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nAfter rallying our forces we had about five-thousand ships on our side.

nEven if we had a total of eight-thousand ships, many of them were unoperationable because of problems that had arisen during maintenance.

nHowever, even if we were only able to gather this many, things should still be fine.

nOn one of the space battleship’s bridges, I was sitting down in a specially prepared chair.

nThe bridge was currently in a frenzy, there were over a hundred people scrambling to do their jobs.

nBecause it was also the flagship I personally boarded, more personnel were assigned to it than normal.

nWhile I looked over all those hard-working people,

n“Are we ready for departure yet?”

nThe militants looked slightly peeved, but they couldn’t go against me, their lord.

nThis was a normal relationship dynamic seen in the Empire.

n“We’re still getting some last-minute preparations done, and my lord, are you sure about this?”

nI looked at the concerned expression of the commander, and I couldn’t help but feel how pitiful he was.

nThis war was a joke.

nOur victory was a matter of course.

nI alone smiled with this knowledge.

nThe treasures and bounties possessed by the pirates were within my grasp.

n“More importantly, do those pirates have a lot of money?”

nThe soldiers turned to look at each other.

n“Well… they do.”

n“And to think all of that is going to be mine soon- I can’t wait.”

nThe soldiers all stared at me while I laughed.

n◇ ◇ ◇

nGoaz’s Fleet.

nAs you would’ve expected, the biggest ship was Goaz’s personal flagship.

nEver since he used it to destroy an entire star-country, it became his favourite ship of all.

nIt was remodeled to the point that you could barely make out it’s original appearance.

nRelaxing at the bridge, Goaz was laughing as he placed on his forehead.

n“They’re coming out to meet us? Looks like the kid has some fight in him.”

nThe surrounding pirates joined in on the laughter.

nGoaz’s pirate fleet has never lost.

nHe thought they’d surrender, as most small frontier houses with limited forces normally did.

n“I have to admit, they have spirit. Let the men know if they capture the brat alive, I’ll double their share. I want that kid as my next toy.”

nThe adjutant was smilling.

n“You truly are charismatic, Boss.”

n“Well, it’s interesting to have an immature brat as my opponent for once. Once this is over, I wonder how we should enjoy the people who had just lost their last line of defense.”

nGoaz still hasn’t had enough.

nHe was a man who has lost count of how many lives he has taken over the decades.

nAll of this was due to the golden box that he owned- the Alchemy Box.

nSimply put, it was an artifact capable of producing gold from any substance except for living organisms.

nIt was a piece of lost technology that was impossible to recreate.

nIn addition to gold, it was even capable of producing mithril and adamantium.

nIt was an artifact of dreams.

n“Now then, how about we teach what true war is to a boy who knows nothing?”

nThe pirates believed that victory was assured.

nAnybody would think that.

nThey outnumbered their enemy six-fold.

nEven if they didn’t plan anything, they’d be sure to win in a head-on fight.

n◇ ◇ ◇

nOnly a few days had passed before we were set to collide with the pirates.

nI listened to the commander’s orders as I relaxed in my chair.

nI could barely hear him now.

nThe chair I sat on was comfortable to a frightening degree.

nNo matter how I sat, my back didn’t hurt at all.

nI could totally sleep there if I wanted too.

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nThe moment I closed my eyes, my lights would be out.

nOver the last several days we had worked out our plans and formations.

nEveryone was assigned to the role they were most suited to, so I left it all to the military personnel while I just watched.

nJust by looking at things as they were, it didn’t look like the battle was going to begin anytime soon.

nI understood that everyone thought that this was a last-ditch struggle of resistance due to the difference in numbers.

nI called out to a soldier who was stationed nearby.

n“When will it start?”

n“My lord, it has already started. Once battles reach scales this large, you can’t just run recklessly into the blackness of space- we’re already struggling enough as it is.”

n“I can’t even see the enemy.”

n“When considering the size of the universe, please imagine that the distance the enemy is at could already be considered fairly close.”

n“Come to think of it, it’s true that I never really learned anything about war.”

nWhile I did study many things in the educational capsules, I did neglect a military education.

nEven while knowing that, the soldier explained how ignorant I was without remorse.

nHe really didn’t mince his words, but I did like how honestly he spoke.

nBecause he was working for my sake, I’ll allow him at least that much.

nIt looks like the two forces were slowly reducing the distance as they repositioned the armies to counter each other.

nIt seems that checking the radars and instruments for the enemy was considered part of the battle as well.

nWith that said, how many days was this supposed to go on?

nThe commander was scowling.

n“With forces that large, the number of soldiers the enemy has is nothing to scoff at.”

nSeeing how firm the pirates were caused him to frown.

nI turned to the soldier again.

nBy his behaviour, he was probably someone that used to be in the Imperial Army.

n“Is the battlefield always like this?”

n“It’s not very common, even the commander is growing a bit impatient.”

nSlowly close in while adjusting formations.

nAlthough they weren’t at visual distances, they had confirmed each other’s presence.

nThen the operator shouted,

n“We’re experiencing jamming interference! Enemies have been spotted closing in directly above the fleet! Their number, five-hundred strong!”

nApparently five-hundred pirate ships are attacking from above the fleet, somehow able to avoid the detection of our radars.

nThe commander immediately starts sending out orders.

n“So they’re making the first move? Prepare for interception! Don’t let them out of your sight!”

nOur fleet quickly altered our formation into a bow pointed straight up and ready for the incoming pirates.

nThe commander had a bitter look on his face.

nI turned to the soldier,

n“Isn’t it bad for the enemy to spread out his forces like that?”

n“They did it in order to break our formation. No matter how quickly we intercept it, we’ll be leaving ourselves open to retaliation for a moment.”

n“It would’ve been better if they just charged at us with all their forces at the beginning.”

nAs I complained, the enemy started coming into view, and the soldiers’ faces started to drop.

n“My lord, those aren’t pirates. Well, I guess they are… they’re people who have stooped to the level of piracy.”

nThey didn’t look like imperial ships, so they must be the fleet of another nation.

nThey’re the people who were assaulting us.

nFor some reason, the thought made me a little sad.

n“Did he make the people who’ve surrendered to him in the past into his strike force? If they were going to send out jamming signals, I wish they had done so sooner.”

n“Orders given after communication interference occurs is bound to be delayed before the units can carry them out. They sent these people knowing this.”

nIf you can’t talk to your soldiers, you can’t give out orders, to put it simply- it’s a lot of trouble.

nStill, those who’ve been put in charge of this assault are probably disposable pieces in the pirate’s viewpoint.

nAs the pirates started to attack, we shot back to intercept.

nWe were shooting each other with beams and lasers.

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nI couldn’t help but think that the flashes of coloured light that zoomed through space were a bit beautiful.

n◇ ◇ ◇

nGoaz was clapping his hands at the bridge.

n“Now what are you going to do, kid? Are your pieces ready?”

nFive-hundred allied ships had been repelled, but Goaz didn’t really care.

nHe had overwhelming dominant forces, if he had only lost that much then it didn’t really matter.

nHis adjutant smiled as well,

n“Boss, the enemy should be confused now, it’s time to go on the attack.”

nThe Banfield house’s fleet should’ve been thrown into confusion due to their jamming attack by now- Goaz decided his orders after hearing the adjutant’s report.

nThe pirates had already closed the distance while the enemy was fighting the five-hundred abandoned pawns.

nSo Goaz shouted in a brave voice,

n“Okay boys, it’s time for an assault! It’s only natural for pirates to attack a panicking enemy!”

nAll of them were going to attack at once.

nThe crew was a little surprised, but they didn’t seem to mind.

nThey thought the enemy would be in a state of panic.

nHowever, trap-mines were waiting for the ships that charged forward.

nSeveral dozen pirate ships were caught up in the explosion and were destroyed.

n“What a clever little trick.”

nHe wondered if they knew that this was going to happen.

nBut even this wasn’t that much to worry about.

nThe adjutant wasn’t panicking either.

n“They’re doing better than I thought.”

nGoaz started laughing,

n“It wouldn’t be any fun if they couldn’t do at least this much. Either way, this much damage is-”

nImmediately after, the vanguard was caught in another enemy attack and exploded.

n“…what?”

nGoaz turned to his adjutant and asked for a report. Although his aide seemed a little shaken up, he was able to squeak out a reply,

n“It looks like their fleet is really well-trained. Even the quality of their equipment isn’t that bad.”

nGoaz slammed his hands against his armrest.

nThey couldn’t grasp the situation of the enemy because of the jamming singles, but apparently the fleet they assaulted had already regained their formation and was waiting for them.

n“I don’t want to admit it, but I guess that’s what happened.”

nThey still outnumbered them though.

nPirate and enemy clashed and started attacking each other.

nThe enemy’s vanguard was fighting hard.

nBut even then, none of their attacks came close to Goaz’s ship.

nThey had defense-focused escort ships protecting his surroundings.

nSo he had no fear of an enemy attack.

n“Press on fast! We have the number advantage, so gang up on them!”

nThey were putting up a small, but intense resistance.

nGoaz’s saw it as something only to that degree.

nActually, the distance from the Banfield fleet was shrinking.

nThey could already predict the enemy’s next moves.

n“If it’s like any normal aristocrat’s private army, then at least one of them will try to run away.”

nIf one ship runs away, then a chain reaction of desertions will occur and their fleet will collapse.

nSince it’s easier to chase fleeing enemies, the adjutant was hoping it would happen.

n“There’s always a fraction that doesn’t run away, we can mess with those ones as we wish.”

n“Understood, Boss.”

nThe naively-trained ships of lesser nobility were bound to desert a disadvantageous battle.

nBecause they lacked discipline.

nThe Banfield house’s forces only seemed like they were fighting together.

nThe pirate’s assault continued.

nAs the battle progressed, the two noticed that something was wrong as they got closer.

nGoaz stood up from his chair.

n“…what?”

nDisplayed on the monitor was the enemy fleet still fighting at maximum strength.

nWhat he saw was an enemy who’s fleet didn’t collapse– none of them had run.

nFor some reason, they still haven’t lost the will to fight.

nThe adjutant was also surprised.

n“They haven’t run yet? No, they even closed the distance!”

nGoaz shouted at his amazed aide,

n“Send out the mobile knights! Break their formation!”

nThe distance was reduced to the point in which humanoid weapons could participate in the battle.

nAs if to ridicule his order, the enemy was already dispatching knights to attack their vanguard.

n“You’re just a boney little brat, don’t get full of yourself. I’ll catch you and make you my toy.”

nGoaz felt frustrated with Liam for the first time this battle.

n◇ ◇ ◇

nAt the bridge, officers who stood near the commander were issuing instructions one after another.

nStaff members were also issued orders after confirming the current state of the battle.

nIn anycase, things were pretty hectic.

nOne soldier- the man who stood near Liam turned towards the now empty chair.

n“He really sortied.”

n—this puzzled him.

nHe was assigned to the flagship to be Liam’s aide, but Liam himself said that he was going to join the battle in his mobile knight.

nHe ordered the commander to charge, and left to join the battlefield.

nAs such, now the commander and the surrounding staff were in a panic.

n“Send some knights out immediately! Don’t let anyone harm the lord!”

n“The escort knights are still being prepped for launch!”

n“What the hell are you doing?!”

nThe bridge was in a state of disarray because of Liam.

nThe soldiers looked up at the monitor and took in the sight of Avid that was projected there.

n“That’s a knight?”

nThe special existence known as ‘knights’ are different from the usual military officer.

nIn layman’s terms, they have almost superhuman abilities.

nKnights were the result of many years of physical and mental strengthening from education capsules from an early age, which general soldiers didn’t have access to.Even basic movements would be different if the two piloted the same machine.

nIf they fought, it’d be impossible for the general soldier to make up the difference in ability and win.

nProjected in the monitor, Avid was dual-wielding a bazooka in its left hand and a sword in its right.

nAfter slicing through a pirate knight who approached with its sword, it proceeded to destroy a pirate ship with its bazooka.

nAfter throwing away it’s bazooka, Avid stretched its arm into a magic circle nearby and pulled out a new armament.

nIt was space magic, where a large-number of weapons had been pre-stored.

nWeapons were pulled out and used one-after-another as it went wild.

nLiam’s voice could be heard mixed in amongst the noise.

n“AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Just try and stop me!”

nThe soldier wiped the sweat that fell by his cheek as he watched the figure of Liam cutting down enemies and sinking pirate ships without hesitation.

n“Just… what kind of life did he live?”

nLiam, who still hasn’t had his coming of age ceremony, was still only a child in this universe’s perception.

nSuch a child was fighting pirates with glee.

nThe commander who overheard this approached the soldier.

n“Does he scare you?”

n“C-commander, please excuse me!”

nThe commander sat down in his chair saying “Don’t bother,” to the soldier who had suddenly stretched his back, stiff.

n“…if he wasn’t born a nobleman, would he have been an ordinary child?”

n“What do you mean?”

nThe commander whispered,

n“When he was only five years of age, he was abandoned by his parents and forced to rule a territory that was on the brink of collapse on the frontier. Somehow, he managed to develop the devastated land, only for him to be forced to do battle with pirates to protect it. I really want to see how this kid will grow up in the future.”

nThe commander started to grumble, “I want my children to serve this lord as well.”

nMany former imperial soldiers were forced into Liam’s territory.

nLots of them were inflexible and stubborn people.

nPeople too serious were relegated there.

nPeople too virtuous were relegated there.

nPeople who refused bribes were relegated there.

nSimply put, there were many kinds of serious people gathered there.

nThe reason why is because the guide wanted to gather people who would oppose Liam, who was aiming to be an evil lord.

nFrom the perspective of one of such individuals, the lord named Liam was-

n“After I was expelled from the army I was regretting my life, but look at things now. I didn’t think I would find a lord worth serving all the way out here.”

nThe surrounding soldiers agreed.

n“Yes, he’s truly a virtuous ruler indeed.”

nThe figure of the person who stood at the frontlines and fought.

nTo the soldiers standing behind it, it was truly an inspiring sight to see.

nIt was inefficient for the leader to spearhead the charge in battle.

nHowever, it raised morale and instilled the idea that ‘as long as we follow this person, we can win.’

nLiam had shown them this form without even realizing it.

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