n

n

n

n-At the Capital planet of the Empire-

nA girl had come to the luxury hotel where Liam was staying at.

nHer name was Ciel, Kurt’s little sister.

nCiel took a deep breath and stepped into the hotel grounds.

nBoth her father and her brother were in a jovial mood.

n“Iya~ The Count is really generous to accept Ciel so quickly.”

n“Father, you speak as if you want Ciel gone as soon as possible.”

n“N-no, I simply wish to see her become a full-fledged lady early on. You see, it’s hard for her to find a fiancée when she’s in our territory, but if she’s by the Count’s side, I’m sure she’ll have lots of wonderful encounters.”

nSeeing that her father was glancing at her every few seconds, Ciel agreed to what he said.

n“That makes sense. It’s true that I wish to meet a wonderful gentleman. A wonderful gentleman other than Count, that is.”

nDeep inside her heart, she knew that even that was a lie.

nAfter all, the only man Ciel admired was—her brother Kurt.

nHer father’s shoulders dropped.

n“I-is that so. Just make sure you aren’t rude to the Count. Personally, I think the Count is a fine man.”

nHe actually thought of having Ciel become one of Liam’s concubines, but Ciel adamantly refused.

nAt the end of the day, Liam—was Ciel’s enemy.

nKurt also expressed his disappointment.

n“Liam is a strict and upright man. I heard that he killed the eldest son of a subordinate aristocrat not long ago for acting as he pleased inside his territory.”

nTheir father, recalling the event, was impressed and said, “It’s in our nature to go easy on people that we’re acquainted with. Taking that into consideration, the Count is truly a noble amongst the aristocrats. Ciel, you must be careful as well.”

nCiel suspected the validity of their claims.

nLiam had once visited the Exner Barony—but he didn’t appear to be such a noble character.

nShe believed that everyone was being deceived.

nKurt voiced out his sorrow.

n“Liam isn’t back yet, so I won’t get to see him. I’ll be away for a while due to a mission. Oh, I wonder when we’ll be able to meet again.”

nWatching her brother cry out in dismay because he missed a man, Ciel thought,

n(How saddening it is, my brother, to see you being deceived by Liam like this. Please wait. I’ll make sure I pry open brother’s eyes!)

nWhen they arrived at the hotel lobby, they were greeted by Rosetta who was waiting there.

n“Baron Exner, I’ve been waiting for your arrival.”

n“It’s our honor to be greeted by the Count’s wife. Quickly, your two should also give your greetings.”

nKurt was surprised upon seeing Rosetta.

n“It has been a long time, Rosetta. Even so, you’ve changed so much. The thorny atmosphere which you carried around you is nowhere to be found.”

n“It’s embarrassing, so let’s not talk about it. I see that Kurt hasn’t changed much. The military uniform fits you rather well.”

n“Thank you.”

nRosetta turned to Ciel, who was watching the trio happily talking to one another.

n“You must be Ciel-san. From now on, you will be training at the Banfield Family. That means you will be treated as a servant, not as the daughter of a Baron. Will that be fine with you?”

nShe sounded strict yet kind at the same time.

nCiel curtsied as she thought about Liam’s fiancée in front of her.

n“I’ll be in your care.”

n“You can take your time and relax for today. Training will officially commence tomorrow. I wanted to introduce you to Darling, but he’s back at his territory right now.”

n

n

nI wanted to go together with him~.

nAs Rosetta was saying that, Ciel was having thoughts of her own.

n(I’ll win this person’s trust and get closer to Liam. Be prepared, for I will be taking off that mask of yours!)

nCiel’s battle was about to begin.

n◇

nThe day has come for me to leave the territory once again and head for the Capital.

nI board the super-dreadnought class battleship with Ellen besides me.

nMy disciple follows me while holding onto my sword.

nNo, it’s more accurate to say that it’s the sword I’ve given Ellen.

nShe’s hugging the expensive katana as she carries it around.

n“Ellen, I’ll be busy for a while.”

n“Yes, Master!”

nBeing called Master makes me feel complicated.

nIs it alright for a half-baked person like me to take in a disciple?

nThat’s what I honestly think, but Master, Master Yasushi, did tell me to raise at least three disciples.

nI have no idea whether Ellen can become strong, but for the continuation of the school of One-Flash, I must take in some disciples.

nSince it’s a promise I made with Master, I have to keep it even if I’m an evil lord.

nAfter all, I’ve decided to dedicate myself to the school of One-Flash without fretting over the gains and losses.

n“When we arrive at the Capital planet, I’ll be throwing you into an education capsule.”

n“Yes!”

n“When you’re out of the capsule, I’ll be teaching you the basics.”

n“The basics of One-Flash—I’ll give it my best!”

nShe’s apparently fond of One-Flash.

nI had imitated Master Yasushi and showed her the school’s secret technique before anything else.

nBack then, I didn’t really understand just how powerful Master Yasushi was.

nI can defeat a Sword Saint now, but it doesn’t feel like I’m catching up to him at all.

nThe way he silently bisected the log with movements that suggested that he hadn’t pulled out his katana…

nHow long will it take for my unpolished slashes to reach that height?

nEllen’s gaze lingers on the group of servants that is here to see us off.

nEllen’s mother is amongst them, and Ellen’s gaze is on her.

n“Do you miss your mother?”

nEllen, who is still young, was raised in a single parent family.

nWith Ellen becoming my disciple, her mother was hired as a servant inside the mansion.

n“I-I’ll be fine.”

nShe’s at an age where she should want to be pampered, but she’s conducting herself very well.

nI don’t really like kids.

nHowever, Ellen is my important disciple—and someone who would carry on the legacy of the school of One-Flash.

nI should be more considerate of her.

n“Once my training as an aristocrat is over, we’ll be coming back. From then on, I’ll start training you in earnest, so be prepared—by then, you’ll be living close to your mother again.”

n“Yes!”

n—Or, once her mother finishes receiving her education, I can have her come to the Capital.

nI’ll keep this as a secret, though.

nIt’s so that I can surprise Ellen later on.

nAboard the battleship, knights have lined up on the sides.

nChengshi is mixed in with them.

nI stop on my track to examine her face.

nIt’s as imposing and confident as ever.

n“Your injuries seem to have healed.”

n“Yes.”

n“Will you continue targeting me?”

nChengshi’s determination hasn’t been shattered at all.

nAs a matter of fact, she smiles at me.

n“—Of course.”

nThe surrounding knights tense up, but I blurt out, “Good! I’ll be your opponent again whenever you have accumulated enough achievements. Work for me to the best of your abilities.”

n“Yes. One day, for sure.”

nEllen follows me closely when I leave Chengshi behind.

n“U-um, Master?”

n“What is it?”

n“That person was kind of scary.”

nI pause and tell Ellen, “For a good reason, too. That woman is someone who wants my life.”

n“Eh?”

n“—When you grow up, I’ll tell you more about it. Now come. Until we reach the Capital planet, I’ll be teaching you some of the basics on the ship. I can’t allow a disciple of mine to be weak.”

n

n

n“Y-Yes!”

nI managed to find myself a nice disciple.

nWhether or not she’s suitable to inherit the legacy of One-Flash depends on the future, but she’s a serious girl, and I have a good feeling about her.

nMore so than her preliminary attainments, it’s wonderful how she’s sensible enough to demonstrate interest towards One-Flash.

nThis child will surely grow.

nNo, I’ll make sure she grows.

nAs with the matter of accepting a disciple, many things have progressed well recently—in fact, things have been going too swimmingly.

nOthers might call it a miracle, but I don’t believe in miracles.

nDespite my bad daily behavior, fortune seems to be watching over me.

nThis is probably thanks to the Guide.

nAs I’m walking, I send my gratitude to the Guide whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

n“I’ll pray so that my gratitude reaches him.”

n“Master?”

n“Hmm? Oh, I’m thanking someone for our encounter. You should pray along.”

n“Eh? Ah, yes.”

nEllen, being the serious disciple that she is, also starts her prayer.

nGuide—Is our gratitude reaching you?

nPlease deliver the gratitude from us master and disciple to the Guide who is somewhere about!

n◇

nThe missile launchers on Liam’s battleship opened up.

nFrom there, a golden missile appeared, watched over by something that resembled a dog.

nWhen the dog howled, the golden missile was launched without anyone noticing it.

nThe interplanetary ballistic missile flew up into the sky, carrying with it the feelings of gratitude from both Liam and Ellen.

nThe missile alone wouldn’t have reached the Guide, so a warp gate was opened along the missile’s path.

nOn the bridge of the battleship, the crewmates were in a panic.

n“Hey, the missile launcher is open!”

n“There’s a faint warp reaction!”

n“Find out what’s happening quickly! Lord Liam is on this ship!”

nThe soldiers immediately initiated an investigation, yet the missile launchers soon closed up by themselves and the warp reaction ceased.

nIt was as if nothing had happened.

nThe dog also disappeared along with everything else.

n◇

nThe Guide who had left the Empire to manipulate the other countries behind the scenes was skipping around.

n“Whew~ I feel much more comfortable now that Liam’s gratitude can’t reach me. It still stings here and there, but it’s not as bad as the torturous pain back then.”

nHe was harvesting negative emotions from foreign countries and sowing seeds of discord whenever he smelled a fire.

nIn short, the Guide was being a troublesome existence.

n“I’ll keep saving up power this way and crush Liam along with the entire Empire—Oh? I see something.”

nThe Guide stopped skipping and stared at the light in the distance.

nIt was a warp gate.

nA golden missile shot out from within.

n“Gold? How tasteless! Looking at it is making me irritated.”

nPerhaps influenced by his love for gold, Liam’s gratitude was often gold in color.

nThat was why the Guide hated gold with a passion.

nWho on earth does this tasteless thing belong to?

nThe missile flew towards the Guide just as he was thinking of raining misfortune upon its owner.

n“Some kind of accident? What a hassle.”

nThe Guide moved and arrived at a different planet.

nI’ll be collecting more negative emotions from now on!

nAs the Guide was having such thoughts—another warp gate opened nearby.

n“Huh?”

nRealization finally dawned on the Guide.

n“This—This tasteless golden missile—LIAAAAAAAM!”

nFlabbergasted, the Guide attempted to flee.

nUnfortunately, the missile had already arrived near him.

nThe Guide was caught up in the ensuing explosion as the missile landed close to him.

n“NOOOO!! H-Hot! It’s burning me! This gratitude—It’s from two people!!!! I haven’t done anything this tiiiiiiiime!”

nIn addition to the usual gratitude from Liam, the gratitude of a pure and innocent child was mixed in.

nThe Guide loathed such gratitude.

nIt spread throughout the Guide’s body and burned him.

nThe Guide collapsed on the spot, tattered and burnt black.

nHe had managed to survive using the power that he had accumulated, but the negative emotions that he had gathered as he passed by various countries were reset to zero.

nThe Guide cried out, “I won’t forgive you for this! I won’t forgive you for this, Liam!—The amount of effort I put into this—SHIT!! Mark my words, I’ll have you killed!”

nThe Guide stood up and roared.

nCarried over by the wind, an electronic newspaper fluttered down in front of him.

nThe Guide looked down.

nThe newspaper was about how the Lustral Unified Government had struck a deal with Liam’s Banfield family.

nThe Guide froze up for a moment, confused over what was going on—then, he picked up the electronic newspaper from the ground.

nWhen he perused through the content, he learned that Liam had received sanctions.

nThe Guide also learned that Liam had overcome the predicament in part because of the rebellion that he had caused in the Unified Government.

n“I thought I haven’t done anythiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!”

nThe Guide plopped back down, stunned.

nHe was shocked that he had unintentionally aided Liam.

nA dog which had multiple copies of the electronic newspaper in its mouth was observing such a Guide from behind the grasses.

nIt had deliberately set the stage so that the Guide would read the newspaper.

nSatisfied by the Guide’s reaction, the dog left.

nTears flowed down as the Guide pounded his fist on the ground.

n“This is too muuuuuuuuuch!”

n

n