inclination to reminisce. The Guide got right to
business.
"You'll be attacking the Algrand Empire, won't you?"
"Keeping the fighting contained here gets boring," G'doire
answered cagily. "So I've got some people looking outward instead of
inward. What of it? You're not going to tell me to stay out of your turf, are
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you?"
His eight tentacles squirmed as he readied himself for combat.
The Guide apologized for giving him the wrong idea. "I have been
active in the Empire lately, it's true, but I don't think of it as my turf. I
assure you I have no issue with whatever you do there."
G'doire was suspicious that the Guide backed down so easily. "Then
what did you come see me for?" he asked, his guard still up. "There must
be a reason you came all this way personally."
The corners of the Guide's lips pulled up in a smile. "Why, I came
with good news for a connoisseur of strength like yourself. Aren't you
interested in the most powerful people in the Empire?"
At the mention of powerful people, G'doire's tentacles wriggled
excitedly. "How powerful? Stronger than the pawns I've cultivated...?"
When G'doire expressed interest, the Guide was sure that his plan
was succeeding. He hadn't expected it to fail outright. Still, he'd still been
concerned about something. G'doire tends to be emotional. I thought that
he might not be interested in what I had to say, depending solely on his
mood. But now that he's taken the bait, the rest will be simple.
The Guide proceeded to tell G'doire what individuals to look out for
in the Empire. He was sure that simply doing that would cause G'doire to
act exactly as the Guide envisioned.
"There are quite a few individuals I think you'd enjoy in the Empire.
You'd like to see your pawns defeat them, wouldn't you?"
"Tell me! Tell me who's strong in the Empire! Who's the
strongest?!"
Drawing the moment out, the Guide gave G'doire one name. "I can
personally guarantee that a man named Liam Sera Banfield stands at the
very forefront of the Empire's many powerful individuals."
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G'doire's tentacles writhed with joy at this information. "I've heard
the name Liam, and about his Way of the Flash. He defeated one of the
Empire's Swordmasters, didn't he? So he really is strong... I see. I can't
wait to meet him!"
G'doire's tentacles blurred, moving faster than the human eye could
perceive. Shockwaves crashed into the arena in several places
simultaneously, dust clouds rising from the impacts.
The Guide hid a frown behind his hand. Does he have to attack
everything around him when he gets excited? At least I've got G'doire
focused on Liam now...
When the dust cleared, he bowed politely. "G'doire...please allow
me a front-row seat to watch you bury Liam once and for all. I have
something of a grudge against him myself, you see."
G'doire accepted the Guide's request. "Fine with me. There's a
pawn I'm particularly fond of right now. It might be fun to throw that
favorite pawn at this Liam of yours."
The Guide shook G'doire's hand.
***
The Algrand Empire's capital was a world of gray. The entire planet
was encased in metal, and every inch of its surface was crammed with
buildings. Thus, the planet was gray inside and out, covered in nothing but
man-made objects. It was a planet protected by a metal shell. Human
hands regulated everything there, even the climate.
I appreciated human ingeniousness and all that, but there was too
little green here for me—Liam Sera Banfield—to feel comfortable. I gazed
out my hotel window at the blue sky projected above me.
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There were no natural disasters on the Capital Planet, and it only
rained if it was scheduled to. With everything perfectly maintained like
this, of course, it was a very comfortable place to live. Plenty of people
wanted to reside here, and with the subsequent influx, the planet's
population had ballooned to an absurd number. That was just like how
people from the country flocked to big cities in my previous world, I
supposed.
Even this place couldn't provide a comfortable environment to
every single person living there. There were so many apartments for the
common folk that, when someone rented a room here, it was really no
more than a space to sleep. Most hotels were capsule hotels, which I found
shocking.
Things were different for me, of course. I belonged to a privileged
class, the nobility, and I'd built a vast fortune to boot. A villain with status,
fame, and wealth, like me, could stay in a well-established luxury hotel
even on the crowded Capital Planet. And I wasn't just renting a single
room, but the entire hotel—its long history and traditions employed solely
to serve me. I enjoyed that life of luxury in my high-class hotel while most
people on this planet suffered in tiny rooms.
As for what I was up to today, I'd gotten ready early in the morning
and donned a ridiculously expensive tailored suit, because it would be my
first day serving in the imperial palace. I looked myself over in the mirror.
Amagi, who stood next to me, bowed. Her glossy black hair, tied up
in a ponytail, swayed—as did her rather large chest, which her maid
uniform hardly concealed. Her breasts had just the right firmness, and that
would never change. Her skin was beautiful and smooth as always.
Amagi's red irises sparkled as she looked at me. I'd crammed as
many aspects of my ideal woman as possible into the maid robot, and she
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assisted with my morning routine every day.
"Your suit meets every standard required by the dress code, Master.
It also looks good on you."
Though Amagi said that my outfit adhered to my new workplace's
dress code, I for one had a complaint about the suit I was required to wear.
"It's too plain. This isn't my style."
Amagi nodded in acknowledgement. "I will have a new suit
prepared by tomorrow. It can be embellished a bit further without violating
the dress code. Or would you like the color adjusted?"
"They're still just work clothes, however you pretty them up. This is
fine, but... Well, let's see. Since I've got the opportunity, I want a flashy
suit that's more my style for outside work. If I like how it turns out, I'll
find someplace to wear it."
"Understood."
I'd decided to have that fancy suit made on a whim, although there
was no problem with what I was wearing. It wasn't as though I lacked
fancy clothes—plenty of things I didn't even wear had accumulated in my
wardrobe—so the suit was a complete and utter waste of money. I was
permitted to spend that way, though. I was the head of a noble Algrand
Empire family, I held the rank of count, and I was a villain—an evil lord,
in other words. Wasteful spending like this was my right.
As I checked out how I looked in my plain suit, a news program
projected onto the window began to discuss the war. A pale news anchor
with white hair read out the Imperial Army's official announcement. "The
Algrand Empire has acknowledged the G'doire Autocracy's declaration of
war. The Empire will respond by dispatching a fleet commanded by Crown
Prince Calvin."
The Autocracy had picked a fight with the Empire, and it would be
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Calvin going to face them, now that his brother Cleo had the advantage in
the succession conflict. I figured Calvin had volunteered to face the
Autocracy himself to win back as much favor as possible.
"Good on him for trying, I guess," I said. "Didn't this news anchor
have red skin...?"
I was curious about Calvin, but the news anchor was grabbing more
of my attention. The last time I'd seen her, her red skin had shocked me,
but now it was almost blue.
I thought that would surprise anyone, but Amagi responded swiftly,
as though there was nothing strange about it. "She must have changed her
skin color. I have heard that that is common on the Capital Planet lately."
"You can just change your skin color on a whim...?" It impressed
me that people in this universe could do that as casually as someone might
dye their hair. "Well, whatever. I should get going."
I decided to leave the hotel, since the time to report for duty was
approaching. Starting today, I would be an official serving in the palace.
After graduating from an imperial university, I'd finished my two years of
training and gone home to my own domain for another two years. While I
was home, there'd been a little accident in which I was summoned to a
planet with a really low-level civilization. I'd been pretty pissed at the
people who summoned me, but things there hadn't been all bad.
I turned to regard another maid in my room, who was looking out a
window. This silver-furred girl had dog ears and a tail, and her yellow eyes
were fixed on the scenery outside. Her name was Chino. I'd found her in
that world that had summoned me, and I got permission from the dog tribe
to bring her home with me.
"Wow," Chino said. "We're so high up! Are we above the clouds?"
She was observing the outdoors at a slight distance from the
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window, as if she was afraid to get too close. When Chino first came to the
hotel, she'd panicked about the tall building potentially falling over.
I was a dog person, so I found Chino truly adorable, and her
presence was soothing. That was why I found myself wanting to tease her
a little. "Don't run around too much and fall, Chino."
She backed up, the fur on her ears and tail standing on end. It was
cute how she was really a scaredy-cat, although she usually tried to act
tough. "I-I-I-I-I could fall from here?!"
Her knees were knocking. She must've thought that if she screwed
up, she could somehow fall right out the window.
Just as I thought I might've scared her a little too much, Amagi gave
me a disapproving look. I couldn't take her judgment, so I decided to
comfort Chino. "You'll be safe if you stick with Amagi. Amagi, take care
of Chino for me, would you?" I'd leave the situation to her. I couldn't
handle it, since I was leaving.
"Of course." Amagi bowed her head.
Chino leaped at her. She clung to Amagi's leg, tears in her eyes. "I-I
want a room lower down! Close to the ground, if possible. I-it's not that
I'm afraid of heights or anything, I just...!"
"Got it," I said. "I'll move your room lower down."
Chino could just have admitted that she was scared, but she had to
act tough for some reason. She really was cute.
I turned my eyes to my other favorite maid, whose name was Ciel
Sera Exner. She was Baron Exner's daughter and the sister of my friend
Kurt. House Banfield was looking after her for the time being, giving her a
noble education.
Ciel had voluminous silver hair and porcelain-white skin. To put it
simply, she was beautiful, but it wasn't her appearance I was fond of. After
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all, I could have my fill of beauties whenever I wanted. Ciel, however, had
a certain charm that couldn't be found in just any woman.
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Her purple eyes, the same color as Kurt's, glared my way.
Repressing the smile that threatened to rise to my lips, I gave her an order.
"Ciel, take Chino down to a lower floor."
Ciel didn't like me. I figured she thought she was hiding it, but to
me, she practically wore her animosity on her sleeve.
Ciel bowed her head. "Understood," she said, though she obviously
hated having to obey me.
This is great! I love how ticked off she is!
Ciel was plotting to depose me, so I should really have taken care of
her. She couldn't do much on her own, though, so she didn't pose much of
a threat to me. She was maneuvering "in secret," but I knew all about her
plans to get rid of me, since my men watched her every move. I would
have eliminated her if she were actually capable of harming me in some
way, but given her abilities, I'd decided it was fine to leave her be. Despite
opposing me, she didn't actually have enough power to be a threat—which
made her incredibly valuable.
While I gloated to myself over my circumstances, my fiancée
Rosetta Sereh Claudia, who had also prepared to go out, entered the room.
She wore a navy suit jacket over a white shirt and a skirt cut just below the
knees, accessorizing with a red scarf and blue brooch.
She smiled at me. "I see you're ready, Darling. Shall we get going,
then?"
"Sure..." My mood had been great with only Chino and Ciel
around, but when Rosetta appeared, it plummeted.
I'd been curt, but Rosetta was as happy with me as ever. "It's kind
of exciting to think we'll work together starting today, Darling."
"Together? We'll be close, but we're working in different places,
aren't we?"
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As part of our training as nobles, Rosetta and I both had to serve as
government officials, but we had different posts. It was maybe a fifteen-
minute walk from my workplace to hers. She should've known that, so
why had she said we'd "work together"?
"If the buildings are close, we'll practically work in the same
place!" she answered.
"Uh huh..." What a shallow way of looking at things.
Rosetta had originally hated me even more than Ciel did. She'd been
a strong-willed, defiant woman at first, but now she was nothing more than
a domesticated cat. No—a dog? Either way, she'd been thoroughly
defanged. There was no trace of the willful girl she'd once been.
"Let's get going. Amagi, get the car."
"It is already waiting."
We'd be driven to and from work by personal vehicle, of course.
After all, we were nobles—and rich nobles at that. Working as bureaucrats
was part of our noble training, but I had no intention whatsoever of taking
my work seriously. I was only doing this job because I had to.
"Well," I said to myself, "I'll do somewhere around half my best, I
guess."
It wasn't like I'd need a good evaluation from this job or anything. I
was a high-ranking noble, after all. I was important enough that I could
just sit there, and I'd still get ahead in life. There was no need for me to
sweat on the job.
As I left the room along with Rosetta, I immediately bumped into
House Banfield's problem children: Christiana Leta Rosebreia, who'd
once been called the Princess Knight, and Marie Sera Marian, who'd been
feared as the Mad Dog of the Empire two thousand years ago. Now the
two, who were wearing maid uniforms, glared at one another. They looked
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like dudes trying to intimidate each other in a manga about delinquents I
might've read in my previous life.
Both were gorgeous as long as they just stood there quietly, but their
behavior completely wasted their good looks. It went beyond canceling out
their positive points and landed them squarely in negative territory for me.
"Get out of here. I'll clean the floor Lord Liam lives on," Tia
declared.
"No! I will clean every inch of that floor. You'll get lost! Can you
get that through your thick skull?"
These two were full of energy first thing in the morning, but, well,
they were exhausting me. How come so many idiots served under me?
Because I'd hired them chiefly for their looks? If so, I regretted it now,
realizing that knights should be chosen based solely on ability and loyalty.
Tia and Marie did have both those qualities, of course. They were
extremely competent and very loyal to me...I thought. But the two lacked
one crucial thing: common sense.
"Do you have to make a scene first thing in the morning?" I asked.
"If you want to clean so badly, you can clean every floor before I get
back."
When I spoke to them, the two women gave me a knightly greeting,
dropping to their knees. It was a bit weird to see them kneel that way in
maid uniforms.
"Good morning, Lord Liam!"
I ignored Tia's greeting and criticized her behavior instead. "Who
told you to kneel like that? I've told you two how to greet me, haven't I?
Do it over."
Whenever I gave them an order, these two had no choice but to
obey. They stood hesitantly and sheepishly performed the greeting I'd
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instructed them to give me.
Tia balled her hands into fists above her head in an imitation of cat
ears and shook her rear. "Good meowning, Master!"
Marie stuck her hands up as if they were bunny ears. "Hoppy
morning, Lord Liam!"
Two adults who'd once climbed to the very heights of knighthood
now strove to give me morning greetings in their maid uniforms. It
satisfied me greatly to see them trembling and red-faced with
embarrassment.
Rosetta looked away awkwardly. She probably couldn't bear to see
the pair disgrace themselves like this. Yet I still wasn't done with them; I
needed them to experience more shame. In fact, I thought I was downright
generous just to shame them, after what they'd done.
After all, while I was missing after being summoned to another
world, these two had organized selfish little revolts within my domain.
They'd gone so far as to procure my genetic material, intending to
impregnate themselves with it. The reason they were getting off with only
embarrassment as punishment was their loyal service to me up until that
point. If not for that, I would've sent their heads flying with my Flash.
"I'll let you go with that today, but you better polish those up by
tomorrow," I ordered them. "Don't think I'll be satisfied with that level of
performance."
Their shoulders slumped.
"If that's your order, Lord Liam."
"If that's what you wish, Lord Liam."
I headed past the two humiliated idiots to the elevator. It was
spacious, with a couch inside just for me. I sat down on that while
everyone else stepped in as well. Amagi didn't sit next to me; the only one
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permitted to sit at my side was my fiancée, Rosetta. I wanted Amagi next
to me, but the last time I'd asked her, she'd told me the suggestion was
"ridiculous" and given me a lecture on top of that. When Amagi lectured
me, even I had no choice but to back down.
Rosetta sat down next to me now, starting a conversation as the
elevator descended. "Darling, may I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"I heard the Autocracy will be attacking. Is it really all right for you
not to fight in the conflict? Wallace seemed to think you would."
The Autocracy, eh? That was a bloody nation that consistently put
"might makes right" into practice. I couldn't believe anyone fought that
much without getting sick of it. The Empire itself waged enough wars; it
stunned me to think of fighting more.
The Autocracy was comparable to the Sengoku period Shimazu
clan, I guess. Or maybe to Kamakura warriors. Either way, I had no desire
to fight people like that. I wasn't one of those guys who wanted to go up
against strong foes. I preferred to trample the weak beneath my boots.
Battling a bunch of warmongering maniacs who did nothing but fight all
year round would be nothing but a huge pain.
"Why would I go out of my way to face the Autocracy? Besides, I
want to let my troops rest a bit. They've gone through a lot recently, all
because of a certain couple idiots." I was, of course, referring to Tia and
Marie.
"You're very kind, Darling."
I didn't know what made Rosetta call me kind. Was it me saying I
wanted to let my army rest? Sorry, but that had been a lie. When it was
time, I wouldn't hesitate to overwork them; I was just letting them rest
because I didn't want to fight.
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Also, I wasn't kind. I prioritized my own circumstances above all
else and was more selfish than anyone. Furthermore, Crown Prince Calvin
—my political opponent—was fighting the Autocracy. He was leading the
charge against their invaders himself. He must've felt desperate after
Cleo's faction worsened his position so badly. It would be best for me if he
and the Autocracy took each other out.
"Calvin's the one who'll face the Autocracy. Why don't we see
what he's capable of?"
"Do you think Prince Calvin can win? I know he's your political
enemy, Darling, but we can't let the Empire lose. I've heard that the
Autocracy wreaks havoc on any territory they conquer."
Rosetta was a good person. She was thinking of the welfare of the
Empire as a whole, so she wanted Calvin to be victorious. I was different; I
didn't care who won so long as I didn't get hurt. If the Empire losing
benefited me somehow, then I'd accept its loss with glee. It didn't matter
to me whether havoc was wreaked in Empire territory as long as my own
planets didn't suffer.
The best thing for me would be if both forces wore each other down
to nothing. I didn't want the Autocracy to gain any momentum, but it
wouldn't sit right with me either if Calvin routed them. Personally, I was
hoping both sides would exhaust one another. I didn't care how much
damage their conflict brought about in the meantime. After all, it had
nothing to do with me. We were part of the same empire, yes, but anything
was fine with me as long as my territory—my assets—were unharmed.
"Calvin's not incompetent. He'll listen to his military advisors, and
the Empire should have the numerical advantage. I'm sure it'll be fine."
Rosetta looked relieved after my declaration. "I'm sure that's true if
you say so, Darling."
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I looked away from Rosetta, frustration mounting within me—but at
Calvin, not her. He was competent, and I acknowledged him as a worthy
foe. After all, he'd not only managed to get me called before a court of
inquiry, he'd even humiliated me there.
Everyone at the court of inquiry had been a high-ranking imperial
noble, beginning with the prime minister himself. Calvin had made me a
laughingstock in front of them all. I'd been exposed to the lot of them as a
pathetic ruler whose domain was protesting to demand he father an heir. I
still remembered the cool looks those high-ranking nobles gave me that
day.
Calvin was the only one who'd dealt me that much damage since I'd
involved myself in the succession conflict, so I wouldn't underestimate
him again.
The elevator reached the ground floor, and I rose from the couch.
"I'll take this chance to conclude my noble training peacefully. Then I can
spend the rest of my life goofing off."
The training I'd spent more than fifty years on thus far was finally
coming to an end. Fifty years was a long training period. Too long. Back in
my old world, my life would've been over half finished at this point.
"It'll be over in another four years, right?" Rosetta asked. "That
seems long, but short at the same time. Th-then we'll finally be able to m-
marry, won't we?" She blushed, a hand to her cheek, no doubt thinking of
the wedding day and what would come after it.
You've spent twenty years with me now. How the hell are you still
dreaming about marrying me? I couldn't imagine the former Rosetta
acting this way.
When we first met, she'd been an amazing woman who would never
have given in to a villain like me. She had a steel will, and I'd looked
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forward to breaking it. As soon as we'd gotten engaged, though, she did a
complete one-eighty into a blushing maiden.
Take a page out of Ciel's book, why don't you?!
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