NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89 - Vol. 6 â Prologue
Chapter 89 - Vol. 6 a?? Prologue
Vol. 6 – Prologue
There is no such thing as justice in this world.
In my previous life, I was upright and serious, but where was justice when I needed saving?
Similarly, who in this world can punish me, an evil lord?
Therefore, my conclusion is that justice does not exist.
Those that speak of justice are in fact villains.
How do I know this?
Well, as a villain myself, I’m speaking of justice right now!
“Justice lies within us! Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
I’m currently at a party venue, giving a speech that sounds pleasant to the ears in front of the aristocrats I gathered who belong in His Highness Cleo’s faction.
Battle for justice! Duty of aristocrats!
Despite being the one who’s saying it, I feel like throwing up.
Thankfully, nobody that’s gathered here actually believes in any of these ideals.
Why?
That’s because they’re all evil lords with corrupted hearts.
There are hundreds of them gathered here, and they’re all aware that justice wasn’t the driving force which motivated me to rally them under His Highness Cleo’s banner.
We’re all using justice as an excuse to profit ourselves.
I decide to mingle with some of the guests as the party officially commences.
“Count Banfield is amazing. There are very few aristocrats with the ability to hold parties of this magnitude inside the Capital.”
“I’m simply putting up a front, but I hope you enjoy, Viscount.”
“You’re depleting your own resources to put up a front for His Highness Cleo?”
“Something like that.”
Think of this as an investment for His Highness Cleo.
Of course, I’ll make sure that I’m properly compensated.
“His Highness Cleo must be feeling confident with Count Banfield supporting him. I may not be an important character, but I’ll strive to do my best for our faction.”
Most of the lords attending the party have territories of their own.
I had called them over, so I had to bear the burden for everything, which included their lodging and transportation fees.
Why, you might ask?
I mean, who in their right mind would spend money for a party like this?
They would have to travel through the vast universe, only to end up listening to my insincere speeches.
If it were me, I would never choose to participate in such a party.
Even so, as one of the top executives of the faction, I had to gather some people in this manner to save face.
That’s basically why I’m bearing all the costs.
Then again, money is of no concern to me.
I’ll never have to worry about money thanks to the Alchemy Box, a gift from the Guide.
I can act as prodigally as I want.
As for why I’m putting up with such a hassle, it’s to cause a commotion in the Capital planet with the Cleo Faction.
Think of it as a performance to fuel up the faction supporting Calvin, who is the closest one in line to succeed the throne.
Unfortunately, I’m facing some obstacles.
Previously, I was able to trample on Linus, the Second Prince, by stabbing him from the back when he was distracted; however, the same can’t be done to Calvin.
Although Calvin’s position as Crown Prince isn’t necessarily unshakable, he is receiving a great amount of support.
As he has a lot of breathing space, he won’t try to recklessly crush us through force, either.
That said, he will surely strike if we show any hint of weakness.
He’s a tricky opponent.
So much so, in fact, that he hasn’t done anything despite me having graduated from the Imperial University.
The Viscount who I’ve been talking to asks about what I’m planning on doing now that I have graduated.
“On a separate note, is Count Banfield thinking of working as an official?”
After graduating from school, aristocrats are obligated to join the workforce as a form of “training”.
Of course, I’m not foolish enough to work diligently. I’ll be cutting corners here and there.
“Yes. If it’s for the Empire, I’m ready to work myself to the bones.”
“What a fine mindset. If only my son could learn a thing or two from Count Banfield.”
—I spout out some empty words, and the Viscount goes along with my joke.
As if I’d actually follow through with my words.
“So, where has Count Banfield been assigned?”
“I’ve been assigned to a government office where I’ll be performing miscellaneous tasks.”
◇
Liam Sera Banfield was a busy man.
As a student of the Imperial University, he had single-handedly built up a faction for His Highness Cleo, the prince who was ranked third to the throne.
Until the day of his graduation, Liam spent the majority of his time and energy on his schoolwork and on the newfound faction.
While other students were having the time of their lives, Liam was busy fulfilling his duties.
“Is Darling at a party again?”
Rosetta, who was house-sitting at the luxury hotel, wondered whether she should also participate.
It was a pity that Liam did not bring Rosetta along.
On a daily basis, Rosetta had to watch Liam toil away with class works and faction-related businesses.
Rosetta wished to help him, but there was very little she could do to alleviate his burden.
Seeing how worried she was, a maid spoke up.
The maid’s identity was [Ciel Sera Exner], and she had somehow managed to be assigned to aid Rosetta.
“—Is Lord Liam that busy? Isn’t it fun to attend parties every day of the week?”
Ciel had little experience in attending parties.
Knowing that, Rosetta didn’t reprimand her too harshly.
(Personally—I don’t have much good memories when it comes to parties. Given the current situation, I doubt that Darling is enjoying himself.)
“Ciel, parties aren’t all just fun and games. Many things go behind them.”
In the past, members of Rosetta’s family were forced to attend parties where they suffered ridicules from others.
She only had unpleasant memories of those times.
“I spoke without thinking. Please forgive my insolence, Lady Rosetta.”
“It’s fine. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. The Exner Family has entrusted you to the Banfield Family for your training, after all.”
Ciel was different from normal maids.
She was the family member of Baron Exner and Kurt, Liam’s allies.
As such, she had to be treated with care.
She was also treated differently from the children of aristocratic families that served Liam.
These children’s parents were those that worked for Liam.
On the other hand, Ciel’s parents were from a family that directly served the Empire.
Although the Banfield’s and the Exner’s were at different ranks, they were on equal footing as vassals.
That was why Ciel received a high level of education compared to the other daughters that were entrusted for training.
In other words, she had to undergo stricter education.
She wasn’t placed besides Rosetta to have an easier time.
Instead, she was assigned to Rosetta because she would be able to experience many things, even those that she might not like.
“—I hope Darling isn’t overexerting himself.”
Ciel’s gaze was somewhat sad as she stared at Rosetta worrying over Liam’s health.
◇
(He’s really the worst)
Ciel was watching Rosetta being concerned over Liam.
Ciel’s evaluation of Rosetta was neither good nor bad—in other words, she was the perfect example of a normal person.
Although Rosetta didn’t have any special talent, she wasn’t incompetent either.
In fact, Ciel admired Rosetta for the effort she put into self-improvement and even supported her to some extent.
The problem was, she had no eyes for men.
(She’s such a kind person—I’m sure she’s being tricked as well.)
Liam was said to be busy with parties and whatnot, but the person in question seemed to always be in high spirits. [1]
Just the other day, she saw him discussing with one of the merchants about the party and getting excited over it.
Although everyone praised Liam as phenomenal and awe-inspiring, Ciel suspected the validity of their claims.
Could such saints truly exist?
She had volunteered to stay next to Rosetta as a maid so that she could observe whatever’s happening firsthand.
She had endured the rigorous training so as to open the eyes of her dear brother Kurt.
Her brother had become a totally different person ever since his encounter with Liam.
Kurt used to be such a kind and dignified brother, yet he wouldn’t stop talking about Liam after meeting him.
As Kurt’s younger sister, Celia refused to forgive Liam.
She had already met Liam several times, and each time she did, she came to question Liam’s manner of conduct
No matter how much she thought about it, the way Liam behaved made him look like a small-time villain.
His accomplishments were an eye-opener, and he wasn’t the wasteful type, either.
Although she knew this, something bothered her greatly.
Her intuition was screaming, “Something’s up with this man!”
(I’ll wake everyone up. I’ll definitely peel off the mask that Liam’s wearing!)
A lone girl who wished to figure out the truth was about to approach Liam.
◇
-While this was happening-
The Guide, Liam’s true enemy, was in distress.
“How can I defeat Liam? What must I do? What must I do to defeat him?”
He failed to muster up an idea despite have thought very hard.
The Guide had made various attempts to put Liam into misery. However, Liam managed to exceed his expectations each time.
What’s worse, Liam always thanked him afterwards as if to have his revenge.
Liam’s gratitude was becoming more and more unbearable as it also started delivering the gratitude of others.
If it was Liam’s gratitude alone, it would’ve only made the Guide feel slightly unpleasant.
With the addition of other people, however, the gratitude he received became too overwhelming.
Some even worshiped the Guide as if he was their God.
The Guide experienced excruciating pain every time he was thanked with such passion.
“This is unforgivable! I’ll make sure Liam becomes miserable!”
Unfortunately, he had failed in all his attempts.
He had tampered with Liam’s luck.
He has assisted Liam’s enemies.
Still, his revenge never succeeded.
The Guide lost confidence in himself.
“Why aren’t things proceeding as I want? If I reverse what I’ve been doing, would I succeed? If I were to help Liam instead and rain misfortune on his enemies—As if.”
The Guide was repulsed by the very idea of aiding Liam.
If he were to help Liam, he would be thanked again. This time, he might even be erased.
The Guide trembled at the notion of being erased from the world.
“Tsk, I can’t fail next time.”
That said—
He couldn’t come up with any ingenious idea.
As of now, Liam could fend off any source of misfortune.
In addition, he was strong, ridiculously strong.
“How can I beat him? What the hell is One-Flash anyway?—How could that idiot Yasushi, a scammer, raise a monster like Liam?”
Yasushi had raised two other monsters just for the sake of killing Liam.
These two were the Guide’s trump cards.
He wished to pave the road so that they could get closer to Liam, but he was scared that things wouldn’t go as planned. As such, the Guide had not done anything yet.
“Seriously, what should I do!? I-I-”
After thinking long and hard, the Guide arrived at an answer.
“That’s right, I’ll test the waters by helping Liam a little bit and putting his enemies in hot water. If things don’t work out well, I’ll think of a different method! Let’s just see what happens when I help Liam a little!”
Feeling cornered, the Guide wasn’t putting much thought into what he was doing.
◇
Prince Calvin, the man who was first in line for the throne, revealed a tired expression in front of the aristocrats that supported him.
“It’s that bad?”
The United Kingdoms of Oxis was the source of Calvin’s distress.
It had invaded the Empire under the pretext of the back-room deals that the deceased Linus had made.
“His Highness causes problems for us even after his death.”
“The United Kingdoms is serious this time. After all, it has been played by His Highness Linus.”
“The purpose of their attack should be in revenge and in domestic stabilization.”
The secret agreement that Linus had made had thrown the United Kingdoms under the bus.
To the ousted kings and aristocrats of the United Kingdoms, this was no laughing matter.
A civil war had swept through the United Kingdoms of Oxis.
An apology from the traitors wasn’t enough to sate their anger.
A reasonable price had to be paid, and what they demanded was the territories of the Empire.
The aristocrats supporting Calvin were becoming anxious.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, the current situation isn’t looking good for us. That Liam is actively expanding his influence, and according to the spy aristocrat who we’ve snuck in, Liam is moving in the name of justice.”
In the name of justice—if he was any other aristocrat, he would’ve simply been dismissed as a blabbermouth.
However, the person who said this was no other than Liam.
Albeit Linus’s negligence having played a role in his defeat, Liam was nonetheless the perpetrator who led to the Second Prince’s demise.
What’s more, he had allowed the Dark Horse known as Cleo to rise up.
On top of that, Liam was well known for his noble spirit of not letting any pirates off.
Such a person was declaring his dissatisfaction towards the current Empire.
Liam wasn’t just some random aristocrat with no real power—he was a powerful foe.
It was also bad how local aristocrats overflowing with righteousness were gathering around Liam.
“If we let him be, Liam’s fame will continue to grow.”
If they ignored this predicament, there was a chance that many aristocrats would lose faith in the Empire and defect to side with the Cleo Faction.
Normally, he would’ve either left the situation alone for later or had the army deal with the situation.
Those were no longer valid choices.
The circumstances surrounding the United Kingdoms didn’t seem favorable to them either.
Due to the matters involving its civil war, the United Kingdoms was serious in their attacks.
Driving them away would come with a great cost.
Calvin deliberated over what to do.
“If we were to organize a large fleet to repel our enemies, the Capital’s defense will become too thin. Liam-kun isn’t someone who would miss such an opportunity.”
“That man would no doubt make a move. We shouldn’t have made him our enemy.”
“—On the other hand, if we were to stay put, people’s faith in us will wane.”
“The flow of the battle is in favor of His Highness Cleo. No, it would be more accurate to say that it’s in favor of Liam. Your Highness the Crown Prince, we must also make a move.”
In spite of everything, Calvin was someone that had survived the blood succession war until this day.
“—No, we will remain put.”
“Your Highness!?”
“Cleo would be the one that would have to take action. We will be pushing the problem onto Cleo.”
The aristocrats beneath him were enlightened by his plan.
“Is Your Highness suggesting that we have His Highness Cleo—No, Liam, bear the brunt of the damage?”
“Exactly. If Liam-kun fails, all is well. Even if he triumphs, he would surely have lost a majority of his troops. That’s how we will set the stage.”
In other words, to stamp out Liam, Calvin was intent on joining hands with the United Kingdoms’ invading army.
“While most their forces are absent from the Capital, we will shave off Liam-kun’s faction.”
Under Calvin’s instructions, the aristocrats began to busily move about.