Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The gray planet I had set my sights on was Zenith - VI.
A neutral planet untouched by both humanity and alien species.
The reason was simple. It was freezing as hell.
Far lower temperatures than any other planet.
Because of that, humanity had given up on colonizing it.
Any alien species that accidentally docked here ended up frozen solid—turned into permanent exhibits.
If you actually landed on this planet, it would be a spectacular sight.
Countless alien beings turned into ice sculptures.
But that wasn’t the important part.
The shape of this planet resembled a massive pillar rising out of the surface.
With enormous dome-like structures on both sides of the pillar, the overall silhouette looked somewhat… suggestive.
‘W-what the hell is this shape…?’
That weirdly shaped building—no, structure—was called the Stellar Melter.
Literally a device capable of generating enough heat to melt an entire star system.
And not in some chaotic burst either—it evenly distributes heat across the entire system.
Don’t ask how that works in space. I don’t know either.
Anyway, this “thing” was treated as an extremely valuable relic even in a space opera setting like this.
There was just one problem: to activate it, you had to land on that insanely cold planet.
And if any surviving alien species were still around, you’d have to fight them too.
Most of them would be frozen, of course—but anything inside the Melter itself might still be active.
I pressed the communicator on the edge of the table.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
My direct secretary responded.
“Call Knight Quegreg.”
“Eh?”
“…What is it?”
“Ah, n-nothing. It’s just… your tone is a bit different than usual…”
“…Is that so?”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll connect you right away!”
As expected, a direct secretary would know Rayan—no, me—well.
It seems I wasn’t properly imitating him.
Unfortunately, unlike other possession stories, I didn’t inherit his memories.
Well, that was probably for the best.
If I had to carry someone else’s memories, my own identity would’ve blurred.
I want to remain myself, not become Rayan.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door to the Grand Duke’s office.
“Enter.”
Creak.
The door opened, and a massive man stepped inside.
At least two meters tall.
His body was covered in implants.
He raised a sharp military salute toward me.
Right fist pressed against his left chest.
“Salutations. Arius Quegreg, Grandmaster of the Winterwolf Knight Order, reporting to Your Grace.”
“Sit.”
He sat down with disciplined precision.
Arius Quegreg, Grandmaster of the Winterwolf Knights.
In other words, the highest authority in the knight order after me.
And a man who possessed both skill and absolute loyalty befitting that position.
In the original story, he was the last one to defect during the rebellion.
A man who prioritized obedience over judgment.
In other words, a born soldier.
Which also meant Rayan had been such a disaster that even this man eventually turned against him.
“Sir Quegreg. I called you to hear your opinion. I hope you’ll forgive the sudden summons.”
“W-what did you say…?”
Even he seemed to notice that I was very different from before.
“Your opinion. What do you make of this strangely shaped structure?”
I pointed toward Zenith - VI.
“That thing there.”
“Yes. It looks like a piece of shit— uh, I mean—”
“Piece of…?”
Damn it. I really tried not to acknowledge it.
“Ahem. What do you think it is?”
“A space di—”
“…?”
“…”
This guy’s career in the knight order was already obvious.
He definitely got scolded a lot as a rookie but always answered immediately when spoken to.
“…This is called the Stellar Melter. A revolutionary device capable of raising the temperature of the entire Amirates star system.”
“Oh! So this is that…”
Quegreg’s expression brightened noticeably.
He was clearly someone who had suffered enough under this endless cold.
“However, Your Grace. May I ask something presumptuous?”
“You may.”
“Although activating the Stellar Melter has long been the ducal family’s wish, it has never been done. Why now…?”
A genuine question.
Naturally, there was a reason.
“To reactivate it, a password is required. Until now, that password remained unknown.”
“Then… you’ve found it?”
“Correct. One of the few gains from this recent war.”
I added a lie at the end.
In this brutal world of Amirates, there is something more unforgivable than kidnapping a saint to start a war.
That thing is losing.
If I had won, I wouldn’t be treated like a failure right now.
If you’re going to be called a bastard either way, be the bastard who wins.
That was the philosophy of Fenrir.
Anyway, returning from war with nothing would be an admission of defeat.
But if I claimed I had gained something significant?
That alone would raise my standing among the population.
And this was no ordinary gain—it was the first-ever solution to the star system’s climate crisis.
Even if I was a completely insane duke, this would still increase my reputation.
“Then I would like your assessment. If we launch a strike operation on Zenith - VI, what are our chances of success?”
“May I examine the details?”
He respectfully pointed at the holographic star map on the table.
After I nodded, he stood and began interacting with the projection.
The hologram of Zenith - VI expanded across the table.
“Temperature inside the Stellar Melter is significantly higher than the external environment.”
“Correct.”
“Zenith - VI has a history of alien invasions. It is likely that those creatures have bred inside the Melter.”
That matched my expectations.
“However, the Melter is not large. Even if they have reproduced, their numbers must be limited.”
He continued confidently.
“Meanwhile, our knight order is fully combat-ready. In fact, the brothers are eager for battle—they haven’t tasted blood in too long.”
“…That much?”
“You know this well. There are no warriors more obsessed with honor than our knights.”
They live for honor and die for honor.
Romantic, but honestly, a bunch of incomprehensible lunatics.
Still, at least the title of Grand Duke gave them something to fight for.
For that alone, I was grateful.
“What about operational feasibility?”
“We have most necessary equipment. Maintenance is complete… and we have newly developed combat suits capable of operating in extreme environments like Zenith - VI. Furthermore!”
This wasn’t some “and that’s not all!” infomercial, but he kept going anyway.
“Our knights regularly conduct winter combat training. They endure freezing waterfalls at minus 200 degrees while meditating.”
“…?”
“Of course, some of the weaker recruits die during training, but anyone that fragile has no right to be a knight anyway. It benefits everyone, does it not?”
These space marine lunatics…
Still, it meant they had enough manpower to pull this off.
And that meant the operation could proceed smoothly.
“Then I will assign you command of the Zenith - VI infiltration and Stellar Melter reclamation operation. Personnel and support will be provided under my authority. And I will personally participate. Only I know the activation password.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
As the discussion ended, Quegreg stood and bowed.
“I will begin preparations immediately!”
“Do so.”
After he left, I let out a sigh of relief.
One major problem solved.
If the climate issue is fixed, the food shortage will eventually be resolved as well.
For now, we’d have to rely on the ducal family’s reserves.
But not long after Quegreg left, someone knocked again.
“Enter.”
“Your Grace… forgive me. This is too urgent to delay…”
“Speak.”
“An enormous fleet is approaching the star system from outside.”
My spine went cold.
“Aliens?”
“No.”
“…Pirates?”
“No. It has been confirmed to be a fleet carrying the Chief Secretary of His Imperial Majesty.”
“What.”
This was worse than aliens or pirates.
The Emperor of the Human Empire who ruled this galaxy.
And his Chief Secretary had only one reason to come here.
Responsibility for the failed invasion—one that cost 7 billion troops.
And that Chief Secretary was someone I recognized.
Vera Winterhold.
The eldest daughter of House Winterhold.
And… the former fiancée of Rayan von Fenrir.