Chapter 26: Too Late

Chapter 26: Too Late

A fleet of battleships moving through space.

Aligned in formation, they created a beautiful line of light that seemed to cut through the darkness.

The rooms of the flagship were so luxurious that it was surprising.

Sitting by my side were the commander-in-chief and the admiral, as well as the person I had taken into my protective custody.

Lord Liam, it looks like youve completed your training safely.

This was only the start. A few years from now, Ill have to leave again to study abroad in the imperial capital. I might be gone for decades.

Kurt didnt seem to be able to calm down.

And Tia suddenly started acting as my personal aide.

Was it that? Because she messed up during the pick-up, was she trying to earn more points now to make up for it?

I didnt hate that kind of behavior.

Lord Liam, of the university or the military academy, which one are you going to enroll?

Tia asked, so I parched my throat with a drink before answering,

-Either or. Theyre pretty much the same thing. The degrees we strive to earn there are just more ways to kill time.

Kurt looked like he was seriously pondering this,

I think its more important than that. My father told me that after you graduate from the academy, youll be conscripted to work for the military for the time. He told me that I should aim to form connections while I could.

Does he plan to work hard to be liked by his superiors?

As always, this guy has it tough.

Considering our positions, wed probably be assigned to rear-line duty anyway.

Id prefer a more active role if possible. Liam, are you going to return to governing your territory after your training is complete?

Most of the youths who have finished their training apparently spend it living freely until they turn about two hundred years old.

After that, I heard that theyd start preparing for the change of ownership that would allow them to succeed in their familys house as its new lord.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

But I had already succeeded my house as count.

I think I might take it easy for a while.

If I became an official, Id be able to cover up my evil deeds as long as I had the right connections.

Though the same could be said for high-ranking military personnel.

If something ever happened, Id just ask them for help, and then whatever I wanted to cover-up would disappear.

Either could be said to be the correct choice for connections- so which should I choose?

Since I want to play around while Im studying abroad in the imperial capital, I should probably become an official.

Do I need to prepare some bribes?

While I pondered this, we had arrived in an area of space that allowed warp travel.

The admiral had their own fleet to take charge of, so they left the room, leaving the commander-in-chief behind.

Lord Liam, for the pirate hunt in Baron Exners territory, its been reported that the enemy numbers around three thousand ships.

I see, I hope they have a lot of treasure.

Kurt had an uneasy expression on his face.

Dont worry, Ill be sure to transfer over your thirty percent properly.

Im not worried about that. Liam, arent you afraid? The other party wont just be pirates, but hired mercenaries as well.

This guy needs to relax a little.

Serious evil lords may exist, but this guy is overdoing it a little.

Remember this phrase! Pirates are just living wallets. Theyre nothing but great people who collect goods and money for me to relieve them of once Im done cleaning them up.

Kurt still looked uneasy, but I had the guide on my side.

You could say that I had his divine protection.

My second life has been really lucky so far thanks to him.

No matter what I did, I always seemed to succeed.

Even so, theres still three thousand of them

The debris generated from the battle could be converted into valuable resources that could be sold for big profits is what Id like to say.

But the pirate fleets seem to have been growing weaker recently, not having much treasure saved up.

Tia then fixed her posture and asked me to leave this to her,

Lord Liam, please entrust this battle to this Tia here.

Dont interrupt us, and thats my decision to make.

P-please forgive me.

Watching Tia, who immediately backed off and knelt before me, I couldnt help but think she looked like a dog.

After the talks continued on for a while, the commander-in-chief got a call,

Whats wrong?

Enemy forces have been spotted enroute to intercept us. They number around twenty thousand strong.

Enemy forces? Is it pirates?

Y-yes but

What is it?

weve confirmed ships that bear the crest of a noble house among them.

When we arrived at the bridge, both sides were already facing each other.

The holographic image that displayed the current state of the battlefield showed that the enemy was spreading out as if to swallow us.

In contrast, we were taking a formation that was in the shape of a sphere.

Do they intended to entrap us before attacking?

Kurt started whispering to me,

Theyre trying to surround us, its a good strategy that takes advantage of their superior numbers.

Looking at that I-

Okay, lets attack them.

Tia and the surrounding officers started to glare at the commander of the enemy ship with narrowed eyes.

(This person isnt strong. He isnt even at the level of a normal knight. To such a person, will Liam really accept their request?)

The commander-in-chief asked Liam for confirmation,

Lord Liam, the Peetak house has offered to surrender. It might be true that they collaborated with pirates, but various problems might ensue if we continue to attack them-

The commander-in-chief thought that the battle was probably going to end here.

It was only natural for Liam to accept the surrender.

However, the grudge theyd bear towards the Peetak house wouldnt be funny at all.

The commander-in-chief was a serious soldier. He couldnt forgive nobles who acted no different from pirates.

A grinding sound could be heard from Tias clenched fists.

Her absolute hatred for pirates could be understood just by looking at her.

Thats when Liam-

The Peetak house? Hey, do you see the Peetak house anywhere? I dont see them. All I see in front of us are pirates.

Liam started to laugh while giving out orders,

-theyre just pirates. Theres no reason for the good, respectable, and noble Peetak house to pretend to be criminals. Those are just pirates impersonating a noble family. What reason is there for us to accept their surrender?

At that moment, the commander-in-chief fixed the position of his hat.

Please excuse my mistake, I will continue the attack.

Of course you will.

Liam stood up.

Now, Im going to join the assault as well. Tia, you come too.

Yes!

Kurt called out to such a Liam,

Liam! Are you really fine with this?!

This meant starting a war with the Peetak house, and all houses allied with them.

Despite all that, Liam was laughing,

Of course I am.

After saying those words, he took Tia and left the bridge.

The commander-in-chief called out to Kurt after the two disappeared.

Now that, is our Lord Liam.

real aristocrats sure are amazing. If compared to father and myself, I guess I can understand why they ridicule us as upstarts.

They couldnt make decisions as easily as Liam did.

What do you mean? Those are just pirates. Lord Kurt, I wholeheartedly believe that you could make the same order.

Kurt understood everything at that moment.

(Even if something is white, its black as long as I say it is its easy to speak such words, but how did Liam learn to do things like this?)

Just as Liam said, the Peetak house was treated no differently from another pirate fleet.

Kurt knew that those words werent a joke, and at the same time, the deepness of the resolve behind that order could really be felt.

I need to grow stronger.

A tremor seemed to reverberate through Kurts body.

Even though it was common sense to not be hostile when possible, Kurt still wanted to fight.

To be precise- Kurt wanted to fight through many opponents as a swordmaster, but looking at Liam, Kurt was convinced that he was the one person that nobody should ever make into an enemy.

I was lucky to do this training.

The training at the Razel house was insufficient.

However, Kurt thought it was worth it to meet Liam and form a friendship with him.

The corridor leading to the hangar.

Tia was watching Liams back with flushed cheeks.

(Ahh~ Lord Liam truly is noble. Even if the opponent is another aristocrat, he has no qualms with crushing those who associate with pirates with his own hands. I will follow his orders until the day I die.)

Even though Liam knew that the enemy was the Peetak house, he still decided to label them as pirates and have them eradicated Tia was trembling.

She was trembling in joy.

(As I thought, Lord Liam is my one and only master. I must serve him with all of my being.)

Liams back, which was still younger and smaller than herself, looked very large to Tia.

When they arrived at the hanger- the knights were waiting in line to greet them.

To Liams personal aircraft- the path leading up to Avid was covered in a red carpet.

Liam called out to everyone.

All the soldiers, knights, and others looked towards him.

its time for the fun pirate hunt. Everyone, stand by for battle.

All of them saluted at once, and the knights started boarding their aircrafts.

Liam was laughing.

Custom-ordered machines are nice, but the mass-produced ones arent bad at all. However, dont get cocky and make sure to come back.

After Liam boarded Avid, Tia got into her own aircraft.

Avid, which had just exited out into space, dived straight into enemy lines.

The foolish pirates who claim to be the Peetak house are to be eradicated!

Wherever Avid passed by, the enemy battleships and mobile knights were annihilated.

(In addition to his noble spirit, his true strength can be seen just by looking at him-)

Tias excitement only seemed to rise as she used her sword to stab a nearby enemy.

She pierced straight through the cockpit.

One after another enemies were defeated as she chased after Liams back.

Brian( ) This Brian knows. Liam misunderstood the Peetak house to actually be a virtuous family, thus making it impossible for them to associate with pirates in his mind. A war between houses was started just from this small misconception. Just thinking about the developments to come makes my stomach lurch in pain.

Written by Mishima Yomu/Wai ( )