Chapter 6 is scheduled to be updated daily at 6:00.
There is no such thing as justice in this world.
In my previous life, did justice help me, who lived earnestly?
Who in this life will judge me, a wicked lord?
In conclusion—there is no such thing as justice in this world.
Those who speak of justice are villains.
Why is that?
Because I, who speak of justice, am precisely a villain!
"Justice is on our side! — Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
At the party venue.
I gathered the nobles affiliated with Prince Cleo's faction and delivered a speech with pleasant-sounding lines.
About the righteous battle, the obligations of nobles—saying it myself makes me want to vomit.
But none of the people here seriously believe in such things.
Why?
They are all nobles with the faces of villains.
Their hearts are pitch black.
And there are hundreds of them gathered here.
The villains know from the start that there is no righteousness in my gathering them and supporting Prince Cleo.
Righteousness is just a facade.
Everyone acts for their own benefit.
As soon as the party started, I immediately began talking to the gathered crowd.
"Lord Banfield, you are quite resolute. There are few nobles who can host a party of this scale on the capital planet."
"I put on a bit of a show. So, I hope you enjoy it, Viscount."
"For the sake of Prince Cleo, you are willing to spend your own money?"
"Something like that."
An investment in Prince Cleo.
I am seeking a solid return.
"Having Lord Banfield around, Prince Cleo must feel more confident. Though I am of minor status, I will also work hard for the faction."
Most of the nobles attending the party are lords.
I invited them, but I covered their travel and accommodation expenses.
Why?
Would anyone pay money to attend such a party?
Traveling from distant parts of the universe to listen to my empty speech—I wouldn't attend if I were them.
But as the leader of the faction, I need to gather people to maintain my reputation.
As a result, I covered all the expenses.
However, money is not an issue for me.
I have the Alchemy Box, a gift from the Guide, so money is not a problem.
I can afford to be generous.
I am doing all this troublesome work to stir things up with the Cleo faction on the capital planet.
It's a performance to provoke the Calvin faction, which has the first claim to the throne.
However, things are not going as planned.
Previously, I eliminated the second prince, Linus, by stabbing him from behind, but Calvin is different.
While not as solid as the crown prince, he has a strong support base.
Moreover, he is so confident that he does not try to crush us forcefully.
However, if we show any weakness, he will surely exploit it.
He is a real pain.
So much so that even though I have graduated from the Imperial University, nothing has changed.
The viscount I am talking to brings up the topic of my post-graduation plans.
"Changing the subject, Lord Banfield, you will work as a government official, right?"
Nobles are required to perform labor as part of their training after graduating from school.
Well, I don't plan to work earnestly, so I intend to slack off.
"Yes. For the empire, I will work to the best of my ability—exerting all my strength."
"How admirable. I would like my son to learn from you."
—He doesn't really mean it, and I am just going along with the joke.
I have no intention of working earnestly.
"Where will you be assigned?"
"Initially, I will handle miscellaneous tasks at the government office."
◇
Liam Sera Banfield is busy.
While attending the Imperial University, he supported Prince Cleo, who has the third claim to the throne, and established a faction.
Until graduation, he was actively involved, dedicating most of his student life to classes and faction activities.
While other students were enjoying themselves, Liam had few such moments of leisure.
"Darling, are you going to another party today?"
Rosetta, staying at a high-end hotel, was wondering if she should attend as well.
But Liam does not take Rosetta with him.
She wants to help the busy Liam, who is often occupied with classes or faction matters, but there is little she can do.
The maid, who has become Rosetta's personal attendant, speaks to her.
【Ciel Sera Exner】has successfully become Rosetta's maid.
"Is Lord Liam really that busy? He seems to be enjoying himself at parties every day?"
Ciel has little experience attending parties.
Knowing this, Rosetta did not scold her harshly.
(I don't have many good memories of parties. But considering the current difficult situation, Darling must not be enjoying himself.)
"Ciel, parties are not just for enjoyment. They have various implications."
In the past, Rosetta's family was forced to attend parties where they were treated like exhibits and mocked.
She did not enjoy them at all.
"I spoke out of turn. I apologize, Lady Rosetta."
"It's fine. If you have questions, feel free to ask. You are a noble lady who has come to our Banfield family for training from the Exner family."
Ciel is not an ordinary maid.
She is from the family of Liam's ally, Baron Exner, and his heir, Kurt.
She cannot be treated casually.
Moreover, she is different from the foster children from Liam's foster family.
While they are Liam's foster children, Ciel's family, though of a lower rank, is a direct vassal of the empire—on equal footing.
She receives a higher level of education than the other foster children.
To put it bluntly, she receives a stricter education.
She is not placed by Rosetta's side out of kindness.
If she stays close to Rosetta, she will inevitably gain various experiences.
"—I hope Darling isn't overworking himself."
Ciel looks at Rosetta, who is worried about Liam, with a somewhat sad expression.
◇
(He's the worst.)
Ciel watches Rosetta, who is worried about Liam.
In Ciel's opinion, Rosetta is neither particularly capable nor incompetent—she is just average.
She is diligent, and Ciel admires and supports her personally.
But she has poor judgment when it comes to men.
(This person is good, yet she is being deceived.)
While Liam is busy with parties, he seems to be enjoying himself.
The other day, he was excitedly discussing party matters with one of the imperial merchants.
Everyone praises Liam as amazing and the best.
However, Ciel is skeptical.
Does such a righteous person really exist?
That's why she volunteered to be Rosetta's maid, where she can observe him closely.
She endured the strict education to awaken her beloved brother, Kurt.
After meeting Liam, Kurt changed dramatically.
He used to be dignified and kind, but after meeting Liam, he talked about him all the time.
As his sister, she could not accept this.
Ciel has met Liam a few times.
What caught her attention was his behavior.
He is clearly a small-time villain.
What he does is impressive, and he is frugal.
She understands that, but something feels off.
Her intuition tells her, "There's something about this guy!"
(I will open everyone's eyes. I will definitely expose Liam's true nature.)
A young girl is getting closer to Liam to uncover the truth.
◇
At that time.
The Guide, Liam's true enemy, was struggling.
"How can I defeat Liam? What should I do? How can I—defeat him?"
He cannot find an answer.
He has tried to make Liam's life miserable in various ways.
Each time, Liam exceeds expectations.
And as if to retaliate, he expresses gratitude.
Liam's gratitude, which carries the gratitude of the people, is very painful.
If it were just Liam's gratitude, it would be creepy, but the people's gratitude is overwhelming.
Some even worship him like a god.
With such gratitude added, even the Guide is suffering.
"This is unacceptable! I will definitely make Liam miserable!"
But he has failed every time.
He has tried to make Liam miserable and supported his enemies.
Yet, he has never succeeded in his revenge.
The Guide has lost confidence.
"What am I doing wrong? Is the opposite approach the key to success? If I help Liam and make his enemies miserable—could it be?"
The Guide absolutely does not want to help Liam.
If he does, he might be thanked again—and this time, he might be erased.
The thought of being erased makes the Guide shudder.
"Next time, I can't fail."
But.
No matter how much he thinks, he cannot come up with a good plan.
No matter how much he tries to make Liam miserable, Liam overcomes it on his own.
Moreover, he is strong.
Too strong.
"How can I defeat him? What is this 'One Flash Style'—that fool Ashi. How can a fraudster raise such a monster?"
There are similar monsters to defeat the monster Ashi raised.
But this is the Guide's trump card.
He wants to move those two closer to Liam, but he is afraid to do so.
"Really, what should I do? I—I—"
After much thought, he reaches a conclusion.
"Right. I'll try helping Liam and making his enemies miserable. If this doesn't work, I'll think of a different method! Yes, I'll just help Liam a little and see what happens!"
Cornered, the Guide is not thinking clearly.
◇
The Crown Prince Calvin, who has the first claim to the throne, looks a bit tired in front of the nobles supporting him.
"Is it really that dangerous?"
The reason is the Oxysean Union Kingdom.
They invaded the empire's territory, citing a secret pact with the deceased Prince Linus.
"Even after death, Prince Linus is a pain."
"But the Union Kingdom is serious. They were stirred up by Prince Linus."
"Their goal is revenge and to tighten control within their own country."
The secret pact with Linus caused chaos in the Union Kingdom.
But the king and nobles of the Union Kingdom, who were left without support, are not happy.
Moreover, even if the traitors apologize for the civil war, they will not be forgiven.
They need to pay a price, and that price is the cession of imperial territory.
The nobles supporting Calvin are anxious.
"Crown Prince, the current situation is a bit dire. That Liam is very active, and according to the nobles we have infiltrated, he is promoting justice."
Promoting justice—this would be just empty talk from an ordinary noble.
But the opponent is Liam.
The man who eliminated Prince Linus when he showed a weakness.
The mastermind behind turning the mediocre Cleo into a dark horse.
A noble with a high moral stance against pirates, who publicly states his dissatisfaction with the current empire.
Not just any noble, but a powerful enemy.
It is also bad that local nobles with a sense of justice are gathering around Liam.
"If we leave this unchecked, Liam's reputation will only grow."
If we overlook this, the nobles who are dissatisfied with the current empire will either join or support the Cleo faction.
Normally, we would either leave it to the military or let it be, planning to reclaim it later.
But we cannot do that now.
Moreover, the situation in the Union Kingdom is also bad.
They are attacking in earnest, partly to atone for the civil war.
If we repel them, the damage will be significant.
Calvin ponders.
"If we send a large fleet to suppress them, the capital planet will be left vulnerable. Liam will not miss that opportunity."
"That man acts decisively. It was a mistake to make him an enemy."
"But if we lose territory, our credibility will suffer."
"The situation is tilting in favor of Prince Cleo. No, in favor of Liam. Crown Prince, we must act."
But Calvin is a man who has survived fierce succession battles.
"No, we will not act."
"Crown Prince!?"
"We will let Cleo take the lead. We will let Cleo have the glory."
The nobles in the faction understand.
"Let Cleo—no, Liam—suffer significant losses?"
"Yes. If Liam fails, that's fine. Even if he succeeds, he will surely lose a lot of strength. That's how we will act."
In other words, to crush Liam, we will ally with the invading Union Kingdom army.
"We will weaken Liam's faction in the vulnerable capital planet."
The nobles, following Calvin's instructions, move swiftly.
Bryan (´；ω；｀) "It's been a while. I'm Bryan. I have a disappointing announcement for Chapter 6. —Lord Liam's harem still has zero members! —It's tough."