In the local government office where I work, I was thinking about various things.
My current workplace is very comfortable after I took care of the miscellaneous tasks.
The troublesome superiors and the bad local people connected to them have been eliminated, so there are no problems.
If any issues arose, I would have dealt with them with my own strength.
Thanks to that, I have a comfortable work environment, and no one gets in my way.
Now that I've finished my work, all that's left is to go home.
There are fifteen minutes left -- I was thinking about various things.
Firstly -- we must win the war between interstellar nations.
Secondly, pacifying the territory.
Thirdly, crushing those who look down on the Issen-ryu.
The first and second are essential and there's no time to spare.
The third can be postponed and done over time.
The fact that Issen-ryu is the best sword technique is unshakable.
However, war doesn't wait.
The scale of the war between interstellar nations is so large that it takes time to prepare for it.
Still, they will start moving against each other in a few years.
"Well, who should I place where?"
I am now in the office that the incompetent superior's superior used to use.
Although I am still in training, I am in this position because I cleaned up the superiors.
What exactly is training? I thought about it, but work is not important, so I stopped thinking about it immediately.
There is something more important now.
"The problem is the capital planet."
If we don't deploy forces to the capital planet, we can't fight with peace of mind.
As I was pondering, Kukuri appeared from the shadows.
"Lord Liam, may I have a moment?"
"What is it?"
"--- Recently, there have been terrorist attacks in the capital planet."
"That's a common story."
"But it's suspicious. The ideology is common, but the execution is too good. Also, the imperial authorities are not seriously trying to capture them."
Just hearing that, I couldn't help but notice.
They are an assassination group disguised as terrorists.
If Kukuri reported this, the target is us.
If they kill us, they will claim it was just a terrorist attack.
It's a roundabout way. --- I should take note of it.
"Can you handle it?"
"If we take some risks."
"Then leave it be. There's something else I want you to do. --- Investigate the traitors. But don't take action. Use them."
"Yes. However, regarding the traitors -- the Earl of the United Kingdom is suspicious, but it will take time to send someone. We have already sent our people to the integrated government."
It seems that people were sent to the integrated government when the demonstration occurred.
Kukuri, you are a hard worker.
"The Earl? He will betray us. There's no need to send anyone."
"--- Should we deal with him?"
"Eliminate him when we have time. Don't worry about it now."
The Earl of Norden, right? The Earl who was connected to Thomas and me, but he is a corrupt noble of the United Kingdom.
However, I think Norden was also in our territory? A baron's family, perhaps?
Well, it doesn't matter.
I wanted to get along with the same evil people, but he will betray me if he knows my situation.
If I were in the opposite position, I would definitely betray.
"Be careful with the information that comes from him. Don't forget to always include fake information in the information we send."
"I heard that the Earl of Norden will appear on the battlefield?"
"If I have the time, I would like to eliminate him, but --- the current problem is the capital planet."
They have prepared a terrorist group to eliminate us.
Leaving anyone behind leaves me uneasy.
--- Wait a moment?
Do I really need to go to the battlefield myself?
I will place myself in the capital planet and reorganize the personnel from there.
"It's doable. Kukuri, gather the main people when you return."
"Yes."
β
There was a knight named Klaus.
In Liam's knight order, he was a typical ordinary knight.
He was a hardworking knight with considerable experience, making him a valuable general knight among the mostly radical members of Liam's knight order.
Such a Klaus was trembling with stomach pain.
(No wayyyyyy!!)
In a high-end hotel conference room.
Everyone was perplexed in front of the assigned personnel for the future.
Liam was sitting in a chair, looking dignified.
He didn't seem to be joking.
"The vanguard of Prince Cleo's expeditionary force, the general commander is you, Klaus."
"Lord Liam, I have no experience commanding a fleet of several million ships."
"It's not a problem."
"No, it's a problem!?"
What is not a problem? To Klaus, it only felt like a problem.
He was not only in charge of the empire's regular fleet but also the fleets of the nobles.
Moreover, Liam entrusted him with a large fleet of sixty thousand ships.
Tia and Marie were looking at him with envious eyes.
These two were among the most capable troublemakers in the knight order.
"Isn't that a good position, Lord Klaus?"
"If it's too much, I can take your place."
Ignoring the two's gazes, Liam lowered his voice.
"Are you complaining about my selection?"
Hearing that, Tia and Marie hurriedly knelt and apologized.
"N-no, that's not the case!"
"Complaining about me! But, is Lord Klaus really the right choice? I've heard he has no experience commanding a fleet of this scale?"
There were only two people in Liam's camp who had experience in commanding fleets of several million ships.
Those two were Tia and Marie.
Tia had participated in a war involving fleets of that scale when she was a princess knight, collaborating with another country.
Marie was one of the Three Knights of the past empire.
She had participated in wars between interstellar nations and commanded a part of the forces.
She had more experience than Klaus.
"Lord Liam, I am not up to the task --"
"You can do it. I am confident. I will assign Tia to you, so use her. And then, Chancy."
Liam called out Chancy, who had shown no interest until now.
The knight who had tried to kill Liam.
"What is it?"
"You are the strongest here. Protect Prince Cleo under Klaus."
"--- Do you trust me?"
"If you complete the task given to you, I will let you play again."
Hearing that, Chancy blushed and shuddered.
Klaus thought.
(Wait, Lord Liam! Does that mean you're pushing the two troublemakers onto me!?)
Marie raised her hand slightly.
She looked lonely because her name wasn't called.
"Lord Liam, what about Marie's assignment?"
"--- You will command three thousand ships to suppress pirates. I will entrust the defense of the territory to you. It's a small number, but show me you can defend it."
"Y-Yes!"
Being entrusted with the defense of Liam's territory is also a sign of trust.
After all, Liam will be living in the capital planet for a while.
Klaus was also worried about that.
"Lord Liam, how many forces do you plan to leave in the capital planet?"
"--- Three thousand should be enough."
"N-no, that's too few! The Calvinist nobles will definitely not miss this opportunity!"
"That's fine. You just need to make sure Prince Cleo wins. I will enjoy the view in the capital planet."
Although he says he will enjoy it, it was clear that the capital planet would also become a battlefield.
Placing Liam there was -- quite dangerous.
Even as bait, it was too risky.
"B-but"
"Enough! --- What about Yurisha? I plan to make her work too?"
When Liam mentioned Yurisha, who was not present, Klaus tilted his head.
"Um, Lady Yurisha, Rosetta said she would be recalled to the military? Apparently, she has been slacking off recently."
"--- What is she doing at such a busy time? Bring her back quickly! I'll make her work in a noisy territory."
Was he forgetting about Yurisha?
Klaus suspected his master.
(This might not be the concubine course. --- Sigh)
β
After leaving the conference room, I immediately went to the fitting room.
I called Patrice of the Newlands Chamber of Commerce, one of my personal merchants.
He was currently attending to Rosetta.
"It suits you, Lady Rosetta."
"B-but, why do you have so many dresses? This is the thirtieth one."
"For parties."
"Are you going to parties? With this many, you won't have to worry for decades."
"No, I won't wear a dress that has been used once, so I expect to use them all in a month."
"Eh!? A-are they all cheap? Disposable dresses?"
"Yes, they are quite affordable. The price is about this much."
"H-high! But, with thirty dresses, it would cost this much, right?"
"That's for one dress."
"--- Eh?"
Rosetta was frozen in shock.
Next to her, Shier was also frozen.
Shier was also being prepared for parties, just like Rosetta.
The serious Shier-chan would probably dislike wearing expensive dresses and attending parties.
--- But I love it.
Wasteful extravagance is the essence of a corrupt noble!
So, why am I doing this? --- Because parties are held daily in the capital planet.
I plan to enjoy myself while staying in the capital planet.
If anyone tries to provoke me, I will deal with them.
It's better to wait for them than to search for them.
After all, the parties I attend are held under a different name, but I control everything behind the scenes.
I will have the idle Wallace organize the daily parties, and I will just attend and enjoy.
Patrice approached me.
"Lord Liam, the high officials of the integrated government say they are not involved in the demonstrations. They were even surprised. They can't believe the demonstrations happened so quickly."
The result of the warm welcome led to a misunderstanding, and the demonstrators were incited by agents.
That doesn't matter, and I don't think the integrated government is involved.
I probably have spies infiltrated, but everyone does that.
"I'm not too suspicious of that."
"--- What about the instigators of the demonstrations? If we follow the imperial way, we would burn the entire planet. I was more concerned about that."
"You are being too kind to the former citizens. I won't burn them, but they will receive punishment."
They will receive punishment for causing trouble in my territory.
"More importantly, can we win the war against the United Kingdom? Even if we win, I think the power of the faction will significantly decrease. Also, don't we lack people?"
Don't we lack excellent talent?
Worried about this, I smiled at Patrice.
"In this world, investment is important."
"Is there a message?"
"--- It's time to recover. That's all."
Until now, I have been sending young people from my territory to study abroad, and it's time for them to work for me.
Military personnel, officials -- there are many people who have received my support.
I had forgotten about it until now.
"There is no problem with the number of people. As for the war -- I will use the traitors."
While watching Rosetta and Shier try on the dresses one after another, I looked forward to what would happen next.
"Patrice, we have already won this battle."
"I would be in trouble if we lost. Even if we win against the United Kingdom, the Calvinist faction will be waiting afterward."
This guy doesn't understand anything.
The opponent I said we have won against is -- Calvin.
Calvin thought he could win for sure and moved recklessly.
I didn't expect Calvin to move so quickly.
I can only be grateful for this good fortune.
β
The Imperial Army's Seventh Weapons Factory was experiencing unprecedented prosperity.
"Hahaha, I can't stop laughing!"
The Cleo faction was dragged into an interstellar war, and the weapons for that war were produced by the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Weapons Factories.
The Seventh was excluded, but then a large order from Liam came in.
A junior colleague watched the factory operating at full capacity next to the laughing Nias.
She was also smiling.
"The Exner family's weapons are also being completely replaced. Oh, Baron Vanfield is very generous."
Among the nobles of his faction, he was lavishly providing support to the lords with concerns about their fleets.
He was providing the latest warships, mobile knights, and other equipment.
The empire is "officially" promising maximum support for Cleo's participation in the interstellar war.
They can build and sell weapons without any reservations.
Moreover, the more they build, the more they sell.
They were even buying back the inventory, and the laughter wouldn't stop.
"The wartime boom is amazing."
"The war hasn't even started yet. But --"
However, what the Seventh Weapons Factory was producing was -- improved versions of the new models that received complaints from the Vanfield family.
The design was not to their liking.
The interior was not to their liking.
The performance was the same, but the Seventh Weapons Factory was producing weapons with unnecessary features.
They didn't want to build them, but the pure models of the Seventh Weapons Factory didn't sell.
They were completely unpopular.
There were no orders for anything other than the Vanfield family's specifications.
"Our pure models have only sold a few, and our pride is shattered."
"It's not a problem since I didn't design them."
The Cleo faction was prioritizing war preparations, even if it meant some strain, and the weapons were flying off the shelves.
Moreover, Liam was lending money to the lords.
Liam was increasing his influence within the faction and successfully strengthening it.
He was moving around flamboyantly, using the war as an excuse.
Nias was touching her cheeks with both hands, looking at the warship in front of her with a sloppy expression.
"M-o-r-e -- my latest and greatest warship is more important. Look at this amazing performance!"
The 3,000-meter-class flagship built for Liam was the ultimate warship, using rare metals generously.
"I used rare metals even in the power source and engine. The output is different. The output is! The gun barrels are made of Arondite, and the heat conduction is --"
If we do this, it will definitely be the strongest! --- But there is no budget or resources.
So it was just a theoretical product, a phantom giant warship.
However, thanks to Liam, it was completed.
Nias completed it.
"Kukuku --"
Since Nias didn't seem to be returning to the real world anytime soon, the junior colleague returned to work.
"Well, we are making a huge profit, which is good. Still, the nobles of the Cleo faction have made a good timing for generational change."
With the introduction of new weapons, the current mainstream weapons have become outdated.
The Cleo faction was the first to change the generation of weapons.
Bryan (Β΄γ»Ογ»ο½): "I feel sympathy for Lord Klaus. More importantly, I am relieved that Lord Liam is working diligently at his training post. It is fortunate."
Kobayashi-chan ( γβγ): "Finally, tomorrow is the release day of [The World of Otome Games is Harsh for the Villain 5]! Everyone, buy it! If you answer the survey bonus, you can read a special bonus of over 30,000 words. I will finally appear too!"
Kobayashi-chan ( γθ¨γ): "Definitely buy it, and vote for me in the popularity poll."
Monica ( γβγ): "And the day after tomorrow, January 31st, [Sevens 9] will be released! Please look forward to it!"
Bryan (Β΄οΌΟοΌο½): "It's painful that my scene was taken over."