"This is outrageous, outrageous, Your Excellency, Grand Duke Klein! That Entropist has gone too far!"

  The voice on the other end of the line echoed in the silent air, and even without the speakerphone activated, the laments of that middle-aged man were clearly audible.

  One could imagine that the person on the phone, while voicing his complaints, was already on the verge of exploding with rage.

  “The 'Golden Night' is the biggest casino in Flaren! The main source of income for Flaren’s underworld! It’s the image of the local mafia’s power! Now it’s all been destroyed. Around a hundred people were torn apart and killed, over a thousand gamblers fled in panic, Greenfinger Street turned into chaos, and that useless Mickey has vanished without a trace... Who does that brat think she is? A movie superheroine? Does she have any idea of the magnitude of the mess she caused? Lord Klein, this is simply an insult, an insult to you and the Nomeka family! This... this this this...!”

  “Enough. You've said more than enough today, Mr. Théodric Valemont. The honor of Nomeka is not measured by a shady casino.”

  With a tired expression, Klein slightly pulled the phone away from his ear, clearly out of patience with the governor of Flaren’s complaints.

  The poor Grand Duke was, without a doubt, in a foul mood.

  Since early morning, he had been receiving nonstop calls, even the elders of the family had already pressured him, asking if he had any way to resolve the situation.

  As if he could have a solution! He had just found out that the “Golden Night” had been destroyed. And this involved an entity as terrifying as the “Entropist”! How was anyone supposed to decide anything with that in play?

  And now the governor of Flaren was calling? With his head about to burst, Klein was visibly irritated:

  “Don’t ask me what to do. Even if I were to come up with a solution, I’d need time, Mr. Théodric. I don’t know if that girl thinks she’s a superheroine, but what do you think I am? A movie villain who controls everything from behind a desk? Now hang up the phone and go back to your mansion to wait for news. What was destroyed is just a casino. The city of Flaren is still standing.”

  Click!

  With a swift motion, he hung up the phone.

  Exhausted, Klein no longer wanted to give any repetitive answers to his indecisive subordinates.

  Yes, he was the head of the Nomeka family, the rightful ruler of the planet Nomeka. But that didn’t make him an infallible genius.

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  And what could he do when a completely out-of-control “Entropist” suddenly appeared in his territory? He didn’t have the Empire’s “Idealist Limiter” under his command.

  Did they expect him to ask the imperial military to occupy Nomeka and hunt down the enemy?

  That would be far too absurd!

  “One mess after another... My head’s a wreck. I was definitely not born to be the leader of this family. My brother is far more competent than I am, but those damned old men of the Council didn’t allow him to get involved in politics... Hm, let me think... That so-called 'Entropist' attacked the casino just to steal money, didn’t she? What if we pay her enough—maybe she’ll stay quiet? Nya, what do you think?”

  Turning to the young secretary who had just entered the office, Klein was already seeking a decision from the person he trusted most.

  However...

  Nya didn’t offer advice on how to negotiate with the Entropist.

  In fact, as soon as she reached the desk, wearing an extremely serious expression, the secretary handed him a brand-new tablet and urgently reported:

  “Lord Klein, compared to the incident in Flaren, I believe the information from the Military Intelligence Service is even more important. I hope you can deal with this immediately, because according to data from the Star-Eye Matrix observatory, the Third Main Army of the Kingdom of Astralis is moving at full speed toward the planet Nomeka! The estimate is that, at most in twenty-eight hours, they will reach the planet’s outermost atmospheric layer.”

  “…………”

  BANG!

  “What did you say!?”

  Klein stood up so abruptly that he knocked over the chair behind him.

  After having filed a complaint in the Noble Parliament, that army not only failed to change course—it was now advancing at maximum speed? They were already about to reach the planet?

  "What was the Kingdom of Astralis trying to do? How dared the Queen ignore the Council of Nobles and send an army into the hereditary territory of a Grand Duke? How dared they treat Nomeka’s defenses as if they didn’t exist? And they had the nerve to say they were here to capture the Entropist? Only a fool would believe that!"

  “Astralis has gone mad! They’re really trying to take control of Nomeka by force! Notify all armed forces on the planet to prepare for combat immediately! Inform the Council of Elders to begin impeachment proceedings against the Queen for heeding false counsel and violating royal authority! Yes, we’ll begin a vote among the Sixteen Grand Dukes to force her to abdicate! And more... establish secret contact with planet Eronis and request support from the Grand Duke there. We’ll surround the Empire’s Third Main Army. With our planetary defenses and allied support, that army will not leave here alive!”

  Klein, after all, wasn’t the youngest head in Nomeka family history for nothing. Although deeply shocked by Astralis’s audacity, his decisions were precise and well-organized.

  Indeed, if everything went according to his plan, Astralis’s assault would be nothing but a laughingstock. After all, the planet Nomeka was no easy target, and the Sixteen Grand Dukes were not a force to be ignored.

  However...

  “Forgive me, Lord Klein. But... I have two pieces of bad news to deliver. The Military Intelligence Service has already issued special summoning orders to the six military leaders of Nomeka, but, aside from the Valemont family, the other five military clans and their armies have given no response. The service is attempting to repeat the contacts, but has so far received nothing.”

  “As for the Grand Duke of Eronis... he just sent a message requesting help, five minutes ago. The Empire’s First Main Army is already heading at full speed toward planet Eronis. The Grand Duke is requesting support from Nomeka...”

  “...All data from the Intelligence Service is on the tablet in your hands. Now... what shall we do?”