Chapter 36

Seventh Volume 8 will be released at the end of this month.

Thank you very much!

It had been about three months since the days at the young school began.

I realized something.

—What is this environment?

In my room at the student dormitory, I was lost in thought due to the unexpected environment.

—The young school is too easy. I didn't need to pay a donation for this. Or was it necessary to avoid being a target for Mr. John?

Mr. John, who is strict, has never scolded me once.

But, I am treated the same as other students in every other way.

I wake up in the morning, do some light exercise, study without working, learn martial arts, and then just go to bed.

Even though others around me were complaining, I was so bored that I started to feel anxious.

To begin with, the classes are easy. I already have the knowledge from the educational capsules.

For my enhanced body, mediocre training is just a warm-up.

—This is far too unexpected.

"Is this a joke? It's so easy that I'm starting to worry if this is even right."

For me, aiming to be a corrupt lord, training my body was important.

In this world, violence is meaningless.

School studies are unnecessary in the real world.

All of that is a lie.

Indeed, an individual's violence is almost worthless in this world.

But, I learned in my previous life how important violence can be.

Bad guys use violence, and good people cower.

Violence is also a form of power.

I've been training to gain such violence, but in this lukewarm environment, my skills will rust.

"No, this won't do. I thought that after three months, serious training would start, but there's no sign of it."

At first, I thought they were just waiting for everyone to get used to it, but even after three months, the content hasn't changed much.

It's just a bit more than a warm-up.

What should I do—I'm starting to get worried.

Then, I received a message from home.

It was from Brian.

—Isn't it Tiancheng?

Lying on the bed, I received the communication, and Brian was crying.

"Master Liam, I told you to contact us regularly!"

Is this guy being too overprotective?

"Forget one day of communication and you cry. Is there a problem?"

"No, everything is going smoothly here. But, I'm worried about you, worried about you."

Am I not trusted?

"There's no problem here."

"That's good. Oh, by the way, the head maid is worried. How is your relationship with Prince Wallace?"

"Wallace? Ah, him. He's—well, we're getting along."

"—Eh?"

Brian was dumbfounded.

Wallace is a complicated guy with a troublesome background.

That's why people keep their distance, but in his case, his personality is also a problem, so people keep their distance.

The next day, in the student cafeteria.

The first-year students were starting to get used to life at the young school.

In the cafeteria, groups of friends were chatting.

I was talking with Kurt, my fellow aspiring corrupt lord.

"Brian keeps nagging me to communicate."

"He's your family's butler, right? You should at least keep in touch."

"There's nothing to talk about. Life here is a boring, uneventful routine. At best, I can tell him about finding a secret passage out of the dormitory."

We are looking for a secret passage to get out of the high walls surrounding the young school and go into town to play.

On non-holiday days, if we want to play, we need to find a secret passage.

It's a problem that could be solved by bribing the gatekeeper, but I'm so bored that I'm looking for a secret passage.

"I can't tell if Liam is serious or not."

"From your serious perspective, he's probably not serious."

"Is that so?"

When I praised him as a serious, serious-type corrupt lord, Kurt blushed.

I returned to my meal.

The menu in the student cafeteria is mostly nutritious meals.

It's not bad, and I'm satisfied.

After all, having luxurious meals every day can be tiring.

Then, a noisy voice came from another table.

—It's Wallace.

"Hey, you cute girls, want to have lunch with me?"

The girls forced a smile as Wallace, who had placed his tray on the table, forcibly took a seat.

"By the way, is there any family here looking for a son-in-law? Or someone with a family that can let their son-in-law be independent?"

The girls' eyes wandered at his blatant attempt to find a son-in-law.

"I'm the second daughter."

"My brother is the heir."

"My brother is expected to be born soon."

The third girl—does that mean there's no male heir at the moment?

But, Wallace seemed to accept their excuses.

"Is that so? That's a shame. Hmm! You girls, excuse me."

Suddenly standing up, Wallace was calling out to a newly discovered girl.

"Hey, you! How about being a son-in-law?"

Watching Wallace, I thought to myself.

—He's not fit to be a prince.

Wallace, who is destroying the image of a prince, was continuously hitting on girls.

In the main building, he was hitting on girls one after another.

"Prince Wallace has his reasons."

"Reasons?"

Kurt explained about the excessive number of princes and their career paths.

"Honestly, the treatment of princes after the hundredth is bad. The top thirty or so get support, but the rest can end up in a worse situation than poor nobles."

"Being a prince is tough."

"There are no other paths besides the nobility. If they do nothing, they become officials or soldiers. Many excel in other fields, but Prince Wallace isn't that type."

Many royal family members excel in various fields, such as artists.

But, Wallace chose—independence.

"He probably wants to become a head of a family through a marriage."

"Independence? The empire could support him, right?"

"Independence isn't that easy. Without support, he can't do anything alone, and I think Prince Wallace is considering that too."

—Is this okay for a prince of the empire?

Hitting on girls for independence—there's nothing to do but laugh.

Watching Wallace, who was carrying his tray and hitting on girls, all his attempts failed today.

Some girls had been approached multiple times, and their treatment of Wallace was getting rougher.

I called out to Wallace, who was hanging his head.

"Hey, Wallace, come over here."

Then, Wallace turned around and said to us.

"What? I'm not into guys."

I was annoyed, but Kurt's face was slightly red.

Kurt was also angry.

"Liam, why are you calling him!?"

I laughed and answered the worried Kurt.

"Because it looks interesting. —I'm not interested in your body, so come over here quickly."

Wallace reluctantly came to our table.

"You're rude. I thought you were good students, but you have a bad mouth."

This guy is still an idiot.

He apparently thought we were good students.

Well, Kurt looks serious, so he's probably a good student.

"Better than a womanizer."

"Ugh!"

Wallace frowned but didn't retort, which suggests he has his own thoughts.

"It's noisy. I'm enduring this for the future, enduring the shame and working hard."

"Enduring the shame, huh? You seem to be enjoying it, though?"

"In the harem where I lived, I rarely got to talk to girls. The only women there were my mother's maids, my father's women, and my blood-related sisters."

This guy has had a tough time too.

But, Kurt remembered.

"Eh? The maids are women, right?"

Wallace averted his gaze.

"—They are my mother's servants, not mine. Besides, my mother wouldn't allow me to make a move."

"Do you really want to be independent that much?"

When I asked, Wallace shouted, "Of course!"

The surrounding people looked at us, but once they realized it was Wallace, they lost interest.

Rosetta passed by us, but Wallace didn't even look at her.

"Eh? You're not hitting on Rosetta?"

To my question, Wallace said—

"—She can't support me."

—Why can this guy confidently say such embarrassing things?

"Basically, my goal is independence."

"Independence?"

Wallace apparently wants to become an independent man.

"Whether as a court noble or a lord, I want the strength to live on my own. You can't understand, but being a prince is very restrictive."

"Dependent on others, you're far from being independent."

"I know! But, there's no other way. Whether I become an official or a soldier, I'll end up being a kept man. I don't want that."

Kurt had a complicated look on his face.

"Your Highness has a tough time."

"Exactly. So, why don't you become my patron?"

"That's a bit—no, I'll pass."

"Why not!"

Kurt isn't that naive to become a patron of a prince with no value.

But—what an interesting prince.

His struggle for independence is amusing.

I talked to Wallace.

"Are you not going to marry into a small lord's or a minor official's family?"

Wallace was also struggling.

"I would be fine with that, but I'm still a prince. The palace won't allow it. There are rules for marriage, and the family must be a baron or higher, or have a fifth rank or higher. I could start a new domain, but the palace won't approve it."

With limited choices, this guy is still struggling.

It's really amusing.

"I see. Then, I'll become your patron."

"Liam!"

Kurt tried to stop me, but I ignored him and talked to Wallace.

"The Banfield Earl will support you. If you want a border area, I'll help you become independent."

Stunned, Wallace stood up, straightened his uniform, and—

"I'll be in your care from today!"

Raising his hands high and shouting, Wallace looked ridiculous.

It was amusingly funny.

"Liam, you can't take such things lightly. Being Prince Wallace's patron isn't easy."

Kurt tried to persuade me, but I couldn't take back my words.

Besides, I didn't sympathize with him or feel moved by his efforts.

I just find his struggle amusing and want to keep him around to watch.

Most importantly—having an imperial prince as my subordinate.

What a satisfying situation.

"I'm the head of the Banfield Earl. My word is the Banfield family's decision. There's no problem."

"But—"

To the worried Wallace, I said,

"I keep my promises. I'll support your independence. A small lordship is fine, right?"

"Yes, please! Anywhere is better than the cramped life in the harem! A lord of a small domain—no, even a small house is fine. I want to live on my own strength."

It's not that difficult.

"Leave it to me. By the time your training is over, I'll have a suitable domain prepared for you."

Kurt was exasperated, covering his face with his right hand.

"Liam, I won't be responsible for what happens next."

Helping a prince become independent isn't a big deal.

Kurt is worrying too much.

In the capital of the empire.

At the palace, where the prime minister was handling government affairs, news of Wallace's situation arrived.

A subordinate was calmly reporting.

"Prince Wallace has named the Banfield Earl as his patron."

"—What?"

The prime minister, who stopped his work, didn't understand what his subordinate was saying.

"Prince Wallace has publicly declared that the Earl will be his patron. Prince Wallace has already started the procedures."

Abandoning his royal status.

Starting the procedures to renounce his right to the throne.

Liam will now have the obligation to support Wallace's independence.

There's no benefit for Liam in becoming Wallace's patron.

It's almost impossible for Wallace to repay Liam.

There are almost no nobles who would become Wallace's patron in such a situation.

"The Earl is eccentric."

"But, this will allow one prince to become independent safely."

"Colonization isn't easy, but the Earl can manage it. Even if left alone, there will be no problems in the future—no, perhaps he had a plan?"

The prime minister started to overthink.

This is a result of overestimating Liam, who is called a prodigy and a genius.

(The Earl himself aside, the Banfield family's reputation is quite low. Perhaps this is to show that they are contributing to the empire?)

To do this, perhaps he supported Wallace, who is neither a threat nor a benefit?

Then, there would be a benefit for Liam, the prime minister thought.

(It's not easy to wash away the family's bad reputation, but this might help gain some credibility in noble society.)

If Wallace can become independent safely, Liam—Banfield family—will gain more credibility in noble society.

The prime minister was convinced of this.

Brian (´；ω；｀) "It's hard. It's hard that Master Liam became the patron of a useless prince. —Master Liam! I want you to consult with me first!"