Arthur planted a hand firmly against his mother’s face, desperately trying to push her away.
"M-Mother...!"
"Get off me!"
"I’ll be having my coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow."
"You need to stop treating me like a child."
Unfortunately for Arthur...
Lord Elizabeth was far stronger than he was.
His resistance was completely futile.
She simply continued rubbing her cheek against his with a blissful smile.
"It doesn’t matter how old you get."
"You’ll always be Mummy’s cute baby."
Arthur let out a defeated groan.
For some reason...
She reminded him exactly of the mother he had left behind on Earth.
Kind.
Warm.
Loving.
But unbelievably clingy whenever she got the chance.
"...Mother."
"Please get off."
Elizabeth tightened her embrace ever so slightly.
"...Just a little longer, please."
Arthur sighed.
"..."
There was no winning against her.
Just then...
One of the generals cleared her throat.
"Ahem."
"My Ladyship..."
"I believe now is not the appropriate time for this."
The room fell silent.
Mother and son simultaneously turned their heads toward the speaker.
Elizabeth reluctantly released Arthur, though not before giving his cheek one last affectionate pinch.
"Hmph."
She folded her arms with an exaggerated pout.
"My precious baby is growing up too fast."
Arthur let out a weary sigh of relief before straightening his uniform.
Finally...
He was free.
Elizabeth turned and walked back toward her seat at the far end of the hall.
Reaching her seat, she lowered herself onto it with elegance.
Crossing her legs.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment.
A slow breath entered her lungs.
Then she exhaled.
When her eyes opened again...
The warmth that had filled her expression only moments ago vanished completely.
The affectionate mother had disappeared.
In her place sat the Lord of House Ashbourne.
Arthur blinked.
’...That was fast.’
Elizabeth rested one elbow against the armrest of her throne.
"General Cassandra."
One of the women seated around the table immediately stood.
She possessed short ash-blonde hair cut neatly above her shoulders, sharp emerald eyes, and a long scar running across the bridge of her nose.
Her black-and-gray military uniform was decorated with numerous silver commendation pins, while the confident way she carried herself made it obvious she was a veteran of countless campaigns.
"Yes, My Lady."
"Display the damage report."
"At once."
General Cassandra raised a hand toward the holographic table.
Buzz.
The projection of the Ashbourne Star System flickered.
Several planets suddenly turned crimson.
Arthur’s expression slowly stiffened.
One after another, detailed images expanded before the table.
Entire worlds...
Reduced to nothing more than shattered asteroid belts.
Fragments of continents drifted silently through space.
Broken orbital stations floated lifelessly among fields of debris.
Wreckage of enormous battleships stretched for kilometers, slowly tumbling through the void.
Every image depicted absolute devastation.
Then Arthur noticed something else.
The recordings had captured the attackers.
His pupils contracted.
"...!"
Strange creatures.
Their bodies were composed of twisting black flesh covered in pulsating veins of violet light.
Some vaguely resembled beasts.
Others possessed elongated humanoid forms with far too many limbs.
Their very presence seemed to distort the surrounding space, as though reality itself struggled to contain them.
Even through a simple holographic recording...
Arthur felt a chill crawl down his spine.
He stared at the projection in horror.
"W... what..."
He swallowed hard.
"...What the hell are those?"
Elizabeth called out to Arthur formally.
"Arthur Von Ashbourne, your family is in need of your assistance."
Arthur immediately straightened.
He clasped both hands behind his back and stood at attention.
"Her Ladyship need only give the command."
"Your will shall be carried out."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Elizabeth’s lips.
"Good."
She gave a small nod toward Cassandra.
"Cassandra."
Cassandra nodded, and with a wave of her hand, the holographic display shifted.
The image zoomed in on the grotesque black-and-purple creatures from the recording.
Several new windows appeared, displaying battlefield statistics, casualty reports, and tactical projections.
Cassandra folded her hands behind her back before speaking.
"Over the past two hundred years, the attacks of the Hollow Brood along our frontlines have become increasingly catastrophic."
The hologram shifted.
Larger variants of the creatures appeared.
Some towered over mountains.
Others possessed countless crimson eyes or enormous blade-like limbs capable of cleaving warships apart.
"They are evolving."
"Our analysts have confirmed the appearance of larger, more intelligent variants capable of coordinating entire swarms."
Another casualty report appeared.
Arthur’s expression gradually became more serious.
"Our losses continue to rise."
"Iron Angel casualties have now exceeded ten billion."
A second figure appeared.
"Handler casualties have surpassed two billion."
More numbers followed.
"Mecha pilots, fleet personnel, planetary defense forces, and civilian casualties now exceed three hundred billion."
The enormous numbers caused even Arthur’s breathing to become slightly heavier.
Cassandra’s expression remained solemn.
"We believe the cause of this sudden increase in intelligence is the birth of a Hive Lord."
The hologram zoomed farther into Hollow Brood territory.
A massive region of space became highlighted in crimson.
"However..."
"That conclusion remains purely speculative."
"None of the reconnaissance fleets or scouting units we have dispatched into their territory have ever returned."
Silence settled over the meeting hall.
The only sound was the soft hum of the holographic projector.
Cassandra finally looked directly at Arthur.
"But if our hypothesis is correct, based on all the other data we have collected..."
"A Hive Lord has certainly been born."
Her voice became noticeably firmer.
"So it must be destroyed before it fully matures."
She gestured toward the highlighted region of space.
"Because if it is allowed to continue expanding its hive..."
She paused.
"...Our entire star system faces the very real possibility of total annihilation."
Arthur remained silent.
A faint feeling of dread settled deep within the pit of his stomach.
The sheer scale of what he had just heard was enough to make anyone uneasy.
Total annihilation.
Even knowing this was once a game...
Hearing those words spoken as reality carried an entirely different weight.
Fortunately, Arthur managed to keep most of that unease from showing on his face.
General Cassandra placed a hand over her chest and bowed toward Elizabeth.
"That concludes my report, My Lady."
With that, she quietly returned to her seat.
Elizabeth gave a small nod before turning her gaze back toward Arthur.
"Arthur Von Ashbourne."
Arthur instinctively straightened.
"Yes, My Ladyship."
Elizabeth’s expression remained solemn.
"The Empire turned its back on House Ashbourne long ago."
"Our declining military strength has made us a liability rather than an asset."
She paused briefly.
"The capabilities of our Iron Angels have diminished with each passing generation."
A faint sadness crossed her otherwise composed expression.
"The House Ashbourne of today..."
"...is but a shadow of the great family our ancestors once built."
"So they will not come to our aid."
Arthur remained silent, listening carefully.
"It is true that we still maintain alliances with several small Star Lord families."
"But even with their support..."
Elizabeth slowly shook her head.
"...I fear it will not be enough."
"When the war that approaches finally reaches our borders..."
"I do not believe House Ashbourne can survive it alone."
Silence filled the meeting hall.
Every general lowered her gaze.
The atmosphere became noticeably heavier.
Elizabeth looked directly into Arthur’s eyes.
"That is why..."
"...we have placed our hopes in you."
Arthur’s heart skipped a beat.
"Tomorrow, you will undergo your coming-of-age ceremony."
"Afterward, you will enroll in the Imperial Black Knights Academy."
Her tone became even firmer.
"Once you are there..."
"...you must find yourself a wife."
Arthur blinked.
"...A wife?"
Elizabeth nodded without hesitation.
"A wife whose family possesses the military strength and political influence necessary to help House Ashbourne endure the crisis that lies ahead."
"Our family’s future..."
"Our people’s survival..."
"And perhaps the survival of this entire star system..."
She held Arthur’s gaze.
"...may very well depend on the woman you choose."