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nV7 Chapter 4. The Banfield Family Falling Apart

nWithout Liam, the Banfield Family was heading towards its ruin.

nBrian held his head in distress.

n“Wuuu, Lord Liam has disappeared—I’m still in disbelief.”

nInformation had leaked out during their search for Liam, and people with unkind intentions were starting to make moves.

nThe biggest issue, however, was—

n“I’ll kill you, you old fossil!”

n“Try me, minced woman!”

n—the biggest issue was with Liam’s knights.

nWhen Brian looked out the windows, he saw the figure of Tia and Marie quarreling after having destroyed the walls of the mansion.

nThey were out in the garden with their weapons drawn, glaring at each other with bloodshot eyes.

nTheir breaths were rough, and their appearances were a mess.

nThings hadn’t been this bad before.

nAlthough they often passed each other in the mansion without greeting or looking at each other’s faces, they had never pulled out their weapons.

nBut with Liam gone, there was no one to hold them back.

n“It’s those two again.”

nBrian was feeling extremely troubled, but this wasn’t the end to his worries either.

nHe heard something exploding at a different location.

nDue to the Banfield Family’s recent development, he would’ve welcomed the sound with open arms even if it had been from an enemy attack.

nA report soon arrived.

n“What’s going on?” Brian asked.

n‘—I-it’s an emergency! Satsuki Rinho-sama and Shishigami Fuuka-sama—they’re having a bout with Chengshi-sama and—’

nBrian cut off the communication and touched his aching forehead with a sigh.

n“Lord Liam, please hurry back home!”

n◇

nIn one of the corridors of the Banfield Family’s mansion, Rinho, with her long, dark blue hair, was sitting on a chair wearing a maid outfit, skipping her cleaning duties.

nShe had her terminal out and was checking the comments on her videos.

n“As I thought, the views are dropping. As the world’s most bloodthirsty idol, I should be out killing people. It’s not the time to be sticking around and cleaning the mansion wearing a maid outfit.”

nFuuka, who had orange hair, watched Rinho as she went about her work in her maid uniform, diligently sweeping the mansion with a broomstick in hand.

n“Ya should quickly get to sweeping as well unless ya want to be scolded by that old hag Serena,” she advised Rinho.

n“Huh? You scared of her or what? What a coward you’ve become.” Rinho sneered.

n“—I dare ya to say that again.”

nFuuka angrily wielded her broomstick.

nIn response, Rinho also picked up the broomstick that was lying around beside her.

nAlthough it was shaped like a broomstick, it was a delicate machinery with high performance when it came to cleaning.

n“As you wish, coward.”

nRinho accepted her challenge and they put some distance between them, preparing for a brawl, when a slash flew past them.

nWhen they turned around to look, they saw a woman approaching them from the end of the corridor.

n—It was Chengshi.

n“Oh, so you guys can avoid that.”

nShe was wearing knight outfit that had been modified from her Chinese dress.

nHowever, there was something peculiar about her hands.

nRinho giggled.

n“You remodeled your body?”

nChengshi’s fingers were extended out like blades, and her outstretched arms had metallic colors.

nFuuka sniffed.

n“Smells just like a machine. Ya made yer entire body into a machine?”

nChengshi remained silent but opened her mouth, revealing a muzzle from within.

nThe two girls jumped out of the way just in time to see the floor being scorched by a laser beam.

nAnnoyed, Rinho swung her broomstick down at Chengshi to retaliate.

nWith her body no longer being confined by the limits of a human, Chenghsi caught the incoming broomstick with one hand.

nHowever, Rinho did not back away.

n“Your head should still be as it was. I’ll just have to crush that—This is legitimate self-defense, so Senior Brother should have no complaints even if you were to die.”

nHearing Rinho’s words, Fuuka also slashed at Chengshi.

n“Yer right! I’ll have ya relieve my pent-up stress!”

nBoth girls were excited about their confrontation with the non-human figure, and this feeling was reciprocated by Chengshi.

n“You two should do for this test run,” she said, satisfied.

nChengshi had provoked these two so that she could use them as a reference when fighting Liam.

nThey were attacking with the techniques they learned from the School of One-Flash, but Chengshi had devised a countermeasure.

nShe dodged their attacks immediately.

nRinho appeared irritated by this.

n“It’s hard to be serious without a real sword. Also—you read our moves,” she said.

nFuuka tossed her broomstick away.

n“Ya messed with yer brains? Weaklings sure have it hard.”

nThe Sixth Sense was a type of superpower, and Chengshi had sacrificed even her remaining brain to obtain it.

nThe lenses in Chengshi’s eyes shrunk and expanded repeatedly as she stared at the duo.

n“If I can kill Liam with just this amount of sacrifice, I’m willing to pay for it.”

nThe corners of Rinho’s mouth went up as she giggled.

n“You’re but a nonentity, yet you dream of defeating Senior Brother?”

nFuuka put her hair up.

n“Ya want to beat the School of One-Flash with just this? I’ll f*cking kill ya.”

nAfter making some clanking noises, Chengshi transformed into a figure that was no longer human, and she rushed forward with great momentum.

n◇

nStill remember Baron Norden?

nAs a subordinate under Liam, he was one of the imperial aristocrats that relied on Liam’s backing.

nHe was also someone that had a distant relationship with Count Norden, the aristocrat from the United Kingdoms.

nBaronet Clover was his subordinate, and Liam had previously killed his son out of anger.

nTo make matters worse, his connection to Count Norden was revealed, and his family was put in a precarious situation.

nThe head of that very same Norden Family was proudly walking into Liam’s mansion.

n“It’s quite noisy here,” he commented.

nHe was a fat man with a small build, and he strutted in while having a cigar-like luxury item in his mouth, almost as if he was the boss of a mafia.

nNext to him were several officials who were supposed to be working in government offices.

nThey were officials under the Banfield Family.

nSeveral knights were accompanying them as well.

nThese knights were vassals of the previous head of the Banfield Family and the head before that.

nThey were there to protect the child born between Liam’s father and his mistress.

nThe boy looked to be around 15 years old, but his actual age was in fact 70, still a child from this world’s standpoint.

nHe had just graduated from elementary school and was spending his time freely without attending the military academy or university.

nHis name was Issac Sera Banfield, and he was a boy with beautiful blonde hair and cold blue eyes.

n“What’s with this boring mansion? It’s so shabby that it’s not suitable to be mine.”

nThe people around him listened carefully to Isaac’s evaluation of Liam’s mansion. Even Baron Norden was displaying a subservient attitude.

n“It is as you say. A dilapidated mansion such as this cannot possibly fit Lord Isaac’s taste.”

nHe spoke as if Isaac was already the owner of the mansion.

nThe ones around them were also displaying similar attitudes.

nBaron Norden’s ambition was burning uncontrollably.

n(Liam! This is payback for the wrongs you’ve done to me. While you’re gone, I’ll have this kid replace you as the head of the Banfield Family and take control of this place.)

nBaron Norden was nothing more than one of Liam’s subordinates, but he was planning to take control of the Banfield Family through Isaac.

nA portion of the government officials had the same idea.

n“If Lord Isaac becomes the head of the family, the Banfields will prosper even more!” They said.

n“Liam doesn’t understand anything about governance. To begin with, it’s disgraceful for an imperial aristocrat to be using dolls in this day and age.”

nThe real reason they betrayed Liam was because they couldn’t embezzle any money with artificial intelligence being in control of everything.

nNo matter how prosperous the territory became, if they abused their powers, it would be akin to touching Liam’s reverse scale.

nFor those with great ambition, Liam was an obstacle to be overcome.

nIn a sense, they were precisely the evil officials that Liam desired.

nThe next to speak were the knights that had once abandoned the Banfield Family.

n“Indeed, Lord Isaac is the most suitable as the head of the Banfield Family. Liam is strong, but he has no pride as an aristocrat.” They complained.

nThey were supportive of Isaac because of his father and grandfather who were both living in the Capital.

nIsaac had been dispatched to snatch the wealth of the prospering Banfield Family, and the knights were there to protect him.

nThese knights deemed it unforgivable that a house that they abandoned was making a comeback because if they had stayed, they would’ve gained a great amount of prestige as a loyal subordinate of the previous generation’s head.

nFrom their perspective, the newcomers had gained the fame and prestige that was meant to be theirs.

nThis was how these like-minded people gathered to take over the Banfield Family.

nTwo knights secretly observed them from the dark.

nThey were Tia and Marie that were in tatters due to their fight.

n“They’ve got guts trying to take advantage of Lord Liam’s absence, I’ll give them that.”

n“Let’s show them whose mansion they’re trying to mess with.”

nThey were about to take action, not knowing that there was a shadow creeping up behind them.

n—It was the Guide.

n◇

nThe Guide was quietly watching Tia and Marie.

nHe was at the Banfield Family’s territory to sow seeds of discord while Liam was gone.

nEarlier, he had stimulated the desires of a knight named Chengshi, prompting her to prepare for Liam’s assassination.

nThe Guide knew that this wouldn’t be enough to kill Liam, but all that mattered to him was that he caused enough confusion.

nHe didn’t have high hopes for Tia and Marie either.

n“I’ll stimulate their desires as well. Aaah~ what a busy day.”

nBlack smoke came out of his fingertips and entered the bodies of Tia and Marie who were preparing to chase away Isaac and his entourage.

nThe two women jolted to a stop, and the Guide, having lost his interest, left.

n“Meh, let’s move on. I don’t expect much from them anyway.”

n◇

nAfter the Guide left the scene, Tia had a sudden realization.

n(Isn’t this quite convenient?)

nThe Banfield Family was about to fall into chaos with Isaac raiding the mansion.

nTia, who never once doubted that Liam would return, saw Isaac as nothing but a small hindrance and thought of making use of him.

nShe took a glance at Marie’s face, who also seemed to be thinking hard about something.

n(So she realized as well. Yes, this is our chance!)

nTia came up with a random excuse to leave.

n“Isaac’s group isn’t the only one that’s on the move. I’ll go take a look at the situation.”

nMarie would’ve normally picked a fight with her by now, but her reaction was quite different this time.

n“Is that so? Then I’ll take care of Isaac.”

n“Much appreciated.” Tia said, and the two went their separate ways.

nAfter confirming that Marie was gone, Tia rushed to contact her allies.

n“Gather everyone that’s under me and prepare a fleet.”

n‘Tia-sama!? What is this about?’

n“Just quickly do as I say! This chance—I must grasp it.”

nShe had originally planned on carrying out this operation in silence without Liam noticing, but using this opportunity, Tia decided to carry it out in a grandiose manner.

n◇

n“—Darling…”

nInside her room, Rosetta was lying on the bed, sick and depressed.

nShe had lost her appetite, and her mind was constantly on Liam.

nCiel had been by her side, watching her.

n(It’s great that that bastard has disappeared, but it’s been pretty rowdy inside the mansion these days.)

nAs someone that hated Liam, Ciel should’ve been delighted that Liam had been whisked away by a summoning spell; however, she did not want to see Rosetta suffer like this.

nWhat’s more—

n‘Five minutes ago: Ciel, why can’t I get in touch with Liam?’

n‘Four minutes ago: Ciel, if Liam’s busy, tell him to contact later.’

n‘Three minutes ago: Ciel, are you there?’

n—When she checked her terminal, she realized that her brother Kurt had been sending a new message every minute.

nCiel gently put her terminal back into her pocket and decided to tell him later that she was busy with work and missed his messages.

nOnly God knew what Kurt would do if he was told that Liam was gone.

n(Liam has a lot of enemies. A Banfield Family without its head is perfect prey for those aristocrats. I can already see them flocking over.)

nThe head of the Banfield Family was missing, and a successor had not been named.

nThis made them a prime target for some of the aristocrats.

nAs long as they stepped forward, they would gain the wealth, fame, and military prowess of the Banfield’s.

nAs things stood, even the aristocrats from the same faction were not to be trusted.

nRosetta stared longingly at an image of Liam with teary eyes.

nJust as Ciel was about to say some comforting words, a female knight kicked down the door to the room and barged in.

nCiel strongly criticized the knight’s conduct.

n“W-what do you think you’re doing!?”

nMarie, the intruder, ignored Ciel’s vehement protest and approached Rosetta, her eyes glowing with excitement.

n“Lady Rosetta! It’s an emergency! There are some unscrupulous men trying to take over the Banfield Family!”

n“H-how could that be!? Darling’s not dead yet, he was just summoned away!”

nThat, however, was enough reason for his enemies to move.

nThey were taking advantage of Liam’s absence to steal the Banfield Family’s power.

n“That matters not to them, and that’s why we must ensure Lady Rosetta’s safety. Some of those fools will try to target Lady Rosetta, who has officially been declared Lord Liam’s fiancé.”

nMany people hated Liam to the extreme and would do anything to harm him, so Marie had rushed over to make sure that Rosetta stayed out of harm’s way.

nCiel asked Marie what to do.

n“Marie-sama, can we not push them back?”

n“That would be impossible.”

nShe replied so swiftly that Ciel harbored some doubts.

nOn any other day, Marie would’ve yelled “Kill ‘em all!” and charged in.

nIt was almost as if she had scripted her answer ahead of time.

nAccording to her, she was simply prioritizing Rosetta’s wellbeing.

n“Now, let us flee from here while we still can. Unfortunately, we don’t have the power to face them. We must escape for now and bide our time.”

n“B-but I don’t have what it takes to unite the Banfield Family. Both the military and the knights only obey Darling’s orders.”

n“Please rest assured. I have already gathered men that support our cause and stationed some troops along with the knights on a different planet. That’s where Lord Liam’s direct descendants will be born!”

n“Descendant? U-um, Marie, I’ve yet to—”

n“I was afraid something similar would happen and prepared ahead! Fret not, for this Marie has procured a sample of Lord Liam’s genes!”

nShe took out a test tube from a box.

nCiel immediately understood her intentions, but Rosetta cocked her head, still unsure of what was going on.

n(T-this woman has gone and done it! No, she hasn’t done it yet, but—!?)

nMarie’s fervent eyes were glowing with even greater passion.

nRosetta was oblivious to Marie’s plan, but Ciel was aware of it.

n(She intends to impregnate Lady Rosetta with Liam’s gene!)

nAnd going by the flow, she was probably thinking of taking advantage of the chaos to give birth to Liam’s child as well.

nMarie gently hugged and picked Rosetta up from the bed.

nThere was a strange, purplish glint in her eyes.

n“Now, Lady Rosetta—let us continue the Banfield Family’s lineage, together!”

nRosetta, who was feeling fatigued, assumed that the knights and the troops had been stationed elsewhere to support Liam when he returned.

n“—You’re right. Gather as many knights and soldiers as possible that still follow Darling. In case of an emergency, we must be ready to help Darling when he returns.”

nRosetta was doing this for Liam. On the other hand, Marie was doing this for her own benefit.

nCiel was absolutely dumbstruck by Marie’s bold move.

n(Eh, wait a sec. There should be one other person causing a ruckus by now.)

n◇

nThat other person was already causing a ruckus.

n“I’ll be the one to bear Lord Liam’s child!”

nTia rubbed her face against the test tube that contained a certain fluid.

nHow she managed to get a hold of it was a mystery, but she had secured Liam’s gene.

nThe knights that gathered under Tia were the ones whose loyalty had zoomed past the finish line.

nThey were currently aboard a flagship class battleship that was 3000 meters in length.

nThe knights that were lined up were part of the faction that was led by Tia.

nOne of the female knights made a report about Marie.

n“Tia-sama, Marie Sera Marian has secured Lady Rosetta and fled to the Third Planet with a portion of the fleet and the knights. They’re also gathering the local forces that are responsible for protecting the Banfield’s territory.”

nA simplified 3D map of the Banfield Family’s territory was displayed in front of Tia.

nTia clicked her tongue.

nShe placed the test tube carefully inside a case and put it in her pocket.

n“That fossil woman ain’t half bad it seems. Lord Liam’s been developing that planet for more than a decade. It’s more than adequate as a temporary base.”

nTia’s fleet was searching for planets that could serve as their base.

nThe territory that Liam had acquired and spent time developing was being torn apart and scrambled over for by his vassals.

nIt was an all-out family feud.

nThe female knight beside her smiled.

n“Was this fine though? We could have easily eliminated those garbage that dared to step their foot into Lord Liam’s mansion.”

n—Tia was playing the same game as Marie.

nShe was taking advantage of this turmoil to give birth to Liam’s child.

n“As if we could wage a war on Lord Liam’s home planet. Also, it would be extremely disrespectful of us to dye his mansion with their filthy blood. Don’t you think so too?”

nShe was lying through her teeth.

nBaron Norden and Isaac meant nothing to them, but Tia couldn’t overcome the urge to use this situation as an excuse to bear Liam’s child.

nTia spread out her arms.

n“We must do what we can to boost our forces so that we can assist Lord Liam when he returns! Let us present him with an army that can annihilate those blasphemous pests.”

n(To bear Lord Liam’s child! There’s no higher form of happiness!)

nWhen Liam came back, she would tell him that “There was no other way around it! The Banfield Family was facing an unprecedented crisis!”

nAn unprecedented crisis—indeed, it was an unprecedented crisis orchestrated by the runaway Tia and Marie.

nThis could’ve been easily dealt with, but they had done nothing on purpose to spice things up.

n“Full steam ahead! We must secure all of Lord Liam’s territory!”

nThousands of ships started to move under Tia’s command.

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