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nAllied ships are gathering at the spaceport above planet Augur one after another, and I’m inside the bridge of the mothership overseeing the situation with a look of frustration…

n“’Your plans are brilliant. Knowing this, we would like to confront you head-on, and we intend to break through-Crown Prince Izel of the Gudwar Kingdom of Dominion.’ —Klaus, you seem to be held in high regards.”

nThat’s the reason behind my frustration, Klaus is standing out more than I am.

nHe’s made a name for himself by playing an active role in the war against the United Kingdoms, and it seems like he’s especially popular in the Kingdom of Dominion.

n—How come Klaus gets to be a celebrity?! What about me?!

nAlso, he’s being treated as someone who’s more important than Calvin!

nBasically, I’m irritated by our enemies’ reaction.

nKlaus stares far into the distance.

n“That’s because Lord Liam wasn’t there during our battle with the United Kingdoms. We can spread Lord Liam’s name through this war.”

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nI didn’t participate last time because I didn’t think it was worth it against an enemy like the United Kingdoms, but now I’ve come to regret my decision a little.

nHe’s right though.

nI’m really glad I put him by my side.

nHe’s always there to give me decent advice. If it was Tia or Marie, they’d be shouting “I’ll go kill them!” without offering any real solution to the situation.

nIt was the right choice to make Klaus my Head Knight.

n“You’re right. Make sure that Avid’s ready to head out. Oh, and how are things going with the fleet?”

n“All thirty thousand ships from the Banfield Family are ready to sortie, but the Major General who’s leading the fleet of the Imperial Army has refused to heed the call, saying that they must remain behind to defend Augur.”

nSo now that the Kingdom of Dominion’s massive fleet is approaching, he’s busy securing an escape route instead of preparing for battle.

nWell, with only 3,000 ships, it makes sense that he’s feeling insecure.

nIf I were in his shoes, I would’ve run as well.

nKlaus waits for my orders.

n“—Keep a record of their rejection.”

n“You won’t have them participate in the battle?”

n“I don’t need them. Besides, they’ll only get in our way. Connect me with the fleet under my command.”

nMany small windows appear around me, and the officer-class soldiers serving under the Banfield Family are projected onto the screens.

nI’ll be giving a speech to my subordinates, but normally, speeches given by people at the top tend to be long and unbearable.

nThey try to be funny by cracking jokes, but when they fail, they are faced with insincere laughs that are done out of courtesy.

nThen again, people that enjoy giving speeches are happy with that because they get a sense of power from it.

nAs for me, I don’t really care about what I say or how I convey my message. I’ll make sure that my subordinates put in effort proportional to their salaries, meaning they’d have to go along with my speech with a smile plastered on their faces.

n“Your arms must be getting rusty doing nothing else besides pirate hunting. Well, I have good news for you all. The folks over at the Kingdom of Dominion have decided to head towards us. Their target isn’t me, but Klaus over here.”

nKlaus maintains a blank expression.

nIgnoring what my subordinates have to say, I continue my speech.

nThere’s no need for me to confirm whether or not they’re listening.

nIf they aren’t, it’s their fault. It’s not as if I have anything important to say.

nSaying “Let’s do our best!” only works for a handful of people at the top. Most of the time, they don’t even realize that they’re failing.

nThings might be a bit different if I were to give a great speech, but I don’t plan on giving one.

nAs long as I can have my sense of satisfaction, nothing else matters.

n“Waiting doesn’t suit our taste. Hence, we will be going on an all-out assault.”

nSeeing the soldiers salute, I get the impression that they want me to wrap things up quickly.

nBut don’t rush me!

nIt feels kind of unpleasant, so I decide to ignore them and continue my speech.

nI’ll drone on about some meaningless things!

n“Our enemy this time is the Kingdom of Dominion, and they’ve invaded the Empire without proper cause! We must punish them for what they’ve done! —Now, have a look of Augur.”

nJust in time, a minitature 3D holographic projection of Augur appears in front of me.

nI place my hand beneath the image of Augur to make it seem like the planet’s fate is in my hands.

n“This is a planet that I’m taking care of. In other words, it’s my territory at the moment! While I’m just a deputy here, an aristocrat must protect his territory!”

nOf course, that’s a big fat lie.

nThe aristocrats tend to be the first to flee when the winds are not blowing in their favor.

n“You are my subordinates, my swords and shields!”

nI’m comparing them swords and shields with the intention of using them like tools.

n“Obey my words and don’t go against them, for I will bring you victory! Know that this planet will be overrun by the enemies the moment you decide to flee. We must not allow that to happen!”

nThese guys must think I’m a great lord, who doesn’t abandon his territory even as a deputy, but my true intention lies somewhere else.

nI’ve invested so much time and resources into Augur, and I will not allow it to be robbed from me.

nI honestly don’t care about the residents of Augur, but it’s a sin to overrun a territory that I rule!

nAnd it’s not like I can lose.

nI’ve been blessed by the Guide, so it’s physically impossible for me to lose.

nIn addition, the School of One Flash must never face defeat.

nI must let everyone know that it’s the strongest.

n“Spread my name to the Kingdom of Dominion. Let them know who’s the strongest!”

nThe soldiers listening do not budge.

n—Well, I sort of expected this.

nThey’re probably wondering when this speech will end.

nSome might even be saying, “Can’t you just send a message?” inside their head.

nAt least that would have been my reaction if I were the one listening.

nWe don’t have much time, so I guess I’ll leave it at that for today.

n“—All forces, forward! Crush the Kingdom of Dominion’s fleet!”

nUnder my order, the fleet begins to move.

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nThe Kingdom of Dominion was advancing towards Augur, but the Empire’s fleet that stood in its path was stuck in its position as orders weren’t coming down from headquarters or Calvin.

nThe commander was at his wit’s end.

n“What is headquarters doing!? The enemy is right before our eyes!”

nTo be fair, the enemy fleet wasn’t visible yet, but according to the information that they gathered they were rapidly approaching. They would soon be in range where the two sides could become embroiled in combat.

nFrom what they knew, the enemy fleet numbered around 600,000.

nThe Kingdom of Dominion couldn’t bring their entire army with them as the rest of their fleet was in confrontation with the Imperial Army in some other places.

nNevertheless, the Kingdom of Dominion had brought 600,000 ships to strike somewhere with less than 100,000 ships standing guard.

nCalvin, the Commanding General, wasn’t there, and neither were any of the important bases.

nAugur was still in development, so the Imperial Army didn’t expect their enemy to take it too seriously.

n“So they want Klaus-dono’s head over His Highness Calvin’s.”

nKlaus, Liam’s right-hand man, had earned a decisive victory against the United Kingdoms. He was well known even within the Imperial Army.

nHis tactics were worth learning from, and his fame in the army was growing day by day.

nWith a fleet numbering less than 100,000, the commander wondered what to do.

n“How’s the request for reinforcement?”

nThe operator that answered the commander looked like he was about to cry.

n“I’ve been calling them since earlier, but the noise is so great that I can’t contact them.”

nWhy couldn’t they connect? Were they being intercepted by the enemy?

nIf that was the case, the Kingdom of Dominion’s response was too quick.

nAnother possibility was that their allies were surrounded. In that case, fleeing could result in their annihilation.

n“Continue to request for reinforcements! The headquarters should be aware of what’s happening too!”

nWith such a big movement from the enemy fleet, there was no way that they wouldn’t notice.

nNormally, headquarters would have already sent reinforcements or ordered for a withdrawal.

nThe commander couldn’t figure out how this was happening.

nHowever, he knew how the aristocrats were and came up with a certain theory.

n(Once our line of defense is breached, they’ll be able to reach planet Augur. Are the aristocrats planning on using us like sacrificial pawns?)

nThe military was aware of the conflict between Calvin and Liam.

nIt was then that he realized they had been drawn into the political war.

nAn alarmed shout came from one of the operators.

n“The enemy fleet has warped out! T-there’s more of them than we expected!”

nThe commander swung his fist down onto his armrest.

n“All men—”

nHe was about to order his men to earn as much time as possible when a different operator shouted with a voice that contained some excitement.

n“Allied troops have warped in! Their number—30,000! T-that family crest!”

nAllied troops warped in one after another from behind and continued to move forward without stopping.

nThey passed through the Imperial Army and went into formation as they passed.

nThe way they moved was enough to convince the Commander that they were a highly organized fleet.

nA highly organized fleet that wasn’t a part of the Imperial Army.

nVery few aristocrats had private fleets of such quality, and it was rare even among the Calvinists.

nHowever, the Commander recalled which force resided behind them.

n“It’s the Banfield Family!”

nMixed with some noise, Liam’s figure was projected onto a screen, but the background was slightly peculiar.

n“He’s inside the cockpit of a mobile knight?!”

nHearing the surprise in the Commander’s voice, Liam smirked and laughed.

n‘So, you guys are still alive. Good—then follow my lead. Klaus will issue all the orders.’

nThe communication was cut off afterwards.

nEven as an aristocrat, one would have to go through several procedures before having the right to order around the Imperial Army.

nThe crew inside the bridge all turned towards the Commander.

nWhile looking like he had swallowed a bitter pill, the Commander ordered the operators to contact the Banfield Family’s flagship.

nHe had come to the conclusion that they would face annihilation under his leadership.

n“Not like we can put up much of a fight with a fleet like this one.”

nAs priority wasn’t given to the Imperial Army, its fleet was lacking in terms of training and quality of weaponry. It was essentially a fleet of only numbers.

nThe Commander was deep in thought.

n(Were we positioned here to be thrown away from the beginning?)

n◇

nInside the bridge of the Banfield Family’s flagship, Klaus was issuing orders left and right.

n“Have the Imperial Army serve as support!”

n(NoWayNoWayNoWayNoWay!!! With a fleet like that, the Kingdom of Dominion would simply melt them!!!)

nKnowing the firepower of the Imperial Army, he hurriedly decided to gear them towards support, hoping that they could keep the enemy somewhat in check.

n“All mobile knights are to sortie while we charge towards the enemy fleet! Don’t let Lord Liam head out, and even if he does, it has to be later! Members of his Personal Guards, don’t let Lord Liam head out!”

n(Why the heck is the Commander-in-Chief aboard a mobile knight?! Charging straight towards the Kingdom of Dominion is madness!!!)

nHis head was a mess as he gave out orders.

nLiam’s command had been exceedingly simple.

nIt was “charge”, which was becoming a signature move of the Banfield Family.

nLiam’s strategy was to charge at the enemy general with their entire force.

n(There’s no way that will work! We’d lose even against a normal army, not to mention we’re facing off against the Kingdom of Dominion this time!)

n‘Only their army is legit!’ was the reputation of the Kingdom of Dominion.

nIt was hard to understand their nation’s culture, but one thing was clear. It was that their army was the real deal.

nYet Liam was thinking of charging straight ahead against such an opponent.

nKlaus received a call from one of the Personal Guards.

n‘We’ve failed you, Klaus-sama.’

n“Hm?”

n‘Lord Liam pushed us away and set out after saying I’ll spearhead the charge.’

n“Huh?”

nHe looked to the front and found a lone mobile knight standing in front of the Banfield Family’s fleet.

nThe large shields mounted on its shoulders clearly indicated that it was Avid.

nKlaus’s cheeks twitched.

n(WHAT ARE YOU DOING LORD LIAAAAAAAAM!!! —There’s no saving this anymore.)

n—Klaus was glad he wrote down his will beforehand.

n◇

nIt feels nostalgic sitting inside Avid’s cockpit.

n“I haven’t had much chance to ride you recently.”

nAvid’s engine groans as if to reply.

nIt couldn’t display its full potential against pirates, so it hasn’t had a turn as of late.

nEven if it had the chance, the battle would end in the blink of an eye, so Avid probably hasn’t had its fill of rampaging.

nAs I grab onto the control stick, the enemy fleet and their mobile knights appear on the monitor.

nWith the Banfield Family’s fleet about to charge into the enemy fleet, concentrated attacks rain down on Avid which is at the forefront.

nA barrage of lasers and shells from enemy battleships and mobile knights are flung our way, but they either get dispersed or blown away before reaching Avid.

nAvid continues its advance as if nothing has happened.

n“Your performance has gone up again. Rejoice Avid—against the Kingdom of Dominion, you may have to take things seriously.”

nWith glowing eyes, Avid wields a laser blade in its hand and swings it down upon an enemy battleship that is several kilometers away.

nIn space, a few kilometers is considered a close range, but it’s not a distance that a laser blade can cover.

nUsually, that is.

n“Avid, let’s show the Kingdom of Dominion who we are. Let us etch our names in their minds and tell them who’s the strongest inside the Empire!”

nThe output behind Avid’s swing makes the blade of light follow the path of the slash like a folding fan that has been opened.

nNot only does it bisect the enemy ship, three mobile knights get dragged into it and are obliterated.

nThe explosion of the enemy ship generates a large amount of debris that gets scattered around, with some hitting Avid’s force field and illuminating brightly.

nWith Avid smashing apart a battleship, the Kingdom of Dominion’s attention lands on us.

n“Liam Sera Banfield. Come, I’ll face all of you.”

nUsing its left hand, Avid makes a c’meregesture, provoking hostile mobile knights into rushing at us in flocks.

nAlthough their basic abilities seem to be higher than that of the Imperial Army, they’re still too predictable.

nWhen an interesting number of them has gathered, Avid hacks them all down with the laser blade.

nDozens of mobile knights blow up into flames, and from behind Avid, the allied forces begin attacking the Kingdom of Dominion’s fleet.

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n“Members of the Kingdom of Dominion, make sure to entertain me.”

nA number of magic circles appear behind Avid, and various weapons emerge from within.

nThey’re fired simultaneously, destroying all the surrounding enemies.

n—I’ll make sure none of you forget my name.

n————————————————————————————————————-

nWakagi-chan (゜言゜): “—’The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs’ is popular as well, I’ll have you know. More than 300,000 copies have been sold altogether, you know? It’s so popular that the limited edition is out of stock!”

nBrian (´・ω・｀): “Ah, okay.”

nWakagi-chan (゜言゜): “Chapter 23 of Shiori-sensei’s manga will come out this month, so you can read them as many times as you want. Screw Liam, I’m more popular than him!”

nBrian (；・`ω・´): “It’s painful. A plant is trying to compete with Lord Liam. It’s painful.”

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