n

n

n

n

n“–you overdid it.”

n“I’m sorry.”

nThe instructor knight was really mad with me– not. We were actually having a barbecue outside of the party venue.

nOriginally, I was supposed to join the party on the inside, but I was expelled to the outside as punishment for disrupting yesterday’s event.

nUnfortunately, the other children who received the same treatment as me were also expelled to the outside barbecue.

n“Still, I think it was worth it.”

n“The faces they made after they woke up were masterpieces.”

n“Even if we were on the inside, the way they treat us wouldn’t have changed that much anyways.”

nSomehow, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

nDespite the barbecue set being cheap.

nWell, it’s still better than the punishment I thought the instructor was going to give me.

nKurt was grilling meat.

n“Sorry, it’s a little burnt.”

nA skewer covered in meat and vegetables was handed over to me.

n“I don’t want the peppers. I hate them.”

n“It’s not good to be picky.”

nThe green peppers in the viscount’s territory were bitter.

nThey were really bad.

nThe instructor was laughing.

n“Well, a lot of things might’ve happened, but it’s always better to end things with a smile.”

nI wholeheartedly agreed with that opinion.

n◇ ◇ ◇

nThe party venue.

nAs he was invited, Thomas of the Henfrey company was looking for Liam at the venue after he had finished his greetings.

n“I can’t see Lord Liam’s figure anywhere.”

nDressed in a military uniform, Nias drew near and called out to him,

n“Thomas, have you seen Lord Liam?”

nTo Nias, who looked like she was in a hurry, Thomas shook his head.

n“I haven’t seen him. Maybe he’s running late?”

nNias also pondered this,

n“He isn’t someone who loses track of their time… I wonder if there’s a reason?”

n“–you’re really bringing up business talks in a place like this?”

nNias turned her gaze away from the pampered laugh that was approaching her.

nThat’s when Eulisia gracefully appeared in a dress.

n“Oh my, I didn’t know the Seventh Weapons Company would send a representative.”

n“…so you’re here as well.”

nSparks started to burst out between the two, but Eulisia was the one who turned away first.

n“Ehhh~ To be honest, I’m actually here to thank Count Banfield for the large number of mobile knights he just recently purchased from us. While I was at it, I thought I might as well sell him a fortress-class battleship too.”

nNias seemed to grow more flustered as she heard that.

n“W-why are you trying to sell him a fortress-class?”

n“We recently announced the new model, so we’re calling out to all of our potential buyers, not just him.”

nSparks scattered between the two who were planning to sell to Liam.

nThomas turned his gaze away.

n(Lord Liam has it hard. Still, where is he?)

nThomas, Nias, and Eulisia– it wasn’t just those three.

nThere were many people who were taking advantage of their participation in the party for this chance.

nThe majority of the people in the hall were all searching for Liam.

nThat’s when Randolph’s voiced echoed throughout the venue.

n“Everyone, I’d like to thank you for coming to our party this time-”

nFirst was a simple greeting, which was then followed by his daughter’s engagement announcement.

nHowever, her partner was strange.

n“My daughter Katerina, will be taking Peter of the Peetak house to be her husband.”

n

n

nIt was the Peetak house that was introduced.

nNias applauded to match the venue’s atmosphere, but those that knew- like Thomas, were stunned.

n“A boy came here for training, but ended up getting engaged to the lord’s daughter, how romantic.”

n“Huh? No, that’s… what?”

nHe couldn’t understand.

n(Why would the Razel house seek a connection with the Peetak house? No matter how I think about them, they’re definitely people who I’d never consider marrying into…)

nFor Thomas, who knew about the inner workings of the Peetak house, this situation was nothing but strange.

nEulisia thought the same,

n“By Peetak house… do they mean that Peetak house?”

n“Yes, I think so. I’m sure that’s the heir of the Peetak house.”

nProjected into the air above the venue, the figures of Peter and Katerina were shown.

nEulisia was making a face that said she couldn’t believe this,

n“The Peetak house… has there been any news of them unearthing a mine full of rare metals?”

nThomas shook his head.

nThe Razel house specialised in mining resources and processing them.

nIf rare metals could be excavated in the Peetak house’s territory, then there might be justification behind marriage.

nIt would be possible then– but no such news has come out about that topic.

n“I’ve heard no such thing. I thought they investigated various things about the children they admitted, so I can’t understand Viscount Razel’s thought process in supporting this marriage.”

nMany of the participants were also confused about this.

nNias noticed the surrounding atmosphere, and-

n“Um, excuse me? Do you by any chance know where Lord Liam is?”

nAll three of them were desperate for information on Liam, so they eagerly listened to the story of the recently-caught waiter.

nThe waiter was another noble child undergoing their training.

n“You want to know where Liam is? Yesterday, he beat up all the people who were given preferential treatment and laughed at them, so he was kicked out of the venue by the Viscount. Oh, and if you ever need a drink, just let me know.”

nThe waiter was an underclassmen that was receiving the same treatment as Liam.

n“The Liam of that time was amazing,” he said while laughing.

nThomas’ face had turned pale.

n“…he drove Lord Liam out of the venue?”

nTo the Henfrey company, Liam was their benefactor.

nFurthermore, Thomas himself was the Banfield house’s purveyor.

nHe felt dizzy.

nNias grabbed his swaying shoulder,

n“Quickly guide us to him!”

n“Huh? Sure, I don’t mind but-”

nEulisia was quickly making a call to someone.

nMeanwhile, Thomas quickly rushed outside after learning the location from the waiter,

n“Lord Liaaaaaaam!”

n◇ ◇ ◇

nThomas ran up to me during the barbecue.

n“Lord Liaaaaaaam!”

nI put the peppers I didn’t eat on a plate and handed them over to Thomas.

n“Long time no see, Thomas. So you came here too? Come join us and eat.”

nKurt was saying “Liam, your awful,” in the background, but it’s only natural for an evil lord to be disliked.

nThat’s why it was okay for me to do this.

n“T-thanks for the meal. —bitter! Bleh! W-wait, that’s not what I’m here for! What exactly is the meaning of this?! Lord Liam, why have you been expelled to outside the venue?!”

nHe was making quite the racket.

n“The viscount got mad at me. There’s no need to worry though, I couldn’t really get along with him anyway.”

nSeriously– it was a total failure for me to come under the tutelage of the serious and virtuous Razel house.

nThomas looked relieved.

nDon’t tell me, did this guy think I might turn into a virtuous person?

nAfter all, this guy is my Echigoya-no, he’s an evil merchant.

n“I’m going to put in a complaint with the viscount. Come, let’s go inside.”

n“I don’t need it. What’s the point of complaining now? Instead, bring us something to eat. Oh, and prepare some drinks too.”

nThomas quickly made a call to his ship.

n“M-my apologies, there isn’t really anything that I can afford to offer as a gift. As for alcohol, will some of the more expensive brands do?”

n

n

nWell, I was still in a good mood from yesterday’s events.

nI’ll just pay him this time.

n“Thomas, bring me everything that you could possibly use as a gift. Oh, and give the alcohol to the men who’ve been taking care of me. Nothing but the best brands, and of course, I’ll pay for it.”

nEven if I paid for everything I just asked for in bulk, the balance in my bank account wouldn’t change.

nJust how much did I save up?

n“I-I’ll bring you everything right away!”

nAs Thomas left while calling his subordinates, more people exited out of the venue.

nKurt looked a little confused.

n“Huh? Is it already finished?”

n“Didn’t it just start? Maybe they’re taking a break already, or some kind of problem occured.”

nAs I pondered that, this time it was Nias and Eulisia who ran up to me while out of breath.

n“Lord Liam, long time no see! Now, please buy a fortress-class from me!”

nI looked at Nias, who tried to sell me a battleship while she was still greeting me, with cold eyes.

nEulisia, who was wiping her sweat, had an amazed expression on her face.

n“–you’re actually bringing up business negotiations before you even finish saying hello? My lord, why don’t you just ignore this boorish woman from the Seventh Weapons Factory and talk to me instead? Today I’d actually like to tell you about our new fortress-class battleship. Unlike the outdated version from the Seventh Weapons Factory, ours is a brand-new model.”

nYou’re exactly the same though.

nI looked at the dress-wearing Eulisia with a slightly amazed expression.

nMaybe noticing my gaze, she started to smile at me.

n“…I’m not interested.”

nShe reminded me of my former wife, who used to dress up and perfect her makeup everytime she cheated on me.

nIn other words, it was a turn-off.

n“Huh?”

nEulisia seemed to be surprised by my reaction.

nIn response to that, Nias started laughing at her.

n“Too bad~”

nAfter saying that, she started opening her suit jacket’s buttons from the front.

nRather than trying to seduce me, I think she was just hot from all the running.

nMaybe because of that, her sweat made the shirt she wore underneath see-through, allowing me to see the sports bra she had on.

nNoticing that she was seen, she nervously started to laugh while covering herself up, embarrassed.

n“N-no, I’m not wearing this because my pay was docked from the poor sales or anything… Yes! I’m only wearing these because I’m trying to be more conscious of my health! It’s that sort of thing!”

nI approached Nias who was desperately trying to make an excuse and-

n“How much is it?”

n“Huh?”

n“How much is the fortress-class ship you were selling?”

n“You’re going to buy it?”

n“I guess it just can’t be helped. Here, give me the contract. Is this enough?”

n“P-please buy some destroyers and cruisers as well! They might be new models but this is a great deal!”

n“Just what would you ever do without me? I understand, buying three hundred should be fine.”

nNias was so overjoyed that she started to cry, and everytime she moved I was able to see underwear that had no sex-appeal through her shirt.

nThey were exactly the type I preferred.

nSince I was shown something nice, I decided to help her out and buy a fortress-class.

nEulisia grabbed my arm.

n“Wait, please wait! Why?! You haven’t even checked the specs yet, right?!”

n“…so you were a disappointing woman too.”

nOr was it that they were the only kind of female workers that the weapon factories hired?

nAfter that, more weapon factory representatives and merchant house heads came to greet me.

n“Lord Liam, I believe this is our first time meeting.”

n“Lord Liam, please feel free to purchase anything from our weapons factory by all means.”

n“Lord Liam, if you ever ask, I’d be happy to lend you-”

nBefore I knew it, a long line was formed.

n◇ ◇ ◇

nIn the party venue- Randolph was stunned.

nMost of the invited guests had left.

nLess than a third were remaining.

nThe venue that had quickly emptied out was an amazing sight to see.

nMaking confused expressions, the remaining guests didn’t seem to understand what was going on either.

n“W-what is the meaning of all this?”

nJust what the hell was happening?

nAs he pondered this and was about to give an order to find out, one of his subordinates gave him a report,

n“Lord Randolph! Outside the venue! Outside!”

n“What happened?!”

nRushing outside, what he saw was- the barbecue.

nStealing away all the invited guests, Randolph assumed the evicted children had done something.

nAnd in the middle of it all was- Liam.

n“What’s the meaning of this? Why is everyone gathering around the son of the Banfield house?”

nHumans were very honest creatures.

nIf the aristocrat the served turned out to be incompetant, they’d quickly abandon them.

nHowever, on the other hand- people would quickly gather around those they thought were worth it.

nIt wasn’t just one or two people either, but all the merchants seemed to be trying to make a connection with Liam.

n“-look into the Banfield house right away.”

n“But my lord, we’ve already done our research-”

n“Just look into them! Go!”

n◇ ◇ ◇

nA spaceport located in the Razel house’s territory.

nThe Banfield house’s fleet had arrived, and were waiting on standby.

nA shuttle landed at the port and was preparing to pick up Liam.

nTia was there to supervise everything.

nRight now she was talking to one of the spaceport’s officials.

n“Can’t we permission for the red carpet?”

n“Due to certain policies, I’ll have to ask you to refrain yourself, unfortunately. I can give you permission to recreate the atmosphere with holograms though.”

n“And I’m telling you that’s too bland! After three whole years of training, my lord deserves a reception worthy of him!”

nThe knights and the soldiers who were standing in formation seemed to freeze as tensions started to rise.

n“We gave him a grand reception at his arrival, isn’t that enough? By the way, I must say the fleet of the Peetak house sure is amazing. Even the viscount was impressed and expressed his desire to meet with you- huh?”

nAlmost immediately, Tia had grabbed the official by the neck and lifted him up into the air, while softly saying,

n“…you can’t even recognise the family crest of Lord Liam’s Banfield house? Who the hell does your viscount dare to compare us too?”

nThe knights and soldiers of the Razel house nearby started to gather while the knight’s of the Banfield house started pulling out their weapons.

nTia said so while closing in on the official.

n“That’s right, we are the proud Banfield fleet! No mistakes will be tolerated. We’ll be protesting this later.”

n“L-let me go–”

n“Too late.”

nAs Tia smiled while putting her hand on her sword’s handle, the spaceport elevator door started to open.

n“Huh~? So you’re the people here to pick me up~?”

nThe air seemed to freeze with Peter’s voice that echoed out.

nHe turned to look at Tia,

n“Oh, are you a new knight? You’re pretty beautiful. Okay, you’ll be my personal escort. Yes, I’m already ready to go home.”

nTia let go the official and dropped him.

n◇ ◇ ◇

nThe spaceport.

nKurt and I were sitting on a bench as we waited for pick-up, while watching a video that was being projected into the air.

nIt was the last episode of a popular drama that aired in the viscount’s territory.

nWhen the ending credits started rolling,

n“It… doesn’t look like they’re coming.”

nI sighed,

n“I’m happy we got to finish the drama I was interested in, but I’m not pleased with how they’re keeping their master waiting.”

nAs I felt my frustration increase, the elevator door opened and Tia burst out of it.

nShe practically flew as she kicked off of the floor before landing and sliding into a subservient pose in front of me.

n–it was kind of funny to watch.

n“M-m-my deepest apologies Lord Liam! The official at the spaceport led us to another area by mistake! Please forgive me!”

nTo Tia that was looking up at me while stuttering excuses, I flicked her forehead.

n“Don’t make excuses, the fact of the matter is that you kept me waiting.”

nTia looked like it was the end of the world when I told her that- though I think she was overreacting a bit.

nShe was supposed to be really talented, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at her.

nHow come there only seemed to be girls that had a screw loose gathering around me?

n“Understood, I’ll apologise by presenting you with my head.”

nShe pulled out her sword and placed it on her neck.

nThis girl really wasn’t right in the head.

n“Stop being stupid. Just carry the luggage, I want to go home already. ”

nAs I handed over my bags, Tia started to cry.

n“Y-you’ll really forgive me?”

n“I’ll give a proper punishment later on during the voyage. Kurt, do you want her to hold your luggage too?”

nWhen I asked Kurt,

n“…Liam, don’t make a girl carry your bags for you.”

n“Don’t worry about it, it’s her punishment for keeping me waiting. Now then, let’s go. Which battleship will we be boarding?”

nTia answered while straightening her back.

nWhy were her cheeks red though?

n“Yes! You’ll be riding on flagship Var!”

nVar, the flagship built at the Third Weapons Factory slowly approached the port.

n—it really was huge from this angle.

nTo match it’s large size, it looks like it’s specs and performance were raised accordingly.

n“Wow, that’s big. Is this a super-class battleship?”

nEven seemed to be interested.

nWell, he was a guy after all. It was only natural for him to love battleships and humanoid weapons.

n“Why don’t you buy one too?”

n“I can’t. Even if I wanted to buy one, I think it’d be better to buy a destroyer or cruiser considering the maintenance costs.”

nSpeaking of which, I bought a lot of those from Nias recently, didn’t I?

nConsidering my military plan, that wasn’t something I needed- I totally purchased them on a whim.

nI was a victim of impulse buying.

nHowever, I can’t help but marvel how easy it is to buy battleships in this universe.

n“If that’s the case, do you want my surplus?”

nWhenever I buy things myself, Amagi gets angry and scolds me while complaining “Our military plans have been thrown off-schedule again.”

nSo let’s just push them onto Kurt,

n“Hmm? No I’m fine, thanks. Old ships can still be used as long as they’re properly maintained, and I’m already satisfied with the amount that we have now, even if it’s not much.”

n…huh? Was he really okay using second-hand goods?

n

n