Chapter 6:
Business
THE SEVENTH WEAPONS FACTORY had been built on a resource asteroid
that had already been thoroughly mined. Their facility had expanded several
times over the years via gathering and bonding multiple asteroids together. This
veritable space fortress supported the Empire's military.
Engineering Captain Nias, a member of the Seventh's team, removed the
helmet of her space suit and drifted down a gravity-free hallway. She turned
back to a coworker drifting behind her and gave him an annoyed look.
"They can't cancel on us now!" she complained, close to tears.
"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" her coworker said, looking
defeated. "The customer just suddenly said they'll be getting the fortress class
from the Third instead. I'm sure the Third bribed them or showed them a good
time."
Imperial weapons factories were numbered starting from one, so the
Seventh Weapons Factory was seventh from the top.
"But how can they just back out now? We've followed all the specs they
wanted and put so much work into the interior just like they asked us to! How
can they just say they don't need it anymore? We've honored all their stupid
requests!"
"Sure was hard work, wasn't it?"
"It was harder than hard! How much overtime did I put into this? How
many days off did I sacrifice to finish the work? How many all-nighters?!"
"Yeah, we've all poured our blood, sweat, and tears into builds lately. I
didn't go home for months, remember?"
Their recent ships had been top-notch in terms of required maintenance
and functionality, and they'd even put extra effort into their outer and interior
aesthetic designs—a rare move for the Seventh. As a result, their sales had
improved.
When Nias and her colleague reached a large monitor, their feet sank
down to the floor, pulled in by the spot of artificial gravity. On the screen was
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the fortress-class ship they were discussing. The enormous round structure was a
mobile base—a fortress, just as its classification implied. It could house,
resupply, and maintain a whole fleet. An incredibly extravagant asset overall,
one uncommon even in the Imperial regular army.
For all its extravagance, the fortress was equally functional. Still, it was
even more ridiculously huge than the superdreadnought Liam had ordered, so it
was being constructed outside of the enormous weapons factory.
"It'll be a real problem if we can't sell this monstrosity. The maintenance
alone will eat away at our funds."
Plenty of problems would come with failing to sell an insanely huge
fortress class like this one. Just keeping it functional would cost them workers,
parts, and money. If they were forced to choose between maintaining it on their
own and taking a huge loss just to get it off their hands, the Seventh would
probably choose the latter. Both options spelled financial trouble.
Nias held her head in her hands. "That's why I said not to take the order
without an advance and a strict contract, but the higher-ups got so carried away!"
The Seventh Weapons Factory had been making steady sales lately, so
they had eagerly accepted the request to build a fortress-class ship so they could
boast of the achievement. At this rate, they'd just end up taking a loss when
some rich noble or the regular army volunteered to take it off their hands. For a
large discount too, of course.
"Our pay will probably drop for a while," Nias's coworker said with a
bitter chuckle. "Even though we broke our backs to make this happen."
The pay of those working in the weapons factories rose and fell depending
on the fluctuation of sales.
But Nias had another concern beyond a reduction in pay. "At this rate,
they'll cancel my project because we won't have the budget, and I can't handle
that!"
If they took a massive loss, it would affect their future plans, and Nias's
current priorities could be completely scrapped.
Her coworker gave her an exasperated look. "We're not gonna sell it,
though. There aren't many nobles who could even afford a fortress class."
Obviously, they couldn't sell advanced military assets to foreign nations
either. They could sell to nobles within the Empire, but only those who received
official permission for their purchases.
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For Nias, Liam Sera Banfield was the first potential customer who came to
mind. "I'll go make a sales call to House Banfield," she said.
Her coworker snorted. "The count is in the middle of his noble training.
Sorry, but you're not gonna be able to chat with him."
"Oh, that's right..." When she heard this, Nias hugged her knees, muffled
sobs leaking from her lips. With no gravity to hold her down, however, she
floated in the air like a little ball of sadness.
Feeling sorry for Nias, her coworker decided to give her some advice. "Do
you know anything about the count's training? Did he tell you when it would be
over or any of his plans? He likes you, so I wouldn't be surprised if he'd
discussed that with you."
Nias had received special treatment from Liam ever since she'd been
entrusted with the maintenance of his mobile knight, the Avid. For that reason,
she tended to gain information about him that couldn't easily be discovered
otherwise. She actually had Liam's location and his schedule on hand.
She rapidly tapped away at her tablet, checking her backlog of messages.
"Ah, here it is. I've got the name of the domain he's studying in and his whole
agenda!"
"Shouldn't you have checked for those earlier?" her coworker muttered.
"What does the count see in you?"
Undeterred, Nias confirmed Liam's situation. "He's in his third year of
school right now, and it'll be over after this. Oh, and there'll be a party at House
Razel when his class is finished. If I can attend, I'll be able to meet with him!"
When her coworker heard this, he checked his own tablet to see if House
Razel had any deals going with the Seventh Weapons Factory. "House Razel...
Ah, we have done business with them. Twenty years ago, we fixed up some of
their equipment. We've only done maintenance for them, though. No
purchases."
"Hmm. I'd like to get them to buy something new from us."
"I see that it's been publicly announced that the count will be attending the
party. If you don't do a good job pushing the fortress class on Lord Liam, the
Third might sweep in and cheat you again, Nias."
Nias ground her teeth, already hearing Eulisia's haughty laughter echoing
in her ears. She absolutely despised the Third's successful saleswoman. "I'm not
losing to Eulisia! I'm gonna make this sale!"
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***
After hearing about the whole...exploding thing, I devoted all my time to
my training. No matter how much I wanted to mess around, staying home out of
fear was the smart choice. Because of this, I ended up spending the remainder of
my school year as a meek and diligent student. But evil lords were cunning; they
didn't rush headfirst into dangerous situations! That was what I told myself, at
least.
During a break, I sat on a bench on the mansion's grounds. This spot was
like a park, and taking breaks there was a small comfort I enjoyed outside of my
strict regimen.
"At last, it's almost over."
Sitting beside me, Kurt smiled and said, "It sure is. I've had a lot to think
about these last few years. I'd say I enjoyed it overall."
On his other side sat Eila, another new friend of mine, whose coveralls
were unzipped down to her belly. By this point, she seemed to have abandoned
any sense of modesty she might have had three years ago. Or maybe she just
didn't think of the us as members of the opposite sex. I did kind of wonder about
the feverish looks I'd caught her sending Kurt's way every so often, but I'd
accepted the fact that I might never understand.
Eila said, "We were basically just forced to work, but I guess it was fun
enough. It's not an experience you'll get anywhere else, so in that sense, I
suppose it's valuable."
"I had no fun whatsoever," I griped.
"Well, you couldn't play around since you were afraid of the whole
'blowing up' thing." Eila covered her mouth and snickered, so I flicked her on
the forehead. "Ow!"
Being afraid of the STD, I had avoided chasing any skirts, but it bugged
me that she'd pointed that out.
Dammit! This is all that stupid viscount's fault! Aren't you a failure of a
ruler if you let a dangerous STD run rampant through your territory? I
decided to have every single one of my subjects tested when I returned to my
domain. I couldn't tolerate being too scared to fool around.
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I pressed my finger to Eila's forehead and moved it around in a circle.
"S-stop that! Forgive me, Liam!" Eila apologized, but I was a villain, so I
wouldn't let her go that easily.
"I don't think so. You're getting off too lightly for teasing me. You should
be thanking me instead."
Eila blurted, "You pompous scaredy-cat!" I prodded her even harder.
Huh? Come to think of it, I sort of remember my coworker in my past
life, Nitta, saying something similar...maybe. It's been so long, I can barely
remember.
While I was taunting Eila, Kurt said nervously, "Hey, the day before the
big party, there's going to be a special presentation, right? The martial arts
exhibition or whatever?"
I looked over and studied him for a moment. From how he'd butted in like
that, as if to distract me from messing with Eila, I wondered if their feelings
were mutual. I decided to let her off easy this time and removed my finger from
her forehead.
"Some exhibition that'll be. It's just a bunch of fixed matches."
Once we finished our training, we were supposed to show off the fruits of
our labor. People—mainly our relatives—would gather in House Razel's domain
to see how much we'd grown. The winners of our little tournament were chosen
from the start, however; the Hot-Blooded Knight had already told us that we
were supposed to let the viscount's darlings win. Viscount Razel no doubt
wanted them to leave here with nice memories.
Could the viscount actually be a bad person? At first I thought he was
morally superior, but his territory's falling apart, he's let a violent STD infect
his populace, and now he's holding fixed sparring matches. Did I get him
wrong after all?
Eila shrugged. "Well, what can ya do? Peter and Katerina are officially
getting engaged this year too. Since Peter will be in the exhibition, they probably
want to build up his reputation for that. Plus, the viscount'll be happier to see his
favorites win."
Kurt was confused by Eila's wording. "Wait, you make it sound like the
viscount doesn't already know they'll win."
"I wonder... I feel like this sort of thing is usually arranged by vassals
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who are trying to please their lord. It is possible the viscount has no idea."
I thought about it. Was he just so purehearted, then, that he didn't suspect
his vassals of rigging the event? Could he be that blindly trusting of his
subordinates?
"It's not good to be virtuous," I said to myself.
"What was that, Liam?"
"Nothing." Kurt cocked his head at my muttering, but I changed the
subject. "I've got full mastery in the Way of the Flash, so it hurts me to have to
lose, you know?"
It would be embarrassing as all hell if a master martial artist lost in a
student tournament. I'd been told to lose on purpose, but it didn't sit right with
me. Kurt felt the same way, but his circumstances were slightly different.
"I agree with you, but I'm up against Peter, so I don't have to feel too bad.
I asked to be matched against him, and they okayed it."
"Why'd you ask that?"
"Peter and I both utilize the Ahlen style, and Peter has full mastery, so
I've got an excuse if I lose."
Kurt and Peter both used one of the Empire's major sword styles. During
their match, they would make an impression no matter who won.
"Peter sure doesn't seem as strong as you. Is he really a master?"
I considered Kurt a formidable opponent, but I was confident I could kill
Peter easily. I couldn't imagine my gut was wrong about his level of
swordsmanship, so I was really curious.
Kurt lowered his voice. "I don't want to start a rumor, but I think Peter
bought his mastery with money."
"Bought it?! Are you kidding me?" I blurted.
"You're so principled, Liam," Eila said teasingly. "It's not unheard of for
schools to sell masterships to people with a high social status."
Can famous schools really get away with things like that? True, it's good
publicity for people in high places to have mastery of their sword style, but it's
hardly in the spirit of martial arts.
While I sat there in astonishment, Kurt smiled and said, "Well, my father
and I obtained ours purely with skill. In his case, it was only after becoming lord,
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though. Even though we didn't buy our mastery, the mandatory exam cost us a
hefty fee."
This whole system is rotten. Hearing all this made me appreciate how
virtuous Master Yasushi was. He hadn't asked anything of me in return when
he'd granted me full mastery, and I had nothing but gratitude for him. It was a
pretty strange coincidence that I'd managed to meet up with him here. I figured
it was the Guide's work, and that made me all the more thankful toward him too.
In any case, if I wanted to keep the Way of the Flash alive, then I really
would need to find some students, as my master had urged me.
I had to say, I wasn't at all fond of the idea of Peter buying his mastery.
Considering he was one of Viscount Razel's favorites, I'd expected him to be the
honorable type. Did he just not place much value on one's martial arts skills? If
that was the case, he and I just weren't compatible.
As the three of us chatted, I spotted two other students out on a walk.
Oddly enough, it was Peter and his fiancée, Katerina. They were strolling
through the courtyard with their arms linked, looking for all the world like an
intimate couple.
When he noticed us sitting on the bench, Peter smirked and walked right
up to us. "Well, hello, pauper nobles." His drawling voice really grated on the
ears.
"Oh, Peter, don't say things like that. Don't you feel sorry for them?" As
she said this, Katerina snickered. Their rotten personalities were on full display.
To be fair, I must've come across as a sorry case compared to more
established nobles. I couldn't make any excuses for myself when I was still
paying off the huge debt my parents had left me with. Amagi had sternly
reminded me to never boast that I was rich. It bothered me to keep quiet about
the riches I gained from the alchemy box, but I didn't want to break my promise
to her, so I kept my lips zipped.
Eila asked flatly, "What can we do for you?"
Peter looked down his nose at us, the personification of a spoiled noble
child riding his parents' coattails. He didn't come across at all like the
upstanding person his reputation made him out to be.
"Actually, I thought I'd do something for you poor people. I'd like to
invite you to come around my favorite casino."
He wants to hang out with us? I liked the idea of going to the casino, but
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I didn't really want to be seen gambling in the territory of a virtuous lord like the
viscount, who made light of the importance of entertainment. Besides, I was
more interested in the profit that could be made than enjoying the games
themselves. But the way gambling worked, the house almost always won and the
gamblers were meant to lose, so the potential for profit was dubious.
"Not interested."
Eila tried to soften my words, a phony smile on her face. "Oh, um, I don't
think it's for us. Y-you know, since we don't have the money to play and all."
Kurt also wanted no part of it, but I could tell he felt the need to be polite
because of the couple's standing. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline as well."
Peter's face twisted with irritation. "Wow, you're turning down an
invitation from me? I possess full mastery of the Ahlen sword style, I'll have
you know. You don't want to make me angry, dooo you?"
From his belt, he drew not a toy-like shock sword, but an actual laser
blade. Eila backed up in surprise, and Kurt darted in front of her protectively.
"Put your weapon away, please."
Even Katerina seemed to realize this situation was taking a bad turn, and
she also tried to talk him down. "Don't, Peter. You can't start a fight on the
mansion grounds!"
Peter swung the blade around him, tracing it through the air, but he looked
like a total amateur. He stepped forward, ignoring his fiancée's warning. "Seems
like you could use some punishment!"
"I told you to stop!" Kurt snapped, but someone else moved first.
"Bwagh?!"
Right when Peter stepped forward to intimidate us, Katerina grabbed his
arm and yanked him backward, causing him to tumble to the ground. He
smacked the back of his head and rolled around in pain. It was so hilarious, I had
to point at him and laugh.
"Hey, look! A master swordsman tripped and bumped his head, and now
he's writhing around on the ground! Just incredible!" While I cackled, Katerina
helped Peter back to his feet.
"Peter, are you okay? I'll call a doctor right away."
"I-It hurts. It hurts! D-dammit... I won't let you three get away with this!"
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The sight of him limping away on Katerina's shoulder was so pitiful, I
couldn't even laugh anymore.
***
From the roof of the mansion, the Guide had watched Liam and Peter's
encounter.
"Why is that boy thanking me again?"
The Guide held his throbbing chest, suffering from this fresh wave of
gratitude. He didn't understand what had set it off. He was doing everything he
could to enact his revenge, but nothing had proved effective. He'd planned to
relish Liam's misery after the boy's poor treatment from House Razel, but not
only was Liam not upset, he also seemed to be at peace—even enjoying himself!
The Guide covered his face with his hands. "Even after all this time, I'm
still unable to bring him down. Is this just the way things are? Am I just going to
remain powerless, unable to take my revenge?"
With his abilities compromised by this tormenting gratitude, the Guide
couldn't do anything major, yet he still felt the burning need to bring Liam
down. He couldn't simply let the boy go. To the Guide, Liam was an enemy he
had no choice but to defeat.
"Even the pirates who plan on going after him are smaller and weaker than
Goaz and his crew. I can't rely on them to best him."
At this time, there were pirates setting a trap for Liam, but he couldn't
imagine they'd be successful. If he thought they might actually have a chance,
the Guide wouldn't have been in such agony.
"It's not enough, but what can I do? Is there nothing I can do but watch
him helplessly?"
The Guide fell to his knees in pain. A sentient light observed him from a
distance. This light then looked down on the laughing Liam and wiggled
excitedly.
***
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Meanwhile, the highest-ranking members of the pirate gang who'd sworn
vengeance against Liam had gathered in a meeting room. They sat around a
table, glasses of booze in front of them, and their leader chewed on a cigar. The
group was furious that Liam hadn't shown up at the casino yet.
"How long are we gonna drag this out? It's just one kid!" The boss
slammed his fist on the table, spooking his underlings.
Ever since they looked into him, they had been preparing, but the boy
hadn't left House Razel's estate even once, so the pirates couldn't lay a hand on
him.
"At this rate, it'll all be over before we can do anything to him, Boss.
According to our info, Liam's time here is almost up. If he goes back home, he'll
be out of our reach."
Liam's domain wasn't a place they could access easily. If they left their
turf to go after him, they might run into Liam's military, or even other pirate
gangs. In other words, the kid was untouchable the moment he left the area.
The gang's leader couldn't let Liam's insolence go unpunished.
Contemplating their next move, he finally brought up Viscount Razel's name.
"Contact Randolph. This is exactly the kind of thing he should be helping
us with."
His men exchanged nervous looks.
"Is that a good idea? Didn't the viscount warn us not to contact him too
much?"
"This is important. If people see us getting disrespected, it's all over for
us. Some other pirate gang will march over here and start throwing their weight
around, and I can't imagine that bastard Randolph would want that either."
One of the pirates said that he'd contact the viscount, and a few moments
later, a holographic window manifested before their boss, displaying the
unhappy face of Viscount Razel.
"I believe I told you not to contact me unless absolutely necessary."
Dropping his raging demeanor from a few moments ago, the boss took a
polite tone with the viscount.
"Sorry, Lord Razel, but we'd like to request your help with something."
And so the pirate boss made his proposal to Viscount Razel.
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***
"What do you say? It's not such a bad deal, is it?"
Viscount Razel's brow furrowed as he conversed with the boss of the
pirate gang.
"You want to harm one of the noble children in my care? Of course I can't
allow that."
If serious harm came to any one of them, he would lose noble parents'
trust, and his reputation would take a huge hit.
"And what about our reputation, Lord Razel? In order to prevent other
pirates from making moves on our turf, we need to beat down any idiots who
pick fights with us. If we don't, we won't be respected."
If one didn't have the respect of others, they had nothing. That thought
process also applied to noble society. If other nobles saw you as ineffectual, they
considered you lower than themselves. Viscount Razel understood this and
decided to lend the man an ear.
"You do realize you're only alive thanks to my benevolence."
"We understand that, and we're grateful for it, but I believe we can take
care of this little problem without harming your reputation."
The viscount considered this, stroking his chin. I suppose House Banfield
has less value to me than what I would lose if I angered these fools.
To the viscount, House Banfield was a terribly disrespectful family that
had haughtily brought a fleet of 3,000 vessels with them when they dropped off
their child. Their territory was in shambles, and their debt was vast. There was
absolutely no value in pursuing a relationship with the Banfields. Weighing the
matter this way, the viscount decided it was more beneficial to prioritize his
relationship with the pirates.
"What's this idea of yours?"
"We'll attack them when they leave your territory on their journey
home. House Banfield's military has no real strength, right?"
"I can't assist you...but I might be a bit 'late' in responding to any calls
for help."
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They settled for that arrangement. House Razel wouldn't assist the pirates
in their attack, but the viscount would also ignore any calls for assistance from
House Banfield. The pirate boss smirked, pleased with their deal.
"That's perfect! There's just one person we'd like to add to the equation.
He said he'll help us out."
"Who's that?"
"Lord Peter of House Petack."
"Peter?"
"He's willing to assist us. I guess the kid has a personal grudge against
the Banfield kid too. He'll be sending House Petack's fleet to aid us."
Viscount Razel's head started to throb when he heard this. Katerina told
me the same. Peter's really got that bad of a grudge against this kid? Katerina
had said the two of them had almost gotten into a fight, but he couldn't
understand such a thing leading to the mobilization of an entire army.
Peter's an incompetent fool, but I wouldn't want to upset him and have
the engagement called off.
Because the Guide had swapped House Banfield's reputation for House
Petack's, Viscount Razel was so desperate to maintain his good relationship with
House Petack that he was willing to take some unscrupulous risks.
"I approve of your plan, but I can't approve of the involvement of House
Petack's fleet. The attacking ships will be pirate vessels only. Is that clear?"
In not so many words, the viscount was saying House Petack's ships were
to masquerade as pirate vessels. The boss understood his meaning and agreed.
"Yes, my lord."
The viscount thought back to the Banfield fleet that had come on the first
day. Those 3,000 ships were quite the brazen display, but as I recall, they were
all outdated models. They'd most likely lose even against the pirates alone.
If the heir of such a lowly house was lost in a pirate attack, he couldn't
imagine the Empire would spend the resources to do a proper investigation. If he
simply performed his due diligence and sent the Empire an account of the
events, it would all be swept under the rug.
"Still, don't leave any evidence, you hear me?"
"Of course. Thank you, Lord Viscount... I'm looking forward to our
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continued relations."
Their communication came to an end, and Viscount Razel returned to his
work. Currently, he was reviewing the list of attendees for the end-of-year party.
He smiled, satisfied. It would be a more impressive turnout than usual this year.
"It's all thanks to House Petack. We'll have to make the party even more
lavish."
Viscount Razel considered all the possibilities a relationship with House
Petack would afford him. Through their connections, he'd be able to establish
further relationships with merchants, weapons factories, and others.
"I'm looking forward to this."
As the noble dreamed of his future, who else had graced the viscount's
office sight unseen but the Guide, lured in by the man's devious intentions.
"Oh, my, this certainly is an interesting turn of events." Having listened to
Viscount Razel's conversation with the leader of the pirates, the Guide was
delighted that things were moving in the worst possible direction for Liam. The
boy was unknowingly hurtling toward his doom, and the Guide hadn't even
lifted a finger.
"Pirates, House Petack, and House Razel—they've all joined forces to
take Liam down. How fantastic!"
If the three worked together, surely they would squash Liam.
"Wonderful! I love it! At most, they'll bring a couple hundred ships to
pick Liam up. If they surround his escort with thousands upon thousands of
ships, even Liam won't stand a chance—hee hee hee hee!"
Unlike Viscount Razel, the Guide had an accurate understanding of the
sort of fleet House Banfield would be sending. Contrary to the viscount's
expectations, it would be a modest number of ships, as was customary, though
they would be an elite force. On the other hand, the pirates' and House Petack's
ships would number in the tens of thousands. No matter how formidable Liam's
personal military was, in the face of such odds, there would be nothing he could
do to emerge victorious against them.
"It'll be a nice, torturous death for you, Liam."
Up until now, he'd only been observing matters while conserving his
energy, but the Guide finally decided to utilize his power. Space warped in front
of him. He stuck his hand into the distortion and began to manipulate what he
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could.
"This time...this time for sure, I'll finally make Liam miserable!"
The Guide couldn't manage much more than playing pranks at the time,
but he used every remaining bit of his power in order to corner Liam as much as
possible.
"Ha ha ha, oh, Liam! Just you wait... Your demise is coming for you!"
The stealthy white light that always dogged the Guide's heels finally left
his side to take action.
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