"Don't touch it carelessly. It's more of a curse than just poison."
"Will this really curse the target with just one dose?"
The entourage explained about the Cursed Star Poison.
"With this, we can kill Liam without it being recognized as poisoning. Plus, the curse is real. After all, it's the materialization of the grudges of those who died when their planet was burned."
It is the liquid form of the anger of people and creatures whose planet was destroyed, and the wrath of the star itself.
Consuming it will cause the person to be cursed and die in agony.
And the only cure is an elixir, which is almost impossible to obtain. If you don't have it on hand, treatment won't be in time.
If too much time passes, even an elixir won't cure it, and the person will die in agony.
"---My grandfather and father are cowards. I'll kill Liam with this and become a high-ranking member of the family."
The entourage bowed deeply.
"Please don't forget my contribution when that happens."
"I understand. But where did you get this thing?"
The entourage grinned and mentioned an unexpected name.
"Have you heard of the 'Planetary Revitalization Organization'?"
"I've heard of it."
"They deal with such items secretly. On the surface, they do charity work, but they actually plunder various items from destroyed planets. They don't seriously try to revitalize planets."
They claim to do it, but they don't seriously try to revitalize planets.
Instead, they deal with dangerous items like this and make huge profits.
"Well, it doesn't matter. We just need to put this in Liam's food, right?"
"The capsule will dissolve, but the contents won't come out. If you mix it into a soup, it will be mistaken for an ingredient."
"---Hehehe, he'll be gone from this world today."
â
In the interrogation room.
The person sitting across from me was a brigadier general.
Despite being just a cadet, I was treated with respect by the general.
Because I'm important.
But I don't want to be treated as a criminal when I'm innocent.
"Your Grace, you have a grudge against the Berkeley family, don't you?"
The general, who is a brigadier, is being considerate of me.
But I don't want to be treated as a criminal when I'm innocent.
"Stop making false accusations. Where's the evidence that I killed him?"
"The deceased cadet was related to the Berkeley family."
"So what? The surname Berkeley is common. I don't know which Berkeley it is. Are they related to the fools who picked a fight with me?"
I wasn't even interested in the deceased cadet.
And outside the interrogation roomâ
"You, you locked Sir Liam in here! I'll kill you! Do you think you can lock him up without evidence and take responsibility? Huh?"
âMarie was using harsh words.
Several military police officers were holding her down.
"Please calm down!"
"We have the military academy's permission."
"We're just verifying his alibi!"
Hearing this, I looked at the general in front of me.
"Are you the one who decided I'm the culprit?"
"N-no. But, given the situationâ"
Just because I have a grudge against the Berkeley family, you think I killed him?
I hate such false accusations.
I remember being unfairly treated as the bad guy during my divorce in my previous life.
A new person appeared outside the room.
It seems to be Tia, who is now a fourth-year student at the military academy.
"This fossil. You let Sir Liam be locked up in such a placeâold people are really useless."
"Minchi woman!"
I thought she came to help me, but it seems she just came to pick a fight with Marie.
The door is noisy, and they are probably having a physical fight.
"Someone, stop them!"
"Call for help!"
"Bring a military academy instructor!"
The military police are in a commotion, and the general is holding his face and sighing.
Do they not intend to help me?
My opinion of them has dropped significantly.
"I'll crush you to pieces!"
"I'll turn you into minced meat!"
The door is being pounded with great force, and cracks are appearing in the wall.
What do they want to do?
Do they lack the awareness of being my chief and second-in-command knights?
I'm getting angry.
"If there's no evidence, I'm leaving. I can't stay here forever."
As I stood up, the general tried to stop me.
"Please wait!"
"Be quiet. Come back with evidence."
As the room and outside became noisy, a military police officer rushed in, out of breath.
"Sir! We found evidence!"
"What!? Good job! Duke, you can't talk your way out of this now!"
The general, who wanted to arrest me, was stopped by his subordinate shaking his head.
"No, it's not that. The evidence was found in the deceased cadet's room. They had brought in the Cursed Star Poison."
"---What? Immediately contact headquarters! Evacuate the cadets from the academy!"
Ignoring the attempt to arrest me, the general started to panic.
Still, the Cursed Star Poisonâthough I've heard of it, I remember it being a mass of curses.
It causes misfortune when consumed or something like that.
Are the Berkeley family members really that foolish to consume such a thing?
â
In the morgue.
There was a man who had died in agonyâtrying to assassinate Liam.
The guide who came to the room looked at the man with a deeply disgusted expression.
"---The idea of trying to curse him to death wasn't bad."
If the assassination had succeeded, the guide would have been somewhat pleased, despite the regret.
However, the result was a failure.
The man tried to poison Liam but was instead poisoned by Kukuri, who sensed the danger.
"But you are someone with a connection to Liam. Your suffering and despair will efficiently nourish me."
The guide placed a hand on the man's face, and he looked much more at peace.
The guide, who had become too closely connected to Liam, could not efficiently absorb negative emotions unrelated to him. However, with a connection, the absorption rate was much higher.
The guide was enjoying the man's emotions as if savoring fine wine.
"The negative emotions from the destruction of a planet make this even more delicious. Nameless one, you were foolish, but you have nourished me."
The guide regained more strength, and a crescent smile appeared on his face.
"I have regained much strength. To send Liam to hell, I will prepare not one, but two or three more steps."
Liam was the first to cause him so much pain.
Therefore, the guide decided not to hold back.
He had been caught off guard many times due to underestimating Liam.
"---I will gather Liam's enemies. Carefullyâand eventually, Liam himself!"
The guide laughed and disappeared from the scene.
â
In the imperial palace.
The prime minister was reading a report from the military academy and was furious.
The subordinates around him were tense.
"---What is the punishment for unauthorized handling of Cursed Star Poison?"
He asked his subordinates, but he already knew the appropriate punishment.
The problem is that the culprit is from the Berkeley family.
If they are punished normally, it will cause trouble.
A solution needs to be found.
"Disinheriting the family might be appropriate, but the Berkeley family can just sacrifice one of their branches. It won't be a significant blow."
They appear to be a collection of small baronies, but in reality, they are on the scale of a duchy.
On the surface, they are a collection of baronies, so punishing them would only be a superficial cut.
The head of the Berkeley family, Kashimiro, cannot be touched.
How did the Berkeley family become so powerful? It's because, in addition to the stable supply of elixirs, they were favored by the previous emperor.
They gained proximity through the elixir offerings and received support and cover for their misdeeds.
They grew too large, and it has become a headache for the prime minister.
However, cutting the Berkeley family for the sake of justice would cause significant problems for the empire.
The Berkeley family has that much influence.
"Kashimiro's head is out of reach."
"Yes. Perhaps it would be better for the empire to have them offer elixirs."
"It's frustrating."
The prime minister has high hopes for Liam because he has the potential to break this situation.
If the empire acts, this problem can be resolved, but the empire is too large and slow to move.
Once it starts moving, it's hard to stop, and it could lead to the collapse of the empire.
A subordinate reported another issue.
"Prime Minister, the military is requesting the replenishment of the regular fleet, citing the shortage of rare metals."
"---The military is asking for too much."
There are other interstellar nations besides the empire.
The neighboring country, though quite distant, has both trade and conflict with the empire.
Naturally, there are military forces stationed at the borders to defend them.
Sometimes, they invade and seize territory.
Having vast territories means the empire has many borders. Furthermore, there are constant wars.
It's like the fleet is being consumed as it is replenished.
Rare metals are often used in important parts of ships.
Substitute metals are used, but there is a clear difference in performance, so the military often demands ships made with rare metals.
The military heard that Liam had supplied a large amount of rare metals and naturally requested replenishment.
The prime minister reviewed the recent war results.
"We are being pushed back in various places."
A subordinate explained the reason.
"There are various reasons, but one is the inefficient use of resources. There are also the consequences of increasing the patrol fleet too much."
The patrol fleet is an important fleet for protecting the empire's territory, but it also includes fleets where noble brats are placed.
Some nobles, who don't want to serve under others, become patrol fleet commanders right after graduating from the military academy.
Some military personnel have also prepared old-fashioned patrol fleets as a place to send rivals.
In short, it has become bloated.
Some have even deserted and become pirates, and early solutions are needed, but there is no spare budget or personnel.
"These are all headaches. Reorganizing would cost a lot of money. No, it would cost too much."
Dissolving the fleets wouldn't end everything. There would be issues with handling the equipment and reassigning personnel.
Many patrol fleets are poorly treated, and the soldiers are not properly trained.
Fleets that don't conduct regular training quickly lose their proficiency, so re-education of the soldiers would be necessary.
The empire's power is great, but it doesn't have enough hands to handle everything.
"What to do, what to do."
The prime minister was troubled by the continuous problems.
Bryan (ÂŽïŒÏïŒïœ) "It's tough. My knights areâtough."