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nThe Algrand Empire’s capital planet is gray in color as the entire planet is covered in metal. There are numerous buildings on the planet, but they’re also painted gray.

nEverything on the planet is being managed through artificial means.

nAs impressive as it may sound, I feel slightly uncomfortable because of the lack of greenery.

nA clear blue sky is being projected in the air.

nNatural disasters don’t occur in the Capital, and even the timing of rain is controlled.

nIt’s comfortable living on a planet where everything’s being managed, so a lot of people wish to live in the Capital.

nAs a result, the population density is extremely high.

nIn my previous life, people showed a tendency to flock towards cities and away from the countryside. It’s the same here, but to a more extreme level.

nMany of the apartments only provide people with just enough space to sleep, and most hotels in the Capital are capsule hotels.

nOf course, this doesn’t apply to me, Liam Sera Banfield.

nNot only am I an aristocrat, I’ve built myself a huge fortune.

nBe it fame, money, or power, I have it all. While I’m at the Capital, I live in a well-established luxury hotel.

nRather than renting out the best room like a typical person would, I’ve rented the entire hotel for myself to use.

nThere’s not much point in doing so, but I’m enjoying the luxurious life at the Capital.

nIt’s early in the morning right now, and I’m changing into a suit.

nAs it’s my work uniform, there’s very little decoration.

nEverything I wear is custom made and ridiculous expensive.

nStanding in front of a mirror, I have Amagi check my appearance.

n“Master, your check is complete.”

nAmagi checks my appearance every morning.

nMy clothes are disposable, but Amagi’s different. 1

n“I like the one from before.”

n“Then I’ll prepare a new suit for tomorrow.”

nI don’t like it, so replace everything!

nI can give that kind of order on a whim.

nWhy? Because I’m great.

nIf there’s a shirt that I don’t like, I won’t so much as touch its sleeve.

nIt may sound wasteful, but the aristocrats in this world are allowed to make such decisions.

n“Time to go.”

nIt’s time for me to leave for work.

nI’m currently working as a civil officer at the palace.

nAfter graduating from the Imperial University and undergoing a two-year training period, I went ahead and took a break at my territory.

nThere was that incident where I was summoned to some uncivilized planet, but it wasn’t that bad.

nChino, of the dog tribe, is looking out the window restlessly in her maid uniform.

n“Woah~ we’re so high up. Are we above the clouds?”

nShe’s looking at the scenery outside while making sure to not get too close to the windows.

nShe hugs Ciel who’s standing next to Rosetta and asks, “Is the building gonna collapse?”

nWhat a cute fellow.

n“Chino, be careful not to fall off.”

nWhen I tease her lightly, Chino backs away with her ears and tail standing straight-up.

n“Y-y-y-y-you can fall from here!?”

nHer legs shiver uncontrollably in fear that she will suddenly fall.

nRealizing that I’ve taken the joke a bit too far, I turn towards Amagi.

n“You’ll be safe next to Amagi. Amagi, can you take care of Chino for me?”

n“Understood.”

nChino jumps towards Amagi in tears as the latter bows to me.

n“I-I want my room to be downstairs! In fact, the closer to the ground the better! I-it’s not because I’m scared of heights or anything. Alright?”

nTerrified, she expresses her desire to head downstairs

nLike I said, she’s really cute.

n“I’ll let you have one of the guest rooms downstairs. Ciel, prepare a room for Chino.”

nBeing addressed by me must feel terrible for her, but Ciel replies without revealing any signs of hatred.

n“Acknowledged.”

nYes, this! This is what I’ve always wanted!

nI can already feel the reluctance in her heart.

nShe wants to get rid of me, but she’s helpless to do anything with her meager abilities.

nShe’s apparently doing various things behind my back, but she hasn’t realized that the information is being leaked.

nI would’ve dealt with her already if she was truly competent.

nConsidering her abilities, it should be fine to leave her alone.

nShe’s only somewhat capable, which means she can only show a moderate level of struggle.

nShe’s a rare find.

nAs I’m celebrating in delight, Rosetta enters the room having finished getting ready.

nShe smiles at me as she appears wearing a suit jacket and a skirt that goes below her knees.

n“Darling seems ready as well. Let’s leave together then.”

nMy mood drops in an instant.

n“Right…”

n“Darling will be working at the same place as me. Just thinking about it gets me excited.”

n“The same place? I mean it isclose, but you can’t really call it the same place, right?”

n“The buildings are close enough, so that’s that.”

nThat’s… a bit forced.

nRosetta used to be a rebellious woman who hated me more than Ciel.

nUnfortunately, she’s like a domesticated cat now. No, is “dog” a better way to put it?

nAnyway, she’s practically a beast without fangs.

nHer rebellious spirit is nowhere to be found now.

n“Whatever. Amagi, call the car.”

n“It’s already waiting outside”

nNaturally, I ride a car to get to my workplace.

n“I guess I’ll put in just enough effort to get through my workload.”

nI don’t care about receiving high evaluations.

nAfter all, I’m a distinguished aristocrat.

nJust by sitting there silently, I’ll rise up the ladder.

nThere’s no need to put in any effort.

nI leave the room with Rosetta, only to stumble upon the scene of Tia and Marie in maid uniforms glaring at one another.

n“I’ll clean the floor that Lord Liam has stepped foot on. Get out of my sight.”

n“As if. I’llbe the one to clean every corner of the floor that Lord Liam has visited. ME. Capiche?”

nIt’s still early in the morning, yet these idiots are already so energetic.

nThey’re kind of getting on my nerves.

nWhy are so many of my subordinates so useless?

nI guess this is what happens when you prioritize appearance above everything else.

nI really should choose my knights based on their skills and loyalty.

nIt’s not like these two are lacking in those departments, but they’ve got no common sense. Which makes them useless.

n“Don’t cause a scene so early in the morning. Since you guys enjoy cleaning so much, make sure to be finished with everything by the time I’m back.”

nThe girls kneel before me in a hurry after hearing my words.

nIt feels somewhat surreal watching them kneel in their maid uniforms.

n“Good morning, Lord Liam!”

nI ignore Tia’s greeting.

n“Who told you to kneel? I’ve taught you two how to greet me properly, have I not? Now, do it again.”

nAs knights, they have no choice but to obey my order for a redo.

nThey stand back up and greet me the way I taught them to with a blush on their faces.

nTia curls up her hands and uses them as cat ears while sticking out her hip.

n“Master, good morning-nyan!”

nMeanwhile, Marie’s using her hands to mimic the ears of a rabbit.

n“Lord Liam, good morning-pyon!”

nIt feels great to watch two grown-ups, that have climbed to the top as knights, greeting me in maid uniforms while they shake in shame.

nRosetta looks away from them.

nIt seems like she’s trying to be considerate.

nI guess she couldn’t bear seeing them in such pitiful states.

nI’m still far from satisfied.

n“That will do for today, but make sure it’s more refined tomorrow.”

nTia and Marie’s shoulders droop when they hear my command.

n“As you command, Lord Liam.”

n“If that is your wish, Lord Liam.”

nI walk past the two regrettable idiots and head for the elevator.

nThe elevator installed here is wide and has a sofa in it for me to sit on.

nAmagi and the others also enter just as I’m sitting down.

nIt’s a pity, but only my fiancée Rosetta can sit next to me.

nI would’ve liked to have Amagi sit down as well, but she refused flatly and said; “That wouldn’t be appropriate”.

nRosetta plops down beside me and starts a conversation as the elevator begins to descend.

n“Darling, can I ask you a question?”

n“What is it?”

n“I heard that the Kingdom of Dominion has attacked. Is Darling not going to fight in that war? Wallace seemed to have expected Darling to participate.”

nThe Kingdom of Dominion.

nOfficially, it’s called the Gudwar Kingdom of Dominion, and it’s a country where might makes right.

nThe kingdom is in a constant state of war, and it’s impressive how they don’t get bored of fighting.

nWhile the Empire wages a lot of war. It still falls short of the Kingdom of Dominion, it’s a country made for Asura. 2

nIt’s like hearing about the Shimazu Clan from the Warring States Period. 3

nTo put another way, it’s as if the warriors from the Kamakura period 4 have set up base in this Intergalactic Era.

nSorry, but I’m not interested in fighting against those kinds of people.

nI refuse to fight against anyone strong. What I enjoy is trampling over the weak.

nI’d rather not get involved in fighting against battle maniacs that thirst for battle all year long.

n“I don’t feel like fighting right now, and I want to give my army some time to rest.”

n“You’re so kind, Darling.”

nThat of course was a lie.

nI make them work like slaves when it’s necessary.

nThe only reason they’re having a break is because I don’t want to make any moves right now.

nI’m not kind.

nIn fact, I’m extremely selfish and prioritize myself over everyone else.

nMy political enemy, Calvin, is the one who would be facing against the Kingdom of Dominion.

nThe Crown Prince himself would be spearheading the army and subjugating the enemies.

nIt’s because his position has become unstable after being pushed against the wall by the Cleo Faction.

n“The Kingdom of Dominion will be up against Calvin. Let’s see how he does in the war.”

n“Will His Highness Calvin be able to win? I get that he’s Darling’s political enemy, but I don’t want the Empire to lose.”

nRosetta’s a good-natured girl.

nTaking into account the situation of the Empire as a whole, she thinks it’s better for Calvin to win the war.

nI beg to differ.

nI don’t care who wins or loses, so long as I don’t get hurt in the process.

nHeck, if I can benefit from the Empire’s defeat, I’d happily welcome it with open arms.

nThings aren’t that simple this time around.

nI don’t want the Kingdom of Dominion to gain too much momentum, nor do I want to see Calvin achieve a flawless victory.

nIn other words, I want both sides to exhaust themselves through the course of the war.

n“Calvin’s a competent man. He’s probably going to listen to the advice of his military personnel. The Empire has the upper hand in terms of number, they should be fine.”

nRosetta looks visibly relieved after hearing my confident words.

nI’m feeling really annoyed though.

nAs I said, Calvin’s a competent man.

nHe was able to shame me in front of everyone at the hearing.

nHe made a fool out of me and mocked me for the child-making demo that was going on in my territory.

nThat’s why I won’t make light of him.

nThe elevator arrives the first floor, and I stand up from my seat.

n“I’ll quickly wrap up this civilian officer nonsense and finish my aristocratic training so that I can spend the rest of my life playing around.”

nThe training that has lasted over 50 years is finally coming to an end.

nIt was a long time coming, too long in fact.

nBack in my previous world, I would’ve been well beyond the halfway point of my life.

n“The training will be over in 4 years. W-when that time comes, we’ll finally…”

nRosetta’s face burns bright red as she covers her cheeks with her hands.

nI wonder when she became such a disappointing woman.

n◇

nThe Guide was at the Gudwar Kingdom of Dominion, the intergalactic nation which Liam had deemed befitting of the term “Asura”.

nHe was at the capital of a country where the strong subjugated the weak.

nCompared to the Empire’s capital where everything was being managed, this place was far more chaotic.

nFights on the street were normal, and even the so-called police officers were eager to watch them unfold.

nThe Guide was amazed by what he saw.

n“What a barbaric bunch.”

nStrength was everything here.

nAnyone could rise up in status as long as they were strong.

nIn a sense, it was a ‘fair’ country.

nThe Guide was heading to an arena that looked similar to a colosseum.

nThe blood of millions had been spilt in this fighting arena.

nThis was where powerful men of the Kingdom of Dominion gathered to decide who was the strongest.

nFor them, it was a sacred place… yet an eerie existence resided there.

nThis eerie existence had a mouth which was thin and sharp. It was pressing it against the ground, sucking up whatever blood was soaked into the soil.

n“The blood of strong men is always so tasty!”

nDespite his facial features, he was an existence similar to the Guide.

nUnlike the Guide, he preferred bloodshed over human misery.

nAs such, he controlled the Kingdom of Dominion from the shadows and ensured that battles would always occur somewhere.

n“I finally found you, Gudwar.”

n“What a rare occasion for you to contact me first. As someone that can travel between worlds, what do you want with this great me?”

nThis prideful existence had the same name as the kingdom that it resided in.

n“I heard you’ll be attacking the Empire.”

n“Staying within the country is getting boring. What? You want me to stay out of your territory?”

nGudwar stood up and readied himself for a fight, to which the Guide held up his hands in surrender.

nLiam had weakened him so much that there was no chance of victory.

n“Now, now. Hold your horses. I’m just here to inform you about someone strong in the Empire.”

n“Someone… strong? Stronger than my pawns?”

nThe Guide had successfully piqued his interest.

n“Of course. There’s someone really strong in the Empire, the type of person that Gudwar likes the most. Want to try beating him?”

n“Who is it? Tell me his name!”

n“Liam Sera Banfield.”

nHearing Liam’s name, Gudwar’s tentacle-like legs shivered in excitement.

n“I’ve heard of him before! Liam of the School of One-Flash! The man who defeated three Sword Saints! I see, so he’s as strong as the rumors say. I look forward to meeting him!”

nThe Guide politely bowed before Gudwar who was raring to go.

n“Your help would be greatly appreciated. Together, let us bury Liam.”

nThus, the Guide gained Gudwar as his ally.

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