Book 12: Chapter 1: Nightmare
After being delivered to the capital planet by the Banfield family fleet, Serena was immediately visited by the Prime Minister, who was working at the palace.
At first he had his men leave, and now they were alone in his office.
"--Has he noticed you?"
"Yes, sir. The dark side of the Banfield family is excellent. It seems that they have inherited the skills of the dark division that is active in the capital city."
Are Kukri and the other members of the dark division descended from the dark division that was once active in the palace?
The Prime Minister agrees with Serena's prediction.
"Since he has defeated His Highness Linus and His Highness Calvin, that much is within the realm of the imagination. Was it the warmth of the Duke of Banfield that you were delivered safely to me?"
Serena shakes her head at the Prime Minister's question.
"It must be out of hand. The Duke continues to increase his military power. The war with the High Kingdom a few years ago took a heavy toll on him, and he has already made up for it."
Serena projects the information she has obtained in front of the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister squinted as a number of data were displayed in the air.
"--Not only have they obtained several resource satellites of rare metals. They seem to have something, just like the Berkleys who once destroyed them."
The numbers were so improbable that even the prime minister concluded that Liam was in possession of something special.
But there is no sign of panic.
Serena continued.
"We have no choice but to conclude that he is willing to rebel. If we continue to sit on our hands, the Banfield family will acquire an even more powerful army and turn on the empire."
After the war with the High Kingdom, House Banfield's army had the experience of having survived a great war.
Knowing that this is a terrible thing, Serena is becoming increasingly wary.
In contrast, she is reluctant at first.
"I agree, and I have already advised His Majesty the Emperor and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince that any further deterioration of relations between the two parties could cause tremendous damage to both sides."
"So you are moving toward an improvement in relations?"
The actuality that the Empire has recognized the work of the Banfield family and switched to a policy of nostalgia, Serena's expression relaxes a little.
He was probably feeling affectionate toward her, as she had taken care of him for nearly a hundred years.
But the Prime Minister immediately denied it.
"How much better it would have been if that had been the case. --The empire intends to destroy the Banfield family. They are willing to burn the entire territory to ashes.
"No way!?"
The Prime Minister asked Liam how he was doing.
In addition, he was concerned about the duke's condition. "I heard that the battle with the High Kingdom has exhausted him a lot."
What is the truth? To this question, Serena answers honestly.
As the Prime Minister's spy, she had no choice but not to answer.
"--It seems that it was quite a fierce battle, and he suffered deep emotional scars. I believe he is being treated, but it doesn't seem to be very effective."
If he were in Liam's position, he would have treated him as a matter of course - the Prime Minister nodded, and then imagined how severe the battle with the High Kingdom had been.
"It's an opponent that has been tormenting the empire for many years. The duke who attacked even the capital planet of the High Kingdom is a hero without a doubt, but I hear that the cost was also great."
They wondered if even a hero as good as Liam had worn out his spirit in the battle against the High Kingdoms and won a last-minute victory.
Why am I here?
I have only been here once, but I still vividly remember the throne room of the High Kingdoms.
In a place that reminded me of the Parthenon in ancient Greece, a large muscular man, tall and muscular enough to look up, stood before me.
The man was the king of the High Kingdom, a stern man called the High King.
Such a High King has reddened cheeks.
The sight of the man, embarrassed and writhing like a maiden, is strangely terrifying.
But the real horror begins here.
"I want to bear your child."
--I want to bear your children. I never thought I would hear such a line from a man like the High King.
Who would have thought that he would confess to me in the first place?
I broke out in a cold sweat and shouted,
"Nooooo!!!"
I let out a pathetic scream that echoed through the throne room.
"Noooooo!!!"
I jumped up on the bed and looked around me with my upper body upright.
Familiar room, familiar furniture.
My heart is beating fast and loud.
Sweat is pouring out of me, and I feel sick.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead and see Rosetta, who was supposed to be sleeping next to me, getting out of bed.
She was holding a glass of water in her hand.
"Darling, you've been having nightmares again. Here, drink some water."
"Ah--I'll drink it."
I took the cup from Rosetta, drank it all in one gulp, and felt at home.
It was horrible. It is a very terrible dream.
I had returned from the High Kingdoms victorious, but the High King kept coming back as a nightmare.
"Damn, I hate that High King."
I won the war, but why does it haunt me so much?
Rosetta sits down next to me and hugs me, comforting me.
"It's okay. It's okay, darling."
Seeing Rosetta's eyes moisten, I feel a little sorry.
I only told Amagi that I was having nightmares about the High King.
I can't tell her because I'm embarrassed that the High King confessed to me and that I'm having nightmares.
Thanks to that, Rosetta and the people around me are mistaken.
That the battle with the High King was so severe that it wore me out mentally.
That can't be true.
The army suffered heavy losses, but I myself won because I had to win.
And yet, I was frightened of the High King.
--I was ashamed of myself.
"I will never forgive you, bastard of a High King."
The only one who has driven me to this point is the High King.
The capital planet of the empire.
On a table prepared in the center of the large audience hall were two cups filled with seven-colored liquid.
Sitting on chairs across the small round table are Algrand Emperor [Baglada] and Crown Prince [Cleo].
Drinking the seven-colored suspicious liquid through a straw, Cleo could taste various flavors in his mouth.
It tastes like sweets and tea, but when he swallows it, he feels a cool, refreshing sensation as the sweetness disappears.
It is a very strange drink, but both of them are used to drinking it and do not seem to mind.
Baglada is smiling as he talks about the drink.
"I've been drinking a lot of this lately. It's a great way to enjoy different flavors, and it's a great way to stay nourished."
Cleo looked at him with a troubled smile.
"I've heard that these are cheap snacks for the common people."
"I'm getting tired of the extravagance. This is enough for now."
After the conversation between father and son, the two men got down to business.
Baglada told Cleo what he had heard from the Prime Minister.
"The Duke of Banfield has been at war with the High Kingdoms for several years. I hear that the Duke of Banfield has not healed from the emotional scars he received during the war."
Cleo laughed with an evil look on his face as Baglada happily informed him.
"That's good to hear. I suppose Liam couldn't have escaped unscathed against the High King either."
"The empire has been suffering for many years too, you know. --Now, I think it's time to get serious."
Baglada said this and placed the empty cup on the table after drinking the seven-colored liquid.
At the same time, information about people associated with the Banfield family appears around them.
Elliott of the Clave Chamber of Commerce.
Patrice of The Newlands Company.
And the main people at the Seventh and Third Weapons Factories.
The list also included the hotels where Liam and his team were based on the capital planet.
Cleo took one look at them and put his hand on his chin.
"These are the ones we're kicking off the capital planet, aren't we? But I think the third weapons factory is a bit of a waste. Their products were very popular in the Empire."
Baglada shrugs at Cleo, who says he wants to keep the Third Weapons Factory.
"I'm sorry, but it's too close to the Banfield family for us to keep. Besides, I've been asked to do this by the other arms factory officials. Many of them would be happy to see the third go."
The other rival arms factories would be more than happy to see Third disappear.
It seems that some of them got hold of the information and petitioned Baglada to expel the Third.
Cleo gave a small nod.
"Then we have no choice."
"Soon we'll have the next popular factory. Besides, we need the two arms factories to do well with the Banfield family."
"I couldn't believe it when I first heard you were helping the enemy."
Baglada chuckles at Cleo's dismay.
It seems that they are taking the act of sending salt to the enemy lightly.
No, rather...
"That would be more fun, wouldn't it? In the Empire, we'll have the other weapons factories running at full capacity to mass produce weapons. --The arsenals of the imperial army must also be brought into full operation."
If the weapons factories are semi-private organizations, the arsenal is a purely military organization controlled by the Imperial Army.
It collects data from all weapons factories and manufactures weapons for the imperial army.
However, only a small portion of the imperial fleet can operate the weapons built by the arsenal.
They were deployed only in elite fleets.
Cleo makes a direct appeal to Baglada.
"Please let me be the commander-in-chief when you dispatch the conquering force. I will certainly report victory."
Even though Liam had become the most powerful noble in the empire, he would not stand a chance if the entire empire turned against him. Cleo decided so and came forward as commander-in-chief.
Baglada nodded with an eerie smile and granted Cleo's wish.
But--.
"Fine. But let's leave the actual command to someone else."
Cleo could not refuse this proposal.
After all, although he had acquired military knowledge in an educational capsule, he had no actual experience.
He understood that commanding a fleet of several million with this would be the height of abstention.
"Thank you very much. So, who will actually be in command? Will it be a soldier from the imperial army?"
Baglada replies, a little worried.
"I think I'll go with the Marquis of Hampson. He's a nobleman in charge of our borders, so he has a lot of experience in war. And he's not afraid to do some nasty things. --I think he's the right man to burn down the Banfield family's lands."
Baglada named the most villainous of the dependable nobles.
Then he goes on to announce that he will send his famous fleet.
"We'll have to send your fleet too, Cozmo. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to join you and your friends."
At the mention of Cozmo, Cleo mentions someone who comes to mind.
"General Cozmo of the Special Mission Fleet? Certainly, he would be the best irony against Liam, coming from a space pirate.
Baglada, as if remembering, says he will add another person to the team.
"Oops, almost forgot, we'll have to get Viscount Tride in on this. He, like the Duke, is a rising star, so I'm sure he'll be happy to join us. --And while we're at it, let's get Dustin on board, too."
"--Dustin the Sword Saint? If One-Flash defeats him, the empire will lose all its sword saints."
Dustin is the last remaining Sword Saint in the empire.
The empire was trying to avoid having him fight the Banfield family.
However, the emperor wanted to make sure that Dustin would participate.
"No, since I've nominated them as sword saints, let's have them do their best. Cleo, I will entrust them to you."
Cleo, entrusted with the best of the best, smiled as he broke out in a cold sweat.
"I will certainly report you victory."
(If I lose this, I will lose my position as Crown Prince.)
A battle that cannot be lost - in the first place, it is a battle that must be won.
Cleo asks Baglada one last time.
"So, what's the time frame?"
"About ten years, including the preparation time? --Well, it goes by so fast."
In Baglada's answer, Cleo has mix feelings about the preparation period of ten years. It is a long time, but it also seems short for fighting against Liam.
(Ten years. In ten years, I'll--I'll beat Liam!)
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