Chapter 86: Epilogue

-At the Capital planet of the Empire-

A girl had come to the luxury hotel where Liam was staying at.

Her name was Ciel, Kurts little sister.

Ciel took a deep breath and stepped into the hotel grounds.

Both her father and her brother were in a jovial mood.

Iya~ The Count is really generous to accept Ciel so quickly.

Father, you speak as if you want Ciel gone as soon as possible.

N-no, I simply wish to see her become a full-fledged lady early on. You see, its hard for her to find a fiance when shes in our territory, but if shes by the Counts side, Im sure shell have lots of wonderful encounters.

Seeing that her father was glancing at her every few seconds, Ciel agreed to what he said.

That makes sense. Its true that I wish to meet a wonderful gentleman. A wonderful gentleman other than Count, that is.

Deep inside her heart, she knew that even that was a lie.

After all, the only man Ciel admired washer brother Kurt.

Her fathers shoulders dropped.

I-is that so. Just make sure you arent rude to the Count. Personally, I think the Count is a fine man.

He actually thought of having Ciel become one of Liams concubines, but Ciel adamantly refused.

At the end of the day, Liamwas Ciels enemy.

Kurt also expressed his disappointment.

Liam is a strict and upright man. I heard that he killed the eldest son of a subordinate aristocrat not long ago for acting as he pleased inside his territory.

Their father, recalling the event, was impressed and said, Its in our nature to go easy on people that were acquainted with. Taking that into consideration, the Count is truly a noble amongst the aristocrats. Ciel, you must be careful as well.

Ciel suspected the validity of their claims.

Liam had once visited the Exner Baronybut he didnt appear to be such a noble character.

She believed that everyone was being deceived.

Kurt voiced out his sorrow.

Liam isnt back yet, so I wont get to see him. Ill be away for a while due to a mission. Oh, I wonder when well be able to meet again.

Watching her brother cry out in dismay because he missed a man, Ciel thought,

(How saddening it is, my brother, to see you being deceived by Liam like this. Please wait. Ill make sure I pry open brothers eyes!)

When they arrived at the hotel lobby, they were greeted by Rosetta who was waiting there.

Baron Exner, Ive been waiting for your arrival.

Its our honor to be greeted by the Counts wife. Quickly, your two should also give your greetings.

Kurt was surprised upon seeing Rosetta.

It has been a long time, Rosetta. Even so, youve changed so much. The thorny atmosphere which you carried around you is nowhere to be found.

Its embarrassing, so lets not talk about it. I see that Kurt hasnt changed much. The military uniform fits you rather well.

Thank you.

Rosetta turned to Ciel, who was watching the trio happily talking to one another.

You must be Ciel-san. From now on, you will be training at the Banfield Family. That means you will be treated as a servant, not as the daughter of a Baron. Will that be fine with you?

She sounded strict yet kind at the same time.

Ciel curtsied as she thought about Liams fiance in front of her.

Ill be in your care.

You can take your time and relax for today. Training will officially commence tomorrow. I wanted to introduce you to Darling, but hes back at his territory right now.

I wanted to go together with him~.

As Rosetta was saying that, Ciel was having thoughts of her own.

(Ill win this persons trust and get closer to Liam. Be prepared, for I will be taking off that mask of yours!)

Ciels battle was about to begin.

The day has come for me to leave the territory once again and head for the Capital.

I board the super-dreadnought class battleship with Ellen besides me.

My disciple follows me while holding onto my sword.

No, its more accurate to say that its the sword Ive given Ellen.

Shes hugging the expensive katana as she carries it around.

Ellen, Ill be busy for a while.

Yes, Master!

Being called Master makes me feel complicated.

Is it alright for a half-baked person like me to take in a disciple?

Thats what I honestly think, but Master, Master Yasushi, did tell me to raise at least three disciples.

I have no idea whether Ellen can become strong, but for the continuation of the school of One-Flash, I must take in some disciples.

Since its a promise I made with Master, I have to keep it even if Im an evil lord.

After all, Ive decided to dedicate myself to the school of One-Flash without fretting over the gains and losses.

When we arrive at the Capital planet, Ill be throwing you into an education capsule.

Yes!

When youre out of the capsule, Ill be teaching you the basics.

The basics of One-FlashIll give it my best!

Shes apparently fond of One-Flash.

I had imitated Master Yasushi and showed her the schools secret technique before anything else.

Back then, I didnt really understand just how powerful Master Yasushi was.

I can defeat a Sword Saint now, but it doesnt feel like Im catching up to him at all.

The way he silently bisected the log with movements that suggested that he hadnt pulled out his katana

How long will it take for my unpolished slashes to reach that height?

Ellens gaze lingers on the group of servants that is here to see us off.

Ellens mother is amongst them, and Ellens gaze is on her.

Do you miss your mother?

Ellen, who is still young, was raised in a single parent family.

With Ellen becoming my disciple, her mother was hired as a servant inside the mansion.

I-Ill be fine.

Shes at an age where she should want to be pampered, but shes conducting herself very well.

I dont really like kids.

However, Ellen is my important discipleand someone who would carry on the legacy of the school of One-Flash.

I should be more considerate of her.

Once my training as an aristocrat is over, well be coming back. From then on, Ill start training you in earnest, so be preparedby then, youll be living close to your mother again.

Yes!

Or, once her mother finishes receiving her education, I can have her come to the Capital.

Ill keep this as a secret, though.

Its so that I can surprise Ellen later on.

Aboard the battleship, knights have lined up on the sides.

Chengshi is mixed in with them.

I stop on my track to examine her face.

Its as imposing and confident as ever.

Your injuries seem to have healed.

Yes.

Will you continue targeting me?

Chengshis determination hasnt been shattered at all.

As a matter of fact, she smiles at me.

Of course.

The surrounding knights tense up, but I blurt out, Good! Ill be your opponent again whenever you have accumulated enough achievements. Work for me to the best of your abilities.

Yes. One day, for sure.

Ellen follows me closely when I leave Chengshi behind.

U-um, Master?

What is it?

That person was kind of scary.

I pause and tell Ellen, For a good reason, too. That woman is someone who wants my life.

Eh?

When you grow up, Ill tell you more about it. Now come. Until we reach the Capital planet, Ill be teaching you some of the basics on the ship. I cant allow a disciple of mine to be weak.

Y-Yes!

I managed to find myself a nice disciple.

Whether or not shes suitable to inherit the legacy of One-Flash depends on the future, but shes a serious girl, and I have a good feeling about her.

More so than her preliminary attainments, its wonderful how shes sensible enough to demonstrate interest towards One-Flash.

This child will surely grow.

No, Ill make sure she grows.

As with the matter of accepting a disciple, many things have progressed well recentlyin fact, things have been going too swimmingly.

Others might call it a miracle, but I dont believe in miracles.

Despite my bad daily behavior, fortune seems to be watching over me.

This is probably thanks to the Guide.

As Im walking, I send my gratitude to the Guide whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

Ill pray so that my gratitude reaches him.

Master?

Hmm? Oh, Im thanking someone for our encounter. You should pray along.

Eh? Ah, yes.

Ellen, being the serious disciple that she is, also starts her prayer.

GuideIs our gratitude reaching you?

Please deliver the gratitude from us master and disciple to the Guide who is somewhere about!

The missile launchers on Liams battleship opened up.

From there, a golden missile appeared, watched over by something that resembled a dog.

When the dog howled, the golden missile was launched without anyone noticing it.

The interplanetary ballistic missile flew up into the sky, carrying with it the feelings of gratitude from both Liam and Ellen.

The missile alone wouldnt have reached the Guide, so a warp gate was opened along the missiles path.

On the bridge of the battleship, the crewmates were in a panic.

Hey, the missile launcher is open!

Theres a faint warp reaction!

Find out whats happening quickly! Lord Liam is on this ship!

The soldiers immediately initiated an investigation, yet the missile launchers soon closed up by themselves and the warp reaction ceased.

It was as if nothing had happened.

The dog also disappeared along with everything else.

The Guide who had left the Empire to manipulate the other countries behind the scenes was skipping around.

Whew~ I feel much more comfortable now that Liams gratitude cant reach me. It still stings here and there, but its not as bad as the torturous pain back then.

He was harvesting negative emotions from foreign countries and sowing seeds of discord whenever he smelled a fire.

In short, the Guide was being a troublesome existence.

Ill keep saving up power this way and crush Liam along with the entire EmpireOh? I see something.

The Guide stopped skipping and stared at the light in the distance.

It was a warp gate.

A golden missile shot out from within.

Gold? How tasteless! Looking at it is making me irritated.

Perhaps influenced by his love for gold, Liams gratitude was often gold in color.

That was why the Guide hated gold with a passion.

Who on earth does this tasteless thing belong to?

The missile flew towards the Guide just as he was thinking of raining misfortune upon its owner.

Some kind of accident? What a hassle.

The Guide moved and arrived at a different planet.

Ill be collecting more negative emotions from now on!

As the Guide was having such thoughtsanother warp gate opened nearby.

Huh?

Realization finally dawned on the Guide.

ThisThis tasteless golden missileLIAAAAAAAM!

Flabbergasted, the Guide attempted to flee.

Unfortunately, the missile had already arrived near him.

The Guide was caught up in the ensuing explosion as the missile landed close to him.

NOOOO!! H-Hot! Its burning me! This gratitudeIts from two people!!!! I havent done anything this tiiiiiiiime!

In addition to the usual gratitude from Liam, the gratitude of a pure and innocent child was mixed in.

The Guide loathed such gratitude.

It spread throughout the Guides body and burned him.

The Guide collapsed on the spot, tattered and burnt black.

He had managed to survive using the power that he had accumulated, but the negative emotions that he had gathered as he passed by various countries were reset to zero.

The Guide cried out, I wont forgive you for this! I wont forgive you for this, Liam!The amount of effort I put into thisSHIT!! Mark my words, Ill have you killed!

The Guide stood up and roared.

Carried over by the wind, an electronic newspaper fluttered down in front of him.

The Guide looked down.

The newspaper was about how the Lustral Unified Government had struck a deal with Liams Banfield family.

The Guide froze up for a moment, confused over what was going onthen, he picked up the electronic newspaper from the ground.

When he perused through the content, he learned that Liam had received sanctions.

The Guide also learned that Liam had overcome the predicament in part because of the rebellion that he had caused in the Unified Government.

I thought I havent done anythiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

The Guide plopped back down, stunned.

He was shocked that he had unintentionally aided Liam.

A dog which had multiple copies of the electronic newspaper in its mouth was observing such a Guide from behind the grasses.

It had deliberately set the stage so that the Guide would read the newspaper.

Satisfied by the Guides reaction, the dog left.

Tears flowed down as the Guide pounded his fist on the ground.

This is too muuuuuuuuuch!

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