Chapter 2:
A Proxy War
WHEN YOU RANKED among the Algrand Empire’s most powerful nobles, your wedding took quite a while to plan. You couldn’t just shoot a few people a message announcing that you’d wed in a month or so. Ensuring that all those attending would be ready took years of prep.
Now, I could’ve ignored all that and tied the knot whenever I wanted, but there was the petty pride of nobles to deal with. If I’d had a quick, casual event, I’d no doubt have gotten complaints from people who weren’t invited. Even if all those who wanted to attend were invited, the event would still require careful planning so that no one got upset about who was seated where or whatever other stupid complaint they might come up with. Also, if the ceremony was too frugal, people would think we were poor and look down on us. All in all, nuptials were a huge pain in this intergalactic nation, compared to how they tended to go in my previous life.
As I worked in my office, my butler, Brian Beaumont, stood beside me and looked over the list of potential attendees with great emotion. “Master Liam, look at all the people who wish to attend your wedding to Lady Rosetta! My tears of happiness simply won’t stop! Why, I dare say House Banfield has become even more prosperous than it was under Master Alistair’s rule.”
About a century ago, House Banfield was considered a family of destitute backwater nobles. With my birth, the Banfield domain had seen a surge in development. The family had now become one of the most influential in the Empire.
“It’s more prosperous than it’s ever been, huh? Still, it feels like it was pretty easy to get to this point.” I’d turn exactly one hundred this year. Given that fewer than a hundred years had passed since I took over the domain, it was pretty shocking that I’d achieved all this.
As I wondered why other nobles didn’t accomplish the same in their own domains, Brian corrected my assumption. “That’s because you did so, Master Liam. I can’t imagine other counts achieving the same results even if they emulated you.”
He had a point. Emulating me wouldn’t allow other nobles to achieve everything I had. At best, they might get halfway to where I was. After all, I’d only succeeded because of the Guide’s protection; in other words, I owed my success to a supernatural patron.
“Well, I am lucky.”
“I hardly think luck alone got you this far, sir.” Brian didn’t seem satisfied with my explanation of things.
Still, as far as I was concerned, I’d only gotten where I had because of the Guide. Not only had he let me reincarnate into this world, he was a great guy who’d helped me out countless times since then. He didn’t show himself much these days, but I’d glimpsed him a few times since reincarnating, so I had no doubt that he was still hard at work on my behalf out there somewhere.
“How come so many people want to come to this thing anyway? It’s just a wedding.” Looking at the list of potential attendees, I was already exhausted.
Brian looked over the list with pride, though. “That’s proof of how many nobles wish to use this opportunity to make a connection with us. Although, unfortunately, it also shows how many people wish to exploit such a connection.”
Brian used one such unfortunate individual as an example. The data he showed me included a rather long petition for aid alongside a request for an invitation. The individual in question was a noble from the outskirts, like me, but he was shouldering an enormous debt. The sum he owed was so significant that he couldn’t even make payments on it, so he wanted my support. There were actually several such pathetic individuals on Brian’s list.
“These people are so shameless,” I remarked.
“Well, their wishes are also proof of the reputation for dependability our house has earned.”
“I guess I could throw them some spending money and make ’em my lackeys.”
“You’re not going to invite everyone without investigating them thoroughly, are you?”
Well, I had no interest in anyone upstanding and virtuous. After all, I was an evil lord; I should join hands with other villains. “You don’t think it’d be fun to tie them down with debts, then work them for all they’re worth?”
“Er, I…”
Brian didn’t seem to agree with my methods, and he was fervently trying to dissuade me from inviting that type. I was beginning to think that it’d be fine not to if it was going to be such a pain. That was when I received an emergency call.
“Who is it? Amagi?!” When I saw that the call was coming from her, I hastily let it through.
In front of me appeared an image of Amagi from the bust up. “I apologize for the urgent call, Master.”
“You can contact me whenever you want. Just tell me what happened.” It was odd for Amagi to call me instead of visiting in person, which made me worried that there was a real emergency.
“There has been activity on the Capital Planet.”
“Something to do with Prince Cleo…?” I narrowed my eyes, and Brian straightened up beside me.
“Yes. A baron has petitioned Prince Cleo for aid in a territory dispute with a viscount.”
“Not an unusual thing.”
Nobles fought over territory all the time. Rare metals might be discovered on a planet, or ancient ruins might be unearthed—well, there were plenty of reasons why two houses might dispute an area’s ownership. Such squabbles occurred daily in the Empire, so there was nothing surprising about someone petitioning a prince for aid. The baron had probably asked Cleo for help in order to establish ties with him, since it looked as though Cleo was winning the succession conflict. So far, nothing about what Amagi had told me was strange.
“No, it isn’t unusual. However, the viscount in conflict with the baron has requested aid from the crown prince, and the crown prince’s faction has put their full support behind him.”
“What?”
Amagi sent me the data, which I displayed in the air around me. Right away, I noticed what was strange.
“I understand that rare metals were discovered on the disputed planet, but it’s still strange for Calvin to take a minor squabble so seriously,” I mused.
What would be a good way to describe it? It was as if the state were getting involved in a minor dispute between two small towns. There was no reason for the nation itself to interfere in such a petty conflict, but even if there were, simple mediation should solve the issue. Yet Calvin was dispatching serious military force to deal with the problem.
“What’s Prince Cleo planning…?”
Since the other side was receiving military aid from Calvin, the question was how Cleo would respond. I was also curious about why I hadn’t been contacted at all about this issue.
“It seems that Cleo promised the baron his full support on the Capital Planet. He has announced his plan to dispatch an army, with you as its supreme commander, Master.” Amagi’s tone was as flat as ever, but I now understood why she’d used the emergency line.
“Now, why would he go and do that?” I said.
The news shocked Brian. “H-how could he…?” he muttered, although he didn’t interrupt my conversation with Amagi further than that.
I decided to take action right away. “Amagi, call Claus immediately.”
“Understood.”
When the call with Amagi concluded, Brian finally spoke up again, his tone sour. “What is the prince thinking, involving our house in a war when he knows what an important time this is for us? This problem could be solved with a simple discussion. It’s downright unfair of him to announce you as this army’s commander, manufacturing a situation you can’t get out of.”
Cleo definitely knew about my upcoming wedding to Rosetta; regardless, he and the and crown prince had announced serious support for opposing sides in the conflict between the baron and viscount. In other words, it was a proxy war between Cleo and Calvin. On the surface it was nothing more than a small territorial dispute, but really, the princes wanted to decide their succession conflict through this war. I didn’t know if Prince Cleo just wanted to get it over with, or if Calvin was getting hasty; either way, though, the pair were clearly looking to settle the competition between them.
“I planned to hash things out with Calvin a little later, but… Well, what should we do about this?”
Clashes between large factions like these were time-consuming. In the worst-case scenario, this could go on for decades. Even then, we might not manage to settle things in a concrete way. In a sense, this was the perfect excuse to get out of my wedding.
“You’d better tell Rosetta about this,” I ordered Brian.
He began sullenly tapping at his tablet. “It truly is unfortunate. Lady Rosetta was so looking forward to the wedding… Oh, my tears may never stop.”
Brian had always cried a lot, but he seemed to find even more excuses lately. He really spent a lot of time in tears.